July 4th A Winter Holiday!

We had the pleasure of celebrating the 4th of July in a foreign country. We Norte Americanos gathered for sloppy joes and potato salad and swapped patriotic stories. Our group leader, Elder Benson dressed for the occasion.

We are not so self centered that we don't appreciate the fact that not everyone celebrates the 4th. Our Canadian brothers and sisters came dressed for the occasion. Vecinos is Spanish for neighbors.

President Ted Lyon, is the president of the Santiago Temple. He is a retired Spanish literature professor. He recited from memory Patrick Henry's famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech. It impressed and touched us all.

Our fair city is putting on its winter finery. It is cold at night and our apartments are very uncomfortable. I now wear long underwear and am thinking about getting a night cap.

This picture of the Andes was taken from our bedroom window. I will miss this when I leave but sometimes our bedroom feels like the Andes look. BRRRRRR

We spent the actual 4th of July at the US Embassy enjoying a celebration. We needed our passports to get in and had to go through a security check like at the airport.

There was a flag raising ceremony. The thing I loved about this experience was that it was all in my beloved English. I have been longed to hear my own language in public settings. It was a treat.

And of course, we were thrilled to meet the Obamas and enjoy the day with them. I will never forget the 4th of July in Santiago, Chile.

Real Estate in Chile

I have been interested in the unique homes in Chile. So I want to share a few of the more interesting ones. In every town in Chile, you will find huge mouldering mansions that are literally turning to dust. This one was on the coast south of Santiago in San Antonio. These old houses don't appear to be apartments now. They sort of look like maybe ghosts have moved in.

This next series of homes are all within walking distance of my apartment. I am convinced that the Latin mind is much more tuned to color and design. I don't think this blue would make it in our neighborhood in Boise.

One of the amazing things about Santiago is that in the year I have lived here, the power only has gone out once. Now in Boise that is a common event. Perhaps, we need to bring some of the Idaho Power crews down here so that they can learn how to run power lines.

All properties in Chile are gated and there is no getting to the door without ringing a little buzzer and talking to the people inside. Most fences and gates have sharp things on the top.

This apartment is not in my neighborhood but in Los Andes about 1 hour north of Santiago. I show this as a contrast to my neighborhood which is upper class. Some of our missionaries live in this apartment so it isn't considered too terrible.

Many of the upper class live in apartments like this lovely Mediterranean style building which was constructed in 1948. Santiago has many of these older buildings which give the city a distinctive European look. This building is one block from my apartment. There are always bird cages hanging out the upper left hand window. The canaries and parakeets compete with the traffic noise.

Another neighborhood gem. Thankfully there are no paint covenants in our part of town.

Isn't this fabulous! It is actually a duplex which is common in the city. Maybe you would call them townhouses. We watched this one get renovated and it is now for sale. The place looks like it came right out of the art deco era of a Hercule Poirot movie.

Another amazing house marred by amazing wiring!

Now if I could choose a sweet little house for me in Santiago, it would be this one. It is right across the street from a neighborhood park and is neat as a pin. The arches that you see are actually vines that have been carefully pruned. Charming. But........I bet it doesn't have central heat or air conditioning. The windows are all single pane and the garage is only big enough for a Volkswagen bug. There is no yard to speak of and the neighbor next door has 9 stories with windows all looking down into what little yard you have. Welcome to life in a city of 7 million people with an economy that keeps most people so poor that a home like this is only for the very few. Chile is one of the best governed countries in South America. Unfortunately, its public education is of such poor quality that only the children of the rich can get ahead because their parents can afford private school. There are about 1000 families in Chile who control all the wealth. As a result the price of everything is fixed and there are no good deals anywhere.

As an American, I always knew I had it good. It isn't until you get to live out of the United States that you come to understand just how good you have had it. That is one of the blessings our young missionaries are getting as they learn to live in South America.