We moved out to Niebla, an hour-ish bus ride from Valdivia, to live in a delightful ocean-view cabin that a new friend is letting us borrow until the end of August. Delightful and cold. It serves as more of a windbreak than a warm haven, but we are happy after piling every blanket in the house on the bed.
Our first night there, Brent set about to light the parafin heating unit and I set about to make cookies, which I´ve been dying to do ever since we realized we might never feel warm again. I improvised oatmeal cookies without butter (we had olive oil instead) and baking soda (substitute: more oatmeal!). I went to start the oven and, new to the process of the gas stove, I couldn´t get it to light.
By this time, Brent was also not getting the parafin stove to light. As our last hope of decent heat was dwindling away, this was not the time to be asking for help. Instead, I lit a burner and ''baked'' my cookies in a frying pan, which resulted in a pleasant granola-bar-like creation that managed to be both burnt and under-cooked.
I find myself here without my Pepperdine sweatshirt, fleece pajamas, or slippers. During the packing process, I thought, ''I haven´t worn these in ages, and I can fit three dresses, which I wear all the time, in the space it takes to pack one Pepperdine sweatshirt. I usually wear shorts to bed, anyway, and socks make perfectly fine slippers.''
I failed to consider, however, that there might not be another country on the planet that heats its homes the way America does. Furthermore, I do not wear dresses all the time in southern Chile in the winter, so I´ve been laying Brent´s sweatshirts on top of my thin (and easy-to-pack) gym-bound hoodies and cooking dinner in my coat.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Bikram Experience
One of our friends here is a Bikram yoga teacher, and she owns a handful of studios in Santiago and Puerto Montt. We attended a couple of classes when we were in Santiago, which I almost forgot to tell you about because it feels like years ago at this point.
Brent took a couple of Bikram classes a few years ago, but I had never done it before. I was surprised to discover that the workout itself is not that challenging. Some of the poses are in the tougher spectrum, but you don´t hold them for very long. What makes the whole thing damn near impossible is that oppressive heat.
It felt good for about 30 seconds after first entering the room because it was so cold outside, but that novelty quickly wore off. I was totally overdressed in a tank top and cropped yoga pants, and it still only took about five minutes to sweat through them completely.
Í wouldn´t say I dislike it, necessarily. I even went back for another round three days after the first. I would do it again. But not regularly.
Brent took a couple of Bikram classes a few years ago, but I had never done it before. I was surprised to discover that the workout itself is not that challenging. Some of the poses are in the tougher spectrum, but you don´t hold them for very long. What makes the whole thing damn near impossible is that oppressive heat.
It felt good for about 30 seconds after first entering the room because it was so cold outside, but that novelty quickly wore off. I was totally overdressed in a tank top and cropped yoga pants, and it still only took about five minutes to sweat through them completely.
Í wouldn´t say I dislike it, necessarily. I even went back for another round three days after the first. I would do it again. But not regularly.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
P.S. We live in Chile now.
Brent and I moved to Chile, which I forgot to tell some people. Not that those people are any less important, it just came together quickly and it didn't feel like there was much time for telling things. But now I am telling you! And this is exciting!
Upon arrival, July 1, we stayed out in the suburbs of Santiago for about a week. How far out? When we decided to head south (in the southern hemisphere, heading south in the winter is not the best idea), it was a two-hour walk/bus/metro to CENTRAL station, where we hopped on a 12-hour bus ride to Puerto Montt.
While we were there, sometimes an entire day consisted of walking to the internet cafe, having lunch, and walking home. Santiago. Is. Not. Small.
On our second day in Chile, we went exploring. We were going to catch the bus, but when the bus wasn't there when we wanted it to be (i.e. immediately), we said, what the heck, let's keep walking and see what we see. So we walked. And walked. And 10 hours later, having not yet reached the center of the city, we got some dinner and took a bus home. Santiago. Is. Not. Small.
Now we're in Valdivia, a lovely city with less rain than Puerto Montt. We're almost thinking of calling this one home, but we are waiting on a few things, one of those things being paperwork, the kind that permits us to work in this country. Once the paperwork gets going, it could be up to four months before it's official, but at least we'll know it's happening. The main focus now is just getting it started.
In the meantime, we're eating food and walking in the cold and meeting fantastically kind people. And speaking Spanish, some of us better than others.
Upon arrival, July 1, we stayed out in the suburbs of Santiago for about a week. How far out? When we decided to head south (in the southern hemisphere, heading south in the winter is not the best idea), it was a two-hour walk/bus/metro to CENTRAL station, where we hopped on a 12-hour bus ride to Puerto Montt.
While we were there, sometimes an entire day consisted of walking to the internet cafe, having lunch, and walking home. Santiago. Is. Not. Small.
On our second day in Chile, we went exploring. We were going to catch the bus, but when the bus wasn't there when we wanted it to be (i.e. immediately), we said, what the heck, let's keep walking and see what we see. So we walked. And walked. And 10 hours later, having not yet reached the center of the city, we got some dinner and took a bus home. Santiago. Is. Not. Small.
Now we're in Valdivia, a lovely city with less rain than Puerto Montt. We're almost thinking of calling this one home, but we are waiting on a few things, one of those things being paperwork, the kind that permits us to work in this country. Once the paperwork gets going, it could be up to four months before it's official, but at least we'll know it's happening. The main focus now is just getting it started.
In the meantime, we're eating food and walking in the cold and meeting fantastically kind people. And speaking Spanish, some of us better than others.
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