Time Flies

Wow, time sure flies when you are busy (and having fun)!! I can’t believe that it’s already the end of MAY!!! The days and weeks keep flying by.

Things at Domodungu keep going well. The ladies in my healthy cooking workshop have all been pleased with what they are learning to cook and the other supplemental (nutrition related) info I provide during the workshops. We’ve had a few new participants in the workshop so that’s nice but the kitchen is getting more and more crowded as the number of participants increases! A few of the things we have made in the last month and a half include pizza with whole wheat crust, broccoli salad (made with yogurt of course, not mayo!), chop shuey with quinoa (instead of rice) and spinach crepes filled with a tuna and corn salad.

Crochet has gotten easier and I’m making progress on my sweater (see picture below, i'm twice as far as the picture shows). At the rate I’m going I’ll be lucky to finish in the next couple months… especially because I’m playing with the idea of making a short dress instead of a sweater… We shall see how motivated I am once I finish the sweater part and if I’m still motivated it may turn into a dress.

A couple weekends ago Sarah and I had a baking marathon. We met at her house around noon and baked all day long. In the evening we went over to a friend’s house where they had family gathered and shared our goodies as well as the delicious empanadas they had made. All in all Sarah and I made pumpkin bars, apple pie, caramel rolls, choc chip scones, chocolate revel bars, Oreo peanut butter cheesecake and a pesto pizza. It was lots of fun spending the whole day baking and later sharing all the goodness with friends :D (See pictures below)

About a month ago a big hydroelectric plant was approved for the south of Chile. Not only will they build a huge plant in Aysen which will flood a lot of land but they will put smaller stations in many other parts of the country. In order to transport the electricity generated by these hydroelectric plants there will be high tension towers running from Aysen to Santiago. The majority of the country appears to be against this new plan and there have been lots of protests all throughout Chile. In Santiago the protests can get pretty violent but the ones here in Talca have all been peaceful. Last weekend I went to a couple protests with Evelyn and Sarah. Pretty much we just marched through town screaming different chants. There is a period of time for the vote to be appealed but I’m not sure exactly when the final decision will be made. Additionally most of the energy generated will not go to the general population but to foreign owned mining companies.

In addition to working at Domodungu and spending time at the orphanage I’ve been playing a lot of tennis. Generally I go three times a week to play. Sometimes there are other kids there when I play but often I play alone (with the coach of course). I’ve been having a lot of fun and can tell I’m improving :D On Friday I went to a tennis “match” between different clubs. There were kids of all ages from kindergarten through high school playing and it was fun to watch everyone play. Unfortunately I lost my set 4-6. The worst part is that I was up 3-1 and then ended up losing :( I know I could have won but something went wrong during the second half of the set… oh well, at least I could tell I was playing much better than when I played in a tournament at the end of December.

Two weekends ago I went up to Vilches for Saturday and Sunday. I stayed at a friend’s cabin and had a great time. We collected chestnuts and apples, made chicha (well, I just watched), sat around the bonfire, ate lots of good food and endured a 3 hr power outage. Chicha an alcoholic beverage made by smashing up grapes, boiled and then fermented. During the weekend we ate rabbit, homemade bread (tortilla), empanadas and of course drank lots of wine. It was lots of fun to spend time with friends and their relatives and enjoy the outdoors.(see pictures below)

Lately it has been really, really foggy!! One night recently when we left Domodungu you could hardly see half a block! All week it has been foggy to varying degrees both in the morning and at night. It also depends on what sector of town you are in because last night we went over to Milton’s house for dinner and it was incredibly foggy where he lives but at our house it was just a little foggy.

In addition to making my crochet sweater I’ve started knitting teddy bears for the kiddos at the orphanage. My goal is to have then finished for Christmas. Since I’ve been working a lot on my crochet project I haven’t gotten too far on my 15 or so bears but they will be made… eventually.

Welcome to... FALL

In the past couple weeks the temperature has definitely dropped and it’s clear that it’s no longer summer :( We’ve have rain on several occasions and after each rain storm the temperature drops significantly. Lately it’s been nice during the afternoon but the mornings and nighttime get pretty cold. All this week I’ve seen people raking leaves… I can’t stop thinking that it’s October because there are leaves on the ground but eventually I remember that its April… somehow this just doesn’t seem right! I’m not quite used to the months and seasons not lining up according to what I believe is “correct.” Also you can tell that the seasons are changing because it’s getting dark out earlier and earlier every day. This past week when I was playing tennis they turned the lights on at 7:00 pm because it was getting quite dark out, the week before it wasn’t necessary to turn the lights on while we were playing… talk about fast changes.

In mid March I went to the coast with Evelyn and her friend Ceci and Ceci’s daughter Myra. The goal of this trip was to visit a family that Evelyn had become close with while living and working on the coast a few years ago. We had a good day, walked along the beach a little and stood where the Japan tsunami reached, haha. There was a lot of worry about the tsunami waves reaching Chile and many people were evacuated along the coast but fortunately nothing much happened. There were some big waves but I don’t think there was much damage. For lunch we had the hugest grilled fish I’ve ever seen and it was absolutely delicious! Unfortunately the day was cut short by our need to work the next day and the limited transportation that passes through the town and we had to leave before dinner time.

Throughout the month there have been many changes in girls in my house at the orphanage. A couple girls “left”… I’m not 100% sure what this means in all the cases but I know that some of them went to live with families that had been visiting them. I don’t know if these families are their biological families or not but at any rate it’s great for them but I will miss them. Since some girls left we also got new girls, they are doing good so far at adjusting to life at the orphanage.

A couple weekends ago we had a workshop on Popular Education with Domodungu. Popular Education is about learning by doing and having a more horizontal relationship between the facilitator and the students rather than learning solely based on memorizing facts and the teacher being the only one with knowledge and power. We are encouraged to use Popular Education in our workshops at Domodungu. We were up in Vilches for the workshop and on the last day a bunch of us went to pick blackberries. Evelyn and I filled a 3 Liter pop bottle with berries and her mom made blackberry jam that night :D, homemade jam really is the best!

At the end of March Sarah, Luz Maria, another lady and I went up to Vilches to do some hiking. Sarah wants to organize a day hiking trip to offer at Domodungu. We took the first bus up to Vilches at 8am and came back on the 5pm bus. The hike was nice but not too difficult or too long. It took us 2.5 hrs to go there and 1.5 hrs on the way back. There was a lot more uphill on the way there and we made more stops. Our final destination on the hike was a big marsh/swamp area. It’s not the most amazing destination but for a hiking trip with inexperienced hikers it will be good because it is a pretty area and most of the hike is through the forest. Probably the funniest part of the hike was the dog that acted as our “guide.” We saw him at the entrance to the park and he walked in front of us/led us the entire way. When we stopped for some water or a snack he would sit a little ways ahead of us on the trail and wait patiently until we were ready to go again :) It was really cute!

On March 28th we had an opening ceremony where we talked about all the workshops that will be offered during the semester, gave a tour of Domodungu and explained other important information about workshops and Domodungu in general. All in all it was a success and many people signed up immediately for workshops. This semester I am giving a “Healthy Cooking” workshop. It has been successful so far and the ladies have really enjoyed what we have been making. The first week we made banana bread and pumpkin bread. In the banana bread we substituted some of the flour for oatmeal and talked about why these breads would be better than making a regular pound cake which is the most common type of “cake” here (because these are sweet breads they call them cake here…). I also found a great handout about nutrition labels so we discussed that as well. Last week we made black bean burgers with oven fries and everyone was very impressed by the results :D I am also taking a few workshops at Domodungu. In addition to helping out with the library and the greenhouse I am taking crochet and yoga. Crochet has proved to be difficult but I’m slowly learning.

The first weekend in April there was a tennis tournament and the Talca Country Club where I played tennis in December. Since I hadn’t played since the very end of December I didn’t play in the tournament but I helped serve food at the snack stand my host dad runs. I had a good time and it reminded me of working at the Mighty Mites concession stand :D. I have started playing tennis again on Wednesday and Friday nights. I have a new coach now because the other one didn’t return after summer vacation.

Yesterday I went to a baptism for Evelyn’s friend’s daughter. The baptism was not part of a normal church service but its own separate ceremony. Later in the day we went to the baptism party which reminded me more of a wedding reception than a baptism party! There was lots of food, an open bar and dancing. A good time was had by all!

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the past month…

Photos for the post

Summer Vacation at its Best

The past month has been filled with lots and lots of travel. At the beginning of February mom and dad came to visit me in Chile! I met mom and dad around 8:30 am at the Santiago airport and from there we took off for a jam-packed 10 day trip throughout Chile. We started off by spending a day in Santiago exploring important places such as the central market, Plaza de Armas, La Moneda (Presidential Palace), Cerro San Cristobal (a huge hill with a great view of Santiago) and the Bellavista (artsy) neighborhood. The next couple days we spent in Vina del Mar and Valparaiso which are about 2 hours northwest of Santiago on the coast. I got to know these towns quite well during my study abroad semester because it was living and going to school in Vina del Mar. The first day we spent exploring Vina del Mar and literally walked all over the town! We saw the university I went to during study abroad and the neighborhood where I lived (my apartment building, the sporting center where I would run and the lagoon where I learned to row). Then we went down to the beach and enjoyed the sunset while having some snacks. We then explored the boardwalk by the beach where they were lots of artesian stand set up as well as several people doing amazing sand sculptures. For dinner we ended up at an empanada restaurant where you can get pretty much any kind of empanada that has ever been dreamed of. I got one with spicy sausage and cheese and another with manjar (caramel type spread) and walnuts. Both were great! The next day we spent exploring Valparaiso which used to be the most important port in South America (before the Panama Canal was built). We started by taking the metro to the port where we enjoyed the view and looked at all the goods for sale. Then we took off to explore the various hills of Valparaiso. A trip to Valparaiso would not be complete without a ride up an acensor (funicular) so we took one up Cerro Artilleria and were greeted by an amazing view of the entire bay!! We decided to walk down the hill and found some cute shops and cafes to stop in along the way. From there we went to the famous J Cruz for a lunch of chorrillana. This is a typical Chilean food that consists of a pile of French fries topped with fried onion, scrambled egg and strips of beef. It may not sound like the greatest meal but trust me, it’s very tasty :D After a very filling lunch explored Cerro Concepcion and later had dinner with a friend I made during study abroad. It was great to see each other after more than 2 years! Early the next morning we headed down to Talca which is where I’m currently living and working. After 5 hours on the bus we were more than ready for a nice lunch with my host parents. In the afternoon we went and explored a bit of Talca and then came back for a yummy dinner of homemade bread called “tortilla” and “chancho en piedra” which is a mixture of tomatoes, garlic, oil and salt and is absolutely delicious! The next day we went to the women’s center and orphanage that I work at. At the women’s center mom and dad got a tour of the building and got to meet some of the women who are working on the mosaic in the back patio. At the orphanage we spent a couple hours playing with the kids and then gave them a few of the books mom and dad brought down for them (I have a whole pile sitting in my room so I can bring a few each time I go). The next day we went up to Vilches which is up in the mountains about 1 hour from Talca. Kym, the other volunteer with my program, lives and works up there as well as Ted, Maruja and Annita who all have ties to my program and/or Domodungu (women’s center in Talca). We got to spend time with all of them as well as go on a short hike at a park reserve in Vilches. After a great time in Vilches we headed back to Talca to get ready for our next adventure: Pucon. After about an 8 hour bus ride to Pucon and settling into our hotel we went into town for dinner and to look into activities for the next couple days. The next day we spent exploring the town, enjoying to beach and in dad’s case marveling over the volcano. The following day we went on a tour of the area and stopped at a bunch of different places. We saw Lake Caburgua, three volcanoes, the Blue Lagoon, 3 Waterfalls and ended up at the thermal hot springs for a couple hours. It was a full day but definitely lots of fun. After 2.5 days in Pucon it was time to go north again. We stopped in Talca for the night and were greeted by a barbeque at my house. It was a lot of fun (not to mention delicious) and my host brother came over so mom and dad got to meet him as well. That night I packed my bags for Ecuador because I would be leaving the morning after mom and dad flew out. Back in Santiago we went to the Memorial Museum (a new museum about the dictatorship in Chile), Cerro Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy Hill) and did a little more shopping at the artesian stands. On the last day we went to Cousino Macul for a vineyard tour which was neat and of course we got to taste some wine as well :) That night I said goodbye to mom and dad and went to meet up with Kym because we flew out early the next morning.

Ok, so that trip summary got a lot longer than I anticipated… Ecuador will be more consise…

Kym and I took our last summer trip to Quito Ecuador where she had a friend volunteering at the “Center for the Working Boy.” When we got to the airport we were greeted by a flock of little girls from the center. Kym’s friend couldn’t get anyone to cover his class so he took the kids on a field trip to come pick us up at the airport! During our trip we spent some of the time at the center going to and helping with various classes and the other time we spent sightseeing. I’m really glad we got to spend time at the center and see what all goes on there. The center includes the entire family and everyone receives and education and meals. The kids also learn useful skills (cooking, crafts, and many others) and work part of the day (many kids go out and sell candy or shine shoes). For our sightseeing we went all over Quito and saw the basilica (and climbed way up into the towers), Panecillo (a hill with a statue of the Virgen and a great view of the town), lots of churches that I don’t remember their names, Plaza Independencia, the presidential building, the artesian market, the teleferico (like a gondola that brought us to the top of a hill with a great view) a couple parks and some other places I can’t recall at the moment… at we pretty much explored the entire city. Our other journeys took us to the Equator, Mindo and Otavalo. We actually went to 2 equators… this is because the first one was calculated a couple hundred years ago and apparently isn’t completely accurate. The second one was calculated by GPS about 10 years ago. The first equator had a huge statue, restaurants, shops and lots of space. The second equator was more nature focused, had artifacts from the past, explained lots of history and did some small experiments. Both equators are only 200 meters from each other so it’s not like the first people were way off. Mindo is a small town about 2 hours from Quito. We went zip lining and just relaxed while we were there. It was a lot of fun to go zip lining through the jungle and we got to do all sorts of “tricks” while zip lining. “Tricks” are things like going double or going upside down :D Our last trip was to a town called Otavalo which is famous for its market. Kym and I spent a couple hours there buying gifts and such before rushing back to Quito in order to make our flight back to Chile. To make a long story short there was no reason to rush back to the airport because we ended up spending the night in Quito. A plane from the day before couldn’t go out so those people all got on our flight and we (along with many others) got bumped off… luckily we got put up in a nice hotel, got fed dinner and now have a voucher for the airline that will hopefully take us somewhere else in South America. All in all it was a great trip. It was more relaxed and less rushing around like in other trips which was a nice change.

Since getting back to Chile I’ve been spending my time at Domodungu. March 8th was International Women’s Day so we were very busy. In the morning some of us from Domodungu attended a breakfast in the Plaza de Armas that was put on by a National Women’s Organization, the in the afternoon we had a celebration at Domodungu including a history of women’s rights in Chile, discussions and snacks and finally in the evening there was a presentation in town in which various organizations from Talca participated and put on skits or sang songs.

I’ve also been busy working on the mosaic at Domodungu. The original goal was to have it done for March 8th but that clearly didn’t happen. Lately everyone seems really motivated though and we have made tons of progress! It is looking really good and now our goal is to have it finished for March 28th when classes will start and the center will be open for the semester. At this point it seems like an attainable goal since everyone has actually been working hard and not only talking :D

Pictures will be posted soon

Summer is in Full Swing!

Well it’s not exactly Christmas season anymore so I’d say it’s time to update my blog again…

In January I went up to Vilches twice. The first time was just for fun because Lia (Santiago volunteer) was in Vilches for a few days so I decided to go up too since she didn’t have much time left in Chile. We had a great time hiking, swimming in the river and just hanging out. The second time I went up to Vilches was to help at La Leona which is a project of Domodungu. La Leona consists of multiple cabins, a garden, and a meeting room. In the summer they open an artisan stand and serve tea, coffee and kuchen. While I was there I hoped mostly with the artisan stand and serving the guests who came for a treat. Some days were really busy and others days were really slow. I was told the business should pick up in February so hopefully it does. It was nice to escape to Vilches for awhile, help around La Leona and relax when we weren’t busy.

In January there is a festival in Santiago called “Santiago A Mil” where they have lots of theater and arts events that are very cheap to attend. A couple events came to Talca and I was able to go see one of them. It was really cool! First these three giant “dolls” came rolling through the crowd and entertained for a bit… then came a bunch of drummers who eventually were suspended really high into the air and there was a trapeze artist who performed (also suspended high above the crowd).

A couple weeks ago I got my Chilean Identification card. We were required to apply for them after getting our Visas. The whole process was quite interesting and frustrating at points. The worst of it was when I went to pick up my card (for the second time b/c the first time I went it wasn’t ready yet) I was told that it still wasn’t there and that for some reason my information wasn’t in the system so I waited… and waited… and waited… about 1.5 hrs later I was told that all my papers had been lost and that I should come back on Monday morning at 8:30 am to re-do my application. That news did not make me very happy but nevertheless I went back on Monday morning with all my photocopies and paperwork only to be told that my ID card was in fact there!! Given the date of emission on the card, I’d say it was there before and the people who told me that everything had been lost really didn’t have a clue what they were talking about!

Since mail seems to move like molasses when coming to Chile, I continued to receive many Christmas cards and some Christmas packages over the past month :D Even though everything was late it was fun to spread out the Christmas cheer a little longer.

My new favorite food is “porotos con masamorra” (white beans in a corn and squash “sauce”). Other tasty summer foods include hummitas (like tomales but made only with corn and onion… eaten with either tomato or sugar) and pastel de choclo (casserole made with meat, onion, hard boiled egg and creamed corn) … if you notice all these foods include corn… it’s corn season so we eat lots of it!

The last week on January I went on a trip with Kym to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Uruguay. It was a great trip and we saw a ton. While in Buenos Aires we saw a ton of sites including (but not limited to): La Casa Rosada (think White House but pink), The National Art Museum, The Recoleta Cultural Center, The Recoleta Cemetery, Several churches/basilicas/cathedrals, La Boca Neighborhood, the Defensa Sunday Market, the Botanical Garden and a Tango show. I really enjoyed exploring Buenos Aires but the only bad thing was the heat and humidity! When we landed it was in the 90s with 75% humidity and I believe it stayed that way for our whole trip! Talca has been hot but it’s nothing compared to Buenos Aires! Another great thing about Buenos Aires was the food. There are tons of little Italian restaurants with the most amazing food! There were lots of Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires and for that reason they have really good Italian food. To get to Uruguay you just have to take a boat across the river. It was really easy and I’m glad we went! We didn’t spend much time in Uruguay but it was definitely worth it! First we went to Montevideo where we wandered around looking at different plazas, the ocean, etc and then spent about 5 hours at the Carnival parade (which still had at least an hour left when we decided to leave). The next morning we spent time at an artisan market before heading to Punta del Diablo which is a cute little beach/fishing town. We really enjoyed the change of scenery from a big city to the little ocean town :D

I’ve been spending lots of time with my host family and their extended family. It’s been fun getting to know more of the family and other friends. I’ve also spent time with Kym and a few other friends going to the Saturday markets, hanging out and going out for Happy Hour.

Even though Domodungu is not technically open at the moment I have still been going with others to work on the mosaic. I just finished putting down all my tiles so I’m very excited but I still need to fill in all the cracks… unfortunately I don’t think we will be done for March 8th like we were hoping… there is still a ton left to do and only a month left. I personally won’t be around much due to travelling with mom and dad and then going to Ecuador.

Below are lots of photos: La Leona and Vilches (3), food (3), Santiago A Mil (2), Buenos Aires (4), Uruguay (5) and Family time (2).