Ever since I returned to Chile on January 2nd from the United States, where I passed the Christmas holiday, I've been busy as a tree (I'd argue a tree is busier than a bee). On January 3rd I left with some students from San Lorenzo on a ten day work trip in a location several hundred kilometers south of Santiago, in Pichidegua. We returned the 14th to Santiago and had a few days rest before taking off again, this time for the south of Chile to Patagonia. There we took part in a two-week mission trip in the towns surrounding Lago General Carrera. I went to a small town called Guadal and Jer went to Murta. In total, we were around sixty young people from the movement dispersed among about five towns. And after the mission ended on the 29th of January, we stayed around Patagonia to work on the farm owned by the movement and help with the internship of a compatriot, Gabriel Molina, who is studying agronomy and who also partook in the missions. We started work on the first of February and worked until the third of March, when we flew back to the life we had left behind in Santiago. And now I'm writing from Santiago, more or less with haste because, in the words of the dude: certain things have come to light.
So, I would like to express retroactively my apologies for not being able to blog for the last couple of months, and also to alert you all that you will not be hearing from me via this mode of communication until July. I am shipping off again for Patagonia to spend the next four months in the formation house of the movement in San Jose de Mallín Grande, to live again what I have just finished experiencing. It really is hard to put into words everything that we experienced, but I hope to write as much as possible before I take off on Tuesday, so as to justify and pacify anyone who has been estranged by my nonexistent missives.
I know this was short and probably not too sweet, but at least I can leave you with a few great photos from my time in the south. I have tons more, and Jer has tons more that are way better than mine, but unless you have facebook, you'll have to wait until July to see them. But here are a few.
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| A shot of us with our tools in front of Puesto Blanco, the gaucho post where we lodged for two weeks. Zoom in for some good faces. |
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| A shot of the mountains from near Guadal |
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| Our group 'paseo' out of Guadal during missions |
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| Nicasio Luna strumming at the final barbecue for the missionaries (lamb is roasting in the forefront) |
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| Jer working his magic in the kitchen at Puesto Blanco |
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| A view of the lake and the mountains from the road to Gaudal |
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| Mountain view from Casa San Beda, the formation house |
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| Jer and me during our Sunday afternoon paseo through the foothills |
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| Kite master J |
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| Our camp and adjoining barn at Puesto Santa Clara in the mountains |
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| The 'spot' overlooking the lake from the farm |
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| Fly fishing fully outfitted ;) |
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| Night Chillin' |
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| A nice cliff for a sit |
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| The formation house, San Beda |
So that's it for now, but I assure you you will get at least a few more lines of text before next Tuesday.
Until then,
Andrew
