Palm Sunday

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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 learning Spanish! I got to speak with him afterward - very smiley and nice guy. Of course I like anyone that tells me my spanish is good though haha!
We returned to the house for a breakfast of bread rolls, butter, mermelada, and huevos. We spent a while around the table visiting and going through some old picture albums. I got to see pictures of different parts of Chile and family photos. These guys like to travel a bit apparently! I am so lucky to have a family that might take me places. Well, they already have!
Almuerzo is in the making right now. Abuelo is doing a lot of the prep, working with vegetables: peeling and shaping cucumbers with a knife then fork, and now I can smell the cilantro! Before eating I got a little tour of the backyard - complete with avocado tree, chicken coop, and raspberry garden. We ended up having a great array of vegetables in a wonderful salad and then the characteristic soup of Chile, Casuelo.
Soon after lunch (and siesta!) we left for Conti by bus. The scenery is marvelous! So many pine trees for the forestry business and some other trees beginning to change colors to red and more yellow. Even the numerous grapevines are turning lovely purples. The landscape rolls until the small town of Conti is revealed from above. You look down and see hundreds of little homes. Then, coming into town you encounter the wood processing plant. That is apparently what many workers here do - that and fishing of course!
The bus dropped us close enough to the apartment to walk there and soon enough we arrived at the great wooden door to the tiny 4 unit complex above an office. In through the front door is a small living area and dining area with a counter behind it. Come to find out, this counter is necessary because there is zero counter space in the kitchen - like not even kidding... zero. Only a stove, washing machine, fridge, and sink with a pseudo square counter next to it, but it's really a dish washing surface made of metal. My room is small and cozy. It will be perfect once I get a lamp and a curtain for the window that looks out into the rest of the apartment. There are no windows to the outside. There's a large closet, a desk, a twin size bed, and a night stand. The closet is only shelves though so I kinda threw everything in there intending to organize it later. Little did I know that the next day I would enter and everything would be perfectly folded and in place. The nana here, Lucia, is extremely good at organizing things! I think I'll get used to that!

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