Veggies

I went to a little open air market today. Very small- only about 6 tables, but I was on the hunt for romaine lettuce, and I spotted it. OH MY GOSH, the thing was huge. It cost 600 pesos, which was just over a dollar, but it could have fed an entire family of 10. I am attaching a photo, as I don't seem to have a better story or photo right now. The food grown here is very big- a basketball sized cabbage, corn that is not called corn is the diameter of a softball. It looks like corn on steroids. Anyway, I brought the romaine home and washed it, and now it takes up the entire bottom shelf of the frig.

Knife sharpener man

Everything here makes noise. My washer sings a little tune when you turn it on. We have cell phones, home phones, a phone used to summon the guard downstairs. The refrigerator beeps if you keep it open for too long. The drier gives a low beep, but the microwave is a lyical bell tone. So, when, the other day, a ding ding ding keep going on and on and on, I thought, HECK- what's happening now! Turns out it's outside, and it's a man going up and down the street blowing a whistle that's almost as offensive as the Catholic Church's bell (see previous post). I find out from Richard and my neighbors that it's the knife sharpener man. He walks up and down the street, and if you need to have your knives sharpened, you just walk them down to his little truck and he does the job. I have some pretty dull knives, so next time I'm gonna try it. AND if he doesn't stop blowing that whistle I'm going to take the sharpest one and cut that whistle to pieces, Ginsu style!

Los Dominicos

There is the most amazing shopping area at the end of the Red Line on the subway. All of the shops are filled with only handmade Chilean things, and it is truly a wonder the things these craftsmen have created. I will post pictures another time, but if anyone comes, we will definitely be going to Los Dominicos. To get there a group of us boarded the subway, and sat down to have a nice ride. We were half way there and noticed that all of the people got off the entire subway about 2 stops from Los Dominicos. Well, we thought, we'll have the subway all to ourselves! How strange. The doors don't close. A subway employee comes to us and rattles off a BUNCH of Spanish, and we just smile and say, "Los Dominicos". He rattles off more Spanish and we just look at each other as if to say "What?" He finally makes a grand sweeping motion with his arms and say, in his BEST English, "Off!". We then figure out that this subway was being taken offline, and he was desperate to get us to disembark. I'm sure he was thinking "Stupid Americans!"

Mia and Esme, my cats I feed

The Church

Not too far from us is a very nice Catholic Church. I can see the cross in the daytime from my porch, and at night I can see the cross from my porch. The cross on the top of the church is lit up with Christmas lights. And, lest you forget when noon rolls around or when church starts, they have the most hideous bell you've ever heard. It sounds sort of like the clang clang of come-and-get-it triangle on the back of a chuckwagon. I am sure they love their bell. BUT- I think they would be secretly pleased if we all took up a collection and bought them a new and improved bell. Something will a nice lilt to it. A nice bong instead of a clang. I do like the lights on the cross, however, and, although not as nice as the neon "Jesus Saves" sign in downtown Houston atop a Baptist Church, it is a beacon of good that shines when the darkness falls.

Interesting things

There are so many interesting things I've encountered that I'm just going to have to list a few to catch up. The eggs and milk are not refrigerated here. It doesn't seem to affect the taste, but it is very different. Milk comes in a little box, and there are just millions of little boxes on the shelves at the grocery. The Chileans are very fond of bread and avocados. The Texas Burger here, at a sports bar, has a fried egg on it. They have a fruit here called a pepito, which is quite good. A cross between a pear and a melon. There are small green parrots with grey chests everywhere, and they make a lot of racket. Everyone kisses you on the cheek when they greet you, and they will touch you on the shoulder or arm. Very close contact. They also have no qualms about asking you questions, even if they don't know you. Lots of affection shown in public.

This photo is my favorite so far. This was a beautiful door in the Concha y Toro Barrio, and I just had to take a picture.

Snow pictures

Here is the latest snow picture.