Back in Santiago

Wow, it is good to be back in this city! I have so many wonderful memories here, having come here three times for work and now twice for leisure. After a brief 72 hours in the Palacio, I left the office on Friday evening for O'hare airport and a flight through Miami to Santiago. I must admit that I was still a little bewildered from changing locations so many times, so when I checked in at the American Airlines desk, I said that I was flying to Buenos Aires through Miami. The agent said that he couldn't find a Buenos Aires itinerary, but he could find a Santiago one... "Oh yeah," I remembered, "that's right, I'm stopping for a couple of days in Santiago on my way to Buenos Aires!"

This morning I hopped in a shared taxi and headed to the apartment of my friend Valeska and her boyfriend, Juan. Devlin has been staying with them for the past 5 weeks as he was taking Spanish classes nearby. I couldn't wait to see Valeska and Devlin, and of course to meet Juan. I arrived at about 10:30 in the morning and knocked on the door to wake up Devlin, who was struggling to smile on 3.5 hours of sleep! Nevertheless, we enjoyed catching up and going out in the Providencia neighborhood for a quick cup of wonderfully average Chilean coffee.

When we returned to the apartment, we woke up Valeska and we all had a morning chat before getting ready for the day and heading to the cerro San Cristobal, where we took in some marvelous views of the Andes mountains and Santiago's skyline. After taking some pictures, we took the funicular down the hill and went to the taxi stand where Valeska's brother works to wait and see him and to make dinner plans for the night. It has been nearly three years now that I have known Valeska and her brother, and it's been a year since the last time I saw them. They are both very dear people to me, so being able to see them again, and on top of that being able to sit and chat with them and Devlin in Spanish has been a real pleasure.

As I walked the familiar streets of Santiago with Devlin and Valeska, and the three of us shared stories, jokes and opinions like three old friends, I was full of wonder and glee. To think of these two friends and the variety of experiences we have shared together and apart, is to remember the mystery and value in each of our lives and relationships. And the fact that Devlin, Valeska and Juan have become such quick friends reminds me that this world is full of good, generous and loving people. I am certainly blessed to know both of them and to be sharing some time with them this weekend.

Closing Thoughts
As I sit in my friends' apartment 5,000 miles away from Illinois, it's great to feel the familiarity and warmth of 'home' and friendship. This Santiago stay may be brief, but I would not have missed it for the world...