Final Thoughts - Chile
I only spent 89 days in Chile on my second visit for this trip. I had a wonderful Christmas with Paul, Danni, Nati and Danni’s Dad. I also travelled to new parts of Chile and met the rest of Daniel’s family in Villa Alemana. I had some deep conversations with him and other members of his family, all of them at one time or another. I spent NYE in Vina del Mar and Valparaiso and saw a very different type of Chilean, than ones I had seen before. I really liked Vina, but had very little time for Valparaiso, as I thought it was run down and I felt people did not care about their surroundings. I guess that Vina is a little better as it is the more touristy section due to its beaches and number of restaurants and clubs. Travelling to visit friends in the south of Chile was good too. Spending time with Papi at the farm and then with Paul’s extended family in Lican Ray was great. Moving onto LA and spending time with Jess and her family again, gave me so many wonderful memories. My final week in Santiago was one of my toughest for my whole time in South America, trying to decide whether to leave Chile and South America in general or stay for a further 90 days. I am so torn about Chile. It is a place of contrasts, a place at times that I really love and at others a place I cannot understand. In some ways my decision to leave was made for me and one that I have not really regretted.
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Santiago
I arrived back into Santiago, after what felt like a very long bus journey. I am not sure why it felt like that, I just guess I was getting sick of buses. Anyway I arrived at Paul’s apartment and dropped of my bags, had a quick bite to eat and set off for the Qantas office in Santiago, armed with as much paperwork as possible. I was aiming to get home to Melbourne by Easter, so I could spend it with the family. However after discussions with the staff at Qantas and seeing the lack of flights available, I knew that I could not make this happen. I had a decision to make. Should I try and get a second visa for Chile and stay an additional 90 days or make my way to London. I booked the flights to London and went away pondering this question… should I stay longer?
I had spoken to Alex previously on Messenger about my Columbia Ski Jacket that I had left in Brasil. He had arranged for someone to take it to Chile and I could collect it from them. I found out that it was Daniel and Thalia’s Auntie that had the jacket and that she lived in Santiago, not to far from Paul’s. I contacted Thalia and asked if she could help me get my jacket, in between other things that we were discussing. The following morning I went to where she was staying and met her Grandparents and some of her extended family. Thalia’s Aunt drove us to the other Aunt’s house to get my jacket. After 3 months of separation we were together again. Thalia had asked me earlier to meet her cousins and in the process I was asked to stay for lunch. I was in mid conversation with all three cousins when a problem with communication arose, the usual language barrier. I had thought that I had said one thing and Thalia had said that I had said the opposite, but when she repeated the word I said, I got very confused about it. I was trying to say it all in Spanish, but gave up and told Thalia to translate instead. She didn’t want too and I didn’t want to talk in Spanish anymore... so I think it ended the conversation. Luckily we were all called to the table for our late lunch.
The following morning I went to church in La Florida. That is where my new American friends have their ministry. I got up early enough and caught the metro train system and then walked the final 5-10mins. It was great to see them again and be able to share some time in church with them, even if I didn’t understand all that was being said. Listening to an American speak Spanish with an American accent is amusing, same accent but a different language. At that meeting I met Elizabeth Hallyburton. Her parents have been missionaries in Chile for almost 30years, first of all in Concepcion and now in Antofagasta. It was also great to speak to someone that had an Australian accent that was similar to mine (Her family comes from Melbourne) and in language that could be understood by both parties. The Smith’s invited me back to their house for lunch, but as I had been invited by Thalia’s family first, I did the right thing and went there for lunch, indicating that I would come for a meal another day at the Smith’s.
Over the next few days I went to visit the Smith family and have dinner with them. Their house was so different, this time, as there was no boxes and everything look like it was in far better order than during moving time. I also chatted with Elizabeth and I think that we got on quite well. She is studying Music at University in Santiago and is staying with the Smith’s while she studies. A few days later she called me up and we arranged to meet and go to her sister’s house, so I could meet her (once she got home from work) and her 2 nieces and 1 nephew. We had a great time at the supermarket and then swimming in the pool and counting in English with her eldest niece. I had a lot of fun and a very relaxing time.
I also went shopping for last minute gifts in some of the local markets, called ferias. During these outings I would also go shopping for food items to cook a final meal for everyone. I wanted to invite a few people over to say thanks for the memories, as during this time, I had decided to leave Chile and move on to England. I felt, from conversations and actions, it was time for me to leave. I felt that God was telling me that he no loner wanted me in Chile. Plus I think that the small apartment would have been very cramped for space with the arrival of Alex and Karen from Brazil. So, the last night I was in Chile, for the 2007 – 2008 trip, I cooked a wonderful sweet chicken stir-fry and my, now World Famous, Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding. I only had a few people over, as I wanted to share my last night with them. There was Paul, Danni and Nati (of course) and I invited Andres, Thalia and Eli. The 7 of us had a wonderful night, well I think we did and that is all that matters, of chatting and eating and drinking. It was also great to catch up with Andres and share some of my stories and adventures of both Brazil and Chile with him. However, as usual the night did not finish until about 5am and I didn’t get to sleep until about 6. One problem…I needed to be at the airport by 12noon for a 2pm flight, I had to be up at 10. Now that wasn’t the problem, the problem was making sure Paul was up to take me. At 10:30 a taxi was called and I was on my way by 11, after saying ‘Goodbye’ to a very sleepy Paul. Thalia, who had stayed overnight, decided to join me in coming to the airport, so I wouldn’t be alone. It was great that she did, as I never like going to airports by myself, even if I am going to be leaving a place. However once I started walking to the customs booths, I turned to see if she was still there and she was not to be seen. I was on my own again, starting a journey to another country, Happy that I was leaving Chile behind me.
I arrived back into Santiago, after what felt like a very long bus journey. I am not sure why it felt like that, I just guess I was getting sick of buses. Anyway I arrived at Paul’s apartment and dropped of my bags, had a quick bite to eat and set off for the Qantas office in Santiago, armed with as much paperwork as possible. I was aiming to get home to Melbourne by Easter, so I could spend it with the family. However after discussions with the staff at Qantas and seeing the lack of flights available, I knew that I could not make this happen. I had a decision to make. Should I try and get a second visa for Chile and stay an additional 90 days or make my way to London. I booked the flights to London and went away pondering this question… should I stay longer?
I had spoken to Alex previously on Messenger about my Columbia Ski Jacket that I had left in Brasil. He had arranged for someone to take it to Chile and I could collect it from them. I found out that it was Daniel and Thalia’s Auntie that had the jacket and that she lived in Santiago, not to far from Paul’s. I contacted Thalia and asked if she could help me get my jacket, in between other things that we were discussing. The following morning I went to where she was staying and met her Grandparents and some of her extended family. Thalia’s Aunt drove us to the other Aunt’s house to get my jacket. After 3 months of separation we were together again. Thalia had asked me earlier to meet her cousins and in the process I was asked to stay for lunch. I was in mid conversation with all three cousins when a problem with communication arose, the usual language barrier. I had thought that I had said one thing and Thalia had said that I had said the opposite, but when she repeated the word I said, I got very confused about it. I was trying to say it all in Spanish, but gave up and told Thalia to translate instead. She didn’t want too and I didn’t want to talk in Spanish anymore... so I think it ended the conversation. Luckily we were all called to the table for our late lunch.
The following morning I went to church in La Florida. That is where my new American friends have their ministry. I got up early enough and caught the metro train system and then walked the final 5-10mins. It was great to see them again and be able to share some time in church with them, even if I didn’t understand all that was being said. Listening to an American speak Spanish with an American accent is amusing, same accent but a different language. At that meeting I met Elizabeth Hallyburton. Her parents have been missionaries in Chile for almost 30years, first of all in Concepcion and now in Antofagasta. It was also great to speak to someone that had an Australian accent that was similar to mine (Her family comes from Melbourne) and in language that could be understood by both parties. The Smith’s invited me back to their house for lunch, but as I had been invited by Thalia’s family first, I did the right thing and went there for lunch, indicating that I would come for a meal another day at the Smith’s.
Over the next few days I went to visit the Smith family and have dinner with them. Their house was so different, this time, as there was no boxes and everything look like it was in far better order than during moving time. I also chatted with Elizabeth and I think that we got on quite well. She is studying Music at University in Santiago and is staying with the Smith’s while she studies. A few days later she called me up and we arranged to meet and go to her sister’s house, so I could meet her (once she got home from work) and her 2 nieces and 1 nephew. We had a great time at the supermarket and then swimming in the pool and counting in English with her eldest niece. I had a lot of fun and a very relaxing time.
I also went shopping for last minute gifts in some of the local markets, called ferias. During these outings I would also go shopping for food items to cook a final meal for everyone. I wanted to invite a few people over to say thanks for the memories, as during this time, I had decided to leave Chile and move on to England. I felt, from conversations and actions, it was time for me to leave. I felt that God was telling me that he no loner wanted me in Chile. Plus I think that the small apartment would have been very cramped for space with the arrival of Alex and Karen from Brazil. So, the last night I was in Chile, for the 2007 – 2008 trip, I cooked a wonderful sweet chicken stir-fry and my, now World Famous, Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding. I only had a few people over, as I wanted to share my last night with them. There was Paul, Danni and Nati (of course) and I invited Andres, Thalia and Eli. The 7 of us had a wonderful night, well I think we did and that is all that matters, of chatting and eating and drinking. It was also great to catch up with Andres and share some of my stories and adventures of both Brazil and Chile with him. However, as usual the night did not finish until about 5am and I didn’t get to sleep until about 6. One problem…I needed to be at the airport by 12noon for a 2pm flight, I had to be up at 10. Now that wasn’t the problem, the problem was making sure Paul was up to take me. At 10:30 a taxi was called and I was on my way by 11, after saying ‘Goodbye’ to a very sleepy Paul. Thalia, who had stayed overnight, decided to join me in coming to the airport, so I wouldn’t be alone. It was great that she did, as I never like going to airports by myself, even if I am going to be leaving a place. However once I started walking to the customs booths, I turned to see if she was still there and she was not to be seen. I was on my own again, starting a journey to another country, Happy that I was leaving Chile behind me.
Villa Alemana
After a 7hr bus ride, with very little sleep, I arrived at the main bus terminal in Santiago. I was to wait here for about 40mins and then take another bus for the 2hr journey to Villa Alemana. There were only about 6 other passengers on the bus, so it was much more comfortable then the trip from LA to Santiago. The bus attendant was asking for tickets and where people wanted to get off, I was not sure what he was staying, so I answered with the central terminal. It was not until I realised that people were getting off earlier, in the main street, so I decided to jump off the bus and walk the shorter distance to the Moder home, the place I had stayed at earlier in Villa Alemana. I walked the short distance and rang the door bell to request entry. Fortunately Thalia had a later start to University that day and was able to let me in or it would have been a much longer wait.
I had a cuppa with Thalia and talked about my adventures in the South. I went to go to bed and sleep but thought it would be best not to fall asleep in Thalia’s bed, as we were talking in her room, but to have a nice hot shower, something to eat and then sleep. This is what I did and waved Thalia and Mirty goodbye, as they left for University. Then I basically found myself on the couch watching TV, a place that I stayed at for the rest of the day, drifting in and out of daydreams. I think that I must have slept a little bit, as I remember having a very cloudy mind and the TV programme that I had been watching was different. I think that this would be the setting for the rest of my time in Villa Alemana, one of sitting on the couch and not doing much more than watching TV.
I think that my predictions were correct as most of the time I did very little other than watch TV. I think it was due to both Daniel and Thalia returning to University studies and the youngest brother Esteban starting his Air Force Training. This meant that I had time to think and ponder about things and asses were I was in life and the sort of things that I wanted and thought about what God wanted for me. One day Thalia invited her friend Pia over to sing together, as they are in a choir together. Now I think that I am not the best singer, but can hold a tune, if required. As they never asked me to join them, even after I hinted a few times that I would like too, I decided to sit and watch TV with a set of headphones on, so as not to disturb them and not to be disturbed by them. Try to do the polite thing when they are singing about 5m from where I was sitting.
I actually went to look for my missing zunga, which I had left at the marina, the time that Thalia and I went Open Ocean kayaking. It was all in vain, as someone had taken them. Now people in Chile don’t wear zungas (they are their version of Speedos), as it is very socially wrong, so I am not sure why someone would want to take them. Ohh well, I hope whoever did take them is getting good use out of them. I also went and did a little shopping to buy a few items for the house and to aid me in some cooking. I wanted to thank the family, properly, for having me but as everyone was so busy and never at home, it was a little hard. I caught the bus back to Santiago in the third day, which was the Friday, as I needed to go to the Qantas office to fix my flights to England. As Thalia had Fridays off from University, she decided to come with me, as she wanted to visit her little cousins and spend some time with them.
After a 7hr bus ride, with very little sleep, I arrived at the main bus terminal in Santiago. I was to wait here for about 40mins and then take another bus for the 2hr journey to Villa Alemana. There were only about 6 other passengers on the bus, so it was much more comfortable then the trip from LA to Santiago. The bus attendant was asking for tickets and where people wanted to get off, I was not sure what he was staying, so I answered with the central terminal. It was not until I realised that people were getting off earlier, in the main street, so I decided to jump off the bus and walk the shorter distance to the Moder home, the place I had stayed at earlier in Villa Alemana. I walked the short distance and rang the door bell to request entry. Fortunately Thalia had a later start to University that day and was able to let me in or it would have been a much longer wait.
I had a cuppa with Thalia and talked about my adventures in the South. I went to go to bed and sleep but thought it would be best not to fall asleep in Thalia’s bed, as we were talking in her room, but to have a nice hot shower, something to eat and then sleep. This is what I did and waved Thalia and Mirty goodbye, as they left for University. Then I basically found myself on the couch watching TV, a place that I stayed at for the rest of the day, drifting in and out of daydreams. I think that I must have slept a little bit, as I remember having a very cloudy mind and the TV programme that I had been watching was different. I think that this would be the setting for the rest of my time in Villa Alemana, one of sitting on the couch and not doing much more than watching TV.I think that my predictions were correct as most of the time I did very little other than watch TV. I think it was due to both Daniel and Thalia returning to University studies and the youngest brother Esteban starting his Air Force Training. This meant that I had time to think and ponder about things and asses were I was in life and the sort of things that I wanted and thought about what God wanted for me. One day Thalia invited her friend Pia over to sing together, as they are in a choir together. Now I think that I am not the best singer, but can hold a tune, if required. As they never asked me to join them, even after I hinted a few times that I would like too, I decided to sit and watch TV with a set of headphones on, so as not to disturb them and not to be disturbed by them. Try to do the polite thing when they are singing about 5m from where I was sitting.
I actually went to look for my missing zunga, which I had left at the marina, the time that Thalia and I went Open Ocean kayaking. It was all in vain, as someone had taken them. Now people in Chile don’t wear zungas (they are their version of Speedos), as it is very socially wrong, so I am not sure why someone would want to take them. Ohh well, I hope whoever did take them is getting good use out of them. I also went and did a little shopping to buy a few items for the house and to aid me in some cooking. I wanted to thank the family, properly, for having me but as everyone was so busy and never at home, it was a little hard. I caught the bus back to Santiago in the third day, which was the Friday, as I needed to go to the Qantas office to fix my flights to England. As Thalia had Fridays off from University, she decided to come with me, as she wanted to visit her little cousins and spend some time with them.
Los Angeles
We finally left the farm at about 3 in the afternoon. It was great to be back on the open road and behind the wheel. I called Jessica at the first available moment to let her know that we were finally on our way and that we were going to be later than expected. I found out later on that they had prepared lunch for us all and I felt very bad that we had not been their, as first planned. The drive went very well and it seemed the 3 to 4hr drive went by in no time. We took the wrong turn off into Los Angeles but managed to arrive at Jessica’s house, after a short stop at ‘Solcito’, a friend’s restaurant in the centre of town. I had met them in my first visit to Chile in 2000.
We finally arrived in Los Angeles at about 7pm. Much later than the expect midday. Yet I had arrived and all were happy to see me again. Everyone was invited in for an afternoon tea and time to talk and catch up. Paul had gone to the neighbour’s house to show Natalia off, so we had to wait for him to return. Danni was organising a few things for her Dad, as he didn’t want to come in. Finally we all entered and sat down for some afternoon tea. I was amazed how much the place had changed. Jessica had spoken about her new pool but the whole back yard had a complete make-over. The garden had been worked on and new grass was being sown. That said Paul and Danni didn’t want to stay long, as they needed to get back to Santiago, still a further 6hrs away. I waved them goodbye, only finding out later that Natalia asked where I was and cried for a long time when Danni explained that they were returning to Santiago without me. I took my bag and went up the familiar internal staircase turning right at the top and entering Jess’ bedroom (which would be my sleeping place for the next few nights or for as long as I was to stay). It was like seeing an old friend again, back in familiar surroundings and being at home.
Later that night Jessica asked me to go with her to collect 2 of her friends. I found out that Jessica had asked some of her friends, from both High School and University days, over for a BBQ. It was a great night of meeting new people and catching up with old friends. As I was the guy from Australia, I was asked many questions about my homeland and also why I was in South America. That meant I held long and detailed conversations about my travels in South America and the differences with Australia. Catching up with Nicolas, Jessica’s friend I met last time (refer to earlier blog entries) was great fun and from then on with him and the others there I was known as Bruce, as in Bruce Lee.
During the remainder of my time in Los Angeles, Jess and I would go shopping, pay bills and just generally hang out in Downtown LA. I went to McDonalds for the first time in a long time and ate a McFlurry with Jess. We talked for a long time in McDonalds about the places I had been and the people I had met. It was good to debrief myself with a good friend. I think I needed it. That said, this was the type of week that I had with Jess and her family. We would hang out, do a few things and have some wonderful discussions about her life and about mine and eat too much. I think that South America’s are very good at hospitality. I think that every night there was a BBQ at Jess’ house because of one reason or another. I didn’t mind, as the meat was great and it meant that I could practice my Spanish.
We even went to Concepcion for an overnight trip to drop Jess’ brother off, as he was going to start studying at The University of Concepcion. Along the way we stopped off at a traditional Chilean restaurant to have a traditional meal. Basically it was 5 different kinds of meats and 4 different kinds of sausages and some green stuff on the side to give it a hint of healthiness. I think that I ate enough meat to last me the rest of the week. We all stayed at the Grandma’s house, which was a very tight fit, but was a lovely thing. The following morning, while Juan-Pablo was being settled in, by his Dad, Jess and I went for a walk to the local pond/lake. We walked around it and chatted as we went, talking about different things. Again there was a subtle hint of travel in her words, which I have felt many times during conversations with people from South America. Life is very hard in South America, unless you have a lot of money, but when you have this money you need to spend a lot on security, as those without it will try and take it from you. That was a very broad statement, but I think it reflects some attitudes. We left Pablo in Concepcion and drove the 2hrs back to LA.
It was a routine of waking up, late of course, having something to eat, then swimming for a little while, as the weather was always hot and sunny, and then having more food doing the necessary events for the day and then it was party time again at night. The parties were either at Jess’ house or at one of her friend’s. I think that there were so many parties, as people wanted to share in the fun times with the crazy guy from Australia. On one such night, we were all at Nicolas’ house (Jess and I, Nicolas and his girlfriend, Danni and my man Borat (that is the nickname I gave him)). Jess received a call from her Mum saying that her Aunty had passed away, leaving her 3 cousins without any parents. Her husband had passed away only 6 weeks earlier from cancer. It was a gloomy end to a once jovial evening. The following morning Jess’ parents went to Concepcion and Jess stayed to look after me, but I felt that I was being a burden to the family, so I decided to leave Los Angeles that night and head back to Villa Alemana to collect some of my clothes that I had left there from my earlier stay. This was becoming a habit with me, as I had left clothes in other places in Brazil. Jess’ X-boyfriend came over to give her support and the three of us sat a chatted and just tried to be as normal as possible for Jess. We ended up having pancakes with manjar (caramel) as a final meal together. They were so good and I ended up eating about 6 of them… I didn’t have to eat until lunchtime the following day. I finally waved goodbye to Jess at about 10:48pm that night and I tried to maintain a happy face, for Jess’ benefit, yet I was sad that I was leaving, not knowing when I would see her in person again, after 2 wonderful visits to her house in LA. They were such wonderful times of strengthening our friendship after 7 to 8 years of only email and MSN. I will miss you Jess. Thank you so much for allowing me to stay with you and your family. Sorry I could not join you and your family in drinking the wines.
We finally left the farm at about 3 in the afternoon. It was great to be back on the open road and behind the wheel. I called Jessica at the first available moment to let her know that we were finally on our way and that we were going to be later than expected. I found out later on that they had prepared lunch for us all and I felt very bad that we had not been their, as first planned. The drive went very well and it seemed the 3 to 4hr drive went by in no time. We took the wrong turn off into Los Angeles but managed to arrive at Jessica’s house, after a short stop at ‘Solcito’, a friend’s restaurant in the centre of town. I had met them in my first visit to Chile in 2000.
We finally arrived in Los Angeles at about 7pm. Much later than the expect midday. Yet I had arrived and all were happy to see me again. Everyone was invited in for an afternoon tea and time to talk and catch up. Paul had gone to the neighbour’s house to show Natalia off, so we had to wait for him to return. Danni was organising a few things for her Dad, as he didn’t want to come in. Finally we all entered and sat down for some afternoon tea. I was amazed how much the place had changed. Jessica had spoken about her new pool but the whole back yard had a complete make-over. The garden had been worked on and new grass was being sown. That said Paul and Danni didn’t want to stay long, as they needed to get back to Santiago, still a further 6hrs away. I waved them goodbye, only finding out later that Natalia asked where I was and cried for a long time when Danni explained that they were returning to Santiago without me. I took my bag and went up the familiar internal staircase turning right at the top and entering Jess’ bedroom (which would be my sleeping place for the next few nights or for as long as I was to stay). It was like seeing an old friend again, back in familiar surroundings and being at home.
Later that night Jessica asked me to go with her to collect 2 of her friends. I found out that Jessica had asked some of her friends, from both High School and University days, over for a BBQ. It was a great night of meeting new people and catching up with old friends. As I was the guy from Australia, I was asked many questions about my homeland and also why I was in South America. That meant I held long and detailed conversations about my travels in South America and the differences with Australia. Catching up with Nicolas, Jessica’s friend I met last time (refer to earlier blog entries) was great fun and from then on with him and the others there I was known as Bruce, as in Bruce Lee.During the remainder of my time in Los Angeles, Jess and I would go shopping, pay bills and just generally hang out in Downtown LA. I went to McDonalds for the first time in a long time and ate a McFlurry with Jess. We talked for a long time in McDonalds about the places I had been and the people I had met. It was good to debrief myself with a good friend. I think I needed it. That said, this was the type of week that I had with Jess and her family. We would hang out, do a few things and have some wonderful discussions about her life and about mine and eat too much. I think that South America’s are very good at hospitality. I think that every night there was a BBQ at Jess’ house because of one reason or another. I didn’t mind, as the meat was great and it meant that I could practice my Spanish.
We even went to Concepcion for an overnight trip to drop Jess’ brother off, as he was going to start studying at The University of Concepcion. Along the way we stopped off at a traditional Chilean restaurant to have a traditional meal. Basically it was 5 different kinds of meats and 4 different kinds of sausages and some green stuff on the side to give it a hint of healthiness. I think that I ate enough meat to last me the rest of the week. We all stayed at the Grandma’s house, which was a very tight fit, but was a lovely thing. The following morning, while Juan-Pablo was being settled in, by his Dad, Jess and I went for a walk to the local pond/lake. We walked around it and chatted as we went, talking about different things. Again there was a subtle hint of travel in her words, which I have felt many times during conversations with people from South America. Life is very hard in South America, unless you have a lot of money, but when you have this money you need to spend a lot on security, as those without it will try and take it from you. That was a very broad statement, but I think it reflects some attitudes. We left Pablo in Concepcion and drove the 2hrs back to LA.
It was a routine of waking up, late of course, having something to eat, then swimming for a little while, as the weather was always hot and sunny, and then having more food doing the necessary events for the day and then it was party time again at night. The parties were either at Jess’ house or at one of her friend’s. I think that there were so many parties, as people wanted to share in the fun times with the crazy guy from Australia. On one such night, we were all at Nicolas’ house (Jess and I, Nicolas and his girlfriend, Danni and my man Borat (that is the nickname I gave him)). Jess received a call from her Mum saying that her Aunty had passed away, leaving her 3 cousins without any parents. Her husband had passed away only 6 weeks earlier from cancer. It was a gloomy end to a once jovial evening. The following morning Jess’ parents went to Concepcion and Jess stayed to look after me, but I felt that I was being a burden to the family, so I decided to leave Los Angeles that night and head back to Villa Alemana to collect some of my clothes that I had left there from my earlier stay. This was becoming a habit with me, as I had left clothes in other places in Brazil. Jess’ X-boyfriend came over to give her support and the three of us sat a chatted and just tried to be as normal as possible for Jess. We ended up having pancakes with manjar (caramel) as a final meal together. They were so good and I ended up eating about 6 of them… I didn’t have to eat until lunchtime the following day. I finally waved goodbye to Jess at about 10:48pm that night and I tried to maintain a happy face, for Jess’ benefit, yet I was sad that I was leaving, not knowing when I would see her in person again, after 2 wonderful visits to her house in LA. They were such wonderful times of strengthening our friendship after 7 to 8 years of only email and MSN. I will miss you Jess. Thank you so much for allowing me to stay with you and your family. Sorry I could not join you and your family in drinking the wines.
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