Thursday, January 26, 2006

Michelle having a good laugh with her brother. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

A Bit of Calculated Nonsense

Dear Friends, greetings!

For those of you who are of the Dutch persuasion, we have experienced the Chilean version of our beloved "chicken barbeque". For the nondutchies out there, a "chicken barbeque" would be a fund raising event in which you buy a ticket and pick up a sack with: half a barbequed chicken, a baked potato, coleslaw, iced tea, and some kind of sweet. Well, here they have "curantos" and this curanto was to benefit the rowing team. You get a mesh bag stuffed with clams of all types, pieces of roasted chicken, sausage, and beef, and some, well, I'll call them mystery dumplings. Then you also get some cilantro based sauce to spoon into the clam shells before you slurp the meat out. Quite an experience.

This weekend we're going to Puerto Oktay with the rowing team as chaperones on a camping trip. Should be good times, it's always nice to impose a fast on our bedbugs. Yes, they are still viciously turning me into a human smorgesborg. Hey, it could become a new fad diet, Lose weight through Blood Loss!!

What more? We're still living in the same place, but have added some door locks to shared areas of the house, and miraculously, it keeps people out! Huzzah!

Just finished "The Four Loves" by C.S. Lewis, and "A Passage to India" by E.M. Forester. If you've read them, I'd like to know your impressions. Tomorrow I start "Pilgrim's Progress", a volumn I'm embarassed to be reading for the first time.

Yes well, blessings friends, May God be with you!!!!!

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Stateside Minutes

Hey Friends,
Well, we are stateside for Dustin's sister's wedding, and have submitted ourselves to a barrage of health check-ups, dentist appointments, and of course, wedding preparations. We are staying in his parent's motor home, and it's wonderful. For the first time in three months we're not living with anyone else!
It's strange the things you buy when you may not have the opportunity to buy them for a few years...seven bags of couscous, two elephantine sized jars of peanut butter, scads of chocolate chips, enough Swiss Miss to feed a boy scout troupe, and a couple of pounds of unsweetened baking chocolate.
It's weird to be here. It feels more like "time travel" than "coming home". It feels like we've simply plopped right back into the life we left, almost like we'd never gone to Chile. Can't say I'm fond of the feeling. It makes our departure date seem surreal. Am I really to tear myself away from these people I love again?
Blessings,
Sarah

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Sophia, Victoria, and I enjoying the waves at Isla Tenglo. Posted by Picasa
Consuelo, Gigi, and I preparing the New Years feast. Posted by Picasa
New Year�s Feast Posted by Picasa
Petrohue Posted by Picasa
Dustin working out at Tenglo Island adding a bathroom to our coworkers home. Posted by Picasa
Petrohue Posted by Picasa

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Año Nuevo

Well friends, a happy new year to all of you!
We celebrated by hosting a party at our home with our Chilean and American friends. The men took command of the grill, dousing the various meats with cumin and oregano, and spraying water on the coals to bathe them in moisture. Us women folk made tomato/cilantro/onion salad, lettuce salad, potato salad, spiced plum tart, and plum cafouti. We then had some impromptu dancing, though Dustin and I have forgotten our merengue moves, but exhibited some fine swing. We then were treated to a skit on marriage which proved hilarious (especially as all the actresses were single). Around 2:00 in the morning, the dice came out and Dustin proved himself Farkle champion of the new year.
We leave soon for the states for Dustin´s sister´s wedding. If anyone wants to call us while we´re stateside, call 717 285 7566. We´ll be in PA from the 6th to the 17th. Blessings!

Sarah