Oddities

Some of you may be annoyed that there are not as many posts as there were in the start.  The reason being is that Brandon and I have settled into the routine of things with service and daily life, so things are no longer "the first time". We are still having a great time, but the fun diversions are more balanced now since we did come here to work.  Here are some odds and ends though of the past week or so:

Brandon and I checked out a territory right in the heart of Vina, and it has proved to be wonderful!  Not only have we been able to work by ourselves when there is no group, but we have found many English speakers, and many diversions for after service.  This past Saturday we were the only two that showed up so after starting with my return visit (that will be a Bible study shortly!!!) and working some blocks we hopped into a nearby museum.  They have one of the 3 Moais in the world that have been removed from Easter Island and they have the entire history of the island and the meaning behind all of the different statues.  We can't make it to Easter Island on this trip, but it is on my to do list for the future.

Last week Brandon and I decided to do some cooking and introduce our friends to some new foods.  Chileans seem very particular in what they eat, and do not like to try new things (or so we have been told) so Brandon and I made some eggplant parmesan. It was amazing!!! Not only did it all get eaten, we ended up making it a second time last week, and Charese wants the recipe to make it for her mother-in-law.  We dub it a hit :) Because it went over so well, Charese also asked us to cook a second lunch for her before we leave.  We are hoping to attempt clam chowder with fresh clams from the market.







February is the middle of summer here in Chile, so there are many events this month.  One of the special things that was opened was a handcraft market that Brandon and I made a pit stop at to get some gifts for our friends.  One of the other things that they had going on in the shopping area was some traditional dancing in the authentic costumes of Chile.  It was very cool to watch, since it is common at weddings to hire people to dance it and we have yet to see it. Being the middle of summer it was also an eventful week for fires.  Since it is so dry here the hills are constantly on fire.  There were two big ones last week, one close enough to drop ash on us and block out the sun, and then a "toxic" cloud of unknown origin. Half the people think it was just a fire, some think it was a secret government test, and some didn't even know it happened.  Regardless, it made a cool thing to look at from our bedroom window. Amid all of this, Brandon worked hard on his public talk that he gave on Sunday, he did an awesome job!!