Rites of passage/Salvo Conducto

The quirks of living overseas never cease to be a good source of entertainment for me. If it's not entertaining 'cause it's messing with your plans, at least it's a good "huh. Who knew." This week had two such oddities.
First "huh" of this week; Did you know that babies born in Chile have their little heads shaved before leaving the hospital? All that lovely little fuzzy baby down, gone. Off with the peach fuzz! Don't ask me why, I don't know. Baby girls have their ears pierced before leaving the hospital too. This is done by parent's choice, but the majority have their little ears pierced.

The second "huh" has caused more troubles.

Mom, Dad and I are in the south of Chile, in a city called Osorno, about 12 hours south of Santiago, the capital city. During my parents' last mission assignment to Chile they lived in Osorno, so their stuff has been stored in the basement of the local church here. It's time to move north to Santiago now for a couple of years. Enter the fun chilean law that requires a notarized "salvo conducto" or, literally, a rite of safe passage through Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood. I demand a bow and arrows!

Pretty much it's a document that moving companies have to have so that if the police stop the truck, it states that the contents of the truck have not been stolen, signed by the owner of the originating property. So who'se the legal owner of the church property in the south? Some guy in Santiago- whose very willing to sign the paperwork, but what a shlep. So if you stored your piano at a friend's house, if they don't sign a rite of passage, the police can stop you, request to show the legal ownership of the piano, and if you don't have it, it's off to prison, or "chooky" as mom calls it.

So we're not sure how we're going to get our stuff up north just yet. Our pastor in Osorno, Alex Frites, has been wonderful in helping us to get a moving company and many other details, but they aren't just going to accept a letter from the pastor here as the pastor is not the legal owner of the church property. Hmm.

I vote we load up the wagons, cover it in burlap, send Friar Tuck ahead of the truck to bribe with ale and I'll shoot anybody down who tries to come at the trucks - with that trusty bow and arrows.

　

Mercy Ships in Dry Dock

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