Happy Spring (to you), Happy Fall (to me!)

Hi everyone, 

I'm glad you liked the pictures, and thanks for your great questions.  I do have facebook for anyone interested. I usually come up if you do a search for 'Shepard Daniel' and indicate under school "UNC." My profile picture is currently one of me in a striped shirt sitting on a mountain. If you "friend" me, write me a little note and let me know you are in Mrs. Hubbard's class! I would love to meet you all that way :)

As for empanadas, they ARE really delicious. My favorites are ham and cheese and spicy meat, but you can really fill them with just about anything... veggies, cheese, chicken, you name it! Here is a recipe:

12 -16 empanadas (change servings and units)

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15 ounce) can fresh cut corn, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 (16 ounce) cans large refrigerated biscuits (I use buttermilk, and you may only use 1 and 1/2 cans depending on how full you make them)

Directions

1. 1

   Brown the ground beef in a frying pan adding the salt and pepper just before done.

2. 2

   Let the beef cool.

3. 3

   In a large bowl mix the corn, onions, cheese, and salsa, then add the cooled beef mixing carefully so not to break up all the cheese.

4. 4

   Roll the biscuits out flat to about 2-1/2 times their size.

5. 5

   Place approx 1/3 cup filling on one side of the center of the circle lengthwise.

6. 6

   Fold the dough over the filling like a turn over and crimp the edges like a pie crust. Be careful not to tear the dough, and to seal the edges completely or your filling will come out! depending on how much filling is used will determine how many biscuits you will use.

7. 7

   Place on slightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 till lightly browned.

We are also wondering if folks there watch much tv, and if they do, what do they like to watch most?

People here definitely watch just as much TV as we watch in the States. They have these Chilean soap operas called "tele-novelas" which are very dramatic and usually about a bunch of peoples' overlapping love lives! They also show alot of American TV like Friends, Seinfeld, Will and Grace, and Grey's Anatomy. 

What do many people there do for a living? What is their economy mostly based on?

Here in Chile, you will find people working in many of the same jobs you would imagine in the States - people are bankers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, psychologists. One major difference, however, is that there are more people who have small businesses out of their homes or who own small corner stores. While there are supermarkets and large shopping centers, the smaller store (that only sells one type of thing, like just school supplies or just vegetables, for example) is more common.  The Chilean economy is based in the extraction of their abundant natural resources. Chile is the leading exporter of copper in the world and is also a major exporter of things like fish, seafood, forest products, and wine. Santiago is also a major commercial and financial center based around big business and finance. 

4)What animals are indigenous to the area?

Chile is home a wide array of interesting animals.

The vicuña:

The Huemul:

The Flamingo (which I always associated with beachy/tropical areas, but apparently they live in many dry area climates):

Do many people there use cell phones? Are they similar to ours?

Chileans are definitely into the latest technology and they LOVE cell phones. Everyone has one, for sure, and most of them are way nicer even then what you would typically see in the U.S. In this sense, Chileans are far more modern than most Latin American countries.

Do many people drive cars? What kind?

Yes, especially in Santiago, people drive cars everywhere! Although there is great public transportation - bus, metro, taxi - people with cars are EVERYWHERE! I guess it is time to introduce to you one very sad fact about Santiago - it is very polluted and the city is notorious for the smog. Just as in many major cities that are located close to mountain chains, like L.A. and Mexico City, Santiago suffers from all the car pollution that gets trapped by the Andes mountains and hovers over the city. It gets especially bad in winter. Check out the difference among the photos: 

How was your Night at the Wax Museum??? Take care, hope to hear from you again soon!