Earth Day March for Water

Monday was Earth Day, and Santiago observed the holiday with a big March for the recovery of Chile's water.  Water has been privately owned here for 32 years, and people all over the country are living with the consequences.  About 87 groups from all over the country were present at the march.  

For more info on the movement, read this article that I wrote last week for Revolver Magazine: http://www.santiagomagazine.cl/special-events/00931-flowing-towards-la-moneda-earth-day-march-water-rights

(you can click on these photos to see them in a larger view)

Art and the Outdoors!

This weekend I was able to get out of Santiago and into the hills!  Besides hiking, climbing, and eating lunch next to waterfalls, I've been channeling so much creative energy as well.  Art classes, exhibits, and painting for fun with my new set of acrylics.

Fun art exhibits!

Me, Paige, and a llama

painting!!!

in Ceramics Class

My friend Oscar's Ballet at the Chilean National Ballet

Friday day-hike

Climbing at Jurassic Park with people from school!

Illegal Ferias

The ferias in Santiago are one of my favorite parts of the city's culture.  They consist of people selling used clothes and other objects, handmade jewelry, sandwiches, sushi, cupcakes, special cupcakes, candies, people doing capoeira, forming drum circles, playing didgeridoos, children frolicking, and more!  Ferias are beautiful expositions of Santiago culture, a celebration of sunny Sunday afternoons, a chance for people to sell their art, and a place for people to get together outside.

The thing is.... they are illegal.  The ferias pop up here and there, spontaneously and by word of mouth.  One will establish itself in a certain park and be strong for a couple weeks, only to be busted by the carabineros (police).  Then the vendors and the general public will slowly decide on another park or plaza.  That one will get really big and wonderful, then be busted like the rest.  Finding one in its prime is pure luck (or perhaps the people you talk to).

A few weeks ago I went to an amazing feria in Parque Forestal on a Sunday afternoon.  When I first got there, the police were lurking around and everyone was very obviously hiding their stuff.  There was a weird feeling in the air of anticipation, as everyone waited for the police to leave.  After about 45 minutes, they were still there and I was doubtful that it would ever begin.  Everyone started booing and clapping for the police to leave.  After a while, they did and the park erupted in activity.

arguing with the police

People with coolers took out their signs, advertising their tasty snacks.  Others on the grass spread out their blankets and out came the used stuff.  Just about every inch of grass along the pathways was taken, covered by a multitude of shoes, books, jewelry, clothes, knitted items, and trinkets to look at.

Last weekend, the park was crawling with police and it was sadly clear that the event wasn't happening. But, true to Chilean spirit, people were organizing!  There were representatives of a group being formed to represent the feria and have some regulations on what can and can't be sold.  This, coupled with portable bathrooms and clean-up crews, would satisfy the city and the neighbors.  Hopefully they get it OKed soon!  But for now... where will the next feria be?

Chilean-Brazilian Wedding

This weekend my friend Agustin invited me to go to his friend's wedding as his guest!  The groom is his friend from high school, and the bride is a Brazilian woman from the south of Brazil.  It was so so fancy, and probably in the most beautiful, expensive, high-class event space in Santiago!  I certainly wasn't expecting to end up there, but it was very fun!

flower petals outside the church

After a short Catholic ceremony in a small church, we went to a villa/pavilion/restaurant hall on top of Cerro San Cristobal.  Cerro San Cristobal is a big hill in the middle of the city that is great to hike up and has views of sprawling Santiago.  We had appetizers and fancy cocktails on trays, then sat down to dinner.  All the food was small fancy portions on small white plates!  Then they served us a hazelnut liquor mousse with fruit, then coffee with a tray of marzipan candies.

Because the bride was Brazilian, half of the guests were her family from the south of Brazil.  They were mostly blonde Brazilians of Western European descent (which I am not used to seeing) because the south has a lot of German and other European immigration, and almost none of the African immigration.  It was cool to listen to the wedding speeches in Portuguese.

We had another dessert - wedding cake, and a three-tiered table with platters of fruit, flan, tres leches cake, cookies, chocolate mousse, manjar pudding, and more.  Then the dancing began! There was a brazilian samba group that came out drumming and wearing Brazilian soccer jerseys.  Then there was Chilean and Brazilian dance music for the rest of the night!  Around 3:30 the servers emerged again with mini-hamburgers and cups of soup, probably as a "don't get too drunk" midnight snack.

The samba band!

What was interesting about this event was that it is one of the few times I have been around Chilean families, and people of all ages.  Some things were different - like the Portuguese and the samba band - but otherwise it could have been a wedding or family celebration with my family in the states.  The way that people relate to each other, the milestones they celebrate, the father of the bride's sentimental speech (of what I could gather in Portuguese) are pretty much universal.

Dangerous 5-Minute Chocolate Cake

This is a quick dessert recipe that is powerfully convenient and delicious!  My housemates Julie, Marie, and Anne were very impressed with how quick and easy it is to make yourself a cake in a mug.  I'm sharing it here because it is so delightful when you don't have anything particularly yummy to munch on.

4 T. Flour
4 T. (Brown) Sugar
1 heaping T. cocoa powder
3 T. milk or soy milk or almond milk
3 T. oil
2 T. beaten egg or substitute for 1 T. flaxseed meal mixed with 2 T. water
a splash of vanilla
add chocolate chips if desired

Mix in a coffee mug, then microwave for 2 minutes 30 seconds.  The top should rise over the rim a bit.   Eat with strawberries, a splash of milk, or whatever you'd like to enjoy it with!

(This is not a Chilean recipe, in case there was any confusion.)