Return to Normalcy

This week was so normal! It seems strange to say, because all my other weeks have been filled with some kind of craziness. All my classes met this week and the real work is starting, mixed feelings about that one. It's nice though, to have a routine, I like routines. The sun came out too this week! Bonus! I know it seems like I always talk about the weather, but that's because it seriously affects my mood, and I just really love the sunshine! I haven't gotten enough of it and I am getting paler by the day! I am really ready for summer.

Mosaic over the original entrance to Villa Grimaldi

Even though my weeks are pretty boring, my weekends are still interesting.Last weekend I went to Villa Grimaldi and the National Cemetery. Villa Grimaldi was a torture center during the 35 year Pinochet dictatorship. It is basically the Auschwitz of Chile, and we got a tour of it. Our tour guide experienced torture at Villa Grimaldi first hand. Naturally, he was super emotional when he was recounting his personal experience. It was really moving to hear him talk about his experience and I commend him for being able to do so.

Mosaic at the center of Villa Grimaldi

Most of the original buildings were destroyed when the dictatorship fell, but the original layout was kept intact. Although Villa Grimaldi has been converted into a beautiful park that is open to the public, there is still an eerie feeling when you're there. After Villa Grimaldi, we continued on to the National Cemetery. The cemetery was beautiful but it was really, really hard for me to be there. I felt really uncomfortable and just wanted to wander the cemetery by myself with my own thoughts. I'm not ready to be in cemeteries yet, it still seems too soon. On a happier note, we got to see President Salvador Allende's tomb, which was really cool. Strangely, it was placed in the richest part of the cemetery and was pretty grand, all things opposite of Allende himself. Regardless, it was impressive to see. My favorite part though was seeing the "poorest" section of the cemetery. Yeah, they were just tombstones in the ground and were ridiculously close together, but it had so much more character. Each grave was decorated with flowers, wind-catchers, stuffed animals, pictures, you name it. It was comforting for me because it seemed more like a celebration of life, rather than a mourning of death.    

Allende's tomb, the family crypt was below

Flowers!