If these walls could Speak

Here I am, the first of September already, I don't know how that is possible, but in a week it will already be a month since I arrived! Yesterday we went to the next city over from Vina, Valparaiso. It was the first city to emerge in Chile besides Santiago. We had learned about the history of Valpo in our art and cultures class but what was better was seeing the history unfold. When I asked anyone what Valpo was like, the response was more or less the same, dirty, beautiful, dangerous at night. Curiosity got the best of me and I was more than thrilled to be going with my group to the city of colors. We arrived and took a boat ride around the port to view the city from the ocean. I envisioned millions of people coming, seeing Chile for the first time with the feeling of excitement, curiosity, fear of the unknown. Then, just like that, the city exploded, thousands coming to see the enchanting city of Valparaiso. People from all over the world left their footprints, and it still shows today, even after an earthquake in 1906 destroyed everything, the streets are full of life. Plazas around each corner tell a different story, culturally touched. The city itself is a melting pot, combining cultures all over the world into one city. As we continued there were so many buildings that had at one time been the most elegant pieces of architecture, now with graffiti all over them, dirt plastered to the sides, and worn out paint. As I pondered these at one time state of the art buildings, I couldn't help but wonder, what have they been through. What kind of abuse society has gone through to make a city that was built with sweat and love to a city filled with people and dogs without homes. Where the at one time proud plazas held social gatherings around the fountains now hold the only place people have to bath and sleep at night. I couldn't help but think, what secrets these walls held, and who entrusted their secrets to these walls, never to be revealed to anyone again. Why the once bright blue paint now had a thick dirt layer over it with someone's angry words written over it, as if it were their property. I found some secrets of my own while in Valpo. Around every corner there is something to be discovered. The draw of the first explorers, definitely. Each brightly colored building had its own qwerks, own story. Out of 45 hills in the city, the top of ours was breathtaking. Inspiration on so many levels. To the right you saw the endless layers of the city, brightly colored homes one on top of the other. To the left you saw the details to what was next to you; the cobble stone roads, cheery picket fences, the grease in the woman's hair on the bench selling necklaces. And in front was the ocean, the endless ocean. The possibilities are endless.One day the ocean is calm with a promise of smooth sailing, and the next it's a mess mixing up feelings of anxiety and fear. Tomorrow is never certain, and the ocean is never forgiving, but on the days of tranquility there is always hope. The adventure to Valparaiso made me realize there are many places with a similar situation; lost, abandoned, lacking hope. But around every corner are new possibilities waiting to be discovered, and this my friends is what we need to live for.