Atacama, and El Norte

Hi William,

Good morning. I assume you are viewing the wonders of the Atacama today. Viewing the salt mountains; the flamencos; feeling the driest place on earth suck the moisture out of you, what is the agenda of these trips? Do you have any free time to explore? Do you have classes? Tell us about a typical day of your adventure.

Not much new here. Labor Day weekend, I have an intercambio in about an hour with a Spanish professor of electrical engineering; he is currently doing research at a university in England. I jokingly call him the ‘spanish nazi,’ a la the ‘soup nazi.’ I like him but he is very intense – very anxious about learning English. Actually he is doing great. It is his second stint in England. This time for six months, the first time he only stayed three months. My intercambios with him are not very relaxed – he corrects every mistake, and he types as we talk, but he is great. The intercambios are helping my Spanish enormously. Speaking of which, I have one intercambios that may be of interest to you. This connection just started in the last few days. Isabel Saavedra Trijillo is a professor of English at - you guessed it, Diego Portales – rather the English institute at Diego Portales. She is not a regular faculty – an adjunct of some sort. She is from Colombia and married to a Chilean gentleman, which is her reason for living in Santiago. She lives in Las Condes very near the Parque Arauco – not actually a park, but rather a big mall. Anyways, she said that if you need anything please get in touch with her and she means it. I’m sure you won’t but it was nice of her to offer. I spoke to her yesterday; she told me that this winter has been the coldest in Santiago in forty years, but that Saturday was ‘magnifico’. She said that the pollution is bad in Santiago in the winter.

Everyone is well, Andrew had a SAT class yesterday, Mom washed and waxed both cars, and I went on a bike ride to Capitol Hill. Did you know that there was a fire at Eastern Market? They have to rebuild, the vegetables stands have moved outside. I’m not sure where the meat stands have gone. They will rebuild, it wasn’t burnt to the ground, but the roof is gone. Rob and Vickie came to dinner for Andrew’s birthday. Andrew also invited Matt and Owen for dinner; as they say, a good time was had by all. Matt and Owen are beginning to grow on me. Matt reminds me of Mathew Broderick’s sidekick in… Now I can’t remember the name of the movie, The one Jennifer Gray played his sister. You know the one Broderick plays the coolest kid in school. It is very good, a classic example of kids role parents drool movie. Anyway, it will come to me, probably five minutes after I sent this letter.

Today, Mom is going to Baltimore to go to the Maryland State Fair with Rob – they want to see the animals – Rob said something about a pig race. Something tells me that Vickie will take a pass on the excursion to the Fair. I think I’ll pass; although it would present a good photo opportunity. Mike expects his weekly trek through the wilds of Wheaton Regional, the grass needs cut, and Andrew has no interest in the State Fair. Monday - it’s the Kensington Labor Day Parade.

Otherwise all is normal, quiet, the end of summer, the heat has broken, the birds are singing, and the windows are open. So until next time…

Love you, miss you, and take care of yourself down there.

Dad