Bob and the Burro

Bob arrived this morning in Cusco! Sadly, Richard and Chris departed for Puno and missed him by a 1/2 hour. I'm excited to hear how their trip unfolded because Bob and I will take the same trip this Saturday or Sunday on the Inka Express! Dad has been practicing his Spanish and saw two donkeys on the road and exclaimed: Burros! Much to my surprise! Clearly Rob's Spanish for Dummies was a help!

Tomorrow, we will take the train to Machu Picchu. It will be an excellent way to spend Thanksgiving.

Cusco

Today, Richard and I arrived in Cusco. We slept for maybe twenty minutes during a very comfortable...but excessively cold overnight bus trip! We spent the day exploring town and securing our train tickets to Machu Picchu. The altitude has only impacted our breathing a bit - so I have high hopes that my dad will gracefully transition to the 11,000 ft level here. Tomorrow, Richard will tour the sites - on Thursday, dad and I will take a look. Kat and Chris should also join us here in Cusco by Wednesday. Kat left Arequipa bound for Puno (which she is loving) and Chris remained in Calama for a few extra days.

The speciality here seems to be trout. We sampled some today along with a great crema de zapallo (squash soup). Much to my delight - Peru also has some awesome jewelry and like Bolivia...slower Spanish! To my shock - Peruvians seem to take advantage of the sun and altitude with solar powered hot showers. Ingenious. The plazas in Arequipa and Cusco capture the city life with buildings with long balconies lining each side of the square. Diners can perch above the crowds to people watch and observe the fabulous architecture of the churches here.

Peru

We made it safely to Peru and hope to explore Colca Canyon tomorrow! We traveled from 11 pm (Calama) until 7 pm (Arequipa) today and decided we never needed to see the desert again (we drove through it the entire way here)!! More to come soon...

Last Day in Calama

Wow. I get a chill just writing "last day in Calama." At this moment, I sit in my room relaxing for the last time. In a few minutes, I'll walk with Rodrigo to the bakery and introduce him to the head baker, who would like English lessons. In 10 days, I will return here...but it will be different. It won't be as a resident, it will be as a visitor with my dad. My friends will have left and I won't have the same emotions as I do right now. Its difficult for me even to process all of the thoughts run through my head. Two diverging ones rise to the top most frequently: absolute excitement about traveling to Peru and meeting my father in Cuzco...and absolute sadness about closing this chapter of my life. I will miss my life here more than I think I can even imagine now.

I hope to write during the next two months as I travel from hostel to hostel. I can't wait to share with you all of the adventures Bob and I will experience!

A special thanks also to Juan - who hung out with me this week and showed me so many new sides of Calama! MUCHAS GRACIAS - can't wait to see you in Santiago and eventually grab a drink with you and Meri in the States!

Photo of Desk: The desk where I've written to all of you since August.
Photo of Chefs: Baking at Pasteli's this past week. My new friends at the bakery agreed to let me shadow them for a few days! To say the least - I was in heaven.

Paro

Strike. Yes, for my last week of classes, the country is on strike. This means I do not have my final week of evaluations or goodbyes with my students. Bummer. Hopefully, when my father and I return here in December classes will resume.

Otherwise - I am packing and preparing to meet Bob in Peru! The goodbyes here will be mixed with excitement for the future and tears for moving from this place we´ve called home for four months (more for the people than the location). Richard arrives on Friday - Kat, Richard, and I will depart for Peru that night. Chris will leave a day or two later and meet us in Cuzco. I cannot wait to see dad at the airport! It will be our first adventure on our month long father-daughter tour of South America.

After Peru, we will return to Calama then head to Argentina!

Chile Week in Philadelphia...THIS WEEK!

Thank you, Juan (pictured here), for informing me of this celebration!!!! Does anyone know anyone on the committee...could I help plan it next year?!

On Thursday, November 13, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter will make a proclamation naming November 13th to the 21st as "Viva Chile in Philadelphia!" week. He will be joined by Chilean Ambassador Mariano Fernandez who will honor Mayor Nutter with the Orden de Bernardo O'Higgins, Grado Comendador, Chile's highest commendation for non-Chilean citizens. The award, which is approved by the President of Chile, is the first such commendation from Chile that a Philadelphia Mayor has ever received.

Philadelphia will then open its cultural arms to embrace Chilean culture as the city celebrates the sights, sounds and flavors of Chile in a series of events called Viva Chile in Philadelphia.

Chile and Philadelphia have a long history in trade, as Philadelphia is the main port for Chilean imports into the United States, especially Chilean fruit. In celebration of Philadelphia’s appreciation for all things Chilean and the 20th anniversary of the Chilean and American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia (CACC), the Embassy of Chile in the United States, the Consulate of Chile in Philadelphia, ProChile (the Trade Commission of Chile), and the CACC are all lining up to offer performances of Chilean musicians, an exhibition of Chilean Art from the 1960s, a celebration of Chile’s gastronomy, tastings of Chilean wine, a film festival, seminars, talks and much more.

Events take place November 13-21, 2008 and details are here. Most events are free and open to the public.

http://www.chileinphilly.com/

Meet Hayden Thomas Cattie

Hayden is finally here! Congratulations, Lisa and Brian - I could not be more thrilled and more excited to meet the little man!

Creature Comforts

Yesterday, fellow volunteer Chris and I discussed something I’ve thought about many times – our new levels of appreciation. Chris gave the example of pastries. Kat, Chris, and I found this amazing bakery with whole grain bread and beyond-this-world lemon muffins (I hope to go there tomorrow and learn a bit from them). We all now pick up various treats for each other when we pass by…especially on bad days. One bite of the sugary goodness can pick our moods up out of the dirt and dust off our negativities. During similar conversations, John talks about how he buys huge chocolate bars and saves them to be devoured on long days. Michelle received a care package with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups last week. She not only updated her facebook status with the news, but she also sat in her room and plucked them one at a time from the package and savored them until they were gone.

From these descriptions, you might jump to the conclusion that we’ve just become gluttons! Not the case. Beyond sweets, I cook often here. A plate of rice noodles and broccoli in this region of flavorless stews and bread revives my senses. But let me change the topic from food…youtube. Chris and I escape into youtube during our visits with each other to share parts of our cultures (for such small countries – Australia and New Zealand have some pretty awesome talent) and experiences (I will admit – its more challenging for me to share things with Chris…because the American culture has permeated each corner of the earth already).

Last night, I remembered to look up www.xpn.org – my favorite radio station from home. I discovered pages and pages of interviews – music downloads from emerging artists – and podcasts of in-studio concerts. To say the least, I squealed with happiness. I take so many things for granted at home. I get excited about new music – but now – I want to shout it from the rooftops. I immediately emailed other volunteers with the link – copied the songs into my iTunes – and have made plans to listen to a few of the short concerts tomorrow! Today, I will also share the links with my advanced students. They all adore music and the natural, relaxed interviews would expose them to great dialogue and new vocabulary from not only the States, but also the UK, Australia, and other English speaking artists.

So where are all of these thoughts coming from? We only have 9 more days here in Calama. It seems amazing how my time here has vanished. I look forward to my adventures with my father and reuniting with other volunteers along the way…but I also have some anxiety about leaving the comforts I’ve unearthed here. The afternoon walks along the river – the many conversations about language – the sharing of knowing glances – the hours of laughter – the feeling of triumph after a good class – the motivation from others after miserable classes – the love and support of each person here living this with me.

* * * * * * * *

Recreate my morning…

Recommended listening: http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=93034846&m=93019062

Recommended eating: oatmeal – no sugar – mixed with bananas, peaches, and raisins sautéed in butter, rum, and a touch of honey

Recommended drinking: bottled water

Recommended outfit: leggings (sweats take up too much room in my luggage…I can’t begin to tell you how excited I will be to slip into real sweats when I get home!), a tank top, and Northface fleece.

Recommended setting: your bedroom – soaked in sunlight listening to the sounds of dogs barking, trucks rumbling by, and the distant sound of a train

PS – did I mention my school is on strike? I only have one class today…

Photo: me dressed as Rodrigo (my host brother) and two creatures on Halloween - John on the left, Chris on the right

The Land of Copper

Calama centers around one industry: Copper. Codelco owns the largest open copper mine in the entire world and it sits just a few miles from the place I call home. Codelco owns this town and most of Northern Chile. Today, we visited the mine and ghost town of Chuquicamata. In 2010, the ghost town and valley of the mine will disappear under rubble when Coldelco plans to join a salt mine to the increasing copper mine.

Photos of the mine (and a few of Trip - Susan just sent a few from Halloween!):
http://picasaweb.google.com/CatinSouthAmericaPart2/CopperMine#

Codelco website: [People] are permanently in contact with copper, at their homes and offices, in the streets, in their cars, and whenever they do something typical of modern life: turn on the lights, speak on the phone or drink tap water. And this contact just increases with the advent of new technologies.

This Is Our Victory

November 5, 2008. The world has waited for this day. Since my arrival in Calama in August, one question has presented itself in all of my classes: do you like Obama? For the past week or more, the questions and comments have escalated.

I unplug my computer and carry it across the classroom. As the majority of the class completes an exercise on emotion, three boys ask me about the US elections. One 15 year old inquiries about the process and asks me what it’s like in the US today.

I open cnn.com and let my student peruse the articles while I talk with other two about Fidel Castro, Barack Obama, and John McCain. Over the past few weeks, words such as fascist, nazi, dictator, and racist have come to the surface when discussing George Bush. From such a young populace, the hate for him mystifies me. I ask my students – Por que? Why? They don’t have any answers. They can only respond with that he is a terrible, evil man. My more educated conversations with adults reveal even more disdain for our politics…but with proper explanations. As most of you know, I am not a fan of George Bush…but I also don’t despise him. I think he’s a good person, just misguided and unprepared politically. Seeing both sides – does not happen here.

Beyond my own political views, I am relieved Barack Obama won this election. I hope that with this change, the world will view our politicians not as monsters. Fruitlessly, I have tried explaining to my students that our two largest parties are more similar, rather than different. I look forward to pointing to Obama’s request for McCain’s help to improve our government and policies.

The hatred for the United States government appears in so many faces here – Europeans, South Americans, Australians, and Kiwis. Most individuals I encounter during my travels have a strong opinion about US politics – from the 40 year old school teacher on a Bolivian bus to the international friends I meet at hostels. Sadly, most are even more informed than my fellow citizens regarding US and world happenings (ie: the many people who did not know where Chile was on a map when I decided to come here).

My hope for today is that this change will present us an opportunity to better the American image. So much of what we decide impacts all countries. I realize we operate as a good force in the world…now is the time to communicate that more clearly and harness the positive energy of this victory.

Dear Bolivia: I want my heart back.

A rush of hydrogen and oxygen relieve my clammy face the minute Kat wins her struggle against the rusted window. Stagnate heaviness quickly dissolves with the burst of fresh, tropical air laden with the smell of green. The roar of the engine and wind fill the space. Our bus rumbles down the narrow, unpaved path with just inches between the worn wheels and crumbling embankment.

The route from La Paz to Chulumani allows the easy juxtaposition of the great concrete, teeming city and the fertile, thriving Amazon. Descending from the clouds of La Paz, our bus driver navigates the road as if following an invisible current. The feeling of pure excitement spreads through my spine as a shiver and sparks all of the muscles in my face to tighten into a massive smile. For the past three months, I have remained separate from nature. In a dusty city, I have found a new appreciation for nature’s vitality.

Bolivia offered John, Kat and I a different glimpse into South American life. While Bolivia has its political problems (it has changed governments 200 times in 188 years according to Lonely Planet), its people could not be more warm, welcoming, and generous. With each day, I grew more and more fond of everything – the food, the people, the sights, the amazing landscapes.

I am having trouble uploading my videos…here are the highlights of my trip and also the entire batch of 498 photos! I needed to open a new Picasa account for these photos. You can now find my photos in the links in my past blog entries and also the links below.

Trip Dates: October 22nd - 28th (Calama schools closed for elections during this long weekend)
Locations: La Paz, Chulumani, Copacabana, and Ururo
People: Ayquina crew reunited: John (Washington State), Kat (Boston), and me

Highlights with captions: http://picasaweb.google.com/CatinSouthAmericaPart2/GoingToBoliviaHighlights

All photos without captions: http://picasaweb.google.com/CatinSouthAmericaPart2/20081029GoingToBoliviaAllPictures