Art is in the Air

At the kids school there is a huge emphasis on the arts. It is one of the things I love about this school. It is cool to play instruments, sing, dance, and create. There is a big percentage of kids that play instruments. It is wonderful for the student body and they encourage performing often. I think it is how it should be, arts and sports share an equal amount of the stage.

I was able to attend an event that my kids participated in that was truely amazing. All ages performed (1st grade - 12th grade). There were amazing banners all over that showed the talents of the artists at the school and then there were all the performing artists. It is an event that makes living here unique.

Drew's art class made butterfly wings. And I of course did not get a picture of the actual art work, but they are back there. He was part of the opening ceremonies. Looking thrilled in this photo.

Mason's music class sang. It was funny because he said we are singing, no details, so I was surprised when they sang with a live band and had dancers going as well. You can also see some of the art banners up above, they were all over the area.

Dallin's class had bird banners they had made that they used during the opening ceremonies. And he got to dress in white and silver, so he didn't have to wear his uniform. He was excited about that.

First Day of Preschool

A little background on preschool. Here in Chile a lot of the kids start at age 2 going 5 days a week, 4 hours each day. I did not know that preschool was so much time when we arrived. Some how in our research I missed the 5 days a week thing. When we first accepted this position in Chile we were all set to send Easton to preschool so he could be immersed in the language and become this little Spanish speaker. And then we got here. And I found out the time involved. I was not thrilled. I did however put him on a waiting list at a preschool that I liked and did nothing more. No back-ups, no worrying. Pretty much hoping that he would not get into school because I did not want him gone that much, even with the prospect of learning Spanish.

The school year here is March-December. March rolled around and Easton was too far down on the list and I was relieved for it. And then the last week in March I got a call from the school saying they had an opening and would I like Easton to start the next day. I said yes and then frantically called Mark, because I was sad to see him go to school.

Having said all that, Easton started school the next day. I figured we would give it a go and if it didn't work out I would pull him out. It was a hard first day. Alligator tears and soft words of, "Please don't go mommy," hurt my heart. Eventually I was able to leave and things have gotten easier from there. He cried a lot the first 5 days and now he still gets a little clingy, but no tears. And the best part is how happy he is when I pick him up. I know he enjoys it. Still it is hard some mornings because I miss my little friend hanging out with me. So here's to my little amigo!

La Serena - Hold on to your socks, it's a long one

This was an amazing long weekend in mid March. It was absolutely one of the best things I have ever done as far as seeing the world goes. We drove to La Serena, which is about 450km north of here on a Thursday afternoon. La Serena is on the coast and is often referred to as the Mediterrian of Chile. We stayed in a condo right on the beach, and since we went right after school started back it was pretty empty, but still very nice weather. There are tons of pictures so you may get annoyed, but it is all worth it to us to remember. And if you make it to the end you can see our favorite road sign.

DAY 1 - Puntos Choros. We drove about 2 hours north of La Serena along the coast to a small fishermens village. The locals also take tourists out into the Pacific ocean to several small islands to see the wildlife. It was the best! And the day was perfect. While we waited for the motor boat we walked on the pier and along the coast to look in tide pools and on rocks (which were covered in sea urchins). Then off to see the lobos marinos, pinguinos, and delphines, or sea lions, penguins, and dolphins, and not to mention all the different types of sea birds. AMAZING!!! We also got to get off on a small island and hike around a little to see the views. I cannot tell you how beautiful it was. The pictures hardly do it justice. Also no pics of the dolphins, those are on the video camera and since we were on a small motor boat in the ocean the video can easily give you sea sickness sitting right in your own home.

You can't go too many places in Chile that do not involve dirt roads. And not just for a few minutes...an hour or two.

A small village we went through on our way there.

The little black spots are sea urchins

I know it is hard to see, but the island with the wildlife on it is in the background of this picture with Mark and the boys.

Hello starfish type thing!

Hello Crab!

Humbolt Penguins

As you approach the fishing village there are huge sand dunes, so we stopped to check them out. Easton had just eaten some oreos, so that is what is all over his face (in case you were wondering).

DAY 2 -- A drive through Elqui Valley, wine country. Of course no samples for us, but beautiful land. We stopped and picniced along the Elqui river, which makes all the grapes possible. Then we headed back to our condo and spent the rest of the day playing at the beach.

A dam and resevoir in the Elqui valley


So this picture was on one side of the road, green and down in the valley and then this picture below was on the other side of the road...and roads are not wide in Chile. There was a huge contrast to the green vineyards down by the river and then the hillsides on either side. At this point the valley was narrow, but it was wider in other areas.

Our picnic spot

Exporing the river

DAY 3 - We returned home with a detour to the Fray Jorge National Park. We all thought this was pretty cool. You are driving in desert, on dirt roads for 20km with the scenery pretty much all the same - brown and dry. And then you enter a national park, and it is still brown and dry. You drive 7 more km and all of the sudden you enter this little parking lot surrounded by green vegetation. We got out and hiked this little 1km loop and in you feel like you have entered a green jungle. Although you are in desert area, there is one small area that because of the mist produced by the cloud cover there is green everywhere. We loved this little national park and how much there was to learn about how these plants got "watered." Great excursion a little off the beaten path.

You can see in the background the desert brown and then the green. It is just the way the clouds sit in this small area that makes the oasis.

And our favorite road sign of the trip. In the words of Mason, "Oh crap."

A Classy Group of Guys

Good looking bunch aren't they? So this event was on Feb. 21st, but I couldn't resist posting this photo of Mason and his friends. They all went to a bah mitzvah together that was for a girl in the 6th grade class. It was quite the event with hundreds of people and a huge party following the actual bah mitzvah. It involved double decker buses that took the kids from the temple to an extremely nice hotel for dancing, music, and tons of food. The party went until 2am, however this group of boys carriage turned into a pumpkin at midnight so they came home a bit early, but happy and full of sugar they came. It was a good experience for Mason, and I was glad he was able to learn about this ceremony.

Little Guy goes 12

Mason turned 12 last month. It was a big event here. We got to go camping in an a beautiful national park up in the mountains. For Mason's birthday he wanted to go camping and fulfill some of his scout requirements (no mention of it from mom or dad, he brought it up all on his own). Pretty amazing kid, right? So our family, along with a good friend of Mason's packed up and drove about an hour up this road that I had never seen the likes of before in all my life. It was crazy, but oh the views! When I say switchbacks, I truely mean switchbacks. WOW.

It was rural, but not too rural. There was a campsite (for tents only) with BBQ pits dotted here and there. And even a toilet and sink, with running (don't drink it though) water. And it was all kept very nicely. So we camped next to this rushing river in the mountains and enjoyed. Also you must remember that seeing the stars here is amazing. I look up and think of God everytime. For one requirement Mason had to cook two meals, so for both dinner and breakfast, tinder and wood were collected and fires made. I love to camp and this was no exception (OK, I do not like the cleanup when we get home, but technically that is not part of the camping right, it is at home not at the site). We took two cars and after breakfast and breaking down camp I headed down with Easton and Mark took the older boys on a hike. Which he took some really good pictures of, but when he went to get them off his phone happened to loose everything (I mean phone went blank of ALL data, a sad day). So no pics of the hike but a couple others.

Sunday was his actual birthday and we celebrated at home with a favorite dinner, presents, and cake. Mason is growing up and becoming more independent. He is able to do a lot more than I give him credit for. He is a good kid that chooses the right in often very difficult situations. He has been put in a very hard situation moving to Chile, school has proven difficult, but he is doing it. Despite the bumps he just keeps on going. Mason has a good sense of humor and quick wit. He loves to read, swim, and run. He loves to hike and camp. And even though he is getting older he will still give me hugs. Mason has done some things here that have made me so proud to be his mother. I am grateful for his example and his testimony of Christ. Happy 12th little guy!

Do you see the switchbacks? There are three here, but it goes on and on and on.