Home

Although we have been traveling to various places on the weekends and the boys school vacation, when we set out planning our sabbatical we knew we wanted to be in one place and be part of a community.  Our home here in Chile is Frutillar, a small town (~20,000 people) in the south of Chile on the edge of a very large lake – Lago Llanquihue.   It is our home. 

It is always interesting to consider calling a place home. For many that attend Belknap, they say “Belknap is my home away from home.”  It clearly is not about the structure – the house or the cabin.  It is not about the stuff in the home.  It’s about a feeling.  A feeling of safety, love, unity.  I have also heard a home as “a place where everything begins.”  And so Frutillar for the Kassels family is a space to be nurtured and grow from.   

So why does Frutillar “feel” like a home to us?  Likely it is the connections we are making through the experiences we are having.   A Chilean friend of mine from Wolfeboro said the people are so “Carinosa,” translated to loving.  It is true, those around us share without hesitation.  We have been very lucky to be surrounded by neighbors and people we can call “amigos” from day one. 

At Belknap amongst the staff there is always an age old discussion about what makes Belknap so special – is it the people or the place.  As Directors we have settled on the fact that the setting, the place, of Belknap, creates a backdrop that allows us as people to be present, to be calm, to be joyful and hence our best selves. 

Frutillar too has an incredible mix of both people and place.  We thought it would be nice for those reading to learn more about our Chilean home.  So here is quick tour of Frutillar bajo (we live in the lower section of town “bajo”).