We lived there from 1953 to 1957. I don't know the number of our house but we lived up one level from and within view of the school playgrounds. My surname was Sunde. I too have vivid memories of the barrenness and the snow. I began school there just before we left. Do you remember anything about a vulture? Do you remember those long night sirens?
My most vivid memories are of the stairs and paths. I was sick with rheumatic fever for a long time and can remember my dad carrying me down the 'long' steps to the hospital. Dad carried me to the doctor every day for more than six months to get x-ray treatements on my hips and legs. I was bed-ridden for nearly a year.
There were stories told about a couple who had a pet condor. Mrs. Smith was the cigar lady. She lived right across the stairs from us. When I began school, I vaguely remember a young woman with flash cards teaching us words. I do remember stories about a monkey thief. Who was gerente's and what is the significance of his house?
Did you have maids? We had maids and I wonder if that was the norm. We had a maid who had seen her family swallowed up by a quake and went berserk every time we had one.
I remember Jose. My recollection is that (based on current knowledge) he looked Indian He had a very round face and was not tall. He did not dress well for winter. He always looked cold in the winter.
I remember looking down the mountain and seeing shades of brown and white. I remember the train ( autocarril - the Spanish word for it?) and learning origami from a man I called Shammy. My recollection is that it was very short and 'cozy' not unlike a VW bus but longer. Did it go to Rancagua? How long did it take? Did the passengers need to catch other transportation or did the train go to Santiago or elsewhere also?
There was a boy who was not Chilean that fell off of our retaining wall onto his head. It caused quite a stir. I think he was hurt pretty badly. My recollection of his house is that it was a distance from mine and around the mountain. Facing the mountain the direction to his house would have been left.
My world was pretty small since I arrived when I was 3 and lost a year of exploration when I was sick. We left when I was 7. I have always had a fondness for Sewell, and left pretty much bilingual. Once back in the states, I lost my bilingual capabilities, since I encountered the cruelty of predjudice when we landed in New Mexico at a new mine. I regret that choice. But se la vie.
I remember Coya's golf course and the tarantulas there. Urgh.
Karen Taylor Holmngren Kaseberg's memories.
Jamie Taylor Barrett's memories.
Memories of Living in Sewell, Chile.
Assorted Photos.
For much more about Sewell, and Chile, please see Sewell, also known as El Teniente, Chile.