sorry dog

I just saw a street dog get run over by a car. It has surprised me that I haven't seen it before. Those dogs are everywhere and it's not like the cars look out for them or try to dodge them at all. Well, now I've seen it and I hope I don't have to again. Sad.

I went into the office yesterday, it being Monday an all. The internet was still not working, I'm getting pretty sick of that place.
Me and Dylan are planning on leaving for Puerto Natales tomorrow, to do a 3 or 4 day hiking trip over new years in Torres del Paine National Park. The park and the mountains there is pretty much what this area is known for so we figured we had to go see it before we left. And I think we will be leaving here before too long. We were planning on staying untill the end of January but for different reasons we will probably head out a little sooner than that.

So, unless I don't write again this year; Happy New Year peoples!

Annandag annorstädes

I don't want to be a Grinch, constantly complaining about the summer x-mas, so I will try and just tell you what has been going on without much fuss. Christmas eve, after the caroling, we went back to the little house (where we live with Jaime & Feliepe) and started cooking. The night before me and Dylan had been asked to bring some appetizers to the big dinner, so we made baba ganoush and bacon & palmito rolls. Jamie made three different kinds of desserts and Randy made a Spanish tortilla. We were here cooking untill 9:30 or so, dinner was suppose to be at 8 so we were right on (Chilean) time. Then in the big house we had a huge family dinner, there was so much food some dishes were not even touched. It was all delicious, I didn't eat the lamb or turkey of course but there was plenty of other stuff...potatoes, breads, casseroles, cous cous with corn and avocado....we were all stuffed.

Then it was just like new years, a countdown for midnight. 3,2,1...Feliz Navidad!! And everyone got up and walked around the table, face kissing and huging each other. We had tea and coffee with some cookies and chocolates and then moved into the family room and opned our gifts by the tree. It was all very nice and then we went back to our little house to go to bed around 1:30 am or so.

Yesterday the family had a big get together at their other grandpa's house but me and Dylan decided not to intrude and stayed here. Unfortunatly all the delicious leftovers were locked up in the big house so we missed out on that feast....
It was a long and lonely christmas day and I really wished I had been somewhere else. Anyways, next year.
Basically we had a really good christmas but it was really short. Tonight we might be meeting up with Randy and Juri and hopefully do something fun. I wish I was home though, today is the big homecomming night in Umeå and everybody who's home for the hollidays goes out.

Feliz Navidad!

It's funny, at home Christmas is over and in the US it's not untill tomorrow. I have talked to my family and Dylan has called his grandma. It's 5 pm here and we're cooking, wrapping the last gifts and getting ready for the big dinner. Feliepe brought 5 lambs with him from his work (the slaughter house) and they're just laying out on our floor now, headless, skinless and lifeless. It does not look appetizing to me at all, but other people are drooling all over the carcasses.
Earlier today we did go and watch the choirs, which was nice and did make it feel more like christmas. Feliz Navidad para todos!

Candy and carols

Christmas tomorrow, I hardly expect the long lost Christmas feelings to suddenly appear before then, but I still look forward to dinner and a nice evening with the Twymans. I may even drag Dylan with me to watch an American boys choir that will perform Christmas carols at Plaza del Armas, downtown at noon tomorrow. At home, we always go to church at noon on christmas eve, and I'd like to hear some carols.

We now have all the presents ready, I just have to wrap them. Since we figured Mama & Papa Twyman already have so much stuff and there's not really anything we could get them that they couldn't just get themselves, I brought out my inner Martha Stewart and made candy yesterday. Three different kinds, Polkabark, Dumbo's kisses and peanut&cookie clusters.

The Polkabark is a simplified version of Ataharis recipie since I couldn't find all the ingridients. It's just melted dark chocolate with chrushed candy canes that you spread out pretty thin, let harden and then break into pieces. Dumbo's kisses I made since Dylan really likes peanuts and they turned out nice (I let D try one), but it almost made me sick having to deal with so much peanut smell making them... It's chocolates with peanutbutter inside and chopped peanuts on top. And the clusters I just made since I had left over chocolate, peanuts and crushed cookie pieces in chocolate. I bought a nice white trey to put it all on and red ribbons to go around. I hope they will like it.

time alone, together & apart

My weekend that was to spent all alone has so far presented itself with a surprising amount of company. Friday I went into the office for a few hours, and then ended up having dinner with Dave and Paulina, two of the people who work there and live in the house where Nómadas throw all their little slaves together. We made tacos and I think it was good to get to hang out outside the office and get to know each other a little better. I have so far been under the impression that Paulina doesn’t like me much, but the other night we were talking and now maybe we can chat a little in the office too, which would be nice.

Yesterday I worked at the Hotel. It was slow and peaceful as usual, untill the end of my shift when Pamela (I guess she’s kind of my boss since she’s the only one who knows a little English and therefor the one I take orders from) came in with her son. He was a 24-year old psychology student, just home from the university in Santiago and he spoke English. Pamela made us tea and we sat and talked for about an hour. Afterwards I felt like he had crawled into my brain and taken a big dump. Maybe he was just playing some reversed mind game that is supposed to make people feel 100% unpleasant, but if not I feel truly sorry for whoever is going to seek counseling from him in the future.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactely what it was that made the conversation so disturbing. For example, he asked about my favourite movies, but by stating “Titanic is the best movie ever, yes?” And when I said “you, think so?” he just smiled this freaking anoying smile and said “no, but this is not about me.”
He asked if my face got red or if I got very sweaty when I exercised. He said, not asked, said that my dream job was to be a secretary. And it went on and on. Every time I tried to make the conversation a dialouge instead on an interrogation, he just dodged my question and threw it back in my face.

It was like he was really trying to piss me off, and he certainly did, I just don’t know why. And I really like Pamela, she is the sweetest lady ever who always makes me tea and brings me snacks and refers to everyone as her little angels. So I didn’t want to get in an argument with her son where I would not doubt end calling him an asshole or something worse.

So when I was walking back to the house, I was really looking forward to a night all by myself. But as I’m in the backyard watering the grass, this random guy appears from the house where I live and says “Hello, my name is Jorge and I will be sleeping here tonight” I was definitly surprised, but he had keys for the house and explained he was Feliepe’s friend who was in town for buisness and had an early flight to catch in the morning and Feliepe had offered him to sleep in our (well, his) house. So, instead of quality time with me, I got to learn about slaughter houses (Jorge and Feliepe both work in the meat buisness), family companies and the pressure of being a young boss. Since Pamela had brought me dinner to take home and eat, I just told Jorge to help himself to whatever he wanted in the kitchen and opened a random, cheap bottle of wine. He made a sandwich and then told me he dreamt about opening his own restaurant and that food and wine were his biggest passions in life....”well, you’re welcome for the sandwich and the 4 dollar wine” I said and felt like an excellent hostess.

He was nice though, and it’s always interesting to hear about worlds that are so different from your own.

Today, I am actually alone so far. I plan on taking a walk to the one mall that’s open on Sundays and look for some presents. Dylan and Randy should be back tomorrow. I hope they’re having a good time. I know I said spending a few days apart would be good for me and D, and it probably is. But I was ready for him to come back Friday night.

Don't forget the sun screen

Dylan and Randy left for a weekend hiking trip early this morning. When I woke up, left at the house were: Randy's boots, both their hats, Dylan's sun glasses and the candy bars. The sun screen was gone though, so that's something.

I work at Ilaia (the Yoga Hotel) tomorrow so I'm staying put in Punta Arenas. Also, I think it will be good for the two of them to spend some man time together and me and Dylan a few days apart just to get something new to talk about.

Giving it back to the Twymans

This is post number 100 on this blog! Just wanted to mention it. Now we can stop celebrating.

I just cut Dylan's hair. He's been wanting to get it done for a long time but didn´t want to go to a hair dresser and we didn't have any scissors, untill last night when Jaime presented a pair. So now he is in the shower and it looks like a sheep got naked on our floor.

Yesterday we got Jamie & Feliepe an early X-mas present, a sprinkler for their new lawn which they have to water every night. We bought it at the hardwear store that mr Twyman owns and where Jamie also works. Damn thing broke when Dylan was going to install it, but hey...no big deal, Jamie just took it back with her when she left for work this morning. We also got a nice leash for walking Ljuiba, that is going to be the gift for Christmas day. We bought it at the pet store that the family also owns...this way it's like we're doubble giving.