i spent the weekend at a friend's almond orchard at pirque, a rural town just outside of santiago. the weather here is just beginning to take on that intense, drowsy summer heat, even though it still gets cold after sundown. we ended up lounging about on blankets and hammocks during the day, visiting the neighbors for country-style empanadas (prepared in a stone oven), fresh eggs, and warm bread whenever the munchies hit, and hovering over a crackling campfire at night. i got the chance to watch both the moon and sun rise over the andes...and realized that all the constellations here are upside-down! when orion first appears in the northern hemisphere, his sword is on the half that's closest to the horizon. over here it's the opposite.

the results for santiago's local elections were announced last night, too. at once, processions of honking automobiles with loads of shouting, flag-waving people hanging out the windows took to the roads. it makes me think about how much more participatory the electoral process feels here, with the supporters on street corners waving banners and pressing flyers into your hands every day, or the rowdy rallies taking over the local plazas, or the roaming trucks blaring campaign songs through their loudspeakers. it makes me wonder how close to home the presidential elections have hit the average american. have people come to realize yet how much the outcome affects them directly? will they find the motivation to get out and vote tomorrow? i also wonder whether this kind of infectious elation will be seen on the streets back home in two days, and whether i will be a part of it, or deeply saddened by it.