Blogs from Talca, Maule, Chile, South America

Curico, Chile. Partimos de Arica a las 8 am con destino a Santiago, 32 horas de viaje en un bus muy semejante a los de Colombia, sorprendente encontrar que los buses y precios bolivianos son mucho mejores que los chilenos.... El destino nos condujo en un largo trayecto de desierto interminable a la izquierda ya el mar pacífico a la derecha, muy hermoso y raro paisaje que no incluye nada verde... Durante el recorrido paramos en dos ciudades por unos pocos minutos: iquique y Antofagasta, sitios que inexplicablemente aparecen como oasis gigantes en medio del árido desierto....fueron unas cortas páradas apenas suficientes para ir al baño, internet a Colombia ( con mi padre enfermo en el hospital han sido preocupantes los últimos 10 días de viaje) y estirar las piernas por unos pocos minutos.... En los ... read more

I’ve been working with the 2nd year class on a self-introduction which ends, “In the future, I hope to ____.” We went over a variety of options for this: occupations and desires for the future, and I asked them to fill in the blank. The next class, when I looked at their notes, many had neglected to fill in the space. First I thought for not paying attention, but the more I asked individuals, “What do you want for your future?” only to be greeted by a blank stare, the more I realized that many of these kids do not have desires for their future. What I thought to be a very basic practical skill lesson uncovered some deeper truths for me. Many of these kids are indeed poor, so I hear. Luckily I cannot tell ... read more

I traveled to Talca again this weekend, but I spent most of the time at Cody's house with him and the others who live in Talca. I sucessfully took the micro (bus) by myself and found the place. Walking toward the house, I ran into him and Valeria coming from her house. We spent the afternoon planning and shopping for our great feast for the evening. Valeria, being from a Mexican family prepared quite an array of Mexican foods: refried beans from scratch, seasoned ground beef, and roasted tomato and pepper salsa from scratch. I prepped a lot of the vegetables and put together the guacamole which turned out delicious I must add! Cody - our sole man - did some grilling outside: corn - fresh from the family's farm, zuchinni, onions, and sausages. Justine brought ... read more

Awoke early to go to church with Maria Gloria and 3 other women in the family. It was finally much cooler outside which turned out not to be the best thing because for this special day, we began the service outside at a circular gathering area with a few benches in the middle of town. Around 100 people were there as we began the service with rosemary, olive, and palm branches waving and singing to a chorus of 6 guitars. We then proceeded to march and sing towards the church building that we crammed full. I continued to enjoy the music in the service. The speaking is still a little difficult for me to understand. Come to find out though, the priest is Brazilian and he has spent the past year here in the church and ... read more

First, I am not in Talca, but Curico. It is so far off the blog and gringo trail that I cannot find its location to list. So, off to the fiesta in Curico around 50 mins south from Santa Cruz. The owners of weekend and wine/hostel puerto Lindo 134 Oakpass/Ruble are quite lovely. They speak no English but with my limited Spanish told them what I wanted to achieve this weekend and once they got it, it was plain sailing. So, bus to Curico. Riding through the vineyards of Chile on a public minibus, grapes to the left and right as far as the eye could see. As I said, Curico itself is well off the gringo trail. A normal working town, very grey and not much to report. The whole town square had been taken ... read more