Places and things and developing

Hello all...
Here I find myslef again in the busy, crazy world of Valparaìso, Chile. I got back earlier in the week after a 5 day trip to see John Keim and his sisters, Abby and Amanda and their mom, Ingrid in the enormous city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. 5 days trickled by in this crazy white water adventure of mine, and some pretty entertaining stories came from the journey... Note: It is very entertaining to stay across the street from a sex hotel. Enough said.
Anyway, my time in BA was really interesting, because I finally got to see what all the fuss was about. I have heard from SO many people who LOVE the city, and would elope with it were it an actual living being. But, I also talked to a few people who were not so enthralled, and viewed it as just another big city. So, what did I think??? Well, overall I liked it. A lot, actually. From the moseying around in the different, colorful barrios, to bustling through Florida street to NOT sleeping during the night time... It was fun and had a good energy. I can see how it would turn some people off, though. IT IS HUGE. I felt almost as if I was in a different city each day, and that it could easily swallow me if it wanted to. But it was colorful, fun and full of music. Which, obviously, I like.
So, speaking of colors, fun and music, I am IN VALPO. And it rules. Valparaìso is truly a unique city. I see, smell, hear and feeeeel something new every day. I walk about 30 minutes to class, and just enjoy every second of every sensation I experience along the way. From the vendors singing their sales, to the construction workers chit-chatting, to the smells (both good and bad) on the street of.... whatever is cooking. It is so thriving. It lives and breathes every second of every day. It is a constantly changing, morphing organism. And it has digested me into its system.
Updates:
So, I have started classes, finally! And I really like them all. I am taking Portugues (because, one day I will go to Brazil), Geography of Latinamerica, Chilean dialect, History of Valparaìso, and Biodiversity and Sustainable Development. wow. yes. bakan. The last class I mentioned about Sustainable Development intrests me a whole lot. The whole theme of Developent, sustainability, all this... Is so complex that it takes my brain for a nice long exercise. What does it mean to "develop"? What IS Sustainable??? So many people say that Chile is "developing"- but, how??? With more cars and plastic bags to support their growing number of Supermarkets??? With their interest in damming the Patagonia Wilderness or mining through Glaciers to provide More people with More stuff and more energy??? Don`t get me wrong, I am all about providing people with basic goods like heat and electricity, but at what cost?? fuuuuuuck. at WHAT COST!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
damn.
Ah, to be a critically-thinking human. mmmm. Well. Whatever. We are all part of it.
In class the other day, one of my Professors was glad to hear that a majority of us were so interested in sustainability and the Environment and stuff, and he basically said that it is up to us, and that WE are the hope, etc... But, last time I checked, We ALL ARE. We are ALL on this planet, hello, riiiight!?!?!?!?!?!? Young, old, whatever. We ALL consume. EVERY DAY WE DEVOUR THE EARTH. Every. Single. Day. So, maybe we can just do it less????? maybe.
Well, anyway, that may be all of my ranting power for now. The only reason I am wiriting this now is beacuse I couldn`t find the place where I saw a free pilates class advertised. So, here I am, ranting and bitching... :) But, well. There we go.
Have a blessed day.
Chau Chau