The time just keeps flying by especially since I’ve been busier lately. Workshops have all started up again at Domodungu so that is keeping me busy. I am participating in crochet, biking and guitar. I Last weekend I finished my crochet project from last semester and it ended up being a sleeveless shirt mostly because I was out of string and the store didn’t have all the colors but also because I was just ready to be done with it! My next project is a poncho. I bought my yarn this week and it was quite the adventure. Back in November I believe I bought some yarn at a feria that I really liked and decided I wanted to use it. When I decided to make a poncho I knew I’d need more than what I had so my hunt started. The problem is the yarn was artesian yarn and thicker than your normal yarn so finding a yarn that matched/complemented in color proved to be very challenging. I went to 6 different shops one day and ended up buying a grey yarn but wasn’t really satisfied with the color combo so the next day I went back to the last yarn shop that I knew of but was closed the day before and ended up finding yarn that matched well. So now I have all my yarn to make a purple poncho and am very excited to actually start crocheting!! (I need a pattern… I plan on asking Evelyn if I can borrow her poncho this weekend and maybe start). Guitar is going good but it’s not easy learning a new instrument! Today we learned a new strumming technique which required a lot more concentration so I could either strum or change notes but not both at the same time, haha. I pretty much have “La Petequita” mastered but I tend to speed up as the song goes on… but that’s nothing new, happened all the time when I played cello too… the whole cello section had a habit of speeding up all the time. I am teaching healthy cooking again and it’s been going well. I’m also teaching a baking workshop in Vilches on Monday afternoons. The women there are enjoying both learning new desserts and having a “social hour.” In both classes we’ve made some really yummy things such as pumpkin bread, chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, turkey burgers, quiche (loaded with veggies with a wheat crust), broccoli soup and oven roasted sweet potato fries. I continue going to the orphanage but have a more complicated schedule this semester and can only go on Fridays. Last week we decorated the house with red, white and blue ribbons because the Fiestas Patrias are coming up (sept. 18). Fiestas Patrias is Chile’s Independence Day celebration.
At the end of July I went to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso for a weekend. I meet up with a couple friends I met while studying abroad, the family I stayed with during the semester and also with a professor from Saint Ben’s who is from Chile and was visiting her family. I had a good time meeting up with everyone and the weekend flew by!
One of the newer things that is keeping me busy is the fact that I’m going to Brazil at the end of January through mid February. I am going with 5 others from Domodungu to a workshop. Every year they give a workshop with a focus on gender. This year’s specific theme is myths and rituals. We will explore how myths and rituals shape a society, where they come from, consequences, etc. The course is for people from all over South and Central America and the people who went last year had an amazing time and learned a lot. As a result we have been busy fundraising for the upcoming adventure. Another lady and I have been busy making brownies and muffins (banana, pumpkin and zucchini) every Monday and Wednesday. On average we’ve sold 8 dozen per week over the past three weeks. Yesterday and today we were busy all day preparing breakfast, lunch and a snack break for a group that came to use Domodungu for a workshop and they hired us to do all the cooking and serving of meals. Other plans include a raffle, garage sale and a fundraising event (Set for my bday complete with live music, dancing, food and drinks).
The rain has not stopped yet but at least it’s getting warmer out! I’ve been able to play tennis is a tshirt several times and in general during the day it’s pleasant outside but the mornings still are chilly. The 5 day forcast does not include rain so that is good but I was told today that usually it rains on either the 18, 19 or 20 of September for the Fiestas Patrias. If I remember correctly it rained last year on the 19th.
On September 1st Kym and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary in Chile. After playing tennis I went over to Kym’s house (which is only a couple blocks from the tennis courts) and we hung out chatting a bit about the year and later some of her friends came over and we had a good night.
