para no creerlo...

A week ago today I left Chillán, having officially ended my time as an HM volunteer in Chile.  I have to say that my last month in Chillán was literally one of the most difficult months of my life.  And not just because of all the despedidas (goodbye parties).

In the space of a few short weeks, I found out that my host sister had stolen a huge sum of money from my room, I realized that my US cell phone was also stolen (so give me your numbers!), I moved out of that house and in with another family, I almost got attacked by dogs, and early one morning while walking to work some random guy on his bike grabbed my ass.  Hard.  This is the extremely edited and short version or the month, and all of this was on top of trying to plan end-of-the-year activities and say meaningful goodbyes.  One of the most painful aspects of the month was realizing how disconnected I feel from my friends and family in the States.  As time has gone by, I hear from loved ones less and less.  I needed a strong support system, and I found that I didn't have much to fall back on.  I know it's a busy time of year for everyone, and maybe I didn't have the energy to reach out enough.... still, more than anything I felt extremely alone.

All of this made it difficult at times to stay focused on my ministry and my purpose for being in Chile in the first place.  However, I do feel that I did a good job (overall) of being present to the people and relationships that have impacted my life so much over the past 15 months.  And I realized how much I have grown and how some of my ideas and values have changed during this experience.  

When we were first deciding where to live last year, I decided against one option because I would have to walk through the teenage son's bedroom to get to my room.  I felt that I needed more privacy, and that there was no way I would feel comfortable in such a situation.  So I moved in to a house where I had all the privacy I could want and more, and I got a lot of stuff stolen.  So much for privacy.  However, and this is important, I really did enjoy my time living with that family and I maintain a close relationship with them.

When I moved in with my second host family, it was a drastic difference.  The house is small, and almost all space is shared space.  Ale and her 3 sons all sleep in one room and share 2 twin beds.  I had to walk through their room to get to my little room, which was separated by a thin wall and no door.  And yet I felt instantly at home there.  I was grateful for all of the shared space and time together, and for being included instantly as a member of the family.  The first couple of nights I was afraid that I would keep everyone up by snoring too loudly, but no one ever complained.  Thanks to that family, all of the time I spent crying and so stressed out that I became physically ill was balanced with lots of laughter and love.  In just a month I formed such close ties that I would have stayed in Chillán just to spend more time with them.

BUT....  I am now living in a small studio apartment in the center of Santiago with the man I love, starting out on a new and unexpected adventure.  It has been a much needed change of atmosphere, and as the days go by I feel more and more like myself again.  I still don't have a job (other than making and selling sock monkeys!), but I have faith that it will all work out.  Santiago is a lot noisier than Chillán, and sometimes I think I might go crazy with all of the trucks going by and setting off car alarms.  We live next to a bunch of stores that sell cheap underwear, and the streets are flooded with people buying Christmas presents.  Like it literally takes 15 minutes just to walk down the block.  There are a lot more interesting and expressive people here, and I enjoy taking in all of the fashion diversity.  Our neighborhood has a large immigrant population, so along with different fashions there are many different accents to add to the flavor.  Peruvians, Columbians, Chinese, Arabians, etc....  

We are heading to the beach today, and will spend the Christmas weekend there.  This particular beach is one of my favorite places in the world, and although it will be hard not to be with my family, I think it will be a fabulous way to end 2009.  

moving day

I am moving to Santiago today!  Once I get there I should have more time to update my blog a little bit - a lot of crazy stuff has happened since the last time I wrote!  

I'll be living in a little studio apartment for the time being, but I'm hoping we'll find something a little bigger.

In the meantime, those who want to send me mail can do so at this address

Julia Matson

40 Pablo Neruda 

 Malloco Peñaflor

Santiago Chile

For those who have sent things to my Chillan address, don't worry - I will be back here several times over the next few months and can pick things up then.  

Hope you all are well!  

fences and appearances

These two photographs are of the house next door to the Casa Ursulina.  Up until recently, the fence in front of the house was just a rickety bunch of sticks and cardboard and pieces of metal.  This fence rounded the corner and went all down the block.  Little by little over the past month, the sticks have been torn down and the cement wall in the second picture was put up.  I've spent a lot of time thinking about this fence, and how it reflects on the larger reality in Chile.  

Chile is at an interesting point in its development.  Some people think of it as a "3rd world country," whereas others see it as well-developed and stable.  The truth is somewhere between the two.  The reality of Chilean life, as I've experienced it this year, is far from the extreme poverty I saw in Nicaragua and El Salvador.  The country has many more resources and is, at this moment, politically stable (I love Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean president!).  However, there is a facade that hides a lot of Chilean poverty.  

The government provided and built most of the homes in our población.  They are small duplexes that look pleasant from the outside, and it gives the illusion that the people who live in those homes have the basic resources they need to survive.  Go inside of those homes, though, and listen to the people who live there, and you will quickly find that there is a lot of deep and hidden poverty here.

The fences in these photographs are the perfect example of that.  Now, anyone walking by will see the nicely-built fence and assume that the homes behind that fence are similarly well-0ff.  But the reality of the situation really hasn't changed.  There are still multiple cramped houses crammed into one site, and the people who live there will still struggle to put bread on the table.

quick update

It's really amazing how much has happened in the past few weeks.  So much has changed.  Our time in Chile as volunteers is quickly winding to a close, and I have a lot to reflect on.

However, all i have time for here is a quick update.

The new HM volunteers got to Chile at the beginning of September. After spending a couple of weeks at each of the 3 possible sites, they elected to stay in Santiago.  I'm glad they had a choice of where to stay, and were able to find something that feels like a good fit for both of them.  However, that decision has been difficult for us (although I guess more on a selfish level).  We're so starved for social interaction with people our own age, and we were looking forward to having 2 new compañeras.  Also, it's been hard for it to sink in that we're actually leaving, since we don't have "replacements."  There isn't a sense of continuity, and my heart breaks a little bit to think that some of the ministries we've been involved in won't continue.  The abuelitos really seem to depend on our weekly visit, and the pre-teen girls are disappointed that there probably won't be a class for them next year.  BUt, that's the nature of the program.

Another big change is that I am in the process of moving out of my house.  After several big problems with my host family, I've decided to move in with a different family for the remainder of my time in Chillán.  This has been extremely difficult and stressful, and it not the way I was expecting or hoping to end my time here (obviously).  However, one thing being in Chile has taught me is that you really have to be flexible and you also have to know and stand up for what you need.

Reflections on Water

When I think of water

I think of tribal drums,

I think of my heart's thud,

its beating in rhythm.

When I think of water

I think of the word primordial,

of a great womb

filled with liquid possibility.

When I think of water

I think of the moon.

I think about how she pulls the tides of the ocean,

and with them she pulls my own body.

She calls my tides, and my blood and water ebb and flow in response, in union with the beat of my heart and the turning of the earth.

how could I forget?

Damiela playing dress-up to learn the words for clothes.
I recently started helping Daniela, a 3rd grader whose mom participates in the Casa, with her English homework.  I try to make things entertaining, and we've done drawings, sung songs, and played dress-up.  She is really cute, and after a few weeks together she is starting to open up more.

While I wait for her to get here, I take care of the kids in the Sala Cuna (the cradle room) while their moms are in class.

"como se dice "Enrique Iglesias" en inglés?... Henry Church!" - Felipe Lorca, student at San Rafael

for those of you who think I spend all of my time here going to parties and festivals (ahem, mom), here is a brief update on some of our activities.

Cooking lunch:  nothing much to be said here except that Andrea and I are masters in the kitchen.

Reflection and Art:  this class, which Andrea teaches, has been great for the women who participate.  We've learned all kinds of techniques - god's eyes were a big hit, and we're finishing up with mosaics - and have been able to delve into the cultural and spiritual traditions of each art form.  It's a rare space of quiet, relaxation, and creativity.  Even participants with the most rudimentary skills are able to create, share, and be inspired.  One of my favorite days was when we had a tea tasting, and learned about the cultures and health benefits of each tea.  

San Rafael:  teaching art to young adults with special needs has been a rewarding challenge.  I think this activity has been one of my biggest surprises here in Chile.  I never expected to be working somewhere like this, and I definitely lack training in this area, but it has definitely enriched my life.  Andrea and I often laugh as we catch ourselves discussing different animal noises and how to keep students rooted to their identity as students, young adults, human beings.... "No, you are not a baby panda bear," and "Mr. Horse, can you please help Mauricio finish his work since he couldn't make it to class today?" are relatively common refrains.  

We have made a lot of progress with the students in terms of their behavior in class.  We try to provide structure and hold the students to high standards, and they have responded very well.  One young man who is famous for climbing out of windows, running away, and getting on random buses, is now able to express himself creatively through art and be a respectful and focused presence in the classroom.

Circle Dance: I missed a lot of this class due to my bum knee, but lately I've begun participating again.  Pato, my host uncle, asked me to teach him and a few other people circle dance, and so we now have a small community circle dance group once a week.  

El Libertador: Whether or not it's due to our tutoring, the fourth grade students at this school seem to be doing much better with their reading.  Lately we have been focusing on how not to read like a robot and ways of remembering the reading.  We've also done several home visits to offer parents suggestions on how to help their children study.  We will continue to visit the rest of the parents, and this has given us a much deeper insight into the community in which we live.  Several of the moms we have visited don't know how to read, and many have not completed high school.  Although we were really nervous at first to do these visits, we have been well-received.  It seems that many of the mothers are extremely lonely at home all day, and relish the opportunity to talk about their lives and their children.  We have heard about some of the more difficult realities of their lives - the extensive drug-dealing on the corner, the sexual abuse one young boy suffered at the hands of his older cousin, etc., but we have also been encouraged by the high value many of the parents place on the education of their children.

Abuelitos: I have really loved going to the chapel every week to play games with the abuelitos.  We've tried a few activities that flopped, and now we pretty much stick to the tried-and-true bean bag toss or bingo.  We always give little prizes, and no matter how simple, the abuelos are always extremely excited and grateful to receive them.  I am touched by their love for us, and always entertained by their relationships with each other.  

Flor and Hugo, an elderly couple, invited us to their home to celebrate Hugo's birthday.  The time we spent in their tiny cramped home flew by as we chatted over simple snacks and tea.  They don't have much, but their generosity in including us in their celebration of a new year of life was truly special.

Miguel, another abuelo, always shakes our hands in greeting and exclaims over how cold they are.  During the winter months he was especially appalled at the temperature of our hands, and one day when we came in he presented us each with a pair of gloves.  He said that on his way to the hospital to get his hearing aid, he saw someone on the street selling gloves and thought of us and our cold hands.  As simple as it was, I honestly think those gloves were one of the best gifts I have ever received.

Oil Painting: At the beginning of the semester, teaching oil painting was a huge struggle both for me and for the women in my class.  They all wanted to be creating masterpieces right away, and were easily frustrated with their work.  I began starting each class with some stretching exercises and inspirational quotes, and gradually their attitudes began to shift.  I will always remember one fantastic and glorious day when all of the women in my class left completely in love with their own paintings!  Aside from basic painting techniques, I have tried to work in some art therapy.  We are currently working on self-portraits, and I have been deeply moved at how open the women have been to the project.  It took a lot of encouragement from me, but they have taken the risk to do some serious self-reflection and attempt to express their true selves through the assignment.  Several have commented that they had never looked inside of themselves in this way - no one had ever before asked them to think about who they are and what experiences have formed them.  I know that many have hidden pains and difficult memories, and it is my hope that this painting will be a step in their healing process.

I love teaching this class, even though the women usually all talk at the same time and I have to yell to make myself heard :)  

Los Heroes: we did a lot of cool activities at the special ed program at this school, including making masks and using them to do exercises in interpretive movement and dance.  However, we are no longer working there.  We ended rather abruptly and unceremoniously because they now have to use that time slot to do theater.  We were pretty upset about the way it ended, because we didn't have any closure with the students.  But, unfortunately, that's kind of the way things go in Chile.  There's a different idea of professionalism and responsibility that we have found very challenging.

BUT.... the week after we found out we would no longer be going to Los Heroes, the circle dance teacher started teaching reflexology!  So by the time I come home in March I will be available to give foot massages, as long as you wash your feet first :)  I'm always amazed at how opportunities are constantly presenting themselves, and how each ending really is a chance for something new to begin.

Taller de Niñas: Our friday afternoon group with pre-adolescent girls is as much of a roller-coaster as adolescence itself.  We had a lot of cool ideas about maintaining a suggestion/anonymous question box and having the girls write in their diaries regularly, but they haven't panned out.  We've also had to deal with a lot of cliques and disrespectfulness.  The fact that most holidays and special activities fall on fridays means that we've had to miss a lot of weeks with the girls, and that lack of consistency has made forming relationships more difficult.  However, we have been able to do a lot of fun things.  We've used activities like skits, painting, and crafts to cover broad topics like nature and protecting the environment, personal well-being, and dreams and goals.  The girls always talk about how they want to participate in the classes that the women do at the Casa, and so we are now doing a block where we invite guest teachers to present various techniques.  The girls have been really enthusiastic about this, and have learned pintura en genero (painting on cloth), baking, origami, and some basic drawing skills.

Other than the activities I've mentioned here and the other numerous random things we do from day to day, Andrea and I have several big things coming up.  We will be preparing and planting the greenhouse in the coming weeks, and in October and November we hope to give a couple of workshops to increase awareness and protection of the environment .  And of course we are polishing up our resumes in Spanish and English so that we can start to apply for summer jobs!

the view from my bedroom at sunrise
stirring pig fat to make chicharrones
dinner!
eating cotton candy with my host sisters, Diana and Camila, at the fair.
some pretty spring flowers

fiestas patrias

We just finished another round of Chilean Independence Day celebrations!  It's hard to believe that it's September again.  Makes me reflect on how much has happened in the past year - and almost all of it unexpected!  

Of course it wouldn't be an independence day celebration without lots of wine and food and dancing, and I've definitely had my share of all three.  Last weekend we had the peña, our annual benefit party, at the Casa Ursulina.  You can check out this link to see some pictures from the night.  It was a LOT of work, but the evening was an overall success. I was relieved to find it much less stressful than last year's peña, due to my much improved Spanish.

After the past week, I feel the need to change my diet to strictly celery and lettuce!  The general philosophy of food preparation is that everything tastes better deep-fried in pig fat.  And actually it all does taste pretty good until you realize that none of your clothes fit anymore!  

Andrea and I went back to the campo in San Dionisio, where we flew kites, went to a parade, and danced cueca (the national dance of Chile) with some local campesinos.  As soon as we got back to Chillan, we went straight to the Pulgar party at Tono's house.  We spent Saturday at an artesania fair, and saturday night at yet another Pulgar party.  

Needless to say, I plan to spend this week catching up on sleep and drinking lots of water!

fotos de la exposicion

three of the women from my oil painting class
Elvira, one of my students
pre-adolescent girls group
reflection and art
oil painting!!!

12th Anniversary!

This week has been a blur of preparations for the Casa Ursulina's 12th anniversary celebration!  Every year the Casa presents an extensive exposition of all of the work the women do in class.  We invite the entire city of Chillan, so Andrea and Ale and I spent a lot of time visiting different radio stations and doing on-air interviews!  Definitely not what I thought I would be doing when I came to Chile :)  

Today we emptied all of the rooms of furniture, and in the afternoon the house filled with women to decorate the designated space of each class.  There is hardly a bare square inch in the entire house!  The exposition is tomorrow, and as the weather is supposed to be nice, we are hoping for a good turn-out.  This event has many purposes.  Of course it celebrates 12 years of service to the community, but it also helps the women see the value of their work.  The women make a little money selling some of their products, and the connection between the community of Chillan and the Casa Ursulina is further strengthened.  Furthermore, it's a way to attract more women who could benefit from all of the programs we offer.  Very exciting!

On Friday afternoon we'll have a little party for the women who participate at the Casa - BINGO and hotdogs here we come!  As bingo prizes, each class is offering something that they made.  I made a little cushion using some leaves and flowers painted on cloth by the girls in our "taller para niñas." 

In other news, the new volunteers are arriving in Chile this weekend!!!  It's so hard to believe that Andrea and I have already been here for a year.  Our time is winding to an end, but I still feel like there is so much I want to do here.  It takes so long to begin to feel really integrated, and that has been happening for us just in the past few months.  Language is no longer as much of a barrier (although it can still be a struggle at times), and we know our way around the city and the Casa Ursulina.  Hopefully the time we have left will be enough.

links to my peru pictures

album 1  (the correct link)

album 2

my birthday

so my birthday weekend was completely and unexpectedly wonderful in so many ways!

Felipe came down, and Friday we went out to a cool cafe to catch up over a couple of drinks.  Saturday morning we helped make hundreds of empanadas for the plato unico, and that night we went to the party.

At first it was a little awkward because no one was really there, but as the night went on the house got more and more full.  Finally the dance floor opened, and Andrea and I took it as our duty to start it going.  We danced for hours, and, since wine flows pretty freely at these kinds of things, my knee didn't even bother me.

As the clock struck 12, the dj started playing the happy birthday song, and everyone sang along and came to give me big hugs and good wishes for the year to come.  It was a complete surprise, and I felt overwhelmed with all of the love and positive energy I received.  Every time we have a big house event I can't help but reflect on how far we have come here.  Our Spanish is way better, and we have built so many wonderful relationships.  Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of the week I wonder if I'm making any kind of an impact, or if anything I do really makes a difference.  But those wonders were put to rest in the face of such an outpouring of affection from all sides.

As the hugging and congratulating came to an end, I saw Felipe walk through the circle of people with his violin, another complete surprise!  He played happy birthday and then improvised a song.  Claudia (a woman from my oil painting class) and I started dancing a hoedown and pulled everyone else into the circle for an invented square dance kind of thing.  The rest of the night, before Mimi kicked everyone out, was full of more violin music and dancing.  It was completely magical.

Sunday morning my host sister brought me breakfast in bed after I had been woken up by a phone call from another woman from oil painting who just couldn't wait to wish me a happy birthday.  I don't think I've ever been brought breakfast in bed before, at least not like this, and it was really sweet.

That afternoon Andrea came over and she and Felipe and I made salsa, guacamole, chicken fajitas, and margaritas!  Mimi and Ruth came over and we had a little celebration with the family.  One of the advantages of hanging out with so many artsy and craftsy people is that you get some pretty stunning gifts, like felted slippers and bags and scarves and all kinds of fun things like that.  After I dropped Felipe off at the bus station, Andrea and Carola and I spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the kitchen, chatting and drinking mate.

I really am so lucky to know the people I know, and to have this opportunity to be here.  Sometimes I can't get over how much I love my life.  And of course I've been receiving so many lovely messages and letters and packages and whatnot from back home - so thanks to everyone!  

Speaking of lucky and amazing opportunities, this Saturday I'll be heading to Santiago for a few days before my flight on WEDNESDAY to Ecuador!!  From Ecuador I'll be traveling to Peru, and I'll get back to Chile the morning of the 27th.

July celebrations

If I were home right now I would be getting ready to go to all of the firework celebrations possible.  Instead, I'm learning how to de-ant bread.  

With the winter rain storms, the ants appear to have been flooded out of their homes and are in desperate need for food and shelter.  They trail in through every hair-thin crack in the walls and invade anything that is in the least bit edible. While hanging my laundry to dry the other day (in the kitchen, since that's where our only source of heat - a wood burning stove - is), I saw that a bag of freshly baked bread was swarming with ants.  Diana, my host sister, was ready with a solution.  She whipped out this miniature grill thing that we use to make toast, put it on the stove top, and piled on the bread.  All we had to do then was wait for the ants to squirm off, and the bread was good as new!

By the way, I accidentally ate an ant when it crawled into my water, and it was really spicy!

While I will miss going to the Taste of Chicago and the beach, we will still be celebrating in our own way this weekend.  Saturday is the Plato Unico, a benefit dinner at the Casa Ursulina.  $4 gets you a dinner of lamb, potatoes, salad, and a glass of wine or pop.  Plus dancing :)  They'll be bringing over the lambs tomorrow morning.  Luckily I have to help shop at the market, so I won't be around when they get slaughtered.

Sunday is my birthday, and I'll be cooking up some fajitas to be served with guacamole and margaritas!  I have to create some kind of an illusion of summer in order to believe that I'm really getting older :)

the train whistle means rain

Weather forecasters are usually wrong, but here in Chillan we have a pretty infallible system.  If you can hear the train whistle that means there's a north wind, and that means rain.  The train whistle sounded all yesterday and sure enough, in the evening it started to pour.

A lot of things have happened lately that I really love. Here are a few of them.

My 12 year old host sister Diana Margarita announced that she wanted to have an art gallery in our house.  The idea was that everyone who lives here had to contribute some drawings, and then we would invite the extended family to a viewing.  So Diana and I set to work creating art, and eventually got the rest of the family to join in.  I thought it was the sweetest idea, and it turned out really great.

We had a winter solstice celebration at the Casa Ursulina with the women who are on the coordination team and in Ursulinas, and it was amazing how we were able to transform our big cold kitchen into a cozy cave.  Andrea and I painted "cave art" to hang on the wall, we put cushions all over the floor, and lit tons of candles and luminaries.  In the candlelight we all joined together to share winter stories and food and wine.

I am going to Peru to visit a good friend of mine in about 3 weeks!!!

I have decided to stay in Chile until my visa runs out in March.  If anyone knows of work possibilities in Santiago, let me know :)

fall photos

even though we're definitely in winter (and I have the chilblains to prove it!), there is still a surprising amount of green and gorgeous flowers. I think there is actually more grass now than there has been the whole time I've been here!  But don't let that fool you - the cold can still be pretty painful!

there's more to pigs than the flu

Curanto is a famous traditional dish on the island of Chiloe.  It's either cooked in a big hole in the ground or in a gigantic metal pot, and consists of broth, clams, mussels, chicken, and meat (pork or sausage or whatever else) steamed in leaves.  If it's really special, the dish might include an added delicacy of thick strips of pig skin.

This past Wednesday I had the distinct pleasure of eating curanto.  Although I've eaten it before, I had never seen it with that lovely fat pig flesh....  Being recognized as a semi-vegetarian prevented any of it from landing in my bowl, but of course everything had been steaming together for hours.

My stomach has been in hell ever since.

Being sick in Chile is an interesting experience.  I have literally been surrounded by heated discussions on what herbal tea is best for the digestive tract, only to hear from the northern hemisphere of the world that I shouldn't be drinking herbal teas at all.  Open your mouth to say anything, and you will instantly be shouted down with the inevitable fact that everything you have consumed is further poisoning your system.  Everyone has about 50 strong opinions on the matter... this herb is too warm for the stomach, that one will push everything out of your system, another will stop you up, vinegar will kill any illness, anything you would eat vinegar on will make you bloated and swollen, cold water is the devil, the medicine you're taking is old-fashioned, etc etc etc....  It's enough to make you want to shut up and spend the week on the toilet, if that's what it takes to be left alone.

So far I've escaped the "gripe porcina" (swine flu), but the pigs still got to me.  Concha.

I still really like pigs, though - when they are alive and healthy!

the arrival of fall

As I am writing this, my fingers feel partially frozen from hanging up my clothes to dry outside. I'm hoping the exercise of typing will warm them back up again.  Winter is creeping into the población;  as long as it rains the temperature seems to stay up, but it hasn't rained in a few days now.  

Even so, it really hasn't gone far below the freezing point on most nights.  The hardest part is that it's generally colder inside the Casa Ursulina than out.

Fall is hard to describe.  Often the days start fogged over with the windows covered in frost, but end in stunning sunsets.  Despite the encroaching cold, there continue to be new blooms on the rose bushes and cala lilies are springing up in front of the house.  The first rains of the season left the ground blanketed in a layer of fledgling green grass, and so, except for the falling leaves, it looks more like spring than the beginning of winter.

 For a country that makes the most of any opportunity to have a party, Chile seems to be surprisingly lacking in fall celebrations and festivals.  However, we have been enjoying the changing colors of the leaves and eating boiled chestnuts to mark the season.  Since turkeys are mature at this time of year in Chile, we had a mock Thanksgiving dinner, complete with cranberry sauce from the US and stuffing made with my grandmother's recipe.  

And Carola's family decided to have a "fiesta de zapallo."  We have a gigantic squash vine spreading through our backyard, and it is finally time to start harvesting.  The idea was for everyone to invent something edible from any kind of squash.

In my completely unbiased opinion, I'd have to say that the gringas stole the spotlight with the best creations.  We invented a hot alcoholic pumpkin drink and made a pumpkin roll cake. Both disappeared long before the night was over.  Other highlights of the night were grilled squash with melted cheese and oregano, and pumpkin cooked in melted brown sugar.

we are famous :)

Ruth, one of the nuns who lives at the Casa Ursulina, just wrote a story about me and Andrea.  You can read it here:

http://www.casaursulina.org/volunteers/Volunteers2009.php

me and my knee

Being in Chile is always full of adventures; some of those adventures are more painful than others.

The last week of March, my amazing friend Erin came to visit for a week.  We had a great time and, for the short time we had, we were able to fit in a lot of activities.  Other than classes at the Casa and in the community, where Erin played paparazzi, we went to Isla Negra, to the campo to ride horses and check out the grape harvest, and to the beach of Cobquecura where we were serenaded by the unearthly grunts of sea lions sunning themselves.

It was riding horses in the campo, however, that really left a mark.

It all started out just fine.  Erin, David, and I rode through heavily laden vineyards.  We enjoyed the stunning view of the Andes mountains stretching into the distance while tasting green, purple, white, and red grapes.  I was reminded again of how lucky I am to be here in Chile, and how there is an adventure around every turn.

Little did I imagine what kind of adventure was coming my way!  After a short break from riding horses, we went out to ride again to visit Spirit, a wild young stallion kept in a separate field.  This time Fernanda, David's 6 year old niece, wanted to join us.  David hoisted her up on a horse and led her on a rope.  As soon as we entered Spirit's territory, Fernanda started to panic.  Despite her fear, we continued into the field.  Within seconds, Spirit bounded up to Erin's horse and began huffing and pawing at the ground.  Turns out Erin's horse was in heat, and Spirit was desperate for a little action.  Well, Fernanda began screaming incessantly like a banshee possessed by demons, and David could do nothing to calm her down or keep Spirit away from Erin's horse.  

As Spirit repeatedly attempted to mount Erin's horse, I realized I would have to do something.  So I put on my huasa (cowgirl) hat and maneuvered my horse between Spirit and Erin, weaving in and out to keep Spirit back.  I honestly impressed myself - I have basically zero knowledge of riding horses, but somehow I was able to gallop around, keep Erin from being mounted, and get David to haul Fernanda out of the field, all while staying on my horse!

Spirit, however, was becoming more and more frantic.  He began to rear up and down, snorting in frustration.  Eventually, after rearing up, Spirit came crashing down - right on my knee!  I spent a week or two enjoying the rainbow of bruises play across the swollen surface of my knee and filter down into my foot.  A visit to the doctor determined that one of my ligaments had snapped, and so I'll be doing physical therapy for the next couple of months.  Almost a month after the accident, I'm walking much better and looking forward to the day when I can break it down on the dance floor.

Moral of the story: stay away from horny stallions!

the days of my life

The Casa Ursulina started up again at the beginning of March, and Andrea and I are now settled into our new routines.  About a week or so after getting back to Chile at the end of February, we moved out of the Casa and in with families.  I am living with Carola and her family, about a block away from the Casa.  So far I've been very happy with my decision - I'm getting to practice my spanish a lot more, and it's nice to feel like I'm part of a family.

Our new schedule is as follows:

Monday:

9:00 breakfast

open morning to plan, run errands, etc

cook lunch

3 - 5 pm Reflection and Art class (Andrea teaches this, but I participate and help in any way I can, such as running to get more paper or scissors :) )

Tuesday:

9:00 breakfast

10 - 12:30 we teach creative arts at San Rafael, a vocational center for young people with special needs.

Lunch

Yoga/planning, running errands, etc.

Wednesday:

8:30-10 we tutor the 4th graders at Libertador, the school down the street.

10:15-12:15 we do home visits with their parents to make sure the kids and their families have the support they need to do well in school.

Lunch

1:30-2:30 we go to the chapel up the street to spend time and do activities with the abuelitos (elderly people) who have lunch there.

3 - 5 I teach oil painting at the Casa

5 - 6 (once a month) we attend the parent-teacher meeting at Libertador

6:30 - 7:30 or 8 we have a meeting at the Casa for all of the women who volunteer and are kind of like lay missioners.

Thursday:

8 - 11:15 (every other week) we go to Los Heroes to do creative arts with their special education program.

Cook lunch

Eat lunch

3 - 5 Circle Dance/Babysit in the front room.  Andrea and I take turns with Ale, a woman who works in the house, to make sure that we all get to participate in dance.

Friday:

9:00 breakfast

House Meeting

Lunch

3 - 5 Andrea and I have our class with the young girls (about 10-13 years old) at the Casa.  this class deals with the issues they will face as young women (social responsibility, family, self-esteem, peer pressure, etc) using all kinds of art (music, dance, theater, visual arts, creative writing, etc).

In the evenings we usually stick around and plan for a while and do other house things before heading home to eat onces with our families.  The weekends are always busy with other events - this Saturday we're going to a nearby town to visit the artisan fair that Carola is participating in!

por fin.... el gran viaje

On January 16 Andrea and I headed South, taking an overnight bus to Puerto Montt.  We had our first adventure when Andrea's phone got stolen out of her bag at the bus terminal, along with some medicine and her toothpaste.  We mourned the loss, but quickly moved on to boarding our Navimag cruise ship.

When I say cruise, don't think pools and tennis and open bars.  The Navimag is a cargo ship that has been fixed up to serve as a ferry during the week, and a tourist attraction on weekends.  We bunked in the cheapest area - a long skinny room with 16 bunk-beds.  The view from the boat was absolutely astounding, even with the clouds and mist.

1/18/09

We are passing through fjords lined with mountains, cliffs, islands.  They peel out of the mist in ever fainter layers.  Every moment is brand new, with the cloud formations swirling in.  I'm passing through channels of uninhabited water and islands, waterfalls cutting through the cracks of the stone, virgin forests making the stone look smooth and curved.  The changing nature of the weather is evident in the twisted forms of the trees that stand out on the edges.  The waterfalls look like white lightning streaks on the prehistoric shapes rising out of the sea.

.....

On the 19, I got up early to watch the day shake out the night and catch the first glimpse of the glacier - our reason for taking this trip!  The day was cloudy again - thick rolls that hung low in the sky and sifted out from behind the slices of the mountains.  The surface of the water was blanketed with hunks of surreal blue ice, and we got into little rowboats to pull up as close to the glacier as possible.  Once up close, we all drank whiskey with little pieces of glacial ice and cheered to the magnificence of the glacier.  Really it's pointless to even attempt to describe the grandeur....  deep blue caves and crevices marking the surface, formations of clear, smooth blue and green, peaks and points and absolutely awesome and sacred.  Many times chunks of ice crashed down into the water, creating an appearance of a waterfall of snow and ice.  As the falling glacier hit the water, it was as if a geyser exploded out of the sea... and the SOUND!  pre-historic, ancient, creaking and crashing.

The next day we got off the boat to continue our journey on land, passing through the charming town of Coyhaique to the even more charming town of Puyuhuapi, where we went to Parque Nacional Queulat to see more glaciers.  Puyuhuapi is a town of about 600 that was settled in the mid 1930's by a group of 4 German settlers, and we fell in love with the fresh fish and friendly people.

Parque Queulat is gorgeous - there are Nalca leaves (like wild rhubarb) bigger than me, flower-covered vines twining around and dripping down from trees and rocks, wildflowers and fuchsia bushes covering the hills, and glaciers serenely sweeping across the horizon.  We were so close to the arctic, yet it felt as if we were in a prehistoric tropical dream world.  We saw the Ventisquero Colgante (hanging glacier), which hangs high up in the curve of the mountains.  It is a gleaming blue, and the glacial water is in a constant process of pounding down the mountains into the milky jade river and lagoon.  The lagoon was really special because it allowed us to see the stark contrasts of the area - plunging, roiling, thunderous, churning waterfalls petering out into the complete tranquility of the still lagoon water.  

The air in the forest was pure and humid and dense with the aroma of wet earth, growth, and decomposition.  

these links will take you to my facebook photo albums of my trip south.

album 1: 

album 2

trip south - where do I even start??

January 24, 2009

The Patagonian landscape is a study in contrasts - rolling gentle hills with all colors of green and brown in the foreground of jutting rock walls and snowy crags.  You can see the many striations on the face of the rocks - zigzagging stripes of blue and white and ochre and terra cotta.  The hills and mountains swoop out across the horizon, where they are met by thick swirling rolls of clouds swooping out into the sky.  Much of the land is strewn with decaying burnt tree trunks - evidence of land-clearing gone horribly wrong, and humanity's perpetration of grave injustice against the land.  These trunks cut into the earth in jagged and random scars.  The flesh of the earth swells out around them, trying to absorb the trunks into its bosom once more and heal.

I mean the land literally looks like a slave's back.  Open wounds and twisted gashes.  Who knows if it will ever really heal.

And yet the wildflowers jauntily spring up alongside, and the grass sways constantly, and it is my hope that the land can rejuvenate itself - but only with our help.  We must repair what we have undone and damaged.  

Looking out over this landscape reminds me of the red slices on a cutter's arm.  Of course the earth did not do this to itself, but it is still crying out for help. 

off we go!

Tonight Andrea and I will be taking off for our big trip south!  We'll be taking an overnight bus to Puerto Montt, where we will board the Navimag ship and cruise over to Laguna San Rafael to see the glaciers.  After a few days on the ship, we'll disembark at Puerto Chacabuco.  By the evening we hope to be in Puyuhuapi, where we'll stay at Casa Ludwig in a room that promises an ocean view!  January 20-24 we'll be in Puyuhuapi, spending most of our time in Parque Nacional Queulat seeing more glaciers!  The morning of the 24 we'll head further south to spend a night in Cohyaique and down to Chile Chico for the rest of the trip.  From the 25-29 we'll be dividing our time between Chile Chico and Los Antiguos, ARGENTINA!!!  On Jan. 29 we'll head back to Puerto Chacabuco and get back on the Navimag ship.  Two days later we'll be back in Puerto Montt and heading to the island of Chiloe, where we'll be until Feb. 2.  

This past week we painted our gigantic kitchen.... the walls were beyond disgusting!  it was a TON of work, but we finally finished today.