Alice in wonderland has got nothing on Patagonia

Primavera

Spryly branches with fingers interlaced with one another
holding buds of promise
only meant to be opened with grace from the sol

"It's magic... ya know, never believe it's not so"

Words like majestic, serene, beautiful, awe-inspiring were designed to describe Patagonia and I will forever stand by this. Although, I am currently living in Patagonia Punta Arenas unfortunately I don’t look out my window and see this everyday

The volunteers in Puerto Natales, where I visited this weekend, do have this convenience. Can you imagine being able to walk to work every day and have the Andes snow covered mountains as a way to beckon you through the windy ice covered streets? I felt like I was living in one of those calendars dedicated to insanely beautiful mountain scenes. I couldn’t get enough who knew scenery could be such a drug I sat on a park bench looking past the sound onto the mountains with a fellow volunteer and watched the sun  set until the sky was a resounding blue and still I wanted more. Earlier in the afternoon we hiked el Cerro Dorotea it took about two hours to reach the peak. We sat on top of this hill overlooking Puerto Natales, el campos, the Sound of last hope and of course the Andes Mountains.

I was awe-inspired by the serene majestic beauty of Patagonia. All the cheesy tourist books I’ve read over the last few months describing the beauty of this land untouched by man became not so cheesy anymore. I sat down and soaked in the most indescribable view possible. I was finally able to appreciate for the first time exactly what I'm doing here. I am living in Patagonia teaching children English well kind of but definitely living in Patagonia. Sitting on top of that hill made everything come full circle. It made all the bad food, the inability to understand Chilean culture norms or their language worth it 

I am still waiting for Jesus to come through the clouds and bestow the Chilean tongue upon me as well as understand why the heck I can’t flush my toilet paper instead of putting it into a tiny trash can. But all these weird differences are making my experience exceptional and deeply personal. I never imagined that I would actually move away from everything I know to the bottom of the planet in a country where the language might as well be gibberish and try to teach English.

I dunno if you allow yourself to dream the possibilities are endless

My best friends taught me this. They all are beautiful inside and out and never allowed for themselves or anyone else to doubt what we are capable. I am thankful for all of you who have been praying for me and sending words of encouragement. You each deserve a handwritten note tied in a satin bow with chocolate encrusted lettering I love chocolate 

I love you

Sorry this is just so darn cheesy. I’ll definitely work out the mush for next time

Emersion Commencement Continues

welcome back

Okay. So, it’s 8:10 and I am finally on the way to my first Asado. The water hoses/shaved ice and now 79 fans are coming at us hard. Luckily, I had the sanctity of Nelda’s father’s car and the promise of a warm home and food on the table waiting for me in the very near future. We pulled up and Danica aka Seniorita Martha Stewart was waiting at the front door. I walked from the car in the cold and rainy night and wafted into the most divine smells of carne de vodka, pollo, chorizo sausage, onions, peppers, and warm bread. Her home much like the delicious smells coming from it was warm and welcoming. Rodrigo Senor Martha Stewart was standing in what could best be described as a sun room with the most amazing open fire chimeneyesque grill that covered an entire wall.

We hung our coats up and I immediately had to back track to investigate the entire home, from the foyer into the sitting room that had hundreds of pictures covering the walls down to the calendar with the numbers positioned upside down for a funny way to make fun of time I was happy to hear we had a little longer before the food would be ready because a quick walkthrough could never have done this home justice and I use the word home here very consciously because Danica made a point in saying it was not a house but a home and I was to feel welcome. 

Amen sister welcome and warm I felt. 

So, I began perusing through her home. It had a lived-in feel which I quite like, the picture frames were all made from natural wood. The color scheme was rustic reds, yellows, and greens. Norah Jones was playing in the background and the linens on the dining room table were anticipating the meal to come as was I

Before sitting down to eat we took pictures of the food and the ladies grouped around the table a way to mark the occasion for la gringa

After my first bite of slivered salmon drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with parmeson cheese and topped with capers I knew my life of pan and marmalda was over I was completely ruined. I moved on quickly to the grilled vegetables of red, green and yellow peppers, corn, carrots and baby onions. The beautiful sensations of taking those first few bites never subsided throughout the entire meal. 

The meat was all on one platter directly in front of me God’s will. I took a choice piece of each and then I took and devoured more. It was beautiful. The conversation was in complete Spanish which I surprisingly and impressively was able to keep up with and when I got lost it wasn’t a big deal because I needed to devote as much of myself as possible to that delectable meal. We finished up with a raspberry meringue and a glass of port.  

It was beautiful down to the last button popping bite

Señor Martha Stewart is a vegetarian by the way but loves cooking and hosting dinners excused himself shortly after dinner but not before pouring us each a glass of wine and putting Michael Buble in the disc changer. We girls relocated ourselves into the sitting room where we talked about school, relationships, Chile, America life I stayed until 2 am and that wasn’t nearly long enough

One of the most perfect night’s of my life Gracias Chile for your people and asado

The End

Comense Emersion

I am now officially a Chilean. I have lived, eaten… well basically experienced/survived a Chilean Dinner Party. This past week my head of the English Department ,Danica,  told me she would be preparing an Asado Saturday night as a welcome to Chile for me that would begin at 7 pm. Well, I heard the palabra food and I was sold. I had been hearing these tall tales that Asado food was pretty amazing.

Bring it on Chile

Well siiiirree I have eaten my words yet again down here in the south lands literalllly
Let’s start at the beginning because I feel my evening could explain so much about Chilean culture.

On Friday Nelda, my co-teacher , who would also be attending the dinner party informed me she would pick me up at 6:45 at my case. She also told me she didn’t really believe in Chilean time and she found it important to always arrive at the designated hour and minute instructed. So, yesterday Susan and I went out for coffee at about 5:00 and met up with a few girls to have some gossip y café. It had been snowing off and on all day so a little fresh I use this word tentatively air sounded spectacular.

It normally takes about 10-13 minutes to get to el centro  yes, Susan being the loveable A-type personality she is timed it so that when I complain about walking she can say, “Well it only takes about 13 minutes Merrette”
 We began our trek towards the coffee shop, trek being the optive word. In order for you to understand the wind/weather here in Punta Arenas would consist of 73 industrial strength fans, a dozen or so buckets of shaved ice and a water hose get the picture. Luckily the wind was at our backs walking towards centro so we got there in about .03 seconds flat Susan timed it

So as the time near’d for my dinner party I had to cut the gossip short and return to mi casa to get ready. I began walking/crawling/rolling face first into the 73 industrial strength fans, buckets of shaved ice and water hoses towards home. I forgot money so a collectivo was out of the questio I am beginning to seriously resent collectivos Well 24 minutes I may have picked up Susan’s timing habit later I arrived home. I looked in the mirror and realized my mascara had run completely down my face, my hair was plastered to my forehead and my face was beat red. I am rushing to get ready. I have the blow dryer in the crook of my arm, tissue in one hand and mascara in the other because Nelda does not believe in Chilean time right

6:50
alright well anyone can be 5 minutes late

7:00

7:15
I call her No answer

7:35
she calls and it goes something like this.
Nelda: Hey Mary, did you call
Me: confused um yeah. Weren’t you supposed to be here at 6:45

Nelda: Don’t worry. See you in 10 minutes

7:45

7:50
Nelda: Mary, I can’t find your house. We’re at the corner store

Me: Okay, stay there I’ll meet you

Nelda: click as in she hung up

8:00
I’m shivering standing by the corner store and my mascara is threatening another trip down my cheeks

8:10
Nelda arrives

Me: is it okay we’re late

Nelda: It’s Chilean time

To be cont.

Rant and Rave

My personal Rant and Rave 

While in college I was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority
Triangle Triangle Triangle

As you know any good sorority girl needs a release every now and then. Sometimes we'd find ourselves on a Thursday night being a little less than shall we say wholesome. Being good sister’s it was important to share these unruly nights with others. Retelling these tales had to be done with a certain fines intro Rant and Rave

Every Monday night Delta’s near and far would travel to our weekly meetings. Here we would practice our sacred rituals including Rant and Rave. Two buckets would be passed around one labeled Rave which was a way to thank, congratulate each other find good works. Then there's the second bucket labeled Rant which I imagine you get the idea

for my Rave bucket

Jesus. I find that imagining him lying beside me at night is sometimes the only way I can sleep. Thanks for helping me catch some shut-eye big guy.
Frainds. I am not only living and experiencing a Chilean life but I am learning about different cultures from all over the world thanks to the new people I am meeting daily. Here’s a shout out to China, Australia, Canada, Chile, and the America’s

my Rant bucket

Fumar.  Seriously, get that smelling, staining, gross fog away from me. My host mother smokes in the house and there is nothing worse than getting out of the shower and walking through a cloud of smoke. Along with trying to eat, dance, conversate, read or just basically be alive in a city that hasn’t gotten the heads up that smoking gives you cancer and the importance of a Smoking and Non-Smoking Sections.

La Comida. There's not really an explanation necessary except that it's just plain bad

hungry?!?

The phrase I'm not hungry doesn't exist in South America

"just quit eatting Merrette, it's not a big deal the food will be there later and if it isn't... let's be honest it's not going to kill you"

this ladies and gentlemen is my mantra for breakfast, lunch, onces and dinner. Unfortunately, it has yet to actually work. My pants are still fitting, but I'm getting nervous, estoy nerviosa. I would really hate for my mom to pick me up in Charlotte, North Carolina in December and not recognize her once semi-attractive daughter. What's ironic is this is some of the worst food I've ever eaten.

News flash, when you're bored, sad, happy, home-sick or tipsy food is splendid regardless if it's just white bread with marmalda y mantiquila

 When you don't speak the common language I have found the best way to avoid talking at the dinner table, around town, in the hallways at school well, you get the idea is to keep your mouth full

because it's impolite to talk when you have something in your mouth. Well, thankgoodness for my momma raisin' me with some manners.

Depending how you look at it

Santiago

The bridge we walked over everyday from EOD training to Hostel International