my good friends Lillian & Vivian
these chicks i met while in korea, and became instant friends.
this pic was taken in Vieques on our reunion vacation in Puerto Rico.

round trip to PR from Chattanooga - $537.00
kayaking, tours, car rental - $150+
good times with good friends - PRICELESS.

i love you girls, and thanks for a GREAT trip! hope to see you SOON!
:o)

Isla Verde, PR

Isla Verde, PR

Vieques, PR
This particuar shot is one of my favorites from this trip.
Nothin' like watching the sun set over the water. :o)

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Isla Verde, PR

Vieques, Puerto Rico

Went to PR to celebrate New Years with some old friends from my Korea days. The following pics are from that groovy trip. :o)

Adios mi Chile lindo

from the beautiful snowy mountain tops,

to the sandy beaches,

Chile will always be

my Chile lindo...

desde las montañas cubiertas con nieve
hasta el mar,
Chile siempre seré mi lindo pais...

and so i begin my farewell to my familia querida. what i´ve loved the most about living here in Chile, is having my extended family nearby after living these 25 yrs of my life having them so far away. when growing up, i always wondered what it´d be like having my oldest sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins around, and this trip has given me the opportunity that i´ve craved my whole life. sure, later on a few of my parent´s siblings joined us in the states and grandma came to visit several times, but for the other 5 uncles/aunts from the Avilés family, and my 1 other aunt & uncle from the Michaud side, they were distant memories from previous trips to Chile that i´ve been wanting to rekindle. unlike Korea days, i haven´t felt alone or without family, and that´s what i will remember the most about this adventure abroad - family.

my oldest sister Viviana

daddy´s brother Eliazar

Tio Eliazar suffered a severe stroke several years ago leaving his left side paralized. He was dad´s closest sibling and daddy always spoke of him with tears in his eyes because he was so far away. because my dad is unable to travel to Chile, i made it my duty to visit all of his family in his place and was particularly interested in seeing this uncle whom my father missed the most.

Tía Marta is the oldest sister of the Avilés clan whom everyone thinks of as their second mom.

one of dad´s other sisters Sara, and oldest living brother Manuel.

i just got back from an amazing concert performed by Illapu. i've been wanting to see this group perform live after falling in love with their cd called Grandes Trovadores which features their #1 hits beginning back in the early 1970s.

Illapu is a Chilean Folk and Andean musical ensemble that is the most well known world wide for this musical genre (musica Andina) and was formed in 1971 in Antofagasta, in northern Chile. In 1981, because of their liberal views against Pinochet's regime, they were forced to leave Chile or risk being killed by Pinochet's millitary - going first to France and later Mexico City. Traveling then, all through South America and Europe, they became extremely popular and opened the world's ears to appreciate and love this musical style that uses traditional Andean instruments such as wood flutes and pan pipes. In 1990 after Pinochet's resign from his position as Dictator of Chile, Illapu was allowed to return to Chile, and remain extremely popular to this day. :o)

if you want to know more or listen to clips of a few of Illapu's tunes, visit the Rolling Stones website at www.rollingstone.com/artists/illapu or go to www.illapu.cl/blog - yes, that last site will be in spanish, but there's a video posted by YouTube that shows one of their music videos, and there are also other random clips. i encourage you to check it out or do a google search and broaden your musical knowledge. :o)

I went to Valparaiso last weekend to celebrate my birthday with my cousins. Valparaiso is Chile's most important seaport and an increasingly important cultural center. It is also home of the National Congress, which no one seems to understand why it's so far from where the Chilean government is located in Santiago - 2 hours South East.

overlooking Valparaiso

Armas de Chile

Valparaiso, Chile

I said my goodbyes to the people at the Adventist University of Chile last week. After giving several final exams, calculating grades, attending meetings, etc. I packed my little things and headed North to Santiago where I've been since. I've had a fairly good time at UNACH getting to meet people from all parts of South America. I think my biggest challenge on this adventure, was getting used to having my whole life concentrated on one campus. I've never lived in a dorm, and always wanted to know what it would be like. Well, I didn't exactly live in a dorm here in Chile, but my apartment was located inside the Girl's dorm area, making it feel like I did. I found it difficult to keep all parts of my life seperate from each other - professional, social, and personal. But after a couple months of adjustment, I did eventually get used to it. :o)

So now I'm in Santiago mainly - taking few side trips here and there before heading back the the US. I feel that I worked hard and did my best to teach my students the things I felt were important. I bonded with several of them and will miss them immensely.

my close friends from UNACH left - right:
Isako, Alejandra, and Susana

Chile's dictator Augusto Pinochet's death has caused major disturbances in the streets of Santiago. On one side, we have the supporters/mourners who back his "iron fist" leadership, and on the other side, those who are against the dictator and who celebrate his death with dancing in the streets. Yet among either extreme, we see small groups of people holding candles and photos of their missing loved ones who disapeared during Pinochet's dictatorship.

Salvador Allende, former president of Chile, was killed by the millitary under the authority of Pinochet in September 11, 1973. During the leadership of Allende, Chile suffered extreme economic hardship and the country itself fell from one of the leading countries on South America, to one of the poorest. Pinochet's take over the country called "El Golpe de Estado", changed the fate of the people of Chile.

The first 7 years were very prosperous for Chile's economy and government. He rebuilt the country from the terrible state it was in, and helped push Chile's educational system to be the best in South America. What happened after those 7 years is what the people of Chile continue to suffer through and deal with to this day.

Pinochet became aware that several political parties - mainly the communists - were plotting against him, and thus began the extinguishing process. In order to protect himself and what he'd built, he began ordering that those parties that were against him, to be "dealt with". By the end of his rule in 1990, around 3,000 men, women, and children had disapeared and were murdered, and some 29,000 people had been tortured.

Even up to his last few hours of life, Pinochet continued to deny his involvement saying he'd never embarrass the Chilean people in front of the eyes of the world.

It's surreal to witness such extreme emotion from the Chilean people. I'm neither for nor against Pinochet, but I do believe that if he had only retired from his dictatorship at the end of those first 7 prosperous years, the Chilean people would have hailed him as being a hero instead of a tyrant.

The rioting, mourning, and the celebrating was happening all around where I'm currently residing. I only attempted to leave my cousin's apartment in order to take pics a couple of times because it's very dangerous. The pics I'm about to post are from the rioting & celebrating that happened near me, and the funeral shots are ones I found from a Chilean website.

Protesting against the government
in hopes that Pinochet will not be given
full military honors and state funeral.

Celebrating Pinochet's death

Mourning the lost people that disapeard during Pinochet's reign.
Each person here holds a photo of their missing person
with the words at the top saying:
"where are they?"

Supporters croud the streets to catch a glimpse of the hearse as it drives past.

supporters giving their thanks

Pinochet was granted military honors, but was not given a
state burial. A few hours prior to his death, Pinochet's
right to be given a state burial was taken away.

turning 25 isn´t too bad, right? lord how i hate birthdays. i have to say tho, that it was actually a fairly good year with some huge changes and jumps to several continents - started in korea, landed in new zealand & australia in may, back to the states, and now in chile. yea, it's been an interesting ride so i can´t complain. :o) i´ve survived another year of living abroad on my own, and am ready to go back home and begin my real life. skiiirt! there´s a reality check for ya - real life. well, here´s to another year of friends, family, traveling, lots of laughs, mischief... oh yeah, and responsibility. :o)

after running around La Serena for a few days, i traveled south a bit(only 30 min. or so) to Coquimbo and met up with some more of my family to tour around some more. :o)

with cousin Ximena

umn... yea.

:o)

Coquimbo, Chile
6 hours north of Santiago

Coquimbo, Chile

la playa en Coquimbo

Among the various things Chile is well known for, the wine is probably at the top of the list.we have it all - some of the best beaches in South America, fantastic skiing and top ski resorts, etc., and many other fascinating places, but nothing is more famous in Chile, than our wine. Chile is currently one of the top 4 countries that has the best vineyards and award winning wine.

I checked out one of the more famous vineyard that located just outside Coquimbo.

what stops me dead in my tracks when traveling, is when a cathedral comes into view. it's not only the history of these cathedrals that intrigues me but the sheer size and intricate design of these magnificant structures.

La Serena is located about 6.5 hours north of santiago, and is said to have the best climate than in all of Chile - not too hot, not too cold all year around. it's a beautiful city that overlooks the ocean. i fell in love with this city and as you can see below, it's various cathedrals. :o)

so i had a fairly enteirtaining weekend. :o) i, along with 4 other University and high school students, were asked to play in a string quintet who played along with a praise band and choir for a youth conference called Youth Extreme. this conference was hosted by the Evangelic church located in Curico, which is about 3 hours North of Chillan where i live. it was fun chillin' and getting to know the members of our lil group, praise band, and choir.

String Quintet left to right:

Elias(viola), Eliana(2nd violin), Marcelo(cello), me(1st violin/soloist), & Kevin(1st violin)

here we are doin' our thang. :o)

Kevin is one of my violin students
he played first violin with me for the concert.

On Sunday morning, instead of heading directly back to the University, we decided to roam around Curico a bit and enjoy the great weather.

this cathdral is gorgeous inside and out

Plaza de Armas

:o)

right about now, i´m assuming all of you are chillin´with your families eating a stuffed bird - or some sort of concoction of veggie meat - and eating to your heart´s content. *sigh* oh i miss those days. :o)

well, my day was spent in a studio recording background vocals and a few string melodies for a local christian music composer. we spent hours in the studio recording, re-recording, etc. good times. :o) however, as busy as i have been today, i did think of my family and of my many good friends that i have out there and am very thankful to each of you for the impact you´ve had in my life thus far. lots of love to ya. :o)

happy turkey day everyone. :o)