i love sundays. walking back from my new gym, listening to the song "i am infinity," admiring the huge trees that line my street, i was filled with a sense of peaceful contentment. this is such a huge city, but there is still that one day each week where you can actually hear yourself think. everyone is resting or going to church. even taxi drivers seem to spend more time parked on the side of the road than actually driving. sunday is a day of rest--that breath that we all need to take when we realize that things are starting to move just a little too fast. it helps us keep our sanity.

i know it has been a while since i put anything down here for you all to read. i have made many attempts, but always find myself getting distracted or frustrated or both. more and more i feel like there are so many little things to relate to you all--little realities about the people and the city that i discover every day, but that i forget by the time i get home. i have started keeping a notebook and pen in my purse to jot down things so that i can share them with you, but i feel like they lose their sense of importance or irony when taken out of context. we'll see--i'll try to share some with you sometime.

classes have begun to pick up, so i feel as though the weeks are just slipping away. i had an awesome, but short, visit with my parents last week. i think they were both impressed with the history of santiago and the generosity of the people here. i am so glad that they were able to see my home and take in, first hand, some of what i have come to love so much about this city. i believe tonight their boat is leaving ecuador (where they visited with katie) and heading up toward panama. for those of you who havent already heard, their boat was the one all over the news about the death of 12 passengers. everything is fine now, though, and mom told me that the cruise has carried on without being overshadowed too strongly by such a tragedy. i only hope for a safe trip for them through the panama canal, to florida, and back to arizona. such an adventure!

i guess i will leave it at that for now. i will have more for you soon regarding my venture into getting an internship. i have decided to devote five hours a week to going to a small pueblo on the outskirts of santiago that is plagued by poverty in order to help in an organization that provides assistance to the community. i think it will enrich my experience here, as well as show me the stark reality of many people in chile that don't live with the luxuries and opportunities provided by the city of santiago.

more to follow...i need to get to sleep.

chao...y que les duermen con los angelitos...
beth o.