"I don't know why you say goodbye when I say hello...hello, hello"

The time came, at the Santiago airport, for the team to say our final goodbye's. Not only to our Chilean friends and families, but also to our Michael, who is continuing to travel for an extra month. There were tears.


Once we returned to the States it was hello to the Chilean GSE team! We were lucky enough to meet them all before they departed for their part of the exchange in the fall season of Santiago and then to see them again only three weeks later in the summer season of western North Carolina. It was great to be together again and share stories of favorite places, foods, and slang words that both groups had learned. :) I believe that both teams will always have friends and homes to return to because of this exchange.

And we came full circle...

Our last days in Chile returned us to where we began... Santiago. I, again, enjoyed the welcoming home of Enrique and Ute. Walking into their apartment that first day really felt like I was coming home and as I entered "my" bedroom and stepped onto the balcony that overlooks their little part of their big city, I felt both joy and heartache. It was so wonderful to be back with them and in this city our team had grown to know so well, but in our return it also marked the final days of this extraordinary adventure.

There were still things to do and see and incredible people to meet, but our time was limited. I had an agenda (and a willing partner in crime) to pack all that we could that last full day. Erin Sebelius, friend and team mate extraordinaire! She and I took Santiago by storm and in one day we shopped for final gifts, visited the Cerro Santa Lucia, went back for killer seafood at Augusto's, and visited the National Art Museum. You would have thought that we worked for Rotary with a schedule like that! ;)



That night our mama duck, Berta, had a surprise for us. Our host families all drove us to a farewell party, thrown in our honor (or in honor of our departure- hmmmmm?). We had one final night of pisgo sours, steak, pebre, folk dancing and live music. Berta and Jorge danced the Cueca for us and then the live band began to play and we danced until they stopped! Our group of gringos partied like our fantastic Chilean friends until, literally, the restaurant turned the lights out on us. Looks like we learned a few things!


And although the clock had already struck 1:00 a.m. the team was not yet finished with our last night together. Javier and Jimena (Adair's host parents) invited us back to their home to enjoy the absolute best pisgo sours in all of Chile and to have some final bonding time. We circled up on their porch and talked until 5:00 a.m. It seemed impossible to close out this time together without some sort of ceremony and so as the night turned into morning we shared with each other our feelings about each team member. Without spilling all of my insides onto this blog page, I will simply say that in the short time I have gotten to know each of these amazing individuals I can say with all honesty that I love each one. They will remain in my heart as the core reason why this experience was so poignant and rich. Thank you Mike, Adair, Erin, and Michael, my team mates, my friends, and my teachers.

Raquinoa and Rancagua!

The last leg of our trip has taken us to the cities of Raquinoa and Rancagua. Although we only spent a day with the Raquinoa Rotary, we felt connected and well taken care of at the asado they threw for us. It was here that I was able to try aquardiente... or Chilean moonshine!

In Rancagua we met our final host family and, again, I felt so lucky to have been matched with the family there. Liliana and Arnoldo were not just kind, but also patient with my lack of Spanish and so funny. I really connected with Liliana's humor and spirit. She, too, is a writer with a big heart and bright, playful eyes. They were both truly warm and lovely people!

One of the big adventures that we had while staying in Rancagua was visiting the largest underground copper mine in the world. We boarded a big tour bus and drove out of town to this mining region. The drive was beautiful!

Our first stop was to pick up our “gear” required to enter the mine. We had to wear a reflective coat, a survival belt (in case of emergency… yikes!), goggles, hard hat, steel toed knee boots, and a respirator. In total, this equipment weighed about 20 pounds, but fortunately we only had to wear it in the mine, which was our final destination that day. After picking up the gear we took the bus to Sewell, Chile. This abandoned mining town sits nestled high between two mountain peaks. It looked so precarious sitting there and I just prayed that we didn't feel those Chilean tremors that we were all trying to get accustomed to!

We had a formal tour of the ghost town and then had lunch in what used to be the hospital of Sewell. After our big meal, we boarded the bus to take us to our final treat… entering the mine. I had been so fascinated and excited about the idea of actually going “into” the earth! What I didn’t expect was a panic attack. Well, a private panic attack. We entered the mine by mini bus and upon entry it became very dark, with the tunnel rock just inches from my bus window. Within ten seconds of entering the mine I started to hyperventilate! I couldn’t believe it. While I tried to concentrate on breathing and calming down we drove three miles deep into a mountain. Once we stepped off of the bus I felt better, but my hands were shaking like leaves in a storm. Since this adventure I have pondered why I had such an unexpected, visceral reaction to entering the mine. I’ve realized that this moment was the first time in my life where I was entering something where there was no exit… no escape… no light at the end of this tunnel.

Things I handled a little bit better were learning the Cueca dance and hanging with alpacas. The Cueca is a Chilean folk dance where the man is trying to court the woman. Each hold a hankerchief and the dancers move around one another, as if the man is chasing the woman. There is stomping and hand clapping, and when I didn’t know the steps I would break into some typical move that I would use in the States, which made it pretty comical to watch!

One of the highlights of Rancagua for me was visiting an alpaca farm, where they use the wool for textiles. To be surrounded by 300 of these beautiful animals in a gorgeous valley surrounded by almond trees was almost too good for words. It was a blissful day.

Six O'Clock News...

Talca, Chile … I love you!

Three days wasn’t enough to explore this city and much like the departure from Santiago, tears welled up when I had to say goodbye to this place and its people. My team mate Erin and I stayed together with host parents, Pedro and Yoli Schmol.

They were so kind and funny and when Pedro walked us back to the private two bedroom cabin that sits on their property we squealed like little girls. This kind of privacy is rare, so we were thrilled! We also got to ride in his 1957 Apache truck. All three of us squeezed into the front seat to drive through Talca and Erin and I giggled all the way. I was also caught by Pedro waving to complete strangers as we drove by. We were quite the spectacle!

Our time in Talca has been documented since we both visited and were interviewed for the news. Apparently a cluster of gringos invading Talca is prime for the 6:00 news!

We also visited a Hydroelectric Plant, which was absolutely fascinating, as well as the University of Autonoma, both the family and civil courts, and a social services office. My university visit as well as some contacts I made with the University of Talca was really spectacular. As a team we were able to visit and speak with classes of students about what we do, why we are in Chile, and different issues regarding both of our home countries, like politics, education, and socioeconomic concerns. It was the first time that we have really been able to sit down with a group of young people and have a dialogue. I also connected with Administrators and the Dean of Education at both Universities. Both were eager to begin working in coordination on an exchange program for student teachers! What a great opportunity for all of our students!

Rest and Reboot...

These last few days we’ve had a chance to recharge our batteries. After leaving Curico by train on Thursday, we arrived in San Fernando, Chile. As per the norm we were met by a group of smiling Rotarians and whisked away to a full day of activities, vocational visits, and adventure. We toured an organic apple plant (the only organic fruit producer in Chile), visited an organic farm, then had lunch at a Rotarians house which ended with a meandering stroll around his farm (this included coming upon several horses grazing in his orchard), and ending the day with a Rotary meeting.

Friday brought the rest we were all wishing for. The San Fernando Rotary arranged for us to have two days in a remote mountain cabin with no obligations or schedule… Just the team, a pool, and a lot of food and vino! Needless to say, it was amazing. On the way to the top of the mountain we passed a Waso (a Chilean cowboy) and his dogs herding sheep down the road. At one point the van was surrounded by a sea of sheep. I felt such joy looking across this blanket of moving, bleeting wool!

We have now passed the two week mark and are approaching the end of our stay. The team has grown closer than ever and we feel more like family than simple travel companions. I have acquired several nick names since arriving in Chile… Melindita (the Chileans put “dita” at the end of words and names as a term of endearment), Mas Linda (literal translation in Spanish is “the prettiest”), Cool Breeze (since I was the only one on the team to swim in the 40 degree pool water).

We have since had two days in Santa Cruz and are now in Talca, Chile. Until later, buenos noches!

Beach bum?

On Sunday we left Santiago for Curico, a city of about 90,000 that sits 200 kilometers to the south. As we boarded the train and kissed and hugged our hosts and Berta (our Mama duck) behind, tears welled up. I had no idea I would be so heartbroken to leave these wonderful people and this big, big city, but I was. Once we arrived we were greeted and whisked away by our new hosts. It's been a hard transition, since we stayed in Santiago so long and really grew comfortable in our homes and with our families there, but as I had suspected new adventures awaited us in Curico. Much like our day began on a train, it ended in one as well. A decommissioned train car, anyway! Our first meeting with the Curico Rotarians was in an old train car that has been transformed into a working office, bar, and dinner club. What a treat! Here's a picture from inside the car, showing my team on the left and our Rotarians on the right.
On Monday we were taken to a beach community called Ilomo. This gave us a chance to really bond with our new Rotarian friends on the breathtaking coast of Chile. The day was full of discoveries and I felt more joy and wonder than I have in years. From the llamas we spotted on the way, to posing with a real steer-driven cart ambling down the road, to eating the best ceviche I've ever had, to sitting on the black sand watching the Pacific roll in... it was bliss.


As we returned from a long beach walk, I spotted the waiter who had served us lunch sprinting out toward water. He leapt onto the rocks and bounced over them completely unphased by their sharp and dangerous angles. Michael and I asked him what he was doing and he took us over to a rocky alcove where we discovered thousand of black mussels. He pried several huge ones off of the rock and offered them up to the group. We eagerly agreed, assuming he would cook them, but instead he sprayed some lemon juice on it and pried the poor creature right out of its shell. I couldn't stomach it, but a few of the team members took part.

It was an incredibly beautiful day!

The "Completo"

So, it's now time for all of you to meet the Completo. This dressing of a hot dog, pork sandwich, or hamburger is a Santiago favorite. It has a bun, mayonaise, onion, tomato, avocado, cheese, some sort of secret salsa on it and is gigantic. We first heard about the Completo on the Bizarre Foods: Santiago show that the team watched before our trip (the same show that prepared us for donkey milk, which we still haven't been able to locate). Well, in an effort to 'try it all', we had a celebratory Completo after presenting at the Rotary District Conference on Saturday. I had the pork Completo, where others, had the hot dog Completo. It was an adventure and p.s.--it was fantastic!