I love the world and all it’s crazy things.

Thanks for sharing Traci

Oh how good it is to receive something from home. Recently two care packages arrived from friends and, man, they are good ones. How lucky I am to have such great friends. Thank you to all who have sent care packages during my time in Chile.

From Robert I received: Life of Pi Magazines (fresh from the Hill) Thin Mints Crystal Light packets Blueberry Almond cereal Guacamole mix Playing Cards A&M puffy stickers

and from Jessica: Love in the Time of Cholera Vegetable magnets Grow-A-Pet CD of The Best of Musicals Starburst

One more thing, take a look at the difference in detail of the contents Robert wrote and Traci wrote on the slip.

So I was in that place between being awake and asleep last night with the TV on and this song came on. This is a simple and incredible song (same title as this post) from Antony and the Johnsons. I had never heard someone sing like Antony.

Here’s a bit:

Hope there’s someone
Who’ll set my heart free
Nice to hold when I’m tired

There’s a ghost on the horizon
When I go to bed
How can I fall asleep at night
How will I rest my head

For some samples from Antony and the Johnsons, visit brainwashed.com

I am now an official resident of Chile. I can freely go in and out of the country; I could before, but now I can pass through the citizens’/residents’ line. Woo hoo! The benefits extend beyond that though. Now I have a RUT (aka RUN) which is a national identification number that allows me access to many services available only to individuals who have one.

I asked a friend what RUN (Rol Único Nacional) means? On the first hand, translated, it means “National Unique Role.” What the heck does that mean? Well it’s the national unique identity number, kind of like a Social Security Number. I was thinking how many in the United States are opposed to such a thing. I understand the privacy and logistics issues, but still have not formed an opinion on the matter. As a military kid having a personal I.D. lifelong (or until the end of one’s studies) is normal.

If we look at the crisis the State Department has been thrown in over the increase in demand for passports, it presents us, on a micro scale, with what a nightmare such a mandate would create. Chile is a different case. With about 16 and a quarter million people, it’s a bit more of a manageable situation.

If you did not catch it, the United States with the REAL ID Act of 2005 has already set in motion a national standardization of state driver’s licenses. It has stirred up some controversy, but honestly, if you ever have applied for a job or to be a member of Blockbuster, you had to show your passport, Social Security card, driver’s license, etc to apply.

But a national ID card to vote? (See Indiana nuns lacking ID denied at poll by fellow sister) I don’t know.