Learning to be an island housewife
April 3, 1972
I went to the ECA this morning and it was something of an ordeal.
The ECA was the Chilean government store on the island in the 1970s and sold basic food supplies like flour and rice and oil. (There will be a list in the appendix) Also building materials and paraffin could be got there. The bulk of these goods was shipped to the island twice a year. Items were often in short supply or bad condition. (We sometimes had to sieve the flour to get the weevils out. But queuing at the ECA was central to the life of island housewives as I learnt early on.
We set off after breakfast – me with Mungo and no bag to carry things in. Grant came too. The meat ECA is in the American Base which is a sad place now. There are lots of little steel huts, each with a garden overgrown. Only the foundations of the casino and mess room and cinema remain with weeds growing. The meat fridge was given to the ECA by the base when they left so that’s why the shop is there now.
We queued for something like an hour at the first ECA in the out at the old American base because the manager hadn’t arrived. I sat about on the grass with Mungo and listened to the Pascuence wives talking. Someone gave him an apple. I noticed one baby of four months had a pushchair – very old but serviceable. One or two people pointed out ruins of the old American life – one said “We never thought it would come to this”. It seemed very sad. I bought a chicken, a kilo of apples and a kilo of potatoes and half a kilo of butter when my turn came. It came to about 100 escudos (4 dollars). They wouldn’t sell me half a kilo of lemons for some reason. After that we tramped across to the second ECA in Hangaroa which sells groceries. I copied out the first half of the list on the wall.
There is quite a bit about queueing in the diary. It could be peaceful, or tense and ridden with conflict, but on the whole it was good for me. I made friends, learnt Spanish and Rapanui and found out what was going on.
Everybody bought in bulk as far as I could see. Especially Rinso (detergent). I was all for buying two small packets but Georgina insisted I buy five. So no wonder the clothes here are all so clean!.
Mine never were because I didn’t ever master the technique of mercilessly scrubbing fabric. I used to soak our clothes in a vessel made of half a petrol drum split horizontally and then get in myself and rock it back and forward like a washing machine. Because the soapy water had been heated by me, a local dog used to jump into the drum as well and enjoy the rolling. Fortunately Grant wasn’t troubled by his appearance but as time went on the islanders were and he would be offered the odd garment. It’s lucky I was so young because I was an awful housewife by Island standards - didn’t make “amuerzo” (lunch) for my husband (because he didn’t want it) couldn’t keep floors shiny by scrubbing them with wire wool etc. After a mistake or two however I could cook a meal out of almost anything, a skill honed by post war rationing perhaps.
I got very irritated at the grocery ECA. Mungo was crawling about in the black dust finding cigarette ends all the time and I couldn’t understand anything that was said to me.
Georgina’s sister greeted me with a kiss today. Maybe one is accepted as one of the family when you stay as we are going to do. Finally Georgina sent me on ahead for home. I wasn’t sure of the way and my bag broke and a lorry came by and covered me with dust. I nearly wept with the frustration of it all.
After lunch I left Mungo with F and Grant and I went to see Sergio Rapu (brother of Alfonso Rapu) at the schoolhouse.
Alphonso Rapu led an island uprising in 1964 and his brother Sergio became governor later under the Pinochet government. When I was there Sergio was a schoolteacher.
The English teacher spoke rather awful English.
I cooked supper tonight under incredibly primitive conditions. Only one burner on the stove worked and that erratically. There was no light and someone or something had shat in a dark corner. I produced fried chicken and rice, however with a few ancient PX spices thrown in left over from the Americans. I also achieved a few odd onion rings with dried milk and cornflour!
Georgina wasn’t well tonight. Carlo teased her and said she was making theatre. I lent her my purple dress with a smocked waist to copy. I think it is a very unsuitable style for her but she seemed to want to copy it. She had a good look through the wardrobe today and seemed a bit disappointed I hadn’t brought more dresses.
Who's F? "After lunch I left Mungo with F" Is that the initials of Georgina?