My Invented Country By Isabelle Allende

My sister sent me a small box of books(I am so grateful!) and this one was included. Knowing Allende was a writer I would like(thanks Vicki!), I immediately started to read.

Isabelle Allende is related to the famous ex-president but not so directly. I believe her father(who left when she was very young-as she says "went to buy a pack of cigarettes and never returned" ) was a cousin. The book is really not very political. She speaks of the horror and it's interesting that she experienced Sept 11th 1973 in Chile and then Sept 11th 2001 in the US. And some reference to the coup as it relates to her state of mind. She left Chile after the coup(not wanting to raise her children under a dictatorship) and didn't return for many years.

But mostly the book is the thoughts of a woman who loves and understands Chile and her people and many of the customs. I laughed many times and agreed "yes, that is Chile". This is a book for anyone that wants to understand Chile or already does...or simply enjoys a nice story. I should have read it long ago and perhaps would have understood Chile better in the beginning.

The title, My Invented Country, comes from the stories she tells her grandchildren about Chile-and the children think perhaps she invented these stories for them. But I wondered later on-she "invented" a new life in a new country. She currently lives in California and perhaps she is speaking about the U.S. as well.

It is a book of nostalgia, as she freely says is the reason she writes the book but also that our memories are always colored by so many things that the book is her truth but maybe not everyone's.

July Weather in Chile

Everything you read might make you think there is perfect weather in Chile. And it's nice but not perfect. First of all it's just WRONG that July is winter. The seasons are nearly exactly opposite. Mid-summer in the US is mid-winter in Chile. There are four distinct seasons here, unlike some tropical areas in South America. It is a Mediterranean climate here in the central area (and the climate in Chile can vary within mere miles) and the summers are very hot and nearly without rain. It's humid so it feels even hotter. After 1 pm in the summer, no more yard work but time to move inside to read or take a nap. As the evening gets cool, outside we go again. Lunch here is the big meal of the day, eaten at around 2 pm. Clever Chileans. It used to be(and still is in smaller towns) that everything closed at lunchtime for hours, perhaps the entire afternoon. or maybe until the next day. But even on the hottest summer days, the evenings are cool. We live in a classically built Chilean house-the structure is of massive brick and cement walls. The reason is clear now-the humidity rots and molds any wood structure. And the house is nice and cool in summer. The walls take in the cool of the nights and keep it cool all day-no air conditioning needed. Unfortunately, this same structure means it's darn cold in the winter.

Fall here is gorgeous. There are maple trees everywhere turning red and the days are warm and sunny. My biggest problem with fall is what it's always been-it is is clear that winter is coming! But fall is the time to plant many things-before the rains. You can't plant much in the heat of summer for the plants will wilt and die even with heavy watering. But plant just before the rains and watch things thrive!

Plants and flowers seed themselves freely here. The snapdragons(perritos) went to seed in mid summer and came back and then repeated the feat again. Many become a brand new variety of different colors-a miracle of cross pollination I suppose. My small Chilena friend's latest English phrase is "look at that!" and that's what I want to say-"Look at that! That flower is yellow and the others are pink!" Ah, the geraniums are still alive on the patio. In the Spring, Summer and Fall, there are many gardening miracles. And many grow in the winter-the palm trees set against the snow topped Andes. The ganzania daisies(at least cousins) continue to bloom on sunny days. And there are sunny days. Sunshine follows rain.

But now it is winter. Winters are damp and cold for the most part. Reading by the wood stove is highly recommended. I don't know anyone with central heating. Perhaps a gas heater in the central part of the house but really...we have a wood stove in the main living area and a portable propane heater in the bedroom. Many don't bother, many places are hardly heated. It is the "norm" to wear three or four layers of clothes. It is common for people to wear coats in the house. Soles on shoes are thick for good reason. People walk a lot and tile floors are cold! I was so cold the first winter-and then I learned. On cold days, I wear long underwear. The more stylish women wear pantyhose but...as a gringa, I'm forgiven for my strange ways. Two pair of socks always. And I'm not cold. Here's the funny thing, many Chilean women dress surprisely sexy(well, that is pretty latin) even in winter. I'm glad to be old enough to prefer comfort over level of sexiness!

Why I don't Blog More

I saw the other day a friend wrote "I bought a new ceiling fan, exciting huh?" Hehehe-it's exciting here!

Shopping here is not so easy or boring. When we shopped for a ceiling fan here, there was only the model on the ceiling. Every time after that when we shopped there, I would run down the aisle to see if they had one in a box yet. You should have seen my face when they finally did,(after 7-8 tries) beaming like I won a marathon or something. The most boring tasks are quite an adventure.

I think about writing about some of these-and did more in the beginning. But I know few people will be fascinated by my mundane shopping adventures.

I can't help it-I was so excited the day I found that the Chilean chancaca substitutes perfectly for molasses! How do I explain that you people in the USA have EVERYTHING...more items appear here all the time and every one is really exciting. Michael found safeway pancake mix and showed me and we were thrilled. And blue cheese dressing-OMG!

It's been great for me to learn to cook and bake from "scratch". Definitely healthier. And it adds to the adventure. But I miss those 4 for $1 frozen burritos(you can't buy them here) that you pop in the microwave, add some cheddar cheese(nope, haven't seen it) and some nice salsa(I saw some once) from the jar you have in the fridge. And no dishes(no dishwasher either).

And Walmart has come to Chile. There was a time when I wouldn't shop at walmart. But I'm a little excited that Walmart will bring products to Lider(they bought a controlling interest) that I see more shopping adventures in store for me....maybe they'll ship some peanut butter!

The Mountain Parakeet

These little green parrots are noisy in a group and are always in a group although not generally this large. They found a nice perch for everyone on the fence and are all singing in celebration of the sunny spot they found I think.

I still am unsure what they are called but I read the most common parrots are only found far south. So far, I believe it is the Austral parrot. We are central, not south at all. I'm told they go to Argentina and back. More research...

Update...they are the Mountain parakeet, which is a parrot. Link to more information and their song here. The audio was a dead giveaway.

Edit: I did find that it's the Mountain parakeet(a type of parrot) not the austral...

And soon it will be June( winter is here)

How time flies-I haven't posted in a while. It is cloudy and cold today. That is relatively speaking because it rarely gets to freezing even in the night.

In the picture is a pear tree which yielded one pear which looked beautiful but tasted terrible. it seems sad trees lose their "clothes' when it gets cold-no wonder we feel a little sad. The roses in the background are really just cuttings that were planted that should grow roots and be "real" roses next year.

I'll miss seeing the birds as much. the little parrot on the right is normally seen in flocks flying fast but disappear in winter, flying North I suppose. The bird on the left has a very bright red breast and sings like a meadowlark(as a matter fact, it is a type of meadowlark). There's a legend about him and a hunter and the blood makes his breast red. There's almost always a story here....



These guys on the left perched on the house for a moment. They are large and honk something like geese. These are the Buff Necked Ibis or Bandurria as they're called locally. Listen to them here






And the Queltehue(pronounced Ka-TELL-way) is very common. We see many every day, all winter long. From the front, they look like they have a tuxedo when they march. Females and males look nearly the same. The hawks that I love to watch are their greatest enemy although Mom and Dad stay together and defend their young with courage and vigor (note the sharp "claw" protruding from the wings). If you get too near the nest, they will dive bomb you while calling loudly to others. They sound much like gulls and actually the southern lapwing. When they fly, they spread huge wings and a black and white underbelly is seen-making them look like an entirely different bird.
They are actually the Southern Lapwing. They have loud alarm calls whenever someone walks nearby-our own "watch birds". And another call while flying which is much like the chittering of seagulls.

And even now, at 7:45 pm, I hear them call in the pitch dark.

English in Chile- A Story

The neighbor has been insisting she would like her kids to learn English. I decide I would try to help. These are the neighbors who have been wonderful to us. They have 5 children but the 11 year twin girls seemed like likely subjects. English is taught in all the schools in Chile yet none(or few) of the young people speak or seem to understand English. I found this hard to believe-surely they are just shy or reticent to act or sound foolish, I thought.

The twins came over with their English school books-both adorable with their long, dark hair and big brown eyes. But when I spoke any English, their eyes clouded and I could tell they understood nothing at all. I looked at their books. Written in English at about a "Tom Sawyer" level, I asked if they could read it. They nod and read-correctly-a paragraph. But they understood nothing of what they read. Nothing. They recited English like a memorized poem in another language. And understood nothing.

We went on to their English lesson they had done in class. There was a paragraph and the typical "who, what, when, where" questions for comprehension. Because they were done in class, they had the answers, they were done with the lesson. But they didn't know what "swim" or "boat" or "run" meant. They could easily "read" the paragraph but with no meaning.

I don't know if they'll come back for help. I speak little Spanish and explained meanings through mostly pictures and pantomimes. They did understand the paragraph when we were done-you could see it in their eyes. They would say the word in Spanish(I understand more than I can speak) "Correr" after I said the English "Run"so I knew they understood. But they have good grades in English, why would 11 yr olds waste their Saturday morning? Unbelievable to me.

And how can I explain it's good to be bilingual when this is my first experience in learning another language?

Travel quotes

Nice quotes that bear repeating...From here-they make a lot of sense!

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” - Bill Bryson

“When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth. You confront completely new situations, the day passes more slowly, and on most journeys you don’t even understand the language the people speak. So you are like a child just out of the womb. You begin to attach much more importance to the things around you because your survival depends upon them. You begin to be more accessible to others because they may be able to help you in different situations. -Paul Coehlo

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” - Mark Twain

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” - Miriam Beard

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” - Martin Buber

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” - Jawaharial Nehru

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” - Lao Tzu

“There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.” - Charles Dudley Warner

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” - James Michener

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” - Mark Twain

“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J. R. R. Tolkien

“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” - Benjamin Disraeli

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” - Maya Angelou

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe” - Anatole France

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” - Seneca

“What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do - especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” - William Least Heat Moon

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” - Aldous Huxley

“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” - Freya Stark

“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” - G. K. Chesterton

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” - Clifton Fadiman