In Everyday Living

To my dear friends and family who read this blog,

       Forgive me for having remained silent too long. It's not that I have not had time to write, but rather that I have strangely lacked the impulse to do so.

       After the group from Lee returned to the Homeland, I crashed-literally. This past week and a half I have remained close to home and my outside activities have been few. When I expressed my chagrin at being so tired, Mama Isabel and Isa simply told me that they felt this time was a gift from God to me so that I could rest after my studies before beginning work in the fall. I must confess it has been a wonderful gift, but one I had not expected to be given so freely during this time...another measure of grace that this trip is teaching me: how to live simply, at rest, in peace.

      It's been a pleasure to study as I can go at my pace and as my studying involves a wide range of activities including reading pleasure books (which greatly increase my understanding of grammar and vocabulary), movies, and conversations.

      Finally, after more than a month of living here, I am beginning to recognize patterns and know what to expect. Every Sunday, Pancho sells alfajores and other sweets after church and I have never failed in enjoying said treat so far. Every Sunday, Isa's family comes to visit and one sister-even if it's Isa- makes a delicious treat for once. Two to three times a week, a brother who is rebuilding the church, lunches with us. Bread is baked about an hour after lunch. Most Saturdays, there is a party-all incidentally, of course, and I don't expect that to continue. Saturdays I also teach English when people can make it. The youth meet that evening. I even know when the sun will hit the table in the kitchen as I sit and study. Once or twice a week we go to a feria...usually for fruit, but also for other things. I'm flabbergasted at how cheap fruit is. It's a good thing because I eat so much of it. I can't help it...it's so juicy and delicious!

       Yet, I still don't know my way around the neighborhood and I'm hopelessly lost when it comes to the micros and metros. I also long to know more about the people here...it's taken me this long to catch up to the rapidity in which people speak. I'm convinced that Chileans are the fastest Spanish speakers in the world! I just thought I understood spoken Spanish! I'm now to the point that I can interject little snippets in a conversation without slowing it down terribly much. I'm encouraged by this small progress but desperately long to chatter away like the rest of the world here does.

      Isa and I help each other out a lot. I ask her how to say this or that in Spanish and she does the same to me about English. She and her mom are introducing me to the vast world of Chilean culture and food.

      I think I've probably given you enough details for now about how life is here in the city of Santiago. The next post, I shall try to recount some of the more exciting experiences I've had. Hasta luego!

Tuyo,

Katy