3 Months

I have lived in Chile for 3 months now. That is a pretty big marker for us! In some ways it has flown by because I feel like I have accomplished so much in such a little time. In some ways though I feel like "really, its only been 3 months? It sure feels longer." Either way, this is an amazing country with wonderful people and I am enjoying getting into the culture and people's lives more and more.

The move to Concepcion will happen at the end of May/beginning of June so please be in prayer for that transition. It is exciting that we are so close to being in Conce but there is so much to get done, mainly finding a place to live. The Lord will provide.

I Heart Mendoza

This past weekend my team and I took a short vacation from language and cultural learning in Santiago, to visit the beautiful city of Mendoza, Argentina which is just across the Andes. We had a few days of fun and relaxation in a new city and a slightly different culture. I did a lot of walking around the city, saw some sites, did some shopping, and had a few adventures. The highlights include eating a lot of yummy food, taking a few tours, and zip lining through the Andes. It was a nice break from my daily life, an opportunity to refresh and recharge, and a good chance to have a lot of fun together. The Andes were amazing and I got a really good look at them when we rode a bus home through them. They are intense!

Enjoy a few pictures from the trip:

Beautiful Mendoza

Argentina is known for its steaks so I had to have one

It is also known for its leather so I had to buy my first pair of leather boots here. They will come in hand for the cold, wet weather in Concepcion. Sara got a leather purse.

Enjoying the moment of zip lining through the Andes- know I did scream a little but it was a blast

Don't we look hardcore with our helmets and harnesses. We have so much fun together.

Hello Mr. President

I saw the president of Chile on Friday! I know a few months ago I joked about seeing President Obama when I really didn't but this time I really did. I saw Presidente Sebastian Piñera.

That's him. I think he is waving at me.

So here is the story. After class on Friday I headed to our local office supply store that is in Plaza de Armas which is the center plaza of the city where Santiago was founded. Located in this plaza is the post office and Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago.

As I was walking across the plaza I noticed some of the areas were roped off and there were large crowds of people standing around them looking across the roped off areas. Being the curious girl I am I went and joined the crowd to see what they were looking at. They were looking at the entrance to the church where a few people passed through security and entered the church.

When one lady appeared and headed towards the church all of these camera men rushed around her with cameras and microphones. The surrounded her for a few moments and then she was free. The lady in front of me yelled out her name and she turned around, smiled, waved and the crowd cheered. This happened a few more times with a few more people.

I paid attention to the people around me and what they were saying to figure out what was happening. I knew there must be some special mass occurring and some well known people were attending but I don't really know any well known Chileans so I didn't know if they were celebrities, athletes, government officials or what. My guess was government officials.

I was thinking about moving on when I heard someone in Spanish say, "no the president has not arrived yet." My ears perked up at this. The president! How exciting! I knew I had to stay. Not too much longer a car pulled up on the side of the church and sure enough, out stepped the president of Chile. He went to the crowed and kissed a baby and then walked towards the church. The crowed cheered for him and he waved at me and went inside. It was short and sweet but pretty cool!

I asked the lady next to me what was happening and she said she had no idea. I almost laughed. She didn't know either! I just had to find out though so I asked another group of ladies and they said they were not sure but that they think it was a memorial mass for a senator who had died a few years ago. That was sufficient for me. I did a little research when I got home and I think they were right. Either way, it was exciting and fun to be a part of something like that.

This is just zoomed in. You may recognize him if you watched the Chilean miners being rescued. He was there to greet all of them.

Time Change

I find it fascinating that, for the second time, the Chilean government has postponed daylight savings time. Since it is fall here we should have fallen back into the winter time schedule in March. A few weeks before they pushed it back until this coming weekend and now, just yesterday they have pushed it back until the beginning of May. Who knew you could mess with time like that!

Chile is having a minor energy crisis (something about a drought and dependency on hydroelectric power maybe) so the energy branch of the government decided to extend the extra daylight summer schedule of time to save on energy.

It might not seem like it would make much of a difference but Chileans are super energy conscious and they do not turn the lights on in their homes until they cannot see the person next to them. I'm serious. Many times I have been sitting in the dark wondering when they would notice and turn the lights on. They also unplug every appliance when they are not using it. So maybe it will make a difference.

Maybe they should just stay on the summer schedule permanently. No one likes the one hour less of daylight in the winter anyways. It throws off our natural clocks, makes us tired and makes us hibernate. Chileans love to stay up late and sleep late so the summer time schedule makes sense no matter what season it is. I say let it be summer all year long!!!

Cooling Off

As most of my readers are starting to enjoy warmer, Spring weather up there in the Northern Hemisphere, we down here in the South are preparing for Fall. I can tell it's coming. It can still get pretty warm during the days, but at night the temperature drops and you better have a jacket with you. I'm starting to wear my fleeces and sweatshirts around the house at night and this morning I woke up and my bedroom was quite chilly. I think it's time to bust out another blanket.

It's not as if it is freezing or anything but all temperatures here feel more extreme because there is no relief. In the summer, there is no AC so even the 80s feel hot, especially in the sun. Now, 70s during the day is not cold at all, but when it gets into the low 50s at night, my place gets kinda chilly. It's nothing I cant handle and I'm actually looking forward to a new season but I have to learn how to best stay warm here because it is different.

I have some kinda of little wall heater thingy that I don't know how to work. I might need to figure it out, but it is advised to wait as long as you can to turn your heater on because if you are too cold in March then what are you going to do in June or July! Everything is a learning experience here. The most basic tasks I have to learn how to do but I am glad to be here and I am saying "Bring on the Fall!"

It's The Little Things

I successfully made my amazing chocolate chip cookies today. It was a huge accomplishment. Everything I do lately feels like a huge accomplishment because everything is harder or at least has a learning curve. I finally got all the ingredients I needed to make them (or so I thought) so today I set out to do it. If you know me, you know I LOVE cookies. I can do cake, I greatly enjoy pies and brownies and pretty much every sweet, but I am a sucker for a good cookie.

To be able to make these cookies here are the tasks I had to accomplish:
1. Finding a baking sheet. They dont really have those so I got a metal baking pan which worked just great.
2. Find measuring cups/spoons. That took what seemed like a thousand stores to find but Sara finally did.
3. Finding chocolate chips. I hear they exist here, sometimes, but never for me. I had my mom send me some and a friend who came from the US brought me some as well as butter flavored crisco. I know there is another way to cook cookies without these delicious sticks but I sure do love them.
4. Testing out the "brown" sugar. It looked like the right color but it was really grainy. I looked on the back and it said the ingredients were sugar and molasses so I got it. I tastes about the same, the consistency is not, but it works!
5. Figuring out my oven. You would think the pictures would help but I is more complicated. I think I understand now.

So it has been a process but I got them done. You see, I love to eat cookies but I really love to bake them and share them with people. It brings me great joy when they are super yummy and someone else can enjoy them too. This is important to me and something I did not want to give up while being here. Well, ladies and gents, it looks like I dont have to.

I did have to substitute baking soda with extra baking powder and was nervous about the results but it was fine. They taste a little different but not bad. Not bad at all. You have no idea how happy this makes me to be able to make yummy cookies in Chile.

Up next: The Meredith's World Famous Chocolate Cookies.

Excitement

There is excitement all around!

1. I received a care package from my parents at my own mailbox in my apartment building. I am rejoicing that the address I gave works and that I have Girl Scout Cookies to eat!

Example of a great care package- things I needed and things that are just fun and yummy

2. We are legal! Everyone on our team has received notice that we are legally "en tramite," which means that our visas are in process. I am legally in between and with this document I can stay in the country with no trouble. My temporary visa (which lasts a year) should be ready in 3-4 months.


What great joy I get out of such small accomplishments here. Every success needs to be celebrated! How about a Girl Scout cookie?