In a country where we saw a man cut a sizable lawn with scissors, you've got to suspect that a construction site might not be using all the latest technology to build a house.  I'm learning first hand how to build a house the old fashion way.  We leveled the foundation with a hose, we cut wood with a handsaw and we recycle as many nails as possible, straightening them against the ground.  It's been a backbreaking and entertaining experience.  I'm learning some spanish and fine tuning some of my carpentry skills.  The Chileans that I'm working with are ingenious, problem solving in ways I couldn't imagine.  They are used to making things work without the right material or tools.

I'm not belittling the way in which things are done here.  In fact, I think the house that we are building will be strong, last a lifetime and withstand any earthquake.  They do things really well here.  I'm interested in seeing how the finer details of the house, the finish work, turns out.

Speaking of work, it turns out that Chile's normal work week is 45 hours, rather than our 40 hour work week.  They work 6 days a week for 7.5 hours or 9 hours a day for 5 days, rather than 5 days a week for 8 hours.  Maybe that's one reason their economy continues to grow while ours has stagnated and even lessened of late.

That's all for now.  I've got to get back to work!

What an adventure!

In the documentary 180 degrees South, Ivan Chouinard said that he thought people overused the term adventure.  At the time, I agreed with him.  An adventure should take one to the brink or edge of human possibility.  Now, however, I'm of a different mind.  Adventure is something that I think is accessible to all people and in many different ways.  You don't have to go to Timbuktu to find adventure or jump off the tallest buildings.  I think adventure lies to the side of the path you currently take.  All you have to do is veer off your routine to find adventure and the joy of discovery that adventure gives you is, and most likely will be, attained.  That said, having a child is an adventure!

We are having a grand adventure here in Chile.  We are learning to think in a more Chilean fashion.  For example, I wanted to get my paraglider from Iquique to Santiago in one day (a very gringo thought).  I asked all the bus companies and shipping companies if this was possible and I was stonewalled (not possible).  Then I realized that I wasn't thinking like a Chileno.  I went to one of the bus companies again and explained my reason for needing to send my paraglider by bus... I have a baby that can't go on the bus with me etc...  I was immediately given a ticket for the bus and my glider was on its way.  I had to think Chileno before I could access the obvious.  The nuances of life here are very different than the US.  It's not better or worse, it's simply different, and that is where the adventure begins.  Finding out how to do things and to operate within a different system takes us in funny circles, sometimes around the whole city once or twice.

On a personal note, the family is doing great.  We arrived in Pichilemu on Monday afternoon after a few days in Santiago.  We will be here for the next 2 months or so, which is exciting.  We want to sink our roots in and give Jaden some stability for a while.  We are staying in a Cabana on the hill with the most amazing view of the ocean.  We live next to the owners of the Cabanas Buena Vista.  They have two children with which Jaden can play.  I'm working construction within eye and ear shot of the house.  It's literally a perfect setup.

I'm going surfing tomorrow and from my living room window it looks like it's going to be big.  Kate starts Spanish classes next week and Jaden is going to have his first babysitter for a long time (since Dia  and the Grandmothers).  We are excited to give Jaden some more exposure to Spanish.  He is so amazing.  He learns new words everyday.  Unfortunately one of those words is "no," but that's okay I suppose.  He's starting to let us know what he likes and doesn't like.  It's simply amazing watching him grow up so quickly.  If you'd like to take a look, check out the youtube videos found here:

www.youtube.com/user/katembarker

Having fun in Iquique!  Flew over the city countless times!

One of Jaden's new tricks! Funny boy!

Jaden loved playing with the fountains in Iquique!

I love chocolate!

More flying

Jaden checking out one of the wonderfully busy parks in Santiago.

We had a great hike in the city.

Another great view of Santiago!

Our new place in Pichilemu. Jaden's chillin on our deck.

Our front yard, with the construction job behind the palm tree.  We ripped down that shed today.

Spring flowers are going crazy everywhere!  Jaden calls them "caca."

Back to work.

What a looker!

Just having some fun on the beach.

The seafood is delicious here.  Argentina is famous for their beef.  Chile is famous for their seafood.  Mmmm!!!!

realities

We're up in the North of Chile in the Atacama Desert.  It is the driest place on Earth outside of Antartica.  It receives rain every few years and only very little at that.  The average rainfall per year is measured in millimeters. I'm flying once, twice, three times a day now.  The lift is everywhere and the flights are exceedingly gorgeous as I fly over 1000 ft sand dunes and the city to land at the beach.

We are starting to realize how difficult it is to travel with a baby.  I know that all babies are different and it might be easier to travel with one baby over another, but I also know there are some universal realities to traveling with a baby that makes it more difficult.  Number one, they are heavy.  Anytime you move cities, places to stay, etcetera you must not only carry your 20+ pound baby, you also need to bring all their stuff.  As we don't co-sleep that includes a baby crib, on top of the clothes, diapers, wipes, toys, and food that you need at all time when traveling with baby.  While traveling with baby, one must also consider nap times and schedule accordingly.  Does this flight leave before his nap, so he can sleep on the plane or after his nap so he can sleep at the house?  Or will baby simply go without nap (a daunting thought)?  All of this adds up to spending more money.  When traveling with a baby I can guarantee that you'll spend more money.  Your not going to want or be able to hunt down the cheapest deals when arriving at a new place.  So instead you find a comfortable place to set up and if it's too expensive you'll end up hitting the streets while baby naps.

I'm not saying that traveling is a bummer with a baby.  I think it is a wonderful adventure.  I appreciate the process that we go through to ensure that Jaden feels comfortable and secure at all times.  That said, I'm excited to settle down in a couple of weeks in a place where we plan to stay for at least 2 months.  I'll be working construction, building a shed and cabana with a Chilean contractor for a couple of gringos.  It's a two month job that gives us free living and a ride to the surf a few days a week.  Plus I'll get the added bonus of working in the spanish language, while learning some more building skills.  I'm excited about it.  Kate will be staying home with Jaden, taking Spanish classes and doing some babysitting on the side.  We are making it work out here and are still hoping to find English teaching jobs some point in the future.

Here are some more picts!

Jaden meeting a couple of Carabineros on caballo(police on horse)

Shopping in Santiago

Plaza de Armas Santiago: A clown making some money making fun of everybody, including Jaden!

The clown took this picture as he pretended to run off with our camera. The whole crowd was dying of laughter

During Siesta hundreds come to play chess! Young and old, it's pretty cool!

The castle in Santiago that was built by Validivia the conqueror of Chile

From the top of the castle we got a spectacular view

There are stairs and archways everywhere.

Modern, airport art!

Our place in Iquique is a converted shipping container.  It's pretty nice, really!

The sand dunes above our hotel!

Jaden's getting better at walking, but he still thinks an orange is only a ball!

Family photo

We find some interesting signs around here.  These are posted in all ocean cities.  Evacuation in case of Tsunami.  Unfortunately the guy in the picture didn't get a big enough headstart.

Iquique

Sand dune fun!

Yeehaa down a steep dune!

Nice playgrounds around here

Yeehaa!  Some flyin!

paraglider vs. baby

Going to the town center to buy food and everything else, I’m reminded of how different this place is to where we live.  The Home Depot, Costco and our local Super markets sell tens of thousands of items each.  Yet when you’re there, you can’t find an employee to save your life (especially in the Home Depot).  In a larger Mercado in Chile it is much different.  Many of the markets specialize in one area, so you aren’t going to find food and clothes like in Costco or plants and tools like in Home Depot.  Your definitely not going to find the volume and/or variety of stuff sold in these markets.   Yet, today I had a hard time maneuvering down the isles due to the sheer amount of employees cleaning, selling and working in various capacities.  It seems that Chile doesn’t want to “downsize” their employee base to increase their profits.  Maybe this is a key to the success they are experiencing in the global market.  Everybody has a job here.  It’s amazing!  Perhaps we can learn something from these emerging markets.

On a personal note, we are struggling with how best to travel with a baby and a paraglider.  It appears the paraglider has taken a back seat to the baby.  We just flew up to Iquique, a paradise for paraglider pilots, boasting some of the best flying in the world.  However, I had to send my paraglider here via snail mail because the airlines could only accommodate a certain amount of weight.  Baby clothes, toys and pac-n-play win, my paraglider lost.   Oh well, it should show up in a couple of days and I’ll be flying once again.

Jaden is doing okay.  I’d be lying if I said that he loves sleeping in new places every few days or weeks.  Kate and I are starting to get really excited about settling into a place for a few months.  Kate especially.  She’s been doing a tremendous job keeping this little baby happy and asleep at night.  He’s been waking a lot lately and we’re hoping that this all settles down as soon as we settle down. 

He is an amazingly resilient boy though.  His vocabulary is simply taking off.  He now points up into the air and says airplane.  He also knows the parts of his face: eyes, ears, mouth, and teeth.  These little things bring joy to our lives and we love watching him excel even in the difficult situations of travel.  He’s learning patience, acceptance and a lot more that I can’t even imagine.   I’m so happy to get to spend so much time with him at this point in his life.

No berries until spring!?

We've been made weak by the luxuries of our decadence.  What I mean is that we've (kate, Jaden and I) become so accustomed to having blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and other summer fruits at all times of the year, it came as kind of a shock to us that this part of the world doesn't operate the same.  I thought it feasible that Chile, of all countries, might be importing summer fruits and vegetables as much as they are exporting their fruits and vegetables.  Next time you go to Trader Joes, check out how much produce we buy from Chile.  I thought it was reciprocal, that they might be buying our summer fruits as well, but that isn't the case.  We've had to adjust.  At first we were taken aback.  What do we feed Jaden.  Berries has a been a staple of his diet.  After almost every meal he'd have a couple nutritious and tasty berries.  It's forced us to become more industrious.  For now, he's contented himself with potatoes, peas, carrots and the like (a winter diet).  It's a healthy and nourishing diet.  It makes me wonder why we didn't focus on these things before.  I know the answer though, and I'm not sure I like it.  Summer fruits are tasty, inexpensive and easy (i.e. you don't have to cook them to make them soft, chewable and tasty for a baby).

We know the berries are well on their way, as a lot is blooming in the inland valleys.  But I've got to say, it's been fun learning to cope with the realities of our environment.  In fact, it's been good for us, a healthy bit of mind flexing.  We've got to be more industrious.  I wonder if we'll bring these experiences home with us or will we simply go back to what's easy and tasty.  It should be noted that the practice of importing food from all over the world is extremely damaging to the environment.  What's the carbon footprint of the blackberry you ate in the dead of winter that was flown from Chile?  I bet it's pretty high.  I guess that's why their is a movement to buy local (probably better for the economy too).  

While I'm on the topic of food, we've had a great time tasting the local cuisine.  The last week we've been in a series of festivals around their Independence Holiday, El 18 de Septiembre.  The barbeque (asada) has been absolutely wonderful.  

Before arriving, we worried about buying organic, as that's how we shop in the states.  But what we've found pleases us.  The eggs that we buy are from the local farms and households in the area...i.e. free roaming/grazing chickens.  We buy meat from the local butcher and it is some of the most tasty meat I've ever had.  It's also hormone free as it's also local.  Basically there isn't a movement for organics here because they never really strayed from good old fashioned farming.  It's a pretty novel concept. 

Overall, everything is great.  We continue to enjoy our time here and I have a job.  It starts on October 10th.  I'll write more about this later.  

When Jaden wakes from his afternoon nap, we're headed out to the fonda (party) to people watch and enjoy the spectacle of patriotism.  It's pretty off the hook here.  I've never seen this kind of fervent love for a country.  It's fun to be part of.

 Here are some pictures from our trip so far...

paraglider check, stroller check, a bunch more stuff check, seriously what are we taking!

I love flying, just like my Daddy!

Our first place in between Valparaiso and Vina del Mar

Jaden's first haircut.  Without sideburns he kind of looks like Jim Carey in the movie Dumb and Dumber

Punta de Lobos is a strikingly beautiful place!

Got to appreciate the coming of spring

Yeehaa!  I can't feel my hands or feet but the long rides can't be beat!

He's starting to walk!  La Punta con las olas esta en el fondo.

Our Cabana for the last 2 weeks.  Great spot

Quality time with the boy....lovin it!