DOGS

Today was a day of job hunting, which is not as much fun, as easy, or as mentally stimulating as I had hoped. I've dropped off my resume at several places, including an International Center in hopes of taking advantage of my comparative advantage- native English speaker- perfect for teaching English (but still, it's not my favorite option). I've applied at local cafes, bars, and restaurants but most are mostly run by family or aren't looking for extra help, even when I throw in the part about me speaking English and being useful for when tourists come around. I have a few NGO contacts that I'm working with, but it seems as though times are just hard all over the place, including with non-profits (not so surprising...). It's nice that I potentially will be here a year though, because it makes me feel less terrible about being unemployed because comparatively, a week of unemployment out of a year stay isn't awful. Also, I can be more of a permanent fixture somewhere, and I'm considering doing some volunteer work with an NGO with the hopes that after 1-3 months they will want to hire me on full time.

It's weird being back in Chile, but in a good way. Nothing has changed too much, and I spent enough time here originally to feel like I know my way around. Still, I've forgotten silly things like which buses and colectivos will take me where, so although I know the area, I'm still wandering around a little lost.

I forgot about the presence that dogs have here- they wake you up at night with their barking, you trip over them in the street, they poop and you have to watch out for it, and sometimes they follow you if you smell like food. Additionally, they make the streets smell unpleasant. Despite all of these resasons to not like the street dogs, when I was coming back to the house today I saw a TINY TINY puppy whining and crying (s/he was seriously tiny- no bigger than your two hands cupped together) and I wanted to pick him up and take it home. (Don't worry, I didn't.)

Yesterday I met this guy named El Bruja (the witch- he has a face like a witch, kind of) who is living on a toma (I visited him there), a piece of unoccupied land that he and his community have taken over as their own. El Bruja lives an almost completely auto-sustainable life- he grows most of his own food, (he has cut milk products out of his diet- I admire anyone who can give up cheese), his house is made out of warehouse pallets and discarded plastic for windows, he recycles his bathroom and kitchen water to reuse to water his plants, and he has an eco-toilet. He lives this way partially out of necessity, and partly because he is opposed to modern living (he called classroom education the worst thing that could happen to kids- he's quite radical). Though I didn't always agree with him (and though he smoked like a chimney), he was fascinating, and I'm always intrigued by these alternative life styles.

I might go to Santiago this evening. I'll try to post a few pictures of the house in a bit. Hope all are well, and that it's warmer wherever you are than here.