Memoirs of Sweet Santiago...

[Told Stool]

I can remember seeing that film Il Postino about Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet in exile in Italy, and all the love poems that he wrote that attracted so many women to him. I can remember his postman making an audio letter for him in memorial after he died, using the microphone to illustrate the sounds of "the ocean," "the meadow," and other things.

This all brings me back to the sights and sounds of Santiago, Chile. I had also been to Valparaiso, Chile, where my ex-fiance's brother had his own construction business. It was a romantic trip based on a romantic notion. I was young and in love. She had to go back as her mother was dying of serious dementia. This was the sad part, but there was so much joy in being there.

Family was numero uno. Like the East, Santiago shares the collectivistic culture and puts family relationships first. I can remember the endless evenings at the dinner table, where dinner doesn't start until 8 or so, and runs until about 11. (Back where I'm from dinner started at 6...at least that was the norm).

I can remember looking out over the sea...seeing the ocean at night and reflecting that I was looking at the backwards side of what I had lived on before for two years of my life. It was relaxing and pleasing to walk on the sandy shore with her and her family.

One night we went to a restaurant and there was a popcorn wagon inside. We also went to a school party where the traditional salsa dance was happening. Then we went to a ballroom dance indoors where salsa would play. I did such a crazy dance that night as I didn't know how to salsa...just moved my body and the fam laughed at me. Getting laughs out of people has always cheered me up, even at the expense of my ego at times.

Then there was the Andes mountains. We went there with her, her father, family, and nephew. When I first saw the Andes Mountains, it was like seeing Angkor Wat for the first time. The sheer immensity of it took my breath away. Nowhere, not even in Switzerland when I was there, had I seen such, immense, breathtaking beauty.

Memories, yes. They're the best. Some more things were the stars...everything was backwards. And when it was Spring there, it was Fall back home. Weird and interesting. And I was lucky that I didn't even get sick nor have any jetlag.

The women liked to have tea parties in the home during the daytime. This is when I would partake and try to immerse myself in the language. Try to speak a bit of Spanish.

Santiago...the City of Wonder. My label at least.