Notes from Chile - Homeward Bound

Wall grafitti from Valparaiso showing one of the acensors (elevators) that take you up in this city of steep hills.

We have no excuse for our absence with this blog. We began it with the best of intentions but once school began we disappeared under the work. Now it seems in a few short days we will wind our way back home. Thanks to all the friends who have kept up the emails and encouragements. You have helped us to maintain our sense of purpose and resilience. For both are important aspects when managing through cultural ambiguity. There has been much to learn and understand in too little a time. We have been fortunate though. Unlike tourism where you view a culture from the peripheral, employment has allowed us to be active participants in the lives of our colleagues, students and friends. The last few blog entries from Chile are our attempts to share with you some of our key learning, our impressions – right or wrong, our frustrations and our joys. Read what interest you and skip what does not.