San Carlos de Bariloche took good care of me for the week that I visited to renew my VISA. Santiago’s been such a weona (biyatch) lately what with la abeja (my scooter, a.k.a – the bee) breaking down every time it gets right out of the shop and some thief stealing one of the digital cameras from one of my girls as we were all shooting downtown and just people in general not treating people very well, it was time to skip town just to be around some new energy.I flew to Osorno, Chile and from there I prayed to hop a bus al tiro (immediately) to cross the border into Argentine Patagonia. The buses were booked solid until the next day, but my stubborn self still searched for a seat anyway at ticket counter after ticket counter. Stuff started to change when an attendant from one of the bus companies pulled me out of line to sell me some guy’s seat who just happened to cancel his reservation. Thank you again Protectora de los Mochilieros.The 6-hour ride to Bariloche was a gorgeous tour of National Park Puyehue’s forests and lakes. We arrived at 1 in the morning. A group of us made friends and hopped in a cab that took us to Los Moiras hostel. They had 1 bed available, and since I was solo, I still thought that the good Protector of Backpackers was looking out for me. But then I realized that that was just stupid when I woke up in the middle of the night to 2 Israeli couples moaning and rolling around under their covers on the beds next to me. I slept downstairs in the lounge. The girls were gone the next day, but one of the boys apologized for what happened and paid for my night’s stay. “I wish you understood my language,” he said. “My apology sounded a lot better in Hebrew.”South America is filled with young Israeli travelers who just finished their commitment to the ARMY. They’re all over Argentina especially and when they find a hostel, they claim it, settling in for weeks, practically turning the cocina into a kosher kitchen. The hostels depend on their business and if the travelers like a place, they put in a good word to the next exodus of Israeli’s heading that way. But the general consensus is that they’rfe loud and rude. When I met Amanda and Annette, Brazilian sisters who moved to Israel when they were around 8, they had an interesting view on their people. I met the girls hiking up a mountain that overlooks the 7 lakes that make up the region. Afterwards, our appetites drove us to a tenedor libre (free fork, a.k.a all you can eat joint) where they shared how they weren’t relating at all to Israeli’s on this trip -- to the point that they were avoiding them by purposefully choosing to stay in accommodations where Israelis weren’t and even speaking Portuguese or English instead of Hebrew. We shared our experiences with each other from South America and agreed on how loving, affectionate, and alive the people are. How different Latin Americans are compared to people from the Middle East. The girls journey was still about to tell them many things as they were just heading to Brazil to reunite with family. I wondered as much as they did if their Brazilian roots would pull them back to stay at this point in their life.About Bariloche though…it’s a charming town nestled in the Andes Mountains that rests on the shore of Lake Nahuel Huapi. The fresh air and nature are great for outdoor sporting adventures all year round. Locals are friendly and hippy nomad artists are always selling jewelry creatively made from silver and stones. The Spanish is a mix of sha, she, shi, sho, and shu’s. The architecture and food is magnificent with its strong Swiss-German influences that can be seen in stone and wood buildings and tasted in milanesas and chocolates. Factories are all over offering bon-bons and bouquets of chocolate: Mamuschka is a must visit if you make it here. As is Morfy’s, a restaurant where you pile a bunch of toppings on hot dogs and schnitzel.
After 20 years of kids writing on them, the hogar's walls have become the kids canvases covered in pencils, paints, and what remains of peeled teen pop posters. Layers of scribbles tell of who lived where and who loved whom. Although there's an artistic flare to it, even the kids are ready for a fresh change and a clean look. February 12th marks the first repair day for fixing up the inside of Hogar Nuestra Señora de la Paz. To paint everything, we'll probably need 5 more days, but for the first round, volunteers and community members are getting together from 9-5 to paint the main living spaces in at least one of the two houses - living room, kitchen, hallway, and bathroom included. 
So far we've raised $300 USD to repaint the place. VEGlobal is putting $150 towards the project and their donation was kindly matched by Crooked Trails, a Seattle based travel group, who is coming down to tour Santiago's wine vineyards. After reading an article I wrote in Transitions Abroad Magazine, they got in touch to visit the hogar, meet the kids, and see how the needy side of Chile lives. With about 10 volunteers and another 10 from Crooked Trails, we'll have a good group of hands to get work done. We're also planning to invite the mother's and father's that drop by every now and then to visit their girls in hopes that they will want to help out, too. Over the past few months, we've solicited 3 businesses for paint: Revor, Shermann- Williams, and Tricolor, but despite sending letters and pictures and following up, nobody has reached out to help. From my experience here, the international volunteers that come to help, bring the most donations from their countries thanks to family and friends who support the volunteer's work. I definitely think that Chile needs to help Chile more, but even as an intermediary connecting those who have with those who don't, it's so hard to find people interested in giving back to their community. 
The first day of painting is covered, but we don't want to leave the job partway done or the hogar under construction. To finish the job thoroughly, we definitely need to fundraise another $300 for paint and supplies. And if we were to have the grand makeover of home improvements, my wish list for the hogar aside from repainting it would be to have a new laundry machine, replace fluorescent lighting fixtures and bulbs, add toilet seats, shower head fixtures, and new shower curtains in the bathrooms, and change the window curtains, replace doors, and door handles....to start. About another $650.After a year of working at this place, it's important for me to make a huge contribution. The staff and the kids that live there deserve it and if it wasn't for the volunteers planning, fundraising, and painting, I don't know who else would have the resources or time to make this happen. To be a part of the beautification project, you can donate by credit card through PayPal.com by clicking here. Once in PayPal, send a payment to lindy500@lindydrew.com. Thanks so much for supporting! Here are the before pics. I can't wait to send the afters!
This fishing village was a fun town to photograph. Colorful, graphic, friendly, playful. Bought wool knee socks for the winter, tried the local seafood, and somehow got back into black and white here while also reconnecting with seedy signs that still catch me and my camera's attention. Lo pasé super bien!
San Carlos de Bariloche took good care of me for the week that I visited to renew my VISA. Santiago’s been such a weona (biyatch) lately what with la abeja (my scooter, a.k.a – the bee) breaking down every time it gets right out of the shop and some thief stealing one of the digital cameras from one of my girls as we were all shooting downtown and just people in general not treating people very well, it was time to skip town just to be around some new energy.
After 20 years of kids writing on them, the hogar's walls have become the kids canvases covered in pencils, paints, and what remains of peeled teen pop posters. Layers of scribbles tell of who lived where and who loved whom. Although there's an artistic flare to it, even the kids are ready for a fresh change and a clean look. 
So far we've raised $300 USD to repaint the place. VEGlobal is putting $150 towards the project and their donation was kindly matched by Crooked Trails, a Seattle based travel group, who is coming down to tour Santiago's wine vineyards. After reading an article I wrote in Transitions Abroad Magazine, they got in touch to visit the hogar, meet the kids, and see how the needy side of Chile lives. With about 10 volunteers and another 10 from Crooked Trails, we'll have a good group of hands to get work done. We're also planning to invite the mother's and father's that drop by every now and then to visit their girls in hopes that they will want to help out, too. 
The first day of painting is covered, but we don't want to leave the job partway done or the hogar under construction. To finish the job thoroughly, we definitely need to fundraise another $300 for paint and supplies. And if we were to have the grand makeover of home improvements, my wish list for the hogar aside from repainting it would be to have a new laundry machine, replace fluorescent lighting fixtures and bulbs, add toilet seats, shower head fixtures, and new shower curtains in the bathrooms, and change the window curtains, replace doors, and door handles....to start. About another $650.
