The first day of school was a resounding success!
Both boys loved their classes. They even have last period spanish together. The both purchased empandas for lunch. Alex said nobody showed him what to do, but a teacher was there and she showed him how to buy an empanda. So he got one. Andrew's student liaison showed them how to do the lunch line. (Andrew's liaison was a Junior, Alex's is just a Freshman) Andrew bought a Coke and ham/cheese empanda. Alex opted for the all queso version.
They both came home after school, pulled out their sack lunches and ate every bit of it. So perhaps one empanda isn't quite enough to last them all day. They then pulled out their pesos and we tried to figure out how much money they spent. We had to wait for dad to get home to verify... It was about $2USD for the empanda and $1 for the Coke. The boys eat lunch together, so today Andrew will show Alex how to work the lunch line.
They both essentially have the same schedule, with different versions of each class. They both will take: PE, Math, Social Studies, Science, Language, Spanish, Choir and at their new school the Computer class is required. They have an "A" day and "B" day schedule, so only 4 classes per day. Today they will meet the other half of their teachers. Their schedule will rotate within that A-B schedule:
Day A: Classes- A, B, C, D
Day B: Classes- E, F, G, H
Day A: Classes- B, C, D, A
Day B: Classes- F, G, H, E
Day A: Classes- C, D, A, B
...and so on. We were told that this is to allow students to hit their "optimal learning time" in each class during each set of rotations. Sounds just plain confusing to me.
Yesterday Andrew had PE first thing. He said the gym was FREEZING! There are only about 3 girls in his PE class, he was bummed, but he really likes the teacher. They will rotate through sessions of swimming, archery, volleyball, touch ruby, and many others that I can't remember. His Choir class was next and they will be doing more than just singing at his level. There will be other areas of choral covered like composition. He is super excited about that. They are finishing construction on the new Liberal Arts building and they should be in their new classroom in a month or two. He loved his math teacher - she was hot... (eye roll) He wasn't thrilled with his spanish class, but he's not a fan of learning a new language. He liked being in class with his brother for the last period. He says he's just going to sleep and let Alex do his work for him. Silly boys!
Alex had a great day as well. He was excited to be one of 3 boys in both of the Choir and PE classes. He has the "lady" PE teacher so he's not sure about that. He hasn't had a lady since grade school. He talked about his math teacher who is "only like 26" and won Jr. Miss America! Apparently, she's hot too... BOYS! He liked the spanish teacher and came home with just a little bit of homework.
Both boys had to print out an article for spanish class about a White Tiger that was just shot in Santiago. Their task was to find out why. Apparently, he was mauling a zoo worker. Alex had the added assignment from his math teacher to write her a letter about himself. Easy peasy stuff for the first day.
We've talked about how important it will be to do homework the day it is assigned and not wait because you have "until Wednesday" to turn it in. This A-B schedule can leave you with a sense of 'we've got plenty of time' if you're not careful.
I am also officially the Wicked Witch of the South because I have instilled a NO GAMING policy during school days (including Friday). The overall rule will be no gaming allowed. However, if they come home, work on their work, study as I see fit, and get things completed, I may decide that they have put in enough effort to sufficiently earn time to play games. Between soccer, swimming, spanish lessons, church and school. I think their time will be more limited than they think. Besides, they've played non-stop for the past 6 weeks. That should hold them over for a little while.
I can't wait to see how day 2 goes :)
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
We made it to school!
There is a ton of excitement and angst on the first day of school every year. Lots of emotions. Kids are excited, so they didn't sleep overly well the night before. They are super sleepy because 6:20am wake up times haven't happened in a long while. They are anxious for the unknown things that are about to come. And really, Mom and Dad have those same feelings. Multiply that times 1,000 when starting a new school in another country.
I have talked to the kids numerous times, both individually and together, about their feelings on starting the new school year. They are both ready. Not a lot of nerves. Andrew is most nervous about the work load that he will be expected to carry. It will be significantly more than he is used to. 2-3 hours a night on average. Alex is pretty zen about the entire thing. Are you nervous? No. Excited? Ehh... This morning he was talking a hundred miles an hour - I think maybe he was just a little excited. :)
Greg was most nervous about me taking the kids to school alone. He carpooled with Jose Raul to work in hopes that he would be able to drive our new (used) car home today. They are changing the oil and replacing the battery, as well as working out the paper work for us.
Greg double checked that I had house keys. He wanted me to take the extra set "just in case". He made sure I had my purse, my cell phone, the GPS, the house keys (again). He was a little ridiculous. He made sure I knew how to disarm the alarm... You get the idea.
We finally got out of the house, about 5 minutes later than I had hoped, (Andrew is not a fast mover in the mornings) and we headed off to school. I missed one turn, but quickly recovered. When we got about 1/2 mile from the school, the traffic line started. There are two lanes curving up the side of the mountain ending at the school. Every single one of these cars were going to Nido. They have around 1,500 kids in all three schools and almost every one of those students were driven to school today. At the same exact time. It was crazy! All I could think was: Holy Cow! How will I ever make it up the side of this mountain - it is like a 45 degree angle - in this traffic driving a manual transmission! Oh man! I am going to have to practice like crazy and leave MUCH earlier!
I got the kids off safe and sound. They didn't want me to park and walk them in (insert sad face). I headed back home and disarmed the alarm like a big girl. The only concern that I have at this point is that the alarm company hasn't called. It's been like 45 minutes. Oh well. No carbaneros - no problem, right?
Alex being all handsome as a freshman (9th grade):
Andrew ready to take on his junior year (11th grade):
I love those boys more than I can even begin to express. I am so proud of the men that they are becoming, the choices that they are making, and the flexibility and courage that they have shown throughout this adventure here in Chile. They are strong young men and I look forward to seeing what this new school year will bring!
I have talked to the kids numerous times, both individually and together, about their feelings on starting the new school year. They are both ready. Not a lot of nerves. Andrew is most nervous about the work load that he will be expected to carry. It will be significantly more than he is used to. 2-3 hours a night on average. Alex is pretty zen about the entire thing. Are you nervous? No. Excited? Ehh... This morning he was talking a hundred miles an hour - I think maybe he was just a little excited. :)
Greg was most nervous about me taking the kids to school alone. He carpooled with Jose Raul to work in hopes that he would be able to drive our new (used) car home today. They are changing the oil and replacing the battery, as well as working out the paper work for us.
Greg double checked that I had house keys. He wanted me to take the extra set "just in case". He made sure I had my purse, my cell phone, the GPS, the house keys (again). He was a little ridiculous. He made sure I knew how to disarm the alarm... You get the idea.
We finally got out of the house, about 5 minutes later than I had hoped, (Andrew is not a fast mover in the mornings) and we headed off to school. I missed one turn, but quickly recovered. When we got about 1/2 mile from the school, the traffic line started. There are two lanes curving up the side of the mountain ending at the school. Every single one of these cars were going to Nido. They have around 1,500 kids in all three schools and almost every one of those students were driven to school today. At the same exact time. It was crazy! All I could think was: Holy Cow! How will I ever make it up the side of this mountain - it is like a 45 degree angle - in this traffic driving a manual transmission! Oh man! I am going to have to practice like crazy and leave MUCH earlier!
I got the kids off safe and sound. They didn't want me to park and walk them in (insert sad face). I headed back home and disarmed the alarm like a big girl. The only concern that I have at this point is that the alarm company hasn't called. It's been like 45 minutes. Oh well. No carbaneros - no problem, right?
Alex being all handsome as a freshman (9th grade):
Andrew ready to take on his junior year (11th grade):
I love those boys more than I can even begin to express. I am so proud of the men that they are becoming, the choices that they are making, and the flexibility and courage that they have shown throughout this adventure here in Chile. They are strong young men and I look forward to seeing what this new school year will bring!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Lights Out!
Today ended up being quite eventful.
We started our day with church as usual. We met several of the gringo families that are back from holiday in the states. It was nice to hear a few more english voices.
Another great family in the ward invited us over for dinner. Abe & Laura Smith are great people. They have 3 little kids. Their oldest starts kindergarten tomorrow, so it was really nice for them to have us over on such a busy day. It is so much fun getting to know all these new people!
In preparation for the first day of school tomorrow, I made a batch of brownies. (I make tons of brownies. They are very forgiving of my wacky oven.) I plan to send cash and a packed lunch until the kids decide what they want to do. Hopefully having options will ease their transition.
While making these brownies, I had a load of clothes in the dryer. Apparently all of someone's cool shirts were dirty...
Backing up just a minute; while comiserating about crappy ovens with the Smith's during dinner, they talked about how they constantly blow fuses.
Apparently, every house is allowed 10Mhz of power. Thus the small ovens and minimal lighting. We've not had that problem before.
Fast forward 2 hours and you find me standing in a pitch black kitchen with half-baked brownies in the oven and wet clothes in the dryer. Fuse blown...
We had a little trouble getting it back on. There is a fuse box in the house, but that didn't help. We finally located the main switch outside. While we were at it we located both the water and gas shutoff valves to the house. You know, in case a major earthquake or something happens.
I also had my first experience actually speaking to the alarm company today. I have mentioned before that they call each time the alarm is disabled to verify that you were the one who disarmed it. Greg left from the Smith's home directly to a church meeting with Abe. This means I would need to drive the kids home to our armed home and deactivate the system all alone.
I nailed it! It is a pretty big deal. Greg wanted a play-by-play when he got home. It is cute how proud he is of me when I accomplish even these simple tasks. I am sure he is envisioning on more responsibility dropping from his plate... Sweet, sweet man.
We started our day with church as usual. We met several of the gringo families that are back from holiday in the states. It was nice to hear a few more english voices.
Another great family in the ward invited us over for dinner. Abe & Laura Smith are great people. They have 3 little kids. Their oldest starts kindergarten tomorrow, so it was really nice for them to have us over on such a busy day. It is so much fun getting to know all these new people!
In preparation for the first day of school tomorrow, I made a batch of brownies. (I make tons of brownies. They are very forgiving of my wacky oven.) I plan to send cash and a packed lunch until the kids decide what they want to do. Hopefully having options will ease their transition.
While making these brownies, I had a load of clothes in the dryer. Apparently all of someone's cool shirts were dirty...
Backing up just a minute; while comiserating about crappy ovens with the Smith's during dinner, they talked about how they constantly blow fuses.
Apparently, every house is allowed 10Mhz of power. Thus the small ovens and minimal lighting. We've not had that problem before.
Fast forward 2 hours and you find me standing in a pitch black kitchen with half-baked brownies in the oven and wet clothes in the dryer. Fuse blown...
We had a little trouble getting it back on. There is a fuse box in the house, but that didn't help. We finally located the main switch outside. While we were at it we located both the water and gas shutoff valves to the house. You know, in case a major earthquake or something happens.
I also had my first experience actually speaking to the alarm company today. I have mentioned before that they call each time the alarm is disabled to verify that you were the one who disarmed it. Greg left from the Smith's home directly to a church meeting with Abe. This means I would need to drive the kids home to our armed home and deactivate the system all alone.
I nailed it! It is a pretty big deal. Greg wanted a play-by-play when he got home. It is cute how proud he is of me when I accomplish even these simple tasks. I am sure he is envisioning on more responsibility dropping from his plate... Sweet, sweet man.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
It can't wait until Monday!
I typically catch up on the weekend happenings on Mondays, when things are a little slower around here - but today's recap JUST CAN'T WAIT!
First: Check this out!
Yes, we found Dr. Pepper and A&W Root Beer! Root beer floats tonight! Check out our $7 worth of soda. It goes for about $1 a can (USD).
It was an exciting day. No we don't have the car yet, but they are getting the paperwork and some minor maintenance (new battery, oil change) done for us and we should have it Monday or Tuesday at the latest. I've since seen a few Goetz around town. They are quite popular. Probably due to their size, low gas consumption (we get about $10 per liter in Greg's little truck) and reasonable price. Apparently the body and interior are super nice - all good news. It's not my "dream car" by any means, but I am looking at it as a prolonged rental. We should be able to sell it for what we paid for it in a year from now since cars retain their value very well down here. Anyway, back to my story...
Today was new family orientation at the high school. It was awesome. The kids broke off and did team building, so that when they get to school on Monday morning for the first day, they'll actually feel like they KNOW someone. What a great way to help them transition.
The parents were carted off to another area where the PTO gave us the 'run down' of what to expect: When to really be there to drop your kids off to avoid the crazy 1st day rush. How much money to send for lunches - which by the way, they recommend $3.000 Chilean Pesos a day! That's like $6.00 USD! A DAY! HOLY COW! Multiply that times 2 kids = $12 a day, times 5 days a week = $60 bucks! For SCHOOL lunches? What are they making these kids Filet Mignon? Needless to say, we'll be utilizing those many microwaves that they have around the lunch area to allow the kids to warm up their packed lunches.
We also purchased the required PE uniforms and a hoodie for each kid for a total of about $200 USD in clothing. Add to that the refurbished graphing calculator we bought for $110 USD and we rounded out our day just over $300 USD. Not bad for 4 hours :) [I shouldn't really be surprised. The initial payment to the school for various new student enrollment fees, etc was $20,000 USD. No, I didn't type that wrong. $20 thousand dollars...]
We really did have a great time. The parents are all in the same boat. All have arrived within the last month - some as recent as Thursday of this week. Most are awaiting the arrival of their belongings via ship which takes 2-3 months. I really feel like we made the right decision going with a furnished place. We only had to bring our clothes and a few essentials and we were right at home straightaway.
We met parents from all over the world. Many from across the US, some from the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, etc. etc. I met several women how were already networking and gathering names and emails of people they met. I learned that almost all of the international families arrive with only 1 parent being allowed to work - the one who's job initiated the transfer. The other spouse may have had a job in their previous home and often find themselves lost upon arrival here in their new role as "home parent". I am truly blessed in that this is NOT a transition that I have to make. I'm used to being the "home parent" and rather enjoy the position. But as a help for these lost parents, the school has multiple opportunities for involvement.
There is a tour group that meets twice a month. Once to chat, have coffee and plan their next trip; and then again to make that trip. Typically they are day trips and everyone is back in time to get the kids. I LOVE THAT! Signing up for that for sure!
There is a Spanish class that is offered by 2 qualified Spanish language teachers. For only $100 USD a month, you get two 1.5 hour classes a week. I will probably sign up for that to supplement what I am learning in my private class and to meet new people.
This is just the beginning. I signed up for book fair and school store. There are so many opportunities to be involved and around english speakers. What a relief!
This day was supposed to be about the kids - but it ended up being a day that made mom/dad feel welcome. This school truly does care about the family. They understand that a happy family that supports the school is a family that fosters a hard-working productive student. I love everything about that!
First: Check this out!
Yes, we found Dr. Pepper and A&W Root Beer! Root beer floats tonight! Check out our $7 worth of soda. It goes for about $1 a can (USD).
It was an exciting day. No we don't have the car yet, but they are getting the paperwork and some minor maintenance (new battery, oil change) done for us and we should have it Monday or Tuesday at the latest. I've since seen a few Goetz around town. They are quite popular. Probably due to their size, low gas consumption (we get about $10 per liter in Greg's little truck) and reasonable price. Apparently the body and interior are super nice - all good news. It's not my "dream car" by any means, but I am looking at it as a prolonged rental. We should be able to sell it for what we paid for it in a year from now since cars retain their value very well down here. Anyway, back to my story...
Today was new family orientation at the high school. It was awesome. The kids broke off and did team building, so that when they get to school on Monday morning for the first day, they'll actually feel like they KNOW someone. What a great way to help them transition.
The parents were carted off to another area where the PTO gave us the 'run down' of what to expect: When to really be there to drop your kids off to avoid the crazy 1st day rush. How much money to send for lunches - which by the way, they recommend $3.000 Chilean Pesos a day! That's like $6.00 USD! A DAY! HOLY COW! Multiply that times 2 kids = $12 a day, times 5 days a week = $60 bucks! For SCHOOL lunches? What are they making these kids Filet Mignon? Needless to say, we'll be utilizing those many microwaves that they have around the lunch area to allow the kids to warm up their packed lunches.
We also purchased the required PE uniforms and a hoodie for each kid for a total of about $200 USD in clothing. Add to that the refurbished graphing calculator we bought for $110 USD and we rounded out our day just over $300 USD. Not bad for 4 hours :) [I shouldn't really be surprised. The initial payment to the school for various new student enrollment fees, etc was $20,000 USD. No, I didn't type that wrong. $20 thousand dollars...]
We really did have a great time. The parents are all in the same boat. All have arrived within the last month - some as recent as Thursday of this week. Most are awaiting the arrival of their belongings via ship which takes 2-3 months. I really feel like we made the right decision going with a furnished place. We only had to bring our clothes and a few essentials and we were right at home straightaway.
We met parents from all over the world. Many from across the US, some from the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, etc. etc. I met several women how were already networking and gathering names and emails of people they met. I learned that almost all of the international families arrive with only 1 parent being allowed to work - the one who's job initiated the transfer. The other spouse may have had a job in their previous home and often find themselves lost upon arrival here in their new role as "home parent". I am truly blessed in that this is NOT a transition that I have to make. I'm used to being the "home parent" and rather enjoy the position. But as a help for these lost parents, the school has multiple opportunities for involvement.
There is a tour group that meets twice a month. Once to chat, have coffee and plan their next trip; and then again to make that trip. Typically they are day trips and everyone is back in time to get the kids. I LOVE THAT! Signing up for that for sure!
There is a Spanish class that is offered by 2 qualified Spanish language teachers. For only $100 USD a month, you get two 1.5 hour classes a week. I will probably sign up for that to supplement what I am learning in my private class and to meet new people.
This is just the beginning. I signed up for book fair and school store. There are so many opportunities to be involved and around english speakers. What a relief!
This day was supposed to be about the kids - but it ended up being a day that made mom/dad feel welcome. This school truly does care about the family. They understand that a happy family that supports the school is a family that fosters a hard-working productive student. I love everything about that!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Buying A Car!
Greg is buying me a new car as we speak!!! (a new used one) So exciting! It is a 2007 Hyundai Getz that a friend of his from work is selling. I've never really seen a Hyndai Getz, but it has 4 doors and is small - so it fits our needs here in Chile. It is NOT an automatic - so hopefully driving a stick-shift is like riding a bike. It's been years (and we live on the side of a mountain), but the majority of the cars here are manual transmissions, so while in Chile...
So super exciting! I need a car to get the kids back and forth from school and to be involved with any volunteer opportunities that come my way. There is a group here that meets and volunteers at a local orphanage and I am excited to find out all about these different opportunities. When I get my own car, I can even go to the store by myself (well, when I am comfortable enough with my spanish). It's happening! I'm immersing myself!
Ready or not Chile - here I come!
So super exciting! I need a car to get the kids back and forth from school and to be involved with any volunteer opportunities that come my way. There is a group here that meets and volunteers at a local orphanage and I am excited to find out all about these different opportunities. When I get my own car, I can even go to the store by myself (well, when I am comfortable enough with my spanish). It's happening! I'm immersing myself!
Ready or not Chile - here I come!
Names en Espanol
There are so many average, everyday things that are different here. For example, yesterday during our Spanish class, the teacher was talking to us about names. ***I learned that "Yo me llamo Tammy". Pretty advanced stuff...
I learned that people here have two last names. For example; my son Andrew's name would be: Andrew Schick Robinson. He would have his given name, his father's last name then my father's last name. When women get married, they do not take on their husband's name at all. They also only go by their father's last name, even though their mother's name is listed there as well. So Andrew would be called, Andrew Schick, but when writing his name or signing something legal, he would add the Robinson to the end. There is always a spot for two last names. No big deal - except when you are trying to figure out who is who.
I meet someone at church for example. The woman tells me her name. At a later time, I might meet her husband, who tells me his name. Without them matching up - I have NO idea who goes with who. It just makes things even more confusing for me.
I also learned that here in Chile, instead of introducing your wife as "me esposa", men will commonly say, "me mujer" meaning 'my woman'. Showing ownership. This cracks me up. It it a contradiction. The women are showing no connection to the man by not even using his last name, but will allow that same man to tell people that she is "his". It isn't as literal as it sounds, but funny none-the-less.
I also learned that days of the week and month names do not have to be capitalized. I find this stuff so interesting!
I love that this teacher is teaching me Chilean. I enjoy learning the language and the differences between it and other spanish countries.
I was taught a ton of stuff yesterday - but not sure exactly how much of that I actually LEARNED. She told me that in the beginning it will seem like a lot of information and that I won't understand it all, but that's ok. It will come.
Good. I'm right on track.
Things I do know:
My home address and phone number in spanish. *Woot-Woot*
The all important, "Mas despacio, pro favor." Meaning, slower please.
Also, "Lo siento" I'm sorry. Which is awesome because I can add that to my "No hablo espanol" and get a polite little, I'm sorry, I don't speak spanish. AWESOME!
Yeah, I'm rockin' this whole spanish thing. Until I sit down with a spanish speaker - and realize how little I know. Whatever, baby steps in the right direction...
I learned that people here have two last names. For example; my son Andrew's name would be: Andrew Schick Robinson. He would have his given name, his father's last name then my father's last name. When women get married, they do not take on their husband's name at all. They also only go by their father's last name, even though their mother's name is listed there as well. So Andrew would be called, Andrew Schick, but when writing his name or signing something legal, he would add the Robinson to the end. There is always a spot for two last names. No big deal - except when you are trying to figure out who is who.
I meet someone at church for example. The woman tells me her name. At a later time, I might meet her husband, who tells me his name. Without them matching up - I have NO idea who goes with who. It just makes things even more confusing for me.
I also learned that here in Chile, instead of introducing your wife as "me esposa", men will commonly say, "me mujer" meaning 'my woman'. Showing ownership. This cracks me up. It it a contradiction. The women are showing no connection to the man by not even using his last name, but will allow that same man to tell people that she is "his". It isn't as literal as it sounds, but funny none-the-less.
I also learned that days of the week and month names do not have to be capitalized. I find this stuff so interesting!
I love that this teacher is teaching me Chilean. I enjoy learning the language and the differences between it and other spanish countries.
I was taught a ton of stuff yesterday - but not sure exactly how much of that I actually LEARNED. She told me that in the beginning it will seem like a lot of information and that I won't understand it all, but that's ok. It will come.
Good. I'm right on track.
Things I do know:
My home address and phone number in spanish. *Woot-Woot*
The all important, "Mas despacio, pro favor." Meaning, slower please.
Also, "Lo siento" I'm sorry. Which is awesome because I can add that to my "No hablo espanol" and get a polite little, I'm sorry, I don't speak spanish. AWESOME!
Yeah, I'm rockin' this whole spanish thing. Until I sit down with a spanish speaker - and realize how little I know. Whatever, baby steps in the right direction...
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Working with the oven
Yes my oven is lame. It gets up to temperature (or close to it) and then shuts off, drops 50+ degrees and then starts working it's way back up. This doesn't really work for baking.
We had the oven guy out last week (you read about my breakdown following that adventure). He told us it is working fine. Well, it does work fine if you pull it out of the cabinet and sit it on the floor. Greg thinks that the internal coupling (I think that is what he said) is overheating and causing it to shut off.
So until we can figure out a permeant solution. This is how we're working with it:
Please notice a few things:
-The strip of wood at the top of the oven is off, allowing the heat to escape better.
-There is a flashlight on the counter that we use to peak through the window of the oven and watch the thermometer that we have sitting on the shelf. This keeps us from having to open the oven door and lose that precious heat.
-The fan is standing in the middle of my kitchen (it's a very small space). It is absolutely in my way no matter where I need to go.
-The folded rag on the counter that we use as a hot pad (because we don't have one).
-You also can't see it, but the cord runs across my only working counter space and plugs into the wall. Thus making my work space unusable while the oven is going.
Yeah! The things we will do to feed the missionaries a few brownies...
Major Hurdles #1 & #2: Complete
One of the biggest hurdles for us in this country is the school. We worked very hard to get the kids accepted into the only english-speaking school in the city. We got on waiting lists, we completed entrance exams, we sent in reference letters, we were interviewed, etc. etc. We prayed like crazy, crossed our fingers, you name it - we did it.
Nido de Aguilas is not just english-speaking, but it also runs on the same school schedule as the US schools. Which is almost as vital as the english. South of the equator, school runs mid-February through mid-December so that students have summer break. Summer is December-February here. (Add that to the list of things that I had never really thought about before moving here.)
It would be very difficult for us to take our 11th grade student (Side note: Senior, Junior, Sophomore, Freshman are US terms - not really used elsewhere) and plop him into a spanish-speaking school. We would have to either have him skip a semester or repeat one. Neither option seemed like a good idea this close to graduation. So plan "B", if the kids didn't get into Nido, would have been to homeschool them utilizing online classes. That would not have been the best scenario, as my kids would not have had the opportunity to truly experience all that Chile has to offer, if they didn't have to leave the safety of our little english-speaking house.
But crisis adverted. We were notified that we were accepted to Nido the week before we left Arizona. YIPPEE!!!
The kids attended the New Student Orientation for school yesterday. We are fully aware that their happiness here rides heavily on how much they enjoy their time at their new school. Greg was a little nervous for them. Surprisingly, I wasn't even slightly worried. My kids make friends easily. They are also attending a school where the majority of the student population has lived abroad. I knew that they would fit right in.
Their first school experience went beautifully:
They had a great time and met some really great kids. Each grade level had 3-4 Student Ambassadors from that grade that took them around the school and gave them the ins and outs about what to expect. There were groups of about 8-10 new students in each grade level. My kids were excited that the other kids "all looked normal". I have to smile. I am not sure what they expected them to look like. Andrew texted his brother during the tour "tons of hot chicks, bro". Alex responded with "Ya!" ...Boys... Needless to say, they had a great day.
They talked about the diversity of the student population more than the tour of this amazing campus. Andrew said that all the kids speak english but most have some type of accent. *I don't think he realizes that HE has an accent, too!* He felt a little dumb because most of the students spoke 3-4 languages and had lived all over the world. They all spoke english and spanish, but usually also French, German or Mandarin. I told him that he would soon be able to add Spanish to his list. It was good for both of them to see that they are not the only kids in the world to be living away from their home country. They had an amazing time!
YES!!! Hurdle #1: DONE!
Just as they arrived home from school, the Spanish teacher was there ready to start our first class. I was a nervous wreck. Attending this first class was a big hurdle for me. But things went so smoothly. This teacher is amazing and although I didn't come away from my 1 hour class fluent in spanish, I can understand when someone asks my name - and I know how to respond.
Como te llamas?
Me llamo Tammy.
That's a baby step in the right direction! Homework is to study and practice the sounds of the letters and to also memorize our address and phone number in spanish (for safety reasons). We'll have classes twice a week, so before long, we'll begin to understand and speak spanish!
YES!!! Hurdle #2: DONE!
It was a busy but positive day!
Nido de Aguilas is not just english-speaking, but it also runs on the same school schedule as the US schools. Which is almost as vital as the english. South of the equator, school runs mid-February through mid-December so that students have summer break. Summer is December-February here. (Add that to the list of things that I had never really thought about before moving here.)
It would be very difficult for us to take our 11th grade student (Side note: Senior, Junior, Sophomore, Freshman are US terms - not really used elsewhere) and plop him into a spanish-speaking school. We would have to either have him skip a semester or repeat one. Neither option seemed like a good idea this close to graduation. So plan "B", if the kids didn't get into Nido, would have been to homeschool them utilizing online classes. That would not have been the best scenario, as my kids would not have had the opportunity to truly experience all that Chile has to offer, if they didn't have to leave the safety of our little english-speaking house.
But crisis adverted. We were notified that we were accepted to Nido the week before we left Arizona. YIPPEE!!!
The kids attended the New Student Orientation for school yesterday. We are fully aware that their happiness here rides heavily on how much they enjoy their time at their new school. Greg was a little nervous for them. Surprisingly, I wasn't even slightly worried. My kids make friends easily. They are also attending a school where the majority of the student population has lived abroad. I knew that they would fit right in.
Their first school experience went beautifully:
They had a great time and met some really great kids. Each grade level had 3-4 Student Ambassadors from that grade that took them around the school and gave them the ins and outs about what to expect. There were groups of about 8-10 new students in each grade level. My kids were excited that the other kids "all looked normal". I have to smile. I am not sure what they expected them to look like. Andrew texted his brother during the tour "tons of hot chicks, bro". Alex responded with "Ya!" ...Boys... Needless to say, they had a great day.
They talked about the diversity of the student population more than the tour of this amazing campus. Andrew said that all the kids speak english but most have some type of accent. *I don't think he realizes that HE has an accent, too!* He felt a little dumb because most of the students spoke 3-4 languages and had lived all over the world. They all spoke english and spanish, but usually also French, German or Mandarin. I told him that he would soon be able to add Spanish to his list. It was good for both of them to see that they are not the only kids in the world to be living away from their home country. They had an amazing time!
YES!!! Hurdle #1: DONE!
Just as they arrived home from school, the Spanish teacher was there ready to start our first class. I was a nervous wreck. Attending this first class was a big hurdle for me. But things went so smoothly. This teacher is amazing and although I didn't come away from my 1 hour class fluent in spanish, I can understand when someone asks my name - and I know how to respond.
Como te llamas?
Me llamo Tammy.
That's a baby step in the right direction! Homework is to study and practice the sounds of the letters and to also memorize our address and phone number in spanish (for safety reasons). We'll have classes twice a week, so before long, we'll begin to understand and speak spanish!
YES!!! Hurdle #2: DONE!
It was a busy but positive day!
Monday, July 23, 2012
It's All About the Food
I've mentioned before about how we love trying new things and are absolutely enjoying the food-tasting adventure here. Well this weekend was no exception:
We ventured in to the Supermercado just down the street from us. It's like a tiny little market that has most things you would need. They even had fresh bread and pastries. The pastries were unbelievable.
We also picked up these chocolate covered sticks that were carmel filled. They reminded me of a stale kit-kat with carmel in the middle. Not really stale, but the cracker part wasn't overly crunchy. They were really good.
We went to the farmer's market again on Saturday and grabbed another Peruvian mango and a chirimoya. These are the last of the season until summer. We know we love the mangos and we've loved chirimoya juice but this was our first time trying the fruit fresh. YUMMY!
The chirimoya is native to the Andes but you can find them in Southern California. They are ugly - warty on the outside - and full of uneatable seeds. They are very interesting. It has a banana/pear flavor with a smooth custard like texture. Very mild, but very tasty. It is served with a little orange juice poured over the top.
Alex even like it -
Sunday we had a "FAMILY JUICING" and juiced that huge bag of oranges we got from the roadside stand on the way back from the beach on Monday. It was a fun little adventure.
Andrew and I were in charge of peeling and quartering the oranges.
Andrew may have done more eating than peeling. He didn't want anything to go to waste.
Dad and Alex worked the juicer.
We ended up with about 4 liters of juice. It is yummy (drinking some now as I type!)
We rounded out our weekend with dinner at the Lambert's home. They are the nicest family. With five kids ranging in age from 14 - 3, it was a great time! So much fun energy at their house. Elizabeth made lasagna - YUMMY! It was nice to be able to talk with others who have recently been in our shoes.
What a blessing it is to move in somewhere and have immediate kinship with others. The church does that. The gospel connection makes it so that we have "family" no matter where we go.
It was a great weekend!
We ventured in to the Supermercado just down the street from us. It's like a tiny little market that has most things you would need. They even had fresh bread and pastries. The pastries were unbelievable.
We also picked up these chocolate covered sticks that were carmel filled. They reminded me of a stale kit-kat with carmel in the middle. Not really stale, but the cracker part wasn't overly crunchy. They were really good.
We went to the farmer's market again on Saturday and grabbed another Peruvian mango and a chirimoya. These are the last of the season until summer. We know we love the mangos and we've loved chirimoya juice but this was our first time trying the fruit fresh. YUMMY!
The chirimoya is native to the Andes but you can find them in Southern California. They are ugly - warty on the outside - and full of uneatable seeds. They are very interesting. It has a banana/pear flavor with a smooth custard like texture. Very mild, but very tasty. It is served with a little orange juice poured over the top.
Alex even like it -
Sunday we had a "FAMILY JUICING" and juiced that huge bag of oranges we got from the roadside stand on the way back from the beach on Monday. It was a fun little adventure.
Andrew and I were in charge of peeling and quartering the oranges.
Andrew may have done more eating than peeling. He didn't want anything to go to waste.
Dad and Alex worked the juicer.
We ended up with about 4 liters of juice. It is yummy (drinking some now as I type!)
We rounded out our weekend with dinner at the Lambert's home. They are the nicest family. With five kids ranging in age from 14 - 3, it was a great time! So much fun energy at their house. Elizabeth made lasagna - YUMMY! It was nice to be able to talk with others who have recently been in our shoes.
What a blessing it is to move in somewhere and have immediate kinship with others. The church does that. The gospel connection makes it so that we have "family" no matter where we go.
It was a great weekend!
Back to Work
I've needed something. Before we left home, I was running the PTO at the school, organizing the stake Girls Camp, Chairing the 8th Grade Promotion Committee, and preparing to move. So, a little busy. We arrived in Chile and I immediately got to work making this house our home. That took about a week. Then nothing. I've got this little blog, but other than that. Nada. I'm not good with nothing. I need something to focus on. Something to make me feel useful.
Well, Sunday at church it all changed. I officially became the English-Speaking Seminary teacher. I will teach 4-6 high school kids about the New Testament every morning before school for about an hour.
I am excited about this new adventure. I need another project to focus my energy on and make me feel useful. Plus - I can use all the blessings I can get at this point. Our church is a volunteer-run organization. No one is paid for doing their "jobs". Not the bishop, not the english-speaking seminary teacher. This is amazing really. Blessings are better than money anyway. Blessings are universal and never cause any grief. I also think doing something because you CHOOSE to, has a different impact than doing something because you HAVE to. It puts things into a little different light.
Anyway - I am excited for this new endeavor. I worry about my lack of knowledge and my hatred of mornings... but truly, this is just what I needed and the Lord knew that.
AS FOR GREG:
He's busy. Busy - Busy. He is a sales/engineer who covers the entire world except South America. *But wait - you're living in South America* I know, I know. It doesn't make much sense. He is working here to help the people get the kinks worked out so that they can continue to grow here south of the equator. This is in addition to the areas he covers and the people he is hiring to help him cover those areas.
Add to that the fact that he now has to take care of me 100% and carry a big bulk of the load I typically bear (grocery shopping for example) and he's got quite a load right now.
He's busy.
He was asked yesterday to serve as the President of the Elder's Quorum. Holy Cow! That is quite a large responsibility. The Elder's Quorum is the organization for men within our church. He'll be responsible for all of them. Some who speak English, most speak spanish - but the spanish is both Chilean as well as Peruvian, which varies just slightly. We have extremely wealthy families and family in poverty. It's a varied group with drastically different needs. I know that this man of mine will be very good in this position. I know that the Lord will bless him with the ability to communicate with these people easily.
Greg is a very contemplative person. He is a problem solver but an amazing listener. Most of all, Greg is very humble. The Lord needs humble men to do His work. I have no doubt that Greg will be able to serve in this new position beautifully.
It will also be a blessing for me as I will have to get myself out there. I'll have to take some of my load back so that he can serve others. I'm ready. Spanish lessons start Tuesday and Greg is checking out cars for me tomorrow.
It's amazing how perspectives can change so very quickly. Today, I'm ready to take on the world> We'll see what tomorrow brings :)
Well, Sunday at church it all changed. I officially became the English-Speaking Seminary teacher. I will teach 4-6 high school kids about the New Testament every morning before school for about an hour.
I am excited about this new adventure. I need another project to focus my energy on and make me feel useful. Plus - I can use all the blessings I can get at this point. Our church is a volunteer-run organization. No one is paid for doing their "jobs". Not the bishop, not the english-speaking seminary teacher. This is amazing really. Blessings are better than money anyway. Blessings are universal and never cause any grief. I also think doing something because you CHOOSE to, has a different impact than doing something because you HAVE to. It puts things into a little different light.
Anyway - I am excited for this new endeavor. I worry about my lack of knowledge and my hatred of mornings... but truly, this is just what I needed and the Lord knew that.
AS FOR GREG:
He's busy. Busy - Busy. He is a sales/engineer who covers the entire world except South America. *But wait - you're living in South America* I know, I know. It doesn't make much sense. He is working here to help the people get the kinks worked out so that they can continue to grow here south of the equator. This is in addition to the areas he covers and the people he is hiring to help him cover those areas.
Add to that the fact that he now has to take care of me 100% and carry a big bulk of the load I typically bear (grocery shopping for example) and he's got quite a load right now.
He's busy.
He was asked yesterday to serve as the President of the Elder's Quorum. Holy Cow! That is quite a large responsibility. The Elder's Quorum is the organization for men within our church. He'll be responsible for all of them. Some who speak English, most speak spanish - but the spanish is both Chilean as well as Peruvian, which varies just slightly. We have extremely wealthy families and family in poverty. It's a varied group with drastically different needs. I know that this man of mine will be very good in this position. I know that the Lord will bless him with the ability to communicate with these people easily.
Greg is a very contemplative person. He is a problem solver but an amazing listener. Most of all, Greg is very humble. The Lord needs humble men to do His work. I have no doubt that Greg will be able to serve in this new position beautifully.
It will also be a blessing for me as I will have to get myself out there. I'll have to take some of my load back so that he can serve others. I'm ready. Spanish lessons start Tuesday and Greg is checking out cars for me tomorrow.
It's amazing how perspectives can change so very quickly. Today, I'm ready to take on the world> We'll see what tomorrow brings :)
A Roller-Coaster Ride to the Olympics
A roller-coaster rolls you around, flips you upside down, jerks you back and forth, and makes you scream out of sheer terror. Then it stops and you laugh and climb right back on. The same as life...
Friday brought a flooding of emotion. Frustration. Fear. Anger. Defeat. But as quickly as it came, it passed. Saturday was a bright new day.
School orientation for new students starts next week, and the kids were in dire need of haircuts (Greg, too really). So we ventured down to this cute little place within walking distance of our home. They got all three of my guys in right away and while I waited, I had them do my nails. The gal did an amazing job on the boys. I'll be honest, this was a concern of mine. Greg & Alex have such straight hair that you can often see the cut lines. Andrew's hair is so curly that people don't even know where to begin. This lady nailed all three - AND SHE SPOKE ENGLISH! *WHEW* Such a relief! One obstacle out of the way.
The boys had a stake youth activity at church; "THE OLYMPICS". They had an amazing time. I got periodic texts about the fun they were having. They couldn't stop talking about it when they got home.
Alex was amazed at how well most of these kids play ping-pong. "People say soccer is the national sport in Chile, but I think it's ping-pong." Apparently they were all really good and quite competitive.
Andrew won a gold medal for his puzzle work. They asked for 1 volunteer to complete a puzzle from each team. His team pushed him out in the front as they thought it would be some kind of a mental puzzle. It was actually a puzzle-puzzle. So he sat for the allotted amount of time and put together the puzzle. Apparently he had the biggest piece completed in the end. Thus, the gold medal for puzzle-ing. (Who knew that was an Olympic sport?)
They played soccer, volleyball, basketball, ate treats... They had a blast. Andrew said the girls were actually whistling at him. Well, I guess that's one way to communicate with a boy if you can't speak the same language.
They both had a great time. Saturday was a good day! Good thing I got back on that roller-coaster ride. I would have hated to miss out on all the fun.
Friday brought a flooding of emotion. Frustration. Fear. Anger. Defeat. But as quickly as it came, it passed. Saturday was a bright new day.
School orientation for new students starts next week, and the kids were in dire need of haircuts (Greg, too really). So we ventured down to this cute little place within walking distance of our home. They got all three of my guys in right away and while I waited, I had them do my nails. The gal did an amazing job on the boys. I'll be honest, this was a concern of mine. Greg & Alex have such straight hair that you can often see the cut lines. Andrew's hair is so curly that people don't even know where to begin. This lady nailed all three - AND SHE SPOKE ENGLISH! *WHEW* Such a relief! One obstacle out of the way.
The boys had a stake youth activity at church; "THE OLYMPICS". They had an amazing time. I got periodic texts about the fun they were having. They couldn't stop talking about it when they got home.
Alex was amazed at how well most of these kids play ping-pong. "People say soccer is the national sport in Chile, but I think it's ping-pong." Apparently they were all really good and quite competitive.
Andrew won a gold medal for his puzzle work. They asked for 1 volunteer to complete a puzzle from each team. His team pushed him out in the front as they thought it would be some kind of a mental puzzle. It was actually a puzzle-puzzle. So he sat for the allotted amount of time and put together the puzzle. Apparently he had the biggest piece completed in the end. Thus, the gold medal for puzzle-ing. (Who knew that was an Olympic sport?)
They played soccer, volleyball, basketball, ate treats... They had a blast. Andrew said the girls were actually whistling at him. Well, I guess that's one way to communicate with a boy if you can't speak the same language.
They both had a great time. Saturday was a good day! Good thing I got back on that roller-coaster ride. I would have hated to miss out on all the fun.
Friday, July 20, 2012
I'm Done.
Thats it. Just done...
The oven guy came today to "fix" the oven. Well no matter how many times I tell people that I don't speak spanish - they continue to speak to me in spanish. What else can they do? I don't think they understand how very little I speak.
I can say: 'Como estas?' I can answer with 'Muy Bien, Gracias'. I've learned that Mateo means Matthew. I kind of know how to greet people depending on the specific time of day. I know that it's either Buenos or Buenas. I know that morning is dias, afternoon is tardes, and evening is noches. I think the feminine buenas is for the afternoon and evening - but really, I'm not 100% sure.
I can say 'agua sin gas, pro favor' when I want to order water without carbonation at dinner. I know paulta is avocado and camarones are shrimp. I can say 'gracias' and even shake it up with a little 'muchas gracias'. Oh, and I've learned como - which means, please repeat.
Yep. That about sums it up. That is every single word that I know and understand.
I can pick out similar words like; perfecto (perfect), telephono (telephone)... but unless the sound resembles something I know already - forget it. I have no idea what you are saying. NONE!
I've also learned that there are many different words here. Their gracias sounds like gracia. Their buenos dias is more of a buen-di. Their words for things are different than the ones used by the Mexican people (thus used by Greg, as he learned spanish in Mexico). They also talk about 40 million miles an hour. Combine that with the dropping of the ends of the words and my lack of knowledge and you've got a recipe for disaster.
Case in point: The oven repair guy today. Right out of the gate, I tell him "No hablo espanol". *Which, by the way, I always start out by saying 'habla' which means YOU don't speak spanish instead of I don't speak and have to correct myself.* He continues to explain things to me and I smile and nod. Which is probably a mistake, because that indicates that I am following along - which I am not. The sweet man slowed down his speaking - still doesn't help. Slow or fast, I don't know the words.
So I call Greg on his cell phone. Who, by the way, I begged to be here when this guy came - but that's another story. Greg talks to him, then his cell phone drops the call. So then the guy talks to me again. *Insert more of me smiling and nodding* I call Greg back. They talk. The guy works for a little while and then calls me in to talk again. You get the idea. It was an hour of him talking to me. Me smiling and nodding, then calling Greg who talked to him and would drop the call with his crappy cell phone (in his defense, he's on his way to a mine north of here and the reception is bad).... over and over. Finally, the guy tells Greg the oven works fine. WHAT!!!!?????!!!!
This oven doesn't hold a temperature. How can that mean it's working fine. Apparently, that is just how it works. From what I can gather, you turn it on max and wait for it to reach the temperature you want. Once it reaches that temperature, you adjust the knob to that temperature. The oven will SHUT OFF until the temp drops and then turn back on to get back up to the set temp. Then repeats. Oh - and you have to make sure the timer is on. It won't work unless the timer is wound. WHAT?? Whatever.
Back to the story with the oven guy. So he puts everything back in the slot, all the while explaining to me that it is all working fine (I think that is what he was trying to tell me). Then he wants me to pay him. I am not prepared for this. I thought the property manager would be billed for this service. Apparently I owe him $10.000.00 which is about $20 USD. I don't have one single peso in this joint. Not one. Not a single coin, not a bill. I check the safe. Nope. Only US money in there. I call Greg back. He talks to the guy and says that he will bill the homeowners. The guy is still standing there and pulls out pesos and indicates that he needs money.
I call Greg back. The cell phone isn't working. I try again. And again. Finally I get through and Greg talks to him again. Eventually they agree that he will take $20 USD.
... I don't think I am cut out for this. We all have our limits and I hit mine about 3 weeks ago.
I refuse to utter the words "I want to go home". I won't speak them out loud, but they run through my mind almost every single day. Then I stop and give myself the whole pep talk, wipe my tears and forge ahead.
They say the first 2 months are the hardest. We've officially crossed over into month 2. Halfway through the hardest part. I can do it. At least I can fake like I can do it, until I finally can.
My new motto: Fake it 'till you make it, baby!
The oven guy came today to "fix" the oven. Well no matter how many times I tell people that I don't speak spanish - they continue to speak to me in spanish. What else can they do? I don't think they understand how very little I speak.
I can say: 'Como estas?' I can answer with 'Muy Bien, Gracias'. I've learned that Mateo means Matthew. I kind of know how to greet people depending on the specific time of day. I know that it's either Buenos or Buenas. I know that morning is dias, afternoon is tardes, and evening is noches. I think the feminine buenas is for the afternoon and evening - but really, I'm not 100% sure.
I can say 'agua sin gas, pro favor' when I want to order water without carbonation at dinner. I know paulta is avocado and camarones are shrimp. I can say 'gracias' and even shake it up with a little 'muchas gracias'. Oh, and I've learned como - which means, please repeat.
Yep. That about sums it up. That is every single word that I know and understand.
I can pick out similar words like; perfecto (perfect), telephono (telephone)... but unless the sound resembles something I know already - forget it. I have no idea what you are saying. NONE!
I've also learned that there are many different words here. Their gracias sounds like gracia. Their buenos dias is more of a buen-di. Their words for things are different than the ones used by the Mexican people (thus used by Greg, as he learned spanish in Mexico). They also talk about 40 million miles an hour. Combine that with the dropping of the ends of the words and my lack of knowledge and you've got a recipe for disaster.
Case in point: The oven repair guy today. Right out of the gate, I tell him "No hablo espanol". *Which, by the way, I always start out by saying 'habla' which means YOU don't speak spanish instead of I don't speak and have to correct myself.* He continues to explain things to me and I smile and nod. Which is probably a mistake, because that indicates that I am following along - which I am not. The sweet man slowed down his speaking - still doesn't help. Slow or fast, I don't know the words.
So I call Greg on his cell phone. Who, by the way, I begged to be here when this guy came - but that's another story. Greg talks to him, then his cell phone drops the call. So then the guy talks to me again. *Insert more of me smiling and nodding* I call Greg back. They talk. The guy works for a little while and then calls me in to talk again. You get the idea. It was an hour of him talking to me. Me smiling and nodding, then calling Greg who talked to him and would drop the call with his crappy cell phone (in his defense, he's on his way to a mine north of here and the reception is bad).... over and over. Finally, the guy tells Greg the oven works fine. WHAT!!!!?????!!!!
This oven doesn't hold a temperature. How can that mean it's working fine. Apparently, that is just how it works. From what I can gather, you turn it on max and wait for it to reach the temperature you want. Once it reaches that temperature, you adjust the knob to that temperature. The oven will SHUT OFF until the temp drops and then turn back on to get back up to the set temp. Then repeats. Oh - and you have to make sure the timer is on. It won't work unless the timer is wound. WHAT?? Whatever.
Back to the story with the oven guy. So he puts everything back in the slot, all the while explaining to me that it is all working fine (I think that is what he was trying to tell me). Then he wants me to pay him. I am not prepared for this. I thought the property manager would be billed for this service. Apparently I owe him $10.000.00 which is about $20 USD. I don't have one single peso in this joint. Not one. Not a single coin, not a bill. I check the safe. Nope. Only US money in there. I call Greg back. He talks to the guy and says that he will bill the homeowners. The guy is still standing there and pulls out pesos and indicates that he needs money.
I call Greg back. The cell phone isn't working. I try again. And again. Finally I get through and Greg talks to him again. Eventually they agree that he will take $20 USD.
... I don't think I am cut out for this. We all have our limits and I hit mine about 3 weeks ago.
I refuse to utter the words "I want to go home". I won't speak them out loud, but they run through my mind almost every single day. Then I stop and give myself the whole pep talk, wipe my tears and forge ahead.
They say the first 2 months are the hardest. We've officially crossed over into month 2. Halfway through the hardest part. I can do it. At least I can fake like I can do it, until I finally can.
My new motto: Fake it 'till you make it, baby!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
It's Kool-Aid Time!!!
We found a strange little store next to the Pizza Hut that sells random things. It does have a few US items, so we had to stop in yesterday.
The had Banana Split Pop Tarts for $8USD a box. We didn't even ask about the price for the Costco sized boxes of Rice Krispy Treats or Mtn Dew. We ended up with a large can of Kool-Aid.
Guess how much we paid for that sucker? Go on, guess....
What did you guess? $10USD? $15USD? Nope. $20USD. Yep $20 buckeroos for one can of Kool-Aid. Crazy I tell you!
On the flip side, I paid only $6USD for this entire bag of oranges:
Thank goodness Greg was able to take apart the juicer and fix the short in the wiring. I am NOT juicing them by hand. (Another reason why I keep him around.)
The had Banana Split Pop Tarts for $8USD a box. We didn't even ask about the price for the Costco sized boxes of Rice Krispy Treats or Mtn Dew. We ended up with a large can of Kool-Aid.
Guess how much we paid for that sucker? Go on, guess....
What did you guess? $10USD? $15USD? Nope. $20USD. Yep $20 buckeroos for one can of Kool-Aid. Crazy I tell you!
On the flip side, I paid only $6USD for this entire bag of oranges:
Thank goodness Greg was able to take apart the juicer and fix the short in the wiring. I am NOT juicing them by hand. (Another reason why I keep him around.)
Dia de la Virgen del Carmen (Our Lady of Mont Carmel)
We spent the holiday on the beach in Zapallar.
It is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Santiago. There are other amazing beaches closer but we heard this one was much more private and our friends were there!
Roberto and Ignacia lived in the US for about 3 months this past December-February and we were able to get to know them a little better. They have 4 kids ranging in age from a college sophomore to a 14 year old that is only a couple of days younger than my Alex. They are great people and I truly enjoy Ignacia. She took an english language class at ASU while in Arizona and her english is very good, which is a relief for me. I really like her, so it was an enjoyable afternoon with friends.
We took the scenic way out and the drive was beautiful:
One of the tunnels is a full 8-10 minutes long. It was a little intimidating. It was also about $8USD to go through it. But it's better than 1/2 hour of switch backs.
We passed lots of agriculture along the way. Tons of flowers and avocado:
The rows of trees along on the side of the mountain are avocado trees:
When we finally caught a glimpse of the water - I was in heaven. It was absolutely beautiful. Just south of Zapallar, we drove around Cachagua for a quick little look-see. This is the town where you can take a boat out and around a little island that has penguins. We will plan to do that adventure very soon.
Zapallar has a main landmark called "One Tree Hill". It separates two main areas. A beautiful rocky area full of tide pools and an unbelievable sandy beach.
There is such beauty in both extreme landscapes. The rocks were stunning.
There was a stone pathway that allowed for an easy stroll along the beach.
The kids enjoyed exploring the tide pools.
The tide was coming in and we told the boys to be careful. They didn't believe us and almost got wet. The "WOAH! Mom, did you see that?" expression on Andrew's face cracks me up.
We headed to the northern side of "One Tree Hill" and met Roberto for a stroll along the sandy beach. The stone pathway continues on here. It stretches for about 5 kilometers along the water in Zapallar.
The water here is turquoise blue like in the Caribbean but it is surrounded by mountains like the beaches in Oregon. A perfect combination!
We walked along the pathway and eventually up to Roberto and Ignacia's vacation home for appetizers before our lunch reservation at 2:30. They served wine, (Sprite for us) and delicious cheeses and crackers. They served this smoked salmon/cream cheese roll that was to die for! I'll have to get that recipe from their nana.
Their home has a stunning view of the beach. They said that on New Year's Eve there is a fireworks show on the beach and they have an amazing view from their patio.
We went to a lovely little seafood place on the water for lunch. Nicolas (the CFO for the company down here) and his wife joined us. They have a place in Zapallar as well. In fact we saw this statue with Nicolas' family name on it. Apparently his great-grandfather was one of the first mayors or something.
We are exploring the option of spending Christmas here. There is only one hotel with few rooms, but we hope to find a home to rent. Years ago, one man owned all this land. He gave it away to his friends with the understanding that they were to build homes on their part. Many took him up on his offer and the homes have remained in the families for generations. This gives a very family feel to the area. Everyone here has been friends for years and years. It also keeps it very exclusive and private. Finding a rental will be a challenge, but Roberto has offered to help.
We sat on the beach until sunset and then headed back home.
On the way home we stopped at one of the roadside stands for some fresh produce. We bought some clementines that are out-of-this-world, lemons, avocados (of course) and a large bag of oranges for juicing. It was a perfect day!
It is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Santiago. There are other amazing beaches closer but we heard this one was much more private and our friends were there!
Roberto and Ignacia lived in the US for about 3 months this past December-February and we were able to get to know them a little better. They have 4 kids ranging in age from a college sophomore to a 14 year old that is only a couple of days younger than my Alex. They are great people and I truly enjoy Ignacia. She took an english language class at ASU while in Arizona and her english is very good, which is a relief for me. I really like her, so it was an enjoyable afternoon with friends.
We took the scenic way out and the drive was beautiful:
One of the tunnels is a full 8-10 minutes long. It was a little intimidating. It was also about $8USD to go through it. But it's better than 1/2 hour of switch backs.
We passed lots of agriculture along the way. Tons of flowers and avocado:
The rows of trees along on the side of the mountain are avocado trees:
When we finally caught a glimpse of the water - I was in heaven. It was absolutely beautiful. Just south of Zapallar, we drove around Cachagua for a quick little look-see. This is the town where you can take a boat out and around a little island that has penguins. We will plan to do that adventure very soon.
Zapallar has a main landmark called "One Tree Hill". It separates two main areas. A beautiful rocky area full of tide pools and an unbelievable sandy beach.
There is such beauty in both extreme landscapes. The rocks were stunning.
There was a stone pathway that allowed for an easy stroll along the beach.
The kids enjoyed exploring the tide pools.
The tide was coming in and we told the boys to be careful. They didn't believe us and almost got wet. The "WOAH! Mom, did you see that?" expression on Andrew's face cracks me up.
We headed to the northern side of "One Tree Hill" and met Roberto for a stroll along the sandy beach. The stone pathway continues on here. It stretches for about 5 kilometers along the water in Zapallar.
The water here is turquoise blue like in the Caribbean but it is surrounded by mountains like the beaches in Oregon. A perfect combination!
We walked along the pathway and eventually up to Roberto and Ignacia's vacation home for appetizers before our lunch reservation at 2:30. They served wine, (Sprite for us) and delicious cheeses and crackers. They served this smoked salmon/cream cheese roll that was to die for! I'll have to get that recipe from their nana.
Their home has a stunning view of the beach. They said that on New Year's Eve there is a fireworks show on the beach and they have an amazing view from their patio.
We went to a lovely little seafood place on the water for lunch. Nicolas (the CFO for the company down here) and his wife joined us. They have a place in Zapallar as well. In fact we saw this statue with Nicolas' family name on it. Apparently his great-grandfather was one of the first mayors or something.
We are exploring the option of spending Christmas here. There is only one hotel with few rooms, but we hope to find a home to rent. Years ago, one man owned all this land. He gave it away to his friends with the understanding that they were to build homes on their part. Many took him up on his offer and the homes have remained in the families for generations. This gives a very family feel to the area. Everyone here has been friends for years and years. It also keeps it very exclusive and private. Finding a rental will be a challenge, but Roberto has offered to help.
We sat on the beach until sunset and then headed back home.
On the way home we stopped at one of the roadside stands for some fresh produce. We bought some clementines that are out-of-this-world, lemons, avocados (of course) and a large bag of oranges for juicing. It was a perfect day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)