Viña & New Year’s Eve

I left Santiago a little later than first planned, as Paul and I went to a party the night before and didn’t get back home until about 6am. This meant that I didn’t get up until about 2 and that was when I forced myself to get up. Anyway, I made my way to the bus terminal, via the metro, purchased my ticket to Viña and after a 20min wait, I was on my way. After about 5mins on the bus, I was gone and I didn’t wake until about 5mins before the bus arrived in Vina. Great timing if you ask me. Danny and his brother Esteban were waiting for me, which was great. However, as I was late, it meant that we would not make it to the 7pm church service for NYE. We walked to the metro station and started heading for Villa Alemana. Danny called his Dad to say that I had arrived and that we were on our way and that we may go straight home, due to the time, 7:30. He answered that the service hadn’t started yet and to still come there. So we did. That night I met his parents and many of his church friends. While in line for Holy Communion, a girl started talking to me in English, asking “Are you Alex’s friend?”. I had no idea who she was and which Alex she was talking about. Only after further discussions with other people, I learnt that she was Daniel’s sister, Thalia.

The following morning we went to Church. The first time I have ever been to church in Chile, all my previous visits included. I was introduced to other members of the church and many stopped to chat with me and I struggled to communicate, as I was still thinking in Portuguese and at Pabs’ house, we only spoke in English. It was great to talk to the Anglican Bishop of Chile, as the Anglican Church in Villa Alemana is his home church, before he became Bishop. Later in the day, the youth of the church went to play football at one of the local pichanga grounds. We had a great afternoon playing and teasing each other. It was great for me, as I got the chance to talk with others, either in my limited Spanish or their limited English.

The following day was NEW YEAR’S EVE. It was also Charlotte’s birthday, so I tried to call her to wish her a Happy Birthday, but they were not at home, so I left a message. Later we all sat as a family and had our final meal together for 2007. We all then prepared ourselves for the different festivities we had each planned for the night. First of all, the men were to go to the northern end of Viña del Mar to watch the fireworks with a bunch of others. So Leo (dad), Daniel, Esteven and I all made our way via the metro and then a bus to our fireworks viewing location. The fireworks were great and they stretched from near we were to the southern end of Valparaiso, some 15km. The whole show went for about 20mins, but I don’t think it is good as some shows I have seen in Melbourne. I think this is due to the vast distance that they need to cover and not just a few kms of Yarra River. All said and done, it was nice to welcome in the New Year with new friends. Now it was off to various parties and events that Daniel had discussed and organised with his friends. I was just tagging along for the night, as I was unsure of where the good parties where, the ones that Daniel had been talking about.

We finally made our way to southern end of Valparaiso, walking half way and then catching a bus for the remainder. We then walked for about another 30mins up a huge hill. I think I counted about 1,000 steps, as it was too steep for a road. I was thinking to myself, “This had better be some location to have a party”. Maybe it was to be, so high up and so close to the sea, could only mean a great view of not only the city but also the sea. After 30mins of climbing we arrived at a small plaza that was overflowing with people, far too many to count. I asked Daniel, if this was the place and he said it was. There was no DJ, no dance-floor and no bars. I was beginning to wonder if there was going to be an organised party. I think one look and I knew, it was not going to be. Mind you, Daniel and his friends made an effort to communicate with me, in both their poor English and my even poorer Spanish. I even started talking to a girl who had been crying. I think I was feeling the same. Mind you, she had just had a discussion with a guy, who she classed as more than a friend and he had said a few drunkard things back. I think after 6hrs of standing, my back was killing me, so I asked Daniel, if we could go home. We made our way to the bus and then back to the house. I think we arrived at about 8am. I went straight to bed. Welcome to 2008!

It was also great to join in on some church activities. One such event was going to the Beach in Viña for the afternoon. About 8 of us jumped into a mini-van and we made the 45min journey to the beach. It was great to sit and chat and catch some rays. I even went for a quick swim. Mind you the water was a little colder than what it is in Melbourne. I think it is due to the vast deep waters of the Pacific Ocean that wash against the Chilean coast. Thalia joined us later, as she was doing a few things in town and Daniel was being his usual self, trying to get fresh with the girls. It was an enjoyable time, relaxing, talking, walking and playing on the beach. Not to mention, looking at the local ‘wildlife’.

Daniel and I also went camping with 3 of his friends. The five of us loaded ourselves into the car along with the tent, our clothes, food for both dinner and for breakfast and 4 bikes. We made the 1.5hr drive to the local National Park, where Leo (dad) had arranged for our free entry. He works for the National Parks of Chile and it is nice to have contacts. We set up camp and the others went for a ride on the bikes, while I stayed and looked after things. It was a great time of relaxation for me. We all bonded very well over dinner and shared stores and conquests of love. It was very funny. That night I slept in the tent with Danny and Guaton (translates as Fat). I woke up in the morning with the worst pain on my left side. I must have slept on a rock. I was in pain for about a week and could barely move my arm. Luckily we were only staying for one night and not 2. The only bad thing was that ‘Vampiro’ had driven his car home early on the second day and rest of us had to ride home. We left the park at about midday and arrived at the house at about 8pm. I was so tired and my back was in such pain. Mind you, I had a great time, even though I was ready to drink a river and sleep until 2009. Thanks to Thalia, my pain was eased a little with some massage and a cream similar to ‘Deep Heat’. It still took about a week for full movement to return without any pain.

Thalia and I would go to the local fresh produce market on most Wednesdays. I would love this weekly trip, as I could really get a feel of what the local traditional lifestyle was like in Chile. The aroma of the fresh herbs and some spices would fill the air. Thalia and I would have competitions trying to guess which herb it was. Thalia had done a study on the market for her University course and had gotten to know some of the stall owners, so when she asked to certain items, they would tell her to put the one in her hand down and they would give her one from a box behind them. These items usually looked bigger and better. However these trips would usually mean that I would be cooking with fresh produce, on our return to the house. I did quite a bit of cooking in VA and quite a bit of cleaning in the kitchen. I think my sister can vouch that I do not like to have a dirty kitchen. Clean as I cook and make sure the kitchen is better than before I started using it. I left the Moder family with my Self Sourcing Chocolate Pudding recipe, as it was very popular and went down very well.

There were two special events that I undertook with Thalia, within my last few days in Vina. As they say, you save the best for last. One was to go to the last of the opera performances in Vina. We went and saw ‘Carmen’ with the Symphony Orchestra of Chile. We were in the special VIP section, because one of Thalia’s lectures knows the Lord Mayor of Vina, so he organised the tickets for us. It was a great evening, as after the opera, we met up with some of Thalia’s choir friends and we went out for Karaoke. Only problem was Thalia and 2 friends had waited for about 2hrs for their turn to sing. When the music started they looked at each other and said, “that’s not our song” and when they did that, they got the donkey. They sound a donkey over the PA system, if someone is a bad singer or does not sing at all... We left straight after that, with the 3 girls saying it was not their fault, even though they had chosen the song. The second event was to go Kayaking in the ocean. Thalia wanted to treat me to an experience that I had not had before. Yes I had been Kayaking, but not on the ocean. It was such a wonderful experience. I think that Thalia thought I was not liking it, as I didn’t say much at all, but I was, as I was enjoying being in solitude. I felt that it was just God and I out on the ocean, a real spiritual experience. The hot shower after the cold waters of the ocean was just fantastic. I really enjoyed spending the time under the hot running water! Hot showers are always good. Next time Thalia, don’t leave your wetsuit behind and if you see my sunga, please grab it for me. Thanks.

During my time in Villa Alemana, I would have various talks with various members of the family. Sometimes they would be short and others a little longer and more involved. I spoke to Daniel about some of his future plans about studying and also about girls. I also spoke to Daniel’s Mum, as one night she came home and it was just the two of us and she asked if we could talk. A little strange, when you have only known someone for about 2-3weeks, but this is Chile. We spoke about many things, She in Spanish and I in bad Spanish. Mind you, I think the HS was at work, as we were able to communicate and I did far fewer ‘No Entiendo’ as I have done in previous conversations. You know that the conversation is very emotional when you see a grown women cry, but it was a wonderful conversation with her and I think that God had allowed us to have that time alone. It was very special for the two of us. I also had many conversations to Thalia about various things in her life and in mine. Sometimes, I don’t think she really liked what I had to say, but I based everything on biblical references and principals. I really enjoyed our talks, as some of the topics we shared and spoke about were very personal. I just hope that I have helped her. I know that she said a few things to me that started to make me think about things. I guess first impressions can help. Thalia, I hope your walk with God is strengthened and is better from our conversations. Muchos Abrazos. Keep smiling.

I also went and did many other activites in Viña, Valpo and Villa Alemana, which are too neumerous to discuss. I went to several birthday parties (Happy Birthday Mirty and Nicolas), people´s houses, resturants, etc. In gerneral it was a good time, not always fun, but a good time.