Torres del Paine

Taking a break from packing to continue sharing the story of our trip to Patagonia...

On our third day in Patagonia (last Monday), we made it to the Torres del Paine National Park.

We proceeded to hike for the next three days. Our first day was the toughest hike. We hiked 18 kilometers or 11 miles round trip to the Torres. See up above.

We didn't get to the trail head until 12:30pm and it took us around 9.5 hours (good thing the sun didn't go down until 10pm). The last part of the ascent was pretty tough (see Gracie in the video), but what an amazing view when you come around the last boulder and see the Torres (or towers) and the lagoon below! Spectacular.

Everyone was pretty sore and tired upon arrival, but we were pretty impressed the kids were able to do it. We also lucked out with the weather - warm and sunny and not too much wind.

We saw some foxes walking the riverbed as we came into our campsite that night! It was magical. We had also seen a condor soaring over head and the guanaco herds (see the llama-like animal) woke us at daybreak the next with their mooing sounds.

Other than that we heard....silence! It was beautiful. After being in a very urban environment all year, it was such a treat to find ourselves in the wilderness.

I better catch some sleep now. Theo would like to write about our hike to the glacier tomorrow.
Buenas noches,
Laura

Penguins of Patagonia!

Last week we had a very nice trip to Patagonia Chile. This was our first stop, Monumento de los Pinguinos, just outside of Punta Arenas. We took a two hour boat ride to the Isla Magdalena, where there were tons of penguins everywhere and some would even come up to you and stare at you with curiosity!

If you ever go down to Patagonia I definitely recommend it!

-Grace

The Southest

Greetings from Puerto Natales, gateway to Torres de Paine National park in Chilean Patagonia.  We had a wonderful visit to a small island in the windy Strait of Magellan that is home to thousands of nesting Magellanic Penguins.  Then a long bus ride here, followed by tasty pizza and Natales microbrew.  The sun was just setting at 10:15 when we finished packing for our hike tomorrow and crawled into bed.  And no, we did not check out the Southest Mall in the World.

One last trip...to the end of the continent

Well, it looks like we somehow are all packed and ready to go for tomorrow. Since the end of school on Wednesday, we've spent the last two days on all-day outings with Gracie's and then Theo's class. It is such a wonderful tradition to go out to a recreational park or campground with some kind of pool; swim, play soccer, and have a huge bbq. It was a nice way to end the year for both kids and a great chance to say goodbye to all their friends.

Now, somewhat short on sleep and in Theo's case a bit sunburned - we're off to just about the end of the continent - southern Patagonia. We fly from Santiago to Punta Arenas tomorrow (a 3 hour flight south!). Then we take another day to travel to Puerto Natales, and finally we'll go into the Torres del Paine National Park on Monday and come out on Thursday. As you can see from these internet photos it looks like a rugged landscape with snow covered peaks and glacier lakes. Lots of folks have said its the most beautiful spot in Chile and one of the best trekking spots in the world.

We look forward to updating you all upon our return. Then its 6 short days to pack up and finish with goodbyes. :-)

Cross your fingers for fair weather,
Laura

End of school!

Today, being the last day of school, was a sad day and a happy day. First when I got to school, almost everyone came dressed up, some as boxers, soccer players, pirates etc. After that, we did what is called a "desayuno compartido'' (shared breakfast) where we walk around and serve ourselves what we want from a buffet-like setting. For example, yogurt, honey, fruit and more.

Then, we started the end-of-school year/costume program. Different groups got up and performed for the rest of the school. For example, first, "prekinder" went on the stage and played instruments and sang. Then, the "taller de clown" came up and acted like bumper cars. After that came the costume parade by grade, in which students went up on the stage and showed their costumes. I'm dressed as a tourist in sunglasses.

Then one of the teachers made a speech about how some students and families will leaving, not only from the school but from this country too. And then he invited Gracie and me up to the stage! He asked us if we had anything to say. Grace said "gracias" and then he asked my mom to come up and say a few more words. I was really nervous.

After that we exchanged some gifts with mom that we had worked really hard to make. I made a basket out of painted woven paper. Mom made chocolate chip cookies and she helped finish my mosaic box and then gave them to me.

Mom took us out to lunch after that to celebrate.

Here's a list of some stuff I learned this year:

1. 1. I learned how to speak, read and write in Spanish.

2. I learned a lot of different ways of how to do multiplication and division.

3. I learned how to dance the "Costillar" folkloric dance.

4. I learned how to deal with all kinds of people and lots of different situations.

5. I learned how to play ping pong and I got a lot better at soccer.

6. I learned how to write in cursive.

7. I learned to sing some Chilean songs.

- Teo or as I'm known in Minnesota - Theo.




p.s. Here's some photos of some of my favorite memories of tercero básico (3rd grade) at Monte Alegre.

Marathon and more...

Our good friends Jenny, Jon, Solana and Frances, who are from Minneapolis and living in Mendoza, Argentina this year, were back for a visit and so Jenny could run her first marathon this weekend. She was inspiring. She finished 3rd place in her age category and in under 4 hours!

It's a beautiful run along the ocean. I joined Jenny for a quick 5 km at km 32 in case she was hitting a wall. Far from it, she was cruising and ran ahead for the last 5km (42 km in all). Check out her exciting finish here in the video!!!

Other weekend highlights included "onces" at David and Cecilia's home where we saw Nury and Mario and kids as well, time at Reñaca beach, where the marathon finished up, and then later at the hotel pool. Jon took the kids to some puppet shows, we caught our friend's live outdoor music concert on the pier, and some of our party visited nearby Pablo Neruda's house, now museum, la Sebastiana.

We won't see the Dicus Breen family again until July 2012, when they return from their year abroad. We're so fortunate that we all ended up "neighbors" (Mendoza is an 8 hour bus ride away). Our families are sharing many similar experiences and its been wonderful to mark our progress and support each other. This was true with our friends from NYC, Keith, Becky, Stefan and Jules, who lived for a year in Valparaiso as well. Its so helpful to find other families that are wanting an immersion experience, not a very common breed of travelers. We've helped each other navigate packing lists, visa requirements, choosing a school for the kids, how to find corn tortillas, etc. And of coures, it's always good to know that you aren't the only one with this crazy idea of living abroad with the kids.

Hope you all had a great weekend too.
Sincerely,
Laura

Three weeks left!

Yikes. Time is flying. Here's some quick updates on the Prince Johansson household.

Theo and Grace finished up with year-end exams with "lenguaje" (grammar and language arts) this Monday and "matemática" this Wednesday. There were 6 or 7 pages of written work for the lenguaje - Gracie's hand hurt afterward and Theo showed me his writing blister. As far as math, they both claim they are part of a small minority that enjoys it. Yay! Really, Dan and I couldn't be prouder of these two - they both worked so hard this year. They've come so far from their first week of school when they could hardly understand anything, to now, when they are doing great in all their classes. Theo even corrects my Spanish from time to time now and they both speak with a Chilean accent.

Theo's soccer team also finished up the year with a great "Championship" game, in which they won. Theo was on fire and had a great game. Grace and Theo have also been caught up the table tennis fever that has swept their school. Sometimes, when the other has an after school class, I'll stay and play ping pong with them for an hour and a half. Theo finally beat me too! Next week, they will finish up school on Wednesday. And Thursday and Friday are all day outings that parents have organized for their respective classrooms.

Dan's work days continue along, although he is bracing himself to give up his 5 step commute to the desk with the ocean view. He also is really enjoying his time with his running group twice a week and the fact that they run along the beach at sunset. I'm not sure it gets more beautiful than that. There's a family fun run Saturday here in town, for which he's hoping to convince the kids and our friends Jenny, Jon, and their girls, to participate.

Jenny, Jon, Solana and Franny, our good friends from Minneapolis, who are living in Mendoza this year, are on their way back for one more visit this weekend. Jenny is running her first marathon, "la maraton costa pacifica 2012". We're all excited to cheer her on and I might even jump in for a very short distance of support running.

I'm wrapping things up with my various projects. I've been at the print shop, spiral-bounding my 60 page organizational analysis to turn in. I've also been making arrangements for our last Chilean trip. We're heading down to Patagonia next Saturday - as far south as we can go, short of Antarctica. We'll be hiking for four days in the Torres del Paine Park. We're thrilled although our hiking plans may include rain, snow, gail force winds and very strong sun (as the hole in the ozone is quite large there). Given that some of us will be in jeans and tennis shoes, we're feeling somewhat ill-equipped, but optimistic nevertheless. We're hoping for more penguin sightings.

Finally, I'm starting to gear up for what's next for me once I arrive back to Minnesota. I am considering going back to graduate school for a mid-career organizational development degree. So, I am spending a lot of time on the internet and on skype, doing research and talking to folks about program options (feel free to send suggestions).

A busy time for us, all with the backdrop that the end of our year is drawing near. We haven't really started to fully process our upcoming transition, but I think we all have a sense of what a wonderful year we've had.

With great appreciation,
Laura

photos: Gracie with her teacher Dorys and friends, the Champion soccer team!, what I think must be a clematis (wow!), some photos Gracie took on a recent walk around our neighborhood.