Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

So, Jorge came for 3 weeks and we had a WONDERFUL time.  I can't wait to see him again.

This meant I need to get into full training mode.  I even passed up Midget wrestling last night when my crazy neighbors invited me.  I guess I'm old when I don't care if I "never have this opportunity again".  I had a plan to get into the mountains today!  Of course, I had heard it was going to rain.  BUT, it's San Diego rain.  Like some drizzles.  I almost changed my schedule this morning but I made it out there to the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, after stopping at CVS to get some pepper spray for the mountain lions that have apparently attacked up there.  They didn't have it and I told him that it would be his fault if I get attacked.  He didn't seem to care...

So, I was thrilled to have mud on my legs again!  I used to run on my lunches when I was at AIU in the Poplar Creek Forest Preserve and come back with mud on my legs.  Chile doesn't get much rain and their dirt is more of a clay.  At least where I was living.  Plus, since being in San Diego, I haven't gotten mud on my legs.  (But running barefoot on the beaches makes up for it!)  So, I was thrilled!  I wore a shirt from a race in Chile I ran with Alejandro and my classic 2007 Big Sur Marathon long sleeve shirt.  I brought a fleece too just in case.  Driving up was great, they had the markers for the elevation, although they have those in Chile I still get impressed coming from the Midwest.  The rain kept on and the windows got foggy.  I stopped at a local restaurant and got a map from a woman who had probably never left the state park in her entire life.  It was by the campground that looked awesome.

So, I found my path and I went.  Long pants with shorts underneath just in case, two 8oz bottles of water in my fuel belt and some munchies.  It was MUDDY!  It was COLD!!!  The views were GREAT!!!  My hands were FREEZING!  I left my running gloves back in boat since I didn't think I needed them.  If it's not snowing, it's not cold.  HA.  Little Midwesterner underestimated the Cuyamacas.  Luckily, I had a fleece headband from my Dad from years ago otherwise my ears would have fallen off.  I trudged on for a few miles, I think my chin and neck were the only things dry.  My high-tech shirts didn't dry off quick enough in the 'drizzle' I thought I was going to encounter.  I debated turning around...  "Am I being stubborn and stupid?"  "Or, did I just become a wimp not being in cold weather for so long"  I started trying to think of signs of hypothermia... I wasn't shivering, my hands were a weird yellow color and didn't work, I was thinking logically, or was I?  I recalled the woman who had gone out for a run in the mountain, in California, and ended up falling into a ravine, busting up her ankle and was stuck there for 3 days with only 8oz of water and she got her period.  She made it through but when she needed to be hospitalized for days.  Was this my fate or was I being silly?  Have I gotten that old and precautious?  I did turn down the opportunity to watch midget wrestling after all.  And it was probably the one and only chance I would have had...

I finally decided it was time to turn around and head back to the car when I ran into a guy with a full parka with the hood up, gear and walking stick who asked me which direction to the top of the mountain we were apparently on.  I was afraid he was spying on me and he was going to tell the Ranger there's some crazy girl running around up there.  I didn't take any precautions on the way back, ankle deep in streams, I stepped directly into the mud and puddles, didn't move any branches out of my way, I figured I'd go out in a storm.  By the time I finally got back to the car, it took both hands and a push with my shoulders to turn the key in the door.  (the clicker opener is at the bottom of our marina...)  And then it took nearly 20 mins for my fingers to function well enough to open the zipper on my pants to take off my wet pants.  So, I laughed at myself and drove back to San Diego. I'll go back when it's sunny.

I finished my run at the Y, I had seen that they had a free 2-week trial going on.  I wanted to join anyway for the pool.

Hope you enjoyed hearing about my day. I also made a spanish tortilla, some coleslaw and some quinoa today...

Ciao!

How to label international airports

I've just arrived back in San Diego after 3 long flights from Santiago.  Santiago, Chile to Lima, Peru, to San Jose, Costa Rica and then finally to Los Angeles where we had left the car with some friends.  I got started thinking in my after-18th stage of tired mixed with jetlag about airports.  I had no idea what time it was, both of my phones were on different times than my watch and I had forgotten whether it was the US or Chile that had already changed for the season.  (It was Chile =)

So, I've been in airports in close to 20 countries, in some really small towns around the world and the biggest in the world.  Kosice, Slovakia, another small one outside of Milan that took me to another small one outside of Berlin, on the only SMOKING flight I've ever been on.  I've been to all 3 London airports, I've waiting in line in Seville cursing my brains out with Jefe, and I've gotten a salivary gland infection that caused me to receive a steroid shot in the butt while waiting in Detroit for 10 hours after our 3 flights back to Chicago were delayed, AFTER we had flown (with my mom and sister) from Corpus Christi, to Houston, to Detroit in order to get back to Chicago.  My brother got back from Corpus Christi driving before we made it!

So, my point is, just looking at two things will give you a big idea of what kind of airport/city/country you're in.  This I discovered when walking into the San Jose giftstore recently and was shocked.

#1:  Do they sell wooden structures of native people or metal structures representing buildings? 

#2:  Condition of the bathroom.  Is there a line?  Are the people waiting patiently?  Does the door lock?  Is there toilet paper?  Is it on the ground?  Does it flush properly?  Is there hot water in the sink?  Soap?  Towels or hand dryers?  Finally, is there a DRINKING FOUNTAIN outside. 

All of these factors and more need to be taken into account when evaluating an airport.  I'm going to work on a formula to figure out scores.  I'm sure there is some kind of international evaluation through the UN but mine will be better. 

San Jose was an interesting airport.  In talking with a woman on my flight whose husband has a business there, the people have very low living standards much like the rest of Central America.  However, the airport shows you just how many tourists they get.  In Santiago, Lima, Bogota, Quito, etc, I've never been spoken to in English.  Here, I was greeted in English.  I felt that sense of being attacked you feel in malls when walking into stores in the US.  They sell all the regular drinks, magazines, snacks, etc, as any airport in the US, the bathroom was beautiful, and there was a working drinking fountain.  Now, in order to bring up their scores, they will need a Starbucks in every terminal, wifi throughout the airport, a pet relieving station, a chapel and a prayer room.

I'm back in the boat now and just wanted to share my thoughts during my last trip.  I wish everyone a great weekend.

Elizabeth

En Chile again

Hello,

After spending 3 months in San Diego, living on a boat, we have returned to Chile.  I have to admit, it was hard. At first, I figured I had to change my mindset and try to be more reserved and not drink, and do dishes, etc.  Now, I am going to try a different approach.  If someone complains about my behavior, I still have the gringa excuse.  That´s all.

I saw a Chilean movie on the plane coming here.  It´s called Machuca and takes place during the 1973 revolution.  The idea of communism I had here was, according to the movie, very different than the Polish and Soviet communism I had studied.  Allende actually lost the Socialist support, probably one of the reasons the coup was able to happen.  And, there were fully-functioning catholic schools during that time.  I had wondered how, if Pinochet believed in the "Chicago Boys" and his neoliberalism; using the open markets to control the government and the country´s economy, why were his representatives and his techniques defying human rights?  Aside from being a dictator, of course, I couldn´t get it around my head why in theory it should function, but he represented and represents still the deaths and disappearances of so many Chileans.

I am beginning to understand.  To make something happen in Chile, unfortunately, force is needed.  It was quoted to me today in describing a Chilean, "my way or the highway".  The idea of trying to understand and attempt to use someone else´s idea is foreign to the common Chilean.  Unless that idea comes from Europe or the US.

Also, in the movie, they showed both sides of the political spectrum.  Which, unfortunately, corresponds with the socio-economic groups as well.  From what they showed, there was no one from the upper-class that supported Allende or any leftist group, the leftists groups being more extreme.  To my surprise, the English Catholic school where the two kids from different social statuses meet was allowed to function and actually shut down after the coup.  BECAUSE, the head priest, an English man, was attempting to integrate students from another neighborhood and social status.    Something that the parents couldn´t even understand why.  Simple diversity and integration was unknown.  Not only after the US´s Civil Rights movement subsided, but, 10 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream speech".

The biggest thing I realized after watching the movie and something that didn´t really shock me but actually put a lot into perspective for me was that the Chilean mentality hasn´t really changed.  Chileans from the upper and even the middle class, (which I should mention has developed since then), are not able to, or, ´shouldn´t´ spend time with or be friend´s with people from lower classes.  I´ve heard them being called, "THOSE people" and within the same lower-class level, when another tries to move up and do well for themselves, someone from their status will inevitably try to pull them down.

Even some of the chants in the street I heard once when I went to check out a protest back in May or April were the same.  And, I read that families went to the streets in July with pots and pans as well.  And, from what I´ve heard, people are still rounding up stray dogs in the middle of the night.  At this point, I can´t say whether they´re doing it for the meat or just to get them off the streets.  Of course, the movie came out in 2004 but it seemed to be a good representation of the 1973 Chile.

This movie should be shown in every school around Chile.  I would say at least by Freshmen year of HS, primer medio.

Welcome back to Chile.

Update in Santiago

Well, it´s been 7 months, whoops!!

Started an English school:  www.chicagochile.com  It´s going alright for now.  I need to get more students, that´s all.  I get resumes from teachers practically every week wanting to teach but not enough students yet... But, summer is coming to an end and everyone has told me that people are now coming back to life after being on vacation for 3 months!!

I helped to celebrate Chile´s 200 years of independence in September, that was a huge festival!  It was 4 days of asados, wine and cueca, the national dance!  It was also there that I began to ponder the Chilean idea of how well someone does or not does organize their belongings as being a representation of how good of a person they are.  More to come on that.

In October I returned to Chicago to run the Chicago Marathon with the Hall Steps Foundation and celebrate my nephew´s 4th birthday!  Both wonderful experiences!

November was a good month considering the school and the amount of students.  As well, I organized and cooked a Thanksgiving dinner for friends and students!  It was my first time doing a turkey and it turned out alright... haha!!  And the stuffing was even better!!!  Thank you to Tía Lily for allowing me to use your home...

December is when I got homesick.  We started going to the lake with the kids for the weekend and it took me some time to relax and try to be on vacation without doing anything but eating and washing dishes.  Luckily, I was able to swim, run and bike and just play with the kids.  As a matter of fact, I probably had a better time with the kids than with the adults.... lol

And Christmas was beautiful, I got a beautiful new camera from Jorgito that I have used to the MAX.  Coni, still 8 at the time, got her first cell phone!!  And she was the last in her class to get one as well.  A sign of the times I guess.  Or a sign I´m just getting old.  In between Christmas and New Year´s I came down with pelionefritis (sp?) or, a kidney infection and I was put on antibiotics for 2 weeks!!!  Insane.  Nevertheless, we went out until 8am New Year´s Eve and had a wonderful time!

In January, Jorge and I were going to be gone from the 5th to the 18th on a trip to Brazil. It got cut short by a number of different things and we went on motorcycle to the 4th region, La Serena, Coquimbo and Valle de Elqui.  On the way back we hit a bit of a road block to say the least...  then we went by car to the south.  To Patagonia, it was awesome but rainy and my back hurt terribly the whole time... the whole time... when we got back I got a good deep tissue massage it it helped TREMENDOUSLY.

February came around my friends came to visit!  It was awesome.  We went all over the place.  To el Lago Colbún, to Curicó and Licantén to visit friends, Iloca, Pichilemu and, of course, to Algarrobo.  Unfortunately, one of them got left behind and had to buy a new passport =(  But, everybody had fun, ate good and did a lot of partying!!!!!

Now, in March, I am putting forth 3 major efforts on three projects:  Santiago Abandoned Animals, Chicago English School, and my personal training (both me and others).  Please, if you´re reading this, please read the Santiago Abandoned Animals blogs too:  http://santiagoabandonedanimals.blogspot.com/

We are in the process of raising funds, with the idea of starting to operate in May.

Thank you for reading, more to come...

E. Kocek

Movin' on

Friends and Family,

The idea of maturity has been buzzing around in my head for ages.  What defines it? Who defines it?  When are we considered mature?  Mature for what?  What if we don't consider ourselves mature, enough?  Enough for what?

In the end, it doesn't matter.  Because, like everything else, it's all relative.  We've heard, 'you're mature for your age', 'you're not mature enough', 'when you mature a little more', etc.  Really? 

In going through my 30 years of belongings, recalling memories, trying to hold on to emotions, etc, I feel I have hit a level of some kind of maturity that I was seeking.  Some kind of a 'don't care' attitude.  I have had to make a conscious effort to give up the idea that I'm giving something up and losing my identity.  Not only with all the belongings I have to get rid of, not before taking pictures of everything, but also the idea that I'm giving up my precious radio stations, my bedroom, my family, driving in my car, etc.  But, it's okay because I'm gaining other comfort-zones, other little pleasures that I can't get anywhere else.  Like, fresh exotic fruits, another family I can trust, more friends I can rely on, running in the foothills of the Andes, Lo Saldes!!

As a good friend once told me, your old coat that you wear everyday might be nice and cozy, but it's time to change it up for a new one and create more memories.  That is exactly what I am doing.

Thank you very much for reading my first post, I hope it wasn't too boring.  I suppose I'll never be mature in the social context but I do enjoy challenging social boundaries anyway. 

E

My old jewelery box: