My work travel plan worked out perfectly for me to stay for
a week in the south of Chile. I was originally scheduled to fly south for just two
days and then fly back north to another workshop, but in the end it was conveniently
canceled. I postponed my scheduled flight and changed the departure city so I
take of advantage of my time there. Everyone in Chile talks about the south like it’s the
country’s golden area. I have always heard about how breathtaking and green it is,
and I’ve always wanted to check it out. Luckily I know some people I could stay
with and who could show me around.
I landed in Valdivia on Tuesday the 19th with the rest of
the day open to check out the place. The city of Valdivia is surrounded by a big
river (actually three different rivers that converge), and the city is known
for the biggest earthquake ever recorded, which destroyed almost everything in
1960. I had met up with a friend and co-worker Cristían Gervic at the airport,
and after we checked in at the hotel we headed for the fisher’s market where I
ate the biggest and best piece of fish ever. We walked around the city until it
got dark and started to rain, and with nothing else to do we decided to go see
a movie at the mall.
The next day we were up early and off to set up the training
workshop at a lodge out in the forest, which is really a jungle. You would have
to bushwhack your way through if caught in the middle of it. It was cold and
rainy the whole morning until the late afternoon when the sun started coming
out. I guess I had gained the confidence of the owner of the lodge because he
insisted that I take his truck out for a drive to see more of the forests and countryside.
The sights were beyond description, and the chance to be cruising by myself
with the windows down was one and only. The sky was clear and bright blue right
after a long rainfall, and the clouds moved quickly through the trees and over
the hills. Everything was lush green. I cruised for about 45 minutes, getting
out often to snag a picture or explore down the hidden path.
After the workshop that day I got on an hour and a half bus
ride headed south for the small town of San Pablo (just 20 minutes north of
Osorno). I stayed the next couple days with Hugo Muñoz, who was one of my
mission companions, and his parents and sister. I think I accustomed myself a
bit to life in the south by helping with daily tasks like chopping wood and
making homemade bread.
El Toro de Osorno
In spite of being sick with a cold, Hugo and I got up early
Friday morning to take a couple of bus rides to the Puyehue National Park. It
was really cold with rainfall off and on, but we made the best of it. We went
on a little hike around the rainforest until the hot springs opened for swim.
The place was awesome—a pool of hot water right next to a fast-flowing river.
We were able to get in the freezing water of the river and then back in the
pool as the cold rain fell down everywhere. After the pool our plan was to
hitchhike our way to some waterfalls farther up the mountains, but after
waiting for way too long for a vehicle to pass by, we thought we better start
walking towards a crossing where it would be easier to find a ride. Once we got
far enough along the road it started to pour. We both got completely soaked with
miles still to go. After about an hour of walking we finally made it to the
crossing and found shelter under a crowded bus stop (by the way, the
hitchhiking ironically didn’t work once passing cars saw that we were
completely wet). The wind started to pick up, which blew the rain right under
the little covering. I could feel the water dripping down my legs and filling
my shoes completely with cold water. After waiting for the bus for half an hour
we still had another hour and a half bus ride back home without eating anything
all day. Not the day I would have picked, but lessons were learned.
The hike
The hot springs pool and river
The worst luck ever hitchhiking
Friday night I got on a bus to Llanquihue to spend the next
few days with the Wilhelm’s, who were my mission Presidents. What an honor it
was to spend time with them, and it was a blast to be able to remember
experiences and stories from the mission that made us laugh. Hermana Wilhelm
prepared some of the best Chilean food ever, and President showed me around the
area. The Wilhelm’s live outside of the city of Llanquihue and they have a view
of the vast lake and snow-covered volcanoes across the water. On Sunday morning
we went to a new building dedication where President Wilhelm (now Elder
Wilhelm) dedicated the first new chapel constructed since 2004. Hugo met up with
us Sunday evening and spent the last night with us there.
The Wilhelm's
New chapel of Alerce
Volcano Osorno (and another smaller one) across the lake Llanquihue
Two weekends ago I had the great opportunity to stay in the city of Ovalle. Ovalle is where I made many strong friendships, and where I grew the most on my mission. I had been wanting to return ever since I left.
I stayed the weekend with the Vega Ibañez family (Raul and Claudia) and their three daughters (Yanara, Paloma, and Anastasia). One morning I got up early and made them French toast, which was completely new to them. That same day we did a BBQ together and invited over others with whom I became good friends. We grilled up some chicken and chorizo (sausage) and made choripan (chorizo and bread) with pebre (onion, tomato, garlic, and cilantro).
The following day I saw many other friends at church, one in particular named Gerald. After church I had lunch with the Olivares family who always provides an outstanding meal. We had empanadas, salad, mashed potatoes and roast beef, fruit, and strawberry cake. We spent the whole afternoon laughing about past times and experiences.
Olivares Family
In the afternoon I went out "canuteando" with the Elders to visit two other converts of mine. They have since struggled with attending church regularly, but have their goals set and are working towards being better with hopes to go to the temple someday. I also visited another friend who started investigating the church when was first in Ovalle. The missionaries have contacted her again after three years and continue to teach her.
We watched the Joseph Smith movie at Karen Alfaro's house in Ovalle
The last two weeks have been busy ones. We began work with
Cruz Verde, which is a large national pharmacy chain in Chile. We are in charge
of providing training workshops for their employees three days a week in different
parts of the country. Two weeks ago I stayed in Limache for one of the
trainings, and then went to Santiago for the other two. I am what they call an
“Outdoor.” For half of the time the group of about 25 employees receives a
presentation and training on customer service, business culture, and sales
techniques and then I take over to direct different games and dynamics outside
that illustrate what was taught inside. Each seminar is held in a place where
there is plenty of open space outside so those who come can get some fresh air.
The first two days I observed how it is done and what is said, and then on
Thursday I did my part alone. It was intimidating, but fun to use a different
gringo style of running things. Although this part of my internship does not
exactly have a lot to do with what I am studying, I am grateful for the
experience.
Last week the “outdoor” adventures continued. Last Tuesday I
was on a bus at 6:00 AM on my way to Santiago to do another workshop. The spin
on the outside part this time was that it was pouring rain. We all got wet, but
the activities were still effective. After the workshop, I was one bus and two
taxi rides away from boarding a plane headed for city of Antofagasta in the
north.
Our plane took off about an hour and a half late, which sent
me off at about 10:30 PM. I had assured my mom that flying in Chile would be
perfectly safe, but it’s been quite some time since I’ve been as scared as I
was on that plane. The take off was great, and I even snagged an exit row seat.
But not much later after take off the pilots must have started walking a slack
line in the cockpit as they steered the plane. We went back and forth and up
and down. The wind had picked up and this little jet was all over the place. It
was one of those times when you try and keep your cool on the outside, but
inside you’re wondering where you’ll be in 15 seconds. I did however meet a new
compadre named Alejandro who is from Viña del Mar. He offered to drive me into
town to my hotel, which was very fortunate given that there were no taxi’s
there after midnight when we arrived.
Five hours of sleep later I was up and off to another
workshop. The curve ball this time was that only six people showed up! At first
I thought it would be easier, but group activities are lame without the group,
and smaller groups are more difficult to captivate. We did what we could, got a
little bored, and wrapped up the workshop earlier than usual.
I didn’t get to see Antofagasta much, but just by passing
through it looks like an okay place. The only green is what has been planted in
the city, and the rest is nothing but brownish-greyish dirt everywhere you
look. The city is right by the ocean with mountains on the other side. I was
told by the people at the workshop of some of the problems here. Many come here
to work in the mines in the north of Chile and make good money. The problem is
that the workers typically don’t have much education and don’t spend their
money on meaningfully. There is a lot of prostitution and drug traffic that has
entered in from neighboring countries.
That night I got on another plane headed back to Santiago to
spend the night. 4 hours of sleep later I was up at 5:15 AM and later on a
plane at 7:00 AM. I was headed back north to the city of La Serena, which is
the furthest city north in my mission. I feel asleep during the flight and woke
up as we were landing. I looked at the window and knew that we were in fact not
in Serena. The anxiety really settled in when the flight attendant said over
the speaker, “Welcome to Copiapo.” I thought that I had really screwed up and
got on the wrong plane until after we landed and the pilot told those who were
headed to Serena to remain on the plane. I arrived very late to the place where
everyone was for the training workshop, but things went well.
The whole week I had been carrying extra luggage because I
had planned to spend the weekend in a city where I served for the last part of
my mission. The city, Ovalle, is about an hour and a half away in bus from
Serena so I thought that I would just miss my flight from Serena to Santiago,
and hop on a bus ride to Ovalle inside. That was the plan the whole week—hence
the extra luggage—until I found out after I had already left home with extra
luggage that I would be charged if I missed the flight. The new plan was to
take the flight back to Santiago to hop on a 7-hour bus ride back to Ovalle
during the night. When I got to the airport to head back to Santiago, they told
me that due to the fog, the plane wouldn’t be leaving, and that they would
return the plane ticket back to Cruz Verde who had paid for it. I could not
believe my luck (however “luck” isn’t what we call it exactly), and I hopped on
a bus to Ovalle.
Again, not the most entertaining video, but these places are incredible.
This past week I have been working a lot on putting together
a presentation on strategy for Surmount, the company I am working with. They gave me a very broad task of coming up with new ideas and methods to improve the customer experience that the
companies we work with provide. It’s been a bit of a challenge taking on such a
broad project, but at the same time it’s been great to use my own ideas.
This week has also been full of amazing food. On Friday I
went with the Guajardo family (who I’m staying with) to Ramón Páez’ house to
make tacos. I have never eaten so much good food, and ate about eight tacos.
It’s easy to keep eating when there is an endless supply of fresh guacamole, beans, salsa,
meat, chicken, and cheese. I also experienced more of the Chilean culture I
hadn’t known before as a missionary. Apparently it is typical to stay out really late with friends.
We got home at about 2:30 AM!
Tacos con los Páez
The following day we fired up the mud oven in back and
cooked up some ribs, steak, potatoes, chicken, and fresh bread (pan amasado).
Despite the fact that I ate enough to carry over until the following day, I am
still just as thin.
Pancito amasado, goat cheese, butter, and ají pebre (salsa)
On Friday I put some shops skills to practice in cutting
about 50 PVC pipe pieces for an activity we will be using this week as we train
the regional managers of a pharmacy called Cruz Verde.
Cutting with Pablo using a little table saw
My greatest accomplishment this week was finally breaking a
light bulb with my head. I liked to think that it was something that only happened to
my old man, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t think this day would one
day arrive. It was the classic stand straight up right into a light fixture.
In Santiago last week
The golden hour in Limache
This video shows some clips from a stake primary activity I helped out with a couple weeks ago. Not the most exciting video, but you get the point.
I feel that bloggers should always have something profound and eloquent to say. I don’t, sorry.
I have wanted to be back in Chile ever since I left in 2010.
The time is flying by, but I feel fortunate that I am able to enjoy every
moment. I wish you could experience every sight, sound, smell, taste, and
feeling. Above all, I wish you could laugh and visit with all the outstanding
people who have become my good friends. Let me know if you want to make the
trip down, and I will be more than happy to make accommodations. I might also be open to the idea of paying part of your ticket, depending on who you are.
Monday was a national holiday so we didn’t have to work! I
had an awesome lunch with the Diane family and then went up to their cabin in a
rural area called Olmué. (You should be able to see what I’m talking about in
the video below. Also, you can see the video better if you click on the youtube button. The video also shows some shots when I dropped off Elder Daine at the airport with his familia.) That night we did our own little FHE with just the three of
us before I switch houses back to the Guajardo family.
This past week I have spent a lot of time putting together a
lot of my resources along with collecting other materials in order to put
together a presentation for my bosses. We are working with a new client, which
is a Catholic University and organization called Duoc. My experience should
(hopefully) come in handy in putting together a strategy to offer to their
management as a consulting project we are working on. I am excited to
contribute, but the language continues to be a frustrating barrier in business
language. At least I should be able to come home and shoot more the breeze with
latinos at home. The video below shows some travel to Santiago and also a brief shot of a convention seminar we helped put together for el Banco Ripley.
I didn’t get out too much this weekend because of all the
rain that hit the area, but I did get to go to an awesome ward activity that
the sister missionaries put together. They turned off all the lights in the
church, added all sorts of obstacles, blindfolded us, and then gave us an iron
rod (a long garden hose) to follow to the chapel where they had covered
everything in white and had a little tree with lights. The fruit given to us
was an American marshmallow! It was a blast and also turned out to mark
everyone in the ward in some way. Small wards are the best.
It was a lot harder than I thought it would be
Some of the other highlights of the week were getting cozy
on the Guajardo’s master bed to watch Rudy together, eating lunch with South
West (Elder West) in Santiago with Ramón and Helgi (my “bosses”), winging a
musical number the day of for a baptism on Saturday, visiting a convert in a small
farming area known as Lliu Lliu (“jiew jiew”), eating lunch with Ramón’s family
today, and then going to the Campos’ house in Quilpué for hermana Campos’
birthday.
This is a Mormon dog named Bermutus. He followed my companion and me every day in the mission while I was here in Limache, and he still follows the missionaries. I laughed so hard when I walked through the lobby today at church and saw him sitting inside! He has followed me a few times when out and about. He does a good job at being who he is.
Igualitos
Birthday party for hermana Campos. We all sang a different song for her.
Last Sunday I dropped in on an old investigator I taught
here in Limache. His name is Alejandro and he treats me like his grandson. I
think he goes overboard a bit, but I’ll let you be the judge. As I mentioned
before about the “besito,” I haven’t specifically mentioned that it doesn’t typically
happen between men unless it is a very close family relationship. Well when I
said goodbye to Alejandro, he kissed me one the check, twice on the neck, and
then once on each hand. I’ll leave it at that without further comment.
Abuelito
This photo was on his wall in the living room (photo taken in 2008)
Sometimes I feel like a set apart missionary, and sometimes I don’t. I
went to an activity the other day in another ward I served in. I had just come
from Santiago and happened to be dressed in a white dress shirt and tie. When I
“saludaba” (said hello and gave the besito), I could tell that some people
thought I was a missionary for a couple of reasons. One, they responded to me
by calling me “Elder,” and two, because some of the hermanas froze as I went in
to kiss them on the cheek thinking I was doing something that missionaries
aren’t supposed to.
I don’t feel like a missionary when I am in a business
meeting in the middle of Santiago and an executive pulls out a cigarette to
smoke in the middle of his office, or when the presentations given at meetings
are not zone conference presentations anymore. I also didn’t feel like a
missionary last Sunday as I watched the sister missionaries use our Internet
here to Skype their families, and I could pick up my cell phone and call home
at ease.
The strangest case, however, was Friday night as I felt like
I was being pulled between the feeling like a missionary and me. I went to Viña
to visit a convert and very good friend named Giancarlo. We share the same age
and so we became very close friends while I was on my mission. It was different
(but awesome) to not only talk about churchy things on Friday night, but also
about how lame dating can be, or how we both have had similar young-adult-life
experiences. After chatting at his place for a while, we went out to grab a completo
(a big Chilean hotdog with avocado, tomato and mayo) and after went to a YSA
activity at the stake center. A girl had asked that I meet up with her there
and I tried to dance Chilean style with her, but I felt completely out of
place. It was a blast, but I also laughed at myself as I felt like I was
breaking mission rules.
This past week I have been staying with the Daine family. I
love them very much and I will always feel indebted for the service they have
rendered in my behalf. I woke up early one morning to make them an “American”
breakfast, but what came out were probably the worst hash browns ever known to
man. Hermana Daine made it up to me by surprising me with French fries, eggs,
and ham for breakfast the following morning!
Today is the 20th of May and so you may hear about a big earthquake in Chile today. Some guy has predicted that an unprecedented earthquake is supposed to occur today, but despite all the buzz on the news, so far it has been really tranquilo. Last week, however, there was a mini earthquake that got our hearts racing!
To say it is such a cliché, but my favorite part has truly
been being around all the people I love here in Chile. I enjoy simply observing
what they do, and finding ways in which I can live life more fully. Sometimes
it takes leaving home or going to another place or country to realize how many
distractions we often let into our lives that are camouflaged as important or
convenient. I see and know that true and lasting happiness comes by striving to
apply the Atonement and Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. Living close to
our Heavenly Father opens the windows of heaven, and blessings are truly poured
out upon us. After we are tremendously blessed, we should give to others a
portion of what we have been given. Seriously—what else matters?
My bedroom at the Daine's
Barros Luco sandwich on the way back home from Santiago. Avacado, cheese, and steak.
American breakfast made better
Church grounds "Cumorah" in Casablanca. The stake had a big primary activity on Saturday and I helped with the transportation.
The Bishop's son Jared Guzman
The Limache ward's collage on the word of wisdom
Juan and Regina Daine after being sealed in the Santiago temple
