Feliz Navidad!

...and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of
them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
Matthew 2:9


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
Love,
Brad & Amy

Trip to the South!

Ok, Ok, Ok - this post is super, super late! We took a trip to the South of Chile (about 11 hours) in the middle of September, but I'm just posting about it now! This happens to be the trip that one of our bags and camera was stolen, so we felt a little uninspired without pictures. I pulled the 2 pictures off the web.

We had a great trip that was about 5 days long. In Valdivia, an industrial city, settled by Germans, we watched sea lions and birds go after fish parts at the riverside market. The sea lions even came up onto the land - boy did they look awkward (please imagine many pictures of sea lions). They seemed very territorial and ended up fighting with each other and barking at the stupid, but brave, children that attempted to get as close as possible! Also, we ate something called "crudo", which was like a beef tartar with onion, aji pepper, lemon, and cilantro mayo, all on a slice of wonder bread. It was delicious! We also visited the Kunstmann Cerveceria, where the popular Chilean, German-style beer is created. We took a rickety bus to the small town of Niebla, right on the Pacific Ocean. While there, we toured some old Spanish fort ruins, ate some fried crab & cheese empanadas & grilled meat on a stick, and sat on a black sand beach! It was beautiful. (Imagine pictures of yummy food and fog filled views of the Pacific).

Next, we took a bus to the east, to the resort town of Pucón. The drive was amazing with forests of the araucaria (monkey puzzle tree), rolling hills, and smoking volcanoes. While we were just a few miles away, we were passed by several firetrucks and as we came into Pucón, we noticed a huge billow of smoke coming from the center of town. It just so happened that one of the nicest hotels/casinos in town was burning. The hotel/casino smoldered for the entire time we were there! We stayed in a great little hostería with a fantastic vegetarian restaurant, somewhat uncommon in Chile. Pucón is known as a tourist location because of its beautiful lake & active volcano. We spent much of our time exploring the town, sitting on the beach by the lake, eating delicious food & in a little row boat on the lake. We hope to go back and climb the volcano. We will see!

Overall, we had a great trip, despite the rough start! Also, we now have a new camera. We were just thankful that everything in our stolen bag was easy to replace and that we had our passports, visas, and money (and each other)!!!!!

The city of Valdivia, in the Lake District of Chile, about 10 miles from the Pacific ocean.
This picture is of the fish market, where sea lions gather to get the fishy leftovers!
Yum, Yum!

The city of Pucón on Lake Villarrica & Vulcan Villarrica (2,847 meter/9,340 feet) in the background.

Feliz Cumpleaños Brad!

Happy 27th Birthday to Brad!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It does not feel like Thanksgiving here! It is not wintry at all! For most of the week it has been in the 90's. But I'm not complaining, it is actually really great!

Anyway, we decided to have something I miss more than the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole - - -Mexican Food (& Pumpkin Pie)! Our friend Katy from Texas joined us and brought some great guacamole!

Hope you all had a good thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?

I'm thankful for my wonderful husband, sweet kittie, friends, family, and God's never-ending provision.

Beinvenidos a Argentina!

A few weekends ago we took the long journey over the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina. Mendoza is only 160 miles away from Santiago, but the trip took around 7 hours (those mountains are TALL)! Even though the drive was long, the scenery was beautiful.

We had a nice time, ate big steaks (for cheap), and had a few nice glasses of wine! Argentina is known for great beef, nice wine (though I think Chile has better) and things being cheap in general. About 70% of Argentinean wine is produced in the region of Mendoza and the vineyards are quite beautiful! We also saw the tallest mountain in both the Southern & Western Hemispheres. Cerro Aconcagua is 22,841 ft (6,962 m) and to the north of where we crossed over from Chile to Argentina.

Here are a few pictures of our drive; I will post more pictures later.

A huge herd of sheep crossing the road & stopping traffic!

A local cowboy, um.. or maybe sheep boy? I'm not sure of the proper name; any suggestions?

Up in the Andes

Beinvenidos a Los Andes (Welcome to the Andes!)

An interesting road sign! This helps to make the drive look extra dangerous!

Welcome to Argentina!
It was cold at the border between Argentina & Chile.
Once we were down in Mendoza, it was 80 degrees!

The highest peak in the Andes, Aconcagua

The view coming into Argentina. I wanted to sing "the hills are alive....."

More photos to come.....................

Birthday Booty

Thank you for all the wonderful emails, cards and gifts! They all made my birthday so special!

A-OK in Santiago

Today in the North of Chile, there was a 7.7 earthquake. The earthquake was centered about 800 miles to the north of Santiago. We just wanted to let everyone know that everything in Santiago is fine. However, in several northern cities/towns 2 people died, 20 were injured, and there is plenty of damage. In Santiago, we did feel some swaying for about 40 seconds - It was like being out on a boat. It was different feeling than the past tremors we have experienced here. Just wanted to let you know we were OK!

Carabineros!!!

Carabineros are the police force in Chile. They are actually a branch of the Chilean military and, unlike some Latin American countries, do not respond well to bribes. They are very identifiable - their vans, cars, motorcycles, uniforms, and even their buildings are green & white. For some reason, I really like the Carabineros! This week, I grew to love them even more when 3 friendly Carabineros (who were guarding a hotel where many Latin American presidents were meeting) allowed us to take pictures of them and their special assistant!

Not only do we have street dogs in Chile, but the Carabineros have
German Shepherds dressed in these official looking capes!

This nice Carabinero had his dog pose for a picture by commanding him to salute.
It was a very good day!

Guest Post: You can spell Chile without "PC"

Brad here with a little story about Chile's casual relationship with political correctness. In the US, the term has become a buzzword for any vexing, superfluous social norm that only serves to formalize what could otherwise be inoffensive human interaction. After a few months, it has become obvious to both Amy and me that this particular annoyance does not afflict the average Chilean.

If you look up Chile on the CIA World Factbook, you will find that 95% of the Chilean population is described as being either white or white-Amerindian. That's right, there are very few racial minorities here, which probably makes things that much more difficult for that small sliver of the population. Many times, Amy and I have observed Chileans gawking (literally) at the sight of an African in public. Amy herself has, on a number of occasions, been the recipient of rather benign but inappropriate comments from men on the street, owing partially to the fact that she is one of the few natural blonds in this country. It seems to me that PC is not so bad after all.

I had never been a party to this kind of behavior, until I found myself forced into being politically incorrect. A few days ago, I met one of the newly-hired paralegals in the office. This young man, who appears to be more Amerindian than white, introduced himself as "Juan José" but then instructed me to call him "Negro." You see, many of the Chileans in my office go by a nickname, and he seems to prefer one that reflects his relatively dark skin tone. Even though this nickname sounds less offensive to the gringo's ear when pronounced with a hearty Latin American accent (NAY-gdo), I still can't bring myself to use it.

I can't. This guy is going to be "Juan José" (or maybe "Juanjo"?) to me, whether he likes it or not.

Full Moon

I know night pictures aren't the best, but it was such a beautiful night here on Saturday!

Perfect for a KU victory over Texas A&M!

Warm Welcome

We arrived back in Santiago on Wednesday morning and were greeted by beautiful 80 degree weather. I know we were only gone for 10 days, but the whole place seems to have changed a bit! Everything is super green, colorful, and lush-just beautiful. I think it was good to go back to the states - maybe we just needed a little break!

Beautiful morning view out of our window

India was well taken care of while we were gone by our friends.
She did seem glad to have us back.
(No, the flowers are not from India - she's a cat!)
Joe & Rachel, thanks for the beautiful surprise and for taking such good care of India.

One of my favorite trees in Chile (I'm unsure of the name). These lavender flowers cover the entire tree & they hardly smell!

The path welcoming us home, to our apartment!
The whole right side is covered with pink & purple azaleas, which are cousins to rhododendrons (one of my favorite flowering plants).

Roses are blooming here like crazy and many are the size of grapefruit!

For more Spring in Santiago pics, check out Brad's flickr page.

Good to be in Kansas

It was so nice to be back in Kansas for a good 10 days. It was unfortunate that we were there under such sad circumstances, but it was nice to visit our family! Thanks for the great visit & we miss you all! Also, thank you to Brad's cousin, Jessica, for giving me a fabulous & much needed haircut!!! I've just been too intimidated to get one in Chile!

Here are a few pics of some of the kiddos in our family.

My cousin's 2 month old baby, Victoria, & my sister-in law, Cindy.
I was glad to be able to attend my cousin's baby shower while we were in Kansas.

Brad's cousin's little girl, Mira. She has the sweetest smile!

Our nephew, Luke & uncle Brad eating popcorn.
Stay tuned for some good video footage of Luke!

Sweet Grandma Gerry

Brad's grandmother passed away last Thursday, with the funeral on Saturday. We are very thankful that we were able to be with our family during this time. The service on Saturday was really wonderful, but sad because everyone misses her. The funeral displayed how Grandma Lewis lived her life for Christ and how she has passed this legacy not only to her 5 children and their spouses, but to her 15 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren. She will be missed dearly by all those who knew her.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:28-30 (ESV)

Sad/Glad to Be Back in Kansas

We received some sad news last Thursday, that Brad's Grandma Gerry, who was on the road to recovery from her aneurysm, had suffered a stroke. The doctors are not expecting a recovery, and she is now in her final days.

She had really been making great progress - she was even able to go home last Tuesday. She is one strong lady - I guess you have to be to have 2 sets of twins!

We arrived back in Kansas on Saturday morning thanks to the kind people at American Airlines and a lot of shared airline miles. We are so thankful for the time we have been able to spend with Brad's family. Grandma Gerry has again surpassed all the doctor's expectations, but it is just a matter of time..... Brad has said that even though this time has been hard, it is a nice way to die; surrounded by your family and everyone that loves you.

Guest Post: El Ladrón

Brad here, I thought I'd take a turn posting on the Queso, and boy do I have a story to tell.

Okay, we're back from a long and unexpected break. Thanks for checking loyally, we promise to blog more often in the weeks to come.

We have much to report from the past weeks, so let's begin with our trip to the Lake Region. We had a wonderful time visiting Valdivia, Niebla, and Pucón, but the trip got off to a rocky start. Our journey began in Santiago, where we boarded an overnight bus. We had been told that on holiday weekends the bus station is crowded, so we took precautions to avoid the pickpockets that are infamous in this town. We finally made it to the right bus (despite our pedestrian understanding of the Spanish language and the Chilean accent), and settled in for a relaxing trip. We were even pleased to have a kind older gentleman show us to our seats and helped us place our bags in the overhead bin.

Only, after about 5 minutes, that kind man showed himself to be a very dedicated thief (a "ladrón" in Spanish). When I decided that I wanted to read a book I had brought with me, I discovered that the guy, instead of placing my bag in the overhead bin, had made off with it entirely. I was seething with anger, and he was nowhere to be found. Both Amy and I felt utterly stupid. We were now the dumb, trusting gringos that everybody targets. Things could have been worse, to be sure, because our passports and cash (and my iPod) were secure in my coat pocket. The real tragedy is that our camera was in our bag, so there are no pictures of our wonderful trip.

We searched the web for some photos of what we saw, and we will recount some of our stories in a few future blog posts, so all is not lost. And, a replacement camera is on its way, so we'll make sure to take lots of pictures as spring arrives down here.

Huge Aloe!

This is the biggest aloe vera plant I have seen so far in Chile, or anywhere! I found it one day when I was wondering the streets around our apartment! Now I try to walk by it whenever I go to the grocery store-it makes me smile! We had a great trip to the south of Chile; look for a lenghty post this weekend!

Doesn't it look like it could eat me?!?

Update on Grandma Gerry

For those of you who read this blog and don't already know, the surgery on Saturday went well. Brad's grandma did have a small stroke after the surgery, which is not surprising. The stroke did not seem to cause any lasting damage. She will be in intensive care for a few weeks so that she can be closely monitored. Thanks for all your prayers and concern.

Prayer Request

For all of you praying folk, we have a prayer request. On Monday, Brad´s grandma had an aneurysm and has been in the hospital since. On Saturday, she is having surgery to have the vein wrapped. The good news is that she has been able to visit with family and that the doctors found the problem. However, she has been having very bad headaches. Please pray for the surgery to go well and for all of Brad´s family, especially is grandpa. We really wish we could be with our family at this time. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Spring Is Here!

So I think I can post this entry without it getting cold again! We have had 5 whole days of sunshine and over 65 degree weather. I do believe spring has arrived!!!!

Aren´t Iris supposed to bloom in April? Not in the Southern Hemisphere!

Whenever I see purple iris, I think of my Mom! Enjoy!

Saying Hola y Adios!

So I realized I need to be sharing some of the unusual customs in Chile that differ from the United States. One item we´ve had to get used to is the greeting and goodbye kiss. This seems very European to me. When you see someone you know, you greet them with one kiss near the cheek. You don´t actually kiss each others cheek, but kiss the air. At first, I thought this was a little too personal, but now it seems less so. This cheek kissing is only done between women greeting women & men greeting women; men shake hands with each other! Also, when people say goodbye, Adios, is not the norm. Instead people more commonly say Ciao!

OTR!!!!

A few days ago we received the new CD from Over the Rhine. It is fantastic and once again Bergquist & Detweiler have out done themselves! I'm hoping since we pre-ordered the CD and had it sent to Chile, that maybe they'll consider coming to Chile for the Spring tour! Visit the website, OTR, and have a listen, especially if you are unfamiliar with this great duo!

Brad - The Author!!!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I´m married to an author!

Brad has accepted an offer from the Boston University International Law Journal to publish his article "Reconstructing the Odious Debt Exception" in their Fall 2007 edition. We are excited and I am so proud of him!

It is a very interesting article and I have been working my way through the 40-page article. I think I´m understanding most of it, but there is a lot of legal speak (thank goodness for footnotes)! Last night we went and celebrated at a local place called Liguria where we scored an awesome poster, which will become art work when we return to the states. More to come on that, later!

Congratulations, Brad!

Mercado Centro

Last Wednesday, was a national holiday, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Day. There are many National Chilean Holidays that coincide with the Catholic Church since 70% of Chileans are Catholic.

Brad had the day off so we went to the Centro of Santiago. We ate lunch at the Mercado Central and explored the fish markets. Brad ate machas (razor clams with parmesan cheese) and I had marisco sopa (fish stew). It was a fun day.

Mercado Central

Llamas out in the front of the mercado - I wanted my picture with them!

Earthquake & Snow!

Yesterday morning we had an earthquake! We had experienced some tremors, but this actually made the news (somewhat). It only registered 3 on the Richter scale. Brad was in his office, so he felt the effects more due to being on the 27th floor. I know it wasn't very strong, but I didn't find it that scary - just strange!

Not only did we have an earthquake, but we had snow in the evening. Of course in the mountains it snows all the time, but down in Santiago it hardly ever snows! When we awoke this morning, San Cristobal and rooftops were still dusted with snow!


View from our window of San Cristobal


San Cristobal from Brad's office

Another round of skiing!!!

This past Saturday we went up to the mountains to ski again! We had a great time and Brad was a superstar! It was amazing to see how much he improved since we went at the beginning of July. We were able to go higher up the mountain and try more difficult runs! I remembered why skiing was my favorite sport! It was so fun & breathtaking!

I found out that La Parva is over 10,000 feet - that must have been why I was out of breath and not from my lack of exercising! Santiago is only 1700 feet, which means the ride up to the slopes is pretty nauseating at times! There is basically one rode from Santiago to several of the ski areas and the road has each switchback numbered, all the way past 45!

Anyway, we had a great time & I felt surprised every time I looked up! See for yourself!


The Chilean Flag in a beautiful setting. This picture looks pretty, but man, was it cold! I think it was around 15 degrees Fahrenheit (-8 C). The flag is flying straight out, so one can see how hard the wind was blowing.


The town of La Parva!




A Chacarero sandwich, filled with meat & veggies. This particular one had green beans, tomatoes, and fresh aji peppers.