This final entry concludes the Chile adventure. Thanks to all those who stuck with it and read throughout my time here! (I finished writing these on the plane, so sift back through to see pictures and videos you may have missed.) It’s fun trying to explain experiences I’ve had, but I would encourage you to come yourself and be introduced to this beautiful country. If you want to see complete albums of pictures, you can check out facebook.
Thanks again!
much love,
anna
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Santiago Pt 2
After seeing our new KY friends off, Karen, Alex and I headed back into the city to find the Case household. Cliff and his wife, Cynthia, were kind enough to let us crash for the evening. In the morning Cliff had coffee (regular) and oaty muffins ready for us when we woke up. We heard some great stories about the differences in Uruguay and Chilean Spanish, one being ‘y’ makes a “shzuh” sound…like the French ‘j’. Another one: instead of saying Esta bien they say ‘ta’ (on the phone). So like we would say, “uh huh, yeah, mmhmm, yep”…they say “ta, ta…ta, ta, ta, ta…” Anyway…
That morning I had a dream which I shared with the group which determined the rest of the day. I dreamt that we were in Santiago and Jose, Karen’s Korean neighbor in Viña, called me on the phone. I couldn’t understand him because he spoke Spanish (but I’m counting that as dreaming in Spanish, which means I really am learning quickly!!). Then I dreamt that it was Alex’s birthday, so we walked around town and found cheese cake to celebrate.
My dream came true on all accounts except for the phone call. Karen took us down to the capitol building and we explored the museum underneath the front park area. There was an exhibit on Violeta Parra, a famous Chilean singer, poet and artist, and an interesting exhibit on Easter Island. After that we used the walking streets looking at vendors and demonstrations. Alex bought a cooking tool, a roller to cut pasta and make empanadas. We drooled over the donut maker (the donuts weren’t for free) and watched kids learn how to draw using this pink mirror thing…not quite sure…
We found lunch at a Chinese restaurant—still so good, no matter what continent you’re on! Then we headed to the central plaza. We watched two one-man-bands dance and perform for tips, checked out the art work—a lot of paintings were of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. We saw the cathedral and the History of Chile museum before we had to head back toward the car.
Destination Case house was interesting just because of public transportation. We put money on a Bip! card to use on the metro and bus. I think Santiago is the biggest city I’ve ever been in. You know it’s big when you’re waiting at the bus stop with a crowd of people and unable to get on the first bus (which is actually 2 buses in length—there’s an accordion attachment between them) that comes by the stop. And when you actually get on the bus, it’s literally standing room only—you’re touched by people from all sides.
We stayed for a cup of tea, then loaded our things and headed to the air port. With a Ciao Cheesecake (Nutella flavored) to celebrate goodbyes—not birthdays, we had one last moment before my plane took off.
That morning I had a dream which I shared with the group which determined the rest of the day. I dreamt that we were in Santiago and Jose, Karen’s Korean neighbor in Viña, called me on the phone. I couldn’t understand him because he spoke Spanish (but I’m counting that as dreaming in Spanish, which means I really am learning quickly!!). Then I dreamt that it was Alex’s birthday, so we walked around town and found cheese cake to celebrate.
My dream came true on all accounts except for the phone call. Karen took us down to the capitol building and we explored the museum underneath the front park area. There was an exhibit on Violeta Parra, a famous Chilean singer, poet and artist, and an interesting exhibit on Easter Island. After that we used the walking streets looking at vendors and demonstrations. Alex bought a cooking tool, a roller to cut pasta and make empanadas. We drooled over the donut maker (the donuts weren’t for free) and watched kids learn how to draw using this pink mirror thing…not quite sure…
We found lunch at a Chinese restaurant—still so good, no matter what continent you’re on! Then we headed to the central plaza. We watched two one-man-bands dance and perform for tips, checked out the art work—a lot of paintings were of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. We saw the cathedral and the History of Chile museum before we had to head back toward the car.
Destination Case house was interesting just because of public transportation. We put money on a Bip! card to use on the metro and bus. I think Santiago is the biggest city I’ve ever been in. You know it’s big when you’re waiting at the bus stop with a crowd of people and unable to get on the first bus (which is actually 2 buses in length—there’s an accordion attachment between them) that comes by the stop. And when you actually get on the bus, it’s literally standing room only—you’re touched by people from all sides.
We stayed for a cup of tea, then loaded our things and headed to the air port. With a Ciao Cheesecake (Nutella flavored) to celebrate goodbyes—not birthdays, we had one last moment before my plane took off.
Santiago
Thanks to Delta, I was given one more day to explore a little more of Chile. We left for Santiago with the KY group around 10am on Monday and got to Santiago around noonish. My heart broke a little to leave Viña and say goodbye to the ocean. Will I see it again?
Karen took us through downtown Santiago and gave us the drive by tour of the capitol building, University of Chile, etc. We wound up at the end of the city at an old monastery-turned-artisan shop. We ate a traditional Chilean meal—I had corn pie (Pastel de Choclo) which was baked creamed corn with chicken, beef, onions, a boiled egg, and an olive (of course!) Jerry tried the Chorrillana, or what Alexandra calls “heart attack on a plate.” It’s French fries covered with beef, sausage, onions and a fried egg. VERY tasty!
Alex and I wandered around looking at pottery, scarves, pets for sale and paintings. I found a few goodies then met the group and a missionary from Santiago, Cliff. Cliff and his son Clayton guided us back through Santiago up to the statue of Mary up on the hill. They told Alex and I about Geo cashes they’ve found on this hill and their time serving in Uruguay.
The hike up to Mary wasn’t too rough. Looking out over the city of 7 mil people laid out before the Andes Mountains was quite the site!
Karen took us through downtown Santiago and gave us the drive by tour of the capitol building, University of Chile, etc. We wound up at the end of the city at an old monastery-turned-artisan shop. We ate a traditional Chilean meal—I had corn pie (Pastel de Choclo) which was baked creamed corn with chicken, beef, onions, a boiled egg, and an olive (of course!) Jerry tried the Chorrillana, or what Alexandra calls “heart attack on a plate.” It’s French fries covered with beef, sausage, onions and a fried egg. VERY tasty!
Alex and I wandered around looking at pottery, scarves, pets for sale and paintings. I found a few goodies then met the group and a missionary from Santiago, Cliff. Cliff and his son Clayton guided us back through Santiago up to the statue of Mary up on the hill. They told Alex and I about Geo cashes they’ve found on this hill and their time serving in Uruguay.
The hike up to Mary wasn’t too rough. Looking out over the city of 7 mil people laid out before the Andes Mountains was quite the site!
Jerry enjoying his "heart attack"
Cat and Alex
Santiago & the AndesVery Chilean
I’ve tried to formulate a list of things that I’ve noticed about Chile you might not see in the states. I thought I’d share…
-Store owners put saw dust in the entryway when it rains, it’s supposed to soak up the water so you don’t slip
-All milk is “long life” which means it can stay on the shelf until you open it
-Chileans heat up their milk before they put it in a hot beverage
-Pet dogs wear clothes in the winter, street dogs don’t
-Chileans say hi and bye to everyone in the room, sometimes twice before they leave
-When you order a drink at a restaurant they only fill the class half full
-Chileans peel everything that has a skin: tomatoes, apples, pears, etc. you can eat the peels, but it’s recommended that you soak and wash first
-Chileans think it’s rude to bring the check to you at a restaurant, you must always ask for it when you’re done
-Usually we eat sandwiches with butter as the spread, not mayo
-It’s called blond sugar, not brown sugar
-They’re called sea wolves, not sea lions
-You keep your cloth napkin in you lap, your paper napkin by your plate
-At meal times, please keep both hands on the table
-Jellies, mayo, yogurt, etc. are most often packaged in plastic bags, not tubs
-Some streets are two ways during the day and one way at night
-You can't turn right on red (driving) unless there's a sign that says you can
-Store owners put saw dust in the entryway when it rains, it’s supposed to soak up the water so you don’t slip
-All milk is “long life” which means it can stay on the shelf until you open it
-Chileans heat up their milk before they put it in a hot beverage
-Pet dogs wear clothes in the winter, street dogs don’t
-Chileans say hi and bye to everyone in the room, sometimes twice before they leave
-When you order a drink at a restaurant they only fill the class half full
-Chileans peel everything that has a skin: tomatoes, apples, pears, etc. you can eat the peels, but it’s recommended that you soak and wash first
-Chileans think it’s rude to bring the check to you at a restaurant, you must always ask for it when you’re done
-Usually we eat sandwiches with butter as the spread, not mayo
-It’s called blond sugar, not brown sugar
-They’re called sea wolves, not sea lions
-You keep your cloth napkin in you lap, your paper napkin by your plate
-At meal times, please keep both hands on the table
-Jellies, mayo, yogurt, etc. are most often packaged in plastic bags, not tubs
-Some streets are two ways during the day and one way at night
-You can't turn right on red (driving) unless there's a sign that says you can
Simple Church
Karen’s neighbors (I may have mentioned before) are Korean missionaries—not IMB related. They have started a Simple Church in their home and they meet on Sunday nights. This Sunday we doubled their attendance with the KY team. It was fun to pull chairs from every room in the house and crowd into the living/dining area. The most meaningful part for me was the singing. We tried to select songs that everyone knew. For some there were verses in Spanish, English and Korean. It’s amazing how so many voices can be heard—and heard clearly—by the One who created it all.
Sunday Afternoon
The KY team once again donned their bandanas and set up sound equipment to sing and perform puppet skits, this time in Plaza O’Higgins in Valpariso. (O’Higgins was the first president of Chile.) The sun was out and the plaza was busy with people coming to look at what the antique collectors were offering for sale. While the puppets performed renditions of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan, I was striking up a conversation in English with a woman (pictured) named Monica and her family. She works for UPS and her husband, Alexander works for a telephone company. Their daughters, Fernanda (5 años) and Diana (3 años) were getting ready for winter vacation from school. I explained to Monica that Karen was trying to make contacts for a bible study/simple church to start up in the Valpariso area. I’m praying that they will make contact with Karen and get connected with other Christians. They left during the puppets, but came back while the singing portion of the concert was going on. It was so sweet to be singing and see my new friends waving to me from the crowd.
A Happening 4th
One of the events planned for the KY group was to do a folk concert on the plaza in Cerro Placeres, Valpariaso. Since it was the 4th of July, a combination of American hymns and folk songs were appropriate for the occasion. We sang America the Beautiful, classics like Yankee Doodle, and even a Bob Dylan number. Thanks to my cousin Jerry, minister of music at First Baptist London, we were sounding pretty good.
Unfortunately, nothing went how we would have anticipated. The puppets were left at the house, so we stalled…it began to rain…there was a big soccer match on TV so the crowd was very small…there was a fight over a camera being stolen…not exactly what we had pictured. But, we were able to see real life and needs on that hill that day. Perhaps some kind of testimony in sticking it out was seen by those who were present.
On the eve...
Before the group came from KY Karen and I did some gringo grocery shopping to make them more feel more comfortable. She wanted the 4th of July to be special, so we bought some extra things to make merry the day when it came around.
The night of the 3rd, after a long day of touring the coast, Karen and I headed our way to bed. I had just turned my light out when I heard her starting to blow up balloons. “What are you doing?” I asked, laughing. “Well, I don’t want to get up early and blow them up.” She explained. “Well, give some here.” So, on the eve of the 4th, I in my trundle bed and Karen in her queen, laughed and blew up balloons of 3 patriotic colors.
The night of the 3rd, after a long day of touring the coast, Karen and I headed our way to bed. I had just turned my light out when I heard her starting to blow up balloons. “What are you doing?” I asked, laughing. “Well, I don’t want to get up early and blow them up.” She explained. “Well, give some here.” So, on the eve of the 4th, I in my trundle bed and Karen in her queen, laughed and blew up balloons of 3 patriotic colors.
Living in a small city
Alison invited me to go to her youth group that meets on Friday nights. Since the last time I could have gone with her was cancelled because of rain, I made the effort to head down the hill to meet her there. Now, in a city of 400k people, and just being a visitor for 3 weeks, one does not expect to run into someone you know. But it happened. Julio, from the neighbor’s house church, stepped off a bus and called my name. I’ve heard it said that a person’s name is the sweetest sound they’ll hear. I’ll admit that I was so happy the world got a little bit smaller when I heard my name on a busy city street.
Calipso
This short film was taken during our lunch in Con Cón at a seafood restaurant. They KY group shared with the wait staff a bit of their state pride. Karen’s on the piano!
The Dean came…
So, he really wasn’t the president. Dr John (not sure what his last name was), a Dean of New York University, was the man who came to the house. He and Mané came to the house in a whirl wind. I tried to make coffee for a New Yorker who likes it “black and bitter like life,” feed them empanadas and hurry them out the door to his lecture. Best of luck to you sir!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Waiting for the President
At the moment I'm here at Karen's house killing time until the President arrives. The rest of the Kentucky mission team, along with translators and Karen herself are in Cerro Placeres at work getting things ready for a free movie we're showing tonight on the Plaza.
Karen's friend Mane, from NY, called last night with an urgent need for hospitality. She's traveling with the President of some kind of school in NYC who has a meeting in Vina this afternoon. The man needs a shower! So, here I sit, gate keys in hand, waiting for the President to come knocking on our door.
Karen's friend Mane, from NY, called last night with an urgent need for hospitality. She's traveling with the President of some kind of school in NYC who has a meeting in Vina this afternoon. The man needs a shower! So, here I sit, gate keys in hand, waiting for the President to come knocking on our door.
A Pizza Post for Will
Pizza is important no matter where you live, so here's the 411 in Chile:
Vina has Pizza Hut and Dominos pizza. It's pretty traditional American except you can't get pepperoni most of the time, just when they import it. Instead, you get sausage cuts that are kind of spicy.
The other night I went to a Chilean pizza restaurant with the exchange girls, Diego's Pizza. Pizza in Chile doesn't come with red sauce, instead they just put big slices of tomato on the top. Our veggie pizza came with white cheese (maybe gouda?), LOTS of onions and oregano. I thought it was great. The meat pizza had ham--big slices like you'd put on a sandwich, and the sausage all on top of the white cheese. Not too bad.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Welcome in church
Karen goes to a small Baptist church in Quilpue. Since this was the last Sunday of the month, the service looks a little different. What isn't ever different is their welcome of guests. Like normal I was invited to come up front and give greetings to them. And then the band started playing...a welcome song! Every one in the church got in a line to come and give me a hug and kiss. Once the parade was over, they offer a prayer for you. A warm welcome on such a chilly morning.
The service continued with a few songs and scripture reading. We were dismissed to go to Sunday School classes. Karen offered a kind guy's services to translate for me in the youth class. I'm learning that "youth" is anywhere from 20-30 years old. So, Derli and I headed to class and he told me how he's been in Rapid City, SD for the last four years working on his engineering degree.
After Sunday School we all come back to the sanctuary and sit by classes. One from each class gives a report on what was said. While this happened, two brothers and sisters from my class were given the task to act out a bible story--modernized. The children sang a song and then the siblings came in and we guessed the story. I'm looking forward to going back next week.
The service continued with a few songs and scripture reading. We were dismissed to go to Sunday School classes. Karen offered a kind guy's services to translate for me in the youth class. I'm learning that "youth" is anywhere from 20-30 years old. So, Derli and I headed to class and he told me how he's been in Rapid City, SD for the last four years working on his engineering degree.
After Sunday School we all come back to the sanctuary and sit by classes. One from each class gives a report on what was said. While this happened, two brothers and sisters from my class were given the task to act out a bible story--modernized. The children sang a song and then the siblings came in and we guessed the story. I'm looking forward to going back next week.
Los Andes
This weekend Karen and I took a much needed R&R retreat out in the mountains. Los Andes is the first city to have a mountain crossing through the Andes to Argentina. It’s also the home of the recently sainted Teresa and known for el Corazón, a hot spring spa. Our intention was to visit the latter. Los Andes is about 2 hours from Viña del Mar, a decent drive through the agricultural part of Chile. We saw vineyards, orange orchards, flower fields and some goats. We checked into the spa around noon and were fortunate to actually get a spot! Karen had called earlier and they said they were full since it’s a holiday weekend. (More to come on that I’m sure.) A day’s stay allows you full access to the pools, and three meals in their dining area.The first thing we did was hike around the hills behind the buildings. You can see part of the snow topped Andes Mountains and a full view of the valley. These pictures to not do it justice. I hiked a little further up, while Karen sat in semi-peace (someone was listening and singing to Michael Jackson on a bench nearby—obviously celebrating his life in his own way).
The next thing on the agenda was lunch (remember, the biggest meal). We had two courses: smoked salmon (with cream cheese and caviar!) then cheese stuffed veal with potato stuffed zucchini and cheese. Soup, and dessert with coffee in addition. It felt like we were living the food network.
Naps, then swimming. Very relaxing. Then dinner (again, amazing.) A lesson in golf (the card game), catching up on the news and Wimbledon, then sleep.In the morning we went and ate breakfast, then rushed to our scheduled massages (!), laid around some more and headed back into town. Who can recover from a weekend like this?
Gifted on the Southern Continent
I could say this is self proclaimed, but others have spoken of it as well, so I thought I’d shamelessly share. I have a gift at making hot chocolate. Now, folks, this is quite the task when you’re given cocoa powder, sugar and powdered milk. The perfect combination of these three ingredients added with hot water is tricky! And believe me, I learned the hard way through nasty milk clumps. But, with Karen as my tutor and gifted chocolatician herself, we can stir up a pretty sweet cup.
Unfortunately she says, “Don’t try this at home” since the powdered milk in the states is nasty. Oh well. We can’t be all things to all people all the time.
Unfortunately she says, “Don’t try this at home” since the powdered milk in the states is nasty. Oh well. We can’t be all things to all people all the time.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Soup and Sandwiches
This Thursday Karen and some students, and I took the metro up to Quilpue to meet a pastor and his congregation to help serve something hot to some homeless people that live around the metro. We made traditional Chilean sandwiches: jamon y queso (ham and cheese) con mantiquille (with butter). The pastor and his friends were there ready with hot chicken soup and hot chocolate. There were a lot of students there, but the people we served didn't seem to overwhelmed. In my very limited Spanish, I had a conversation with Luis. He was just about to go to work. He goes through trash and along the street at night to find recycling. He has lived in Quilpue his whole life and has 5 brothers. One lives in Boston. My best Spanish move was asking, "Te gusta futboll?" And I lost him from there. Something about the Brazil vs S Africa came--one to zero--Brazil is playing the US--he wants the US to win...:) Bread and water may feed the belly, but I think attention to a person's passion feeds and nourishes something else entirely. Dignity?
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Girls are girls wherever they live
Karen meets weekly with a group of women from Viña. She encouraged me to use a little of my art skill and do something with them. I thought life maps would be good since opportunities for vulnerability in a committed group usually are good things. (Robin Smith would be so proud of how much Core 100 is coming to Chile—first Signs, now life maps!) I drew mine out before hand, and then shared when we got there. What I didn’t expect was that this group of 10 women in their 40s-60s behave just like my college girls do when they have stories to share. In this case, they were speaking in Spanish and there was no way to understand what direction the conversation was flowing and what they were understanding. When it was all said and done, Karen said they liked it.
After singing, sharing, and talking came the refreshments. We were at Suni’s house and she had prepared hot chocolate for us (with a hint of cinnamon), pan (another spanish word for you: bread), keke (chocolate and vanilla varieties of cake), and crackers with cheese. By the way, they serve gouda cheese here all the time. It’s really great. American is the expensive kind around these parts. Once we were done with our first hot drink, Suni offered us tea. Hot beverages all the time! It keeps the chill away.
Into our 3rd hour at Suni’s the women decided they wanted to stay a little longer. They covered all the bases: the presidential election coming up, the dating life of the mayor, how scandalous the professional tennis players are, how humanitarian the retired soccer star is, and some US politics. I can’t remember the word at the moment but Karen said the same word for peeling a potato is what they use when they’ve talked about everything. Pelor? Anyway, it’s a good reminder that girls are girls no matter where they live or how old they are.
After singing, sharing, and talking came the refreshments. We were at Suni’s house and she had prepared hot chocolate for us (with a hint of cinnamon), pan (another spanish word for you: bread), keke (chocolate and vanilla varieties of cake), and crackers with cheese. By the way, they serve gouda cheese here all the time. It’s really great. American is the expensive kind around these parts. Once we were done with our first hot drink, Suni offered us tea. Hot beverages all the time! It keeps the chill away.
Into our 3rd hour at Suni’s the women decided they wanted to stay a little longer. They covered all the bases: the presidential election coming up, the dating life of the mayor, how scandalous the professional tennis players are, how humanitarian the retired soccer star is, and some US politics. I can’t remember the word at the moment but Karen said the same word for peeling a potato is what they use when they’ve talked about everything. Pelor? Anyway, it’s a good reminder that girls are girls no matter where they live or how old they are.
Pablo Neruda
la Sebastiana
bedroom
living roomHis house was pretty simple, not huge. He definitely had some interesting tastes in art. There were a couple things I liked that I don’t want to forget.
One: he had in mind that the roof would be turned into a giant bird cage. (That never happened.)
Two: he had a merry-go-round horse brought over from France and put it right in the middle of his living room. There was a quote that said some kind of warning against letting your inner child die.
Three: On his table were green colored drinking goblets. Neruda believed that water tasted better when you drink it from a colored glass. Part of me thinks he could be right.
The view from his windows is spectacular. I don’t know how you can get up on the wrong side of the bed when you get to see the ocean AND the city. He was one fortunate soul.
Hablo un poco de español
I have impressed myself with the amount of Spanish I have picked up in a little over a week. Reaching back in time to 7th and 8th grade World Culture’s class is difficult! I thought I’d share a couple words with you that I’ve learned:
poh—this means nothing. Chileans add it on to the end, in the middle, wherever to whatever they’re saying. Si, poh.
bacon—not the breakfast special but “buh-con”. It means “cool”.
Como estai?—“what’s up?” And you have to say it REALLY fast. I try…
Que feyo—I’m not sure exactly what this means, but you say it after something bad or lame happens. People will say “Que feyo” then wave the air like somebody let one rip.
papá—dad
el Papa—the Pope
la papa—potato or a baby’s bottle
Mantiquilla de mani—peanut butter
The list will continue to grow…don’t you worry. I have also been able to pick up on some conversations and get the gist of what’s going on. Like the other night I was reading and Karen was watching the news. All of a sudden I thought, “Oh, their talking about the swine flu.” I looked up, and they were! This doesn’t always happen though. I answer, si, way too often for my own good. Like at bible study, someone asked if what they were talking about scared me. Not a good time to be agreeable.
poh—this means nothing. Chileans add it on to the end, in the middle, wherever to whatever they’re saying. Si, poh.
bacon—not the breakfast special but “buh-con”. It means “cool”.
Como estai?—“what’s up?” And you have to say it REALLY fast. I try…
Que feyo—I’m not sure exactly what this means, but you say it after something bad or lame happens. People will say “Que feyo” then wave the air like somebody let one rip.
papá—dad
el Papa—the Pope
la papa—potato or a baby’s bottle
Mantiquilla de mani—peanut butter
The list will continue to grow…don’t you worry. I have also been able to pick up on some conversations and get the gist of what’s going on. Like the other night I was reading and Karen was watching the news. All of a sudden I thought, “Oh, their talking about the swine flu.” I looked up, and they were! This doesn’t always happen though. I answer, si, way too often for my own good. Like at bible study, someone asked if what they were talking about scared me. Not a good time to be agreeable.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Annaquest
Today Karen and I went for a drive around Valpariso to try and map out the streets our next group will be prayer walking. Streets in Chile are funny things. Since they've built up into the hills, most of them are pretty steep with houses that share the same outside walls. The street signs are usually spray painted on the sides of the house, or not mentioned at all. As we drove, it was my job to figure out these names and draw a map that will be helpful to the northerners. Not so difficult...just remembering what it looked like when we got home was the challenge!Streets range from two lanes to very narrow. Some are one way, and you just don't know until you see a car driving that direction. The craziest thing I saw today was when we came to one street that had a drop off--no warning. There were stairs for the sidewalk going down...even what looked like a hand rail for a car taking a nose dive down the street! I'll try and get a picture next time we're out.
Hola, mi amo Cookie
Hello, my name is Cookie. I live in the verde casa with Karen. I am a sweet stinker who loves to steal the pink chair and the occasional piece of human food I can reach. Empanadas are my favorite.
Retreat
Over the weekend we took a bus 2 hours north to a small country town of Catapilco. Ronald's family owns a summer home there and we made a retreat with the Ouachita group and some Chilean's from Karen's groups. The leader of the OG, Professor Terry Carter, lead 4 sessions of instructing how we can read, study, interpret and apply the bible every day. There were about 20-25 of us in this little house, and we had a great time. Only a few Chilean's spoke English, so conversation was limited, but life can be lived well even without words. We played the game "signs" for hours, sang and ate great food.
One thing I'm learning is how fortunate I am to be in such a rich community of Christians where I work and when I'm at home. This is not the case for Chilean's in most places. Their time together is so precious and very encouraging. I'm loving the chances I get to see them interact with one another.
One thing I'm learning is how fortunate I am to be in such a rich community of Christians where I work and when I'm at home. This is not the case for Chilean's in most places. Their time together is so precious and very encouraging. I'm loving the chances I get to see them interact with one another.
Love the Limbo: Alex showing us her skills
Karin, Cote, Camila & Haviela singing a traditional Chilean song
Camila, me & ErickaAloe Attack
Yesterday Karen and I discovered that there was a problem with the gas. In Karen's house she has a natural gas line that heats her water and lights her stove, fireplace and dryer. We discovered that having multiple things on at once would not produce hot water. So, the gas man was to come over to read the meter and check it out. The only problem was the aloe plant had grown up around the meter. So, with hatchet and saw in hand we hacked away to make room for Senor Meter Reader.
Above is a picture of the plant before the attack. The aftermath was too sad to show online. Good news though, SMR decided that you could plant our hackings and grow a new plant. He took some home, so the love of the verde casa is spreading!
Tia Anita is a botanist
Nicknames are very important here. I'm learning that most Maria's have some kind of nickname. I've been given a couple since I've been here. Among the Americans they call me the "Botanist" because most occasions when someone wants a plant identified, I can produce a name. I swear it's only because I asked the question first to Karen! But, it has stuck and they get a kick out of it.
Another nickname was given to me this weekend when we were in Catapilco for a retreat. Tia (means Aunt) and Anita is sortof a play on my name. They add "ita" to things meaning cute or what not. The giver of this name is Ronald, who when introducing himself said, "My name is Ronald, like Ronald Regan."
Another nickname was given to me this weekend when we were in Catapilco for a retreat. Tia (means Aunt) and Anita is sortof a play on my name. They add "ita" to things meaning cute or what not. The giver of this name is Ronald, who when introducing himself said, "My name is Ronald, like Ronald Regan."
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Evangelism
The past two days we've been taking the Ouachita group around Valpo and Quilpue. In Valpariso they performed some sketches in a Catholic University square. Before and after we've partnered up with Chilean Christians to survey students about their thoughts on spirituality. (I'll post the questions when I have more time). The goal is to get them thinking more about the meaning of life and invite them to be a part of a group that would meet in a restaurant near campus.
Another survey I've done with Alex is Soularium. Campus Crusade put out a survey with pictures. I think there are about 50 different photos the person sorts through when a question is asked. Some questions (not specific wording) are:
Which 3 photos that represent your life right now? Why?
Which 3 photos would you like to represent your life right now? Why?
Which photo that represents God? Why?
Which photo would you like to represent God? Why?
It's pretty interesting. Alex, Estephanie (student at the university) and I got into a conversation over these cards with students Enrique and Paulo. Both thought the survey was cool and were glad to be thinking of these questions of life even though both have answers to the God dilemma. We did get their contact information though because they'd be interested in being part of a group.
You can visit www.mysoularium.com to see what I'm talking about.
Greetings
Here in Chile we are very affectionate when greeting or saying goodbye. Addressing any female, the greeter will shake her right hand, then give a kiss on the cheek--the right cheek and just once! No double cheeks here. Most kisses I've recieved have only been touching cheeks making the *swak* sound. Not a big deal. When guys say hello to guys it's a hand shake that pulls into a 2 slap on the back hug.
I somedays I think I've finally caught onto the rhythm of this kissing deal. But then other times, no. Do I kiss the taxi driver goodbye? More questions for Karen.
Also, we say Ciao! here for our goodbyes.
Ciao! (kiss)
I somedays I think I've finally caught onto the rhythm of this kissing deal. But then other times, no. Do I kiss the taxi driver goodbye? More questions for Karen.
Also, we say Ciao! here for our goodbyes.
Ciao! (kiss)
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Spoiled with all this time I have!
Prof Carter, me, Katie, Rachel, Leah & Alyssa on top of the dune!
That's the Pacific my friends
Yes! This morning nothing is happening until 10:30, so I'm spoiled with internet time. This probably won't happen much.
Yesterday was day 3...crazy. It feels like I've been here longer. In the morning we took the group with Alison and Alyssa to Renaca, a town to the north of Vina. We got to see the ocean--the biggest waves I've ever seen!--and climb a sand dune, which really could be classified as a sand mountian. HUGE! We ate lunch downtown in Valpo and then spent the afternoon praying for the city.
The evening was a highlight because it was the group's first performance. About 10 Chileans came, most of them were Christians, but we went over to a student housing building with hot chocolate and talked to the students there. I made some friends despite my no spanish and their little English. Fena showed me around the building. It's two levels, girls on one floor and guys on the other. Most university students take up boarding with families or rent apartments if they can. This place we were in is for low income students. They pay about $20 a month (10 mil pesos). I also met Karin and Cota, two girls that will be coming on the retreat Ouachita is planning for this weekend. I wish I knew more Spanish...
Highlights of Day Two
Bible Study girls
Alison, me y Empanada!PS: Vina and Valpo are twin cities in these hills. Both have about 400k people living in each.
In the morning Karen and I went to Valpo to find the police station in order to give a permission slip for "public presentation" to someone in charge. We had trouble finding it at first (which is no surprise because nothing has a sign on the front when you're in a neighborhood) but a nice Chilean girl got in the car with us and gave us directions from there. Police Stations are green and white.
Also that morning we had to find Maria, the neighborhood director? I'm not sure what her title is, but we where told to inform her as to what was going to be happening in her neighborhood. We found her house with her standing outside and after some brief explaination, she was excited. So excited actually (maybe because northerners were in her town) that she took us into her house to give us a tour! It was amazing. 150 years old, 3 levels with a gorgeous view of the port and ocean. Karen was so surprised we were being treated this way.
In the afternoon the group came and settled in to the apartment above Karen's house. We got to know each other a little bit and then two American exchange students, Alison and Alyssa came to pick up the girls to take them to a bible study. That evening was a great time to relax and hear about every one's experiences in Chile thus far. There are a group of 6 american girls that get together every Tuesday to pray for one another. On the way home (another A, Alex, came with us) the A's bought us pastries (and a beef and onion Empanada for me!) and we shared them back at Karen's house.
Eating Chilean
I'll take a moment to break in the sequence of events to talk about food. Chilean food is not Tex-Mexican or anything like that. I've probably had more American food than anything, but I've seen that Chile takes their bread and fruits and vegetables seriously. There are bakeries and produce stands everywhere.
Chileans like to eat breakfast, then have their biggest meal at lunch (which is between 1-3pm), and then have an once (ohn-ce: the word "eleven" in spanish...even though it's later) around 8 or 9pm which consists of coffee and bread or pastries.
One thing that I've loved is that Empanadas are EVERYWHERE. It's a fact that I have been craving these stuffed goodies for the past month. Now I'm getting spoiled because they just don't make them like this in the states (or at all!) Empanadas are kindof like a hot pocket. They can be stuffed with meat, cheese, veggies, etc. Usually there's a surprise inside like an egg or black olive. So good!
Chileans like to eat breakfast, then have their biggest meal at lunch (which is between 1-3pm), and then have an once (ohn-ce: the word "eleven" in spanish...even though it's later) around 8 or 9pm which consists of coffee and bread or pastries.
One thing that I've loved is that Empanadas are EVERYWHERE. It's a fact that I have been craving these stuffed goodies for the past month. Now I'm getting spoiled because they just don't make them like this in the states (or at all!) Empanadas are kindof like a hot pocket. They can be stuffed with meat, cheese, veggies, etc. Usually there's a surprise inside like an egg or black olive. So good!
Chile! Highlights of Day One
Today I woke up to my third day in Chile! I feel like there's a lot to catch you up on, so maybe I'll break it down.
Day 1.5
My plane actually left! And on time too. My seat was in the very middle:17D in between an Austrailian man and a Pennsylvanian man. The flight was not full, so the Aussie offered to move back a row so I could move over. Around 10pm they served dinner (a Chilean cultural thing that I will explain later) and a guy in 16B, Sabastian, invited me to eat with him. I thought "dinner" could be as long as I wanted it to be, so why not?
Sabastian is Chilean but goes to school in the states. He is going back home to work at a bank in Santiago. I can't remember what school he goes to, but his email has the word "harvard" before the .edu, so it must be offiliated. He's studying political science. He told me about the Chilean geography, education system, and some culture. We talked mostly about why college is important and how he can encourage Chileans to come to school in the states. When I was finished picking at my food, I noticed that Mr. PA had already decided that I wasn't coming back and sprawled out on all 3 seats. Shoot! Fortunately, Sabastian had found an empty two seats for himself and offered his spot to me. So, I got to sleep for a couple hours...with awesome eye covers.
When we landed in Chile, I soon found Karen with her red High School Musical balloon as promised. We headed out after finding my bag and stopped to get coffee for the way home. One disappointing thing about Chile is that they don't grow coffee here. Everyone just drinks instant coffee, but a lot of it.
The rest of the day was spent settling in, going to Valpariso (Valpo) to hang up flyers for the performance on Thursday. We also went to Jumbo which is the Walmart of Chile to do some grocery shopping for the group coming in. Rest, then once, then more rest. A great first day.
Day 1.5
My plane actually left! And on time too. My seat was in the very middle:17D in between an Austrailian man and a Pennsylvanian man. The flight was not full, so the Aussie offered to move back a row so I could move over. Around 10pm they served dinner (a Chilean cultural thing that I will explain later) and a guy in 16B, Sabastian, invited me to eat with him. I thought "dinner" could be as long as I wanted it to be, so why not?
Sabastian is Chilean but goes to school in the states. He is going back home to work at a bank in Santiago. I can't remember what school he goes to, but his email has the word "harvard" before the .edu, so it must be offiliated. He's studying political science. He told me about the Chilean geography, education system, and some culture. We talked mostly about why college is important and how he can encourage Chileans to come to school in the states. When I was finished picking at my food, I noticed that Mr. PA had already decided that I wasn't coming back and sprawled out on all 3 seats. Shoot! Fortunately, Sabastian had found an empty two seats for himself and offered his spot to me. So, I got to sleep for a couple hours...with awesome eye covers.
When we landed in Chile, I soon found Karen with her red High School Musical balloon as promised. We headed out after finding my bag and stopped to get coffee for the way home. One disappointing thing about Chile is that they don't grow coffee here. Everyone just drinks instant coffee, but a lot of it.
The rest of the day was spent settling in, going to Valpariso (Valpo) to hang up flyers for the performance on Thursday. We also went to Jumbo which is the Walmart of Chile to do some grocery shopping for the group coming in. Rest, then once, then more rest. A great first day.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Atlanta Pictures
Statue in the park...part of a cement quilt? I was confused, but it's cool.
Kids playing in the Olympic Rings Fountain
Dr. Pemberton, the man who invented Coke!
The allusive Georgia Aquarium
Coca-Cola MuseumBraving Atlanta
This afternoon I decided to venture out into Atlanta. It's an easy train ride to anywhere from the airport, so I stowed my roller bag away and got a breeze pass.
I had it in mind to visit their aquarium--bragged to be the biggest in the world! Some of the largest sea animals in the world and real pieces of the Titanic, so they say. No one told me though, (and I should have figured this out) that the largest aquarium also has the largest line to get in! I should back up and say that by the time I actually found the aquarium I was very tired of walking, and standing in a line was very intimidating and unappealing. Instead, I walked around the Centennial Olympic Park, got a smoothie and read under a tree.
I ventured into the CNN headquarters as well. They charge you to get a tour of the place, so I browsed the bookstore instead and enjoyed the air conditioning. I discovered that it's a little bit of a problem when you pack for a Chile winter and you're stuck in Atlanta in the summer (not to mention my deodorant is in my checked bag, which is somewhere in Santiago at the moment). Anyway, we can address the clothes situation later. While I was at the bookstore, I met a real live author. Stella Obot wrote, with her physician father, the book The Triangle Diet. It's a weight loss plan for Christians. You can check them out at www.trianglediet.org Interesting, eh?
After the park and CNN I decided to go shopping, so I took the train up to Lennox Plaza. I scored some sweet deals on skinny jeans (Stacey!) and shoes. After that I made my way back to the airport only to stand in 2 lines for 40 minutes before I was told my flight doesn't leave until TOMORROW night. You've got to be kidding me. So, I'm back at the Hampton again this evening with one more day to kill in Atlanta. This town does not want me to leave.
I will say one thing about the Hampton, when I went up to the desk to check in (a bit heavy hearted) there was a big basket of fresh chocolate chip cookies FREE to take. I decided I deserved 3: one for every time I'll try to leave this town. Tomorrow I will win. I can feel it.
I had it in mind to visit their aquarium--bragged to be the biggest in the world! Some of the largest sea animals in the world and real pieces of the Titanic, so they say. No one told me though, (and I should have figured this out) that the largest aquarium also has the largest line to get in! I should back up and say that by the time I actually found the aquarium I was very tired of walking, and standing in a line was very intimidating and unappealing. Instead, I walked around the Centennial Olympic Park, got a smoothie and read under a tree.
I ventured into the CNN headquarters as well. They charge you to get a tour of the place, so I browsed the bookstore instead and enjoyed the air conditioning. I discovered that it's a little bit of a problem when you pack for a Chile winter and you're stuck in Atlanta in the summer (not to mention my deodorant is in my checked bag, which is somewhere in Santiago at the moment). Anyway, we can address the clothes situation later. While I was at the bookstore, I met a real live author. Stella Obot wrote, with her physician father, the book The Triangle Diet. It's a weight loss plan for Christians. You can check them out at www.trianglediet.org Interesting, eh?
After the park and CNN I decided to go shopping, so I took the train up to Lennox Plaza. I scored some sweet deals on skinny jeans (Stacey!) and shoes. After that I made my way back to the airport only to stand in 2 lines for 40 minutes before I was told my flight doesn't leave until TOMORROW night. You've got to be kidding me. So, I'm back at the Hampton again this evening with one more day to kill in Atlanta. This town does not want me to leave.
I will say one thing about the Hampton, when I went up to the desk to check in (a bit heavy hearted) there was a big basket of fresh chocolate chip cookies FREE to take. I decided I deserved 3: one for every time I'll try to leave this town. Tomorrow I will win. I can feel it.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Leaving on a jet plane...or trying to
I’ve made it a personal goal to get into conversation with my plane seat partner(s) on this trip to Chile and back. Here are the interesting people I've met...
Seat 10A: Long Beach, CA to Salt Lake City, UT
Seat 10B: Don grew up in Detroit but now lives in Southern California working as an engineer. He likes to race sailboats in his spare time. Even before we got on the topic of sailboats, I guessed he was a sailor because of his mouth. He’s very strict with his crew (no alcohol on board) and wins races often. He told me stories about his 14 day race to Hawaii and other races down the West Coast. Once he saw a grey whale that was so close it almost took out his boat. His favorite thing is watching dolphins play in the wake at night because they look like war torpedoes coming at the boat.
We talked a lot about traveling, and for every travel recommendation he gave me he told me to plan my trip around the trees. Don says spring is the best time for both Mackinac Island (for the lilacs) and Washington DC (for the cherry blossoms). “Don’t bring a car to DC because there’s no where to park it.” California is best visited in September because that’s when the water is the warmest. Boo June Bloom.
Since he was on his way to SLC for a wedding, we talked some about marriage. His advice was, “you’ll never find perfect, but you will find good.” He was married to his first wife for 19 years, they divorced but when she got cancer he moved back in to take care of her. The hardest thing he’s ever done was bury the mother of his 3 daughters. Now he’s married to a nurse. They’ve been married for 14 years.
Don makes great pumpkin bread, so say all his co-workers. He shared his secret with me: use one sugar pumpkin and one cheese wheel pumpkin. The cheese wheel is a rich flavor and gives it a creamy texture.
Seat 31E: Salt Lake City, UT to (unscheduled Nashville, TN) Atlanta, GA
Seat 31D sat Sylvia, a regal, retired southern bell who was traveling back with her husband from a week in Montana. She hates take offs and landing and would always reach across the isle to hold her hubby's hand. She and her husband love college sports. They have season tickets to Duke basketball and football and spend most of their retired lives traveling to watch the games. Sylvia was a social studies teacher back in the 60s, then went on up to be a vice-principal and in charge of curriculum. She was kind enough to share her cookies with me when we emergency landed in Nashville. Before we got off the plane in Atlanta, she gave me two granola bars to tide me over. She is one sweet lady!
Seat 31F sat Esther. Esther had a great hispanic accent and lives in Florida with her husband. She too shared her food with me. She got the fruit and cheese platter (more like dish since it's so small!) because I asked what kind of cheese the green marble-y kind was. Esther was coming back from visiting her daughter in Wyoming. They went to Yellowstone and stayed in a cabin. She spent most of the flight going over an audit for work, but we had a good time watching the Red Wings/Penguins hockey game. She was rooting for Pittsburg and I thought I'd root for the home team of Detroit. When we finally got to Atlanta, Esther and I stood in line together to find out our fate. Both of us missed our flights but enjoyed each other's company.
PS: I've also made it a personal goal to be a better blogger than my other two siblings who are out of the country. Watch out kids!
Seat 10A: Long Beach, CA to Salt Lake City, UT
Seat 10B: Don grew up in Detroit but now lives in Southern California working as an engineer. He likes to race sailboats in his spare time. Even before we got on the topic of sailboats, I guessed he was a sailor because of his mouth. He’s very strict with his crew (no alcohol on board) and wins races often. He told me stories about his 14 day race to Hawaii and other races down the West Coast. Once he saw a grey whale that was so close it almost took out his boat. His favorite thing is watching dolphins play in the wake at night because they look like war torpedoes coming at the boat.
We talked a lot about traveling, and for every travel recommendation he gave me he told me to plan my trip around the trees. Don says spring is the best time for both Mackinac Island (for the lilacs) and Washington DC (for the cherry blossoms). “Don’t bring a car to DC because there’s no where to park it.” California is best visited in September because that’s when the water is the warmest. Boo June Bloom.
Since he was on his way to SLC for a wedding, we talked some about marriage. His advice was, “you’ll never find perfect, but you will find good.” He was married to his first wife for 19 years, they divorced but when she got cancer he moved back in to take care of her. The hardest thing he’s ever done was bury the mother of his 3 daughters. Now he’s married to a nurse. They’ve been married for 14 years.
Don makes great pumpkin bread, so say all his co-workers. He shared his secret with me: use one sugar pumpkin and one cheese wheel pumpkin. The cheese wheel is a rich flavor and gives it a creamy texture.
Seat 31E: Salt Lake City, UT to (unscheduled Nashville, TN) Atlanta, GA
Seat 31D sat Sylvia, a regal, retired southern bell who was traveling back with her husband from a week in Montana. She hates take offs and landing and would always reach across the isle to hold her hubby's hand. She and her husband love college sports. They have season tickets to Duke basketball and football and spend most of their retired lives traveling to watch the games. Sylvia was a social studies teacher back in the 60s, then went on up to be a vice-principal and in charge of curriculum. She was kind enough to share her cookies with me when we emergency landed in Nashville. Before we got off the plane in Atlanta, she gave me two granola bars to tide me over. She is one sweet lady!
Seat 31F sat Esther. Esther had a great hispanic accent and lives in Florida with her husband. She too shared her food with me. She got the fruit and cheese platter (more like dish since it's so small!) because I asked what kind of cheese the green marble-y kind was. Esther was coming back from visiting her daughter in Wyoming. They went to Yellowstone and stayed in a cabin. She spent most of the flight going over an audit for work, but we had a good time watching the Red Wings/Penguins hockey game. She was rooting for Pittsburg and I thought I'd root for the home team of Detroit. When we finally got to Atlanta, Esther and I stood in line together to find out our fate. Both of us missed our flights but enjoyed each other's company.
PS: I've also made it a personal goal to be a better blogger than my other two siblings who are out of the country. Watch out kids!
Away for a while
Hello and Buenos Noches the few that may be interested in my summer adventures! Andra asked me if I had considered a travel blog while spending the next few weeks in Chile. I hadn't thought about it since I didn't know what my internet connection would be like, but now I find myself in a hotel room in Atlanta with time to kill until my plane leaves in about 20 hours. Here's hoping for better luck and plenty of updates to keep you entertained. :)
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