Forever Young

Waiting outside of the most popular restaurant down the street from my roommate's apartment on a bench at 9:00 at night.She wanted to go to Ruby Tuesdays, but I did not want to spend my last night in Chile going to an American restaurant. We talked about what's next and the city and what I would and should not miss about it, or if I'll miss anything at all. We waited longer than we should have on a bench for my name to get called. I'll never did figure out how to enter a restaurant in Chile.

Going out and drinking disgusting beer, but going out anyway because it is not staying in. Going dancing afterwards and dancing most of the night with a guy who was just grabby enough for the mood I was in and feeling breathless every time we parted. I never wanted chivalry to die in a ditch more than those moments, but was grateful for the distance later. I still have a hard time forgetting the way he held me.

Driving in a week-old friend's car down a familiar road, the only other road that I had ridden through in a car besides the one we just came from. We were several Terremotos deep (and beers for a few). Hours-old friend to my right and month-old friend to her right, the boys in the front two seats. Jay-Z comes on the radio and we sing "Forever young, I wanna be forever young" loudly out open windows and into the night.

The way the stuffy sweat smell of the metro, tiredness from hours on my feet, and the beep of the door closing was irrelevant to the feeling of the air blowing through my hair or around my scarf when the metro first started moving.

The stares I would get everyday from so many people for being the only young, black girl for miles.
The catcalls and kisses blown at me from creeps on the street and how secretly flattered I was of them when I first got them.

How it seemed like nobody understood me at times, trying to attempt competence in Castillano.

How nice and willing to help everyone was. They always called me a baby when I told them my age and didn't know how to respond when they asked me where I was from and I told them form the U.S. How everyone in the office was given a cute nickname and I never got it, like at all. They called me Karena, thought that was because there was another Karina in the office. When she was gone they slipped up and called me Kare or Karenita. I loved just about everyone at the embassy. From staff to DCM.

The other interns and how I felt like I wanted to go everywhere with them.

Santiago, This is how I'll remember you.

Was traveling on Monday so I didn't post. I missed everyone back home, but it's just sunk in that I'm in my considerably smaller city and there isn't something to do every day of the week. Haha. Just movies on weekdays.