Rauli Kitchen Cabinets

The new cabinets are installed and we are pleased. Maybe especially me. I am more than tired of the tiny little "American-style" kitchen in the rental house. The counters are both shorter in height and not as deep as counters in the US. The counter with the sink is even shorter so as I do dishes or peel potatoes, I have to lean over in an awkward position. If I do that long enough, I soon realize my back is not that of a 25 year old!

We have granite countertops and a nice big window over a double sink under a nice big rauli wood window so I can daydream properly. There is a little corner cupboard for wineglasses-remember that very inexpensive yet very tasty Chilean wine!

Over to the left, we'll have a nice little kitchen table with another window above it.

It's all starting to come together and we plan to move in "as is"-whatever it is-the end of the month. More photos of the rest of the house to come....

Chilean Independence Day Part 2

No Independence Day would be complete without a rodeo-and Chile is no exception. We went to the local rodeo in Pirque and walked around the grounds outside the arena too. Huaso(cowboy) wares aplenty for sale and Helia explained the finer points to me.
















The Chilean saddle is completely different from western saddles but oh-so comfortable.











Yes, rides for the kiddies and ice cream and cotton candy too. And some pretty good people watching.








The Fonda is a big beer/chicha hall with dancing and barbeque.



And then, the main event the rodeo. The rodeo has one important event. They use older calves they call bulls(after the rodeo they apparently go to slaughter). The huasos attempt to control the bull, keeping to the outside edge of the arena. One huaso in back and one to the side of the bull. The bulls are supposed to be used one time only but many obviously knew this routine and tried to get back to the corral. They are scored on their control of the bull. Then, at a place in the arena which is padded, they actually run the horse into the bull, pushing it against the padded area(they score higher for hitting the bull just right) and often knocking the bull to the ground.




Huasos controll the bull. Chilean horses have a special sidestepping gait that is unique.

Getting into position out of the gate.

Losing control of the bull. Notice the padded area-this is where the huasos were to stop the bull.

Two huasos after their run.

Huaso gear. Parade stirrups and nasty looking spurs.

Viva Chile! Now can I have a nap?

Chilean Independence Day Part 1

Chilean Independence Day was September 18th and what a week it's been. The week is practically a national week off. Not much work was completed on the house but a smart person resigns themselves to the inevitable and joins asados and festivals and rodeos. Not easy but somebody has to do it.

We attended Valentina's school program celebrating the culture and history of Chile. And of course, it was wonderful and adorable. Really, the kids were great. To the right is children in cuaca dance attire. Even the very youngest performed-the teacher was on stage coaxing the children along.

Chile has really pretty children. They just look so healthy-maybe fresh fruits and vegetables help-and happy. They tend to look European but a couple at an asado(a-sod-o/barbeque) have a blonde blue eyed child that could be from my family. She looks exactly like my niece Katie at that age. Her parents look like they could be from Boulder or Oregon until they speak-the Spanish is not gringo-spanish!

The grocery stores filled to the brim as preparation for the holidays continued. Jumbo circulars were passed out at the corners and dropped into the yard. I read that the cars leaving Santiago on Friday stretched for miles. The weekend had a holiday atmosphere with the normal September kite flying greatly increased. People in Chile love kites. They are sold on every available street corner and park. The kites are mostly small and cheap-and since 5 have landed in our back yard-I understand their thinking.

Kite sales are brisk at this local park. A small customer has Dad to help him choose. You won't be surprised when I say the dads buy kites for themselves as much as the kids! Yes, even here, the guys are big kids. With fiberglass line, a clever fellow can cut the line of any competing kite flyers.

The other photo shows the kite salesman's "fleta" parked under the tree. , which have a very large basket in front, are used widely by the feria(street fair) people, delivery people, and other merchants. There are no bike or fleta lanes-people seem to patiently go around them.

People fly kites in the street, in the their small back yards, in the parks or any empty lot they can find.

The black Jesus and the evil eye

Religion and superstition in Chile are openly intermingled, and it is sometimes hard to see what came first, the superstition or religion. The black Jesus on the way to Pirque is pictured at left. The story goes that a man sold his soul to the devil, made some kind of deal, then just before he died, he asked God(who is El Senor here-not just senor) to take him back. God forgave him and the devil(El Diablo) was mad because he didn't go through with the deal. The man had built the Jesus statue for God and redemption and the devil turned the Jesus black. The legend goes on to say that you can paint the Jesus white but it always turns black again to remind people. The statue was, at some point, really painted white but started turning black immediately. That may have something to do with the smoke from the candles burning below him but certainly an entertaining story.

The Evil Eye. I read the following online:

The evil eye is really one that combines superstition with religion. The evil eye is the name for a sickness transmitted -- usually without intention -- by someone who is envious, jealous, or covetous. It is also called the invidious eye and the envious eye. In Hebrew it is ayin ha'ra (the evil eye), which in Yiddish is variously spelled ayin horoh, ayin hora, or ayen hara. In mainland Italian it is mal occhio (the bad eye) and in Spanish mal ojo or el ojo (the bad eye or just the eye). In Sicily it is jettatore (the projection [from the eye]) and in Farsi it is bla band (the eye of evil).
The evil eye belief is that a person -- otherwise not malific in any way -- can harm you, your children, your livestock, or your fruit trees, by *looking at them* with envy and praising them. The word "evil" is unfortunate in this context because it implies that someone has "cursed" the victim, but such is not the case. A better understanding of the term "evil eye" is gained if you know that the old British and Scottish word for it is "overlooking," which implies merely that the gaze has remained too long upon the coveted object, person, or animal. In other words, the effect of the evil eye is misfortunate, but the person who harbours jealousy and gives the evil eye is not necessarily an evil person per se.

Here in Chile, babies are given a type of amulet or necklace made of silver and red with a picture of the virgin Mary for protection.

The other story that I love is the one about Casillero del Diablo-the Devils Cellar. You may know the wine, sold in the states, but not the propagation of a century old legend known throughout the world. In the 19th century, the founder of Concha y Toro, Don Melchor, discovered that his vineyard workers were sampling his greatest wines. To discourage this action, Don Melchor spread the rumor that his deepest, darkest cellar was the Casillero del Diablo (Cellar of the Devil), so that no one would dare go in there. It worked, and a legend was born. Today, this mysterious and legendary cellar continues to hold the finest, estate grown wines of Casillero del Diablo.

Another version of the story is that rebels trying to free Chile from Spain hid down there and Spanish soldiers were told that the devil was there. Being good Catholics, the Spanish refused to search the cellar. It's possible that Don Melchor knew that story and used it to his advantage later.

Signs of Spring in Chile August

We took a little drive around the Pirque area today and noticed many signs that Spring is on its way! I have no idea what the tree at left with yellow blooms might be but it was beautiful.

This one is an orchard of some kind in full bloom.

I have no idea what this is but we want one!

Kids flying kites in the park. There are people selling kites on many street corners, kite-flying a very popular activity this time of year.

Spice Update

I found Allspice at Liders after internet research told me that it might be called Pimiente Dulce(translation: sweet pepper). There it was, with both titles on the label! Cream of Tartar, I've heard, may be found at the pharmacy. Hmmm.

We bought a portable CD player too. It was an interesting discussion with the Chilean salesperson who spoke no English and our rudimentary Spanish. I lost track and Michael did the talking. He is much better at speaking a few Spanish words and getting them to reply in a few words. One Spanish word on my part seems to encourage a Spanish paragraph or more from the other person, both confusing and nowhere near understandable to me. It seems when we don't understand, many think if they just use more words, we will! Of course, it's just the opposite-fluent Spanish speakers run words together so we no longer understand the words we know. There are those that understand that and slow down, mostly those that know a little English and thus, how difficult it is to understand a second language.

But this guy was really helpful and very nice to us. And we eventually purchased a cd player and batteries. By the way, square batteries are batteries here-or bateria (car battery or 9 volt battery) but the round batteries are called "pilas". At one point, another salesperson tried to help and we got our pilas-silly us, asking for baterias. Always a new lesson.

We looked at baby clothes, hoping to find a lovely Chilean oufit for my new grandbaby. But the clothes are generally what they deem to be US knockoffs. Some terrible English translations often grace the front of T-shirts. And what them they believe is USA style is often pretty funny. My Chilean pots and pans have the US Tradition brand right on them(made in China). Which reminds me-the American kitchen you often see advertised is tiny. Helia said that is because they think Americans in the US don't really do much in the kitchen, just cook. And I think they believe we don't really cook much. Lol.

An Ordinary Life but with Pasta Muro

Look, no big hole in the front yard!

For those of you that expected to read fascinating experiences about my life in Chile, it occurs to me that you may be disappointed. My sister asked what my days are like and I gave that some thought. My days are surprisingly ordinary in many ways. We never use an alarm-I love that. We get up, have some coffee, turn on BBC, check the web for news and open our email. Generally, we then drive out to Pirque and work on the house. That depends on whatever needs to be done that day. We recently started our pasta muro project, which is a coating for the interior cement walls before paint. Three thin layers are apparently recommended. Pasta muro is similar to joint compound and dries to a plaster-like texture. So, we have been trying to emulate maestro Tio Victor's style as best we can, but very slowly and with more of a mess! It's quite a workout for the arms and wrists, I must say. So much cheaper than a health club.

Our days will revolve around construction for some time yet. There are rainy days at times, although those are dwindling as Spring approaches. The seasons are still confusing to me. I've been told that September or October is Spring, yet this is the time to plant fruit trees! It seems that you have a very short, mild winter but hard to pin down down times for seasons or planting. Maybe I'll make my own gardening in Chile calendar, like those in the US that tell you what day to plant everything! The guy in the parcela(land) next door has a crop of lettuce and this is still winter, so you see my problem. There is basic difficulty in becoming un-regimented since that's what we've done all our lives. Sure, some of that is easy but the whole day?

We try to utilize rainy days for shopping for materials and supplies at Home Center, which gets us out of the house as well as curb the frustration we have at not being able to work on the house. Michael bought a chainsaw the other day and an English-speaking employee actually gave him her card and said to call her anytime. That will allow us to buy more there without bringing Raul along to interpret. Our Spanish skills are improving but the words become unrecognizable to us when they speak quickly(as in normally).

There is also grocery shopping. It takes a little longer if we're looking for something we haven't found before. (See my post on baking ingredients). But, we improve everytime and gradually collect new things for the cupboard.

And fruit and nut tree shopping! We hope to do that soon. Visions of lemons, oranges, tangerines, paltas(avocado), cherry, peach, apricot, almond, walnuts dance through our heads. We have a list with Spanish names for all. We also want two pineapple palms for the pond in the front yard. Although when I mentioned I liked the pineapple palms, that was thought to be a strange name for them.

There are many ordinary activities more time is spent doing that in the States. Preparing meals(from scratch), doing dishes(no dishwasher and because of the humidity, they don't air-dry!), laundry(the funny little clothes dryer takes 2 hours for a tiny load), etc, etc..

Soon, we have to get our 90-day tourist visa renewed. We can go to a government office or travel across the border to Argentina-which sounds much more fun. I'll write and post photos when that happens.

Other various activities may include practicing Spanish, reading novels, playing on the computer, playing cards, watching TV and taking a nap. Helia, Raul and Valentina come by once a week or so for 4-5 hours which includes dinner and conversation and entertainment by Valentina. And she is definitely entertaining.

So, in many ways, it's all very ordinary. But a horse and cart clip-clopping on the street outside or the unfamiliar voice of a bird reminds me it's not ordinary at all. Laura, you're not in the USA.