Guess Who`s Back?

Boy has it been a while. Unfortunately, I´ve had a load of some stressful work, and a broken computer. So insted of spending hours in front of my handy dandy MacBook, I spend hours doing more productive things like playing the guitar, buying things that I need, writing, reading, and only occaisonally missing the convencience of a computer. A long time ago, I realized that I greatly dislike computers (and lots of modern technology), but a few weeks ago I realized why. In my experience, if I were my digestive system, my time spent on computers would be like chocolate: immediately satisfying but generally unsubstantial and unproductive. Anyway, here´s an overview of what I´ve done in the last few weeks (or what I remember of it):

About two (two and a half? three?) weeks ago I started working on my essay for Economic Sociology. I hadn´t done as well as I´d liked on the previous essay, so I wanted to make this one a good one. I even stayed in on Halloween (and splurged on some snickers bars) to get some work done. A few days later, my computer freezes, and when I try to turn it back on a blinking question mark pops up - yeah, bad news. So I am forced to work on my essay at the Social Sciences building computer lab (where I am now).
That weekend (last weekend) I went to La Serena and Valle de Elqui with my program from Friday morning to Sunday night. The essay was due the following Monday, but I was still able to enjoy swimming in the - quite rough and salty - pacific ocean; beatiful scenery; and the observatoray where we saw several constellations, Jupiter, and some far away galaxies. It was the type of trip that makes you wonder why one would spend time on essays when we are so small, and insiginificant, and nothing we do really matters. But alas, I choose to participate in our tiny little social world...

Monday morning I wake up with an upset stomach but make the trek to campus to finish my essay in four hours. By 11:00 am (an hour before the essay is supposed to be due) I my stomach feels like it´s being stabbed from the inside. I send an incomplete essay, and try to make it home without passing out. In tears, I attempt to hail several cabs but none stop for me. I take the bus and train home. Three people ask if I am okay, and I nod my head "no" as I try not to fall on the ground and burst into huge sobs. Finally I make it home and sleep for the rest of the day. Turns out 6 students from the program got sick as well.

In the next few days, I spend most of my time in computer room as I have another essay due that Friday. Finally Friday came and it was all over. To celebrate finishing our essays, my friend Mim and I decided to have a little music party at her house the next day. We (well, I) also decided that it would be fun to cut all my hair off.
I arrived at her house on Saturday evening and the party began. It was actually one of my favorite nights here in Santiago. Her brother had just arrived from Australia, and he is also a musician, so we had a little jam session for Mim´s host family. Then we took a trip to the supermarket to buy a comb so that Mim´s haircutting friend could do the job. Back at home, Mim played the violin, her brother played guitar, and I sang, all while several inches of my hair fell to the ground. And now I have a mohawk. We documented the whole night and had a jolly good time.

That´s all for now. I am off to a meeting about an epic trip that 10 of us are taking to Torres Del Paine aka the end of the South American continent.

Peace