Tony came to visit me in Chile, which speaks volumes, in my opinion, about his commitment and love for me. Some people thought it was silly that he was coming to visit with a mere dozen days left to my return, but his visit meant so much more than that. Not only did I get to see my best friend after four months apart, but he got to see and feel and taste exactly what I've been living for those four months. I could have always simply described my experiences to him, but there's no way to accurately describe a ride in a micro up the cerro, or the cute but dirty pups lying about in the street, or the smell of sea lions twenty feet from your spot on the beach. He came, and he experienced it himself. What a great man.
I got up nice and early Monday morning to bus-hop my way to the airport in Santiago. Two and a half hours and three buses after stepping out the door with my palta-on-toast, I was trying to find my way to the recent arrivals area. I was a little lost, but I followed the mobs (I can only imagine how confused Tony felt in a sea of latinos at the start of his first international adventure). I made my way to the sidewalk: dark hair, dark hair, dark hair... Suddenly, my eyes landed on a familiar face that belonged to a blonde man sitting on a cement bench, looking right back at me. I can't decide whether I'm proud or slightly embarrassed to admit that I ran into his open arms and even cried a little bit. We were reunited.
Everything was the same as before. Only, I was tanner for once. Nothing felt different, but everything felt perfect. We boarded a bus and navigated our way back to Valparaiso, chatting non-stop and kissing a little bit too. We got to Valpo after two hours and I couldn't wait to show him around. "Look at the hills over there," "Check out those houses up here." We were both so excited to be reunited and to finally share some memories here together, at last.
Well, the week certainly flew by. Our first day, he rode the micro (public in-city transit bus) for the first time - with a suitcase on board. He got to see how crazy they drive and how tight you have to hold on if you aren't lucky enough to have a seat. He met my host family and we ate lunch - porotos, a bean soup - together. It was my first opportunity for translation. His Spanish is minimal and my host parents know practically no English. My sisters can communicate with Tony alright, and Felipe speaks fair English. It was exciting to have someone new at lunch, and my family loved him right away! Later, we walked to the university, along the coast. He wandered the town for a bit while I took a final exam, and then we met up and enjoyed each other's company at the pier in the harbor.
Later, we went to an intercultural festival hosted by my university. There were a dozen or so booths set up that represented countries around the world - Italy, Portugal, Japan, Mexico, and more. They each had samples of typical foods and drinks that belonged to the particular country. It was a delicious and fun way to learn a little bit about different nations! There was also entertainment provided - some of my classmates from dance class put on a little showcase of different traditional Chilean dances. I knew each of them, because I took the class, but I was excited that Tony got to see a bit more about Chilean culture. On the walk home in the evening, Tony and I stopped by the rocks in the harbor and perched upon one to chat and watch the sunset. I couldn't have asked for a better first day with my love.Tuesday was a memorable day for certain. Rachael and I presented a final project about our educational experience with our high school students. I think that we did a great job with it; it was creative, and our passion for teaching was evident. Afterward, I had my last class with my favorite teacher, Miguel Angel. Then, Kris, Brandon, Rachael, Tony, and I went to Sabor Porteno for some empanadas. Tony really liked his first empanada - we shared one that was shrimp and cheese, and another that was pollo pino - traditional onion, olive, egg, sauce, but with chicken instead of ground meat. We all went home as a group, and while Rachael worked on a group project, Tony and I had once with the family. The two of us went for a walk at dusk, and I showed him the park I often run to. We searched the hills for the best view of the city lights at sundown. The night-time view of Valparaiso is beautiful, and I was happy to share it with Tony. Later that night, at home, we were talking about our future together, and I felt so comfortable to be back with him. He told me that he knew I'd make a wonderful wife and a great mother, too. He asked me if I would take his name. Then he got up, crossed over to his suitcase, and pulled something small out. The next thing I knew, he was on one knee, and he looked at me and said, "Quieres casarte conmigo?" Will you marry me? I was so overwhelmed by such delighted disbelief, that I just exclaimed, "Yes," several times. I couldn't believe it. We hugged, kissed, my smile couldn't be erased. We left the house to buy some champagne, but all of the stores were closed at such a late hour. Instead, we shared a bit of my family's wine to toast to our new engagement. We went to sleep so happily that night.
The next morning, we grabbed some breakfast and walked way downhill to the beach. We laid out for a while, listened to some Matisyahu, and Tony eventually took a dip in the Pacific for the first time! (It was too cold for my liking, but I took pictures instead!) We even traipsed down the sand a bit to the fishing pier, where the fishermen were chucking some chum over the rail onto the beach below. The sea lions had a jackpot to fight over, and we were amazed to be so close to those enormous sea mammals. That night was ISA's Thanksgiving dinner, but the only item that resembled the holiday was the turkey. All the stuffing and mashed potatoes were gone by the time we got to the buffet, and there was no gravy in sight. It was nice to have everyone together to celebrate the holiday before the program ended, but it was a strange sensation introducing Tony for the first time as my fiance.
The rest of the week flew too quickly. In Bellavista, we had seafood soup, corn shepard's pie, and wine for lunch and then found the best view of the city atop a nearly 200-step stairway. We baked a pumpkin pie from scratch for the first time ever. We celebrated Thanksgiving with my host family by showing Tony the South American way of the asado. He tried his first pisco sour and fell in love with South American beef. We shared our thanks with the family and my host parents told me that he was a big man with a big heart and didn't have to pay for his stay because he is always welcome as their guest. We visited the dunes and the oceanic rock in Con Con, only to have our feet scorched by the hot sand, and our eyes and hair whipped with sandy cold air. We fell asleep on a beach and got terribly sunburnt. We bought gifts for our families at the artesanias. We made make-shift s'mores over the stove-top with Rachael. We picnicked in the botanical gardens with Rachael and her man friend Cesar. We bought delicious ice cream cones at Grido three times.
And then it was time to take him back to the airport.
But I wasn't sad that my very favorite week was coming to an end. I was disappointed that Tony had to leave my city, but I knew that my time left in Chile was short. In one week, I'd be heading home to him, to the man who makes me most happy. And I would miss Valparaiso - I already do - but it was time to go home too.
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