Is it wrong?

I'm sitting here at my school desk, breathing a sigh of relief and smiling...no, grinning...no, actually, I'm beaming. Why? I just said goodbye to my students for our two month summer vacation. I love my students. I really and truly love each one of them. And yet...I'm beaming. Is that wrong?

By the way

Click here for our Macchu Pichu photos

It seems I have forgotten to mention a small detail here on our blog....we went to Machu Picchu!

Traveling into the Sacred Valley feels like stepping back in time. Sadly, Peru is an incredibly poor country. As a result, many of the people who live there (paricularly those in the Sacred Valley) live in small huts and farm the land the same way their ancestors have for generations. We saw field after field where oxen, attached by a yoke, were plowing the dirt with an old metal blade. Farmers hacked at the sun-baked soil with ancient tools. It was an incredible,but heart breaking sight.

During our time in the Valley, we visited local markets, spent days hiking through incredible ruins, we squished ourselves into one of the most crowded micros ever, and we ate the big, fat Peruvian corn (seved with a slab of cheese) any chance we had.

It was an amazing experience. The fact that we also got to see Machu Picchu itself was just the icing on the cake. It was such an incredible feeling to be walking through these ruins and thinking what life must have been like for the Incas living there.

It's the end of the world as we know it...

We just got back from an R.E.M. concert that was awesome. Admitedly, I am just an average R.E.M. fan. Or was, shall I say. I am now a full-fledged genuine fan of R.E.M., and particularly of Michael Stipe.

I was enjoying the show, which was really entertaining. Not long into it, the most amazing thing happened. Michael Stipe asked the crowd if they had been following American politics. The crowd's reply: defeaning boos, hisses, and palabras malas towards the mere mention of the U.S. It made me cringe to hear it. I think someone would have to be living under a rock not to realize how much of the world views the good ol' U.S.A. these days, but this was the first time I'd heard it myself from a crowd of thousands of people. Michael Stipe continued on, summarizing that this was the most important election in our lifetime. The moment he mentioned Obama's name (and projected his image on the jumbo-tron), that very moment, the boos, hisses, and swearing immediately turned to cheers of jubilation and excitement. The Chilean crowd then broke into unified chanting of "O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA!" It was one of the most powerful moments I have ever experienced in my life--one I will never forget. I have been so busy during the past 2 years focusing on what Obama means to me personally, that I barely paused to think of what he means to the rest of the world. It was during this moment that I finally let down my guard and allowed myself to believe whole heartedly that Obama will absolutely, positively be our next president. He must. I don't just hope anymore. I believe.
And in the closing lyrics from Mr.Stipe tonight (not coincidentally, he pointed out):

It's the end of the world as we know it....and I feel fine

gigantic. hairy. tarantula. in. our. bed.

That just about sums up the reason for my new arachnaphobia induced paranoia. I turned, curious as to what had made Brett exclaim in mild shock, "Oh, my!" When I spotted the hairy monster tying to crawl away from Brett's looming figure over the bed, I pretty much lost it. Stepping into the role of the brave hero, Brett trapped it in a huge yogurt container while I tried to snag a photo of it for you all to see here. Notice there is no photo. I simply did not have the guts to look at the thing long enough to get a photo. It might have had something to do with the fact that Brett had to keep shaking the yogurt container, as this baby was attempting to climb out. Did I mention it wasn't a single serving container...it was family sized?

I should fill you in on a major detail here. The tarantulas down here are non-venomous. Call me crazy, but I don't find much comfort in this. It helps a little, but when faced with having a gigantic hairy spider on your bed, it's not like you're that rational in the first place.

The Chileans refer to these non-lethal tarantulas as pollitos, which translates to "little chicken". I'm assuming it has to do with being fluffy and roughly the size of a chicken. Maybe they eat chickens for breakfast. Brett insists that our pollito was in fact a pollitito...just a "poor baby tarantula who probably got lost and wound up in our bed."

I have been getting the heebie-jeebies all day, convincing myself that I just felt something crawling on my leg. on my side. on my neck. wherever. I just can't shake that feeling like something is there that isn't supposed to be. I hope this fades soon. There has always been a pollito check before crawling under the covers at night, but you can bet they'll be militantly thorough starting tonight.

Spring Blossoms

Spring Blossoms

The birds are singing...the bees are buzzing...spring has finally arrived at the cabin! There's nothing that cures the winter blahs like a yard bursting with blossoming fruit trees. They smell so incredible, I don't have words to describe it. Above are some photos of our spring time blossoms.

Dance the funky chicken

Absolutely nothing. That’s exactly what we’re doing right now and it feels great. We’ve had one of those weeks where we both have been running around like mad. Nobody celebrates a day of independence like the Chileans! In fact, the official day is still a week away, but you’d never guess it by the way the folks down here have been having festivals, performances, sporting events, song & dance, and all around general festivities.

The week long merriment was kicked off last Saturday with the Fiesta Huasa, a celebration of the huaso, which is the Chilean equivalent to the old western cowboy. People from near and far come each year to our school campus to play typical Chilean games and to see the Cueca dancers. “What’s Cueca?” you might be wondering. Cueca (“kway-kuh”) is the national Chilean dance. Both partners dance with hankies, which the woman uses to demurely hide her face behind and the male swings it around above his head (which kind of reminds me of the Minnesota Twins’ homer hankies from the late 80’s). Generally you will only see this dance performed in the countryside by the huasos and huasas, but during the month of September, you will often see it throughout Santiago. It is meant to represent the courting ritual between a rooster and hen. Which, come to think of it, makes it sound a little odd. It certainly doesn’t sizzle like the Argentine Tango, but it is a fun tradition to watch. Today I stumbled through my first cueca and loved it! Below are some photos of Fiesta Huasa (both this year and last), and one of my students dressed up in traditional Chiean wear for our school assembly.

Chi-chi-chi-le-le-le…Viva Chile!!


Arturo, school custodian extrodinaire! Dressed up here in his huaso attire, Arturo is one of the most genuine men this world has ever known. Here he is passing around a Chilean liquor (made of corn)that is stored in a glass jug and drunk from a bull's horn.


Brett is apparently a fan.


Cueca dancers




All of our administrators kick off the fiesta each year by arriving on horseback. Giddyup.


One of my students donning a typical Chilean outfit for the dance from the Northern region.

Little Green Goodness

I have discovered that I am deeply in love with brussel sprouts. That’s right…those little cabbage like veggies that make most people gag. They’re tiny. They’re tasty. They’re perfectly packaged in their own little leaves. They grew on me slowly, but now we’ve found a way to work them into nearly every meal. Omelets with brussel sprouts for breakfast? Why not! Rice noodles with peanut sauce? Don’t forget the brussel sprouts! Don’t be surprised if you come down to visit and Brett and I serve you vanilla ice cream with brussel sprouts on top for dessert. We’ve not yet tested that one, but I believe it merits a trial run. I tried brussel sprouts once as a kid and nearly puked they were so awful. I decided to try them again as an adult, since there was an abundance of them at the market where they were flowing over the table and spilling into the eggplants below. A little skeptical, I bought just a handful and tossed them into a stirfry. I had no idea that biting into them releases a spicy mustard flavor. I am forever hooked. How do you think they’d taste with Cheerios in the morning? Maybe I should talk to General Mills about marketing that one. Lucky for me, I have an in there.

The Cabin

Remember that old t.v. show Green Acres? We are living that show. We left the culture, the art, the international restaurants, the overall excitement of city life for a little ramshackle cabin in the Andean foothills that seems to be held together with Bond-O.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving life in our little cabin…it is just the exact opposite of what we had before. Previously if we had a few extra hours, we might have met up with some friends for a drink in Bellavista, walked up Cerro San Cristobal, or gone out for Thai food. Now if we have a few extra seconds to spare, we’re trying to figure out how we might possibly warm our cabin up by a degree or two, or how we can make the crazy path of stairs down to our place slightly less treacherous. Seriously, the stairs leading down to the cabin are ridiculous. The woman who lived here before us broke her leg on them and I’m convinced there is an ungraceful face-plant lurking in my future. I couldn’t watch when the “moving guys” (a.k.a. the friends of a friend of the son of a guy who drives our school bus) were hauling our refrigerator. I was terrified that the guy on the bottom of the final rickety set of steps was going to wind up as a pancake before the escapade was over.

Luckily, this winter was much, much warmer than last year, although I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s comfortable in the cabin. We’re keeping warm by way of a terrifically inefficient fireplace and a propane heater on wheels.

The shower is, umm, well, interesting. We haven’t met the neighbors yet, but I’m pretty sure they know who we are. When Brett took his first shower in the cabin, the water temperature caught him slightly off guard. I’m hoping they’re not fluent in English profanities.

On the flip side, the cabin is super charming, and has much more personality than our last fairly sterile apartment. So while it has been somewhat tricky to figure the place out, we’re well on our way to make it our cozy new home. Mark and Melissa, you are our inspiration! You have set an awfully high standard for what you can do with an old cabin.

Just in case you thought I was being a bit dramatic about the Green Acres comparison, here is an aerial:



Some other photos:

Choppin broccoli in the puffy

2 Chilean standards: Machas and red wine


Did I mention the cozy factor?

Mas Familia

I love my family. Yes, yes, I know. Most people do. But not only do I love them, I love to be with them. As you can imagine, living a hemisphere away doesn't exactly lend itself to frequent visits. So when I get to see my family I get very happy. Imagine my complete and total giddiness, then, when I got to spend several weeks visiting with so many family members. There was time on the lake with my dad and Susan, beers and bag-o with my brother, two road trips with my mom, a flight with my sister. There were the conversations into the wee hours that my brother and sister and I love to have. There were some serious heart-to-hearts with both of my parents. And the general catching up after a year or two of not seeing aunts, uncles, cousins, and my grandparents. My grandparents. They are the kindest and most generous people I know. I love sitting around, playing cards with them and hearing old stories. It was pure bliss, even though we never got around to gin rummy this trip.

I hope you all know how much these visits meant to me.

Family Time (part 1)

While we were back in the States, Brett and I parted ways for a couple of weeks so we could each visit our families. Brett's take:

I was lucky enough to get to make my semi-annual pilgrimage up north to the enchanted lake country of Minnesota. I spent quality time with friends in their lake cabin, along with all their sets of kids…a new generation of friends! I then ventured off alone in a canoe to find a perfect northland campsite for listening to the calls of loons.



The Nelson/Myer family trip to Wisconsin Dells was a raisin-toed success. It was great getting to spend time with our new wonderful nephew, Coleman, and his big sister, Kylee. We loaded up into 2 cars and drove to the Midwest’s waterpark capital. We spent many hours in waterslides and lazy rivers, and took a boat tour of the world-famous Dells (beautiful rock formations that had been carved by the Wisconsin River). Kylee and Coleman absolutely loved playing in the pools and slides, which proves that these water-loving munchkins have been Minnesota-born and raised.

Take Me Home Country Roads

Woot-woot! When we got back to the States, we high-tailed it out to Colorado. Nearing our valley on 1-70, you can catch glimpses of one of our favorite home-town rapids, Shoshone, on the Colorado River. I was kind of like a monkey in a tree trying to climb over Brett’s driver’s seat in order to get a sneak peek of how it was flowing. My efforts were well rewarded—the river was looking fantastic, and miraculously, we managed to make it home for the peak of high water! It was pretty dreamy getting together with friends and playing in the mountains. We managed to fit in quite a few days on the river where we rafted with friends, I got in some fun rapids with the kayak, we got to see a free concert of one of our old favorite bands (Freddy Jones Band), we went backpacking in the Maroon Bells, the bluegrass band Brett plays with, Hell Roaring String Band, did a reunion gig at Ella, we got to camp and hang out with the A-town posse (including the little guys, Bodhi and Mason), we had numerous breakfasts at the greatest brekkie joint ever—The Smithy—and we even attended the dedication ceremony for the largest array of solar panels on the western slope of Colorado—located in our home town! It was great to be reminded of what a strong community we’ve been a part of for the past 7 years. Our Carbondale housemate, Bobby Fresco, even put together a welcome-home bash complete with pinatas, kegs of great microbrews (which we only dream of down here in Chile), and all our good friends. The only sad part of the trip was the goodbyes. Three of our close friends were leaving the Valley for good (or so they now say), so we were trying to fit in some fun times together. Good luck back east, Margaret, Adam, and Morley!

Below are a whole bunch of photos from our trip. I tried to make them smaller, but if you want to see it in full scale, just double click.


~Brett backpacking in the Maroon Bells
~Bluebells in Maroon Bells!



~Curious mule deer
~Playing music with friends

~Mason and Bodhi chillaxin at the campsite
~Tired Monkeys

~Brett and Margaret
~River Rats between trips

~Fun in the Sun
~Goodbye and Good luck Adam and Marg!

~Garry sippin some java
~All smiles with Special K

~Bye Morley...we'll miss you!!
~Milk's for babies. Got cream?

Long time, no blog

We’ve been super busy over the past few months, and as a result, we have completely neglected our blog. Now, I know what you’re thinking…"Don’t worry Nicki, really, nobody’s even noticed!" But hey, our one dedicated reader (a.k.a. my mom) was asking about it, so I’ve made a promise to her that I’d get back in the groove.

4 month update (this could get windy): I flew back to Iowa in April for a wedding. My friends from high school, Anna and Tom were tying the knot in Des Moines, so I took a week off of work and headed back to the U.S. I was expecting to be greeted at the airport by some major culture shock after living in Latin America for a year, but other than the mind-boggling politeness of the Iowa drivers (after you….no really….after you!) I wasn’t too fazed. I had an absolutely phenomenal week catching up with friends and family. I got to see some friends from way back when and I also got to meet Sarah and Cam’s super cute new baby boy, Eddie. The wedding weekend was absolutely fantastic! I was lucky enough to have gone to school with Anna since junior high and with Tom since high school and we were all panthers together up at UNI. So, while the wedding weekend was definitely a celebration of those two, it also felt somewhat like a school reunion. It was so great to see faces I hadn’t seen in over 10 years. Congrats Tom and Anna!


Tara, Robyn, Anna (the bride), Heather, and me



Eddie Hybels doing what he does best--looking super cute!

Towards the end of the week my sister flew in from Chicago along with her hubby and their (not-so) little fella, AJ. They went to the wedding along with my mom and brother. I hadn't seen A.J. since he was three weeks old, so I was in heaven watching him make silly expressions and trying to walk on his own. He has since become an expert at it, but at the time he was just starting to think about it. A.J.'s godmother threw him a birthday party for his 1st birthday, and I got to squeeze in an hour or so there before heading back to the airport. We’re having a great time living in Chile, but the hardest part is definitely being so far away from friends and family. Skype is a good way to get a fix, but there’s nothing like holding your one year old nephew while he falls asleep on your shoulder. After the week- long trip in the U.S. I headed back down South for another two months of teaching. The end of the year was pretty darn crazed, as we were trying to wrap up the school year, move to a new place, and plan our July trip back to the States. We barely made our flight, but once we did it was smooth sailing for a month of summertime fun!

A.J and me laughing at our goofy selves!

Farmers' Market

Brett and I thought we hit the jackpot as far as farmers markets were concerned, when we moved here last July in the middle of winter. We had no idea what was in store for us when summer arrived! We spent the summer munching our way through fresh local produce, the volume of which we had never seen before. There were cherries, peaches, plums, stawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, nectarines, grapes (all kinds), avacados, grapefruits, you name it, we ate it! There were also fun new Chilean discoveries that we had either not tried or never heard of before: chirimoya, tuna (not tuna as we know it, but a little green cactusy fruit, which reminds me a little of kiwi), fresh figs, fresh dates, the list goes on and on! There are also several tasty fruits that we eat from time to time that we still don't even know the name of. There is some type of fruit that is orange and looks like a blown-up puffer fish, complete with spines. I keep asking the name of it, but my brain can't seem to remember what it is called. I think perhaps it's because I really just want to keep on calling it puffer fruit.



As fall is winding down and we're starting the long, cold march into wintertime, we are enjoying checking out the new array of produce. We've switched from eating many fruits to eating many vegetables. We've been eating lots of fresh beets (my favorite) and zapallo, a type of squash (Brett's favorite). We've also been buying monster butternut squashes...one of them could feed a family of 5 for a week! We've been making lots of tasty fall soups. (And by "we" you all know that I mean Brett, of course! I can't cook to save my soul.)

As a part of the Shaw tradition, Brett's mom makes a killer persimmon pie every year for Thanksgiving. I just noticed at the market last week that they had a mountain of persimmons, which I have never used before. I might not be able to cook, but I do fancy myself a baker. If I can manage it soon, I'll be sure to post a photo...



These shots are from our favorite local market, where we buy our produce every Sunday. The merchants are lovely, and always inquire where we've been if we don't make it each week. There is also another market nearby, La Vega Central, which might just be the biggest farmers market in the universe. It is housed in an enormous warehouse and spills out into a continual hodge-podge of vendors for blocks. It is open daily and sells everything you can possibly imagine. It is an incredible place to buy your goods, but we prefer our local little market where we can chat with the vendors.

We saw quite an extraordinary sight at the market just last week...there was a little old granny who I would guess to be about 90 years old. She was just a tiny little thing who was maybe 4'9"or so. She was thin and was peering from behind her big specs on a chain at the zapallo, the squash that grows to about the size of the Great Pumpkin. The vendors set a huge zapallo on a chopping block for the day and when you tell them how much you want, they pick up the big machete and hack off the amount you've requested. Granny didn't have time to mess around with the vendors. When she had decided how much squash she wanted, she went over, picked up the huge machete (which looked like it weighed more than she did) and she hacked vigorously at that zapallo until she had her little hunk. I had to pull Brett out of the danger zone, since he was standing right next to her when she started swinging. Go Granny!

The Mad Hatter's Psychedelic Hideaway

As our car was driving down the gravel road less traveled, what should appear to our eyes but this trippy sight:

As we went driving past this bizarre structure, Tara and I insisted on stopping to found out just what in the world this building was. Was it a wacky woodsman's LSD induced labor of love? Some cult's waiting point for aliens to suck them up into the sky? Nope. Turns out this odd little building is actually a super swanky resort for posh Chileans who would like a little down time in the middle of nowhere. And, once on the propery, we realized that it's not so little. This building is attached by a looooooong hallway to another, newer and much swankier, section of the hotel that was tucked into the trees of the forest. I was shocked to find such a luxurious retreat when I was actually expecting to see some nutter mumbling incoherently to us about the end of the world drawing nearer. I am anxious to return to this hotel and stay for a few nights, as I'm so intrigued by the oddity of it. It truly is beautiful inside and takes full advantage of someone's amazingly talented architectural mind. Brett, who loves woodworking of all kinds, was marveling at the intricately detailed design and trying to figure out how, exactly, they had built this place.

As you walk down the long hallway, the floor is actually made of glass so you can see the little indoor stream they've created, which, as you near the fine dining room, rolls over the edge of the floor and turns into an indoor waterfall. The waterfall pool is then the base of the circular floor plan that reaches something like 12 stories high, spiraling around one very tall tree. The guest rooms are centered off this circular spiral. The woodworking that went into this creation is quite incredible. If you'd like to stay for awhile, let me know, because I'm trying to plot my return adventure. If the description so far doesn't tempt you, it has a wondeful rooftop lounge with a pretty spectacular view.

Torture by Potato Chips

Our friend Jhan is a self-proclaimed potato chip junkie. If his wife Tiffany would let him, he would probably eat Doritos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That being said, there are always bags of chips around when Jhan is road tripping. Luckily for the rest of us, he is also very good at sharing. After the group polished off a huge bag of Cheesey Poofs one particularly satisfying afternoon, Tara declared, "That's IT! Not another chip will touch my lips for the rest of this trip!" She stuck to her statement throughout dinner, when the rest of us were enjoying corn chips with fresh guac. The next day, though, she found herself squished into the backseat with Brett and Jhan for a fairly long leg of the journey. You can imagine the big-brother like teasing that ensued. Here is a photo of Brett and Jhan torturing Tara by devouring several bags of potato chips right next to her. When you're looking at the photo, be sure to imagine all the comments they were making like, "Mmmmmmmmmm, these are the best chips I have ever tasted...they're so crunchy!" Nice pinky lift, Jhan...how refined.

Los Lagos

Brett and Tiff cooling off from the hot springs in the icy cold river

While I was all blissed out on the beach in Pichilemu, Brett bussed down to the Lakes District to meet up with our friends, Jhan and Tiffany, who are also teachers at Nido. When I got back from Pichi, I flew down to meet up (along with another friend, Tara) and the 5 of us had a ridiculously silly week, road tripping through the Lakes District and laughing our heads off most of the time. We camped every night and swam in the crystal clear water by day. I can't think of the last time I felt about 12 years old and so carefree! Jhan and Tiff had already been on the road for a month and a half straight, camping every night in an effort to see the southern part of the country. Their car was loaded down with gear, gear, and more gear. Add to that 3 bikes and 5 people, and you're talking a pretty tight squeeze! I think we weighed down the car a bit more than we realized, which eventually led to a disasterous creek crossing, followed by some time spent at a dusty mechanic shop. They patched us up with what was essentially a rubber band and told us that we "should probably be fine to try to make it back to Sangiago...maybe". We're here now, which means we obviously made it back in one piece. We returned just in time for Jhan and Tiffany to spend one night at home before heading back out to climb El Plomo, a nearby peak which towers somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 feet. Brett and I came back to Santiago to meet up with our friends from Carbondale, Dave & Shannon and their 2 kids.

The Sweet Spot

During our travels in the Lakes District we hopped around, camping each night at a different lake. There was one however, that outshone the rest. The campsite was ideal--there were shady spots to hang the hammock, our own private beach to lounge on, and a lake that was the perfect temperature for swimming. We came out of the lake pretty much only to eat, read, and nap. It made for a very relaxing few days. The only problem occurred when I realized the necklace Brett always wears was missing. It was a handmade gift from our friends in Hawaii, Eldred and Ancelyn, so it has a lot of sentimental value. Tara and I decided to go on a quest to find goggles in the tiny little town nearby and start searching for the necklace on the bottom of the lake. Growing up in the Midwest, I was used to lakes that are murky and mucky and where you're lucky if you can see your hand in front of your face. I felt certain that since this lake was so clear, we would find the necklace if we just looked long enough. But alas, after much searching, it was given up for lost. I did include a photo of Tara in the very stylish goggles, though. They have since been retired to the Halloween costume box.

The Sweet Spot also came with a little stray kitty that we managed to tame with some warm milk and late night cans of tuna. McFriskers, as our camp mascot became affectionately known, almost found himself traveling back to Santiago to make a new life in our apartment. We figured this beach bum kitty would be terribly upset with us if we moved him into an apartment in the city, so he's still roaming the beaches, searching for sucker Gringo tourists like us who feed him whatever he wants.