Nuggets with honey mustard

I think that most people who have a blog don't post as often as they would like to, so I will try not to apologize for something that is arguably normal. I mentioned to my life coach (read: my sister) that I have a bunch of entries that I haven't published (mostly recipes) and she encouraged me to actually put them up. Since my blogging is at a lull, now seems like an appropriate time. Good things are coming, though. I am working on a BIG project (okay, maybe just regular big, uncapitalized), and really need motivation to finish the last 10%. Here's a hint: it's a piece of furniture. That I got for free from Craigslist. That I picked up from the side of the road and a man with alcohol on his breath helped me load into my station wagon. It's pretty awesome. So now that you know, I'm motivated to finish the last bits.

To get to today's entry, April loves chicken nuggets. I mean, I love them, too, but the other day when I made breaded chicken breasts, which are arguably the same thing, she looked at me with big puppy dog eyes begging that I make them into nuggets. I didn't, I made chicken parmesan, but the nuggets are pretty good. This is the recipe that we perfected together in a 13th floor apartment overlooking the sea in South America. So in addition to being delicious, these nuggets are also infused with sister memories and actual real-live magic.

Original post, 9/4/2011 4:37 PM

Double-breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets with Honey Mustard Sauce

Chicken Nuggets:

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

2-3 pieces of bread

1 egg

a splash of milk

approx. 1/4 cup flour

oil for frying

heat oven to 350º

1) Boil chicken breasts until cooked through. We started with frozen chicken and ours took about 18 minutes. Cut or tear the cooked chicken into nugget-sized pieces.

2) Meanwhile, toast your bread to medium brown. When your bread is toasted, put the pieces in a plastic bag and crush into crumbs. (You could also put them in a food processer, but we're not that fancy. We use the back of an ice cream scoop.)

3) Crack the egg into a shallow bowl and add a splash of milk. On a separate plate pour a little less than 1/4 cup of flour. Pour your bread crumbs on another plate.

4) Take one piece of boiled chicken and cover it in flour. Holding the edges of the chicken, coat it in the egg mixture. Finally, roll the chicken in the bread crumbs. To double-bread, repeat the process with the same piece. Bread all of the pieces.

5) Place the breaded chicken pieces on a wire rack in the oven (we used our toaster oven) and dry at 350º for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 3/4" of frying oil over medium-low heat so it does not burn. We use a small saucepan in order to use less oil.

6) Fry the dried chicken pieces individually until they are a medium brown color. They cook in a matter of seconds so watch them closely.

7) Serve immediately.

Honey Mustard Sauce:

Ingredients:

3 tbsp mustard

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 big, drippy teaspoon of honey

a pinch of salt

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

5 fresh basil leaves

1) Heat a small saucepan on medium-low heat.

2) Add mustard, soy sauce, both vinegars, and the honey. Whisk to combine, cook for about 1 minute.

3) Add two tablespoons of water, the salt, garlic and basil leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes until basil begins to wilt.

4) Serve as a dipping sauce or over rice.

Seafood Bisque

Tonight I made a really yummy soup based on a lobster bisque recipe I found online. Our version was made with shrimp and crab meat rather than lobster and it was awesome. I've outlined the recipe for my fellow seafood lovers; this was so easy and delicious on a cool evening.

Photo credit: April, of course

Seafood Bisque

Ingredients:

12 oz baby shrimps

4 oz crab meat

3 large mushrooms, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

3 tbsp butter

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth

1/4 ts salt

pinch pepper

pinch chili powder

pinch cumin

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1/2 cup white wine

1) In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook until until tender.

2) Add the chicken broth and seasonings, bring to a boil.

3) Carefully pour your broth and veggies into a blender. Add the crab meat and 3/4 of the baby shrimps. Blend to the desired consistency - ours was just before smooth.

4) Return the soup to the saucepan. Add the remaining shrimps, the half-and-half, and the wine. Stir thoroughly and bring to a simmer temperature before serving.

Notes:

-Dad and I agreed that it could have handled more veggies, he specifically requested more celery.

-Season to taste, of course, but also taste your soup before adding the wine. I really liked the taste of the chardonnay with the seafood, but some may prefer the bisque without.

-We had five teenage boys in the house, so I stretched the bisque a bit with half-and-half. Good luck if you're on a diet.

A completed project! A custom fabric lamp shade.

So the last I wrote I was hoping to include more do-it-yourself blogs chronicling my projects, cooking and decorating. Well things happen as they tend to do, and I am now in Washington state until December. The upside to my geographical change is that I am spending a lot of time at my mom's house where I'm entirely spoiled by her amount of craft supplies. Since I've been here, I have been largely messing around with a few different craft ideas, and making a little progress on each of them. Well one Sunday I decided to get serious, and I sat down and worked through something I've been thinking about for a while now: a custom lampshade.

The back story is this: in my quest for projects (mostly spending way too much time on Pinterest and homemaking blogs) I keep finding lamp projects that I love. The trouble is that you can only have so many lamps in one house, and I lacked a space for my lamp, in addition to convenient supplies and a ton of free time. At my dad's house my new free time has compelled me to consider redecorating my room. The room isn't bad, but it could use a change. So now I have a new color scheme to work with, hence the new lampshade. The method I've chosen is extremely simple, and doesn't necessarily require many specialized tools or skills. I present to you: the custom fabric Ikea Lobbo shade.

Materials:

One Ikea Lobbo lampshade kit, I used the 10" x 12" five-dollar model

A fabric of your choice, at least 14" by 40"

A cutting board and rotary cutter (but if you don't have one you can use scissors)

A straightedge, preferably clear and ruled

Scissors that will cut through fabric

Spray adhesive (I got mine from JoAnn's)

An iron and ironing board if needed

Process:

1.) Prep your fabric. The fabric I am working with was a fitted twin sheet, so first I cut the elastic out of it, and then I gave it a quick iron. Be sure that your fabric is prewashed without fabric softener.

2.) Next, cut it down to size and iron it more thoroughly.

I wanted the "hem" of the shade to be half an inch, folded twice, on the top and bottom. To accommodate for wishy-washy alignment of the fabric, I left two extra inches on each side, a total of 14" tall. First, I trimmed the top of my fabric to make a straight line. Then, measuring from the top, I made 14" markers across the width and cut from marker to marker using my straightedge and rotary cutter.

My sheet was already easy enough to work with at its full width, so when I cut my fabric strip it was about 50" long. I ended up cutting quite a few inches off at the end, so if you want to conserve fabric, you can make yours about 42" long.

I ironed this whole strip as thoroughly as possible so it would lie flat on the shade.

3.) Now you are ready to glue the fabric to the shade.

I made the mistake of trying to put the glue on the plastic shade and laying the fabric on top. I couldn't tell if my fabric was properly centered and it also had a bunch of bubbles and wrinkles, so I pulled it off and tried again.

Before spraying your adhesive, lay down paper to protect your table. Lay out your fabric as flat as possible. It is okay if part of the fabric hangs off the end.

Spray adhesive on about 1/3 the length of the fabric. Lay the plastic shade on top as close to centered top-to-bottom as possible. You will want most of the extra right-to-left length on one side. The adhesive sets fairly quickly, so work as fast as possible while maintaining accuracy. (This is also why I was unable to take photos of this step...)

Once you have your shade centered, spray adhesive on the remaining 2/3 of the fabric and roll the shade down flat, being careful not to trap bubbles as you go.

4.) Smooth your fabric and round your shade. Allow the adhesive to set.

In order to make sure the fabric fits the shade properly -- a cylinder will take slightly more fabric than a flat shape -- round the shade and close it temporarily with a few of the built-in fasteners. Peel back about an inch of fabric on both ends so the fasteners are exposed.

Run your hand along the fabric to get rid of any wrinkles. The adhesive should still be wet enough that you can just smooth them out. If this is difficult you may employ a bone folder or your straightedge to help you.

Next, allow the adhesive to set for about 15 minutes, or until the fabric feels securely attached to the plastic.

5.) Trim and hem the tops and bottoms.

Unfix the fasteners and allow your shade to lie flat. I wanted my tops and bottoms to have a half-inch trim (folded twice!), so I cut off the excess fabric, leaving a smidge more than one inch, using my straightedge and rotary cutter.

Next, before making the first fold in your hem, lay newspaper under the shade and over the exposed plastic.

Spray adhesive only on the fabric and fold the fabric over on itself to make a clean hem. It helps to move the paper out of the way once you have sprayed the adhesive. The glue tends to get sticky on your fingers and the paper will stick to you if it's in the way.

Once you have your clean hem, rearrange your papers so that about 1/2" of plastic and the hem are exposed. Spray the adhesive and fold the hem over to finish it. It is a bit difficult to make it smooth, but just do your best, it won't show when the shade is put together. Remember to leave about an inch unglued so the fasteners are exposed.

6.) Trim the left and right ends.

With the shade laying flat, mark between the fasteners on the short side of the fabric. Lift the shade and trim along the line using the rotary cutter or scissors. The top and bottom hems can now be smoothed into place.

On the long side of the fabric, trim to about two inches from the fasteners. Use the spray adhesive to fold a clean hem that is about 1/2" wide, being sure to cover your other surfaces with paper.

7.) Close and finish your shade.

Secure all the fasteners, making sure the long left-to-right hem is on the outside. The top and bottom tabs may be left open if they are attached to the hem. Using spray adhesive (and protective paper) close and smooth the final hem.

You can use a small hole punch or an awl to help poke the metal supports through the fabric when assembling the shade. With the excess fabric you can coordinate other room accessories with your new custom lamp shade. For this shade, I painted a thrift-store lamp in a complementary color that also matches my bedspread.

Edit: I waited almost three weeks to post this because I didn't feel my bedroom was nice enough to stage the pretty lamp. Well, the room is progressing quite slowly, so this is what you get. ;)

Mantagua and Vignettes; Better White Rice

Sometimes when I go out I imagine my blonde ponytail is a flag that bounces cheerily as I walk but also tells people to stare at me. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to attracting so much attention. Especially when the attention comes on the form of (in English) "I love you!", (in poorly-pronounced English) "Heh-lo!", and (in Spanish) "Oh you are so beautiful, you are the sweetest thing in Chile!" But as much as my origin is a bother on the street, it is also a convenient conversation starter. Usually the first question is "How long have you been here?" and the answer is tricky. Cumulatively, I've spent about 8 months in this country, but not all at the same time. Some funny questions I still get include: "Is this your first time in Chile?" and "Did you learn Spanish here in Chile?" It kinda cracks me up to imagine that I could speak this well if I had started with zero Spanish language here. But then, I'm still getting better every day, and sometimes the comments and questions reflect that, like today when a sales attendant approached April and I with "Hello!" I was caught off guard and responded in Spanish. After conversing for a while she said to me, "Pero hablas bien Español, ¿eres Chilena?" -- "But you speak Spanish so well, are you Chilean?"

--

A couple of weeks ago, Manuel took me to his stylist to get my hair cut. That's right, I'm dating a man who has a stylist. The guy was super nice, and I was unreasonably nervous. Mostly because I hadn't googled the word for "layers" before we head out. I now see what I've been missing with all these years of mall hair cuts, he made my locks look awesome with his magical scissors. He knew exactly what I wanted despite my very feeble description, and took such care to nicely style it before we left. Moral of the story: I can get an amazing hair cut in Chile for a mall price without having to go to the mall.

--

Poor Bauzá barely ever gets out of the apartment. It's a bother to take him on the street because he wants to play with all the street dogs, but they get weirdly territorial around him. Manuel says it's because he doesn't have cocos. He continues to be pretty much the best dog ever because despite his 0 daily minutes of exercise, his most common activity is napping. The most annoying he ever gets is when he paws at me while I'm watching The Dog Whisperer. On one of my few non-lazy days I put on his leash and brought him to Maria's house. She said he's welcome to come over, but unfortunately the bulldogs don't like him, so we have to keep one or the other of them locked outside during his visits. On this particular day when I arrived the Aquiles and Naif were in the front yard. They have proven that they will attack puppin, but I thought I could get past them if I picked him up and carried him into the house. What I didn't consider is that Bauzá is the most difficult dog ever to carry and the bulldogs really don't like him. Maria buzzed the gate and I hoisted up the pup. Then a chain of unfortunate events. 1) The bulldogs were on me almost instantly when I opened the gate. 2) b is a hardcore squiggler. 3) Trying to deal with all three dogs at once, the end of Bauza's leash got caught in the gate. So the situation was as follows: I have two bulldogs jumping on my legs with increasing determination, Bauza is struggling to get out of my arms so he can play with them, and I can't move away from the now-locked gate because he is caught in it. And his collar wouldn't slide off because he was wearing his Halti. This was really one of the most stressful moments of my life. Maria and April heard my cursing-turned-horrified-screams and rushed out in time to see Aquiles going for pup's neck and Naif attached to his muzzle. They pulled the mean dogs off of mine and I rushed him into the hall bathroom where his face dripped blood onto the toilet seat cover. Swear words. When the bulldogs were thoroughly castigated and exiled to the back patio, Maria came to help me clean the nice dog. Luckily, all the drippy blood was deceiving and we miraculously didn't find any open cuts, except maybe a small one inside his lip. He was remarkably unfased. His pitbull blood, while not making him a fighter, must have made him tough, but I still can't figure out what made him stupid enough to think A and N were just kidding around.

--

The map also doesn't show you (maybe I should have googled harder?) the town of Reñaca between Viña and Concón that makes the two seem like they're not that far apart. You can't even really tell where the city boundaries are.

Partly for the dog but also for us, Manuel and I have officially decided to move to his house in Mantagua. Mantagua, as you can (not really) see from the map I googled (above), is a little not-quite-a-city between Concón and Quintero. It is a beautiful house that he built himself on 1.3 acres. It's really a nice place to live, but definitely comes with plusses and minuses. Among the pros: more space for the dog, more space for my sewing machine, and a swimming pool. Among the cons: it's farther from April (about 30 mins in a car), groceries, and all the jobs I'm supposed to be getting. Also Manuel was renting it to a family who did make improvements in the house but also left some strange imperfections, like paint accidentally on the trim. The thing that has helped keep me from getting panicky about making such a big life change has been the prospect of decorating from virtually nothing in a big empty house.

I've been obsessively searching the Chilean version of Craigslist and and home decorating blogs every night this week. [Sidenote: Manuel is now working his 8th night of the night shift. I've been staying awake almost until he gets home so a) I don't have to sleep alone and b) I don't have to be quiet and boring in the apartment while he sleeps in the afternoon.] I've really been going crazy with this stuff. Every time April comes over, I attack her with links and color palettes. And you should ask her about my PowerPoint. I've also been using Excel quite liberally. Anyway, I have a ton of ideas and projects to implement, and Manuel wants a semi-finished house by his birthday party on September 22nd, so the timeline is short. We purchased a sofa set (sneak peek detail: it's red leather) and a dining room set. Other than that, dishes, wall art, lamps, throw pillows, rugs, and paint colors are up to me. It's really really exciting.

All of this blog reading lead me to an idea that I'd like to try. Despite Lena's encouragement that my life is worth blogging, I find myself running out of things to say. So I'd like to start adding lifestyle posts. I'm taking on a huge decorating project, and constantly experimenting with new recipes [another plus to the house: bigger kitchen], and I think it would be fun to document it all. So in the spirit of my new posts, I have an easy recipe to make the most basic staple a little tastier, as taught to me by Manuel.

Better White Rice

This white rice is super easy and truly tastes better; after making it a few times, I'm confident that I no longer need a rice cooker. The measurements below are what I usually make for Manuel and I, and there's always enough left over for a snack or two.

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice

1/4 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

olive oil

a generous pinch of salt, to me this is about 3/4 teaspoon

boiling water

1) Pour about 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a small saucepan and heat to medium-high heat.

2) Add the diced onion and cook for a few minutes (about 3 1/2) until it just begins to change color and texture. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes to release flavor.

3) Add rice and top with a 1-2 more tablespoons of olive oil. Fry the rice, moving consistently so that it all gets cooked and doesn't burn.

4) Add salt. Do not forget this step. I do about 50% of the time and after the 3rd mouthful Manuel always looks at me. Did you forget the salt? Pucha! (Crap!) Yes... again.

5) Cook the rice for about 3-4 minutes. Manuel's indication that it's done is when it begins to turn white and makes a crackly noise. I just guess.

6) Add 2 cups of boiling water, cover and cook over the same heat for about 15 minutes. You want to stop cooking it when the water is gone, I pull it off the heat a little while after I stop seeing bubbles. Manuel likes to cook it a little longer, but I prefer my rice al dente. Your rice is done, and you can dress it how you like! Maybe I will post a chicken-in-sauce recipe next to accompany your now-fancy side dish.

If you try this recipe, I'd love you to let me know. I realize it's just white rice, but I'm completely hooked. I'm really excited for a lot of things: I'm excited for my projects, and I'm excited for the new blog idea. And I'm excited to have a kitchen to cook in and a yard for the dog to run in!

Mantagua y Viñetas; Arroz Blanco Más Rico

A veces cuando salgo, imagino que mi cola rubia es una bandera que se mueve jovialmente pero que también señala a la gente que deben mirarme. Creo que nunca voy a acostumbrarme a atraer tanta atención. Especialmente cuando la atención viene en la forma de "I love you!", "Heellloo!", y "Ooo hermosa, tú eres la mas rica cosa de todo Chile!" Pero tanto como mi origen es una molestia en la calle, también puede ser un inicio de conversación. Generalmente la primera pregunta es "Cuánto tiempo has estado en Chile?" y la respuesta es complicada. Acumulativamente he pasado 8 meses en este país, pero no todo al mismo tiempo. Una preguntas cómicas que todavía recibo son: "Esta es tu primera vez en Chile?" y "Aprendiste español en Chile?" Me hace reír pensar que podría hablar así si había empezado con nada del idioma acá. Pero todavía mejoro cada día, y a veces los comentarios y preguntas reflejan eso, como hoy día cuando una vendedora se nos acercó a April y yo con un gran "Hello!" Estaba sorprendida y respondí en Español. Después de conversar un poco con ella me dijo, "Pero hablas bien Español, ¿eres chilena?"

--

Hace unas semanas, Manuel me llevó a su estilista. Así es, estoy saliendo con un hombre que tiene estilista. El tipo era super amable pero estaba nerviosa sin razón. Lo que me tenía más nerviosa era que no había buscado la palabra "capas" antes de salir. Ahora veo todo que me faltó con cortar el pelo en el mall todos estos años. Hizo lucir muy bien mi pelo con sus tijeras mágicas. Sabía exactamente que quería a pesar de mi descripción pobre, y tomó un tiempo para peinarlo antes de que nos fuimos. Moraleja de la historia: puedo conseguir un corte de pelo asombroso en Chile para un precio del mall, sin ir al mall.

--

Pobrecito Bauzá apenas sale del departamento. Es una molestia llevarlo en la calle porque quiere jugar con todos los perritos vagos, pero ellos se ponen raramente territorial con él. Manuel dice que es porque no tiene cocos. Él sigue siendo el mismo buen perro de siempre, porque a pesar de sus 0 minutos diarios de ejercicio su actividad más común es tomar siesta. Lo más molestoso que hace es cuando me patea mientras estoy viendo El Encantador de Perros. En uno de mis pocos días no-flojos puse su correa y lo llevé donde Maria. Me decía que él es bienvenido, pero desafortunadamente no les gusta a los bulldog. En este cierto día cuando llegué, Aquiles y Naif estaban en el jardin en frente de la casa. Habían mostrado que atacarán al poopy, pero pensaba que los podía pasar si lo lleve en brazos para la casa. Lo que no consideré es que Bauzá es realmente el perrito más difícil de llevar en brazos y que a los bulldog realmente no les gusta. María me abrió la reja y yo levanté el Bau. Después, una cadena de eventos lamentables. 1) Los bulldogs me saltaron casi altiro cuando abrí la reja. 2) Poopy sabe moverse mucho. 3) Tratando de lidiar con los tres perros a las vez, la correa quedó atrapado en la reja. Entonces la situación era la siguiente: tengo dos bulldog saltandome con determinación cada vez mayor, Bauzá está luchando a salir de mis brazos para jugar con ellos, y no puedo moverme de la reja porque él está atascado. Era realmente uno de los momentos mas estresantes de mi vida. María y April escucharon mis garabatos-cambiados-a-gritos-horribles y llegaron a tiempo para ver Aquiles tratando de alcanzar al cuello del poopy y Naif mordiendo su osico. Ellas sacaron los perros malos del mío y yo lo apuré al baño donde su cara gotó sangre a la funda del inodoro. Garabatos. Cuando los bulldog estaban suficientemente castigados y exiliados al patio, María me ayudó limpiar el perro bueno. Por suerte, todo el sangre estaba decepcionante y no encontramos ningún corte abierto, menos uno pequeño en su boca. Él estaba excepcionalmente tranquilo. Su sangre pitbull, aunque no lo hizo un peleador, si lo hizo fuerte, pero todavía no entiendo que lo hizo tan tonto que pensaba que A y N solamente estaban jugando.

--

Un poco para el perrito pero también para nosotros, Manuel y yo hemos decidido movernos a su casa en Mantagua. Mantagua, como (no realmente) puedes ver en la mapa que encontré, es un pueblito entre Concón y Quintero. Él tiene una hermosa casa que construyó su mismo en .5 hectáreas de tierra. Es un lugar muy bonito donde vivir, pero viene con ventajas y desventajas. Entre los pros: más espacio para el perrito, más espacio para mi maquina de coser, y una piscina. Entre las contras: es más lejos de April, comida, y todos los trabajos que debo conseguir. También la arrendó a una familia que si mejoraron partes de la casa pero tambien dejaron unos detalles, como pintura de los paredes por accidente en el techo. Lo que me ha ayudado de no sentir tanto miedo de hacer un cambio tan grande es la idea de decorar de casi nada una casa tan grande.

He estado obsesionada esta semana con MercadoLibre y blogs de decoración. [Nota: Manuel ahora está trabajando su octava noche del turno de la amanecida. He estado quedando despierta para que a) no tengo que dormir sola y b) no tengo que estar quita en el departamento mientras duerme en la tarde.] He estado loca con estas cosas. Cada vez que viene mi hermana la ataco con links y muestras de colores. Y debes preguntarla de mi PowerPoint. También he usado mucho Excel. Bueno, tengo muchas ideas y proyectos que implementar y Manuel quiere que la casa está casi terminada para su cumpleaños el 22 de septiembre, entonces tengo muy poco tiempo. Compramos un juego de living (es cuero rojo) y un comedor. Ademas que eso los platos, lámparas, arte, cojines, alfombras y colores de pintura son mis decisiones. Es muy muy emocionante.

Por leer tantos blog me ocurrió una idea que me gustaría probar. A pesar del consejo de Lena que mi vida sí vale la pena de escribir, encuentro que me faltan cosas que decir. Entonces me gustaría empezar de hacer entradas de estilo de vida. Voy a empezar un gran proyecto de decoración, siempre estoy probando nuevas recetas, y me gustaría recordar todo. Entonces, con el espiritú de estas entradas nuevas, tengo una receta simple que hace la comida más básica un poco mas rica, como me enseñó Manuel.

Arroz Blanco - Más Rico

Esta receta de arroz blanco es refácil y de verdad sabe mejor; después de hacerla unas veces tengo confianza que no necesito un cocedor automático de arroz. Las medidas siguientes son las que hago para Manuel y yo y siempre queda suficiente para comer después.

Ingredientes:

1 taza arroz blanco

1/4 cebolla, picado

2 dientes de ajo, finamente picado

aceite oliva

una porción de sal

agua hervida

1) Hechar alrededor de 1 cucharada de aceite oliva a una olla chica y calentar sobre un fuego mediano.

2) Agrega la cebolla y cocina algunos minutos (como 3 1/2) hasta que empieza a cambiar de color y textura. Agrega el ajo y cocina 1-2 minutos mas para soltar el sabor.

3) Agrega arroz y 1-2 cucharadas más de aceite oliva. Fríe el arroz, moviéndolo consistentemente para que todo se cocina y no se quema.

4) Agrega sal a gusto. No olvides esta parte. Yo olvido como 50% del tiempo y despues del 3er bocado Manuel siempre me mira. Olvidaste el sal? Pucha! Sí... de nuevo.

5) Cocina el arroz para alrededor de 3-4 minutos. Manuel espera hasta que empieza de cambiar color a mas blanco y hace un ruido. Yo simplemente adivino.

6) Agrega 2 tazas de agua hervida, tapa el ollo y cocinar todo en el mismo fuego para alrededor de 15 minutos. Quieres parar de cocinarlo cuando se va todo el agua: yo termino cuando ya no veo burbujas. A Manuel le gusta cocinarlo un poco más, pero a mi me gusta el arroz al dente. Está listo tu arroz y lo puedes aliñar como quieres. Tal vez próximamente pondré una receta de pollo con salsa para acompañar el arroz.

Si pruebas esta receta, me encantaría que me dijeras. Me doy cuenta de que es solamente arroz blanco, me gusta mucho. Estoy emocionada para muchas cosas: mis proyectos, y la idea del blog. Y estoy emocionada para tener una cocina grande y un jardin para el perrito. Que le encanta correr!

Making adjustments and the implications of cooking (and not cooking)

My expat observation for the week is that you never quite realize how much understanding you gain of a country in 22 years until you have to start over in a new one. In my head I can sort of relate the experience to learning a language. As my dad, an expat himself, has told me (and whoever else happened to be at the dinner table at the time) countless times, "You will never become fluent until you stop translating." So I've been making a concerted effort this week to stop translating Chilean cultural experiences to more familiar American things. To describe a few examples, shopping and the government have been recurrent themes for me this week.

First, I am not even close to breaking the habit of translating Chilean pesos to American dollars, and continuing to do so may have consquences. Last year, the exchange rate was conveniently around 500 pesos per dollar, usually trending in favor of my money, upwards of 530 pesos per dollar. The trick I came up with (and have taught April) is to multiply the 1000s by two to come up with a dollar figure. [For example, 1000 CLP is about $2 US; 15,000 pesos is about $30 US.] This trick also worked in my favor, because I wasn't counting (and thus basically saving) the extra 30 pesos in the conversion. Unfortunately, as the U.S. dollar continues to weaken, the exchange rate is now hovering closer to 450 pesos per dollar, meaning my trick now underestimates the would-be cost in American dollars. Similarly, I am still using a very crude translation for kilos to pounds. The actual conversion is 2.20 pounds per kilo, so by estimating 2 to 1, I'm losing a lot in the translation.

On the theme of shopping, I usually try to relate the most common stores to American counterparts. Generally, in my mind:

Santa Isabel ≈ Safeway

Jumbo ≈ Wal-Mart

Falabella ≈ Macy's

Ripley ≈ JC Penney

Sodimac Homecenter ≈ Home Depot

and so on...

The problem is that the translations don't always accurately convey the situation. For example, I chose the Santa Isabel/Safeway approximation because they both usually serve specific neighborhoods, rather than being long-drive-away stores like Costco or Winco. But one cannot expect the wide aisles and fast checkout of a Safeway in Santa Isabel. No, be prepared to push through people to get where you are going and awkwardly block through traffic as you wait to pay for your food.

Clothes shopping this week presented a challenge because I still haven't found the equivalent of a Ross in this country. And maybe it's just because I don't frequent big cities in the U.S., but I've never been in a Macy's or JC Penney that was four stories tall. It's a bit of overstimulation for me. Not to mention that Viña is crowded, and even in the biggest stores, you still have to follow the same basic principles about personal space territorialism and not be afraid to gently push other people in order to get past them. We decided to start in Ripley because I thought it would be the least intimidating. I was wrong. The first floor was all women's clothes, not sensibly divided by purpose, but rather by designer. So in my search for a work skirt, (-slash- interview skirt, it will hopefully be used for work when I actually have a job) I hypothetically had to browse each collection to find the one or two choices each designer had to offer. I found one cute option, but they didn't have it in my size - extra large gringa - so we decided to move on to the next overcrowded store. I did end up finding what I was looking for, but I also began to realize that I need to change my expectations if I seriously hope to live here. I can't keep pining for a Ross and only do my clothes shopping in the States. I need to man up and learn a new system.

In terms of government, most of the differences are cosmetic here. If you have an emergency in Chile, you have a choice of three phone numbers to call, a different one for an ambulance, the fire department, or the police. I mentally roll my eyes thinking about it: it seems so much more logical to have one centralized call center, one number to remember, etc. But again, I could complain about the system, or come up with a way to properly remember which number is which (or I could just program them into my phone, but that would be too logical). The PDI in Chile (policia de investigaciones) is often compared to the FBI, but I have never seen an FBI truck stop people on the street. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen an FBI vehicle at all, whereas I often see PDI trucks. Watching more student protests on the news, Manuel pointed out his alma mater that was getting some attention for its demonstrations. "But the Santa Maria isn't public?" I asked him. "No," he answered. "Well, sort of. It's kinda public." Kind of public? I mean, "public"universities in the USA act quite like private institutions, but they are also very clearly delineated. In the car yesterday I asked Manuel, "How does the world consider Chile in terms of development?" He says Chile is considered to be on the path to development. Because while they have most of the same institutions as any developed country, they are still working out the kinks and refining the details.

Speaking of student protests... today I witnessed a "cacerola". I believe the word literally translates to casserole, but refers to a pot or other large cooking implement. I heard through the patio doors a rhythmic banging accompanied by (more than usual) car honking. I opened the door and, much to my surprise, Manuel went outside and started banging a broom handle on the railing. [We are lucky the dog isn't easily startled by that sort of stuff. Or maybe he, too, knows that we are in a foreign land and has to adjust to certain things.] When Manuel stopped long enough to check on dinner, he explained that in the old days, people beat their empty pots to protest the lack of food. "Of course, there is food now, but still" the people are indignant about the way the government is being run.

[videos coming shortly]

Manuel says that Chile hasn't seen protests this big since the overthrow of Pinochet. (And he would know because he's just that old.) I have seen televised marches and other sanctioned protests in the U.S., but as April commented, it has a feel of the civil rights era. At least, it has the same feel as the videos we watched in history class. The police officials being interviewed tonight commented that the protests had not been approved as we watched a video reel of water hoses and tear gas. Strangely enough, the thing that put it into perspective for me was watching the news this evening and seeing a student group at a press conference. They had a table and microphones and everything. I'm instantly taken back to my Social Movements class (shoutout Kelley Strawn) and am impressed by the level of organization. This is for real. I joked with April tonight that her study abroad stories are going to be so much cooler than mine, but vanity aside, it is so amazing to be here in a time like this.

A quick change of subject in order to finish this post while I may still be able to claim brevity. My American baking has gotten off to a wonderful start so far. My most popular dish is definitely banana bread. Manuel has passed on compliments from his co-workers, Maria's entire household raved about the pan I sent them, and Diego and David ate an entire loaf between them when they had a hangover. I'm a huge fan of spreadsheets, and have been cost-analyzing various recipes in Excel. If people like my fudge as much as the guests of Manuel's houseparty said they did, I may be able to make money off this stuff! Maybe I won't have to give up my culture entirely to live here. Maybe the idea is to carve out a niche for oneself and adapt what you know to what you are learning.

Haciendo ajustes y las implicaciones de cocinar (o de no cocinar)

Mi "observación de una expatriada" para la semana es que uno nunca se da cuenta de cuanto conocimiento de un país ganas en 22 años hasta que tienes que empezar de nuevo en un país diferente. En mi mente puedo relacionar la experiencia a la de aprender un idioma nuevo. Mi papá, un expatriado su mismo, me ha dicho (a mi y también a cualquier que se encuentra en la mesa en el momento) varias veces que "Tú nunca vas a ganar fluencia hasta que paras de traducir." Entonces he hecho un gran esfuerzo esta semana de dejar de traducir las experiencias culturales de Chile a cosas más familiares norteamericanas. Para describir unos ejemplos, compras y el gobierno son temas recurrentes para mí esta semana.

Primero, ni estoy cerca a terminar con el hábito de traducir pesos chilenos a dolares estadounidenses, y si continúe hacerlo puede tener consecuencias. El año pasado, el cambio era convenientemente cerca de 500 pesos por dolar, normalmente variando en favor de mi dinero, arriba de 530 pesos por dolar. El truco que inventé (y que enseñé a April) es multiplicar los 1000 por 2 para saber el número de dolares. [Por ejemplo, 1000 CLP es alrededor de $2 US; 15,000 es como $30 US.] El truco también funcionaba en mi favor, porque no estaba contando (y así esencialmente guardando) los 30 pesos extra en el conversión. Desafortunadamente, mientras el valor del dolar US sigue bajando, el cambio ahora está flotando más cerca a 450 pesos por dolar, y mi truco ahora subestima el valor que sería en dolares estadounidenses. Similarmente, todavía uso una traducción crudo entre kilos y libras. La conversión actual es 2.20 libras por kilo, y cuanto estimo 2 por 1, pierdo mucho en la traducción.

En el tema de compras, normalmente intento de relacionar las tiendas mas comunes a unas norteamericanas. Generalmente, en mi mente:

Santa Isabel ≈ Safeway

Jumbo ≈ Wal-Mart

Falabella ≈ Macy's

Ripley ≈ JC Penney

Sodimac Homecenter ≈ Home Depot

etc...

El problema es que las traducciones no siempre muestran la situación entera. Por ejemplo, seleccioné la aproximación Santa Isabel/Safeway porque los dos generalmente sirven barrios específicos en vez de ser una tienda mas especializada donde tienes que manejar en auto. Pero uno no puede esperar los pasillos anchos y servicio rápido de Safeway en Santa Isabel. No, prepárate para empujar un poco para llegar donde quieres ir y estar raramente bloqueando tráfico mientras esperas pagar para tu comida.

Comprar ropa esta semana presentó una problema porque todavía no he encontrado el equivalente de un Ross (mi tienda favorita) en este país. Y tal vez es porque no viajo mucho a los ciudades grandes en los EEUU, pero nunca he entrado un Macy's o JC Penney de cuatro pisos. Es un poco de sobreestimulación para mí. Ni decir que hay mucha gente en Viña y todavía en las tiendas mas grandes tienes que seguir las reglas de guardar tu espacio personal y no tener miedo de empujar la gente suavemente para pasar. Decidimos empezar en Ripley porque pensaba que sería la menos intimidante. Estaba equivocada. El primer piso tenía toda ropa mujer, pero no estaba dividido por uso, estaba por diseñador. Entonces, buscando una falda de trabajo (es decir, una falda de entrevista, espero que la uso cuando tengo trabajo) hipotéticamente tenía que buscar en cada colección para encontrar uno o dos elecciones por diseñador. Encontré una opción linda, pero no la tuvieron en mi tamaño - gringa extra grande - y decidimos ir a la próxima tienda. Al fin encontré la que buscaba, pero también empezaba a darme cuenta que necesito cambiar mis expectaciones si seriamente espero vivir acá. No puedo seguir pensando en Ross y solamente comprar ropa en los Estados. Necesito afirmarme y aprender un sistema nuevo.

Hablando del gobierno, la mayoría de las diferencias son pequeñas acá. Si tienes una emergencia en Chile, tienes la opción de tres diferentes números de teléfono, uno diferente para la ambulancia, los bomberos y los carabineros. Mentalmente estoy exasperada: parece mucho mas lógico tener un centro de llamadas centralizado, un solo numero que recordar, etc. Pero de nuevo, puedo quejar del sistema, o puedo inventar una manera de recordar cuál numero es cuál (o podría programar los números en mi celular, pero eso sería demasiado lógico). La PDI en Chile frecuentemente está comparada con el FBI, pero nunca he visto un camión FBI con oficiales hablando con gente en la calle. Actualmente, creo que nunca he visto un auto de FBI en cualquier situación, pero he visto muchos camiones de PDI. Viendo las protestas en las noticias, Manuel me mostró su universidad que recibió un poco de atención para sus demostraciones. "Pero la Santa María no es pública?" pregunté. "No," me dijo. "Bueno, mas o menos. Es un poco pública." Un poco pública? Quiero decir, las universidades publicas en los EEUU actúan como instituciones privadas, pero son bien delineadas. En el auto ayer pregunté a Manuel, "Cómo el mundo considera a Chile en términos de desarrollo?" Me dijo que Chile está considerado en la vía de desarrollo. Mientras tienen la mayoría de las mismas instituciones que cualquier país desarrollado, todavía están trabajando en los detalles y afinando.

Hablando de las protestas... hoy día veía una cacerola. Escuché por los ventanales golpes rítmicos y (mas que normal) bocinas de autos. Abrí la puerta y, a mi sorpresa, Manuel salió y empezó a golpear un palo en la terraza. [Tenemos suerte que el perrito no está facilmente sorprendido por las cosas así. O tal vez él también sabe que estamos en otro país y tiene que ajustarse a ciertas cosas.] Cuando Manuel detuvo de golpear para chequear la cena, me explicó que anteriormente la gente golpeaba a sus ollas vacías en protesta de la ausencia de comida. "Por supuesto que hay comida ahora, pero todavía" la gente está reclamando contra el gobierno.

[videos coming shortly]

Manuel dice que en Chile no han estado protestas tan grandes desde el cambio de gobierno. (Y él sabría también porque es tan viejo.) He visto desfiles en la televisión y otras protestas permitidas en los EE.UU., pero como April comentó, esto tiene el sentido de la era de los derechos civiles. Por lo menos tiene el mismo sentido de las películas que veíamos en los clases de historia. Los oficiales de carabineros entrevistados esta noche dijeron que las protestas no estaban aprobadas, mientras el vídeo en la pantalla mostraba mangueras de agua y gas lacrimógeno. Por interés, la cosa que me dio perspectiva era ver un grupo de estudiantes en una conferencia de prensa. Tenían una mesa y micrófonos y todo. Me hace volver a mi clase de movimientos sociales y estoy impresionada por el nivel de organización. Este es lo verdadero. Bromeaba con April esta noche que sus historias de estudiar de intercambio van a ser mucho mas interesantes que las mías, pero en serio, es asombroso estar acá en un tiempo como esto.

Un rápido cambio de tema para terminar este post mientras todavía puedo decir que soy breve. Mi comida norteamericana ha tenido un buen empiezo hasta ahora. El plato mas popular es definitivamente el queque de plátano. Manuel me pasó las felicitaciones de sus compañeros de trabajo, la casa entera de Maria estaba feliz cuando les pasé el platillo, y Diego y David comieron en queque entero cuando tenían caña. Me encanta el programa Excel y he analizado el costo de varias recetas. Si a todos les gusta tanto mi chocolate "fudge" como me dijeron los que lo probaron, tal vez puedo ganar un poco de plata! Tal vez no tengo que dejar mi cultura entera para vivir acá. Tal vez la idea es buscar un rincón para uno mismo, y adaptar lo que conoces a los que estás aprendiendo.

School time!

First, in response to Laura's question, yes, we went to see Harry Potter 7.2. It premiered here the same weekend as it did in the U.S. Strangely enough, we might have been able to see it before y'all in the states: they had a "pre-premiere" on Wednesday night and then showings all day Thursday and Friday. The theater was a bit mad, we got there an hour early (even after they had had at least 12 showings in the same mall) to stand in line, and then had to rush to find seats. It was a bit reminiscent of the Beanie Baby days when we would stand outside of Hallmark with mom and then rush in to grab one of each kind... In any case, I agree with the many fb'ers who deemed it cathartic. I had a few complaints, but was moved to tears more than once and enjoyed the experience overall. I also enjoyed Daniel Radcliffe's interview on the Daily Show; if you haven't seen it you should look it up.

So we said a few times (to ourselves and also to dad) that today we are going to register April for school. We finally got it done on Monday. She had a nice interview with the principal who was super understanding, spoke slowly, and only asked easy questions. A few lucky things happened: #1, it turns out that the school is actually co-ed and April gets to have boy classmates! #2, they only made us pay half of the matriculation fee because she is only going to be here for half of the year. #3, the secretary that we were working with has a daughter in the same class as April. She gave us her daughter's number and we arranged a time to go uniform shopping.

Today was our arranged shopping date. When we met at the school, the secretary had a few used uniform pieces for April to try, enabling us to acquire two skirts, two coats and a parka for half price. The daughter, Cony, was a really awesome kid, she walked us to the uniform store and was a huge help. Neither of the Rasmussen sisters have ever gone to a school where uniforms are required, and it took a while for us to wrap our heads around the rules. There are two types of shirts that are exactly the same kind of cut, but of different fabrics. The "sport" shirts are only allowed during P.E., which is only once a week and you are required to change shirts after. The exception is during the winter when the students are allowed to wear sport clothes because of the cold; Cony also conceded that they probably wouldn't say anything to April since she's only here for a short time and shouldn't have to buy a ton of clothes. For bottoms during P.E. you can either wear loose shorts that work with or without leggings or tight shorts that don't work with leggings. The tight shorts are more versatile because you can (and are basically required to) wear them under a skirt or sports pants, but Cony doesn't like to wear them in P.E. because she feels like they show too much. The sports pants for some reason are not allowed in P.E. During the winter, most of the girls wear the sports pants with layers underneath, but we decided to only get one pair of pants, so Cony suggested we also invest in thick pantyhose and long socks in case the pants are ever dirty. The more-formal-fabric shirts come in long- or short-sleeves, but Cony said she only owns short sleeves: if it's super cold she will wear a non-uniform shirt underneath with the uniform coat over everything so no one sees the non-regulation clothing. Of the two used coats, one is exclusively for P.E. and the other can be used for P.E. or every day use. All the students are required to have white shoes for P.E. and black "school" shoes for every day. I'm going to lend April my white Pumas, but we have to go to a magical school shoes store to get those. I hope the friendly readers are just as confused as I was. All of this explanation was happening in a Spanish whirlwind around April as she was trying to find the correct sizes of everthing in the changing room; I think it was a bit overwhelming. In the end, I think we figured out all of the things we need and April is just about ready for the first day of school next Monday. Cony even offerred to sit next to her in class. :)

We were starved by the time we got back to Maria's, and shortly after we arrived we all ate a cazuela together. Cazuela is a typical Chilean dish for the cold months. It is like a chicken soup for lazy cooks; I once heard that in Japanese cuisine all of the prepared food should be bite-size, but this seems to have to opposite objective. In a big bowl of broth one usually finds a whole potato and an entire chicken thigh, Maria's version has shredded carrot, a hunk of sweet zuchinni, and rice; I've also seen it with whole chunks of corn on the cob. It's a novelty to cut your soup as you're eating it, but I really shouldn't say that cookers of cazuela are lazy chefs, Maria's is really delicious and my chicken soup, even with the chicken pre-cut, never tastes so good. April left the table after tea to hibernate for a while and Maria and I were left talking. She's a really, really great mother figure, and we talked a lot about our lives, sharing details that allowed us to understand each other just a little better. Again, I have to say that April and I are very lucky. In Chile we have found wonderful friends and an excellent family community.

P.S. Oh my goodness, I almost forgot. The sport that April's school offers for girls is competitive cheerleading. I think she should do it: it would be a memorable experience and she could make friends. If you talk to her, you should try to convince her.

Bauzá and Barricades

It has really been a crazy week here. It's hard to know where to begin. First, I guess I'll give an update on the dog. Who knew transporting pets internationally would be such a headache? Actually, I'm pretty sure that that is just common sense - moving with pets anywhere is a hassle, and when you throw in more than 20 hours of flight, three international airports and customs in multiple countries, hassle is an understatement.

Do y'all remember the volcano that exploded in Southern Chile a few weeks ago? The ash thankfully didn't affect Chile, but did travel to the Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires. Our plan was to send puppin via Contintental Air PDX to Houston to Buenos Aires. A friend of a friend had agreed to help us in Argentina and transfer the dog from Continental to LAN Airlines for his flight to Santiago. The first problem was the cenizas (ash). His flight to B.A. was cancelled three times and he had to stay in a kennel in Houston. I was told that he was well cared for, but I had only left him with 2 days of "just in case!" food. When he finally got to B.A., our friend had a ton of trouble getting him through customs because his paperwork didn't thoroughly demonstrate that he was in transit. As a penalty we had to pay a ton of fees to import him to Argentina so he could pass through the terminal to the other airline. LAN Airlines was a no-go, so our friend found a flight on Gol, a Brazilian airline. This whole process took a number of days, but he was finally set to arrive Tuesday night, almost a week after we had left him at PDX.

Manuel and I drove to Santiago at 1am to meet him only to find out that this flight had been cancelled as well. The cargo people told us there was fog in Buenos Aires. We are now holding a bit of a grudge against the Ezeiza airport... We did, however, meet a very nice lady at the Santiago cargo office who gave us her number so we could call and confirm the next night. His flight was on time on Wednesday night and we picked him up Thursday morning, skinny, smelly, and shivering, after spending a few hours with the (extremely helpful and arguably much more efficient than in Argentina) Chilean customs offices. So Bauzá had quite an adventure, but he is here now and happy. He had three dinners last night, and two breakfasts and a lunch today, so hopefully he'll fatten up soon.

During this whole ordeal, we went on living in Viña. Tuesday night April came over to help me get through the stress of my dog-in-peril while Manuel was at work. She watched the fútbol game (and commentated it for me) as I continued to clean the apartment. [Side note: Manuel has sooo much clothing and a million pairs of shoes. My stuff takes up about a quarter of the closet. I'm helping him minimize, though.] After the game she told me gently to stop being so boring and leave the house. We went to a local café where April got to experience the wonder of street sushi. We chatted with the sushi vendor about our banana bread business and she told us that we probably don't need a permit - so long as we keep moving around and don't loiter. After she left, a girl at a neighboring table turned around to quiz us about where we're from. It took us a while to communicate that April is here to study.

The girl was a University student, and admittedly middle class. She explained to us about the student protests we had been seeing in the city. According to the protesters, and this girl, Chile has one of the most unequal education systems in the world. All of the middle class families pay a lot to go to municipal schools and the rich families pay even more to go to (excellent) private schools. The poor families are stuck sending their kids to the very poor quality public schools. As an example of the quality disparity, of the 100 best schools in Chile, only 5 are public schools. The public schools are now on strike and the students are demonstrating almost every day.

[Mom, don't read this next part:]

Manuel's mom advised April not to go to Valparaíso alone for fear of the protesters; luckily she doesn't have a reason to go there. The news has been sorta crazy, too. On Tuesday after the game, Chileans celebrated in Plaza Italia in Santiago. The celebrations got out of hand with people throwing rocks and ended in apparent police brutality. It reminds us of the civil rights movement, but maybe should be taken with a grain of salt; (as Jon Steward reminds us) the news tends toward sensationalism. We heard a story of a reporter who was jailed for taking incriminating photos of policemen that suggested that they were the first to throw rocks and incite violence. They have also been covering the story of a youth who started a fire in his school as a protest act and ended up with burns on 54% of his body.

[Mom, still don't read:]

We were on our way to Santiago, already shaken up about the dog drama, when we witnessed a crazy car accident. We were behind a Hyundai in the left lane and there were two semi trucks in the right lane. As the Hyundai, at high speed, was about to pass the semi, the truck driver put on his blinker and moved into the left lane. The Hyundai screeched his brakes, but wound up trapped between the truck and the center barrier. It was like slow motion as we watched the truck (that we noticed had an Argentine license plate, Argentinos culiados) press the car further into the barrier and drag it along a few hundred meters. Por suerte (luckily), Manuel is an excellent driver and slowed down at the first sign of danger. We easily went around the accident and, afterchecking that the Hyundai driver was okay, continued on our way. After counting our blessings, only a few more kilometers down the road we saw fire on the highway on the other side of the barrier. It only took Manuel a few seconds to identify the burning garbage and tires as a barricade - a classic tool in the Chilean protest repertoire, as I know from my Sociological research. The barricade was most likely related to the student protests, but it was cleared up by the time we were on our way back with the dog. It was a really crazy drive to say the least, and we are so lucky to have avoided both problems.

[Okay mom, you can start reading again:]

The dog has been sleeping a lot to recuperate, and we stayed home on Thursday, selfishly leaving April in the dark about where we were. Today is April Day, we got all of her papers printed out and are currently eating lunch - lasagna, Manuel is a master chef, and in Chile lunch is the big meal - before taking sister to enroll in Catholic girls' school! Wish her luck in her interview! Puppin was walking downtown with us and he is fascinated by the pigeons. I can't decide if he was a man in his past life or a cat... Walking down the street I'm quite content with my Chilean life; I finally have my dog, my sister and my man at my side.

Las Hermanas Rasmussen

My sister and I had our fourth day in Chile today. This time is a bit different for me than study abroad and my winter vacation. I'm working on actively moving my things in, and I have my sewing machine. I feel almost like a pro in Viña, but unfortunately that means that I'm not as curious and go-get-'em as April is.

I told April we could meet around noon to explore today, but I still wasn't really awake when she Skyped me at 11:45. "Do you want me to walk there?" she asked. "I'm feeling restless again." It was a good enough plan and gave me time to get dressed, even if I didn't actually use the time to put on street clothes. Surprisingly, the concierges stopped her from getting on the elevator. She wasn't exactly sure what they were asking her, so she called me again. "They won't let me up." When I told the concierge that she's my sister, he responded with a tone of realization, "Ahh, yeah. She looks like it."

I fed April a sopaipilla - essentially fried dough, the closest thing I can think of is a Mexican tostada, but they are much softer - and gave her tea, a thing she remarked made me seem like a Chilean mother. Our quehaceres (to-dos) for the day included 1) buying a cell phone and 2) a hair dryer, 3) riding the micro, and 4) checking out the artesan center.

We got a super good deal on the phone and found a cheap hairdryer... still it hurt a little to spend so many bills in such a short time. We actually ended up going into two artesan centers. As always, I love the sort of stuff they have in them. I spoke briefly with a lady who crochets, and also had a nice conversation with a metalworker. He suggested a Chilean movie for me and I complimented his work. The necklace I liked only cost $6, but April is a really good influence on me; I didn't spend the money. Instead we splurged on some honey-roasted peanuts, arguably a necessary cultural experience.

April has been getting along pretty well with her host family, who is also conveniently Manuel's family. We've been eating lunch there together - Manuel, April and I with Manuel's mom, Maria, and his brother, Pato. In this manner April has been tasting a lot of extremely well-prepared Chilean food and I've been able to spend a lot of time with everyone.

I think I should also mention the barbecue we went to on Friday. I'm not sure how I got the impression that we were going to have an asado at Diego's house as a sort of welcome party for us, but I was wrong. The asado was put together in order to watch the Chile vs. Uruguay fútbol game. We weren't too disappointed: fútbol is more important than a lot of things here, and we got to eat Manuel's famous steak anyway. April got to meet everyone, we reminisced a bit about last year with the other gringos, and of course I had a few piscolas.

Really the only thing that is missing now is Bauzá. Because of the volcanic ash over Buenos Aires, Continental cancelled his flight a few times. He is now in Buenos Aires, and we're waiting for a friend to help us send him here. Hopefully he'll be here tomorrow! It's going to be a busy week: we have to pick him up in Santiago tomorrow, and on Tuesday and Wednesday we'll be getting April ready for school. It's amusing to think that she'll be going to a Catholic girls' school, but I think she'll make friends quickly and be too busy for me soon enough. Hopefully the summer comes quickly, it's almost too cold to do anything here! Despite the cold, we're so happy to finally be in Chile.