I'm dreaming of...

...if not a White Christmas then certainly a wintry one. It's just not the same in the middle of summer. However I suppose it'll be something to look forward to in years to come...
Mustn't complain of course as the weather is glorious and we are making full use of our pool. Also, Loving Grandmother has arrived from the UK bearing plenty of gifts and making two little people very happy, with cuddles, stories and of course her two iPhones, thoughtfully pre-loaded with children's applications and games thus of great interest to the girls.
Presents have been wrapped, cards despatched, carrots for the reindeer and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc with a few almonds left out for poor old Father Christmas (he's going to need them by the time he gets here after servicing the rest of the world) so I think it's time to sign off.
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be... wintry.

Deck the halls with boughs of...

...asparagus? Strawberry plants? Sunflowers? Certainly no real holly to be found here in an increasingly blazing summer in Chile, although oddly enough many of the northern hemisphere's Christmas traditions persist despite their apparent incongruity with the meteorological season. Thus we find model snowmen adorning people's gardens, depictions of reindeer pulling sleighs and plenty of Father Christmases dressed up in shopping malls or climbing up buildings. Last Saturday in Jumbo, our local supermarket, many of the staff were dressed as Father Christmas or his elves as "White Christmas" crooned out overhead to get us in the mood, the air-conditioning turned up full blast while outside the temperatures approached 32°C.
In a way it doesn't seem quite so strange this year as we've been through it before; indeed we are managing to recreate a festive atmosphere reasonably successfully this time. Perhaps it helps that we are in our own home with all our own belongings including three boxes of Christmas decorations acquired over the years... As DD1 broke up for an almost three-month-long summer holiday last week, we immediately set to work on our eco-tree and have now an interesting cardboard sculpture on our terrace which has been painted green and decorated with our lighter Christmas ornaments. We have made and illustrated cards, wrapped presents for teachers, made paper snowflakes and of course attacked the Advent calendars with great enthusiasm. One week of the school holidays gone, ten more to go... Meanwhile DD2 has been valiantly soldiering on at her nursery, lured in part by the prospect of a visit from Father Christmas himself, puzzlingly here in Chile referred to as "el viejito pascuero"... However tomorrow is her last day, with Spanish-language carols in the evening an invitation we cannot refuse...
A performance of the Nutcracker last weekend helped to conjure up some Christmas magic with both girls mesmerised by the dancing, the story, the scenery and of course the music. Unfortunately there was no live orchestra but a decent recording which was however inexplicably interrupted every now and then for some very impromptu editing. Another Chilean moment...

Fly me to the moon

Like other Catholic countries, Chile observes a national holiday for the feast of the Immaculate Conception (8 December) thus we have just had a four-day weekend (always welcome). In fact having noticed this on the school calendar we had planned our last short break of the year accordingly and flew out from Santiago on Thursday morning to Calama, approximately a thousand miles north and gateway to the much-talked-about region of Atacama, home of the driest desert in the world...

Calama itself seemed to comprise the airport, rows of prefabricated houses and little else of any interest. Like the hordes before us we too were bound for the region's cultural capital and were soon bumping along a seemingly interminable but ruggedly awe-inspiring road through barren rocky desert towards San Pedro de Atacama. It was a longer journey than we'd imagined but when at last the bus chugged towards a shimmering green oasis amid the swirling dust clouds, we knew we had arrived at our destination.

San Pedro is even more spectacular than one expects; its position on the edge of the desert and poised between dramatic valleys, lakes, canyons and volcanoes must be one of the most naturally fortunate in the world. The town itself is pretty, faithfully preserved with its original adobe architectural style while also being very well-developed as a tourist and serious traveller destination. Clearly the town's raison d'etre is the sheer panoply of excursions possible and available to be purchased from any one of the numerous tour operators lining its streets (along with the hotels, hostels, cafes, restaurants and shops) although it is also a calmly pleasant environment in which to relax between tours, whether sipping a drink in the shady main square (complete with picturesque church) or ambling around its dusty corners. Judging from the number of northern European travellers, both budget and luxury, one can only conclude that San Pedro de Atacama must have achieved legendary status on the traveller trail as backpackers and young people in general abound, both visitors and local workers, though surprisingly so do senior citizens evidently in search of pastures new as a busload of French pensioners proved...

The first thing we did on arrival was to take time to acclimatise to our new environment, paying particular attention to the adjustment in altitude which was over 2400m. However we were all fine, some dry skin apparent even on the girls' lips by the end of our stay but nothing more serious than that. Sunglasses were essential equipment, even for the children, as were hats and sunblock to resist the glare of a very strong sun. Our hotel was comfortable and clean though we were wary of not wasting tap water while also drinking copious amounts of the bottled variety. Soon we were busy exploring the town centre, weighing up the possibilities, staving off the touts and trying to strike a balance between nature, adventure, activity and relaxation with two -admittedly robust- small children in tow.

Our first excursion bright and early the next morning was to Laguna Cejar in the middle of the salt plain although it soon transformed itself into something of an endurance test, largely due to an incommunicative and incompetent driver. However the lake itself was a wonder to contemplate, not just for its beauty but also for its apparent ability to keep even the heaviest person afloat due to its high salt concentration as DH successfully tested...

The next afternoon came probably the highlight of our stay: a trip to the Valle de la Luna, so-called for its other-worldly landscape, sense of infinite space and of course lack of vegetation. In this case even the bus ride was spectacular but walking along its stony surface surrounded by mineral-rich rocks and jutting cliffs was even more evocative of space exploration. It was a little like being on a vast film set or a photo shoot as the opportunities to remain impressed were endless. The children loved it, DD1 running up and down sand dunes while DD2 scrambled to keep up, collecting as many stones and crystals as she could carry.
It was a tough choice but for the last day we plumped for an afternoon spent at Termas de Puritama, a series of eight natural rock pools with thermal properties and water at a temperature of around 34°C. The pools themselves were dramatically set in a breathtakingly verdant canyon under the watchful gaze of the active volcano Licancabur whose smoke one could see rising... Only snag was that DD2 refused to set foot in any of the pools once she knew there were fish and other creatures swimming in it, not to mention algae and other suspicious-looking "green things"... DD1 on the other hand had to be forcibly removed from the water when it was time to go.
Back in Santiago and it feels as if we were really on another planet for a few exciting and unforgettable days...

Festive season begins

Just like last year the festive season is getting underway in earnest as the sun gets hotter, the days longer and clothing skimpier... Santiago is gloriously full of mauve-flowering trees which from a distance appear to have purple leaves and are very distinctive, colourful and gay. Nature's tinsel perhaps...
Last week we were treated to the end-of-year music recital for which DD1 was the sole recorder-player in a vast group which included boisterous boys strumming guitars and angelic girls singing in the choir. The organisation as usual was less than slick but proud parents clutching cameras didn't seem to mind as the music teacher apologised for the confusion and lack of chairs (which eventually materialised). DD1 seemed very nervous as she took her seat near the teacher, importantly adjusting her music stand to the lowest height and taking it all very seriously... We couldn't help but smile when the music teacher introduced the song "Whatever" as the jingle to a famous soft drink and without mentioning the original authors but certainly enjoyed the rendition, mispronunciations and all... Next week we have the Christmas songs concert to look forward to which includes such spiritual classics as "Santa Claus is coming to town" and "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer" so not quite the traditional carol service then...
Meanwhile it's been a hugely important week for DD2 too as she celebrated her fourth birthday both at nursery and at home. It was the perfect opportunity for a garden party in December, with outdoor toys, games, races and ice-lollies as well as the usual birthday fodder. Having now had two birthdays in what can only be described as the heat in Chile, DD2 is now under the impression she was born in summer though I keep explaining that this was not in fact the case. Her birthday now over, we tried listening to some carols today but to no avail; they just sound wrong when one is dressed in short sleeves and the sun is shining in full force. Having failed to find a simple Advent calendar with doors leading to exciting images of Christmas paraphernalia, I relented and bought them a chocolate one each, only to have to keep them in the fridge which does rather defeat the purpose. Which brings me on to the next burning issue: what to do for a Christmas tree. Back in days of old we used to insist on real, potted trees which could then be replanted but here it is of course impossible to find a fir tree in summer. Most people and shopping malls opt for the unabashed fake tree but I am managing to resist this quite easily for now, promising the girls that we really can make our own eco-friendly tree ourselves with all the old toilet roll and kitchen roll cylinders we've been dutifully keeping for just such a project...

Termas de Chillan

Another conference for DH to attend last week so again a perfect opportunity for us to join him and explore another of South America's many wonders... This time the conference location was Concepcion, a university town a few regions south of Santiago and most remembered as the epicentre of 2010's devastating earthquake. However, as Chile is such a thin country, one can easily choose whether to head for the sea or the mountains from just about anywhere. We chose the latter after being wooed by tantalising descriptions of one of Chile's foremost mountain resorts in the form of the thermal baths of Chillan. Despite an eight-hour journey from our home in Santiago to the remote mountain valley, we were not disappointed...
Travelling by train first of all was quite a novelty, especially for the first hour or two. The train was surprisingly spacious and the girls were busy with their activity books and picnic lunch, even staying in their places for a while... Later there was a moment of restlessness but numerous trips to the rubbish bin at the top of the carriage seemed to provide enough amusement to see them through. On arrival at Chillan our transfer to the mountains was a minibus/people carrier which also met with plenty of approval from our intrepid smaller travellers, though the winding roads caused us a few hairy moments. We were relieved to arrive at our destination, swathed in mist and appearing in the semi-darkness more similar to the Scottish Highlands or possibly the Alps than anything else. Luckily our lodging was a cosy mountain refuge complete with huge chimney places, soft comfortable armchairs and open beams...
As the skiing season ended over a month ago now, it was low season and very quiet, therefore for us the best possible time to visit. We were practically the only guests along with what appeared to be a couple on honeymoon (whom we hardly saw, probably their choice) so had the dining room, living room and even outdoor hot thermal baths all to ourselves, much to our pleasure. We wrapped up in warm jackets and scarves for exploratory walks to nearby waterfalls and savage woodlands while admiring snow-covered mountains set against the dramatic backdrop of a volcano. It was incredibly atmospheric and invigorating as well as being relaxing and pampering, although the girls probably tired of the full board before we did... A weekend was just enough to appreciate the wild beauty of our environment whilst also enjoying the distance and remoteness from the hustle and bustle of the big city, though the prospect to returning to heat and sunlight was also appealing as we began the long journey back yesterday afternoon...

November news

Well it's November so it must be...spring. It doesn't seem quite so strange this year and after having had to endure winter during the traditional summer months I certainly don't feel guilty about it this time. Flowers are blooming, adorning corners of the city with incredible colour and exuding heady scents while filling the air with thick, snow-like pollen. Snow itself is now scarcely visible on our now familiar mountains whose bare rock has begun to glow with our long light evenings and spectacular sunsets. We have taken up our rugs, put away our jumpers and scrubbed down our terrace which had been coated in layer upon layer of soot... This must be one of the dustiest cities in the world with dry particle-filled air which is almost never washed clean by rain (a phenomenon so rare that one can live without waterproofs). However the upside is almost constant year-round sun... hence hats and sunblock are now required items for the children's rucksacks.
With only a month to go, the countdown to the end of the school year has begun, with shows being prepared, songs practised and costumes fitted... DD1 is tired after a whole year of getting up unspeakably early thus even she is now beginning to look forward to the summer break (though is probably unaware that it is nearly three months long). Our building's swimming pool has recently been reopened for the summer season so at the moment I foresee plenty of dips to keep us busy... though we haven't yet been in. No rush...
Meanwhile at DD2's nursery they are preparing for the annual Far West Camp, during which the boys dress up as cowboys, the girls as natives and those whose parents agree get to spend the night in a tent in the nursery's garden with the "tias"... DD2 was all for it until she realised we wouldn't be coming too. Luckily it coincides with a prior arrangement we had already made so we all have a five-hour train journey south of Santiago to look forward to instead which we feel a bit happier about...

The other side of the mountains

DD1 has often asked me what is on the other side of the great awe-inspiring mountains which constantly loom large and majestic over us here in the eastern elevated side of Santiago. Thus when DH had to attend a conference in Cordoba, Argentina it seemed like as good an opportunity as any to tag along and see for ourselves what lay beyond... Many people drive from Santiago to Mendoza up and over an apparently spectacularly breathtaking mountain pass, crossing the frontier to Argentina on the way. Cordoba however was quite a bit further north and east so we decided to take a short hop by plane, thereby minimising the possibility of car sickness (alas a crucial consideration) and drastically reducing the journey length...
On arrival and while travelling from the airport into the city, Argentina was immediately and noticeably different: greener and flatter at first, becoming hilly as we approached the city. Cordoba itself was a pleasant treasure-trove, full of historic buildings from the time of the Jesuit settlers who industriously constructed several churches, schools and libraries. The streets around the old town were buzzing as were the newer areas around the canal, packed with students drinking mate (an Argentinian tradition) and lots of bars, cafes and restaurants... One could have been forgiven for thinking that one was in Spain. People were friendly, food was interesting and varied and all in all it was rich in culture. The girls and I even managed to do two museums in one day which was quite a result, although they drew the line at an academic lecture in Jesuit architecture, preferring to explore the cloisters and courtyard while a guide earnestly explained the intricacies of the early conferral of university degrees in the Salon de los grados...
A most enjoyable and refreshing city break, all the more pleasurable for its flavour of Europe and feel of the Old World which seem so far away from Chile...

Special days

Just as some of us like to send cards for every occasion, the Chileans like to have a special day dedicated exclusively to a theme or person, a fact which surprised me at first but now strikes me as a normal aspect of Chilean culture. In the last couple of weeks alone we seem to have had several. 12 October was Columbus Day, a national holiday to commemorate Columbus' first voyage of discovery to the Americas but also reclaimed in South America as el Dia de la Raza in which the indigenous origins of its people is celebrated in colourful and festive style with street parades, often laced with undercurrents of political sentiment.
In the same week a letter from DD1's school announced that Friday was el Dia del Profesor ie Teachers' Day, hence school would be finishing at midday to allow the aforementioned teachers to enjoy their day and indulge in a celebratory lunch. In addition to the early conclusion of the school day, they also decided to hold el Dia del Idolo for the pupils, which meant the children were allowed to come to school dressed up as their favourite idol. Realising Buzz Lightyear was a tall order, DD1 settled for Woody (from Toy Story) instead and was more than happy to dress up as a cowboy, complete with authentic huaso hat...
The following week invitations were issued at DD2's nursery to all grandparents to celebrate el Dia de los Abuelitos that Wednesday. Obviously we explained that DD2's grandparents would have loved to accept but that they were all on the other side of the world in Europe. The least I could do was to go myself to represent the grandparents, not really knowing what to expect but preparing DD2 in her costume of tango dancer that morning I began to have an inkling... Just like for Mother's Day and Father's Day before, Grandparents' Day was actually great fun and as ever showed meticulous attention to detail and careful planning by the nursery staff. DD2 sat demurely on a wooden chair, with her hair pulled back and a huge flower adorning her ear, waiting patiently for her (boy) partner to offer her a rose and lead her by the hand onto the dance floor while authentic Argentinian tango music from the 1930's crackled on what sounded like a real gramophone... Later there was juice, cake and biscuits for the audience to enjoy as they cuddled their little stars and were proudly offered finger-painted tiles as a gift. Much emotion was felt as one of the nursery ladies in charge, still wearing her nursery green apron but with spiky high heels and hair set for the occasion, delivered a heartfelt speech thanking all the grandparents and reminding us of their importance in the lives of the nursery children, assuring them that this was their special day...

Excursion into the Central Valley

The weekend following the party was a long one thanks to Columbus (more about him later) so we took the opportunity to have a change of scene by hiring a car and driving into the Central Valley south of Santiago to explore some of the famous vineyards, orchards and countryside in general.
Ruta 5, the main motorway which bisects Chile's already slim interior, is not particularly interesting in itself though it is pleasantly surprising how quickly one can actually get out of the city (traffic permitting). This being Chile however there are often unexpected sights to note on the motorway such as cyclists, pedestrians and of course stray dogs traversing the carriageways (often to their peril). We took advantage of the roadside vendors on the way back to stock up on fresh produce, filling every available space in the car with minor wonders from the fertile Colchagua valley such as sackfuls of potatoes, oranges, kiwis, avocados, strawberries, asparagus...
Back to the trip. After passing Rancagua we turned off the motorway at San Fernando, embarking on the aptly-named Ruta del Vino which was a meandering road flanked by endless vineyards and occasionally bursts of startlingly beautiful wild orange flowers. Eventually we reached our destination of Santa Cruz, the main town of the area and inevitably a gateway to the tourism, gastronomy and business of visiting vineyards, wine-tasting and buying wine. It was a good place to stay while exploring the area though the guidebooks had somewhat exaggerated its charm we found. As usual for Chile there was a stark contrast between the social classes; most of the town was unexceptional with some very dilapidated parts to it while a luxury five-star hotel and restaurant (with its own casino) occupied the central position in the main plaza...
Our own bed and breakfast was tucked away on the edge of the town but was perfectly comfortable for our purposes which were quite literal in this case. We dutifully visited a vineyard though chose one the girls would enjoy which included a tour of the vines by horse-drawn carriage... and were persuaded into tasting and buying some wine too. The vineyards themselves were somehow different to the ones we knew from the more familiar landscapes of France and Italy, not terraced nor set on undulating hills but organised on the plain and surrounded by countryside which was reminiscent of the Wild West... This was "huaso" (Chilean cowboy) territory after all.

The cowboy theme continued the next day as we set off on our first horse-ride, DD1 and I on one horse and DD2 and DH on the other, accompanied by a real-life "huaso" on a third horse. We had expected to be led around a field for half an hour or so therefore were most surprised when our guide took us for what turned out to be a two-hour trek into open countryside. Despite some initial fears such as how to control one's horse it was very atmospheric and I for one felt like a character from a western. DD1 spent most of the time complaining she was being squashed and panicking every time the horse broke into a trot while DD2 was blissfully blithe, held firmly by DH who lost then regained his stirrups... but we all made it safely to the end, muscles aching but exhilarated by our latest adventure...

Birthday party

Another huge milestone reached, celebrated and survived last week: DD1's long-awaited seventh birthday. For me the very fact that my daughter was turning seven was already a meaningful and emotionally-charged event. As for the birthday girl herself, she had been counting down the days quite literally for over a month and was getting more and more excited at the prospect of inviting her friends to her very own birthday party this year, planned for the Sunday afternoon following her actual birthday itself...
I may or may not have mentioned that children's birthday parties here in Chile have little in common with those I recall from my own childhood. It might just be a sign of the times though culturally I am sure that even thirty-odd years ago Chilean children did not indulge in some of the traditional delights we enjoyed such as the birthday tea and party games. Most of the children's parties we have attended here in Santiago have been held either in a special themed party venue such as Chuck E Cheese or Let's Fun (sic), in which case the children have been busily and noisily engrossed in slot machines and similar, or else in upmarket country clubs, often belonging to the military and set in luxuriantly verdant surroundings towards the outskirts of the city, in which the families concerned have provided drinks and snacks and usually a bouncy castle, though sometimes one or more entertainers are also involved in keeping the little guests amused. In all cases so far the food and drink on offer would certainly raise more than an eyebrow in more health-conscious environments as fizzy drinks, sugar-laden juices, sweets by the barrel-load and alarmingly brightly-coloured crisps and processed snacks are the standard fare, with sometimes a hamburger, hot-dog or slice of pizza thrown in.
Much to my relief DD1 didn't want her party to be of the same mould and was quite happy to innovate amongst her Chilean classmates. Thus we held the party at home but downstairs in the "Sala de los eventos" and outside in the communal garden complete with the godsend of a playground. We even managed to have a few party games such as Musical Chairs and Pass the Parcel (accompanied by a live accordion) although these required considerable and lengthy explanations beforehand in my still far-from-perfect Spanish. Still they kept the little people busy while the music was much appreciated by all age groups. Alongside the biscuits, fairy cakes, mini-sandwiches and cheese stars the table was also laid with carrot sticks, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. And of course cocktail sausages on sticks, which went like hot cakes... The children tucked in and enjoyed it, finishing every last carrot stick. Not the cucumbers though... only the British contingent went for them.
And last but not least we adopted a Chilean custom which I have since discovered is popular in many parts of Central and South America but had never seen in Europe: that of the "piñata". A large and attractively-painted box or container is filled full of sweets (no avoiding them here) and small toys, hoist into the air usually by the obliging father, while at the same time a lever releases all of its contents which spill onto the ground. Eager children, each armed with a recipient, then scrabble around on the lawn in search of bounty, picking up every last lollipop, chocolate coin or whatever it may be... DD1 certainly enjoyed her afternoon of glory, as did we with increasing relief as the party mood and spumante took hold.
Lessons I have learnt: all children enjoy a good party, regardless of cultural expectation. Remember to take the jellies out of the fridge. And Chileans don't go in for RSVPs...

Spring in the air

Well the holidays are over and both girls are back at school and nursery as of yesterday. We all had a break from the punishingly early schedule only to find we were quite glad to get back to it, especially now that spring has most definitely sprung. Now it is practically sunrise by the time DD1 gets to school and the days are longer, brighter, warmer and more pleasant. Last week the girls and I made the most of the weather and spent as much time as possible outdoors in parks, gardens and the obligatory playgrounds. Perhaps too much time... The girls picked dandelion seeds and we all breathed in the heady and quite literally intoxicating scents of the Chilean flora surrounding us until suddenly the familiar feeling of losing one's senses took hold...of me I hasten to add, thank goodness, though DD2 is showing some light symptoms such as reddened eyes... Hayfever is a cross some of us have to bear every year at this time though usually the warmer weather and the pleasure associated with increased outdoor pursuits outweigh or at least partly soothe the suffering. Or used to... Here in Chile as expected the smells, sights and pollen count are magnified a thousandfold which causes in turn more dramatic allergic reactions. Suffice to say I reached immediately for the antihistamines though am still waiting for any appreciable effect.
Meanwhile during the last ten days whilst still in the midst of Fiestas Patrias we passed the first anniversary of our faltering arrival in Chile without even realising it. Progress most definitely has been made on every front: the girls are settled and entirely integrated into their school and nursery respectively. DD1 speaks fluent Spanish and has made satisfying friendships within her class, gaining respect from peers and teachers who marvel at how many languages she apparently effortlessly speaks. Even DD2 has completely lost her initial ambivalence and waltzes happily and willingly in through the door at her nursery in the morning, parking her bike at the entrance and waving goodbye with nonchalance. She too has now started producing some Spanish, mainly at the word or simple phrase level but generally spouting more and more even in her play. All very satisfying from the point of view of cerebral development and the number of synaptic connections taking place though I still wonder about their sense of self and cultural identity...

Fiestas Patrias- the main event

Well if September has been filled with the slow but steady build-up then last weekend witnessed the long-awaited festival we had all been waiting for... Friday afternoon and there was frenzied party shopping going on at our local Jumbo (supermarket). Aisles were looking empty, faces ashen as contents were swept off the shelves in anticipation of the big two-day consumer shutdown (18-19 September) during which time it was not possible to be a functioning public business due to national law declaring two days of state-enforced festivities. Hence the crowds, many of whose trolleys were actually full of raw meat, beer and/or fizzy drinks in preparation for goodness knows how many barbecues or "asados" not just across the city but nationwide to mark the festival of "Chilenidad" (being Chilean) as well as heralding officially the slightly earlier than usual advent of spring.
There was a rare hush in the streets as people enjoyed their long weekend, in or outside the city, partaking in the aforementioned barbecues in private and public while also seizing the opportunity to fly kites in the light but capricious spring breezes prevailing over Chile's beautifully verdant landscape. By far the most popular pastime was that of the "fonda" or special fair in the numerous parks and green spaces, huge events organised and promoted by the city's town councils offering a veritable multitude of delights for families, young and old alike. We saw and participated in pony rides, boat rides, funfairs and food whilst also admiring mock battles, rodeos, parachutists, traditional dancers and farm animals including a litter of one-day-old silky smooth piglets... All-in-all a feast for all the senses, a reason to be jolly and a sense of what Chileans consider and celebrate as their own.

Fiestas Patrias

Last Saturday morning as DH, DD1 and I took our seats in a draughty theatre, waiting for the thick velvet curtains to open for DD2's nursery's show for Fiestas Patrias, it struck me that this was the Chilean equivalent of the nativity play. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles had turned out in their droves to witness the annual rite of passage for their little one. Only this time the subject of the show was not a child born in Bethlehem, but the birth of a nation... We were treated to a narrated history of the first explorers and settlers arriving in the Atacama Desert and bringing light in the form of Roman Catholicism to the natives. Thus began the story in the north of Chile, gradually working its way down and recounting the origins of this long thin country from an untamed wilderness to the beacon of modern civilisation we see before us today. The organisation and preparation with which the nursery staff had planned the event was quite impressive, with scenery, props, music and of course the direction of acting by some very small children, all dressed up in traditional costumes from different regions of Chile. As DD2 had been given the part of a "chilota" or southern Chilean woman, we had an apparently interminable wait before she finally appeared, clad in black shawl, skirt and headscarf, busily and very seriously stirring a huge pot with a long wooden spoon... It was obviously a proud moment for all of us and one that DD2 enjoyed tremendously, even singing Chile's national anthem with the rest of the (wholly Chilean) children at the end.
Two days later and it was DD1's turn to have her moment of glory, this time in the indoor gymnasium within her school's vast sports centre. This time all the children of Year 1 were dressed identically as northern Chileans, the girls resplendent in striped skirts and hats while the boys sported a traditional Andino woollen hat and belt over their school uniform. The children filed in, smallest first (DD1 was third to enter) matched with a same-height partner of the opposite gender and began singing a hauntingly melancholy chant about life in the Andes... This was followed by patriotic poems recited by the individual classes plus traditional dances which had been meticulously choreographed by the PE department. Great fun to watch actually, although listening to six- and seven-year-olds declaring their unswerving loyalty to the Chilean flag was slightly over the top. Especially from DD1, who says she even feels Chilean now...
All the flag-waving, patriotic fervour and extreme national pride are elements we don't usually employ back in Europe for fear of being exclusionist though here it seems to be a genuinely heartfelt blanket sentiment which encompasses all ages, social classes and political persuasions. Apparently...

September song

Thank goodness August is over and September has arrived. August was a hard month here, more like February than the August we used to know. Grey and cold, no respite from work and school, no hint of the holidays...
September by contrast has arrived along with early blossom on the trees, distinctly warmer air and the promise of a break coming up soon. Yes September is of course the southern hemisphere's equivalent of March, the beginning of the end of winter with the rebirth and renewal we usually associate with Easter. Here though the big holiday coming up soon is Fiestas Patrias, a huge patriotic bonanza to celebrate Chile and everything Chilean to mark Chile's independence and its military glory. Last year the girls and I had just staggered off a plane two days before the country closed down for four days to celebrate two hundred years of Chile's existence as an independent republic. Obviously the significance of that event was somewhat lost on us at the time as we struggled to focus on where we were, what time it was and where to buy household essentials. Almost one year on and it is now clear to us that this is the biggest event in the Chilean social calendar. DD1's school closes for a ten-day break between terms 2 and 3 next week while both girls are busy practising traditional songs and dances dressed up in national costume for shows and parties to be shared with parents and teachers alike. Supermarkets have been full of the aforementioned national costumes as well as balloons, paper plates and other party equipment including barbecue materials in the colours of the Chilean flag. Clearly for us this is all extremely interesting from the point of view of culture, history and folklore which doesn't belong to us in the slightest. Not sure how I would feel about it if I were Chilean; presumably things would be a good deal more complex in that case. At the moment I've just had to kit my children out in the appropriate gear (some of which I am still unsure whether I actually have correctly understood or not) and listen to them singing about how beautiful and wonderful Chile is. Quite endearing in a way, especially to an outsider... DH's ardent students meanwhile have decided to postpone all major decisions such as whether to lift their boycott on this term's lectures and seminars until after Fiesta Patrias is over. Quite right too... evidently like all students since the dawn of time the would-be revolutionaries don't want to miss a good party.

Daylight saving and its logic

Last weekend we were deprived of an hour's sleep thanks to the early onset of daylight saving time here in Chile. Much as I like the idea of a short winter and a long summer, even I feel as though the logic has been somewhat lacking in bringing forward a summer schedule when one is still in the thick of an albeit at times mild winter. Not only is it too early on in the season to enjoy and make the most of long light evenings, but the absurdity of getting up, having breakfast and leaving the house while darkness is still total must be obvious to the most blinkered bureaucrat. Yesterday morning DD1 was unsurprisingly reluctant to be roused at what seemed like the middle of the night (in reality 7am) while only last week she could at least behold sunrise over the Andes while struggling into her clothes. Arriving at school still in the darkness 45 minutes later, it felt as if she and I were attending some nocturnal event rather than just carrying out the mundane school run. As it happened I had volunteered to read a story to the class that morning though it was far from ideal timing from my point of view as the children were yawning as they fought off their sleep deficit. And I would like to know how much daylight saving is actually being met when lamp-posts and other street lighting were on full blast to illuminate commuters' paths and were clearly consuming megawatts of electricity. Not to mention the fact that it is also colder an hour earlier than usual at that time in the morning...

Today was a slight improvement as DH had the pleasure of the early shift. However even DD2 was difficult to wake at her usual appointed time due to the ongoing lack of light outside... It all seems so unnecessary, especially when it was actually a pleasure to wake up with natural light flooding in through one's windows. But that's life, especially in Chile.

The white stuff

Yesterday the unthinkable happened. It snowed in Santiago, something everyone had assured me would never happen. Oh no, it never snows in Santiago the locals say, somewhat proudly though at the same time sadly, as if they were missing out on some rare and pure form of magic. I for one was glad, totally relishing what until now had seemed like easily the mildest winter I have ever witnessed. Coolish mornings and evenings with often spring-like moments in between...yes, I think I can handle that kind of winter. The occasional grey day, a few showers of rain every now and then, more like autumn than full-blown winter...

Not so yesterday. First of all it was cold and raining during the nursery run, first lightly, then more heavily, so much so that even DD2 tired of carrying an umbrella from here to her nursery (20 minutes increasingly puddle-surrounded walk at her pace). On the way back I couldn't believe how the rain was pelting down ever harder. Not just cats and dogs but cats, stray dogs and more... Halfway through my Spanish lesson my teacher was so enthused (or distracted) that she couldn't help but interrupt, draw herself closer to the window and wonder at the rare sight of huge, white fluffy snowflakes falling towards the ground. I too was awestruck by the scene though perhaps less so than the locals who had suspended talk of anything else and were indeed enjoying the novelty. The news showed images of young and old scraping up meagre clumps of icy snow to throw snowballs and make rather sorrowfully thin snowmen... Meanwhile at school and nursery snow was being drawn and snowflakes artfully sculpted and cut out to adorn our windows. No need really, this morning one could have been forgiven for glancing up and thinking one was in a ski resort for the fresh, glistening snow surrounding one on the omnipresent cordillera. As long as you forget it's August of course...

Civil unrest and its responses

It has not been a great week.
A week ago today DH returned home from work to confess he had been crying. It hadn't been his reluctant, undergraduate students who are in the midst of what has become the longest student strike in Chilean history, nor his belligerent colleagues who seem intent on internal wrangling for power rather than standing together in a difficult time, to reduce him to tears. No, it had been the teargas released by the so-called forces of order, otherwise known as the Carabiñeros, onto the streets and underground of Santiago which had got him in the end. This had been in response to a wholly peaceful march on the part of university and secondary school students protesting against the lack of a free and fair education system here. Yet the government, in their short-sightedness, had not granted permission to the protesters to march, thus stepped in using whichever means of heavy-handed crowd-control they had at their disposal. This being Chile, water cannons and teargas are part of the natural landscape, the use of which hardly raises an eyebrow on either side of the political spectrum. Bizarre to those of us who come from different shores, as was the arrest and rather rough manhandling of almost 900 peaceful protesters out of a total of 5000, many of whom were secondary schoolchildren.
Dear oh dear, we thought, such things would be unimaginable back in the civilised world whence we came. Thank goodness we have that escape route, who knows when we might need it... though of course we were quick to reassure family and friends that things were not as bad as they seemed.
Still slightly disturbed by what we perceived as the infringements on basic human rights, we carried on our business, going into a cold, grey and rather bleak wintry weekend for Santiago, after which for the first time since arriving here we were actually pleased when Monday arrived to resume our normal routine and activities as opposed to being cooped up indoors with little to do.
The events of the past few days in London and other major cities in Britain have provoked much comment, column inches, television coverage and widespread shock. I for one was dumbstruck, appalled, terrified and depressed to hear, read about and watch scenes which I never thought I would see in 2011. But I, like so many others, was wrong... Obviously parallels have been drawn with the unrest in Santiago though there are stark and glaring contrasts too. Here young people have been protesting about their lack of something we Westerners not only have but also take for granted: a free and equal education system. Or at least we had one once... Also, here in Chile as I mentioned the use of force to control and dispel crowds is something most people have grown up with and certainly don't question. The Chileans must think our levels of freedom in the UK are foolish privilege given what the world has recently witnessed. And last but not least, the dichotomy between the haves and the have nots, though more apparently visible and polarised in Chile, is all too present back in the developed world too, yet better hidden.
Amid the gloom however (and it has been grim) there have been a couple of uplifting moments to restore one's faith in humankind. One of these has been the coming together of residents in London's ripped apart communities armed with brooms to clean up and rebuild their high streets. Another came last Thursday evening, after the disastrous march which resulted in around a fifth of its demonstrators behind bars. Slowly at first, then more quickly and more loudly, it sounded as if bells were ringing out in the streets below. It was the "cacerolazo" or pot-bangers, people of every age group and, in theory, political persuasion, banging on upturned saucepans and frying pans with spoons and ladles to show and sound their solidarity with the students. A very Latinamerican moment.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Our trip to Europe over and at the moment none of us wants even to think about boarding a plane, train or automobile for a while. Not that it wasn't wonderful but too much travelling in too short a time. This was because we managed to catch up with both sets of grandparents and extended families in two different European countries all in the space of twelve days. Almost like a Royal tour if it hadn't been for easyJet and the Gatwick Express... and two missing suitcases on the way back due to a very tight connection in Paris. It was of course lovely to see everyone, sample some of the delights of the twenty-first century and have a holiday by the sea even though the weather wasn't as glorious as it can be in Italy but we were treated to the breathtaking spectacle of a rainbow over a choppy Adriatic which was some compensation.
To my surprise it wasn't as hard to leave the Old World for the New as it had been only six months ago. I can't say that I missed Santiago but perhaps I feel less hostile towards it than I did before. The phone-hacking scandal coupled with the recent attacks in Norway, elements which could have been lifted from a novel by Stieg Larsson, certainly help to make one feel more inclined to enjoy living in a remote part of South America. The girls have been delighted to return to their school and nursery respectively and I too was keen to get back to what has now become our home. For now...

The 1980s time warp

Another Storysack meeting this morning at DD1's school and happily Maria-Luz, the aptly-named and truly inspirational teacher was back leading the session with her infectious enthusiasm, this time on how to make a short animated film. I was suitably impressed... and reassured that the school does in fact possess some modern technology and is applying this towards enhancing positive learning. Phew... so we are in the twenty-first century here after all. Often one could be forgiven for thinking travelling this close to the edge of the world involves some kind of time-travel backwards of around thirty years or so, a suspicion which is reinforced by the relentless soundtrack of the early 1980s played in every shop, taxi, hairdresser's, children's party or similar public situation. Especially of the US variety (think Foreigner, Journey, the Bangles, Cyndi Lauper, Hall and Oates etc and you begin to get the idea). Either that or someone has meticulously and rather eerily tried to recreate the 1980s, like a kind of audio version of The Truman Show... Apparently according to some sources this obsession with the music of 1980s is due to what was going on in Chile at the time, ie a slow but determined reaction to the years of repression due to the presence of the military regime and a reawakening or stirring of the senses amongst those who had suffered and put up with so much. Sometimes it is hard to conceive of this happening during our lifetimes as recently as the latter part of the twentieth century, while back in the free Western world some of us were yet to enter adolescence while the same music formed part of the background. But shocking or not it is true and it explains a lot about Chile and its people today...

Talking of time travel, we are about to go back to the future as it were tomorrow as DD1's school breaks up for its two-week-long winter holiday today. Thus we will have a taste of the European summer in July as opposed to snow-based activities on offer in the Andes. Just as we were beginning to get used to the winter too...

The bleak mid-winter?

Well the climax of Wimbledon fortnight coincided with the inauguration of the skiing season here last weekend. In fact a cold wet spell last week had treated us to magnificent vistas of the Andes covered in new, gleaming white snow which turns pink by evening at sundown. Quite something to contemplate and gaze at, even for three-year-olds. The last week or so has seen frosty mornings and even ice in the shade where the lawns and pavements are still painstakingly watered early in the day. So this is winter in Santiago... if so I think I can cope with it. The days without sun are still grim but thankfully remain few and far between on the whole. Having said that every time I marvel at the clement conditions the weather turns cold so I think the less said about it the better.

Last week I attended the latest of a number of meetings at DD1's school aimed at raising awareness of parents regarding literacy and how to encourage your child to read at home. I have been going out of genuine interest and also pure curiosity: a chance to spy on enemy territory and actually get past the impenetrable school gates. So far the meetings have been a mixed bag. The first was chaotic with a high turnout of parents, many of whom talked loudly throughout, subsequently lost interest and have not attended again, thus allowing for a smaller group and more pleasant and constructive meetings. Also the teacher leading most of the meetings has been very warm, welcoming and positively brimming with enthusiasm for how to help, encourage and inspire one's child. I was impressed that the school was at least taking an active interest for once so eagerly signed up for the group whose aim is a Storysack project scheduled for November. I now find myself anxiously scanning patterns for how to knit finger puppets as we now have to create our characters (we are already behind with the scenography). Last week the usual teacher however was absent, only to be replaced by a mumbling, passionless creature who could easily have been invented by Roald Dahl. (We are currently reading "Matilda" as our bedtime story which never ceases to shock, amuse and fascinate DD1 in equal measure. DD2 thankfully is usually out like a light by this point.) Still it has been interesting to observe Chilean attitudes to parenting though it is only a certain kind and probably the ones who already read with their children as a matter of course...

Food glorious food

I think it is fair to say Chile is not a food-lover's first choice of destination unless you happen to be a fast-food-lover in which case Santiago is the place to go. One of the first things you notice are the plethora of hot-dog joints, soda fountains and German-style themed chain restaurants with improbable names such as Doggi's, Domino and Tip y Tap respectively (the latter being one of the better prospects for a filling and wholesome meal when faced with hungry children on a shopping expedition). In general however if you look hard enough you will find something for every taste and budget though the more interesting propositions need to be sought out.

As with all aspects of life in Chile, food can be an enigma and a contradiction. Chile is an immensely fertile country with impressive homegrown fresh produce which is often smothered in bottled mayonnaise (bafflingly the proud occupant of its own aisle in any local supermarket) or served with industrially manufactured and uninspiring cheese. Dairy produce is definitely not its forte: fresh milk is not available thus people make do with UHT cartons or "bricks" which you can conveniently bulk-buy and also take anywhere with you without having to worry about how long they may have been out of the fridge. The downside however is that yoghurts, cheeses and other dairy items are not exactly at the vanguard in their field and thus one has to get used to inferior, additive-laden quality or going without.

Having said that there are some redeeming features which shine like beacons and provide a sharp contrast to the junk elements. One of these is the tradition most restaurants maintain which is to serve with bread a lightly spicy appetiser of chopped fresh tomatoes and onion seasoned in olive oil, salt and coriander while one's order is being prepared. For those who like coriander it is a treat not to be missed. Also the avocado (or more humbly "palta") is probably the single most widespread item on any menu or in any supermarket and is far from the luxury food one associates it with in Europe. It costs next to nothing for the largest, juiciest and most succulent varieties one could ever hope to find and in fact Chileans put it everywhere: in sandwiches, on hot-dogs, in salads, smeared on toast for breakfast, and so on. Meat is also a safe bet on the whole especially grilled as the cuts are good and a "parrillada" is always welcome. Not to mention Chilean wine which is admittedly in a class of its own and difficult to fault. Why then do so many (adult) people order Coca-Cola or Fanta with their meals?

Do they know it's winter?

More than a week since our holiday and we are again fully acclimatised to life in Santiago. School and nursery have picked up from where they left off happily for all concerned. Disconcertingly the weather has been unusually mild again which only serves to confuse matters once one has convinced oneself it is indeed winter in June. However a quick round of colds and winter ailments has successfully reinforced the idea that despite soaring temperatures in the afternoon the winter solstice is in fact approaching although without the heart-warming prospect of Christmas or anything remotely similar in sight... I have tried asking people if there is any kind of mid-winter festival or celebration to lift the spirits but apparently not. Perhaps it's because winter here is generally less bleak, shorter and sunnier than the one we previously knew and loved but it's difficult to say. Anyone reading this blog may have noticed more than a passing reference to the incongruity of climate and calendar but I'm afraid I can't help it as it's probably one of the most disorientating aspects of being here. I hadn't before realised just how ingrained the seasons and months and their northern-hemisphere-specific connotations had become as an intrinsic and fundamental aspect of my psyche... At the moment in spite of the deceptively pleasant afternoons, in the mornings and at night it still feels like December and one longs to be able to savour some of the treats we missed out on last Christmas. Which brings me neatly on to a subject I have been meaning to deal with for about eight of the last nine months but somehow never got round to it: Chilean food. I think I'll wait till the next post before tackling that particular can of worms (not literally of course)...

Back in town

...after a wonderful break in a place which could be described as paradise. It's not exactly the inferno here, DH protested on hearing this. Maybe not, but some form of purgatory perhaps... At least that means there's hope. It's always difficult coming back to the cold after a holiday in the heat but it's even harder in June.

Just wanted to publish an image from the school run at the tail end of autumn in Santiago. This was taken at around midday on DD1's last day of term towards the end of May.

End of first term

Well I was wrong about half term approaching, it is actually the end of the first term at DD1's school this week and of course if one thinks about it three months have passed since the beginning of the school year. So far, so...ok. We haven't been bowled over by the marvels being presented for our daughter's education despite her school being among the most prestigious in Santiago and within the top ten in the whole of Chile according to one proud parent, but maybe our standards are too European. The school itself is fine but exudes an air of not having been updated since the 1980s at the most recent, which includes staff, decor, teaching methods, materials, resources and general atmosphere. One gets the impression performance management has yet to be introduced in any sense of the expression. It is stuffy and formal from Year 1 onwards (incorporating little creative or ludic activity) while also being rather opaque and difficult to penetrate (like many aspects of life in Chile). I often think back nostalgically to my own experience of a standard state primary in the 1970s in the UK and feel perhaps it was further along in methodology and approach than this in many respects but my view may be blurred by time and rose-tinted spectacles. However I can't help thinking DD1 would have enjoyed making tea-cosies and embroidering pin-cushions as well as learning how to read and write at this age, but then I have to remind myself she is acquiring a third language in addition to her two mother-tongues plus is gaining something in world experience which may be of use at some point...

In the meantime DD2 has been busy at her nursery making all sorts of treats for me for mother's day which was a few weeks ago and is stimulated by lots of fun including dressing up and taking part in a recent celebration of an important naval battle in Chilean history. As part of the the latter her "class" has been doing a project on the sea and its creatures for which she and I together had to make a presentation to the class in Spanish all about the reproductive habits of the seal...Luckily a lift-the-flap book in English and a cuddly toy were enough to wow the class teacher and the children so we could bluff our way through the technical details...

Oh, and the central heating has finally been switched on thank goodness so we can now choose to heat up our apartment first thing in the morning or before bath-time at night. Quite a good week then...

Green parrots, stray dogs and starched aprons

Yesterday during a mundane trip to the supermarket to do the weekly bumper shop while gazing upwards at the glorious seasonal colours on offer I happened to spot a bright green parrot flying overhead and diving over a wall. Peeping through the gate on the corner we saw the enclosed courtyard was full of the creatures, all vivid pea-green with bluish wings and tails, a sight one doesn't often see back home while nipping to Tesco... It reminded me of the sense of wonder of being in a new land, an effect which has worn off a lot recently as we become more and more accustomed to our not-so-new surroundings. However two other aspects of everyday life which were apparent at the beginning of our adventure have also become "normal" but may be worth mentioning at this point and these are stray dogs and starched aprons (not together but often in close proximity for their ubiquity). Back in the centre of Santiago stray dogs were almost as numerous as the various street-traders occupying patches of territory outside metro stations or calmly wandering alongside pedestrians as they went about their daily business. At first our reaction was one of extreme vigilance in case of aggression (especially at child-level) but we soon realised the dogs were and are mainly benign animals, previously someone's pet but now turned loose to find their own fortune (or not). There seems to be a mutual tolerance between human and dog which would be encouraging were it not for the hygienic and humanitarian implications plus there is sometimes the odd canine creature who doesn't quite seem to be man's best friend...

As for the starched aprons, these belong to the army of workers in the service industry, otherwise known as "nanas" and usually women employed as domestic helps by the classes who can. What surprised me most was the strict adherence to the uniform, of various colours and cuts but generally checked and buttoned over the shoulder. It has since been explained to me that it is for clarity of position although it does feel a bit Upstairs, Downstairs for the twenty-first century. But that's Chile for you...

Half term in sight

Two months or thereabouts into term and both girls seem happy at school and nursery which is very reassuring news for me. Not sure how much proper learning is going on in either establishment but as long as they come home smiling that's all that matters to me at the moment. Long term is a different story of course as we shall see...

Nursery in Chile first of all had been a completely unknown quantity but we have been mainly pleasantly surprised with the range of activities going on from painting to brass-rubbing, to discussing children's rights to celebrating the day of the Carabiñero and more... DD2 is still slightly ambivalent about nursery: on the one hand she is reluctant to say goodbye to me when I leave her in the morning (which I often suspect has to do with the language barrier) but on the other she knows there are interesting things happening inside which she won't get to do at home so is often tempted by the promise of an autumnal buffet-breakfast or whatever the event may be...

DD1 by contrast absolutely adores her school and often longs to go back if it happens to be a bank holiday weekend. This is of course a very good sign though I think it is a general school environment she hankers after and not just this school in particular. Despite or perhaps due to having attended educational establishments in four different countries already at the tender age of 6, she is quite incredibly adaptable and adjusts easily and quickly to a new environment. She has made friends and seems to enjoy whatever is on offer be it PE, PSHE or learning to play the recorder. However the formal teaching and learning are yet to be evaluated in any meaningful way though I am keeping a watchful eye over this. So far progress seems to be slow though one has to remember English is being taught as a foreign language to Chilean children while Spanish is of course the mother-tongue, which essentially means DD1 finds the former pitched too low while the latter too high for her specific needs which are of course diametrically opposed to those of her classmates... It's not an easy situation but we are trying our best.

First snow on Good Friday

Well Easter has come and gone, having crept up on us this year clothed in autumnal veils thus not recognisable for its usual symbolism of new life, rebirth and renewal. Quite the opposite in fact as autumn progresses with glorious colourful displays but sharply decreasing temperatures. There had been the familiar chocolate frenzy going on in our supermarket for what seemed like a long time yet on Good Friday it was still difficult to find the ones we wanted. It was a grey rainy day which initially swathed the mountains in thick cloud, later revealing a breathtakingly vivid scene of fresh snow on the summits.

School and nursery were closed for two and one extra day(s) respectively, giving us a long weekend of three days to enjoy. We took the opportunity to make some preparations for winter, putting up curtains and throwing down rugs as well as investing in additional duvets for the cold nights. As is always the case in countries blessed with long, blazing summers the winter is generally harder to bear, especially at the beginning when one is not yet allowed to switch on or use central heating... Thankfully when the sun does come out (which is most days) the temperatures rise to 20 degrees and beyond, thus one has to be prepared to wrap up in the morning but strip off at least a layer or three later, or pay the price for being too warm...

A tale of two (or three) cities?

Famous last words... On Sunday autumn arrived overnight in Santiago complete with plummeting temperatures, grey skies, rain and leaves everywhere. This might sound strange but it actually made quite a welcome change after the constant blinding and often very hot sunshine for what seemed like an incredibly long summer. In some ways it is reassuring to witness the passing of the seasons and the fact that this happens even in Chile too is something of a relief. It almost seems as if a circle has closed since our arrival here last September, when we left behind the beginning of autumn back in Europe and suddenly landed in a parallel universe where spring was still in its infancy. Not only were we culturally shipwrecked but even our environmental signposts disappeared as we fought our way through a thick and confusing mist which has gradually cleared to show us a brave new image of the world.

Nearly seven months on since our move and we have adjusted not just once but twice, due to having spent three and a half months in temporary accommodation and the same again now in our more permanent home. It is as if we have lived in two quite different cities in this time: in the beginning in the centre we were situated in a half-decaying concrete jungle right in the middle of very busy and colourful street life, including a multitude of shops and road vendors many of whom we came to know well during the course of daily life. There weren't many green spaces and the sheer volume of human and vehicular traffic was often overwhelming, as was the noise level and air pollution. Now here in the elevated eastern part of the sprawling city there is still plenty of construction but newer and better maintained, complemented and offset by plenty of foliage in the form of parks, flowering bushes and trees not to mention sweeping vistas of the Andes which one only occasionally glimpsed from the centre. Even though traffic and noise can be irksome here too at times on the whole it is much quieter and exudes an air of being cared for, often to the point of exaggeration. Every morning manicured lawns are generously watered and leaves are now painstakingly swept up as they fall. The children can only ever find one conker or two as the rest have been cleared away by zealous gardeners, maids and park attendants. People are often dressed more elegantly though there is still quite a mix in looks and styles while downtown it was more as if the twenty-first century hadn't yet arrived. The difference is stark and almost Dickensian, with the workers confined to their ghettoes while the wealthy live like lords... Having said that I am told that where we live is only very middle-class and that in fact there exists an upper echelon even further away from the hoi polloi with bigger, newer houses and gardens with higher gates and better views of the mountains. Oh, and cleaner air, more modern shopping malls and more exclusive clubs and schools for their children. I'm not sure if this is supposed to make me feel better or worse...

Seasons in the sun

The clocks have gone forward in the northern hemisphere to herald the arrival of spring as happens regularly at this time of year of course. However here on the other side of the world we are still waiting to put our clocks back for autumn thus are in theory even further behind than the usual six months. This is due to a universally accepted governmental directive in Chile to prolong daylight saving time thereby taking positive if somewhat unusual steps to combat an energy crisis, which in turn has been caused by a lack of rain to drive the country's hydroelectric power. Thus we find ourselves in the perhaps enviable position of enjoying an even longer "summer" with long light evenings though the flip side is that most of us have to get up and ready in the dark in the mornings. Clocks usually go back here in the second week of March and forward in the middle of October, conversely mirroring daylight saving measures which are adopted back in Europe. However due to the energy crisis this year we shall be putting our clocks back in the first week of May and forward again in August apparently, which gives us a winter of four months' duration. In addition to the continuation of summer time, climatic conditions have also been milder than is normal for this time of year with temperatures hitting 30 degrees Celsius even today in the afternoon. And the sun shines practically every day, which is the main reason to be glad one lives in Chile at the moment as far as I'm concerned...

Not quite so lost in translation

It is probably ironic that despite considering myself as something of a linguist, this is the second experience I have had in my adult life of moving to take up residence in a country in which I do not -or at least on arrival did not at all- speak the local language. Obviously this has added to the spice in both cases though the first time around I was in the process of having babies and had even less time to dedicate to intellectual pursuits. Now that both children are at school and nursery respectively at least for a few hours a day I have no excuse so have made a positive effort to get my head around Spanish which is a challenge and a stimulus. Oddly enough after having been here for a few months my ears were automatically making some kind of fine tuning adjustment and I found myself suddenly understanding a good deal more than I had at the very beginning, though my own stilted efforts were still ungrammatical and graceless. Now that I have officially started a course of lessons it is as if the fog is gently but steadily lifting as things which were previously totally incomprehensible suddenly crystallise into intelligible sound. So that's what they've been saying all this time... if only I'd known before, it would have been so much easier. Chilean Spanish is however notoriously full of slang and with a heavy accent so perhaps it isn't the best place to learn good Spanish. As luck would have it my teacher is Argentinian so speaks far more clearly than most Chileans do anyway, though of course she has promised to teach me "proper" Spanish including local and wider usages. So far I have been amazed to discover that South American Spanish differs greatly from the Spanish spoken in Spain not only in its pronunciation (which was obvious even to me) but also in quite basic and general grammar and usage. I suppose this shouldn't surprise me as British English and American English are two quite different languages but somehow I wasn't expecting it would be the same for Spanish, though if one really thinks about how the language was brought over the Atlantic a few hundred years ago the situation is of course incredibly similar. South American Spanish seems to be a simplified version of its European counterpart: not only have entire sounds disappeared but tone and register have become homogeneous too in order to facilitate communication. For example, the second person plural form of all verbs in all tenses and moods has vanished into thin air and now is interchangeable with the third person plural. Apparently children at school are taught the correct part of the verb which is still in current and correct usage in Spain but which they will never ever need or encounter in South America. Perfectly ordinary and everyday vocabulary in the Spanish spoken in Spain is considered here at best antiquated and at worst at times vulgar or offensive. Thank goodness someone has been kind enough to point this out... As it is the pitying looks I get from other mothers, nannies and the world at large are enough to get me scurrying for my textbooks. At DD1's school the problem is not so serious as the school is officially bilingual thus the teachers at least are supposed to speak English, although in practice DD1 says a lot of communication goes on in Spanish (which is of course a bonus for her to pick up another language). However at DD2's nursery it has been harder to follow what exactly is going on though I must say they have been very patient with both her and myself so far. As far as I can gather she is enjoying the activities on offer once she is there and seems to be able to follow though maybe doesn't say that much... Judging from the diary and timetable DD2 is taking part in maths and computer "lessons" as well as art, language, music and movement but as I said what this actually entails at age 3 is not completely clear...yet. What is interesting is the fact that she needs to take a sponge bag complete with toothbrush, toothpaste, comb and cologne with her every day despite the fact that she doesn't even stay for lunch. When I questioned whether this was really necessary I was told it was to encourage good habits in the children after their mid-morning snack, so I put together a small sponge bag for her as instructed, but minus the cologne which DD2 does not yet possess nor, in my view, need. Now when I pick her up often her hair has been neatly combed and even wetted to tame her unruly curls, and today she was even giving off the not unpleasant scent of something which one of the well-meaning "tias" must have doused her with...

Back to school

After only a week of having returned to the rigours of the school run, I am beginning to understand why Chilean children need such a long summer holiday after all... Getting up and ready in the dark to be at school and in one's classroom by 07.45 is almost inhumane. Luckily DD1 has been so excited to go back to school that she is fairly stoic about having to be woken while dawn has yet to break, though I fear that may not be the case in the middle of winter. Ofsted, if it existed here, would be up in arms about it and many other issues, such as class sizes, cramped classrooms and general levels of chaos. On day one DD1 was one of the few pupils in her class who hadn't been accompanied by both parents, kitted out in their finery, to immortalise photographically the moment of the start of Year 1 (or First Grade as they insist on calling it) of their little darlings. By that afternoon professional photographers lined the street outside the school gates selling the images they had managed to capture in the semi-darkness that morning and were certainly doing a roaring trade. DD1 meanwhile had enjoyed every moment and was (and still is) full of the joys of being in "primero basico". Even the school lunches were a hit with her as watermelon was for pudding on the first day...

DD2 on the other hand has had her first introduction to institutionalised life as she started her "jardin infantil" on Monday. Obviously she had nothing to compare it to which was probably a good thing under the circumstances. She had of course been keen to go and had been talking about her nursery and what a big girl she was, but the reality of being whisked away from me and taken out of sight by strangers who spoke a foreign language was a trifle brusque to say the least. No gentle settling-in period here then: I was allowed to wait in the office for as long as I liked (half an hour) but strictly behind closed doors while being assured every now and then by one of the staff that she was fine and not crying her eyes out... On day two she was reluctant to say goodbye to me but there were no tears at least. Defying the rigid rules I managed to peep in through the window and saw that she was dressed up as Snow White and was somewhat uncertainly holding hands with a little boy while the nursery teacher was energetically leading the children in a dance to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. By Thursday DD2 was actually smiling at nursery and had already produced numerous works of art and indeed had homework to prepare for Monday (attaching her photo to a giant ladybird, painting and colouring)... I breathed a sigh of relief as I realised that despite the drastic methods employed here in Chile, the nursery is well-organised, well-staffed and a stimulating environment which DD2 was clearly enjoying more and more as she got to know it better. Shame she has now come down with a cough but it has been an exhausting and rather overwhelming week for all concerned...

The long hot summer

Finally the seemingly interminable summer holidays are drawing to a close here in Chile. In a way we could have done without such a lengthy interruption to our newly-acquired routine but in another way it has been nice to have had the time to sort out our new home and spend time together getting used to being in it. The children have definitely gained something from this extended break too, if only fresh air, plenty of outdoor activity and lots of Vitamin D. Sometimes I am resentful when I think about the fact that DD1 would have completed half of her first proper primary school year already by now had we stayed where we were instead of being held back for so many months as has happened with the upside down calendar here. However then I notice how relaxed and happy she is and I realise that maybe she needed this time to adjust to her new environs as we all did. Also not only has she already started her new school and become acquainted with her new classmates, but she has had time to pick up a surprising amount of Spanish in a very natural and instinctive way. She is very much looking forward to going back to school and beginning Year 1 though now has to wait an extra week due to ongoing renovation works still taking place on site at school... As for DD2, she will have to wait another year before she can join DD1 at her school but in the meantime she is also looking forward to beginning her own nursery experience at a Chilean "jardin infantil" at around the same time. It has been a period of great change for DD2 in general as she shrugs off the last shackles of babyhood such as her highchair and cot, both of which she has outgrown. (Incidentally it wasn't at all easy to find a suitable child's first bed in Santiago; evidently the concept of low beds with safety rails has yet to make its impact on the Chilean mindset.) Bodies have been put away in favour of vests and pants, though the purpose of these, other than looking pretty, are still not clear to her. Best of all however has been moving on to a two-wheeled training bicycle without pedals instead of a trike. At first she was hesitant and diffident, sitting without moving or giving it up at the earliest opportunity. But after only a few days of pushing herself along and watching DD1 whizz effortlessly on her much bigger bike, DD2 has discovered the thrill of pulling up her tiny feet and freewheeling down gentle gradients, while also keeping her balance. Very amusing to watch of course and a reminder of how much she's grown up in this time too.

Summer holiday

We made it back in one piece after what seemed like an epic voyage in the end. It is impossible to explore fully a country like Chile without a car so we hired one and took off, practically without any planning and decided to try and see if we could handle a road trip en famille. Surprisingly the moments when we were in the car were among the most restful and undisturbed of the entire holiday, which was definitely a bonus as we covered over a thousand miles in total.

DH, despite having forgotten to renew his driving license, manfully took on the lion's share of the driving while I concentrated on navigating, seeing to everyone's needs and gazing out of the window at the dramatic and ever-changing landscape. We headed north on Ruta 5 and made our first stop off at Concon, a rugged coastal town whose beauty was reminiscent of the Cote d'Azur without the glamour. As we piled out of the car, buckets and spades at the ready, we also realised why it wasn't packed with holidaymakers; there was a strong wind blowing which made for great surfing but not bathing. Never mind, we thought as we enjoyed the sea air and the crashing waves, further up the coast it'll be calmer... It was another 500km and a lot of very barren desert before we stopped again in Tongoy, a small but buzzing town with sheltered beaches which were still crowded at eight o'clock in the evening with a wide cross-section of people and dogs making up its clientele. It was so remote and unspoilt that there weren't even any proper roads in Tongoy itself, just sand and stone tracks which led up and down its dusty mound. We stayed in a compact but well-designed A-shaped wooden cabaña with a view of the ocean and a children's play area which seemed to satisfy all of us... Camping with a roof. The beaches were made up of flour-like sand which was littered with shells, many of which we collected. The children loved it and were busy digging and playing in the sand and water though often the mornings were too windy and the afternoons very hot. Everything was going reasonably smoothly until DD1 overindulged in the jardin del mar (seafood platter) and came down with food-poisoning, which put a slight dampener on our spirits for a few days. However she bounced back enough for us to continue our travels further north to La Serena, Chile's second oldest city which still retains many of its colonial buildings and thus charm. From here we ventured into the Elqui Valley (or the "Milky Valley" as DD2 called it) which the guidebooks and Chileans rave about and which was quite breathtaking especially the further up one went. DH and I felt as if we were driving through the set of a western and tried in vain to impress this upon the children though the point was probably lost on them as westerns seem to have fallen out of fashion in the last thirty-five years. DD1 was keen to dress up as a cowboy with hat and neckerchief though so perhaps she was listening after all, while DD2 kept wondering where all the milk was... Eventually another round of tummy bugs forced us to turn back and we began the long but atmospheric drive home.

Time for another trip?

It has taken me more than a full week to readjust to life in Chile after less than two weeks away in our former habitat. Glad to report that I have cheered up a little, exploiting the activities Santiago has to offer such as cycling and swimming which I would normally not be doing at this time of year. I still sometimes yearn for it to be winter but I'm sure my biorhythms are adjusting or at least enjoying this extra summer holiday. It does feel a little wicked in a way, knowing that the northern hemisphere is busy beavering away at school and work while we bask in the sun but I'm sure we'll feel differently in six months' time... The children have switched effortlessly as ever from indoor to outdoor life and don't of course notice what the calendar says for now. They may even grow up thinking it's perfectly normal to have one's summer holiday in January and February... At the moment life seems to have taken a slightly surreal turn as since we returned there has been no school for DD1 and even DH is off until the end of this month. Thus we are back in Santiago but not in our previous routine, settling into a new house while also on an enforced extended holiday... We have therefore decided to make the most of it and go travelling for a proper holiday to explore some of El Norte Chico, taking in some sea and if the children agree maybe even some of the inland valleys. On the eve of our departure it feels like another leap into the unknown...

Home sweet home?

Back in Santiago and as before my feelings are ambivalent. It was lovely to go home to see family and friends while at the same time have a brief taste of winter, just enough to make one appreciate returning to the middle of summer in Chile. Santiago indeed began to seem quite appealing when faced with grey mornings, short dark days and drizzle, not to mention icy temperatures. However it is also hard to leave behind the world as you know it and set off on a 17-hour journey for somewhere which still doesn't feel remotely like home but is in fact where you now live, like it or not. Initially on arriving here three days ago my first thoughts were positive and full of renewed optimism as the sun shone down and we wove our way through busy roads until reaching our beautiful and spacious new apartment. Again I was struck by the light, by the imposing mountains, by the lush vegetation blooming with splendid pinks and purples. The children of course were delighted to be back in their new house with all their clutter occupying not just the new nursery but also the spare bedroom and living room. Being so young has distinct advantages in that their world is the present, the here and now. They still talk excitedly about their trip on the plane and various people close to their hearts far away but are soon taken by the next toy or game they chance upon... and good for them. I'd hate to think they were unhappy or pining for a life they can't have at the moment. As for me, I can't complain as the weather is so pleasant and I am busy settling into the new place. We are lucky to have the rest of the summer to unpack the remaining boxes, sort out what's left and also take off for some time at the beach soon... though I can't help feeling it's not really January at all and somehow on that plane last week we were transported back in time to some point in the early 1980's...

Back in the material world...

Just a quick one to say we're in the new place and it feels wonderful. Not that moving wasn't stressful, disconcerting, disorientating, and all the rest of it, but not bad for our third move in six months. This time after living with the bare essentials in a strange country for nearly four months, the joy at having our own possessions again was hard to measure. Our books, clothes, sheets, plates, the children's toys... Having said that however I am also shocked at the huge quantity of absolute and utter junk DH and I have managed to accumulate in sixteen years of a lifetime together. Most of it useless and of little market value too. But we've got it now, and can now create our home... until the next move. Although unpacking with the deadline of a flight to Europe on the horizon isn't exactly the best way of doing things; I have been frantically searching for items I won't need just so DH won't have to decide where to put all my precious bits and pieces. However being the domesticated type he is more than happy to reorganise the kitchen, wash all the plates and cutlery while also doing several washing-machine loads of bed linen etc while we are away... and fair enough, it'll keep him busy, poor lamb. Meanwhile I am counting the hours before returning to the civilisation of the 21st century with my two cherubs...