Return to Santiago

We were invited to Manolito's 7th birthday party, so we took the micro bus to Avenida Bulnes and walked the rest of the way to Andrea and Manuel's house.

Piña, pineapple, is Manolito's favorite, but he had eaten too many completos to want much cake. We gave him a nice art paper tablet and watercolor pencils.

Andrea served us completos, hot dogs on buns with mayonesa, tomatoes, ketchup, and rinsed chucrut, sauerkraut. We may eat sauerkraut more often, now that we know it should be rinsed before eating.

Andrea wondered if I could make business cards for her. Since I only had Microsoft Office to work with in the Centro, I used the drawing tools in the Insert Shapes tab in Word to recreate her Ayun--illuminated heart--logo, then inserted it into a Publisher business card template. She was thrilled.

On Sunday we attended Barrio Independencia in the Talcahuano North Stake, at Hna. Rosa's recommendation. This was an extremely well-run ward, with good priesthood leadership and excellent teaching.

Hno. Seguel told us we were invited to a meeting in Santiago with the LDS Church general authority Elder Enrique Falabella, who oversees the Perpetual Education Fund and Self Reliance initiative. Above, white oxalis, which is overtaking the fading yellow oxalis we have seen all over Concepcion,  blooms outside the LDS Institute parking garage.

We headed north toward Chillán and Linares, past the Arauco wood products plant in the morning sun.

We joined Bro. Seguel for the drive to Santiago. One of the Seguels' neighbors's beautiful lavender-colored crape myrtle (I think!) blooms along the street.

The cordillera was in view for most of the drive.

We stopped in Talca north of Linares, a very pleasant municipality, so Hno. Seguel could give a check to a Perpetual Education Fund participant, making it possible for  him to continue his stalled education. He was stunned and grateful.

Bro. Seguel told us many buildings in Talca were originally of adobe brick, like the wall above, which has not fallen down yet because it is not very high. The 2010 earthquake was devastating for Talca because of so many adobe brick buildings.

 

Between Talca and Rancagua we passed dozens of businesses along the highway, including row upon row of basket displays. Even without Elder K.'s stern warning, I realize I will have to leave the baskets behind.

 

Also many funeral pots and fountains.

 

Rancagua is where the cordillera and the Pacific Ocean are fairly close together. This area is also dryer than south toward Concepcion, making it excellent for growing wine grapes.

The fields were larger as we drove north toward Santiago. The larger fields have proven more productive than small fields broken off from larger farms, which in some areas are not even cultivated anymore.

While Santiago boasts many new buildings, in the Providencia district, where the LDS Church headquarters are found, you can see some fine old buildings, often university classrooms or fraternity houses.

After our arrival, we had enough time to attend a session at the LDS Temple. The grounds are always beautiful. Here the dimorfoteca -- osteospermum dimorphotheca, African Daisy or Cape Daisy, which love, love, love Chile--are blooming like crazy.

We got out of the sealing session pretty late. The temple is beautiful at night.

We stayed in the Bonaparte Hotel, a few blocks away. The shower must have had a water restriction device on it, but the bed was comfortable.

In the morning we attended meetings with gentle, deep-voiced Elder Falabella, who was born and raised in Guatemala; Guido Lucas, the newly called, dynamic and well-spoken South America South Area Self-Reliance Manager, who is from Argentina; and the charming, redoubtable Uruguayan David Rodriguez, PEF Project Manager, who sprinkled funny dichos, or sayings, throughout his comments. 

I had to write some of the sayings down and ask what they meant, for example, "meter la cuchara" means stick your spoon in the middle of things, like the English saying "jump right in"; "la realidad milanesa," referring to the reality of a Milanese breaded meat cutlet, a popular menu item in South America, especially on the other side of the cordillera; "calma la tripa," break for lunch so you can calm your growling tummy; and a reference to Elder Kennington's eloquence with the ladies (something I informed Bro. Rodriguez about,) as "buen labios," good lips.

Elder Kennington and I  in a photo taken by Elder Livingston, senior missionary serving with his wife in Republica, Santiago

We especially wanted to thank Daglin, the daughter of our Concepcion volunteer Hna. Debora, who is our go-to expert on questions pertaining to PEF, and who works in the offices here in Santiago. She has been invaluable to us over the last few months.

Also at our meeting was one of my favorite Chilenas, Hna. Calquin, who posed for a picture. She was demonstrating a few Cueca steps in the hallway, and lamenting the fact that she had given up the dance for the length of her 2-year mission.

While waiting for Hno. Seguel and Elder K. in the church headquarters parking lot, I had a nice conversation with the artist who makes the copper engravings I have seen hanging in the homes of both Concepcion mission presidents. I'm just sorry I didn't take a picture of him, with his weathered face and curling white hair. I ended up buying several beautiful Christmas cards with copper medallions on them, for $1.6 mil pesos each, about $2.75 U.S. dollars.

Hno. Seguel had some business to attend to downtown, so we were able to see more fine old buildings. Micro buses and colectivos, the black and yellow Chilean taxi, are a common sight in the urban center.

 I brought my Black Skirt and my Brown Skirt to wear on this trip, no surprises there. Here I am wearing my Brown Skirt in front of the Municipal Theater of Santiago. The fingers behind my head didn't belong to Elder K.

 Outside Santiago on the drive back.

 I believe this is an example of retamo in tree form, as Hna. Verdugo explained it to me.

Although we had been over-fed the whole trip, Hno. Seguel wanted to treat us to an example of "lomo a lo pobre," poor man's loin steak, traditionally served with two eggs, french fries, and caramelized onions, at a roadside restaurant. It was more than a poor man could probably afford, although it was tasty. Elder K. and I shared a plate, and it was still too much. We had to ask for ketchup.

The sun setting on our drive back to Chillán and Concepción.

One year anniversary

This week marks our one year anniversary as missionaries. The first weekend of October 2013 we watched General Conference with my sister Karen and her husband Pres. David in Salt Lake City. The following Monday morning we were dropped off at the Missionary Training Center in Provo.

This first Sunday in October 2014 we attended our own Barrio Universitario on Avenida Gleisner, which is also the Concepcion Stake Center. We watched a session of General Conference in Castellano. I must say my Spanish has improved over the last year.

The day was brilliant, fresh and cool.

At the bottom of the stairs on our way home. The chapel was full and the cultural hall had overflow seating. We were able to visit with a number of people we wanted to see.

We visited our bishop, who lives in this apartment, to tell him that we have been assigned to finish out the last five months of our mission setting up a Self Reliance Center in Temuco, about a 4 - 5 hour drive to the south. We will most likely be leaving Concepcion at the end of October.

The rhododendrons have nearly finished blooming.

The Plaza de España, with its Condor de los Vientos statue, and the government buildings of the Bio Bio Region VIII, Concepción, on Calle Arturo Prat.

We walked up Barros Araña, which has been undergoing an upgrade to its walking spaces. The newly-laid tile and concrete is much less broken up than the sidewalks on Chacabuco.

Wednesday we were invited to almuerzo with the Conejos, after we told them we are probably going to be moving away. They were very sad, but then thought maybe they could visit us in Temuco. Above is the inner entrance to their ground level apartment.

 Also having almuerzo with us were four office missionaries, who enjoyed the pork, rice, potatoes, tomatoes, sliced onions and toasted kernels of corn. The salsa ají, hot sauce that Hermana Conejo had made, had maní, peanuts, in it. Since one of the elders is allergic, and had spread the sauce all over his food, I exchanged my plate with him. I brought apple turnovers, empanadas de manzana, which taste just like American apple pie, a welcome surprise to the North Americans. When Hna. Conejo asked for the recipe, I had to tell her it included Saigon (Costco) cinnamon, which cannot be had in Chile.

Maria Conejo and her husband work very hard and have suffered many setbacks in their lives. Maria wants to go to the United States to sell her artesanal, handmade Ecuadoran items, to make enough money to ensure her children have a better life. Here she is weaving brazaletes, handmade wrist bracelets out of narrow colorful thread, by pinning the end of the braids onto a piece of cloth wrapped around her knees.

 Since I have 18 grandchildren, I bought several of the very pretty brazaletes. They were $1 mil pesos each, about $1.80.

 This week we made our monthly visit to the mother and grandmother of Marcia, the missionary sister in Peru. The two women, who are now accustomed to us, are very talkative and happy since their baptism. On the way out of the lane to their house are planters made from old tires, planted with pink Jupiter's Beard, lavender hollyhocks, and daisy-like white and purple osteospermum, which grow abundantly in Concepción.

Hermana Dulce, our name for her since she is always handing out sweets, showing us her latest knitting project for her customer families in the U.S.

 Several times this week, traffic around Concepcion has come to a standstill because of student marches for free college education. Up to two thousand students will take part in these demonstrations. One of the promises of the current president was to provide free college education, but it has not happened yet. Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay have free college education, and Chile is hoping to avoid the problems that go along with it.

Chiguay & More Restaurants

Sunday morning we were planning to drive to the LDS Branch where the Rio Laja flows into the Bio-Bio, but the day before, the intrepid Elder and Hermana Pendley reported getting lost on dirt roads driving there. Besides, it was raining, and we were low on gas, so we decided to save Rama Laja for another day and instead attended the Chiguay Ward.

The sky turned out to be beautiful.

The Chiguay ward was well-attended and active, and we met a number of people we knew--ladies from the weaving classes, students from our English classes, and applicants for the Perpetual Education Fund. In fact, it was providential that we were there--one hermana needed a certificate and Elder K.'s signature, so we printed it out in the clerk's office and she uploaded it into her account "al tiro," like a shot, right away.

After the meetings we were invited to have dinner with a member family. We followed their van toward Cerro Manquimávida, the dominant wooded hill in that part of Chiguayante.

The family home, where the dueña, hostess, served us rice, beef, pancito - rolls, salad, and postre--fresh fruit and vanilla liquid yogurt. She kept apologizing that it was not fancy, but we told her we were campesinos and liked it that way.

The kind family in their front room. They also have two older daughters. All four children are good looking and brilliant. 

On Monday we went to Correos Chile so we could send a package to the U.S. We often see missionaries here, especially on Mondays. These two elders are most likely picking up a package from home.

More missionaries on their P-day, preparation day. We often see packs of them buying groceries in Jumbo, eating ice cream cones, checking out shops and galleries along Barros Araña, or walking on the street, like the hermanas above.

 We even saw missionaries in the Fuente Alemana on Bernardo O'Higgins near Rengo, which was recommended to us as one of the best places to eat in Concepción. The place was packed, a good sign. We ordered sandwiches--me, this shredded pork with tomatoes, chucrut--rinsed sauerkraut--and  plenty of mayonesa. Elder Kennington ordered churrasco, a sliced beef steak sandwich. Both were excellent.

Our waitress wrapped our leftovers in brown paper and string.

 On the way home we passed the remains of this old wall built in the late 1700s, the original site for the first library and printing press in Concepción.

 Tuesday we tried "El Mesón de Villena"  on San Martin near Calle Salas, where the men of the Operations and Maintenance office often eat. It is the closest thing to a fast food lunch counter we have seen--tables already set with drink, bread and salad, only a few main selections, and fast service. I had chicken with mashed potatoes, soup and salad, standard for a Chilean almuerzo, midday meal.

Thursday we were invited to the Mamut Restaurant on Barros Araña between Colo Colo and Anibal Pinto, with the Pendleys, Baldens, and Arringtons, to celebrate Hna. Kauer's birthday. Mamut has branches all over the world and serves American-style food. Hermana Kauer had a chimichanga. I had baby back ribs. Pretty girls on the walk outside were handing out coupons, so we all got free raspberry cheesecake for dessert. Thank you Hermana Kauer for having a birthday.

After so many restaurants, Elder Kennington and I are getting into the habit of running up the stairs to the 7th floor instead of taking the elevator. It seems to be helping.

This cute hermana, who looks like she's about twelve years old, is taking Elder K.'s Planning for Success workshop for the Perpetual Education Fund. She has already had two years of university training in Occupational Therapy. She was helping Elder K. figure out how to use the camera on his cell phone (again). It looks like he did ok.

Racemes of the pink Tamarisk tree, Tamarix Ramosissima, beginning to bloom.

Hna. Verdugo stopped by to say hello, and to show us these cute buho--owl--book bags she has been weaving for her grandchildren.