The scene is a common one in Hollywood films, two strangers hail the same cab and run to open the door at the same time. The ensuing dialogue is either “outta my way, that’s my taxi,” or if the plot…
Spot the New Yorker
We’re on a weekend getaway with friends in Pucon, it’s raining cats and dogs, and I finally have time to do some mindless web surfing. While reading the NY Times online, I came across a statement written by Cindi Leive,…
Violence Against Women
A friend of a friend was sexually assaulted last weekend, and I have been pondering when male violence against women will end. When will women finally be safe to be out in public, or even within their own homes? In…
Sundays are Family Days
When I was a young girl, Sundays were a day for families to get together for a leisurely meal, jovial conversation, naps on the sofa, walks around the neighborhood or property, and unfettered fun. The day didn’t require massive scale…
Eirinn Go Brach!
While peeling potatoes, in preparation for yesterday’s St. Patrick’s Day dinner, I contemplated how these Andean tubers had affected the course of several generations in my family, and the irony of moving to the land of their origin. My thoughts…
A Sunday’s Leisure at Campo Puente Roa
Chile is a country where people really know how to enjoy nature and life itself. This is particularly true on a sunny Sunday. Excursions are taken along the coast to savor the smells, sounds and tastes of the ocean, as…
A Summer Bounty
Summer is in full swing, and two of our favorite vegetables have come into season, the humble corn and the lowly bean. Among Chileans, nothing can make the mouth salivate faster than the smell of freshly prepared humitas. Although often…
A Chilean Wedding
Recently, we attended the wedding of dear friends, Laura and Ramon, at one of the family’s eucalyptus farms. It was a beautiful, albeit slightly sweltering day in the hills an hour outside of Concepcion. The vegetation and trees were in…
Honoring Those Who Have Passed
Coming from a society where families have become so fractured that even the father/mother/1.5 kids nucleus is hard to find, I have been impressed by both the extended family life in Chile, and the strong tradition of honoring loved ones…
Christmas in Chile
This Christmas Eve morning, I was contemplating how much Chile has changed the way that I experience Christmas. Celebrations are truly culturally based, and although it is a struggle to accept and adapt to some of the differences, I find…