La Primavera!

Versiculo de la Semana
"Porque he aqui ha pasado el invierno, se ha mudado, la lluvia se fue; se han mostrado las flores en la tierra, El tiempo de la cancion ha venido, y en nuestro pais se ha oido la voz de la tortloa." Canateres de los Cantares 2:11-12

Spring has begun here in Chile, along with rain, green budding trees, and the smell of fresh cut grass. I only hope that whatever Chris and I are allergic to in the states during spring time isn't blooming down here. We didn't even think about bringing allergy medicine, though with a pharmacy on every corner here, I'm not too worried about it. And the flowers are so pretty, I couldn't resist bringing some into our "home."
Mas Fondas
Last week was rather quiet around the city, with most residents out of town for vacation. On the actual days of the independence celebration (18th and 19th), it is illegal to ask your employees to work, they must do so on a voluntary basis. So that meant that even the BigJohn (7-11 where we get our water and use an ATM near the hotel) was closed, along with the grocery store, many restaurants, and of course all businesses. The LAN engineers also took the week off, so work was quiet for Chris as well. On Tuesday the group had the afternoon off and we all went back to Parque Hurtado for some more tasty Chilean food and independence celebrations. We posed for some pictures:

Chris and I competed in a mechanical bull riding contest, which I WON. The prize was a yo-yo. I gave it to a small child (after Chris played with it for the rest of the afternoon).

Then, still filled with the competitive spirit, we returned for another session of dance lessons for the Cueca (the national folk dance of Chile) and were one of the top six pairs (chosen likely for our humorous gringo version of the dance). The prize was a glass of Chicha from our favorite barbeque stand, and after all that dancing we were thirsty for it. This first picture shows the stiff competition we were up against.

Following our dance, we left the park to go to another park for another fair with Pastor Karim and his family and friends from the church. While waiting in line to purchase our tickets, Chris spotted a Chilean sporting a 787 hat and snuck a picture.

At this fair, in the Parque Ines Suarez, we witnessed lots of kite fliers (popular activity here, you see many caught in the trees at city parks) and even a circus!

Wednesday night the fesitivies continued with a military parade just a block away from our hotel. It was quite a long procession of soldiers in their various formal uniforms, including lots of marching bands and horses.

Parque Metropolitana
Since school was out for the week, I had a lot of time to wander about the city. I found out that our hotel is less than a mile away from one of the entrances to the Parque Metropolitano de Santiago. I hiked around for awhile and saw all sorts of interesting trails, bikers, families picnicking, and vistas with great views of the city. Chris and I returned later together to hike around for awhile, and really enjoyed the feeling of being in nature, but within walking distance from our hotel!

787
The 787 will make it's first commercial flight on Monday, and in the meantime LAN has been running test flights and such. Chris had the chance to tour the plane, and here are a few pictures showing what life on the airplane is like.

Cajon de Maipo
This past weekend we were thankfully able to rent a car, and so on Saturday we decided to drive out of the city toward Cajon de Maipo, which is in the Andes mountains. We originally had hoped to take advantage of the final ski weekend of the season, however conditions were not ideal on the mountains (only 50% of the runs were opened, and there were many with exposed rocks), so we thought we would hike instead. We drove through Cajon de Maiop, which consists of small villages along the Maipo River, and kept going once it turned into a dirt road. Our guidebook mentioned hiking in the area, and so we decided to keep driving until we reached Parque El Morado (the purple park). Here are a few pictures of our drive, including some "wild" horses we saw.

At one point, we reached what we were certain was the end of the road. A group of people, about our age and from the city, was sitting along the side of the road with backpacks and camping gear. We pulled over to ask them directions, and before we knew it they had packed up their gear into the trunk of our rented nissan mini-SUV and all four of them had crowded into the backseat. Some may call this picking up hitch-hikers, we like to think we were giving some new found friends a ride, though none of us really knew exactly where we were going. We just followed along the dirt road through the mountains. The road, for much of the time, was like this:

Thanks to Chris' expert driving, our laughing and crowded group made it to the "campsite" where we were pleasantly surprised with some aguas termales, or hot springs (we somewhat expected them, based on the guidebook, so had our swimsuits thankfully). It was very rustic, but SO beautiful to be sitting in a hot bath of water (slightly muddy from all the clay sediments) and looking out over the jagged snowy peaks of the Andes.

The top picture shows the cascading pools. The further down you go, the cooler the water is. The source is near boiling, at least it felt that way, so we only stayed at the top for a few minutes. The second picture above shows the "campground" where our new friends pitched their tent for the night, and a few other campers were setting up as well.

After splashing around in the pools for awhile, we got back in the car (alone this time) and started the journey back to the city. Then, as we passed a "restaurant" along the side of the road, the aromas drew us back, and we turned around and enjoyed a lunch of Cazuela, a type of stew. Click HERE for a recipe, it was yummy! Okay, the broth was tasty, the meat was somewhat tough and slightly unidentifiable, though apparently it was beef.

On the return journey, we managed to carry a few other weary travelers with us (apparently a very common mode of transportation, hitching a ride by sticking out your pulgar). One kind fellow ran a horseback riding business with excursions into the mountains, and he gave us his number so we could enjoy a free ride on some horses in thanks for the free ride we gave. Here are a few more images of the beautiful mountain area we drove through:

Cumpleanos!
We arrived back from our adventure around 5:30, and since we had been invited to a birthday party that evening for dinner (which didn't start until eight), we took the few free hours to play cribbage and eat ice-cream outside in a cafe not far from the hotel. As we were leaving for the birthday party, some of Chris' coworkers invited us to join them at a restaurant for dinner. We told them we were going to a friends' house for a birthday, and they were surprised that we knew people in the city. It has been a true blessing to find community with the church, Comunidad Vida, and to be so welcomed that after two weeks we were invited to Brett's (Kay's nephew) birthday. The food was tasty and Peruvian, the pisco sours were strong, and the cake was dulce de leche. We returned home after midnight, understanding why church doesn't start unil 11:30.
Pomaire
Sunday afternoon, we decided that since we still had the rental car we should drive out of the city and explore a little after church. I found a town not too far away that specializes in clay pottery. The official web site of Pomaire made it seem like a quaint town to enjoy artesania and pottery. After spending a few hours there, one could perhaps categorize it as a tourist trap. But they were famous for pottery, especially the three legged pig, which is meant to bring good luck (each leg stands for amor (love), dinero (money), and salud (health). I really wanted a pig, or Chanchito, for my classroom, and I thought maybe one of the shops would have a particulary nice one. Or maybe something different to offer. I was always hopeful. So hopeful, that I did end up going into a few (maybe almost all) of the stores. Chris, unbeknownst to me, was taking pictures every time I entered a DIFFERENT store, to show that they really were pretty much all the same. I will include maybe half the pictures he took, and let you all decide :)

Again, those were just a few of the many shops and pictures, but we were able to get a good laugh at the end of the day. I would say looking back Chris is amazingly patient. And we did get a pig :) Here are a few more pictures from our adventures in Pomaire, which is also home to the world's largest empananda.

They call these giant pieces of baked bread "tortillas" and they sell for about a dollar. I couldn't tell you what they taste like, as my carbo-loading had reached it's max for the day.

The flowers above are actually made out of bark/wood. I think they are really pretty, but of course virtually impossible to bring home (though I promise Chris any knick-knacks I purchase will go straight to my future classroom, not to clutter our home). I think Chris was slightly tempted by this giant clay ET however...

And at the end of the day, I was thankful to be on the road again back to the city and our home/hotel. At least I wouldn't have to pay $100 pesos to use THIS bano :)

La Segunda Semana

Versiculo de la Semana
"Por tanto, Jehovah esperara para tener piedad de vosotros, y por tanto, sera exaltado teniendo de vosotros misericordia; porque Jehova es Dios justo; bienaventurados todos los que confian en el." Isaias 30:18
Nuestro Trabajo
Work for Chris has thus far been very interesting, slightly more laid back than in Seattle, while at the same time consisting of rather long work days. He is gone from 7 in the morning until between 6 and 7 in the evening, which gives me a bit of time to fill as well. Heading down to Chile, I didn't have any firm plan for what I would be doing, though I had made a few contacts and continued to do so as soon as we arrived. After two days of not hearing any responses from the multidude of organizations I had contacted, I began to panic and wondered why I had left my work to come to South America and tour museums and parks all day long. I was so fearful of a lack of purpose, and on Monday (which would have been the first day of school in Shoreline) I longed to be in my classroom in the states, awaiting the arrival of 120 students who would "need" me. The Lord has been teaching me the value of patience and humility, and I am not a very willing student. Thankfully, in His mercy, I only had to wait one more day until Carmen, the pastor's wife from the church we had attended, contacted me about a volunteering opportunity. Her son attends a small private school here in Santiago, and they are very understaffed. The students are preparing for their final exams and need help with tutoring in all subjects, especially in English. Tuesday morning I met her at the metro station and we went to the school to meet the principal. Larry (100% Chilean, he is not sure why he has a gringo name) described the school mission and vision, what the students and teachers were like, and how the students would be soon entering their final exams. We shared tea and some Chilean cookies and he showed me videos of assemblies, music, folkloric dance classes, and more. He then said that the doors of the school would be open anytime I wanted to come and help, and I said I would be there the next day. He introduced me to the teachers as well, and they are all about my age and very welcoming. I felt so thankful to have a place where I could grow and learn and hopefully give back in some small measure as well. Interestingly enough, when I returned from the school I had about four emails from other organizations and contacts that could lead to more potential volunteer and mission opportunities. The Lord is truly faithful.
11 de Septiembre
On one of the first few days taking the Metro, I noticed a station that led to the street, "11 de septiembre." I was a little confused why a street would be named after September 11th here in Santiago, until that day arrived and I read a little about the history in the local newspaper. In 1973, there was a golpe de estado, or coup d'etat, where the military government forced out the democraticaly elected socialist President Salvador Allende. For those of you who enjoy history, it is an interesting topic to study as an extension of the Cold War here in South America. In recent years, the day has been used as a time of protest, mostly by anarchist groups or the far left. As I was heading to the school on Tuesday, I saw plumes of smoke coming from a nearby street and was told it was for the 11 de septiembre protests.
Viva Chile! Partido de Futbol
Word on the street let us know that the national Chilean soccer team would be playing against Colombia in a qualifying game on the road to the World Cup. So Chris and I, along with some fellow Boeing co-workers, went to a pub near our hotel and squeezed in among the locals to watch the game. While Chile ended up losing, the enthusiasm, cheering, and ultimate groaning was fun to be a part of. The national cheer goes a little like this: CHI CHI CHI, LE LE LE, VIVA CHILE! In case you want to know what it sounds like, you can see some fans at a stadium or even the Chilean miners after their rescue. It is so common, in fact, that the first time we heard it was at church the previous Sunday.
Instituto Agape
Wednesday was my first full day at the school, and it began with me organizing the "sala de profesores," or teachers work room. I will forever be grateful for the resources provided to me as a teacher in public education in the states. I did enjoy organizing the text books, and would take breaks to read through the history and literature books to gain a perspective on what the curriculum focus was for Chilean high school students. Around noon, the school took a break and the teachers came up to the lounge with tea, coffee, fresh bread, cheese, and meats to have a "welcome snack" with me. It was fun to meet some new people and to feel so welcomed among them. I followed the English teacher (a Swiss-Brazilian who speaks five languages) and observed her fourth year class, the equivalent of what would be seniors in the states. There are four students total, so it is a very different experience, but I enjoyed it. After the class, the students and I had some English conversation practice time, which quickly changed to Spanish as we chatted and got to know each other. Then history class began, and I observed as the students learned more about the implications of the 11 de septiembre, and how the Cold War and the actions of the United States impacted Chile. I enjoyed being able to take part in the discussion as an extranjera, and the students were very curious about the US government and how people in the US viewed Latin American nations.
After classes ended, the day was so sunny I decided instead of taking the bus to the metro station (my usual route to and from the school), I would walk. I didn't quite realize how far away it really was, so an hour and a half later I made it to the metro station, then to the hotel. So far I have enjoyed being able to walk and use the metro or the micro (buses), though during peak times you can really lose your sense of personal space. Wednesday night Chris and I went downtown to meet Kay and Leo (friends from church) for dinner, and Chris snapped a picture of how crowded the metro can be:

Patio Bella Vista
We had heard that Bella Vista was the bohemian artistic center of Santiago, filled with shops, art galleries, restaurants, and the home of Nobel prize winning poet Pablo Neruda. Kay and Leo showed us around the Patio Bella Vista and the surrounding streets, pointing out good restaurants and shops. We shared a delicious Jugo Natural, or blended juice drink with Pina y Albahaca, or pineapple and basil. Strange? No, it was delicious. So delicious that we went back yesterday to get another one, and watched as they made it so we could pass the tasty recipe along to you all:
2 cups of Pina (pineapple)
5-8 hojas de albahaca (basil leaves)
Ice for the desired consistency
1-2 cups water (though sparkling water or tonic water would make it extra tasty)
sugar to taste
and if desired... maybe a trago of tequila :)
After walking around and seeing the sights for awhile, we ate at a restaurant called Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate), which some of you may be familiar with the book and movie by the same title. The restaurant was decorated to model the movie slightly, including a table that was made to look like a bed. The food was delicious, but even more enjoyable was being able to have a conversation and get to know new friends. Kate is from Indiana orginally, and works for a mission organization that does child sponsorship here in Chile. She married Leo, a native of Santiago, four years ago and they live not too far from the school where I am volunteering. It was fun to hear their story, as well as some of their favorite things to do around Chile.
Mas Fiestas Patrias
As mentioned in an earlier post, this is the time of the Fiestas Patrias in Chile, and this is the big weekend leading up to the celebration (the official day is the 18th of September). The local newspaper, El Mercurio, had all sorts of articles talking about the mass exodus out of Santiago. A large portion of the country gets ready to go on vacation for the week, and the roads out of Santiago virtually shut down with traffic. For Chris and I, Friday meant a day of celebration at work and school. The airlines provided everyone with a huge lunch, including empanadas, anticuchos, and choripan. Choripan is a tasty sausage/hot dog food that is served as an appetizer, before all the other meat and bread and cheeses. (The newspaper reported that Chileans on average gain 6 kilos, I think that's 10 pounds, during this time. The pastor of our church mentioned that there is a joke that Chile sinks a little bit more into the Pacific during the Fiestas Patrias). Here is a picture of the Choripan:

Chris was also given the chance to watch some typical Chilean folkloric dancing, and then most of the Chileans themselves left after the lunch to enjoy their week of vacation. The Boeing crew continued working, however. For me, after morning classes we had choripan as well, along with kite flying and dancing. The cueca lessons came in handy again as I was dancing with the students and principal in the school courtyard (for over an hour!). Most of the students were preparing to head off to vacation for the week, and so there was definitely a festive atmosphere. I have already decided that next year (hopefully I will be back to work), my students are going to celebrate Chilean independence with the music, dancing, cheers, and maybe I will learn to cook empanadas for them by that time as well :)
La Fonda
Friday night we were invited to the home of Kay and Leo, along with other people from the church, for a fonda (bbq) to celebrate the fiestas patrias. Chris and I really enjoyed being able to partake in a home cooked meal and get to know our church friends more. Chris was especially excited about the amazing spread of meat for the bbq. Here is a picture of the pastor cooking the meat:

And Chris taking a break to pet a cat, which he and Sofia (Kay's daughter) had searched the yard for.

Here is the group getting ready to eat the amazing food:

After the meal, we played a few games and then shared dessert and conversation. When we realized it was midnight, we decided we better head back to the hotel (by taxi, since the metro had stopped running by then). It was a great night filled with laughter, yummy food, and a few pisco sours.
Los Dominicos
Chris and I had hoped to maybe hit the slopes on Saturday, however by Friday afternoon when Chris called the car rental company, every single car in Santiago was rented out for the weekend (everyone was leaving town). So we decided our best option was to go to the end of the metro line to get the closest sense of getting out of the city. We arrived in the area of Los Dominicos, which has an old church and colonial style artisan market. We browsed the shops for awhile and then enjoyed an AMAZING lunch of Pastel de Choclo, which is like a shepherd's pie and so delicious.

Outside the artisan market there was a farmer's market, and we walked around and looked at all the produce. We were able to try a few new and interesting fruits, and I was especially amazed by how HUGE the celery was, as well as how beautiful and flower-like were the artichokes.

La Naturaleza
Our desire to get out in "nature" was so strong, that upon leaving the market and seeing a nearby green hill, we decided to climb it. We were not deterred by the barbed wire fence we found at the base, we pressed on. (Okay, I was perhaps more than a little resistant, but Chris encouraged me to go forth, and once we reached the top it was worth the view).

Parque O'Higgins
Due to the Fiestas Patrias, church on Sunday was canceled (apparently, everyone is really in vacation mode). Chris and I enjoyed a relaxing morning and then went to a new part of town for another fair in Parque O'Higgins. As soon as we stepped off the metro we could smell the barbeques, and the streets and pathways around the park were packed with people selling food, drinks, trinkets, mini-manicures with the Chilean flag, and more. We enjoyed another typical meal, watched some more dancing and street performers, then headed downtown again to go to the Plaza de Armas. The Museo Nacional was also open and we were able to walk around there and I translated all the descriptions and historical accounts for Chris. I am sure he enjoyed it :) We ended the evening in a wine bar in patio Bella Vista, then took the metro home(most things pretty much shut down on Sunday nights, and very few restaurants are actually open).