NatNat's World

The Flush...

2008-03-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

There is so much to say about my time in Chile; what I learned, what I did, the people I met, the experiences I had. I wish I had the words to express all of my emotions. Yet, when I try and explain what exactly Chile means, I get stuck, the words just won’t come; it is hard to explain what being away from home has meant, what living in a foreign country is like, how can you explain something that you have to live? I want to tell everyone that it was the best time of my life, that is was easy and that I loved every minute of it, but if I said that I would be lying.
Chile was…
• Going on a mission trip with the high school I worked for and seeing Chiloe (a small island in the south). We ate curanto (a mix of shellfish, potatoes, chicken, sausage and white wine cooked in a hole in the ground) and went to a bingo. I was able to go to the same small town twice and not only see how the kids there have grown, but how I had grown in a year.
• Working at a summer camp, burning ourselves to a crisp in the hot hot sun, dealing with kids who would rather flip you off than play games.
• Living in the shack on Ictinos and then moving to the sweet apartment on Maria Celeste. By the way, that shack is now repainted, cleaned out and a rat’s nest was found in the floorboards, and to think I lived with that!
• Going to the feria and buying fresh fruits and vegetables for CHEAP. In comparison to the states, I will never again buy market fresh produce for the prices I paid in Chile.
• Working at the pool in the summer, not only did I get to work on my tan, but on my commands in Spanish. Even though the kids sometimes flipped me off or cursed me out, I love each and every one of them. I especially loved teaching the smallest ones how to swim and watching their progress each week, by the end of the summer they were swimming in the deep end!
• Meals-on-wheels and learning new vocabulary each and every day. I especially loved the day I asked Brother Donald what porotos verdes were only to find out that there were green beans, exactly what the words in Spanish mean. Working at the soup kitchen meant serving food four days a week to those in the community who had nothing, who enjoyed the gourmet meal prepared each day. Being there was my favorite job, both humbling and rewarding, I will always remember my time in the heat of the kitchen as both a challenge and a gift.
• Watching Spanish TV and loving every minute of it, not only for the “quality” programming, but for the chance to practice listening skills in Spanish. Papi Ricky, Don Amor, Amor Ciego and of course Ultimo Pasajero are just some of my favorite shows in Santiago. Ranging from a bachelorette type program to a high school game show, each show offered something different and unique.
• Learning to make beans from scratch. This might come as a shock to you, but beans don’t always come in cans, you can actually buy them dry and cook them yourselves, saving money, but not time. You first have to soak the beans overnight, or for at least 8 hours, then put them in a pressure cooker and cook for about an hour. It was a process and not only that, but you had to think ahead, which who has time for that?
• Finding a cat on the street and actually deciding to take him home! When Michelle and I spotted Nacho on the street, cold, dirty and wet, how could we resist? Upon bringing him home, we found he was full of fleas, but even with all the bugs, we fell in love with him, especially me. It was hard to leave him behind because he became my cuddle buddy, but I know he’s in good hands.
• Meeting families who have been friends of associates for over twenty years! Sara and her family, Margarita and her sons, the Toledos, Marta and her sister Cecilia, Michelle and Jenny, Ramon and Miriam, Isabel, each person holds a dear place in my heart and I am forever grateful for the friendship they offered me, for the unconditional love given, for teaching me what it meant to be an associate and for being there for me when I needed friends the most.
• Setting up a homework club between the orphanage kids and St. George kids. Tony, a friend of mine who was a teacher at St. George, and I set up a homework club for his 9th grade students and the orphanage kids I worked with. Every Friday we went to the orphanage with around twenty 9th graders and played computer games, practiced addition and subtraction and had a blast with the orphanage kids.
• Going on small trips, like to Mendoza and Valdivia. Traveling with my community was highlight, being able to explore other countries, other cities and to do it with my community members and friends. Plus, we were able to see the snow in the Andes Mountains and the sea lions beg for fish at the market.
• Having my mom visit me. In February of 2007 my mom flew down to Chile and stayed with me week. It was awesome to share Chile with my mom and to show her where I lived, that I was happy and it was lots of fun to travel with her to the beach!
• Playing soccer with the seminarians. Every Monday, Roy and I would go and play soccer with all of the guys, I was the only girl and sometimes got roughed up a bit, but I had a great time, even if they gave me a hard time.
• Finally learning a second language. For almost ten years I have studied Spanish and finally I can say that I am bilingual! Hopefully being back in the states, I won’t lose all of the skills acquired.

I have much to be thankful for and I’m sure the list of things that I did in Chile could go on and on, but there are the ones that stick out in my mind. Being back in Boise for a few days, I have had time to reflect and think about what I have been through. I walked into Target (yeah, I went the same day I got back, I couldn’t help it) and was overwhelmed with all of the choices. I sit in the TV room in my house, over-stimulated by the millions of channels on the new wide screen high def TV. I sit in my bed, playing on my brand new laptop, talking on my new cell phone and think to myself, I lived without all of this for almost two years, and I survived; I found that all of these things, albeit nice, are unnecessary. Sure I need a cell phone to travel and communicate and sure, having a laptop for graduate school will be a big help, but I know that they are just things and what matters most are the people you meet, the person you are and the fact that once again, I can flush the toilet paper.

Thank you Chile and thank you to every person that supported me on this crazy journey, I am back a changed person, but for the better.

The Grace of Change

2007-11-23T05:34:00.000-08:00

Since October 27th a lot has changed here in Chile.

For one thing, three of my community members have returned to the states; they completed two full years of service in Chile and I could not be happier for them to be back at home with their family and friends. Without the three of them, I would be lost in Chile. I would be stuck in my house, without anything to do or anyone to visit. Without Caitlin, I would never have met Lucia and Sara. Without Ryan, I would not have met Michelle and Jenny. Without Roy I would not have met Paula and Madga. It has been a huge transition relearning community, since now community consists of Michelle and me (and our new kitten, Nacho), but we are making it work. We have card nights with friends, dinners with nuns and even a few beach trips for fun. Change number one.

When the three of them left, Brother Donald also returned to the states for a hip-replacement. The hip-replacement went well and he is now recovering in Columba Hall at the Notre Dame campus. When he left, he left behind the soup kitchen (the meals-on-wheels program). His program feeds almost 50 elderly and bed-ridden people of the parish. He sends a wholesome meal four days a week, complete with soup, salad, bread and last but not least, the main meal. Most of these elderly people are unable to prepare food for themselves, are sick, in bed and appreciative of what Brother Donald is able to do for them. Before he (Brother Donald) left, I volunteered to help in the kitchen, to replace Caitlin on Tuesdays and to be available to do whatever was needed to ensure that these people had food until the end of the year. With that being said, I was given the keys to the parish, kitchen and safe and was told, have at it and thank you.

As soon as he left, problems began to pop up. As the one who was left in charge of paying the bills, making the shopping lists, and being available four days a week, the brunt of the problems began to take a toll on me. I began to hate going to work, began to leave early when I should have stayed to wash the dishes, and began to lose sight of who I was making food for. It took one final problem for me to realize exactly who I was helping.

As Meals-On-Wheels suggests, we have wheels to deliver the food. A couple from the parish, Paula and Jaime, spend about two hours a day, running around Peñalolén, ensuring each and every person receives their lunch. When Brother Donald left, he thought we would have enough money through the end of November, but through various donations and a few budget cuts, we are hoping to make it through December 21st. Since Paula thought that the program was ending earlier, she made other arrangements for work. She informed me that she was available until December 6th, but after a small argument with Padre Pedro, she just didn’t show up. So, Tuesday there I was, without wheels. Padre Pedro borrowed some wheels, we loaded up lunch and off we went. Four and a half hours later, I gained my will to work again.

Until you see the smiling faces of the people you serve lunch for, each person only has a number. It was as if we were serving lunch to a large state university; each student only has a number and the professors could care less about their name. I knew that certain numbers were elderly couples and certain numbers sometimes took care of their grandson, but I did not know much more beyond that. On Tuesday, I learned names, faces, houses (or in many cases, rooms rented) and the needs of these people. We arrived with lunch hours late and Lucia, Jorge, Maria, Lidia, Juan and José could not have been happier.

I have known since I started working in the kitchen in March that I was helping people. I knew that I was making a difference. I knew that the tears cried cutting onions was worth the hassle, but I did not know for whom I was crying for. I am crying for the woman who rents a small dilapidated room behind a castle of a house. I am crying for the woman who is bed-ridden and can’t move. I am crying for the elderly couple who takes care of their grandson who is mentally handicapped. I cry for a blind woman whose daughter neglects her. I cry for a woman with diabetes who looks forward to her lunch everyday. I cry for them all.

Thanksgiving was yesterday and once again I am humbled. I have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my family who is willing to share me with Chile. I am thankful for my friends who support me. I am thankful for my community members, both past and present who challenge me to be a better person. But mostly I am thankful for cutting onions and crying for those who need it most.

PHOTOS

2007-08-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks!

New photos on flickr, check them out!!

Call Me...

2007-08-03T10:43:00.001-07:00

Hola folks!! I now have a land line in my apartment, so you can call me! The number is:

(as dialing from the US) 011-56-2-271-1609

Call me!

When it rains, it pours...

2007-07-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

I hate to sound like a snob, but I know rain. I know what it is like to hate the day you woke up because it is pouring outside; to loathe putting on your rain-coat, getting out your umbrella and putting on your rain boots. Trust me, I know.

So when I moved to Santiago and they (the current associates) told me, it rains; I laughed in their faces. I scoffed and said, you have no idea, I know rain. After all, I have lived in Houston, where it not only rains but pours. Now, I am talking raining so hard you might as well not have any windshield wipers because they don’t work; they just push the water ever so slightly to the side and allow the sheets of rain to continue blocking your view. In Portland it was blasphemous owning an umbrella. I remember the first time it rained and my roommate told me, “See the people over there with umbrellas, they’re from California.” Not one to stick out, I bought a rain-coat and like the rest of the Oregonians, walked blissfully in the rain.

So, I figured, what is a little rain? After getting through four years of college, content in my rain-coat, I welcomed the challenge of Santiago’s rains. Let me just say now, Santiago wins and I lose.

I forgot that in Portland I had a car. I put on my rain-coat to walk 2 minutes to the SAAB or the 5 minute walk to class. I might have arrived wet, but I had a dryer to put my clothes in. Let’s just say in Portland (and Houston) the rain didn’t bother me because I had the means to avoid it.

In Santiago when it rains, I walk to the metro (which is about 10-15 minutes) with my umbrella in hand. No longer in Portland, I am allowed this one luxury item, which unfortunately doesn’t keep me dry, but it helps. I wait for the bus (in the rain) and here is the kicker, I pray that the bus won’t drive into the large puddle that has formed from the torrential downpour and splash me, because unlike Portland, I do not have a dryer and when my clothes get wet, I have to wait at least a day or two for them to dry.

Plus, when it rains here in Santiago, it is cold. It is a cold that chills your down to your bones and unlike Portland (once again, I think this is a recurring theme) we do not have central heat. How am I supposed to warm up in a house that is as cold inside as out? It is impossible!

It pains me to say that Santiago’s rain have gotten the best of me. I am not one to admit defeat, but I give up. When it rains here, I head for the one place that is guaranteed to be dry and warm, my bed.

S is for Shopping

2007-06-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Most of those who know me, know that I love to go shopping. I love to go to Target, Old Navy, Sephora, the grocery store, the mall, outlet centers, art supply stores, etc. I don’t have to buy things to make my trip worthwhile; I mainly look, try on random outfits I would never buy (like the super short dress and pants combo) and most importantly, have fun with friends.

I think one of the reasons I like to go shopping, is all in the word, go. I get out of the house and go somewhere, do something, occupy my time. Not that I have a lot of free time, but weekends can get a bit long after I finish teaching English and Sunday mass is over. Also in the word go, is that I am (or better put, was) able to drive to the location I wanted to go. Let’s say, I want to go to the mall. I simply get into the trusty old SAAB and in twenty minutes, I am in shopper’s paradise, the mall. Yet, shopping in Chile is different. I plan my trip carefully on the subway and bus system; I know exactly where I am going and what I am shopping for. Not to mention the fact that I am living on a small stipend, not my debit card I was once used to. It is a different experience, yet it is one that I have grown to love and hate.

There are many different types of shopping here in Chile. You can go to the feria (a farmer’s market mixed with the world’s largest garage sale), the supermarket, the mall, craft fairs and a plethora of other random small stores. Being the shopper that I am, I have made sure to cross each of these places off of my list, slowly but surely.

FERIA:
Every week, my housemates and I go to the feria. We have a set list of the fruits and veggies that we buy and since they are so inexpensive, we load up. It is a crazy walk through hundreds of stalls all selling the same things, while the vendors are shouting, “tomatoes, avocado, my Queen, tomatoes!” thinking that by calling you a queen, you will of course buy from them.

Every third Wednesday’s I take my hiking backpack and head towards the feria. List in hand, I carefully select tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, apples, peppers, carrots, cucumbers, oranges, lemons, onions, garlic, bananas and any other fruit or vegetable that catches my eye. I buy around two pounds of each item, sometimes more. When you do the math, I carry home around 25 pounds. Thank goodness for the hip-strap on my backpack, or else I think I might keel over on the twenty minute walk home. There is a change, I don’t drive home. How many times I have wished for a car to make my shopping experience easier, yet at the same time, I enjoy the walk home and the pride I take in the produce I have picked out and carried home.

If you go to the feria on a Saturday or Sunday, you can find anything your heart desires. Pirated movies and music, clothes, tools, yarn, art supplies, scrap wood, underwear, socks, have you gotten the picture yet? It is the world’s largest garage sale. All I have to do to sell things is artfully set my crap out on a sheet or plastic tarp. I have yet to try it, but one day I would love to shout, “My queen, buy from me!”

MALL:
Chileans love the idea of shopping malls. They combine their biggest outlet stores, grocery stores and many other small shops into one giant shopping mecca. It can be quite over-whelming, especially if you make the dim-witted decision to go on a Saturday, like I did.

Michelle (my housemate) was looking for jeans and I really wanted a new messenger bag, since the one I brought down with me, is now ripped apart and dirty. I asked all of my Chilean friends, where is the best mall to go to, that is easy to find with lots of shops and variety. Simon (a seminarian who I tutor in English) told me about this place only 7 metro stops from my house. We set off and what I found was The United States. Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Adidas, Rockport, Dockers, all US brands that have stores here in Santiago, Chile. I walked around for most of the afternoon shocked, my mouth agape.

The Chilean department stores, Paris, Falabella, Hites, Johnson’s and Ripley’s are Dillard’s, Macy’s and JC Penny counterparts. Michelle and I happened to go shopping while giant sales were going on, making simple living slightly easier, yet at the same time difficult. You know you are living on a limited budget when you are willing to dig through piles of jeans until you find your size because the jeans are only $8 a pair. We both ended up finding the items that we wanted, but after a significant amount of time was devoted to the search.

SUPERMARKET:
Once a month, my housemates and I head to the local grocery store to make our purchases. Much like the feria we have a set list, which Ryan has carefully set up in an Excel spread sheet, going as far as dividing the items by aisle. We budget carefully so that we can get all of the items that we need and sometimes the things that we want, like instant coffee and granola.

June was my month to do the grocery shopping. The only afternoon I have free is Sunday, so after mass I headed to Lider (the Wal-Mart of Chile). I must have been out of my mind to go shopping on a Sunday afternoon. I forgot that everyone and their mother’s are shopping on Sundays, what a fool. With list in hand, I marched up and down the aisles, adding up our total in my notebook, so as not to go over budget. After about an hour, I walked out of Lider, basket full of groceries. I stood in line to take a taxi back to the apartment and dreaded the fact that I would have to go up and down the stairs about twenty times to get all of our stuff in the house. Much to my surprise, the doorman (he watches the gate) pushed a shopping cart my way, and up the elevator I went with all of my groceries, happy as a clam, stair climbing avoided. I pushed the cart right into the apartment and unloaded the abundance of goodies, the whole time laughing to myself that we have a shopping cart in our apartment.

Shopping in Chile has taught me to shop on a budget. I always looked for the best sale and the best price, but then I would buy two or three of that item, with the excuse, it’s on sale. I have a set budget while living down here, and when it is gone, tough luck. I am more mindful of my purchases; I buy with a purpose, well, most of the time. There are still the times that I buy things just because, but those times are far and few between. Shopping in Chile has shown me to keep looking until you find exactly what you want, in terms of larger items like the jeans and bag. I no longer buy things just because it sort of fits the bill, I wait until I have found exactly what I want. Perhaps it is the language barrier, but in Chile I shop slower. I talk to the shop owners and the vendors in the feria, with the taxi driver on the way home from the grocery store. I tell them why I am in Chile and that I of course love this country (the required answer and also the truth). I am not rushed to make my purchases and run. On the weekends, I am free to shop leisurely. Walk around; escape the cold inside the shopping mall or grocery store.

If someone had told me that I would have learned such lessons from shopping in Chile, I would have laughed. Before Chile, I went shopping for every need, every want, and every thing. Simple living lesson learned, but my delight in shopping has not dwindled. I am the same Natalie who will accompany you to Target at 8pm, just to see what’s there.

Wizards, witches and muggles, oh my...

2007-05-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

People are curious as to what I am doing with my free time while in Chile and I finally have an answer; reading Harry Potter. You would think, living with a younger brother would have been fuel enough to read the books, not to mention the fact that they are best sellers and incredibly popular, but no, I chose to move to Chile and read them here.
In honor of the last installment of Harry Potter due out in July, I figured it was about time to actually read the first six. In three weeks I had all six books read and here I am, desperately waiting the last and final book stranded with nothing to read. I had heard how well written these books were and I had even seen a few of the movies, but nothing compares to the books. Nothing compares to the image of Hogwarts and the fights between ´He who can´t be named´ and Harry Potter. To the opening banquets in the Great Hall, with the delicious food appearing and disappearing before their eyes. These books allowed me to escape to another world, a world of fantasy and magical creatures. A world where people fly around on brooms and send mail via owls. They allowed me to regress to my childhood and just read books for fun, not because I have a test after, not because I have to write a report, I was able to read just to read, which I have not done since high school. I had forgotten how much I enjoy reading. How I look forward to being curled up on the couch with a good book.
In Chile I have had a lot of down time. A lot of time to relax and enjoy just being. A lot of time to read, which has been such a great lesson in life. How often do we take the time to sit and read a good book? Or are we always too busy, going from one activity to the next? Or do we read for pleasure anymore? I had forgotten how enjoyable reading just to read was and all it took was a move to Chile and lots of spare time. Now that work has begun (work started in March), I have had less time to sit and read, but I make sure every night I read a least a few chapters of some book that I will enjoy.
I could go on and on about all six Harry Potter books, but really all I have to say is this: if you have not yet read the books, read them and if you have, party in July!

New Address!!

2007-03-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it took forever to get this, but here it is, my NEW mailing address... use it, abuse it, you know, send me things! :-)

Associados de Santa Cruz
c/o Natalie Nathan
Casilla 8, Correo 59
Santiago, CHILE

Send mail here from now on!!

loves!

Knock, knock...

2007-02-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

I have a new found respect for the Mormon missionaries. I never thought that I would say that, but here I am in Chile, saying the Mormons have it rough.
I recently (Jan 2-14th) went on a missions trip. My mind immediately went to knocking on doors and handing out Bibles or rather, Books of Mormon, but what we encountered was much different from my Mormon counterparts. First, I was not wearing the Mormon uniform of black pants, white shirt and tie, but a dirty UofP sweatshirt and jeans. Second, my trip lasted two weeks and not two years (thank goodness). Third, we handed out crumpled calendars (which all Chileans love, the calendar part, not the crumpled part) instead of a Bible. Lastly, when I got back to my house, I was able to access the internet and actually call my family, instead of relying on snail mail to communicate.
Our days started off as such: We would wake up early, which for the girls meant at least an hour of preparation, when mind you, we did not have showers or water, so I’m still confused as to what took so long and why we needed a wake-up call so early. Getting ready was followed by a sugar cereal fest for breakfast (try chocolate cereal and chocolate milk) and then morning prayer, which considering high school kids planned it, sometimes left me wanting, and other times left me ready to start the day. We would walk up hill, down the beach, around the river bend, and through potato fields to random people’s houses where, now this is where we differ from Mormons (at least to my knowledge) we were welcomed into their homes, fed and talked for at least an hour or so. We were even invited back for lunch on some days and on the good days, invited back for dinner. In the afternoons, we had activities for younger children (read giant paint fights) and then a mass for the entire community. After mass we would have activities for the high school kids and finally eat dinner and call it a night. Yet, these fun and games taught me nothing, but the time spent in people’s homes taught me everything.
In those hours of conversation spent with random strangers and a few high school students, I learned that some little girl in the campo was abused and then left for dead. Another lady was traveling back and forth from her home to the larger city of Castro for cancer treatments, leaving her son (17) in charge of the house and at times her daughter (8). Another man lived alone in a two room house, with his horse and two dogs. There was another older lady who lived alone as well, patiently waiting for her son to return from the military. And then there was a family of nine all living in the same house, with the most precious baby (Pia) whom I grew to love. This family was a mix of brothers and sisters, grandparents and grandchildren, yet they all lived together in harmony. They all worked hard in the fisheries and scrapped out a living. I could tell when I walked into their home, they weren’t lacking any of the basic necessities, yet it was not as if they were living in the Plaza Hotel. With that being said, they invited me into their home and fed me, no questions asked. They invited me into their home and treated me like a daughter. They gave what they had and they taught me a valuable lesson, which I also found in Matthew, “Give as freely as you have received.”
When I think of being a volunteer here in Chile, my mind often wanders. I ask myself if I have made the right choice and if what I am doing here actually matters, but what Miriam’s family has taught me, is a lesson that will last a lifetime. Treat people as you would like to be treated, treat people with respect even if they barely speak your language. Be patient, be kind, but most of all, be open to experiencing life and the random people that might walk through your door.

Mailing address...

2007-02-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hey All.... just a quick update, our mailing address will be changing soon, so I would suggest not sending mail to the address that is both on this website and on my e-mail, when I know the correct address, ya´ll will be the first to know! adios for now!

but, you know you can all call me with Latin American calling cards, I´m usually around in the evenings and it´s super easy to call, just dial from the states like this,
011-56-2-278-5051 --- we all speak English in the house, so don´t worry about Spanish skills when trying to ask for me! :-) adios!

take care! natalie

January in Chile

2007-01-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

So I realized that I haven´t exactly updated this whole blog thing in awhile, granted I have been busy and unable to, but still, I´m sure I have many adoring fans waiting on pins and needles to find out what and how I am doing.

First, let me start off with the how: I am doing great. The transition to Chile has been a challenge, a new accent to learn, a new city to get around, new people to live with, but truth be told, I feel very at home and very comfortable here in Chile. The people are so friendly and welcoming and man do they feed you to death, thank goodness I walk everywhere or I would be a big as a blimp.

Now the second part, the what: Well, since landing in Chile, it´s been go, go, go. We celebrated Christmas Eve at the house in Pocuro, went to midnight mass, had a fantastic dinner and then woke up early on Christmas day to go where else, camping. Who would have thought that camping would be so big down here on Christmas day, but hey I learned something new this year, not everyone celebrates Christmas in snowpants, some like here in Chile celebrate in swimsuits. After Christmas we had a few days to unwind before heading to missions with St. George, the famous Holy Cross high school in Santiago. We went to Chiloé and all I can say was, amazing. My group from the high school left me wanting but my experience talking to the people down South was worth it. (Just for reference, Chiloé is about a 20 hour bus ride down to Southern Chile, we saw sea lions, and some even saw penguins on their trip) We got back from missions on Jan 14 and left for Pocuro on the 17th for CEVA, which in basic terms in summer camp for the kids in the pueblo. We played in a tree-less field from 9-6, Monday thru Friday, with some visits from firemen, a visit to the pool and on Saturday a trip to Santiago. As one camper said, we out did ourselves, every kid enjoyed it and now that I have time to think about it, so did I. We stayed up in Pocuro to celebrate Ryan´s birthday and finally headed back to Santiago. It´s been a January that has flown by and now moving onto February, pretty soon it will be March and time to start working, until then I think I´m going to rest and enjoy the Santiago summer.

Looking back on the month of January, I realize that I have done a lot of things. Each one being a challenge, yet each one I have passed. While I was in Bolivia, I never would have thought that two months in Chile would pass by so quickly, but here I am. I have learned so much about myself, challenged myself and succeded. I have been given such an amazing opportunity to do something wonderful here in Chile and if the rest of my time here is anything like January, then life will good, a challenge, but good.

Estoy en Chile... I am in Chile

2006-12-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

Well, it´s been awhile since Thanksgiving and I have some very exciting news, I am officially all moved in and loving the Chilean life. That´s right folks, I am in Santiago, living in Peñalolén, which is a neighborhood of the city. After an interesting begginning here in Chile, life has been pretty fantastic. So, this is a quick update letting everyone know that I am here, safe and really enjoying myself. Things can only get better from here.

One more quick note: I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year! Don´t do anything I wouldn´t do!

One last note: You can call Chile for much cheaper than Bolivia, buy a phone card (Latin America ones work) and give me a ring! Dial directly to the house in Santiago, though we answer in Spanish, we do speak English, just ask for Natalie. The number as you dial from the states is: 011-56-2-278-5051

I think that about sums it up, hope to talk to everyone soon. Loves!

Turkey Day

2006-11-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

November 23rd, Thanksgiving, national holiday, a day to gorge ourselves on turkey, a day to watch the Macy´s Parade in the morning and football in the afternoon, a day to spend with family. This November 23rd was quite different. It is the first holiday that I have spent away from my family, the first holiday that I did not follow tradition and the first holiday where I think I truly learned the meaning of giving thanks.

I woke up on turkey day not to the parade but to rush to take a shower and head to class. This past week most of the North American students at school have worked on preparing a presentation about the true meaning of Thanksgiving; the origins (both good and bad), decorations and most importantly a feast for all to share. Turkey was carefully prepared, mashed potatoes and gravy, green-been casserole, corn on the cob, sweet potato casserole and stuffing were all set out. We shared our holiday with our Bolivian teachers who had never eaten stuffing or green-been casserole and kept asking for the recipes. Overall I enjoyed the experience of presenting something new to a culture that has been sharing itself so willingly with me. We cleaned up the mess from the feast and Thanksgiving at the Institute was over. Yet the day had only just begun.

Next was a stop in the post office, which unlike in the states was open, as was everything else, since Thanksgiving is not exactly a Bolivian holiday. It was an interesting experience to walk around to all of the shops here, knowing that they would all be closed back home. A few of us stopped for a bottle of wine on the Prado, the main drag of Cochabamba, complete with wonderful cafes and eateries. We sat and enjoyed the over-priced bottle of wine and talked about our presentation, which we agreed went really well. We soon realized it was time for dance class, so we quickly headed back to school to prepare for the end of the year talent show. Two hours later and many frustrations danced out, it was onto the next activity, a conference for missioners in Latin American countries. To be honest I only went because of the promise of free pizza after, but what I learned and the people I met were well worth the time spent. I was surprised by the variety of Latin-Americans working in mission all throughout Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Argentina. I typically assume it is North Americans who travel to work in other countries, not people from Latin-America to work here as well. I even met a Chilean, who true to form, showed more pride in her `tierra` or land than anyone I have ever encountered. She made me excited to be headed to Chile with people who love their country and who take pride in where they come from. Finally, after a long day, I headed back to my host family and my Bolivian house.

At home I sat and reflected on the day that I had just had. It was so busy I hardly felt that I was missing out on being at home, while at the same time really wishing that I was eating my mom’s perfectly cooked turkey and stuffing. But, while I was wishing that I was gorging myself on her turkey, I realized more than ever before how much I have to be thankful for. I am so incredibly grateful for everything I have: the family who loves me more than anything, the friends who support me in my crazy adventure to South America, my community members here who let me cry when I was sad, the food I have to eat, the clothes on my back, the shoes on my feet, the comfortable house which I call home, my college education, my faith, my life, my experience in Bolivia and soon my experience in Chile, everything. I lack nothing. So, on this Thanksgiving I learned such a valuable lesson that, although it was different and difficult, I would never trade to be back at home because when I do go back home, I will never again take for granted waking up to Katie Couric commenting on the wonderful marching band in the Macy´s parade and I will never again take for granted a home cooked meal and never will I forget this Bolivian Thanksgiving, for this is the true meaning of a holiday, coming together, sharing and just being.

We call it Volley, they call it Walley

2006-11-09T12:03:00.001-08:00

Imagine yourself in a racquetball court. There is a net strung across the court, separating the small court into even smaller halves. Teams are divided into three to four persons, you’re handed what looks like a beach volleyball and the walleyball game begins.

What is walleyball you ask? Well, it is the Bolivian version of volleyball, played in a racquetball court. The most tricky part of the rules to walley is that you USE the side walls, but NOT the back walls. Now, it sounds easy, but when you are used to serving the ball in an outdoor court, your forget your own strength and smack the ball right into the otherside´s back wall, earning a point for that team. Which points out yet another change in rules, you earn points for your team simply by not being able to return the ball back to the other side, whereas in outdoor volleyball when you fail to return the ball, the other team gets to serve for points. Tricky does not even begin to describe the point system, especially when some people try and cheat you out of points, which does happen from time to time.

Some of the best moments here in Bolivia with my Bolivian family have been spent in las canchas (the courts) playing walley with both my host family and the HCA group. The level of competition each time we play rises as does our ability. Every time we get to the court, all rules are left at the small door and we just let loose and have a blast. We fall down, we laugh, we get balls to the face, yet we always manage to come out from the game excited about the next court reservation. Plus, I have never seen grown men (my Bolivian dad and brother) be so competitive, where they play the whole court and steal your opportunities to spike the ball, granted my host dad is by far the worst ball-hog. I think I went through a whole game without once touching the ball or if I did touch the ball, it was a mistake on his part.

It’s a funny sport this walleyball, yet I have really come to love it. It’s great for me to play, since the net is slightly shorter than regulation nets and I can pretend to be Gabrielle Reese and spike the crap out of the ball. Plus, it’s a wonderful chance to bond with not only my Bolivian family, but with the HCA group as well. So, if I had to pick between walley and volley, I might actually go for the Bolivian version, after all, where else can I pretend to be the queen of the court?

Me Jane, you Tarzan...

2006-11-02T11:25:00.001-08:00

The Chaparé, the Bolivian´s version of the jungle, what an adventure. A couple of weekends ago, weekend a group of students organized a trip to the jungle, complete with monkeys, rope swings and giant spiders, it truly was a blast!

The trip started out at 4am, with 8 people pilled into a mini-van of sorts and we were off. The roller-coaster ride had the three priests travelling with us praying for our lives and those prayers must have been answered because we made it in one piece. In fact, there was a brief period in time when we stopped so that our driver could splash some water on his face. Perhaps next time we take a trip we should start the adventure at a more appropriate time of day, say 7am.

We arrived in Valle Tunari around 8am, ate a quick breakfast, dropped our bags off at an interesting hostel (more to come on the hostel later) and headed to Parque Machia, a elementary school field trip haven, complete with wild monkeys, pumas and lots and lots of parrots. Now I had heard about this park from my Bolivian host family and all I gathered from them was protect your camera from the monkeys who love to steal shiny objects. You know, they weren´t kidding. At the entrance to the park, we happily locked up our valuable possesions and went to find the monkeys. Within minutes, the monkeys were literally crawling and jumping all over us. Katie had a sucker with her and as like a flash of lightening, a monkey jumped on her shoulder, grabbed the sucker, hopped down and was happily eating the sucker, after the wrapper had been taken off of course. It was nuts I tell you! Where else do you get to hold monkeys who steal? We then started a climb up to a wonderful vista of the confluence of two rivers with the jungle in the background, it was absolutely stunning. Lots of walking in mud followed and then it was off to our next activity.

Parque Carassco: We were told while we were eating lunch that this park was even better than the first park, to which I at first was a bit pessimestic, but David our guide was right. Parque Carassco was like walking through The Jungle Book. When you start the afternoon off with a giant spider in the bathroom, you know that the rest of the day will be full of adventures, which it was. First, we crossed the raging river in a steal cage suspended above the water on cables, and headed off into the jungle with our guides explaing every tree, plant and flower on the way to the bat caves. There are several different species of bats that live in the park, but thankfully the ones we visited were the fruit eating variety. I have never before climbed willingly into a cave full of bats, but when in Bolivia do as the guides tell you and climb away. We were standing in the cave as the flashlights illuminated the bats all nestled into groups sleeping the day away upside down, granted a few were flying around which I must say, was creepy. After the bat caves, we kept hearing this strange noise, like a wild tiger growling, only to find out it was these blind birds, Guarachos, that hiss to keep away predators. We completed the circle around the park and crossed the river once again, squished 9 people into a cab (including the driver) and headed back to town to our hostel.

The hostel: Well, that was a trip in itself. First off, we could have picked something slightly nicer, but since we were only staying for one night, no one argued and I think we were too tired to care. It was right off the main road, which meant it was a noisy night for the guys who slept in the room facing the street. I think Patrick, Katie and I were too tired because despite the noise we all slept soundly through the night. All I can say is, thank goodness we only stayed for one night. So, half of the group woke up refreshed and ready for the next day, while the other half was sleep deprieved. So, some of us were ready for the next adventure and other were not.

Next up a botanical garden, which just happened to be closed. I was ready to turn around and move onto the next item on our agenda, but no, instead we broke into the park and enjoyed the orchids, crocodiles and turtles all for free. Again, when in Bolivia... the garden was really interesting despite the fact that it wasn´t quite orchid season and the flowers were lacking. The crocodiles were enough to keep us occupied since the fence between us and the ancient reptiles was literally 3 feet tall. We escaped the botanical garden without any penalty and headed off to yet another jungle adventure.

La Jungla: another field trip oasis, yet this park came with dangerous rope swings suspended from trees that I swear moved when you were swinging. In fact, Katie was saved by the safety harness on the 18 meter swing. I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw that she wasn´t on the small piece of wood they considered a seat, but hanging in between the seat. La Jungla was tons of fun simply for the fact that you could pretend to be Tarzan and scream and yell as you went swinging through the trees. After La Jungla is was time to head back to Cochabamba and thus back into reality, leaving behind Tarzan, Jane and all of our monkey friends.

Overall, the short trip to the Chaparé was simply an amazing weekend. I´ve said this to many people before, but not many places in the world are as diverse as Bolivia. Where else do you get the Andes mountains and the beginning of the Amazon basin in one country? So, was it worth the sleeping in the sub-par hostel and risking our lives on the drive up there? You bet. Would I do it again despite the giant spider in the bathroom and the stealing monkeys? In a heartbeat.

The Jesuit Missions and Samaipata--vacation week

2006-10-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

After five weeks of class, we all had the chance to visit the mission towns of Bolivia, in the lowlands of Eastern Bolivia (read, hot and semi-humid). It´s been a few weeks since the vacation, but I figured it´s about time to fill ya´ll in on what we did.

First: "It [the mission towns] name comes from the indigenous region of Bolivia where the Spanish Jesuits developed a large part of Evangelism during the Colonial Period, in the 16th and 17th centuries, and in 1992, was included in the list of the Patrimonio Cultural de la Humanidad (Patrimony of Humanity) by UNESCO. The major attractions of this region are its churches, architectural jewels guarded by different villages which still possess interesting cultural manifestations from the period of the Missions. The Missions represented the Christian voice in the middle of this savage world. This region remained hidden for nearly two centuries until the release of the movie "La Mission", which awoke interest in the region and made it internationally known (http://bolivia.gotolatin.com/eng/Attr/htm/Bolivia-Misiones.asp)." The Jesuits were expelled from these regions and much later the Fransicians came and claimed these mission towns, which are now run by this order. That´s just for a small piece of background information, it is by no means all of what these towns are about, but it´s a start.

The trip started bright and early as we took a quick flight into Santa Cruz, the semi-tropical and hip city of Bolivia. We hopped on an air-conditioned bus, which was slightly larger than a 15 passenger van, and headed for our first stop in San Javier, where we were welcomed with an amazing Baroque concert put on by the children of the town. I cannot even begin to describe the quality of this concert. When I think of children putting on a concert, I tend to think of a cute, amateur production, but there was nothing amateur about these kids in San Javier, it was like we were at the symphony. Not to mention the spectacular church we were in, which has been renovated and is beautiful. I forgot to mention the restaurant that we ate lunch at, had 2 toucans, which were quite a sight to see. I kept thinking to myself, where are the fruitloops when you need them? Next stop: Concepción-the city with the sweet hotel pool, it truly was like a lagoon and a giant reprieve from the cramped bus ride. This hotel also had an orchid garden, which was full of indegiindigenouses to Bolivia, incredibly beautiful. We didn´t see much in Concepción this time around as we quickly headed for San Ignacio. There, we once again saw the church with it´s beautiful wood carvings, but also celebrated mass there, to be greeted afterwards by a peace gathering. Everyone was waving white flags and repeating the prayer of Saint Francis of Asis. After the tour in San Ignacio, we headed for a loop around three other mission towns: San Miguel, San Rafael and Santa Ana. At each place it was like we were in another world. These towns are all incredibly small, but each has a distinct character. For example; the church in Santa Ana was so simple in comparassion to the other towns, it seemed more down to earth and humble. We also toured a wood carving factory if you will, where the local children go and learn how to restore the churches and also make jewlery boxes, crosses, and angels. These kids have amazing talent and I ended up buying myself a jewlery box. After that tour of the small pueblos, it was back to Concepción, again the pool (yes!). This was probably my favorite church becuase of the extensive work in remoldeling it. There has been much time and effort put into making this church a work of art. It was there that the stations of the cross have been repainted, making the crucifixion relevant to the lives of Bolivians. These painting depicted Bolivians crucifying Jesus, yet it also depicted how they are using slash and burn agriculture (which is destryoing the forests) in relation to the crucifiction. Simply fastinating. After our worldwind tour, we made a quick stop at Las Piedras (the rock formations) and headed back to Santa Cruz for the night.

A few of us decided to extend our stay in Santa Cruz and ended up heading to Samaipata, a semi-tropical region of Bolivia, full of archeological sights and things to see and do. We stayed there two wonderful nights in the cutest hostel and were able to see Las Cuevas, the waterfalls, which was a really fun hike to the top as we looked down into the pool of water. We also went to the national park, La Fuerte, which is a world heritage sight. "The archaeological site of Samaipata consists of two parts: the hill with its many carvings, believed to have been the ceremonial centre of the old town (14th–16th centuries), and the area to the south of the hill, which formed the administrative and residential district. The huge sculptured rock, dominating the town below, is a unique testimony to pre-Hispanic traditions and beliefs, and has no parallel anywhere in the Americas (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/883)." We walked all around the giant carved rock, saw where they had their houses and where they offered sacrifices to the gods, truly an interesting experience. It was then back to Santa Cruz and back to Cochabamaba to start classes once again, but it was truly a wonderful week exploring the diverse country of Bolivia. It´s crazy to think Bolivia is home to the Andes mountains and also a jungle, pre-incan ruins (el Fuerte) and much more that I have yet to see. I better get a move on it, there´s not much time left here in Bolivia!

So, that was my vacation week from classes. It was weird to get back to my house and have my host family tell me how much they missed me, yet at the same time, I was ready to get back to the normal routine of going to school and improving my spanish skills. Overall, the more of Bolivia that I have gotten to know, the more I realize how fortunate I am to be here studying. Everyday I realize that I am so lucky to be here and so lucky to have a family who supports me not matter what. Basically I am a lucky girl, forunate in every way.

More to come, hopefully soon! :-) chao! Natalie

The 'easy' walk to poverty...

2006-09-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday a group from the language institute had organized hikes to various locations around Bolivia. One group was headed to the peak of the mountain Tunari and one group was headed to a small pueblo situated at the top of a smaller peak in the Andes. Knowing my limited physical capabilities, I chose the easier version and decided to head to the pueblo. The description of the walk said 'facil' which translated means easy, so naturally I went for that hike. The description also said the hike would take around 5 hours there and back, which in all honesty is not that much and it seemed like a worthwhile experience.

We left our house at 6am and took a trufi (public transportation) to Quillacollo and then onto Vinto, both small towns outside of Cochabamba. In Vinto there is a small 'national' park so to speak and from there we started walking. It was around 7:30am. Our group all agreed to take the easy route and so we headed off. Pretty soon we all realized that we had passed the easy route and had taken the more direct and therefore more difficult path. Soon, we were hiking up the dry river bed, over the small river and over the large rocks. After an hour of the rock hike, a girl from the hiking group, Carrie and I decided that we had taken the wrong route, which much to our dismay, we had. Luckily our guide was able to find a shortcut back to the proper trail and off we went, after a bit of a scramble up a steep cliff. I want to say it was around 10:30am, three hours after our start, which according to our guides was the time we should have arrived. The trail that leads to the pueblo was a steep, rocky and actually quite difficult trail. At every switchback I had to stop and catch my breath, at every corner I needed a rest and yet I kept going. Never in my life have I attempted to do something so hard, when what I thought I was doing was supposed to be easy. Finally around 12ish, our group needed a lunch break. We sat on a group of rocks that overlooked the cities of Quillacollo and Cochabamba and laughed about the difficulty of the trip. Little did we know we still had almost an hour to go, yet the guides kept saying, not much further. From the lunch spot you could see the pueblo, well perhaps it's better to say, you could see the trees and a small house in the pueblo, but nothing more. I was exhausted. I keep saying that I couldn't go any further, that I was fine to stay right where I was, sitting on the rocks, exhausted. Yet, I kept going for some odd reason, slowly, but I kept going. Finally at 1:20ish, I made it to the top, in last place, but I made it.

K'aspicancha is a pueblo with around 25 families that survive on the top of the hill with next to nothing. The purpose for this hike was to deliver notebooks and pencils to the 16 school children that are learning the basics for survival. The only way up and down is the hike that we took, each way almost 5km. As we reached the top, the weather was starting to turn and after quick introductions our group headed back down the mountain, never to forget the experience that we all shared, the true meaning of poverty. Will I ever again travel to this remote village? Most likely not, but the lessons that I learned from that hike to the village will remain with me forever.

Poverty is the children (and most indeginous people in the mountains) wearing nothing more than sandals on their feet. Snow, rain, hail, sleet, any type of weather hot or cold, sandals are their only choice. Poverty is walking down a 5km trail around 2-3 times a month just to buy simple supplies in the village. Poverty is only going to school until age 11 because that is the time in which you learn to read and write and for the people there, that is sufficient. Poverty is growing only enough to survive. Poverty is living hours away from civilization. K'aspicancha is poverty for me and finding this definition was a powerful, exhausting, difficult, laborious and well worth the effort experience.

It´s about time

2006-09-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened since the last update to my blog, the phone and address updates don´t count, so I figured it´s about time to finally give ya´ll an idea of exactly what I am doing, pictures and all.

First, let me start with the Maryknoll language school here in Cochabamba. Most of the classes here are taught one-on-one, which at time can be intimidating, but for the most part has been an enjoyable experience. You are forced to learn a lot not having the liberty of other people in class to answer for you. For my information about the language school, to see some pictures and whatknot, click on this link. www.redfish.to/bolivia/institutomaryknoll

Life here is also extremely different, but in a positive way. People move slower and you have the time to appreciate life and smell the beautiful flowers. Just to give you an idea, a typical day here for me includes: four hours of classes, lunch with my Bolivian family, perhaps a nap, back to the institute for volleyball, basketball, or something of the sort, some homework time and most nights a little tv. Sounds pretty American, but at the same time it´s extremely different. No car to take myself somewhere, no job to go to, basically not much to worry about, yet at the same time, homework and other small things to think about as well.

Since being in Bolivia, I have taken the time to enjoy some of Cochabamba´s sights, mostly with friends. For instance, last Sunday we hiked (we´ll Michelle and I took the cable car) up to the Cristo de Concordia statue which stands tall on a hill overlooking the city. What a spectacular view! From here you could see the Andes Mountains, the whole city and a small lake on the outskirts of town. It was the place to be on a Sunday, at least from what I could tell.

During our first week of class, our group had our first community night at one of the local restaurants here, which my host mom happens to manage. La Estancia is a charming little restaurant where according to my host mom, many tourists flock to, probably for the wonderful food and even better prices. A dinner for four with wine and the works cost around $20.00. Where in the States would that happen besdies McDonalds?

Sept. 14 is Cochabamba day, which meant no classes and parades and festivals all around town. Katie, Patrick and I had the opportunity to watch Katie´s host sister twirl her baton in the parade, which was a sight in iself. The costumes and way in which each school presented itself was amazing, as was the complete lack of order. Kids ran into the parade to line up with thier school and as we watched from the beginning, each school started walking when they felt it was their time. Needless to say it wasn´t the Rose Bowl parade, but perhaps the lack of order was better. After the beginning of the parade we met up with people from the institute for a dinner on the Prado, and by chance we had a wonderful view of the parade. To top off Cochabamba day, our group headed to the stadium for a free concert, which consisted of traditional and folkloric music of Bolivia, with some traditional dances thrown in there for good measure. The stadium was packed with tons of people both trying to get in and out. We finally were seated and looking around the crowded soccer stadium with people dancing and singing along was a sight to be had. We finally headed home around 2am, with the concert still in full swing. What a wonderful evening, an event not to be missed!

La Cancha: Ever wonder what a Bolivian walmart might look like? Well, look no further because it has been found. La Cancha is the place everyone goes to find cheap things and I mean all things. You can buy anything there from a cow´s tongue to a DVD player to according to Ryan Greenberg (a current volunteer), a dried llama fetus. Patrick and I had explored a small portion of La Cancha, opting only to find the notebooks and outlet converters we needed and then one Saturday Michelle and I walked down there to be astounded by the number of people and things to see. We even took the wrong micro (bus) and ended up in the outskirts of town before finally realizing that we needed another micro. This past Tuesday Michelle and I again ventured to La Cancha, this time with her host mom in tow. She knows all of the places and on a Tuesday, the market wasn´t nearly as crowded. We were able to shop around and be relaxed, which ended up being just what the doctor ordered, a girl´s shopping day! I´m sure there are more trips to La Cancha to come, but for now, once a week is sufficient enough, it´s a trip in itself.

Bolivian Volleyball: My host family here is big into playing walleyball, which is volleyball played in a racketball court where you can use the side walls when you hit the ball. The whole HCA group went with my host family and we all had a blast relearning the art of volleyball. I´m sure there are more walleyball games to come!

Let´s see: Not much else to tell except that things are going well, although at times it´s not easy, but then again I didn´t expect for a complete life change to be easy. Keep praying for our group and pray that things continue to go well here in Bolivia, untill then, adios for now.

****A special note: Congrats to Katy and Chris on their recent engagement!! Yahoo!! Five years and counting!! ****

Ring, ring....

2006-09-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well, the face of living simply has changed with the knowledge that I can have a cell phone here for super cheap...knowing that it´s not going over and above the call of living simply because it doesn´t cost me anything to receive calls and it was cheap to set it up, so knowing this information, I now have a Bolivian cell phone number which people can reach me at any time...

Calling cards to Latin America are super cheap (around $5.00) at Walgreens, CVS, Stop and Go, etc. so, I would suggest buying one of those and then using a landline to give me ring when you get a chance...

You have to dial 011 then 591 then 722 71541 (that´s my number)*Note, I had it wrong awhile ago, but this is the correct one for sure! sorry! *

I´m on East coast time until day light savings begins in which case I´ll be another hour ahead I think, but unless you call super late, it really doesn´t matter and I wouldn´t suggest calling super early either, I´m typically in class....

I know an update to this blog should be coming soon, be patient, I´m working on something spectacular...just know that things are going well, the first two weeks of school actually flew by and we´re about to start the second two weeks, which after that is a break and a little vacation to the missions of the Jesuits...I´m excited...

That´s all for now, I look forward to hearing from you!!

How to send mail...

2006-09-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

Many have asked for a mailing address and finally I have an answer.

*** The Bolivia address has been deleted, so as not to confuse anyone when sending mail. Please send all future mail to the Santiago address, since that is where I will be living. :-) thanks! ***

Santiago: Sending packages and other mail here would probably be easier since I will be living in Chile for the next two years. I would be careful sending expensive things as I wouldn´t want them to get lost or stolen, but of course anything sent would be much appreciated. That address is as follows:
Natalie Nathan
Asociados de Santa Cruz, Casilla 238
Correo 11
Santiago, CHILE

*Side bar: Class started yesterday here at the Institute and four hours of one-on-one classes is quite a bit more challenging than the college class filled with lots and lots of other people to fill the space. But, as challenging as it will be, it will also be really good! More to come, but I know the address part was super important, so here it is! *

Cochabamba, Bolivia

2006-09-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin? On our last night in Santigao, we went to a place called Los Buenos Muchachos, a fantastic restaurant, complete with live dancing and music. In fact, they bring some people up on stage and have them dance for everyone, which I was fortunate enough to do, shaking my hips for everyone in Chile to see. It was a late night and since we had to get up early the next morning for our flight to Bolivia, a bunch of us didn´t sleep a wink. Which might be the reason that my cold has gotten worse, but it was worth it, we all had way too much fun.

We then took a short flight to La Paz, which by the way is the world´s highest commerical airport. At around 14,000 ft. the four of use could barely breathe. We had a long layover there are were fortunate enough to be able to rest at the Maryknoll house there, where we all promptly crashed, ate some lunch and crashed again. Then onto our flight to Cochabamba, which is still high in altitude, but at least here we can all breathe. Our host families picked us up and life as a Bolivian actually began. We are here in Bolivia to go to language school, because unlike in Chile, Bolivians speak clearly and most importantly slowly. School actually starts on Monday and I´m looking forward to having something to do, even though my Bolivian family is very chill.

Well, that´s all for now, but I can say that Bolivia is a beautiful country, despite it being the poorest country in South America, complete with water and natural gas wars. People here are friendly and they like to sit and chat for hours. Don´t worry, I´m safe and I won´t get kidnapped on a bus.

:-) natalie

Quick update...

2006-08-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have a little time left in the internet cafe in Los Andes, the city closest to Pocuro, which is south of Santiago and I just wanted to once again let everyone know that things are going well.

So much has gone on since we´ve arrived it would take much more than the 15 mintues I have left to explain it all, but I can tell you for sure that Chile is so beautiful. Seeing the Andes mountains is sight in itself and just seeing the different way in which people live is insane, a good insane, but different for sure. We´ve been in Pocurro since Saturday afternoon and being out in the campo (countryside) is a stark contrast to the big city of Santiago. The house here is right next to the chapel and is super cute with a lemon tree out front. Here in the small city we have managed to do quite a bit, just like in the city. We even went to mass in Spanish, the first mass in a foreign country for me. I´ve even been to a birthday party here, very similar to the states and the cake was just as good if not better. And we went to an agriculture school here and I helped the kids learn the countries, very interesting since they were more interested in getting my phone number.

Well, I only have 3 minutes left on the computer, but all I can say is life here sure is different, but it´s wonderful at the same time. A life much slower and peaceful without the worry of going to school and working. I leave on Wednesday for Bolivgia for language school, so I´ll check my mail and such then and get back to you as soon as I can. Peace!

:-) natalie

We´ve arrived!!

2006-08-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone-
We have arrived safely in Santiago, Chile!! We´ve been here a full28 hours and I already I can tell life here in the city is crazy. The house here in Santiago is small but comfy and is right next to a bunch of shops and botellerias (beer shops). We arrived here at 5am on Wednesday and watched the sun rise as the Andes mountains came into view, what a sight. Now I thought I had seen some really high mountains, but nothing compares the the majestic view of the Andes.

Yesterday after a much needed nap, Roy (one of the current associates) took us to his English class at a local public high school. We were able to help him with his lesson plan of teaching the kids about tourism, as they asked us a bunch of questions about boyfriends, music and the like. We then went to a half private, half public school (a Holy Cross School) and helped with Tom and Cailtin´s (again, current associates) English class for elementary school kids. We even played duck-duck-goose with them, it was crazy, yet lots of fun.

We then took the scenic route home on the bus, ate a quick dinner and watched Eraser in Spanish, crappy in English and crappy in Spanish. So far things are going well and I´m really enjoying the Chilean lifestyle. Today, we are again with Roy, but this time we are at St. George´s, another Holy Cross school, but this one is full of dinero. In fact, we´re using the computers here and if I end up working here, I´ll be online all the stinking time!! Class starts in like 20 minutes, so I better wrap this up, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I¨m here safe and things are going well.

Oh, one last note. The flight here wasn´t all that bad. It was long, but I feel like I´ve been on longer flights. And I have yet another stamp in my passport!! Hecks yes!! I miss everyone like crazy, but know that I¨m here safe and I¨ll keep you updated on my whearabouts and how to get ahold of me as soon as I know that information. Until next time...

:-) Natalie

Prior to departure

2006-08-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

Well, orientation is officially over. Now, we're just playing the waiting game until we take off on Tuesday. It's funny because for awhile there time seemed as if it was standing still and now I have no idea where the past three weeks have gone. They've gone to learning about cultural sensitivity, trips to Meijer and Walmart, Silverhawks games, a few bars here and there, more lectures about globilization and countless meals with priests and seminarians. It has been a wonderful experience despite the fact that I was at times bored to tears. I have made such wonderful friends here with not only with my housemates and the domestic associates, but with our director and assistant director as well. While we're down in Chile I hope to keep in touch with all of these wonderful people (so, for those of you reading this, keep in touch!). :-)

People have asked me why I am choosing to give up the next two years of my life to become a volunteer in some country far away and I have this to say: Why not? I also don't look at it thinking that I am giving up something, but gaining a lifetime of experience. This is the period in my life where I have nothing but time to spare. My passion in life is helping, serving, working so that other people's lives may be enriched. That is by no means the whole answer, but it gives a little insight into why I am a Holy Cross Associate.

Well, I have one more weekend in the US and I plan on spending it with an old friend, Stephen. He's on his way to Notre Dame from Detroit and we're headed to Chicago. This should be a good time! Perhsps we can go and see a show or a game.

And so it beings... (again)

2006-08-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

Dear family, friends and other associates: I have waited long enough to write this lovely internet version of a journal, aka a blog, but now is the time to begin this. Well, I had one version going, but Michelle deleted it while trying to show my something, so here it goes again. I admit I have procrastinated on this last link to all of my friends and whatnot because if I did not start a blog, then I would not actually be leaving the country. Well, the flight was just booked today, so I figure I should begin to write my cyber journal.

So, let me begin by giving a brief synopsis of training here at Notre Dame: God country... So far we have sat around listening to speakers, chatting with priests, playing crazy animal games, going to the local bars (that's a whole other story in itself), the Potawanami Zoo, Chicago, Wanda the Honda, South Bend Silverhawks, and most importantly Moreau Seminary. Granted, this list does not do justice to exactly what we've been doing, but it's enough for now. Let's just say that some of it has been informative, while some of it has not been, but hey when you're leaving for two years I guess two weeks of training is fair.

So let me dish a little on what I've learned thus far: 1.) Housemates: Katie, Patrick and Michelle are all awesome people. We all bring a different 'flava' to the house and without each other the Chilean house would be bland. Basically, go Chileans! In fact, we just got back from a dinner/dessert excursion and it's so awesome to hear where everyone is coming from and what we all expect from each other. I already know that I'm going to learn so much from each one of these people. 2.) Culture shock: we're all going to get it, go figure. 3.) Weather: hot and humid do not go together, basically for the first week everyone was pretty sweaty (and mosquitoes love that!). 4.) Reflection: I truly am blessed to be here and for such supportive family and friends. I would not be here without you all and I thank you for everything! Okay, enough being mushy, but it had to be said.

On more important matters we have finally scheduled our airfare and travel details. I leave the country on August 22nd, fly into Cincinnati then onto Miami. From there we go to Bogota and then to Santiago for a week before we travel to Cochabamba, Bolivia for language school. Then it's back to Chile in December to begin our service.
Well kiddos, it's getting late here in God country, so for now until we meet again in cyberland, goodnight!

:-) Natalie