The Buzz on Abby

¡Mi Misión!

2010-02-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

This blog was initially intended for Chile-only related posts. But, since Chile cemented my desire to serve a mission, I suppose this is entirely appropriate. In the months since my return to the States, I’ve submitted my papers and received my mission call. And so (drum roll please), I report to the Provo MTC on June 23 to begin my 18-month mission for the Norway Oslo Mission. That’s right. NORWAY. No joke.

My feelings on this? I think surprised sums it up pretty well. But, I love it. Honest. I’m so excited and I feel good about it. But, Spanish was no cakewalk, so I must admit that I’m terribly nervous about this Norwegian language business. I don’t know how to count to ten, or how to say “hello,” or even how to say “Jesus Christ” in Norwegian, but I do know the Lord qualifies those He calls. Entonces, me voy a Noruega. Woop-yeah!

Right: Eli and I with my call. Surprised faces all around. Left: The "Where in the WORLD is Sister Stevens Serving?" guess poster. (Pun off of "Where in the WORLD is Carmen San Diego, and a sweet alliteration if you ask me.) The closest anyone got was Germany, and when I initially saw that guess I thought to myself, "you jerk! Don't write anything in Europe!"

There and back again

2009-12-14T13:22:00.001-08:00

The day I've been both looking forward to and dreading finally arrived: my return date. So many emotions crammed into one day. Opposition in all things, right? I'm just glad I got to say all my goodbyes and enjoy one last day in the Chilean sun with friends y familia.

'Twas my last Sunday as the Agua Santa Ward Pianista. This is also the ONLY picture I have with the entire family. Entonces, esta foto es tan precioso.

Fun in the sun with my ham hermanita Dania. Que tierna!

Las tres amigas para siempre.

Waiting in the Santiago Airport to leave Chile. It was a good time to reflect and think on my experience. At this point I wasn't too excited to leave.

I have a proclamation for the world: Air Canada is the best airline! It's by far my fav, largely because of the personal TVs. These TVs include FREE music, movies and TV. They help the ten hour flight go by much faster.

It was such a blessing to be on the same flight to Toronto, Canada with a fellow UVM student, Lauren. We got to sit next to each other and we watched "UP." The movie was perfect closer to our time in South America as well as a great pep talk for our next big adventures. But regardless of future adventures or no, ten hours on a plane gets pretty long (left: before; right: after)

But of course, the layover and 14 hours on a plane were definitely worth it in the end. My wonderful dad picked me up at DIA and I must say, it feels good to be back.

So it begins: the goodbyes

2009-12-12T17:29:00.001-08:00

Mi familia Chilena held a last Noche de Hogar tonight that included all my favorite things to do with the fam; singing, spiritual lesson, and games. Oh my, more than anything I KNOW I will miss Noche de Hogar. A lot. Tonight mi familia presented me with going away/Christmas presents. I got a heart-shaped Chile pin and a Chile apron that I'll most certainly wear every time I make pan.

Jaja, I love this candid shot. I also loved it when mi papa said, "okay, picture with my daughters." :)

Giselle

2009-12-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

I love mi familia Chilena. In this particular post I want to feature Miss Giselle. She is such a sweetheart. Seriously, imagine a strange, awkward foreign student coming to live at your house. She takes over your room (I didn't know), and she is a bit of a bathroom hog (I'm working on it!). But all this doesn't even seem to phase her. With all the goodness in her heart Giselle still loves me and takes the time to have meaningful conversations with me. But if there is any one quality I've noticed from Giselle it is patience. She is patient like you wouldn't believe. It's not easy to explain something to me, but she never get frustrated or annoyed. Three cheers for Giselle!

Hermanas para simpre

Brush with fame

2009-12-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago I was walking through downtown Vina with Giselle. We saw a huge group of people gathered and camera flashes going off. Of course we had to investigate. I saw people taking turns getting pictures with a man and a woman in the middle. Giselle told me that the man ran for the Chilean Senate the last term, and his daughter-in-law was a famous TV Anchor. I handed Giselle my camera and asked her to take my picture with the pair since I didn't want to pay for the Polaroid print.

So here I am jumping up and down not only being an ugly American, but an obnoxious one at that. After this picture a man running the operation kindly pushed me forward to be with the celebrities...

...I learned a couple things after this picture was taken. One: the Polorid was free. I didn't have to tell everyone to look over towards Giselle taking the picture. Two: the man in the red jacket wasn't just being annoying, HE's the famous one, not they guy in the blue. JA! Too funny!

One more thought: Chileans are positively shameless in their political advertising! Elections for both the Senate and new President are this Sunday, the 13th (the same day I leave). I need to get some better photos, but this will do for now.

Mira! Look at all those signs! Who honestly wants to see their face that big every three feet?

Not only are the signs huge and everywhere, but they're also cheesy-lame like you wouldn't believe. These would not fly in the States.

Remember my photo with the former Senator-candidate Lavin? Well it turns out he's back this year, and someone told him that the jacket over the shoulder (which he has in all his pics) was a crowd-pleaser. Mentiroso!

La Campana

2009-12-08T18:44:00.000-08:00

I distinctly remember the first time I really perked up at church. I believe it was my second Sunday in my ward and I was in an interview with the Ward's First Counselor, Esteban Gonzalez. He asked me if I liked hiking. He might as well have asked me if I liked hard-blue skies or chocolate. YES. In fact, I love hiking. He told me that he would organize a group to climb el cerro (hill) La Campana at the end of the year. I told him to count me in. And so, the hike I've been looking forward to my entire time in Chile finally happened today.

Here's a couple things I learned about La Campana. It's called a hill, but I must tell you that that beast is not a hill, it's a mountain. Also, hikes can be hard! Multiple people told me multiple times that La Campana was a difficult, all day hike. Strangely enough I would get more and more excited when they told me these things. That thrill left me about 15 minutes into the hike. Yao! It was HARD! Really hard, straight up the entire 4 hours...but I loved it. As Megan O'Brian would say, "it hurt so good."

Our group of six met up at 6:30 this morning (6:50 Latin Time) to take a Micro a La Campana. Pictured above: yo, la Giselle, y el Esteban.

My first time wearing Chacos on a real hike. I can't remember the last time my feet and legs have been so dirty. They Chileans thought I was crazy, and I had to give up trying to explain how cool the shoes are when I started to get some hot spots (which of course I didn't mention because I wanted them think Chacos are flawless).

Por fin, la cima (summit)!

Sights from the top. Check out the snow-covered mountains in the background.

The crew (left to right): Niko, Esteban, Kevin, Yerko, y la Giselle

La Campana. We went all the way to the top. WHO-RAH!

Finished the day with completos (Chilean hot dog with all the good stuff). Have I mentioned lately how much I love my life?

Splits with the Sisters

2009-12-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I finally worked out a time I could go on Splits with the Sister Missionaries. One of the Sisters was sick and I went out with her companion so she could get some rest. May I please explain why this is so cool? We set it all up via phone conversations (meaning I can talk on the phone in Spanish), I figured out which Micro to take to get to a town I'd never heard of (Quintero, about an hour away), and then I did as Sister Missionaries do for almost five hours. If that's not progress from four months ago I don't know what is. Okay, well, don't think my Spanish is bomb, but it was fun to help out and get a taste of the Missionary work in Chile.

Mi nueva amiga, Hermana Rivera de Honduras

It's go time

2009-12-04T05:42:00.000-08:00

I used to think the crosswalk "go" lights **honest to goodness I've forgotten what they're called** looked really funny. I would just laugh inside every time I saw them. Now for the life of me I can't think of anything strange about them. Time does something to ya.

Hobbiton Habbitations

2009-12-04T05:08:00.000-08:00

I have a bit of a fetish with the doors and vibrant colored houses in Vina. When I first arrived here I was constantly reminded of "The Hobbit" because so many of the doors have a knob right in the middle. But ye be warned: the knob does not actually turn and open the door; it's purely there for show. Take a look at some of my favs (doors and houses).

Southern Chile

2009-11-30T06:10:00.000-08:00

It's a well known fact to Chileans that Southern Chile is beautiful. It's not a well known fact to everyone else. But now that I know I'll share it with the world. Southern Chile is incredible!!! I wish I had more time to go into detail, but the pictures will have to suffice for now.

Bike ride in the rain

Penguins on Chiloe Island
(which turned out as tiny white dots in the pictures)

Trekking

Saltos Rio Petrohue

Canopy

Volcanoes - the one pictured is Osorno

Another bike ride in the sun

Sights in Puerto Varas

Lovely (of sorts) bus ride back to Vina

Cuatro Meses Dia

2009-11-29T18:52:00.001-08:00

Who am I and what happened to the Abby from four months ago?
Oh where to start...
This was a great month. Here's a list that just touches on a some highlights:

played for the Primary Program. One sentence does not accurately convey how big it was to me.
trip to Mendoza, Argentina = paragliding
truly realized just how valuable my diary is to me
classes finished (**I think. I missed a week and I have no idea what's what anymore**)
Mom came to visit
I gave a talk in my ward, in SPANISH! :)
Southern Chile, tan lindo
played a special musical number on the violin in my ward

In short, I'm living the good life.

Family: isn't it about time?

2009-11-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

My mom came down to visit me en Chile for eight fun-filled days. She served her mission in Concepcion 30 years ago so Spanish is not a problem for her. Glad that makes one of us. It was so good to see her and I enjoyed showing off Vina like a pro (and I also really liked how she was my fall back translator). We traveled down to Southern Chile and I was amazed by the beauty of Region X. Picture this: Ireland-like rolling green hills, huge lakes, and gigantic mountains/volcanoes. Simply breathtaking. I would often stop and try to take in all the beauty and I seriously felt like my heart could just sing because I loved it so much.

Me & Mom in front of Vina's icon: el reloj de flores (flower watch).

**Pictures of Southern Chile are on the way...they're all on mom's camera! Pucha!**

Mi Grupo, 3B

2009-11-21T15:56:00.001-08:00

The international students at the University of Vina del Mar are placed into groups of about 5-7 students for small class sizes and such, and I ended up in group 3B. I love the girls in my group. They all have incredible Spanish and are super simpática.

Left to right: me, Linda 2 (Lindsey Phelps), Linda 1 (Lindsey Smith), Gillian, y la Renata. And I don't think I should reveal how long it took to get this picture...yea 3B!

Shouldn't give that one out...

2009-11-19T10:39:00.000-08:00

The other day I was trying to remember what my cell phone number was. I was racking my brain for the digits when some familiar numbers came to mind. It wasn't until after I said them that I realized I was reciting my social security number and not my cell number. Ha!

Mendoza

2009-11-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

I traveled over to Mendoza, Argentina a couple days this last week with eight other international students from UVM (Universidad de Vina del Mar). It was a short, two day and one night trip that was rather relaxed, but still fun.

The most I probably have to talk about are the bus rides. Uuuuuuugh. Both times we left at 10 p.m. which sounds like a good idea on paper: "leave at 10 p.m. and arrive at about 8 a.m. refreshed and ready for the day." Ha! I forgot to take into account crossing the boarder and going through customs and such at about 2:30 a.m. Not my fav. But, I did have some things I really loved about my bus experience...like my face mask for my eyes, the Presidents of the Church lectures on my iPod, and staring at the stars when the rest of the world seems to be sleeping. Priceless.

This picture was taken before we even started to move. This face only got better as you can imagine.

Plaza Independencia

Meet Alfie: the Hostel dog. I was struck with puppy love.

Seven of our group decided to go paragliding. A-ma-zing. It wasn't quite the adrenaline rush I was expecting, but I definitely enjoyed it all the same.

Life is wonderful.

Truly, we are blessed

2009-11-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

A woman in the ward gave this puzzle of the Plan of Salvation to Alina at her baptism. (Please click on it to see a larger image.) I love it. One time in Seminary Sister Knowles drew unlabeled circles and a few lines on the board and asked the class what it was. We all told her it was the Plan of Salvation; Premortal Existence, the Veil, Mortality, Death, Spirit Paradise or Prison, Resurrection, Judgment, and the Three Degrees of Glory. Nothing was labeled. It was just circles and lines on the chalkboard. But a group of high school kids knew the answers to questions people have been asking forever. Yes, I really do love how Alina's present reminds me how valuable our knowledge is.

CareFULL please

2009-11-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

I know I say the darnest things in Spanish (okay, okay, English too), but Chilean translations into English make their fair share of mistakes as well. I can't even begin to tell you how many translations I've seen that just make me cringe. Some are downright awful, and some are just too funny to pass without a photo. I'll share just a few examples.

Yeah, I know this translation is fine. I just thought it was funny because it's so obvious. I'm glad they took the time to explain to gringos that the magnets are "for your fridge."

This badboy is hanging in el Congreso (Congress Building). Instead of turning my phone off next time, I'd rather just grab the fire extinguisher and douse it.

I think this one's my fav. Please be full of care as you exit.

I let the bedbugs bite

2009-10-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

Itchy...so itchy...can't. stop. itching!
I have more than thirty bites on my body. They're on my feet, legs, stomach, arms, hands, fingers, and I even had a bite IN my ear. I knoooow. Okay, they're really not that bad, kinda like mosquito bites, but all the same, they're so iiiiiiiiitchy!

P.S. Chile is not a third world country and I living in a really nice area. I just have a knack for getting bugs bites.

Tres Meses Dia

2009-10-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

Whoa. This one went by FAST! Lots of good things happening down here, allow me to list just a few things I will remember from month three.

watching General Conference in Spanish
practicing about seven hours a week for the blessed upcoming Primary Program
Santiago with Holli and Emily
singing "Haven't Met You Yet" just about everywhere I go
hitting up the beach more and working on my tan (Mom, you didn't read that)
horseback riding
Alina's Baptism and Birthday party
Bomba (fire-station) tour

Truly I am blessed to be in Chile. I am learning so many valuable lessons and experiences so many incredible things in this far away land.

Bienvenidos a Sala Mapuche! This is the room where I spend about 98% of my class-time. Pictured above is my Grammer class con la Holli y la Gillian. Wee. Everyone say, "tres meses!"

Baptism: a time to celebrate

2009-10-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

October 20th was Alina's eight birthday, and she and her cousin Alejandra were baptized yesterday, October 24th. It has been years since I've attended a baptism and I loved it. I won't go into detail, but I do want to say that there was a wonderful spirit present.

Make a wish!

We celebrated Alina's Birthday with all her friends and family at the Chapel directly after the baptism. Mi madre is incredible. She baked so, SO many goods for this fiesta. She started baking on Wednesday and the baptism and party were on Saturday. I felt like my house was a Pasteleria. This picture doesn't even begin to convey how many sweets there were (most of which were Ukrainian). It's missing the cakes, fruit, and finishing touch of cream or powdered sugar.

These bad boys are filled with manjar. Positively sinful. Mom, Matt, you know what I'm talking about.

Congreso

2009-10-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

I toured the Congress building in Valpariso last Friday with UVM. I don't have much to say about it other than I enjoyed the architecture.

The group.

I thought these doors were neat.

This makes my bones stronger?

2009-10-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Things are different here. Language, smells, gestures, driving, and yes, even the milk is different. For starters, it tastes a little thin...and milk comes in a box. Yes, a box. What gets me is that it's not refrigerated until after it's opened. Mi familia buys about eight boxes of milk at a time, and when one runs out they just grab a new one from under the cupboard. And today was the first time I've ever noticed the expiration dates on the milk. Today is October 19, and the both chocolate and white milk expire in MARCH 2010. Wha!?! Ja, en serio. I don't think that's normal. I usually don't even drink milk, but mi padre noticed this and made me promise to drink a little milk every day so I don't have flacan (skinny) children. Humm. Let's just say that I'll be keeping it at a minimum.

Read it and weep. Chocolate milk: March 2, 2010. While milk: March 28, 2010. Oh my. I'm just not going to think about it too much...

Back in the Saddle Again

2009-10-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

On Friday I went horseback riding with the University on the beach. Yeah, totally bomb. It was seriously one of my favorite things I've done here. Because of Badger Creek, I was the most experienced rider there and it took me down "horse wrangler/workshop lane." The instructors didn't do anything beyond stick us on a horse and lead, so I enjoyed teaching people how to hold the reins and steer. It felt so, SO good to excel at something besides washing the dishes. And can I just say that their rules (or lack thereof) made Badger look super paranoid. Helmets: no. Particular horse order: nah. Running: sure. Galloping: absolutely. I loved it. I can't think of many things that are more exhilarating than galloping through sand dunes or on the beach. Truly it was an experience I won't soon forget.

My horse Pompero. He liked to be up front and to go really fast. We got along great.

The dunes.

Bread Run

2009-10-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight mis padres had me go buy bread (at the Panadoria just down the street) mostly to practice my Spanish. It reminded me of the day I got my drivers' license and was actually excited to go buy milk for my family. I told the checkout lady "I'm an exchange student and I need to practice my Spanish." She smiled and said something I forgot. I asked her if my Spanish was "claro" y she said yes. Then I got excited and figured I should stick around and have a pleasent converstaion with the kind woman. I said something that I'm pretty sure didn't make any sense, to which she responded, "te vaya bien" (have a good day). I took that as my exit. When I got back to mi casa mi familia had me relate my bread-buying experience to them. I love how the smallest things become a story and a celebration down here!

Santiago

2009-10-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to Santiago with Holli and Emily for a couple days. It was such a nice little getaway trip complete with culture and new experiences. We went to Santa Lucia (kinda like a big garden), a Contemporary Art Museum, the Moneda, the mall, a market, a Don Quixote Ballet, and also figured out the different Bus and Metro system. The three of us had lots of good laughs and enjoyed our stay in the capitol city, rain and shine.

I had my first Hostel experience with our stay at the "Hostal Forestal." It was actually pretty nice.

Making a wish on a peso at a fountain in Santa Lucia...I believe that wish is only worth 1/200th of a penny. Pucha.

The Ballet: incredible everything. It was a gorgeous building, I was amazing by the grace of the dancers, I loved our seats (yea for being a student!), and I got just as much out of the show as everyone else (yet another universal language). Did I mention that it was beautiful?

The Moneda, which is like the equivalent of the White House.

I must explain this picture. We left Santiago on a Saturday night; a Saturday night in which there was a World Cup soccer game on. Yikes. Everything was closed and it felt like a Ghost Town without any cars on the road. There were carabineros (police) lining every street in armored buses for crowd control, and we felt a bit anxious from the sight. To make matters worse, a couple Metro Station entrances were barred shut and we didn't know how to get home without it. We managed to fine an open entrance, but the Red Line to leave was not to be found. What! After a nice lady showed where to go we glowed with satisfaction upon finding it. That feeling didn't last long. The Metro intercom announced something about Pajaritos (the Station were we going to) a couple times and made us nervous. What was going on? They made it sound really important. In the end, all they were saying was to exit on the left rather than the right. Oh boy, this is when knowing Spanish would help out a lot. Anyway, this picture is when we finally reached Pajaritos and were joyous beyond words.

Did you know...?

2009-10-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, I really felt like listening to some Pandora. My Enya Station felt like it would just hit the spot. But alas, it was not to be. This is what I saw upon entering pandora.com:

Dear Pandora Visitor,

We are deeply, deeply sorry to say that due to licensing constraints, we can no longer allow access to Pandora for listeners located outside of the U.S. We will continue to work diligently to realize the vision of a truly global Pandora, but for the time being we are required to restrict its use. We are very sad to have to do this, but there is no other alternative.

We believe that you are in Chile (your IP address appears to be 190.209.56.68)...

We share your disappointment and greatly appreciate your understanding.

Sincerely,

Tim Westergren

Founder

NOOO!!! I had no idea Pandora was strictly and American thing. Count your blessings. In the meantime I've decided that it's not so bad. I don't need to amuse myself to death.

Dia del Cine

2009-10-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

Chile has a National Movie Day where every movie at the theater costs only 1 mil (which is about $2). Brilliant. I saw Tinkerbell (this MUST be said in a Spanish accent!) with my family. It was hilarious to walk into the theater and see it full of little girls, mothers, and only three fathers. I understood a lot of the movie--more than General Conference, visuals make a huge difference--and to be honest, I liked it. (To answer your questions, Tink did travel safely to the far North, she learned to admit that sometimes she's the one at fault, she made a new friends and patched up her friendship with Terence, and she managed to created the most beautiful Moon-Stone Septor for the Fall Festival. Whew, what an amazing fairy!) Afterward we all got ice-cream cones at McDonald's and I was reminded of how special the trips to the Movie Theater were in my early years.

But I'd like to give some background on the event. In my Grammer class we started watching a movie that I discovered was rated "R," so I emailed my teacher asking to be excused from watching it. She responded saying she was surprised by my "petition" and she even lightly reprimanded me by saying it was in the syllabus I received in August. I think she believes I'm sheltering myself and that I don't understand real life. I've had this discussion with lots of people about why I don't watch movies that don't agree with my standards, and I was thinking about how difficult it would be to explain this in Spanish. But it turns out that I didn't even get the chance. I ditched class to go to the movies--Tinkerbell of all movies--with mi familia. So now I just have to laugh thinking about tomorrow. My professor will ask me why I missed class. She will tell me that the movie from class isn't that bad and it has good themes to discuss and she may try to get me to watch it. This will be the part when I tell her that I'm not sheltered, and that I missed class yesterday to go see Tinkerbell. Oh boy, too funny. Can't hardly wait...

The Universal Language

2009-10-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

I have a calling in my ward. I am the Pianist for the Agua Santa Ward in the Vina del Mar Stake. It is a blessing in so many ways. I have a purpose, I have an obtainable goal to work toward every week, and I am getting so much better at playing the Hymns.

Remember that part in Remember the Titans when Coach Denzel Washington walks onto the football field and says, "this, is my sanctuary." Well, I have a key to the Church, and when I walk into the empty Chapel to practice, I usually stop to take in the wonderful feeling and I think to myself, "this, is my sanctuary." When I go to the empty Church Building it doesn't matter that I didn't understand anything my teachers said in class, it doesn't matter that I don't use direct or indirect object pronouns correctly when I speak, I doesn't matter that I forget how to conjugate verbs properly or that I forget new vocabulary words I wrote down all of three seconds ago.

All that I have to think about is music. I don't even think in English much. I just thing about music, the glorious, wonderful, universal language that I can speak. I'm not the best pianist by any means, but I love this calling because I can feel myself improving. I can play Hymns that I struggled to get through a week ago. It's like Spanish in fast-forward. As of late, when I'm feeling really good about things--and especially when I'm not--I sing along with the Hymns (in Spanish of course). My favorite Hymn is Mas cerca, Dios, de ti. Words cannot explain how good it feels to sing my heart out in an empty Chapel. Like I said, I am blessed.

Here is the most wonderful sight to my eyes; the empty Chapel. The keyboard is the left of the window. Denzel said it best, "this, is my sanctuary."

"...and it's happy to see ya!"

2009-09-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a firm believer in celebrating the little things in life. Sometimes I have to make an effort, and sometimes there is no way I could possibly overlook it; this is one of those times. There I was, about to take a bit out of an apple, when something caught my eye. Take a look at this picture and tell if you can see it...

Ja, for serious, this apple has a natural smiley face. So cool! Move over Goldfish, you're not the only snack that smiles right back before I bite your head off.

Dos Meses Dia

2009-09-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well here I am, dos meses en Chile. Wow. Let me highlight a few events and milestones from Month Two (in no particular order).

I felt a couple minor earthquakes. I used to think it would be fun to have everything shake a little bit, but it's actually a really uncomfortable feeling.
I taught the lesson for Noche de Hogar (FHE) last week about Sabbath Observance.
I said a comment in Relief Society. Ja. I knew we were talking about Baptisms for the Dead, and I really wanted to share a thought...and I did. I even think they understood me.
I was asked to give the closing prayer for a Church activity on the spot. I nervously took the mic, and as I was speaking I made sure I said oportunidad with a round "o." I've never received hugs and high-fives after a prayer before, I felt like a million bucks.
I REALLY learned that encouragement is oxygen to the soul, but in the end it's up to me to determine how much I like Spanish and learning. Quite the battle, but I'm learning how this attitude relates to every aspect of my life.

Two down, two and a half to go. I am excited for the lessons I will learn and for my Spanish to improve even more. Here I am doing one of my favorite things, practicing hymns at church keyboard.

Like Unto Nursury

2009-09-22T15:51:00.001-07:00

Today I became an aunt! For my Cultures in Contact class I get to volunteer at a the "Hogar de Ninos." It's like a Day Care meets an Orphanage, so some of the kids live there, and some are dropped off for chunks of the day. The ages range from about 3-7 years old, and today I took them on a walk around the neighborhood with three other Tias (aunts). As cute as the little Chileans children are, they certainly can be a handful, and a sticky one at that. On our walk a lady gave each child a sucker, and I was thinking about the sticky mess before one wrapper was even opened. Oh dear.
But it was a good first day and I'm excited to know that my Spanish commands will improve drastically with my time spent with the children. And Mom, for the record, the two Spanish words I remember you saying to us growing up actually have a purpose now. I used lots of "muevete" and "sientate" today.

Dia de Independencia

2009-09-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

I got to celebrate two Independence Days this year; the 4th of July, and September 18th. This morning mi familia sang Chile's National Anthem followed by Feliz Cumpleanos and cake. It was thrilling to see the red, white and blue Chilean flags all over the town and houses (it's a law that you must have a flag on your house on Sep 18). We celebrated with about five other families at the house of a family friend. There were lots of little kids running around and some kind adults that were willing to humor me and listen to my feeble Spanish. I learned that the occupation of the man of the house we went to is President of the Family History work for the Church in Chile. Whoa. Sounds like the real McCoy to me. He travels to Salt Lake City about every year for conferences and training and he thinks the "This Is the Place" Monument is really neat.

Chileans eat SO much. They kept handing me all kinds of sausages, hot dogs, and chicken, which I learned the hard way were only appetizers. My favorite quote of the day is when a man offered me more meat and I said "no tengo hambre," to which he replied "ah, no importa." It made me laugh because that's such a Chilean attitude regarding food; just keep going.

Here is Alina with all things Chilean: torta (cake), festive napkins, flag, and of course, empanadas.

El Campo

2009-09-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

I had this entire week of of school off in celebration of Chile's Independence Day this Friday. I made plans to travel up North to San Pedro with my friends, but what I'm assuming was food poisoning made me miss that bus. Fortunatly my incredible family took me to the beautiful campo (countryside) with them to Abuela's (Grandma's) house for four days. It was wonderful. We didn't do anything spectacular, it was one of those things that was great for no particular reason. We played UNO, watched "Platera Tierra," hiked up the green hills, and made tons of empanadas for the 18th. I loved my time in el campo.

Sights en el camplo.

My special drink en el campo. Since I don't particuarly like Ecco, pop, or juice this became my "healing" drink. Abuela would go outside and clip some "menta" (mint) to put in my mug. It was kinda fun drinking something with leaves in it...kinda.

Taking empanadas out of the huge oven with Abuela. We made more than 50 Pino Empanadas.

Reason to Dance

2009-09-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I went to mi hermanitas' school program which celebrated September 18th (Chile's Independence Day) and the Jewish New Year (they attend a private Hebrew school). It was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. It made me wish the 4th of July took place during the school year. Every grade represented a different part of Chile's culture or history and did a dance routine complete with costumes. It was so much fun to watch, and I left feeling all the more cultured. (Did you know that Jews eat apples with honey for New Year's? I didn't either until I ate a slice.)

Dania and classmates.

A cute boy wondering how he found himself in this situation.

Alina singing with the guitar class.

I loved all the dances, but here is just a clip my favorite. It had everything I can relate to feeling in Chile: utter confusion which is turned into enjoying it for all it's worth. Amen!

Milko

2009-09-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

Meet Milko: the family cat. I would never say that I hate cats, but Milko is not helping the species' case for making me like them more. My relationship with Milko includes shooing him out of the bathroom, shooing him away from his cat food bag (which unfortunately means picking him up most the time), and listening to him meow outside my window. Milko loves, loves to meow outside my window when he wants let into the house. He used to do it in the morning to wake me up, but now he's move on to about 4:25 in the afternoon. Sometimes when I'm feeling very Christian I open the window to let him in, but he still likes to play games with me. He'll just stand there like opening the window was my idea and that the three-foot drop is too much after all. I keep reminding him that cats always land on their feet, but he still takes his sweet time to make the jump. Silly cat.

But yesterday we actually had a bonding moment. I was reading out on the patio enjoying the sun and Milko rubbed up against me purring. This really took me back. I thought he hated me because he's a cat, but I went with mood and actually petted him. It was certainly a precious moment in our relationship.

The Real Deal

2009-09-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

Chileans are incredible nice people. Emily, Holli and I are always saying how lucky we are to have our Chilean friends from church. Think about it. None of us can speak fluent Spanish, but people want to do stuff with us and show us around regardless of this fact. Bacan! Yesterday las tres gringas got to play with a couple Chilean friends, Hector y David. We went to El Mall (yeah, we have those in the States. I know, I know...) and got a mini tour of Valpariso from the local's perspective. David showed us and ex-prison and amazing cemetery just like the one in the Phantom of the Opera movie (which unfortunately prohibited photography).

The gang (menos Hector) in Valpo. *Just as a side note, David received his mission call to the Buenos Aires West Mission yesterday. He's really excited to serve.*

Oh the graffiti saturated sights of Valpo...

Yesterday was also fun because I was introduced to Chilean soccer. When I went to the countryside with mi familia and would say it was the best day ever, mi padre kept correcting me saying, "just wait, soccer day will be the best day ever." So last night the fam had about six people over to watch the World Cup game of Chile vs. Venezuela projected on the wall of the Living. They cooked a ton of meat (steak and spicy hot dogs) for all, and I was excited to experience the real futbol spirit. It was kinda fun to watch, but once the score reach 2-2, I was down and out...I feel asleep during the big game. I woke up only to find out that in soccer there is no overtime, so the final score was a tie, how strange. I feel like a competitive American, I want a clear winner!

Mejor Dia!

2009-09-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend mi familia took me to the beautiful campo (countryside) with them and I had so much fun to get away from the city for a day. I loved the drive out where we could see the mountains, green hills and trees, and even sand dunes. And our motto of the day? "Mejor dia!" (That is mi familia's condensed way of saying, "this is the best day ever!" *Yea for Badger!*) I met members of mi padre's extended family, toured a "green house," skipped shells at the beach, tried new seafood, and even ate some famous Chilean dulces (sweets). Even the language barrier couldn't put a damper on my time en el campo! The day ended with a Church dance in Valpo--which is another story in and of itself--undoubtedly it was a day full of sights and adventure.

Lemon trees and "beehive" at mi tia abuela's (great aunt) house where mi familia gets their honey.

Inside the "Green House" at tia abuela's.

Country Roads, take me home...

La playa.

Viva Chile!

Alina y Dania making some tough choices...they were only allowed to pick out five shells each from their beach collection.

Trying a new kind of seafood (alas, the name has entirely slipped my mind) con mi padre. Despite my disgusted look, it really wasn't that bad.

The Perfect Leaf

2009-08-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have to publish something quick before I'm stuck with the number 13 on the month of August forever. Today I stepped on the perfect dried leaf. Everything about it was ideal. First off, it was a surprise. Second, it's size was impeccable (about the size of my fist). And third, the crunch sound was flawless. I even stopped to look back at its remains because I couldn't believe just how awesome the event was. I'm glad I have this joyous occasion recorded...and I'm even more glad that August will have 14 rather than 13 posts. (14 is my favorite number and I don't like 13 because it's supposedly unlucky!)

Of course the one time I forget...

2009-08-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

I love going home from school because I love walking around the neighborhood and I also love walking home to a delicious meal. I was already hungry when I left for my 12:45 class today, and I was excited because I smelled the wonderful chicken meal mi madre was making as I walked out the door. I joke around with other kids in the program how we're like dogs walking home. Let me explain. There is an episode of the Office where Jim trains Dwight to salivate whenever he hears the "ding" sound of Jim's computer. The other students and I laugh about how we start to "salivate" as we walk home. Today I was so excited to just go home and eat lunch. But something stood in the way of my desires: for the first time ever, I had forgot my keys. Normally, mi madre is home, but of course today was an exception. This happens on occasion, and whenever she isn't home for lunch, she makes me a beautiful plate of food protected with saran wrap. It was torture to picture my food sitting alone and delicious. I sat and read for a while waiting for mi familia, but I couldn't hack the wait.

So, today I discovered how difficult it is to break into my house; so difficult that it's flirting with impossible. There is at least a five foot leap of faith to get on the tin-thin roof on one side, and the other side is barred by spikes from heck. At one point I thought about going through the window, but even that is protected by bars. Ugh.

Finally, I plucked up my courage and decided to ask a neighbor for help (after I looked up the words "jump" and "fence" in my dictionary). The neighbor was very friendly, and even though we couldn't understand each other, she did pull out a step ladder to help me get over the fence. Yeah! It was an unexpected adventure that taught me to never, NEVER forget mis llaves!

See what I was dealing with? I think you understand why I didn't want to mess with the spikes.

Decorative bars on the window; and my precious keys that I forgot. Never again I tell ya!

One Month Mark

2009-08-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, August 29th, was my "One Month Mark" in Chile. Wow, one month. It seems like I've been here much longer than a month because I feel like I've grown up and learned SO much since July 29th. My growth chart contains struggles, triumphs, laughs (a vast majority of which I share in my head with myself and I), surprises, and valuable life lessons that would be difficult to even begin explaining. *Oh, and I guess I've learned a few things about Spanish as well.*

I had this idea of taking a picture the 29th of every month while I'm here to celebrate and to have a visual representation of time passing. I would hold up one finger for one month, two fingers for two months, and so on. The only problem is that I totally forgot. So, just imagine that Dania is holding up just one finger instead of all of them. This pic is with my sisters in front of our casa enjoying the sun. Ah, what a life.

I Love to See the Temple

2009-08-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

On Friday I had the opportunity to travel go to the Santiago Temple with a Vina Ward and do Baptisms. It was a wonderful experience. I did the work for the bisabuela (great-grandmother) de mi padre y I got a very small taste of how much some people have to sacrifice to get to the Temple. The Denver Temple only 20 minutes away, and the Provo and Rexburg the Temples are within walking distance. We went to Santiago via bus, and it took two hours each way, so it's an all day commitment to go to the Temple (I was gone from 12:30 p.m. - 10:15 p.m.). I thoroughly enjoyed the Santiago Temple and I love that I felt the same way inside this Temple as I do others. The Church most certainly is true.

The Santiago, Chile Temple: a small, but beautiful Temple nonetheless.

Before and after pictures of the Ward . As you can see in the lack of sunlight in the second pic, it took a long time to do work for everyone in the group (and I was perfectly happy to spend so much time at the Temple).

They're On To Something Here

2009-08-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

I love the dumpsters in town. They are so cool. You don't need to touch the lid to put your trash inside. All you have to do is put your foot at the lever at the bottom which lifts the lid for you. It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant I tell ya! I'm totally bringing this phenomenon back to the States...

Back to the Past

2009-08-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

If you’ve ever wondered what it would feel like to be a little kid again, or how it would feel to be back in middle school, then sign up to be a foreign exchange student. Really. I feel like I’ve relived the ages 3-19 since I’ve come to Chile. The first couple of days I felt like a toddler because I never knew what was going on. My life consisted of sleeping (recovering from a month of AFY and jetlag), eating, and more sleeping. My familia would explain where we were going before our outings, but all I understood was, “vamos.” I totally felt like a little kid again just getting in the car because everyone else was and sitting content in the back seat looking around. It was fun because every destination, whether it was the market or bank, was a surprise to me.

More recently I feel like I’m in elementary or middle school. I (try) to tell mi familia everything about my day: school, friends, activities. The other day Emily, Holli and I wanted to make cookies and didn’t really know how to go about it. We didn’t know which of our madres would be the most “okay” with it. The next day Emily said, “I asked my mom, and she said you can come over on Friday to make cookies!” I just had to laugh out loud at this. I’ve been away at college for the last two years, and I totally forgot about what it was like to ask mom if and when I could have friends over.

Another change I went through upon arrive in Chile is going without a cell phone because Verizon doesn’t work down here. *I have a secret confession. One of the things I’m most excited for when I return to the states is listening to what I call the “Mystery Voicemail.” I received a voicemail on my phone when I was waiting in the Toronto Airport, but I couldn’t open it for some reason. Ten bucks says it’s my dad saying, “Abby. This is dad. Call me.” But all the same, I look forward to when I can listen to the mystery message…*

But, back to Chile, it felt so strange to have no way to call anyone or for them to call me unless I gave them mi madre’s number. The first week or so I kept getting “phantom vibrations” thinking someone was calling me. But my sister Giselle got a new phone, and mi familia presented me her old phone. I was so excited! I felt so cool to have a cell phone. Granted, I only have six numbers in my phone and I keep forgetting it in my room, but it’s a phone nonetheless. It gives me flashbacks because there is no T9 texting, and I can’t figure out basic things like sound setting. I actually don’t call people much because I pay for the calling card, and every call I make costs me money (but it doesn’t cost money to receive calls, so we always say, "you call me," catchi).

Giselle presenting me with my very own cell phone. It was a joyous moment that the everyone (even the cat) gathered for. Happy day.

The times that I feel like an adult are when I talk about traveling. I tell mi familia about possible trips to Argentina or Peru, and they listen to me and take me seriously. I know I can do it and I do have some solidified trips lined up, but I can't believe they take me serious enough to trust me traveling around South America. They've heard my Spanish. They know how bad I am. So, even though I may feel like a kid around them most the time, I love that they treat me like I'm adult that has things all figured out. Bacan!

Palacio Rioja and Quilpue

2009-08-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Emily, Holli, and I set out for some adventures in Vina. We began with the Palacio Rioja, which is just down the street from the Stake Center. It was neat to see the fancy interior of the early 1900s building, but my favorite part was the information packet's English translation. Being an editor and perfectionist at heart, it truly made me cringe to read sentences like, "he was the found of this area in 1907." Ugh. Simply dreadful. But it made me wonder if English to Spanish translations were just as bad. After the Palacio we went to the Mall, and I was quite impressed. It's pretty big and I thought it was interesting how there was a grocery store inside. That evening we went to Quilpue via Micro (the cheap bus) with our Chilean friend Raul and I have to admit that we feel really cool having an authentic Chilean around us gringas. It was a day full of learning and laughs.

I was just thinking about how much I wanted to play my violin when I saw a man at the Metro Station with one. He was kind enough to let me play his violin, but now I lose sleep at night because I forgot to give him some money as a token for my gratitude...

Holli and I in front of the Palacio Rioja.

Me, Holli, and Emily

On our way to the mall we walked past a huge Catholic church with open gates. There was an opera type song playing and the church was full of people. We had no idea what was going on. Holli and Emily felt uncomfortable and went to stand outside, but I went to a pew and discovered that it was was a funeral service. We were the only ones that we not dressed up, oops.

We went to a Karaoke activiy at a church in Quilpue, which was a 30 minute ride on the Micro. We were there about an hour early, and about two hours early in Latin time. To pass the time we all played the piano for each other and tried to teach Raul some songs. It was quite entertaining.

Chilly in Chile: Part II

2009-08-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

I must return the this subject as it tends to occupy a vast majority of my thoughts: the cold. Since my last post about how it's currently Wintertime in Chile I have learned a few things. I had the hardest time figuring out why I was so cold when the temperature was only in the 50s. I've come to realize that it's humidity that makes this cold so awful. I'd always heard about cold humidity, but I never grasped the idea of humidity being cold. So, feeling is believing in my case.
I have also learned that none of the buildings here have central heating. Growing up I took the phrase, "it's cold outside" for granted. I always knew that I would warm up once I stepped foot into a building. That's not the case here. In fact, it's usually harder to stay warm inside because you don't move around as much. I've even seen my breath in my room a couple times. So, what do I do to prevent freezing to death?

Relish my time with the blow dryer. I love the blow dryer, it truly is heaven-sent. Not only do I use it to dry my hair, but I'll also use it over my whole body. (My feet are usually the most in need.)

My family has an elliptical in the Living facing the TV. I like to exercise, I like Church videos, and I like to learn. So I would have enjoyed using the elliptical and watching a video in Spanish anyway, but these days I get on the elliptical simply to get my body temperature up.
One time when I was straightening my hair I remembered thinking, "I wish I could straighten my entire body so I could be warm." The only thing holding me back was getting third degree burns from my straightener; bummer. But it turns out my my friend Holli actually did that (to a degree). She turned on her straightener for a little while to get warm, turned it off, and she actually ironed her hands, fingers, feet, and her nose! En serio!

I hope this illustrates just how cold it gets here. But the funny thing is that it's not like this every day. It'll be cold for a couple days, and then perfectly pleasant and sunny for the next three. I always thought Colorado's weather was a little fickle, but Vina has certainly changed my mind.

My jackets were still wet from last night (I was out in the rain a lot) so mi madre lent me one of her sweaters. This will sound incredibly shallow, but back in the states I wouldn't wear this sweater anywhere, but here it's an entirely different story. I felt terribly clever to have something besides me scarf to keep my neck warm. Bacan! All day my favorite Spongebob quote was running through my mind.

Spongebob: Patrick! Are you crazy!?
Patrick: No, I'm warm.
Haha, amen!

The Bread Winner (or Maker)

2009-08-13T14:50:00.001-07:00

Last night I made bread (pan) with mi Padre, Alina, and Dania. It was fun to help out in the kitchen a little bit.

I loved watching the Chilean bread process for this recipe. My padre mixed the dough with water, hot milk, and other things I unfortunately missed because I wasn't paying much attention. Once it began to solidify, he mixed it very well--he even pounded it on the wall at one point. But my favorite twist to this specific recipe would have to be the addition of olives! Little bits of olive were mixed in, which gave it a special flare. The end result was delicious. It tasted like the green onion cream cheese you put on bagels, only this was in bread form. I definitely recommend serving it with avocado on top. Yum!

We shaped some of the dough into tradition flat disks, but we made some fun shapes a well. In this pic you can see our creativity at work. Mi Padre made the horse and bird, I did the frog and turtle, and the girls made the face and hearts.

Good news! I saw a dog today!

2009-08-11T14:54:00.001-07:00

Probably the most prominent thing I noticed when I walked around Vina for the first time was all the stray dogs. In fact, you have to be a complete space cadet to miss them. I was taught that if we could read animals minds, cats would say, "I'm a cat, and I hate you." Horses would say, "I'm a horse, and you are not." And dogs would say, "I'm a dog, I'm a dog, I'm a dog...!" I've come to realize that not all dogs have that same slogan. I decided that if I were to read the minds of Chilean dogs, they would be saying, "I wish I was dead. I wish I was dead. I wish I was dead..." It's a good thing all dogs go to heaven, because the dogs here certainly have crummy lives. Pobrecitos.

Once I started taking pictures of the hopeless dogs, I had a hard time stopping. There are so many, and the next one always looked more destitute and miserable than the last.

This poor pup--that I affectionately nicknamed Skelator--takes the cake for most heart-wrenching dog on this side of the Amazon.

El Dia del Ninos

2009-08-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week mi padre told me (in his broken English) that Sunday was "the day of boys." What the? Boys get a holiday here? After seeing my confusion he clarified by saying it was Children's Day. I told him (in my very broken Spanish) that we don't have a Children's Day in the States. I told him that when I was younger I asked my Mom why there was a Fathers' Day and a Mothers' Day, but no Children's Day, to which she responded, "Abby, Christmas is Children's Day." My padre chuckled when I said this, and I was so pleased to see mi padre laugh. Finally, I had told a successful story in Spanish!
Children's Day is actually a low-key holiday. I had completely forgotten about it, but after breakfast mi madre y padre had all the girls come into the "Living" (aka Living room) where they gave each of us a present. I was so excited, I didn't expect anything, but they gave me slippers! YEA!!! It is so freezing here, and everyday I just kick myself for not bringing my slippers. I just love my family here, they are very sweet and far too good to me.

Alina and Dania waiting in anticipation to receive and open their gifts.

The children with our gifts: Alina's bathrobe, Dania's umbrella, Giselle's pillow, and a super-excited me with my slippers. You know, these girls (especailly Alina and Dania) are usually really loud and smiley, but the never look like it in their pictures...

Alina and Dania under the Umbrella of Love of their mother.

Dania loves to play with my camera. Every time I get it out she takes it and takes pictures of everything and anything.

Valpariso

2009-08-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the Universidad de Vina del Mar took the International Students on a tour through Vina's neiboring city, Valpariso, or as the natives sometimes call it, Valpo. Our tour guide spoke in Spanish...so I know he was talking about the history and other things I'd love to know, but unfortunately all I was able to pick up on was a few words here and there. (Curse this language barrier!) We toured all over Valpo; everywhere from an underground tunnel elevator to a boat. Needless to say, it was a day full of fun and adventure (regardless of my utter lack of ability to understand my tour guide...)

Here I am with my Mormon friends; Holli, Emily, and John-Miguel. It's such a blessing to have people that you are able to make instant friends with!

There is so much to take in at Valpariso!

A typical Valpariso neighborhood.

The streets of Valpo.

This is an artist's interpretation of Valpariso from his mind. Up close it's like a bunch of lines and globs of paint; looks like Valpo to me!

Las tres amigas en el bote. Ahh.

Off to school, off to school...

2009-08-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hoy fue mi primero día de escuela. Well okay, not really school, just orientation, but nonetheless it felt good to have something official to do. There are about 25-30 international students attending Viña del Mar this Winter II Semester, with their homes ranging from California, Ohio, Oklahoma, Hawaii, to Romania (I think) and Sweden. Wow!

I took both my written and oral placement exams today, and I felt like I did the best I could have asked for at this point. I actually enjoyed my oral exam because it was mainly me speaking, which is good because I really struggle with the listening and comprehending Spanish (and on top of that, Chileans talk incredibly fast).

I liked today because it felt like I had returned to my Elementary School days. I thought it was really sweet how mi madre gave me the home address and her phone number on a piece of paper before I left the house this morning in case I got lost and needed help. My schedule for Orientation (and I think most Spanish-speaking countries) gives me a couple of hours to go home for lunch, so I walked home with my new friends and even had one join me for lunch at mi casa. It was a fun trip down memory lane to recall walking home from Belmar Elementary and bringing friends along for and after-school snack. But probably the best thing about today was a rekindled determination. I’ve been extremely soft on my Spanish since I’ve been here, and I’ve been talking in English way too much. Today I decided to suck it up and really start pushing myself. I’ve spoiled myself and cheated a lot, but now it’s go time. And thus, the fun begins now.

My mom used to always take our picture on the first day of school, so Mom, this one's for you! This was taken just outside the International Students' Office. As you can see it was a foggy and cold day. I think it's funny to do the peace sign because a lot of the teenagers do it here. I thought it was just a Japanese thing, but apparently not.

Never Give Up, Never Surrender!

2009-08-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

My first night in Chile, Giselle y mi madre explained the shower furnace thing to me. Light a match, stick it inside the furnace, and turn the knob to the red for warm water. Pretty easy, right? Well, leave it to someone like me to make it difficult. The next day I woke up cold as cold could be. All I was looking forward to was a nice, hot shower to get me going. But, when I got in the shower I couldn't figure out how to get it on. I tried all sorts of things...like turning the knob to the black. Not smart. I had the coldest shower in showering history that day, and it set the tone for an extremely chilly day. At least it build a lot of character, right?

This morning I was determined that history would not repeat itself. I saw that the flame was on inside the box thing, so I didn't mess around. I went straight for the water, and miracle of miracles, it was warm, and dare I say it, it even got hot. It was marvelous, simply wonderful, and my warm shower set the mood for a perfectly sunny day. Ah, what a life!

The furnace that outsmarted me.

The knob of destiny.

Red = warm (which equals happiness)

Black = Outer Darkness (and wickedness never was happiness)

So, bien esta lo que bien acada (all's well that ends well). I can sleep easy tonight knowing that I did indeed conquer the furnace.

Chilly in Chile

2009-07-30T19:11:00.001-07:00

I really should have listened more when people told me it was Winter in Chile. I figured that:

1. I was born and raised in Colorado and
2. I've been attending school at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, aka Iceburg, for the past two years, so
I know all about being cold.

No. Winter is winter, and just because I was complaining about how hot it was not even a week ago does not mean I should try to wear my Chacos here. So really I've got two battles going on here: the language and maintaining a normal body temperature, and let me tell you, I've got my work cut out for me in both categories...

So It Begins...

2009-07-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

You know, it didn't seem to matter that I had known and was planning on going to Chile for about eight months (since about November of 2008), the change still hit me hard. But what I find interesting is that my scariest moment was not when I walked off the plane in Santiago, rather, it was sitting at DIA waiting to board for Toronto, Canada. I was terrified. I kept questioning myself, "Why am I doing this? Why did I want to do this? Why did I ever think Spanish or going abroad was so cool!?!" Thankfully I had a book to calm me, and one passage talked about how people can do many things if they just have courage. Courage. The word struck a chord in me. I can do this, yes I can, I simply need to apply the courage I know I have somewhere, and whatever courage I lack (which is a lot), I know I can get from other sources like family, friends, and the Atonement. Once I ran these thoughts through my head, I was fine. Seriously. I felt so much better. I actually enjoyed my remaining flights (kinda), and now I really got a kick out of not understanding anyone. So, on the brink of my new adventure, I like to say that yes, it's hard and totally different, but I can do hard things, and I know that I can do all things in the strength of the Lord.

The Denver International Airport before I had time to sit down and freak out. So young, so naive...

Toronto, Canada Airport and I'm excited to see Chilean pesos. I couldn't believe it. I gave the lady at the Currency Exchange $30, and she gave me 11,000 pesos, which sounded like a lot to me (sucker!).