Passing by.

Day three in santiago, i wake up at five o'clock in the morning. I turn the tv on and find that the movie Brazil is just starting, so i watch it all. Couldn't have been more poignant, the day after the london bombings. The rest of the day feels like that movie.
I'm in Chile.
Afternoon, after lunchtime. I'm in Plaza Brasil, where the Antonio Carlos Jobim monument is and all the students hang out after school or between classes. I've just bought myself a beer and am looking for a bench to sit down and enjoy it. A large green Carabineros truck is patrolling the park, making sure these youngsters don't try anything antisocial. It blocks my path and i nervously make myself aside. The truck stops, the young police officer driving it smiles at me signalling me to go ahead, i surprise myself smiling back.
I reach a comfortable bench, start drinking. Halfway through i realize i'm right in front of the Victor Jara Foundation building.
I finish my beer, walk towards the used bookstores one block down. Some teenage schoolgirls are blowing bubbles on the corner of the street, and seeing them makes me smile for the first time since i'm here.