Fired From Chile: The second last week.

An art work created by Dad.

The last two weeks in Chile passed super quickly, the days chasing each other like neighbourhood dogs off on an adventure. We couldn’t have stopped them if we had tried, but we were too busy to even consider such a fruitless pursuit. Every day something new was happening, and at work the construction flew along, most of the time. Dad and I never knew what to expect, because what we predicted the day would bring on our morning walks was never fulfilled! For instance, three Saturdays ago we didn’t expect to get much done at all, and yet it was one of the most productive and enjoyable days we had. The following Monday, after planning to get the roof on, we ended up cleaning the worksite, sorting out drill bits, landscaping a little bit, and starting to close the walls in with ferro cement board. A bitsy day, but necessary in the larger scheme of things. Pastor Joel caught one of the workers miming a battle with pieces of scrap wood - it was just one of those days! We were told that maestros were coming in to put the roof on. Dad was disappointed not to do it himself, but with lots of rain expected in April the brothers wanted to get the roof on in one day. They have a saying in Chile that goes ‘ En Abril, lluvia mil’. (In April, it rains a meter.)


Putting up black paper as a vapor barrier.

Almorzar, or in English: lunch. Me and one of the faithful ladies who cooked for us during the week.

The rain started the next day in earnest, so we really couldn’t discount the saying! After so many days of working none stop on the church, it was nice to have a day off with the family and get some domestic things done. On Wednesday Mum and Dad went to Concepcion again with Gloria and Juan-Carlos. Juan-Carlos found out he was to have surgery on a neck growth the next week, so it was good that Mum and Dad could be there to support them. (the surgery has actually been delayed for a couple of weeks because the surgeon had to go to Santiago. So Juan-Carlos’ surgery is in early May now.) Us kids were surprised by a visit from three of our Chileano friends that evening, who came over to prepare cenar for us. Cenar is the evening meal in Chile, and a lighter repast than lunch. We had such a party! - but we tidied up just before Mum and Dad arrived home at eleven thirty, and they’d never have known what transpired while they were away if we hadn’t told them! Hehehe.


They taught us their national dance and we taught them some bush dances. Tongue twisters and clapping games might have come into it as well...

On Thursday Mum and the younger girls went to a school in Los Alamos to give a presentation about Australia in the English class of some yr 8’s. We had met the English teacher, Pamela, during a visit to a church family the week before. Her father was a political refuge in the seventies, and she spent about eleven years growing up in Winnipeg. Mum read the poem ‘My Country’ by Dorothea Mackeller, and if the students didn’t understand it, they certainly liked the photos we chose of our country. They were amazed, like we had been, at how similar Australia and Chile are geographically. The school kids asked twenty questions in English which apparently led to some interesting discussions. Mum and the younger ones spent about two and a half hours at school. Madd said she felt like a celebrity because everyone in the halls was yelling and screaming at them. “Either that, or something out of a zoo” the little ones added. They got the biggest laugh when one of the boys yelled ‘My name is Australia!!!!’ (Unfortunately they didn't take an photos.)

The front wall, being clothed.

Most of our week at the church was spent putting siding up, and on the weekend we installed crosswise bracing for the roof. The Maestros started putting the roof on, but it definitely didn’t happen in one day. They were an interesting team, composed of a reedy bloke with floppy long hair and a wizened face – presenting a disreputable first impression – and another guy in his mid forties who looked like any tradie might – but in comparison to the other guy, presenting a hard working, honest first impression. As we watched them work we realized afresh that you should never rely on first impressions! The little weedy dude did all the hard work carting full sheets of ply board around alone, cutting and passing them up. Meanwhile the other man enjoyed the view and fastened a sheet down every now and then. They made me laugh. The roof was layered with ply board, then wooden planks were put on top as spacers, and styrafoam insulation and black paper were sandwiched in between the ply wood and tin sheeting. It took over a week of working part time by the maestros for the roof to be completed.