Also, I forgot to mention that I was interviewed by CNN CHILE this morning after the quake and that thanks to the amazingly gracious bugs in the Patagonia, I looked like Quasimoto from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, a huge red swollen eye that rivals those of Disney animators. I was looking sharp to say the least.

Update

I am safe. The country is in rough shape, but I am safe. I was on an airplane so I did not feel the quake, we were redirected to a small town that had minimal damage and are stuck here until further notice. Please keep Chile in your thoughts and prayers if you are the praying type. I do not have time to write much more, but I survived the hike, I survived the earthquake, take that nature!

Esteemed Readers

I am headed to the Patagonia to hike the W trail of the Torres del Paine. I am slightly nervous because the word pain is involved in the title, but nevertheless, I want to live with no regrets so I am attempting this. It will be a 6 day hike through the Patagonia (awesomely beautiful I am sure) and I will be unable to blog whilst climbing mountains, fighting mountain lions, scavenging for food, etc, so I will leave you with something to think about while I am gone.

Instants

If I could live again my life,
In the next - I'll try,
- to make more mistakes,
I won't try to be so perfect,
I'll be more relaxed,
I'll be more full - than I am now,
In fact, I'll take fewer things seriously,
I'll be less hygenic,
I'll take more risks,
I'll take more trips,
I'll watch more sunsets,
I'll climb more mountains,
I'll swim more rivers,
I'll go to more places - I've never been,
I'll eat more ice creams and less (lime) beans,
I'll have more real problems - and less imaginary
ones,
I was one of those people who live
prudent and prolific lives -
each minute of his life,
Offcourse that I had moments of joy - but,
if I could go back I'll try to have only good moments,

If you don't know - thats what life is made of,
Don't lose the now!

I was one of those who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer,
without a hot-water bottle,
and without an umberella and without a parachute,

If I could live again - I will travel light,
If I could live again - I'll try to work bare feet
at the beginning of spring till
the end of autumn,
I'll ride more carts,
I'll watch more sunrises and play with more children,
If I have the life to live - but now I am 85,
- and I know that I am dying ...

Jorge Luis Borges

February 17

Our last full day in Uruguay we found ourselves with Fernando, the tour guide from the winery. He did not let us down. We took a tour of Colonia, a quaint little port town that has become the weekend home to several Portenos (people from Buenos Aires). It is a beautiful town that has survived quite a bit, it changed hands 11 times during its rule between the Spanish and the Portuguese so it has a lot of flavor. We ate at La Florida and had the most delicious food. We walked around the city, took a lot of photos, and had a thorough history lesson. It was a great way to end our stay in Uruguay, but I do hope it is not my last. I inquired about my future there and am looking into getting a job there. I am in love with Uruguay. The people are nice, the attitude is relaxed, the food is delicious, the wine is spectacular, it is paradise.

This is a fancy restaurant in Colonia. The artwork is amazing and all done by the owner

We are great at posing, don't we look natural?

Mom and Doug in the courtyard of a lovely hotel.

This is a door knocker, look at those dainty hands and that ring, oh my.

This is the original entrance into the fort at Colonia.

La Florida, an original and sinful treat.

The Bullfighting stadium. It only lasted two years because the Uruguayans are far too civil to enjoy watching bulls die.

Fernando took us to the bed and breakfast of his friends, La Casa de los limones. Here are some of their lemons.

Here we are inside the bullfighting arena. We broke the law and trespassed so we could have a look and hear the acoustics. I was punished for my disobedience and saw a rat. I am still trying to cope with it all.

Tadpoles at La Casa de los Limones.

This is one of the main highways of Uruguay and it is lined with sycamore trees. People still use horse drawn carriages to get around on this street. It's like going back in time. I felt very Jane Austen-like on this road.

February 16

February 16th is always a day of remembering for me, usually it is spent remembering my dad and thinking about how much I miss him. This year I spent the day remembering that but also being reminded that the present is here and life is meant to be experienced and enjoyed, so I decided to try to enjoy the day, enjoy my amazing younger brother and my wonderful mother and the beauty that is Irurtia wine.

Ben, Lady KJ, and I started the day with a golf outing. Uruguay has few faults in my mind, but one of them is that there are far too many mosquitos in this country. We were eaten alive, but we didn't let it affect our golf game. Tiger Woods may be old news.
The afternoon found us touring a winery and meeting Fernando, our tour guide who soon became our friend. He was full of interesting facts and interesting insights into politics. We also decided that all problems could be solved over a bottle or several bottles of wine.

Here we are toasting, indulging, and solving.

We are dedicated to the art of wine.

Benjamin wine, in honor of the man, the myth, the legend, Ben Webster.

The process of distillation. We tried the distilled liquor right after this, it burned a lot and it was only on my fingertip. Ben grew some chest hair.

Here we are at Irurtia. This wine was divine.

Things I learned:

1997 was a great year for wine. If you see wine from that year, buy it.

The people of Uruguay love their wine.

The grapes here are incredible.

The government of Uruguay is dedicated to education. This year it gave 350,000 laptops to its students so they can utilize the internet.

I know very little about American and world history.

"Language is for communicating. You understand us and we can understand you, what more could you want." Fernando

Buenos Aires

I apologize for this post's layout. I have been having a hard time uploading pictures and my lack of technology skills is definitely becoming a problem. Maybe I will sign up for classes.

Here we are La Boca. This area of Buenos Aires was founded by the immigrants and they made their houses out of whatever materials they could find and painted them whatever color of paint was available. Now it is full of artists and is a really awesome Bohemian area. There is art all over and lots of street performers doing the Tango. Doug got propositioned here by more than one gorgeous Argentine woman.

This is the grave of Jose de San Martin. He was basically the toughest and smartest guy around. He liberated Chile, Argentina, and Peru all without modern technology. He was someone you definitely did not want to mess around with. He could kick all of our bums in the blink of an eye. The Argentine people adore him .

This is at Cafe Tortoni, a local cafe where famous writers, poets, and artists would gather to share their thoughts. Here we are with Jorge Luis Borges. He is my favorite author and was brilliant. He wrote most of his stories after he was blind. His writing is beautiful and I highly recommend it. His poem Instants is my favorite poem, google it. I'm trying out my assertiveness for the classroom.

The Plaza de Mayo and the Argentine equivalent to the White House.

During the Dirty War of Argentina many of the opposition to the government "disappeared." Every Thursday mothers of the "disappeared" gather in the Plaza de Mayo demanding answers about their children. If you are interested in this at all there is a great movie called La Historia Official that deals with this. I enjoyed it and it won an Oscar so the Academy must have liked it as well.

Here we are at Evita Peron's grave.







Lady KJ and I listening to Juliette, our tour guide. We are extremely attentive and interested students.







Buenos Aires from the air.

Celebrating Saint Valentine, South American Style

Doug and my mom were gracious enough to share their Valentine's Day with us. We started the day with a horseback ride through the golf course and then had a pastry class. We made Chocolate Mouelleux that was divine. When I return I will make it for you if you ask. It was a great day and I got to spend it with those that I love so it was very fun.

The pastries we created. Don't they look romantic?

Me, riding a horse. A truly romantic Valentine's Day.

Day 2

I must apologize for the next few posts, I am not savvy enough to use Doug's computer with skill so there will be many many mistakes. I will try to make it up to you with wit and humor though.

Enjoy!

From left to Right:

J (my host brother), Angie (mi madre Chilena), Paulina (my host sister) me, Marilyn, Lady KJ, Ben, Patrick, Andres (Paulina's boyfriend) *Not pictured, Doug, thanks for the photos!
Shrimp

Twice because I am not savvy enough to know how to delete it.

Textiles

Glass at Los Dominicos

Our second day we got off to quite a late start, so late that even the Chileans were no longer serving breakfast. Yikes. We made the most of our day though and were quite busy.

We started off the day at Los Dominicos, the Artesian market and had a great lunch. I convinced everyone to try some empanadas (they were quite a hit) and the Pastel del Choclo (a crazy delicious corn meal that includes a lot of meat). Everyone was adventurous enough to let me order for them and I think everyone but Ben was satisfied with my choice. We walked around the market and enjoyed looking at the local crafts.

We continued the tour at the Fish Market. This market has fish I have never seen before and would amaze my Grandpa. I think of him every time I go there. We picked out some fish for dinner and it felt so environmentally and economically friendly to take the metro to the market, buy our locally caught fish, and take in all the local smells. It felt like what every liberal arts major dreams about.

We then went to the Plaza de las Armas and checked out the cathedral. It is really beautiful and very European. It is the original cathedral built by the Spaniards and is extremely ornate.

Ben and Doug took a nap (hicieron tuto) while I convinced my mom to go shopping with me. It was great having some mother daughter time and she was a real trooper because I know she must have been exhausted. Mom, you're the best!

The Hanley's were gracious enough to agree to host my Chilean family and my American family for dinner and we had a blast. My Chilean family is very kind and it was great having them meet. It also felt like how I imagine it will feel to introduce in-laws, a bit overwhelming but really fun. The language barrier made it very interesting, but everyone was a good sport and there was quite a bit of teasing. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my older siblings for preparing me for a life of teasing, thanks to you I have become accustomed to it and actually quite enjoy it.

James/Webster Adventure Day 1

My mom, Doug, and Ben arrived this morning. Marilyn Hanley (the angel) and I picked them up from the airport bright and early. Marilyn drove us straight up to San Cristobal (the official name of the Virgin) and Doug took some great pictures. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so Doug has saved you from loads of my writing.
They were exhausted, but agreed to let me play tour guide. I tried very hard to impress them with my Spanish and to act like I knew exactly what was going on. I'm not sure how successful I was at either, but we had loads of fun. We took the double decker city tour bus and wandered around Santiago. We ate at this lovely restaurant called Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate, yes like the movie). It was delicious. I introduced them to the Pisco Sour, the official alcohol of Chile aside from the wine. From there we went to the National Fine Arts Museum and enjoyed exhibits by some of Chile's most famous artists. It was beautiful. We continued the tour, but exhaustion took over and soon everyone was sleeping on the bus so we returned home, took naps, and then went to a place called Tip y Tap for dinner. We had some great wine and some typical Chilean food. It is so great having them here. You should all come visit too, I really like visitors!

It was a long day, but they were troopers.

A statue of Pedro de Valdivia in the Plaza de Armas.
I have always wondered how these get cleaned.

Ben, me, and mi madre.

A cool sculpture in Bellavista (an area of Santiago)

Here we are at Como Agua Para Chocolate

My beautiful Mom and Como Agua Para Chocolate.

A stray dog playing the water.

I am so happy he is here! My favorite buddy.

Shopping!

Today I ventured outside of my comfortable and luxurious apartment to a little part of the city called Los Dominicos. It was like something out of Disneyworld. It's this lovely little Artesian village inside of an old church. If you are anything like me, you are thinking, isn't that sort of a bad idea, selling stuff in a church. While it sounds less than glorifying to God, it is really sweet. The shops are cute and the people are kind. There was a pet store which is actually just a large cage selling chickens. I tried not to think about it too much, but it was a bit unnerving watching the cage while eating my chicken filled lunch. There were also lots of cats wondering the premises which was a bit unnerving as well. These restaurants would definitely be closed down in the states due to the wandering animals, but once again, I try not to think about it.

I bought some great things and was able to find Zach's birthday present and a gift for Evey. I'm sure you are all dying to know what I purchased, but it would ruin the surprise. Rest assured, they are glorifying to the Lord.

Pictures will be following, but my computer refuses to connect to the internet so until I become savvy enough to fix that, you will have to endure my words only.

A very nice perk of living in Santiago during February (aside from the weather) is very little attention is paid to Saint Valentine's Day so I am not continuously tempted by the sweet treats of Hershey's or the cards of Hallmark. I am really jonesing for some cookies though.

A Chilean Graduation

Hello All!

The government of Chile has awarded me a certificate as an official graduate from Spanish in Chile. Which is awesome because my Spanish is improving slowly and my English is decreasing rapidly. Learning a language is hard, but really really fun (the program paid me to say that). The graduation was fun. We presented a few theatrical pieces and one song (written by yours truly and the rest of my class) and then we ate some great food. The program is in the process of making a promotional video and decided to interview me. Now, I'm not saying the camera loves me, but it does love watching me make a fool of myself. I can hardly talk on camera in English, so being interviewed in Spanish was a hilarious experience and the director loved laughing at my quips (they don't translate in Spanish so I think he thought I was a bit crazy). Nevertheless, it was a growing experience and will definitely be used against me if I ever decide to run for office.

I shall spend the next few days relaxing around Santiago and then my lovely mother, her husband, and my little brother are all coming for a South American experience. And an experience we shall have, I will show them around Santiago and then we are headed to Uruguay. Doesn't that just sound awesome? I am really excited for it.

Here is the group in front of La Moneda (the Chilean White House).

This is on the beach in Pichilemu. It was ridiculously cold, I am wearing all the clothes I brought in this picture.

The girls on the beach. I love this photo.

A visual assault everyday.

This is how I feel every day, a little confused, a lot interested, a little lost. (It is possible I am staring at the couple above in this picture).

The beach again. When I was like a total surfer, dude.

Traveling Soul

Hi all!

Currently, I am preparing for my "graduation" from Spanish in Chile. How exciting. We are going to have a lunch tomorrow to celebrate our success (obviously I have had much success because I can adequately express to a cab driver where I need to go). I am really excited for our lunch. Supposedly, it will be a real Chilean experience. I am assuming that means a lot of meat and lots of alcohol. It could end up being a very long day.

I have really enjoyed the Spanish program and the other people in the program. They are really nice and pretty fun. We had an impromptu dance party this evening which included lots of photos, I'm sure they will be coming soon. A few Chileans showed me some moves, so be prepared for my return. You should fear it.

Here is a list of things I would like you all to appreciate because I miss them:

Peanut butter, oh the sweet, protein filled taste of peanut butter.

Shopping in a grocery store and understanding what you are purchasing.

Sunscreen not locked up (in Chile it is in a glass case and it takes approximately 17 minutes to find someone who has the capability to open it).

Being able to articulate your thoughts at your own personal level.

Here is what you are missing:

Really good wine.

Really good empanadas.

Rhythm.

Funny conversations and agreeing to almost anything because you don't want to be offensive (i.e. a bbq/dance party/English lesson).

Pictures to follow.

Have a great weekend.

Concha y Toro

Today we went on a tour of a famous winery, Concha y Toro (translated roughly to mean lees and bull). If you are like me, you have no idea what lees is so I will have you know that it is the insoluble matter that settles from a liquid. It was gorgeous and is basically in Santiago. They are famous for their Casillero del Diablo. This is the second time in two weeks I have descended into something named the Devil. Let's hope that it is just a coincidence and not a trend.


Things I learned:
The vines at this vina produce about two kilos of grapes.
It takes approximately one kilo to make a bottle of wine.
Chilled white wine in this heat is hard to beat.
I also learned how to properly test wine, but I can only show that in person and only when I am wearing my cocktail attire.

Welcome to a little piece of heaven on earth.

My artistic creativity astounds even me.
The wine was strong. I was stronger.

The fruit of the vine.

American Oak, it will be coming to a store near you. I recommend trying it.

This looks disgusting, but tastes divine. Fries, chicken, onions, hot dogs, and eggs, who knew?