Welcome Home/Texas Wedding

(the blushing bride, Sabrina)

I went to a wedding in Texas for a week, two weeks ago, now. My friends Sabrina and Paul got married. I am back home finally (in Chile) after much traveling and a dose of Gringolandia. My favorite reminder of the U.S. was meeting Paul's best man, Greg. There was a brief moment of confusion in my head--oh right, we shake hands here. Contrastingly, upon arrival to Chile, at customs, by the customs officer stamping me in, there was an extra friendly conversation. Something involving me giving him English lessons, but upon finding out I lived in La Boca he admitted his disappointment and sent me on my way. I might have fallen on the floor in fits of laughter and delight at this comic welcome back to Chile, but it was customs so I only giggled out loud. Welcome back. Given this cultural information, I did not have to carry my luggage very far that day because there was always some willing man to help me out.

Otherwise, my castellano is progressing, and I am begnning to feel like I am part of this community.

The Second Simposium of Art has begun, and Alejandro and I have been preparing for the event. Although he has been doing more work.

I went to the beach yesterday with my friend Rodrigo. He taught me to surf cast. I am able, but we caught nothing but sun, laughs and later some beers.

It's so wonderful here. I can never say that enough.

The Results Are In...

For my silly phone race, Phil is the big winner! My Mom, who had previously left a voicemail, even conceded victory to Phil when I spoke with her several hours later that day. Thanks Phil. Honorable mention goes to Paul.


(Phil)

Pretty Pictures

(view of the end of the land where the ocean meets the river)


(urchins in the sand)


(view from the beach to the cliffs near La Boca)

Days Go By, or OH MY GOD THAT THING IS HUGE

The days are getting longer here, a bit warmer in Navidad, but equally London-esque and windy in La Boca. I am thinking about moving. There is much happening witht he farms and farmers. I have been watching as the fields have been prepared and planted with ox and plough. There are baby turkey and chicken at Rosa's house. I got to scoop up a few and hold them last week when I went out to feed them with Rosa's son, Sergio. While walking to Navidad I saw an enormous bumble bee, orange though, fuzzy, harmless, and the size of a small bird. I actually yelled out loud, "OH MY GOD THAT THING IS HUGE!" No one heard, or at least understood, the outburst.

Stu- Stu- Studio

On the doors of my studio "Taller de Navidad". I am working in what used to be a honey processing space. Although, I don't think much honey was processed there since nothing was sticky. The centrifuge machine and some bee keeping tools are still there. The space also was storing signs for the municipality (no parking here, parking here, beware of the dangerous tide, etc.). I hung those signs on the wall. I like their typography and sincerity.

My studio is running at half speed (the conversion of U.S. standard speed into rural Chilean half speed: rCh = 0.33725 US). Things are slow. I have been printing by hand and rock some woodcuts and mono prints. Hopefully the serigraphy portion will get underway soon. A friend of a friend is making me wood frames for screens. But, we cannot locate him to get the frames.

All things are slow here.

The Special Bus

I cought a bus home from Navidad. It was actually the farmers' bus--a special migrant farmers' bus that runs in the morning and in the night (surise and sunset). I waved at the bus thinking it was the normal bus to La Boca. It was dark, the bus had lights in my eyes, I didn't know, so I waved. They stopped and offered me a ride. The bus was OLD and falling apart. I was imagining it ran on tangled wires and old technologies. The door was once semi-automatic, but now completely manual.

The experience was one of those that changes your heart and makes you humbled to all existence. I went home and wrote:
"In case I didn't get it--I am so lucky. I am so grateful for these experiences I am having here. This is where I am supposed to be. The reason why adds to itself everyday. This is the way. There was never another way. It is this"

Amen.

Saca su lingua

Language-wise I am learning little by little, and am putting to use more and more. The struggle is lessening slowly. The other day, I realized that I had an odd speaking phobia. I didn't like to speak to people unless they engaged me. My new goal is to over come this and potentially annoy people with questions and explanations. Likewise, I am talking to more people, making more friends, and becoming more enabled to express my opinions about whatever. The most interesting topic has been about the wall they are planning to build between Mexico and the United States. Try explaining that to a table of Latinos (some Mexican, some Chilean). I learned a lot from their opinions. WE'VE GOT IT ALL WRONG! Moreover, we are all going to be screwed--all of us--if we don't stop being greedy (with our goods, territories, boundaries, religion, environment, etc.).

Feeding Time at the Zoo

Today I ran into my friend Sergio (another Sergio, not the son of Rosa) who I met during the 2005 Simposium. He lives most of the time in La Boca with his wife and a bunch of dogs. I got to meet his wife today, who is lovely and relaxed. We ate papayas and talked for an hour or more. They sent me off to Navidad with a sack of Papayas, happy.

In Navidad, I lunched as usual, with Rosa. I should mention here that I have an outstanding lunch date at Rosa's house, with her and her family. Yes, everyday, I go and eat farm food with them--free and filling. But, it is farm food and so there has been a lot of meat and manteca cycling through my once vegetarian system. It's been a little rough lately. Anyway, I luched with the Reyes family as usual. We had panchufa (I think this is it's name). This is pasta made from manteca and flour, I imagine, and later is put into a soup. The soup is made out of meat stock, since a hunk of "meat" was in each of our bowls. I ate around this hunk of "meat", or as I would like to call it "pig knee". It took up one third of my bowl, bone surrounded by cartilage, some fat, and a layer of flesh--hair and hair folicles in tact! I ignored its existence as much as possible. It was palatable and accompanied by a penca salad.

Penca is similar to celery in both appearance and flavor. It's a little softer in texture with a fruttier flavor overall. It grows wild here and so it's organic. My friend, Juan Luis, praises penca for its lack of pesticide and price--free! Que rico!

Later that evening I helped the daughter of a friend of Rosa's with her English homework. I was paid in papayas. I have many papayas now.

Notes

Home Sweet Home

I am living in a nice big house--a typical middle or upper middle class house. Although I have an apartment (a bedroom and a small kitchen) within the house, I go freely around the whole house.

There are a few notable differences that are unique if not un-amercan. The stoves are usually like a two burner camping stove, run by gas and match. Hot water for showers passes through a small water heater that operates with gas, match, pilot flame and valve switch. There is little water pressure, so the more clogged with minerals the showerhead, the better. I wash my face with cold water every day. It's a shocker. In our bathroom we don't put ANY paper in the toilet. Sometimes I forget.


Fashion and Jackets?

Fashion exists in the cities of Chile. Although, I'd never invest money in it. In the pueblos, it is very simple. They like normal things, jeans, t-shirts, and the like. They prefer practicality over style. But, still, they maintain a style all their own. They have nice sweaters and warm clothes. Just about everyone has a work smock or equivalent coverall.

There is not heat, so we all wear our jackets. In the wind, on colder days, after sunset, in the night. We eat dinner in our jackets, we watch TV in our jackets. We love our jackets.


Eats!

Lunch is the biggest meal followed by breakfast then dinner. The coffee here is always instant coffee (something I have begun to love, herbal tea drinker that I was), served always with a cup, saucer and spoon. Bread, which is consumed at every meal, is made daily and purchased at one of the local panaderias. One bread is about the size of a flattened bagel. Chileans love bread. Did I mention that Chileans love bread?

What I love?, The Super-8 (pronounced Super-ocho). The Super-8 is the best candybar to exist. It is the sweet love chile of a KitKat and a Twix. Mmmmmm.

The rest of the eating here is similar to the states. There are minor differences in the color of egg yolks, the flavor of certain produce, etc.

Chileans like to cook, to talk about cooking, to eat and to talk about eating. Apparently, it is common to float a steak on top of a bowl of soup or beans or rice or pasta. This is what Alejandro tells me. I have not seen a floating steak...yet. Mostly, there are soups with a meat, veggies and rice. Salads often consist of one vegetable plus oil, salt and lemon juice (usually from the backyard lemon tree).

Eating in general is a ver special event here. Everyone is always inviting everyone else over to join them in a meal or over bread and tea/coffee. Tea or coffee is taken at least three times a day. Powdered milk is as common (if not more so) as radiated milk (milk in a box that needs refrigeration only after it is opened). Cow milk is rare, but I have had it straight from the cow to the stove, strained and into my mug.


Smoke 'Em If You've Got 'Em

Many people smoke here. It is customary to offer cigarettes to anyone you know withing arms reach. A pack of 10 costs about $1, 20 is $2. Ashtrays are seachells.


Hitchhiking

I have hitchhiked on many occasions, but not alone. Usually a bus or collectivo (taxi) wil drive by. They stop if you wave at them. Often, someone you know will stop and let you ride for free. Sometimes, people you don't know will stop and offer you a ride, but usually they are guys in their 20's-30's looking to chat up the gringa. Harmless, I'm sure. Even so, if it's not raining I prefer to get the exercise and go it by foot or bicycle. I need it.