Go check out some of the posts from June! I have finally uploaded pictures!
I promise to add more after my two week vacation in Chiloe.
Enjoy!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
No Nos Falta Palta
The other day, Rosa and I were having tea and bread and talking after school when we heard the neighbor calling at the gate by the road. I went out to let him in. He was carrying a crate of avocados. 'I brought these for Tia Rosa' he told me. I couldn't believe it. Chileans are so generous. There are probably about 3 bushels of avocados in the kitchen now. We will not be lacking for a long time. Last night we made guacamole for our tea and bread. Yum.
A Miracle
Last night Rosa decided to change my bedroom. We moved my mattress and blankets and everything to the smaller bedroom on the front of the house, away from the dogs, but closer to the noise of the cars passing.
I actually slept well! Dogs didn't wake me up! It's a miracle!
(But maybe the dogs weren't barking last night.)
I actually slept well! Dogs didn't wake me up! It's a miracle!
(But maybe the dogs weren't barking last night.)
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
¡Otro Temblor!
This time I knew immediately. 5 minutes ago I felt that same rumbling from two weeks ago and didn't hesitate a moment in realizing that I was experiencing another temblor. I was still startled. So startled, in fact, that I started speaking English to the kid next to me in the computer lab. ¨Shall we?¨ I said, and looked towards the door. He looked back at me, confused.
This temblor was not quite as strong as the one last time but it was a little bit longer. (Still no need to worry, Mom.) We all stood out on the patio for two minutes, then the students went back to class and I came back to write about it.
This temblor was not quite as strong as the one last time but it was a little bit longer. (Still no need to worry, Mom.) We all stood out on the patio for two minutes, then the students went back to class and I came back to write about it.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Cockadoodledoo!
If you think it is enchanting to be awakened by a rooster crowing, Chile isn't for you. If you can sleep THROUGH a rooster crowing, come on down! I'm serious. Between the roosters and dogs and the occasional duck, I haven't had a decent night's sleep since I left Santiago.
Some of you would say, ¨Jen, you are such a baby. You have such sensitive ears. Suck it up and sleep.¨ To you, I say ¨Cockadoodledoo!¨ And I'll keep on saying it outside your window... all night.
...And turn the air conditioning down to 40 degrees in your bedroom.
Some of you would say, ¨Jen, you are such a baby. You have such sensitive ears. Suck it up and sleep.¨ To you, I say ¨Cockadoodledoo!¨ And I'll keep on saying it outside your window... all night.
...And turn the air conditioning down to 40 degrees in your bedroom.
Campo Encantado
Sunday, I was allowed to leave the house. Rosa's friend, Tonio, took Rosa, Claudia, and I on a trip to Campo Ahumada. We went in Tonio's truck.
Campo Ahumada isn't much of a destination as it is a journey. The road winds up into the mountains, giving breathtaking views of the whole valley. It started to drizzle, then further up it turned into snow. The snow stuck to the plants (cactus covered in snow = funny) but not to the ground, making the landscape look like a brown-red mat covered with cotton balls.
The road turned from paved to dirt and we continued up until we came to a school. The outside of the school was all painted with English phrases that were poorly translated like ¨Here, English is learning, so if you speak, come on and welcome my pal.¨ We took a picture.
On the way back down, we passed the first huasos, Chilean cowboys, that I`ve seen. They were on horseback wearing round hats and wool ponchos to keep out the snow. They were leading a young black colt by a rope. We stopped the truck and Tonio approached them. ¨Can you spare a moment so she can take a picture with you? She's North American¨ he said, as if North American was an excuse for wanting a picture. They allowed it, in any case.
One day, when it's not snowing, Tonio has promised a return trip to Campos Ahumada where we will continue beyond the English school and further up the mountain.
Campo Ahumada isn't much of a destination as it is a journey. The road winds up into the mountains, giving breathtaking views of the whole valley. It started to drizzle, then further up it turned into snow. The snow stuck to the plants (cactus covered in snow = funny) but not to the ground, making the landscape look like a brown-red mat covered with cotton balls.
The road turned from paved to dirt and we continued up until we came to a school. The outside of the school was all painted with English phrases that were poorly translated like ¨Here, English is learning, so if you speak, come on and welcome my pal.¨ We took a picture.
On the way back down, we passed the first huasos, Chilean cowboys, that I`ve seen. They were on horseback wearing round hats and wool ponchos to keep out the snow. They were leading a young black colt by a rope. We stopped the truck and Tonio approached them. ¨Can you spare a moment so she can take a picture with you? She's North American¨ he said, as if North American was an excuse for wanting a picture. They allowed it, in any case.
One day, when it's not snowing, Tonio has promised a return trip to Campos Ahumada where we will continue beyond the English school and further up the mountain.
Perkins
Wednesday night, Piero, Rosa's son, arrived from Santiago. At that time I was sick. Wednesday night, Rosa and Piero decided that I would NOT be going to school on Thursday and I had no say in the matter. Thursday, Rosa brought me breakfast in bed on one of her breaks from school. The rest of the day, Piero served as my personal ¨Perkins.¨ The Chilean Jeeves. He fresh squeezed orange juice for me, waited on me hand and foot, even considered finding a little bell for me to ring.
Thursday night I got a house call from the doctor, who gave me a shot of some antibiotics and some ¨North American¨ prescription. What he really wanted to give me was another medicine but since I have no Mapuche (native Chilean) blood in me I couldn't take it; it could kill me.
Today, they finally let me go back to school. I'm still sniffling a little, but I'm much better for the most part.
Thursday night I got a house call from the doctor, who gave me a shot of some antibiotics and some ¨North American¨ prescription. What he really wanted to give me was another medicine but since I have no Mapuche (native Chilean) blood in me I couldn't take it; it could kill me.
Today, they finally let me go back to school. I'm still sniffling a little, but I'm much better for the most part.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Everyone's a Doctor
So, I'm a little sick. I've got a cold and a cough. I went to the pharmacy in Valparaiso and got medicine but I still haven't gotten over it. The past two days at school, however, I've had the best doctors in Chile telling me what to do. I'm serious. Everyone at the school has recommended something different. I should take this cough syrup, that pill. I should forget medicine and take herbs. I should drink onion juice sweetened with sugar (really). Today, they had me covering sections of orange with honey and eating them to coat my throat so I won't cough as much. But then my 4th grade students told me that wasn't good, I had to try it with lemon. Everyone's a doctor... and I'm still sick.
Happy 4th of July
I'm sad to miss it, just like I was sad to miss Thanksgiving when I went to Spain. But, unlike in Spain, the people here have tried to make me feel like this is a special day. The group I eat lunch with had a little fiesta for me. We had choripan, a typical Chilean sausage with bread, like a hot dog. They took out a bottle of wine, which I couldn't drink because of my medicine. And last night I made brownies with the mix I brought from the US (mmm Ghiradelli). Making brownies was an adventure in itself because the ovens here don't have temperatures on the dial, nor do they sell thermometers for inside the oven to know the temperature. Chilean women just stick their hand in the oven to see if it feels right. Also, they don't have standard measuring cups. 1/3 of a cup is actually 1/3 of a teacup! So I just estimated. The brownies turned out ok. Maria Alicia used the birthday of the US as a chance to give me a bottle of Bailey's! Yum!
I will miss fireworks. They are outlawed here and can only be seen in Valparaiso on New Year's. I miss the beach at Grandma's, the warm weather, family and friends. But, come on, how many times do I get to spend 10 weeks in Chile in my life?
I will miss fireworks. They are outlawed here and can only be seen in Valparaiso on New Year's. I miss the beach at Grandma's, the warm weather, family and friends. But, come on, how many times do I get to spend 10 weeks in Chile in my life?
Valparaiso
Friday, in 80 degree weather, Rosa, Maria Alicia and I set out by bus to Maria Alicia's house in Valparaiso. It was cloudy and cold when we got there, but Valparaiso is still a pretty cool place. It's built on 45 hills and one flat area in the middle. It was the most important Pacific port until the Panama Canal opened but even still it's bustling. The houses are built on the hills and many were made from metal stripped from old ships. The houses are painted in bright colors: pink, orange, yellow, green, purple, blue. It's quite charming even if some of the houses are rusting.
It seems like more than anything, we walked. I bought a new pair of boots on Friday night and they were very comfortable (also warm, thank God). Saturday we went to La Sebastiana, the house of Pablo Neruda. We had to take an ascensor to get there. Ascensores are something like elevators that don't go straight up. Usually a small box fitting 6 or so people, a roof, and windows, they cost about 60 cents for a trip. While I was in Valparaiso, an ascensor caught on fire and destroyed the car, the building at the base of the hill, and the homes of a few people.
Saturday we also had lunch at a typical seafood place and walked around the port area, too. In the afternoon we went shopping (overall during the weekend I bought 7 sweaters, a pair of boots, and two pairs of wool socks for about 115 dollars). Saturday night I met up with other people from the program; Jack, Emily, and Sara. We went out with a Chilean and then spent the night in the apartment of the director of Jack's and Emily's school. Rosa and Maria Alicia didn't want me to return back to the house alone at night.
Sunday we went to the zoo. I wanted to see the condor. I was a little disappointed that the condor at the zoo was small. I was hoping to see a bird with a 20 foot wingspan. Condors have ugly faces, but you have to admit that they have a majestic presence just by their size. At the zoo there was a 59 year old elephant rescued from a circus in Argentina. For years she was chained up and could only get exercise by rocking herself back and forth. To this day, that's all she does... just rocks and rocks. It was one of the saddest things I've seen.
Sunday night we had tea with Rosa's brother, who's a professor in Santiago during the week and returns home to Valparaiso on the weekends. He lives with his wife and daughter in a beautiful apartment in the city just north of Valparaiso, Viña del Mar. Monday we had lunch with Rosa's aunt and uncle and some other family members before returning home Monday night.
Maria Alicia has offered me the keys to the house anytime I want to return. I'm so lucky to be friends with such generous and kind people in Chile!
It seems like more than anything, we walked. I bought a new pair of boots on Friday night and they were very comfortable (also warm, thank God). Saturday we went to La Sebastiana, the house of Pablo Neruda. We had to take an ascensor to get there. Ascensores are something like elevators that don't go straight up. Usually a small box fitting 6 or so people, a roof, and windows, they cost about 60 cents for a trip. While I was in Valparaiso, an ascensor caught on fire and destroyed the car, the building at the base of the hill, and the homes of a few people.
Saturday we also had lunch at a typical seafood place and walked around the port area, too. In the afternoon we went shopping (overall during the weekend I bought 7 sweaters, a pair of boots, and two pairs of wool socks for about 115 dollars). Saturday night I met up with other people from the program; Jack, Emily, and Sara. We went out with a Chilean and then spent the night in the apartment of the director of Jack's and Emily's school. Rosa and Maria Alicia didn't want me to return back to the house alone at night.
Sunday we went to the zoo. I wanted to see the condor. I was a little disappointed that the condor at the zoo was small. I was hoping to see a bird with a 20 foot wingspan. Condors have ugly faces, but you have to admit that they have a majestic presence just by their size. At the zoo there was a 59 year old elephant rescued from a circus in Argentina. For years she was chained up and could only get exercise by rocking herself back and forth. To this day, that's all she does... just rocks and rocks. It was one of the saddest things I've seen.
Sunday night we had tea with Rosa's brother, who's a professor in Santiago during the week and returns home to Valparaiso on the weekends. He lives with his wife and daughter in a beautiful apartment in the city just north of Valparaiso, Viña del Mar. Monday we had lunch with Rosa's aunt and uncle and some other family members before returning home Monday night.
Maria Alicia has offered me the keys to the house anytime I want to return. I'm so lucky to be friends with such generous and kind people in Chile!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Caution! Caution! Caution!
A word for the wise:
If you ever happen to be in Chile and go to Valparaiso and go to Cerro Baron and are on a street with lots of construction and a big hill and you want to cross from one side of the street to the other on a pedestrian crosswalk, FIRST make absolutely sure that there is no crazy taxi driver charging up the hill ready to run you over... or at least have reflexes like a cat so you can jump out of the way fast (I did the latter).
Good advice to live by.
I'll write more about Valparaiso later... and get the pictures up soon!
If you ever happen to be in Chile and go to Valparaiso and go to Cerro Baron and are on a street with lots of construction and a big hill and you want to cross from one side of the street to the other on a pedestrian crosswalk, FIRST make absolutely sure that there is no crazy taxi driver charging up the hill ready to run you over... or at least have reflexes like a cat so you can jump out of the way fast (I did the latter).
Good advice to live by.
I'll write more about Valparaiso later... and get the pictures up soon!
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