Two months in Chile - Looking back

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I can't believe it is already over and I can't believe all the experiences and everything that I have done in these past 2 months in Chile. I arrived here not having more plans than the first 2 weeks on Edo's farm. The rest got planned as I went, according to ideas, wishes, needs as well as through discussions with the people I met. I discovered that Workaway volunteering isn't that 'easy' after all, living with families and people. Also with some emotional things going on and need for rest and healing. My initial intention was to be on farms to learn to grow food, this only happened at the very end.

What have I learned in these 2 months in Chile:
- that it is not so easy to find Workaways that fits what you are looking for! and that have vegetable gardens...
- to make fire! a lot!
- how to cremate a dead dog in the woods at night
- what is needed before starting a vegetable garden: keep the animals away! building a fence
- how to train a Malinois guard dog in Dutch
- how to hitchhike and stand up in a tractor cabin
- to do my yoga routine without the YouTube video I usually use - I know it by heart now
- to use a dry toilet and also nature
- how to heat water for the shower in a pot on the fire and add eucalyptus leaves
- how to care for ducklings and chickens
- how to hold a chicken so tight it will not get away (for its own good)
- how to cook red beets in many different ways including soup, so delicious
- lots about raising chickens and ducks for meat and eggs -- the need to always buy organic and free range!
- how to brush horses that aren't tied
- how to build a fence
- painting feather with watercolors
- make a dream-catcher from weeping willow branches and natural wool
- about ancestral wisdom and Mapuche culture (one of the main indigenous population in Chile)
- how to plant seedlings
- how to prepare the soil and transplant the grown seedlings
- how a temazcal ceremony works
- lots of Chilean words! Cachai? Si po!
- about the life and poetry of 2 Chilean Nobel Prize winners Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral

- lots about stars and planets
- the difference between vicunas, lamas and guanacos
- to recognize my needs more and honor them

Things I realized:
- that I want to increase my skills to have more to share when volunteering -> yoga, permaculture, gardening
- my important criteria for future Workaway farms
- the need to liberate myself on this trip and feel really free to live from fears and inner limitations I artificially put on myself
- that my anger is my friend and an inner guiding voice
- the need to plan more ahead to have better chances on Workaway and availability on the farms that seem really good

How much money did I spend:
- all my expenses while in Chile add up to 1855 euros
- the one-way flight and train ticket were 800 euros (it was the same price to get a round trip ticket)
- grand total 2655 euros for 2 months -> that's about 1330 euros per month. That's the same as my rental apartment in Basel that I gave up before leaving. I'm sharing this because I want to be transparent about the cost of such a trip, and I could have even made it much cheaper if not staying at hotels in between farms. My point: it is very much possible to travel without spending much more than if staying at home. Obviously it is a time with no income, so there is a need to have sufficient savings, but maybe not as much as one would think to go on such a trip. My 2 first weeks in Switzerland on the farm in Wisen cost me 12 CHF (11 euros), just the train ticket fare!

Experiences I will probably not forget:
- being in awe at the colorful murals in Santiago, Valparaiso, Vicuña
- cremating Machi at night in the woods
- feeding hundreds of little ducklings
- sunset hike with Maria Jose above Vicuña
- heating up the water for the shower on the fire
- seeing the shooting of the dog on the poultry farm
- the tarot card reading by Rocio under the weeping willows by the laguna
- making the dream-catcher from the willow branches and wool
- planting the seedlings at sunset on the new moon
- the temazcal ceremony
- yoga classes in the 'bosque de los alamos'
- the view of the mountains from the pool at Rita's place in Olmue
- playing with Cookie and her muddy ball
- bringing Gala to the vet
- brushing the horses
- looking for asparagus in the evening sun in the apple orchard with Gina and all the dogs
- stargazing at ElquiTerra
So many more!

Friendships made, some still continued and others having shared just a day or a conversation:
- Carolina in Viña del Mar and her friends and people who organized and attended the tree planting event
- Edo on his farm and some of his neighbors and family
- Ceci and Alvarro on their farm as well and the super nice family of volunteers Nick, Dawn, Elliot and Jessica
- Gina and Tito, Ceci and German in Tapihue and their friends
- Maria Jose in Vicuña and her friend Luis, Roberto Ale at ElquiTerra and other guests
- Maritza and Sergio in San Pedro de Atacama going up to the Geysers del Tatio
- Rita in Olmue
- In Ekachakra: Madhava, Rocio, Murari, Kamala, Alancara, Sakhi, Raga, Yoga, Mahraj and many more I couldn't memorize the names
And all the people I had interested or fun conversations with while hitchiking, in buses, in hostels in restaurants!

Leaving Chile, I'm already thinking of going back next year!


 Meeting Carolina and discovering the beauty of Valparaiso's colorful murals

People united to plant trees 

 Cuddling with Machi a few days before she died

 
Fun days 

  Cuddling with cute cats

Rolling waves in Isla Negra, home of Pablo Neruda 

 

 Bringing Gala to the vet

Evening walk on the poultry farm

Hanging out with Russio 

 Feeding chickens with Tito

Asparagus and dogs with Gina 

Magical healing place ElquiTerra 

Valle de Catarpe 

Vicuñas above San Pedro de Atacama 

Moonrise! 

Sunset hike with awesome Maria José 

The view at Rita's in Olmué 

So many cute dogs everywhere I went!


After the Temazcal ceremony 

 Learning a lot from Murari in the vegetable garden


 Making dream-catchers and hanging out in Ekachakra 

Seeing Carolina at the beginning, middle and end of my trip! 

With Christian the owner of the Tambo Verde Hostal where I stayed upon arriving in Santiago, then in between 2 farms and again on my last night! With their new mural

Goodbye Chile - I may be back one day!
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Location: Santiago, Chile

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