The End of Vacation

I have two days left of vacation before returning to work on Thursday. Starting Thursday we will be doing planning for the upcoming school year for Campus Ministry. The rest of the faculty will be returning on the 2nd of March and then school begins the 4th of March. I am looking forward to getting back to school, but the next week or so is going to be filled with a lot of things to do first.

I had a truly enjoyable time traveling for the last week with a friend of mine from the U.S. Tony Deblauw came in two Tuesday's ago and left on Sunday night. It was a very eventful trip but was also managed at a breakneck pace. We visited Santiago for a couple of days spent two days in Argentina and then another two days on the coast in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. It was fun to share the experience that i am having here with another friend. I believe the highlight of our trip would have to be Mendoza in Argentina, in which we encountered numerous accepting and interesting people. We did a biking wine tour which was a lot of fun . In the process we met some very nice Australians and then later in the day hung out with some Argentineans that where kind enough to take us to their house and let us use their shower. Overall i would say the trip was a success and it was a nice little highlight to the end of my summer vacation.

It is amazing to see how fast time flies. My summer vacation is already over and i have been here 7 months already. It was almost two months since my family came to visit and that seems like it was only yesterday. Reflecting on this it just reminds me how short time really is. That we have to live life to the fullest for the opportunities and days will pass you by otherwise. It is also eerie to think that i have less than a year left and that this time is going to pass very quickly also.

I have been, for the last two days, a bum simply hanging out at the house and relaxing for the last couple of days before school starts back up again. It is nice to be allowed to have a little time to yourself without anything to do.

I hope and pray that all of you are well and enjoying the time with those who you hold dear.

Puerto Varas

After being back for a couple of days from my last trip, i got the itch a bit and went back down south to the Lake District.
I left on Monday with a friend of mine Molly. We went down to Puerto Varas until Friday morning then we switched and went to Frutillar for a couple of days. We were met up by another friend of our Connor before we went to Frutillar.

The lake district was beautiful and got to do some sweet hiking. The lakes up north were turquoise, it is a wonderful sight. The weather was nice, except for a couple of days of rain. Nothing that is too bad compared to what we have in the NW, But of course in my last minute packing i forgot to bring any sort of suitable rain gear, so i just had to be a little wet.

The trip overall was very relaxing and it is always nice to get out away from the city for a bit to experience nature. My plan for the next couple of days is to take care of stuff here around the house and get a little bit more organized. The house is kind of a wreck due to us keep coming and going, along with the slight bed bug problem that we have.

I hope that all of you are well and are enjoying whatever gives you life.

Villarrica

The second part of Brian and John's Adventure down south lead us to the town of Villarrica.

We arrived around midday at Villarrica set out to find lodging. This was of course after a little hiccup that we had immediately after we got off the bus. In my, all to common, absentmindedness and lack of attention to detail i left my camera in the pouch of my seat as it set off to its next destination. Thanks to the help of Carlos, the employee at Jacks(the bus company) we (like i truly had anything to do with finding my camera) were able to track down my camera and have it returned to me later that day.
After hearing that my camera was going to be returned later that day, we left and found a nice little hostel in near the Lake in Villarrica. The lodging was a step up from our past lodging and had a nice little log cabin feel to it.

Things we did in Villarrica:

-Saw yet another free concert in the city
This was a small folkloric group that we happened upon after going out to have a drink and converse at night. It is impressive to see the amazing musical talent of so many artists here. I have come to appreciate it more. Living with a music player has definitely opened me up to new and otherwise unknown types of music.
-Went to the beach in Villarrica.
It was nice just to be able to soak in the sun and enjoy the lake water. Again, not being a details person, i overlooked the need for sunscreen and found myself slightly burnt. This would present itself to be a problem the next day.
-Visiting Pucon
This is the more touristy city on the lake. After our visit to the beach we went and saw the city of Pucon. It was a typical resort city and was a little overwhelming to be honest. We did step in to a Casino, in honor of a friend of ours who recommended we go. I was fairly successful doubling up in poker and winning 20 bucks and then playing 5 cent slot i won an additional 15 bucks. So for 45 minutes worth of work it was rather fruitful. This also helped pay for the rather extravagant lunch that we had. (something that wasn't planned into the budget, but the food was delicious and we just had to splurge)
-The hike up a volcano
The next day we went on a 24-28 km hike up Mt Villarrica, a live volcano that gave impressive views of the surrounding lakes, mountains as well as being able to see the smoke the was coming out of the volcano. The hike was wonderful barring the rubbing of the backpack on our recently sunburned backs.
-Visiting the University in Villarrica
Originally we went to visit the University to see the chapel and we were then recommended (forced) to see the little museum that they had in the basement. The exhibit was fairly impressive and the guide that we had was very helpful. He actually had us try on some replicas of indigenous clothing and then had us sit in an actual indigenous canoe (over 400 years old) to take a picture. This was slightly awkward for us, considering we are taught in the U.S. not to touch the artifact, and the guide had us simply step into it.

At the end of the day we got on a night bus to Santiago and enjoyed a 10.5 hour bus ride home, reaching Santiago early Thursday morning.

Valdivia

Valdivia

A city in the south of Chile that has some wonderful rivers and scenery and is also know for its brewery Kunstmann and their seafood, as well as being an old German settlement. There still remains to be a large presence of Germany ancestry in the town.
Brian and I on our excursion, stayed for three days in Valdivia which is about 12 hours south of Santiago on a bus. We arrived in the city with little to no plans (something that we did for the entire trip, but it ended up being absolutely wonderful). Luckily we found a hostal right when we entered Valdivia. Actually, a better way to put that is that we were almost forced into the habitation by an supremely confident and bull-headed woman, who also owns the hostal.
The place was fine, and it was fairly inexpensive which was nice.

Things we did in Valdivia:
-Saw the Kunstmann Brewery
Realistically this is the only Chilean national beer that can pass as actual beer. This might be my beer snob from Portland coming out, but the in house brew coupled with the traditional German food made for a delectable little luncheon.
-Visited Parks in the south
Frankly not that impressive, it would be like waking through a park in the middle of Tacoma with a bunch of houses and what not all around.
-Visited Parks on the Isla Teja
Way cooler, this was also coupled with the viewing of a traditional Chilean rodeo which was pretty fun. Then there was also a festival in the park that was showing and selling the wares of the local inhabitants.
-Saw La Noche
This Chilean group, was playing a free concert in tandem with the crowning of the Miss Valdivia Celebration. The group themselves are decent, but are for some reason, ridiculously popular right now. It would be like seeing (insert famous trendy band/singer/group) live for free.

The time spent in Valdivia was very nice and relaxing, it was nice to be able to get out of Santiago for a while. Then after Valdivia we headed off to Villarrica.

Hola

sorry i have been having trouble with my aol account.
so if you could use my gmail account. johnnypaul8888@gmail.com
Hope you are all doing well

Profound Power of Poverty

I will take this time this to look back and reflect on the mission trip that we just got back from. The most noted feeling that i had during the entire trip was one of warmth and acceptance. Everywhere we went we treated as royalty. Everyone we met welcomed us with open arms. Where this love and warmth was most prevalent was during meals. We ate tons. Example: Sit down for a lunch of rice and chicken (one that was alive the day before in the backyard). I was asked if i was hungry. I responded politely that i would like a little bit more. I was given another full plate of the chicken and rice. Actually i think the second plate was bigger, as if she was daring me to finish it. I, being in a very hungry state, did. I was then again asked if i would like more. Having learned my mistake i politely declined. The abuela (grandmother), simply muttered something about me being flacito (skinny kid) and brought me a whole bowl of cazuela. This is a typical chilean dish, it is a soup with rice and vegetables, and thrown in this soup is a chicken leg, a baked potato, and a large chunk of corn on the cob. Needless to say that i was stuffed. It was interesting to see how food is love, and that they are willing and able to live on so much less.
Everyone grows their own gardens, this is also what feeds most of the people. Most live a self sustaining lifestyle. Many of the families also make bowls and dishes out of clay that comes from where they live. This is sold at fairs to raise money for the rest of the things they need in life.

It is amazing to see how the families are so welcoming. You are treated not as guests but as long lost family that has finally arrived for an overdue visit. It was amazing being able to work with the children of the area, but also to see the growth from the kids that came from our school. You are forced into becoming a family and i was able to (hopefully, barring the language barrier) get at least some points across to the kids.

The time out in the countryside makes you appreciate what you have and to realize that there are many things much more important that money. I currently feel revitalized in my soul, after having caught with the family (who came down for a wonderful little trip) and then jumping immediately into missions. Alas, my body doesn't feel the same way and i have been battling a cold for the last couple of days, but i am getting better. I hope this message finds you well, refreshed from the holiday season.

So Long, So sorry

It has been more than a month and i am sorry for the lack of correspondence. I have had a very, very busy last month.

Highlights from last month:
End of School. It was a wonderful experience, but it was over due. It is nice to be on summer vacation finally. The school year ended well with various celebrations and the finals for the students.

Christmas time and celebrations: Brian and I had several different celebrations for Christmas. Some with the school, some with the Congregation and other with various other people that live in the area. Overall, we were again, welcomed with open arms. We had a ton of food and it was nice to spend the holiday with people. But then again you always miss home and the family during the holiday season. I belatedly am sending out my best to all of you and i hope your holidays went well.

Family in chile:
The Power Clan in Chile. The family came in on the 27th and spent a week here in Chile. We got to spend a bit of time catching up which was nice.
High points: The beach house in El Quisco and the wonderful food and night at Buenos Muchachos. The beach house was wonderful, the view, the tranquility, all of it. We had a wonderful dinner at Buenos Muchachos to see some of the cultural dances and enjoy some wonderful beef and wine.

Low Points: The fact that the street i live in is basically a disco and this was clearly seen when the New Year's celebration ended at around 6 in the morning. We were lucky enough to enjoy the music throughout the entire night. Coupled with the obnoxious music is the fact that our house currently has a small mite problem that made sleeping in some of the beds a bit of a hardship. The goes along with the fact that we are a large family that couldn't be accommodated in my small house. So, we made the right decision, and moved my family into a hotel for a couple of nice.

After my dropping my parents off at the airport on the third and immediately went on a missions trip. The mission trip was wonderful and i will write more on this in the next couple of days. But it was amazing to see the growth in the kids and also the impact that we were having on the communities that we all worked in.
Well i am exhausted from a LONG month of business and we have meetings tomorrow and thursday with Father Don, the director of our program, who has come down to Chile to check on our progress.