Upside Down in Chile

Many Things feel upside down to me in Chile. We are now living a life at the bottom of the world - south of the Equator - when I have lived my entire life north of the equator. I was an Autumn girl, born in October, which I've always believed affected aspects of my temperament and personality - a certain wistfulness and introspection beneath the showy parts.

     Well here, October comes smack in the middle of Spring, with all its bursting out and hopefulness. So who am I? Here we are, headed for summer and hot weather, which will be hitting us about Christmas time. None of my crocheted scarves for presents. I may have to attempt the crocheted bikini I saw in the window of the yarn shop. Attempt to make it, that is, not wear it.
   
Then there is the matter of where Chile is located on the planet. We are two ours ahead of North Carolina, which means it lies on the west coast of South America, but EAST of North Carolina. That disoriented me for a while! And you go south for cooler weather. The heat is in the north.

One morning, I was drinking my coffee, when "Mother in Law" by Mr. Ernie K Doe came on the radio. "This is improbable," I thought. Ernie K Doe in Chile? Thankfully that had not been dubbed into Spanish! Chileans are crazy about old US rock and roll, and you hear it everywhere! I try hard to avoid the 80s fanatics.

Ok, to wind this up, I seem to have grown taller in Chile! Fewer people are taller than I am, and G-man is taller still, towering over most people! I still come out on the short side next to the women who wear those mile-high platform shores, which are the rage here. Oh, have I said that other than a couple of Mormons, we are the only Gringos in San Fernando? We are different alright, and something of a phenomenon as we stroll through the market.

Adios! Trying to right myself in Chile.

 Oh, in writing Spanish, you put your question mark and exclamation point upside down at the beginning of a sentence in addition to right-side-up at the end. What's that all about?

I Take my Coffee with a Side of Novacane

We were in Santiago last week, a city of about 7 million people, crowded, busy, but still very Chilean with their unfailing good humor and politeness ... friendly greetings in the elevator, people stopping to help when you are standing at the corner looking puzzled. And everyone in shops and everywhere wishing us " Que le viya bien", which is a kind of blessing on your leaving - Enjoy yourself, have a good time kind of translates it. Just in case you think this is a kind of Utopia, I will say those good feelings all but disappear when they get in their cars!! I would not drive here. Pedestrians do have the right of way, unlike some countries I have visited, but that right is observed somewhat grudgingly, and they always drive like their house is on fire! While in Santiago, G-man arranged to have some dental work done and I tagged along. Dr. Strauss' office was plush to say the least. We arrived to find him engaged in friendly conversation with a couple in the waiting room. "Personal friends, I thought. Not so, for soon it was our turn. He had previously met G, so he greeted me warmly, inquired about my health, and so forth. "Quires un cafe?" he asked. It was so unusual that I didn't understand at first. "Would you like a coffee?" he repeated in English. "It's real coffee." In a country that runs on Nescafé and tea, this kind offer was a no brainer for me. Soon one of his assistants served me a fine espresso with steamed milk in a China cup and saucer on a little tray. "Do you need anything else, is the temperature comfortable, would you like the TV turned on?" I was there long enough to see all visitors warmly greeted and royally treated. G-man says that in the procedure room, they were gowned and masked like the OR, and the preparation of a sterile field was elaborate. The whole experience left a wonderful impression on us. I'm working on my philosophy of travel, it is of course a work in process. I have noticed , of course, a tendency in myself to gravitate toward the familiar - things that seem the same, or like home. It's natural to safety-seek as a default mechanism. I think to fully experience this adventure, I need to shed that skin and try to embrace (ok, test the waters,at least) things that are different. Sometimes they are better. Sometimes not so good - Mote, a dessert consisting of wheat nuggets swimming in juice with a reconstituted dried peach. And I will say absolutely that Nescafé will never make an adequate substitute for my morning coffee, and Yerba Mate? That's just nasty.

Sandi at Large

I think this post will be more about me than about Chili.  Yesterday we traved to Vina del Mar,  pretty city on the coast. Our travel involved two bus trips with a change in  the Bus Station in Santiago.  The buses in Chile are really nice, better than our old Grayhounds, but the bus stations are kind of not so great.
The stations are very crowded, confusing, and kind of dirty. Bus travel is the primary means of transportation for most people here, and it feels like everyone is traveling at the same time.

Buses for the small towns and large leave throughout the day, and you buy a ticket, go outside and find the bus, and wait for the bus to leave. In Latin America, all buses leave in about 10 minutes, which in some countries mean, when the bus is full. I will say the buses in Chile leave pretty much on time.

There are agents standing by the buses who call out in carnival style  to say where the buses are going, and to encourage you to take their bus. Aire accondtionado is a big draw. You can pay there by the bus or after you have boarded. One woman boarded the bus as it was  leaving the station, then asked us whete the bus was Going. "Santiago,"  we said. She appeared satisfied and sat down.

Well. Anyhow, when faced with one of these trips, I an always filled with excitement for what I will see and apprehension about all the things wre won't exactly know until we get thete.

"I can't do this," is my go-to thought in such sotuations. My need to plan and arrange things into organized and familiar units, is a hindrance here. At such times I have to give my shoulders a proverbial shake, and remind myself that all is well in this moment and all will be well in the next moments to come, however unanticipated.

     Yesterday, I found myself feeling this way when G-man hurried off  in the Santiago bus station to buy tickets for the next leg  of the trip, As I stood there guarding the baggage, fully prepared with water bottle in hand, I experienced a new way of looking at myself. I felt sturdy, able to face new thigs and adapt. It was a fairly new feeling for me, and I liked it. So what if he didn't come back. I know how to say, in Spanish, "help, my husband is lost!" That and "Donde esta el bano?" Will take you far.

There's no Midnight Buffet, but ......

G-man and I are not luxury travelers: no resorts are expecting our arrival with rum punch in hand. We have our moments though, and it is the enexpected warm encounters that knock my socks off about travel. For example, you only have to open your mouth here to be asked where you are from and are thus launched into a warm, happy conversation. We wandered into a pet food store, looking for birdseed, unsuccessfully, but had a great visit with a young man and his 11 yr-old dachshund, LuLu. Before we wandered back out, he wanted to give us a free gift of a tarot reading. I now know that I have a bright future, and Gerry learned the name of our next president. Either that, or he will be meeting an interesting woman, and I didn't quite get the translation. Que sera!
  Today's outing led us to meet a nice woman working in a gift shop. Before we left, she kissed us good-bye, and all but invited us home. What a lovely person!
   Chileans always do the kiss on the cheek thing, tho guys just hug and slap each other on the back. This occurs even if you meet and part several times a day.
    We are also having fun shopping for a mop and other necessary tho mundane items. It's kind of an adventure.
    On a separate note, if you ever celebrate your birthday in San Fernando, I strongly recommend a slice of chocolate torte and a cappuccino at Cafe Roma!
   Ciao! Que  le via bien!  I promise to do something more exciting soon!

Under Blue Skies

Hurrah, we are safely. Arrived in San Fernando, a medium size town about two hours south of Santiago. It's early spring here, chilly nights and mornings, with pleasant and sunny days. This resembles so much the big agricultural area in Southern California, and the climate is the same. 

We have a cute little townhouse in walking distance of the town center, and across the street from a huge, twice- weekly farmers' and flea market. The varieties and low prices of produce here are unbelievable. There are many super markets and a shiny new mall, but real life takes place in the countless little shops and businesses that you might not think to go into. We are fortunate that our friend and landlord, Nicholas is an excellent and willing guide. He knows everyone.

I am trying to talk with people a bit but my limited Spanish is very limiting, and I often feel kind of dumb, but I'm working on it. Paula, the wife of Nicholas, is taking me to her English class tonight in hopes that I can learn something in reverse and possibly find a Spanish tutor. The free classes are offered by the Mormons, so I had better not agree to anything in Spanish.

   We will be traveling around in the future, but right now we are adjusting and learning and opening our eyes. We feel very safe here and well-befriended!

And the Question is ....

Twelve days until we leave for Chile. I've had a lot of questions about this trip, and not just my own. They go something like this: Say where? You mean South America? Are you going on a mission trip? Why are you staying so long? And the big question is: Are you looking for a place to move if Trump wins the election? You probably would not be surprised how often I'm asked that question. 

The answers are: Yes, the Chile that lies along the southwest coast of South America. Yes, it is a very long way. No we are not going on a mission trip. We are going to visit, tour, and learn about a beautiful, fascinating country with warm, hospitable people. We are staying so long to have time to really see the country; to step over into Argentina for the wine country tours; and to see what it would be like to live in a foreign country for a while.

As for the big question, well, maybe. We would be more inclined to choose another country to live in if Donald Trump were to become President of our country, but our curiosity about another place to live is not limited by whether or not he wins.

Our interest in another place to live has to do with the climate of hatred, bigotry, and gun violence that has taken over our country. That we have become a people who would for one second take Donald Trump seriously, says to me that this is not the America I know and love. I do not think these issues will disappear, regardless of the outcome of this painful election. We have more guns than people in this country. People are arming to the teeth for some kind of armageddon that I don't understand.

In Chile, as in many other countries, it is very difficult to get a gun. Most all of the gun owners are hunters who own hunting guns. It is not an indicator of patriotism to own a gun in Chile. 

I'm not going to live much longer. I would like to live the remainder of my life in peace. The fact that I see people in public places wearing guns on their hips nauseates me and terrifies me.

Would I like to get away from this mentality of divisiveness and violence? You bet. Is Chile the place? I really don't know, but it will be fun to see what it is like, and to live, if for only three months, in a place where I don't expect gunfire to interrupt the everyday process of living, and where I won't have to pray every day that the 5 and 6 year-old children I work with in school, won't be mowed down today by an AK-47.

So, I guess, we are thinking of moving. I wish it weren't so.

OK, here comes the windup to the big trip. We are going to Chile for three months. We leave in one month and 16 days. I have that much time to get ready.  How do I even do that? I've never gone anywhere for three months, and I don't even know what to put on the to-do list.

I'm excited; anxious, curious, and woefully inadequate in Spanish. Fortunately, Gerry, has traveled more than I have; speaks Spanish very well; and he has visited Chile. He should be able to fill in for my cluelessness, but then he wears a t-shirt and shorts or jeans every day of his life. Me, oh yeah, I'm worried about what to wear. 

I'm also quite concerned about my birthday. My birthday is in late October, and we will be in Chile. The problem is that it will be spring there. I am strictly an autumn girl, and I can't think what it might be like to have been born in spring at the bottom of the globe. Will it still be me? I think I'm getting a bit off-track here.

What will we do for three months? Another area of concern. We are renting a small apartment in San Fernando, which belongs to friends G. met previously. It is going to be fun to see what it would like to live in a foreign country. We also plan to travel around in Chile and to at least see the Wine Country in Argentina. I'd like to study Spanish while I'm there, and everything else is to be discovered.

I'm writing now to get this blog started,to elicit followers to this blog, and to say that the link to the blog will also be posted on Facebook. I hope to have photos to share as well. I'm also accepting suggestions to put on my to-do list! (Uh, oh, could be a mistake.)

Enough for now. Next stop Chile. Can you believe we are flying to Toronto to fly to Chile? Me either.