Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Actually finished this book while I was in Bolivia in June
ironically and unfortunately appropriate for my travels
as I considered lightness and weight
and eternal recurrence
I began to read it again
and almost finished it for the second time by the end of July in Argentina
but not quite

but stuck in my mind
recurring as it were
are two particular phrases

"When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object."
Gears told me this on a run in May
and shortly thereafter got engaged

and then there is one particular phrase about music:

"While people are fairly young and the musical composition of their lives is still in its opening bars, they can go about writing it together and sharing motifs (the way Tomas and Sabina exchanged the motif of the bowler hat), but if they meet when they are older, like Franz and Sabina, their musical compositions are more or less complete, and every motif, every object, every word means something different to each of them."

This makes me wonder
about my friends who get married so young
and set about composing the opening motifs of their lives together
and about those who wait longer
already in the development section
many sharps or flats away from their home key
developing tension, reaching great heights
yet seeking resolution, tonality, and peace
assuming that sonata form can be applied to life

Monday, September 3, 2012

Return to medical school:

As my lack of blog updates indicate, the transition from South America to my introductory pharmacology course was rather abrupt and somewhat challenging. In fact I can't remember if I ever wrote a post about Chile. Since I'm already three weeks removed, I'll just give some general impressions as both my memories and Spanish skills fade away.

Viña del Mar reminded me of San Diego. If Argentina was first world, my first impression of Chile was that I was indeed back in the USofA. I again was lucky to find very kind hosts through CS and even had my own room in a high rise overlooking the Pacific. I explored a different direction each day on my runs and also enjoyed the large TV and cable coverage of the Olympics.

Valparaíso was really cool. Only. Few km down the coast from Viña, the modern high rises gave way to a Bohemian port city. A childhood of sailing novels came rushing back as I recalled how Valpo was a resupply stop for everyone from Cook to Slocum. Super hilly, but even more colorful. Each house seemed determined to outdo its neighbor with mural, fresco, or mosaic.

After three nights on the coast, it was time for Santiago. Definitely did not have enough time to get a good feel for this huge city, but I did go on a fascinating bike tour aimed at outlining the political divisions within Chilean society. It was a great review of the disgusting role that the CIA played in Pinochet's coup, but even more fascinating was how little has changed since Pinochet left office.

From Santiago it was a direct flight back to Toronto. Early Sunday arrival left me stranded a long way from the bus terminal, but some nice Albertians gave me a ride downtown. Then 5 hour bus ride back to Rochester.