Dont panic, have a sense of humor.

Elisa and I were sitting down to a late dinner after her choir practice tonight. I was served soup with chicken legs, pumpkin, potato, green beans, etc, a very traditional Chilean stew.

At the first bite, I began choking. I had accidentally spooned a small bone into my mouth and even though I was trying to spit it out, it ended up passing-on. I had a chicken bone lodged in my throat.

I was choking, but the kind of choking where you can still breathe. I can't think of any other word for pseudo-choking, so "choking" will have to do.

I know you are all very worried right now, "Oh no! Cori was CHOKING!". And yes, it hurt. It wasnt a comfortable feeling and I'm sure this has happened to you all.

I think you can see how me choking was a problem. Not only was I unable to communicate because i had a chicken bone in my throat, but I didnt know the spanish words to communicate WHAT was happening to me. (ie. "choke" or "bone")

Rodrigo thought I had burned my throat. I think I appeared to be ok because I was still talking and breathing. But I continued to cough and Elisa was very worried. She began by hitting my back and then when that didnt work, she ran me into the bathroom.

Elisa's parents, Haydee and Sergio, were in their bed at the time watching the news. Elisa frantically shouted for them to join us in the bathroom to help. The entire family took turns attempting to do the "Heimlich maneuver" but to no avail. (this is extremely funny in retrospect) After about 5 minutes, the family realized that I was still crying. They thought it was over, but I kept pointing at my throat, "Mi garganta me dule!" It was still stuck and I was getting more worried that I would have a chicken bone permanently in my throat.

Of course the family was still very worried, except for Rodrigo, who seems to always be oblivious. The entire time he sat at the kitchen table : "tranquillo". But I think at this point Elisa yelled at him to get the car started because nothing was getting the bone out! At the same exact moment, the bone passed to who knows where in my body. (Im assuming its about at my stomach by now.) I stopped crying and told them I was fine and I didnt need to go to the hospital.

Haydee and Sergio returned to their bed and Rodrigo to his post. Elisa dragged me into the kitchen for a spoonful of "olive oil" to wash down the chicken bone. I finished my soup, after scooping out all of the chicken pieces. Needless to say, i wasnt in the mood for chicken anymore.

I felt very embarrassed about choking on a chicken bone. I kept thinking *why didnt i spit it out! What did i do wrong! Don't I chew!?* I thanked Elisa for her help. She comforted me by telling a story about how she was choking one time and her father came to the rescue with the heimlich. Then came the jokes, as predicted:

"Want some more chicken?"

"Are you going out tonight?"

"Did you see how Haydee tried to take control? She threw Elisa off and took over with the heimlich! In the night, she is probably saying 'Corissa, are you ok? ok good. Go back to sleep!"

It is very customary here to get made fun of or to make light of serious situations. I like that.

OK. Now, its time to look up the word "bone" in my spanish-english dictionary....

The story of the running cheese.

Yesterday I helped Elisa bake empanadas for about 3 hours, while taking breaks to watch parts of a futbol game on the tele.

Today, I was in charge of lunch. I should have cooked lasagna with Rodrigo, but he somehow got out of his responsibility and subbed Elisa in his place. I prepared lunch with Elisa for 2 hours this morning. Usually Haydee is in the kitchen slaving away, but she has church class on Sunday mornings, so Elisa or Rodrigo cook every Sunday. Now I am also part of the Sunday obligatory cooking.

We prepared lasagna with meat, carrots, onion, tomato sauce & cream sauce, noodles, and cheese. It was a long and strenuous process.

At one point when Elisa and I were cooking, we were interrupted by a ring at the door. We yelled at Rodrigo at answer it. He yelled at Elisa to come and see who it was.

Elisa went to go meet him or her and then returned to look inside the refrigerator. Then she yelled for me, "Ven Cori! el Queso! el Queso!" (Come cori, the cheese! the cheese!)

I was very confused at this. I asked her if she wanted cheese and she said yes. I couldn't understand why she would want me to bring the cheese outside..maybe for a homeless person I thought?! I had no idea, but she continued to yell for me ....and for cheese?

When I went outside, Elisa was talking with a man who had arrived by car. His trunk was open but I could not see what was inside. Both Elisa and this man were looking at me with puzzled faces, like "what the hell are you doing?!"

They burst into laughter and showed me to the trunk. The trunk was filled with speciality cheese. Elisa explained to me that this guy was a very good friend of hers and stops by periodically to sell homemade cheese. They thought it was very very hilarious that I had brought our pre-sliced cheese on a plate to him outside!!!

I didn't know !! ha ha.

I ran the plate back inside blushing in fuchsia. Rodrigo was oblivious to my queso blunder because he was immersed in the Sunday paper. But inevitably, everyone soon found out about this story and I was the butt of their laughter.

Cocinando empanadas!

Step 1: Wash about 20 apples.

Step 2: Core, cut, peel and thinly slice all apples.


Step 3: Cook the apples in a pot with cinnamon and a cup of water for about 20 minutes.(covered)

Step 4: Make the dough with flour, butter, milk, and salt. Roll out dough into palm size circles.


Step 5: Fill dough with apple mush and pinch together to close.


Step 6: Bake the empanadas at a medium temperature until cooked (maybe 20-30 minutes depending on your oven)! And enjoy!

el dia despues la lluvia.

Photos taken on my walk home from school.

Mi escuela.

i finally caught a glimpse of the sun this week

We have had a lot of rain this week. Everyday I deal with umbrellas, puddles, and the color gray.

It rains in Curico about 3-4 days a week. The warm air comes from the north of Chile and meets with the cold air from the south of Chile in my region. It never snows here because it warms up (only) when it rains. Then, it gets bitter cold after the showers. It is so odd that the temperature is freezing, until it rains.

I do love it though! I love rain. And i love it when the sun finally pops out the day afterwards. The sky is turquiose and it brightens the mood of the town. I promise to get a good picture of the Andes as soon as i remember to bring my camera. I can see the mountains from my school if the clouds dont block my view.

No entendi. Que es "taller"?

As i said before, though not strongly emphasized: many things are unpredictable here in Chile.

For instance, you could go to school and realize its cancelled. You would wonder if you missed "the memo", but in actuality, no memo was ever sent. Chileans just know these things. (such as when school may be cancelled, etc)

Many things about my teaching placement in Chile are ambiguous. I was given information to mentally prepare me for what I MAY expect, but i knew that the advice given was subjective. Thus, I came here with minimal expectations.

However, I never expected these things: I didnt know I was going to be teaching 400 students. I didnt know I would be teaching up to 6 classes in one day. I didnt know I would be working with an english teacher that could not speak english.

I had another surprise today.

I have "taller" (tayer), or after school activities, on Wednesday from 2:30-5 and on Thursdays from 2:30-4pm. The title of my activity is called "English Club". I assumed that I would be working with my english teacher, Juan, during this time.

But when I went back to school today after lunch around 2:30, I asked Juan what we would be doing in taller. He said that he had class in his room, and I had my own class in my room. I thought *I could not believe this! I had a 2 1/2 hr class to teach, and I hadnt prepared anything!* I calmly told him that I did not understand this until then, and that I had not prepared for my own Taller.

I went back to my classroom, where 20 eager students were waiting to learn more English!!! They were disappointed when I explained to them that I did not have a "plan" for today. I promised them I would next week.

It was difficult to entertain them for 2 1/2 hrs. We played hangman, I taught restaurant vocabulary and had a restaurant skit, and then, we played pictionary.

I spoke with Elisa about what happened and she was also very taken-aback by this information. She didnt understand why Juan didnt communicate with me about Taller....*well, he doesnt speak english* I thought...

Elisa explained that "Taller" is an after school activity on a creative subject. The students are expected to create a product, such as a scarf in knitting taller. This is an opportunity for students to be artistic and innovative.

Even though I was shocked at first about the news that I would be taking on 5 more hours of teaching a week, I am very excited about this new challenge. I want to focus on music and acting during this time with the students and have them create skits and do sing-a-longs in class. Perhaps at the end of the year, the students in my taller can put on a performance for the entire school, parents, etc. It will be a memorable event!....with dancing, singing, performances...all in english.

If you have any mp3s of pop, rock, oldies, or rap music that my students (age 10-13) may enjoy, please email them to me!

Miss Corissa begins.

I decorated my class with signs and posters in English and planned my lesson for the first week of classes this weekend. Last night, I worked hours on power point slides and printed them on transparencies. The slides were in spanish and supplemented with photos. This way, i could start by speaking entirely in english on the first day, but also ensure that my students are able to understand essential information, such as the rules of the class, why they should learn english, etc. You will soon see how I am able to teach english, without knowing much spanish, to a class that can only speak spanish. After much preparation, my first day of "real teaching" in Curico went as follows:

6:30am- Woke up, got ready, gathered materials, drank coffee, sat nervously on the couch and waited for Elisa to accompany me to school

7:30am-Left for school by foot

7:45am-rearranged desks, attempted to locate man that supplies overhead projector

8:30am- finally found technical assistant and brought the projector to my class

8:35am- My first class arrived. I did not allow them to enter until I explained the directions (in english but with huge gestures)= that they would be finding a seat in the front of the class, and that they should sit quietly. I would walk in and they would stand up. I would greet them "good morning class" They would answer "good morning miss Corissa". And then sit down.
Then, i allowed the class to enter. I watched them sit. If they did not follow directions, I would point them to the front of the class (desks were grouped in fours in the back for other activities) I went outside, waited a few seconds, then entered. If the class talked at all, I said "no talking" (gestured hand talking by mouth) and I would say "again". I went back out in the hall and repeated this training until they got the greeting down perfectly.

8:40-Attempted to do an "interest survey". It was a questionnaire was written in english and spanish, such as "how do you like to learn?". And the answers had photos along with the words. After about 5 minutes of watching the students struggle with following my directions, that were given in english, I adapted the format of the survey: oral instead of written. I asked the questions in spanish, and told them to raise their hands (in english with gestures). Then i would give them the options for answers in english with motions, such as "listen to music" by pretending to listen to music. The students voted by raising their hands. This method was more effective because I could note their interests quickly. (thus my plans were changed from a written to oral interest survey for the next 5 classes)

8:50- Introduced myself via technology: the overhead projector saved the day! The slides worked out great! The students were able to read along in spanish while I spoke entirely in english. Also, it sparked their interest further to see pictures of Austin, my family, etc. My students were able to comprehend my expectations of them in class, because this is very important to convey before you begin teaching (ie. the rules, consequences, rewards, schedule, grades, etc)

9:10- The last slide instructed that the class would need to make up a "class name". I teach 10 classes of 40 students, but ( if you remember) the classes are split in half, so I actually see 20 classes of about 20 students every week instead. I thought it would be fun if the classes were more like a team. Until now, the classes were called by a grade and number, such as 7b or 8a. I want to build camaraderie and also, it will be easy to identify the classes for me this way. I hope to encourage competition between classes as well.

All classes were able to decide on a class name, except for one class that consisted of about 16 teenage boys. They couldn't discuss without yelling or calling out crude ideas for a class name. The others thought of these names: the zombies, los stuart, the mateos (the dorks), the gorillas, and the ninjas.

9:15- At the end of the first class, I realized that there was no time for the "name game" I had prepared. Thus, my lesson for next week is already planned ! :) I have to quickly evaluate while i teach often, and adapt my lessons. This is fine because its better to save something like this than to rush into it.

....i repeated this 5 more times until 1:30. And i will repeat it again all day tomorrow, wednesday and thursday.

Next week i will concentrate on introductions and play the name game!

la sorpresa al asado para sabado. El dia de los padres

When i arrived at my house last night, my family was having an asado, para el dia de los padres, or that was i figured it was for. Sergio and Rodrigo were outside attending to the small barbeque, covered with various types of peppered meats. It was so yummy. Haydee and Elisa were inside preparing the other dishes and i was really excited about the feast!

After chatting with my friend Nicole (another lovely volunteer here), she had encouraged me to help out more around the house. So, naturally, I asked Haydee what I could do to help out! She has this cute hobby of cutting napkins because they are "too big" and so i did my part for the barbeque. cortando sirvillettas.

When it was almost time to eat, Haydee was being very meticulous about setting the table. She had taken out reserved china for special occasions. All of the silverware was individually wrapped, so it was taking her forever. Again, "pulling a Nicole", i offered to help.

I asked, "Why do you have an extra plate?" (in spanish)
and I couldnt understand the answer...a friend of Sergio? Some guy from work? What?
Then later, we started eating and the seat was still unoccupied, so I assumed it was part of the Chilean culture: to have an extra seat in case someone stops by.

About 5 minutes after we started eating, a 27 year old boy shows up at the door. Rodrigo runs out to greet him and he is invited to the table. "OH!" I thought "This is the guy Rodrigo has been talking to me about". Jorge, his friend that was now joining us for our fathers day barbeque, is the guy that was mentioned in the house many times: the tall guy with the moto, who speaks some English.

However, he did not speak much English and he wasnt that tall. But the family, Jorge and I had a wonderful dinner, even with the few ackward silences.

At one point during the meal, Rodrigo told Jorge that I could dance salsa and that I liked dancing very much (hinting he should take me out) And at the end of the meal, he asked me "Quieres salir?"

Of course i couldnt deny an opportunity to get out of the house. I had only met one Chilean friend since i had been in Curico.

I quickly got ready and we left. He was really nice and it was fun to speak spanish with him. He took me to this lovely park that had this indiana jones type bridge, a gorgeous river, and enormous trees. (because the bars were not yet open) Then we stopped by his parents house because I had to use the restroom. Finally at around 12 (the time all the bars and discos begin to open), we made it to a disco called "Casa Vieja". It was the most adorable dance club i have ever seen. It was literally an old house. The bar(house) had brilliant architecture and fabulous woodwork, and the rooms were painted in bright colors and decorated with more artwork.

The dancing didnt start until 1 am. And Jorge loves dancing, even more so than I. I felt bad when we started to dance becuase I was hit with this overwhelming desire to sleep. And he had just checked our coats....

After about 20 minutes of obligatory dancing, I told him that i wanted to leave. I couldnt keep my eyes open. (and my first day of teaching is monday...I have a lot of preparation to do yet!) He said ok, but i knew he could have danced until the break of dawn.

It was a nice night but.... who knew that the BBQ was a plot from my family to hook me up with someone....?

You learn much quicker when you make mistakes.

Mistake #1. "Getting around the city"

Two days ago, I took the wrong bus home. I usually take bus #2 to the centro, but I can take either #1, 2 or 7. I was never told where to find the bus stops for the return trip nor what numbers to take. Everything I learn is by trial and error. Of course i ask questions. I ask my family, "where is the bus stop? or what number should i take?" But they always give me a confusing answer. Such as you can take these ones sometimes. They dont draw me a map or show me in person.

So i assumed i could take the same bus back home (#2) as i took to the city. The name of my barrio was written on the sign attached to the bus window. After a few minutes, i noticed that the bus was going in the wrong direction: back into the city and around, instead of in the direction of mi casa, behind the hill. When i noticed, i was only slightly annoyed because I was hungry, but I thought the bus would get to my stop eventually.

After 30 minutes of driving throughout the city and into an unknown area, I began to get more distraught. "Where am i?" I thought. There was a map on the back of the drivers seat, but it looked more like a plate of spaghetti. I could not tell where we were because the streets arent clearly labeled, and I didnt know if we were coming or going. Out of the window, the homes were getting more desolate: I was in the slums. Also, I noticed that there were fewer and fewer people on the bus, as if I was approaching the last stop.

After about 15 more minutes of minimal panic on my part, I was the only person on the bus. Only me and the driver. In the middle of nowhere. The bus driver stopped the bus to ask me a pertinent question:

"A donde vas?" (where are you going?)

"A Villa Rauguen. Parada 8" (To this area, stop 8)

He then continues to explain that the bus does not go there. and that we were very very far away from that stop. (el otro lado)

I asked, "Por que?" I simply did not understand how the bus would not reach my destination, when my part of the city was labeled on the sign..and i had taken this bus to the city, that same morning.

The driver seemed bothered by my ignorance and told me that i needed to get off and catch another bus back to el centro, and then take another to my stop.

So, from my mistake, i learned that I can take #1,2,7 to the city and only #1 back home. I hadnt realized that every other time I had come home, I had taken bus #1..or a collectivo.

Mistake #2. "Hablando Espanol"

I was talking to a group of girls in Spanish this past week about where I live in the city. I live in a quiet neighborhood very close to the school I teach, thus many of the students live nearby and want to know my exact location. One girl told me that she lived very close to me.

I responded, "Que bueno!" Which means "how good!"

The entire group of girls burst into laughter. I asked "Que paso! " "Que?!"
They explained that I could not say that because it means "i dont care" "no me importa". or
"oh ok." They thought it was funny because they knew I was being sincere, but I didnt convey that with my spanish.
I told them i could not understand because it means how good!
Anyways, its hilarious because I had used this expression on many occasions. I wonder if everyone thinks im rude!

Mistake #3. "My family"

Chileans are very open. Especially when you are living with a family, they automatically adopt you as one of their own and expect you to converse with them like you are one of them. I am asked questions about my beliefs, my weight, how much money i made in the USA, if i kissed some guy last night, etc. They want to know everything. So, if i want to go out, I have to be ready to combat at least 20 questions. This is fair because its important for them to know i will be safe. This I understand.

But I have found that some of my beliefs are more liberal than theirs. It is difficult to express some feelings about things because I feel obligated to be like them, when they treat me as their own daughter in their house.

My family does not drink any alcohol. ever. So when they ask me if i drink, I am honest and say yes. I got into a tiff with Haydee (the 76 year old woman) here because she didnt want me to go out and get drinks because I was taking allergy medicine. She had "made up" that I couldnt drink for 20 days, which would mean i would not be allowed to drink for a month! I told her i didnt believe her. I said i needed to read the directions on the medicine to confirm her request.

The directions did not mention alcohol at all. But that night after our disagreement, I compromised with her and told myself that I would not take the medicine if i wanted a drink. I think it would have been better to humor her and do what I want, considering it still safe. It is not appropriate for me to disagree here.

After our small argument, Haydee had a scare. She was in a lot of pain and needed to lay down on her bed with her feet propped up. I was afraid that our fight had caused her this stress, and had increased her heart pressure. I felt like it was my fault.

My family here is more conservative, but I am making huge efforts to meet them halfway.

Mi familia es muy linda!

My family has been wonderful to me since i've been here. For example, they take me shopping for winter clothes and wait for hours for me to decide on a pair of boots. They freak out when i have 8 bites on my body and demand that i go to the hospital at once! And they cannot stop offering me tea or another plate of food....very much like my parents in Texas! (that i miss very much!) I feel very much like a child in the house. Not only because I speak spanish like a baby, but because of how they care for me.

This is a picture of Rodrigo (Elisa's spouse), Elisa, and mi Papi, Sergio before church on Sunday.

Getting ready for church is like getting ready for the prom here. (Actually going out in general) You are not presentable unless you have bathed, blow dryed your hair/curled it, and showered yourself in perfume. My sister Elisa curled my hair and splashed some perfume on me as we were running out the door. Then, in church, Elisa popped a mint directly into my mouth. Just like the body of Christ! (when one does not want to use ones hands!) So you can see what i mean about being babied!

A girl can get used to this.

But you know im not any girl. You all know how independent i am. They are learning to give me my space and allow me to take walks alone. haha my papi no longer walks me to school any longer, but i bet he wants to.

Curico o Curico.

I havent been back to school all week. The other 4 english volunteers and I have been busy running errands, shopping for winter clothes, and mainly, attempting to obtain our work visas. We are the first foreigners that have come to Curico to work, thus, it will take some time to process. In the meantime, we are all enjoying the city and the FRESH AIR. There is no smog here, like in Santiago. The nights and mornings are quite brisk, but the days are lovely. I am tempted to take off my jacket while I walk in the streets when the sun is out, but it is not customary to shed clothing even if the day warms up...because it's winter, "you silly Americans!"

I am very proud of myself for becoming acquainted with the public transportation system, despite my poor spanish speaking skills. I have become very adept with taking the "micro" (bus) and "collectivos". Collectivos are similar to taxis, except they pick up multiple people and drop people off at bus stops. For example, if if you are in a collectivo, and someone hails the car, the driver will pick up that person too. It is much cheaper than by taxi. Also, it is more fun because people seem more open to conversation in a collectivo than in a taxi or on a bus.

Every day I walk around Curico by myself. My Chilean family thinks Im a big girl because of this. They are very impressed. They are always asking me "How did you get there? And how did you get home? By bus or collectivo?" like they are astonished that I could manage such a task!

Curico is a extremely quaint city. It is the type of city that someone may wander into and end up staying forever. Many people I chat with on the street say they are from Curico, and their parents and parents' parents as well. The people here seem very friendly to us, foreigners, and of course, very curious. We are all constantly gossiped about, literally right behind our backs. They assume we dont speak any spanish! No one here speaks English. Not even the English teachers we work with.

The town has one main plaza called the "Plaza de Armas". There is another Plaza de Armas in Santiago and it seems like many of the street names here are recycled from Santiago as well. They have 1 small park, 1 large hill, and about 2o main streets that make up the entire town. They have about 100 independent shops, 20 corporate stores, 1 mall, and 2 main groceries. One of the grocery stores even has a cinema on the second floor!

At night, many of the town's teenagers and college students go out shopping. There are 3 very small universities here and maybe about 10 high schools. I havent seen much to do besides shopping. They have a few internet cafes (but no coffee), video arcades, and i think ive seen only 4 bars.

Also, Curico has a futbol team called "Curico Unido" or Curico United. I may go check-out a game this Sunday evening. It will be great to feel like a local!

The main difference between Curico and Santiago is that the people in Curico are more warm. Every single person I've spoke with has been super patient, kind, and interested. Even though there is less to do here, I am loving the small town feel.

Un presentacion grandioso!

Mi papa walked me to school today. When I arrived, I was kindly ushered around the school to greet various classes. Todos los alumnos y los profesores son muy simpaticos! Again, I was treated like a queen, una reina de la escuela.





I went home for lunch and rested. I returned to school around 2pm, and was then immediately rushed to the school's courtyard for my "formal introduction" to el colegio Alessandri. The entire school (1000 students more or less) sang the national anthem for me and a few other welcome songs. I was very content and at ease until the director of the school grabbed my hand and led me to the stage. I had no idea that I was going to be asked to speak (in spanish) to everyone. I stumbled through my spanish (miraculously) and I received an uproarious applause. I felt like Evita Peron.

I wish you all could have seen me! Of course, now I am very confident with my pocito espanol!

Mis padres de Chile! Que preciosa!

Lluege a Curico!

I arrived in Curico after traveling by train through immense niebla (fog), numerous acres of vineyards and a breathtaking mountanous backdrop. We were greeted very warmly (I practically ran into a kiss when i stepped off the train!): We were also given gifts, many cups of coffee and cookies, grand introductions, etc.

(A traditional dance, La Cueca: performed by dos ninos after a welcome speech.)

La plaza de armas en el centro.

We were finally presented to our host families this afternoon.

When I first entered the house, it hit me like a slap in the face: this will be my home for 6 months. My eyes were watering when the mother of the house was showing me my room and I couldnt understand anything she was saying. It was all very overwhelming. Every conversation was in spanish today (It was extra difficult because I was spoiled in Santiago and could get by very easily with poco espanol because I was with Americans and english speaking chileans!) I do have a background in Spanish from a few courses, but I am no where near fluency. The family I will live with for 6 months only speaks Catalan, actually. Ellos necesitan much patiencia!

Yo estoy viviendo en una casa blanca. Their house resides just outside the main square and only a 5 minute walking distance from the school I will be teaching. I have my own room in their house which includes a small closet and bookshelf space. Also, I am capable of connecting to the internet at any time of the day for any amount of time. I believe that it will be a very convenient place to rest my head.

The family has been very hospitable, loving, and patient with me. I have discovered a few things about the family, somehow, through my broken spanish! First, the family I am living with is very conservative and formal. They are protestant, not Catholic. They do not drink. They cook plenty of fish and veggies (which I have been craving after huge carb intakes in the hostel) They like simplicity and genuine conversation.

Curico is already beginning to feel like a home after tonight. My favorite part of the day was talking with the eldest in the house, Sergio. He is a wise and gentle 76 year old man with a broad smile. When Sergio, his daughter Elisa and I were grocery shopping this evening, Sergio told me that I should call him "papa" and then, Elisa said that I should call her "hermana". I am very lucky to already be accepted into their family.

one slight miscalculation

Before you all get your panties in a knot, let me explain this one thing:

Nothing is certain in Chile.

All of the information about my placement, school, etc is very tentative. And everyday I discover that I have interpreted information incorrectly.

For example, I will not be teaching at an Engineering school. I shared my info packet with my temporary Spanish teacher today, and she pointed out that the title of the school was named after an ex president. The name of the estableshment is "Ingeniero (which does mean engineering to prove im not a huge ditz) Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez" And I feel like an idiot because I know who Alessandri is. (remember I checked out many books at the CP library before my arrival...including books with their political history)

Ingeniero in this context solely serves as his Alessandri's title, since he was also an Engineer. Thus, I will not be teaching at a technical school. I will be teaching at un Collegio Basico (k-8th), and most likely 4th-8th graders. (phew) I was sweating at the thought of teaching a classroom of high school, male engineers.

I have 2 more days of orientation, una fiesta grande, a night of dancing, and a day exploring the untouched hill of Santiago (ie. San Cristobal, granted the smog levels are low)

Estoy inferma :(

I became grossly ill yesterday and missed most of the orientation sessions today. I'm not sure what made me sick. It could have been a combination of living in close quarters with 30 other people (in a hostel), drinking the water here or the food. I'm thinking it was something I ate this past weekend in Valparaiso.

I did make it to one session today, and we found out more about our placement site. I will be living with another teacher in my school. Also, I will be living with her parents and her husband. The entire household is over the age of 50. I was surprised to find that I will not have 10 kiddos running around, but I think it could be a good thing. (ie. more alone time, a break from kids, etc) The family described themselves as warm/friendly, studious, and religious. They are positive that my Spanish will improve. (The emails they sent me were very formal, as if written by scholars)

Also, I think I will be working for a technical school. The name of the school has the word "Ingeniero", which means Engineering. I thought I would be teaching medio (1-8th), but now I'm unsure.

I am trying to go into the next week with minimal expectations. (because there is a HUGE chance that it will change.)

Val-po

Que es un voluntario?

To volunteer: to perform or offer to perform work of your own free will.

I always considered volunteering to be defined as work without pay. I've volunteered at homeless shelters, at fundraising activities for organizations, and other works of charity. Although I enjoy helping people, I never considered myself to be very altruistic.

I joined the teach abroad in Chile program for Alliance Abroad to learn Spanish, gain teaching experience, and travel. Also, it wasn't a requirement for me that the program have much pay, because I knew that the program would offer me riches worth more than money.

The past week in Santiago, I have been training with the other program volunteers. We arose early to learn about Chilean culture and history, study the Chilean school system, attend personal Spanish lessons, and to take Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) courses. We are all exasperated, but feeling more prepared. I am anticipating the teaching experience very much.

Its been extremely helpful having the Spanish refresher courses before i meet my host family next week in Curico (where i will be teaching); also, it has been interesting learning more about the customs in Chile, such as eating with both hands in sight. (never to be hidden underneath the table); and its been great brainstorming TEFL classroom strategies with other teachers here. But the most beneficial part of the training was studying the Chilean school system.

There are three types of school systems in Chile: private (catholic), semi public, and public. There is colegio basico (1-8) and colegio medio (1-4, similar to high school). The quality of education depends on the wealth of the students' families. (The disparity between the best private school and the poorest public school is very vast.) But overall, Chilean schools are strict, formal, conservative, and simple.

The school I went to observe was a semi public, technical school in a middle class neighborhood. It was surrounded by high cement walls topped with jagged glass to keep out intruders. The gate had to be opened for our bus to reach the parking lot. Even though the school wasn't terribly inviting, it was clean and well maintained. It had an open courtyard and 2 large, stone buildings.

The principal and school welcomed us with open arms. They sat us in the 'sala' for coffee and cookies while a dozen students introduced themselves to us. We mingled with them and were then ushered around the school to observe the technical and academic classrooms.

The students were divided into 5 groups in the school. One group were studying to attend a university. Three groups were studying to obtain practical jobs (ie. cooking, mechanics, electronics), and the last group was for basic education. I was surprised to see that a majority of the students were boys. The mechanics and electronics classes did not have one girl in them.

I asked the principal during our tour, "Where are all of the girls?"
She answered that many of the teenagers become pregnant before 14 yrs old.

In the English class we observed, there were 40 students (38 of them boys) crammed into small room, elbow to elbow. The walls were bare. The only materials were a dry erase board and marker. Inside the classroom, it was obvious to me that the students were consumed with distractions. It was a tight squeeze in the small rooms. The students played on their cell phones, passed notes, shouted jokes and insults, and ignored their teacher. The students were not motivated. The English teacher laughed when she said, "I do not give them hw because they will not do it".

Also, the coldness in the rooms was quite shocking. The top of the interior walls were made of glass windows, many of them broken, and did not do much to keep out the cold or the noise. The voices clung to the icy hallways. I wondered how students could concentrate in classrooms when they had to be bundled in wool coats.

These are the realities of schools in Chile, but not only in Chile. America has similar struggles.

So, when I signed up to teach English in Chile, i really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I pictured myself in a cozy classroom of 20 students, growing close with them, playing games, taking field trips, playing soccer after school, etc. However, this is not the case.

I was informed, 3 days ago, that all of the teachers in the program will be placed in our own school (either basico or medio). I will be expected to take half of an English class (approx 20 students) to my own room for instruction in conversational English. I will be teaching 40 minutes and then swapping with the other teacher for the other half of the class. And then repeat this for the next period. All day long.

So, I wont be teaching 20 students. There is a possibility that I will teach 100-400 students every week. The schools are expecting us to be streched so that all of the students can benefit from us. They want us to share our native tongue with the entire school.

At first, the epic news that i will be the school's English tutor made me very nervous. It shook up my imaginings of making a positive impact in a very personal way.

One of the program directors comforted us with these words: "You will most likely be the first and only native speaker your city will ever meet. You will be able to improve their state of living by helping them to acquire a second language or at least encourage them to pursue further knowledge."

Even though i came to Chile with selfish intentions, my heart is finding priority in charity.

I will found out my host family and school information this Tuesday, and I will leave for Curico on Saturday.

photos de santiago

Colorful art murals/grafitti art.

Overlooking the vast city on Santo Lucia

The only restaurant ive liked thus far! Bellavista in Santiago

mi primero dia en chile!

The plane from Dallas to Santiago lasted an entire 10 hours. It was a roomy, overnight flight with two complimentary meals. And even though the seat next to me was vacant, I could still not get comfortable. I believe I exhausted all of the sleeping positions the two seats would allow.....Watching the sun rise over the Andes mountains made up for my night of tossing and turning.

Chileans did not make a good first impression with me. Upon arriving in the country, all foreigners are required to pay a fee and for Americans, it is $100. So, i handed the lady at the booth 5 $20 USA bills. She would not accept one of the twenties because there was a teeny tear in the bill! I tried to hand her Chilean pesos and she refused. "no accepto".

*What the hell!? i thought. I'm in Chile!

Thankfully, 2 other girls from my program were with me on the flight and came to save the day and lent me the twenty dollars i needed to enter the country.

After the airport, we were bused to our hostel. We were welcomed with pisco sours and keys to the forth floor. Can you imagine 4 girls lugging our huge load up 4 flights of stairs! ?

I had a great time exploring Santiago with people from my program. My hostel is located in the bohemian district in Chile, so it is crawling with new york styles, punk music, and surprisingly, Gothic teenagers. Chile is way more up-to-date with recent trends and popular music than I expected. I spoke with a girl that works at the front desk at the hostel about Sufjan Stevens, New Order, Interpol, and other American indie artists.....and i decided to give chileans a second chance....

I've chatted with many other Chileans since my arrival, and they have proved themselves more amiable. However, I've found that they are more arrogant, hip and independent than other latin americans.

I have also discovered that the food in Chile is terrible! Typical dishes are: el completo (a hotdog with everything), sandwiches with ham, cheese and mayonnaise, french fries, and empanadas. Not exactly my type of diet! I'm counting on the seafood....

Salud!

Until later...ciao!

Where to?! Curico?!

It's 3 days before I leave for Chile, and I STILL don't know what city I will be teaching in!
(If you cant see this as an inconvenience, remember that Chile has 12 regions, all with separate climates! The city will decide what I will pack!)

I received an email from another girl that is attending my program yesterday. Her name is Nicole Baker and she is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She sent a short note to introduce herself to myself and 4 others in the program because she was privy to our placement site: Curico, where she claimed we will be living and working together for 6 months.

" How did she find out before me?!" I wondered. "I've been waiting for this information for 2 months and I found out from THIS YANKEE? I live in the same city as the coordinators of the program! How am i the last to find out?!"

Nonetheless, I returned Nicole's email and introduced myself, still doubting Nicole as a valid source and waiting for the Alliance Abroad Group's (A.A.G.) confirmation.

Later that evening it struck me that this is absolutely unprofessional that I had to find out this way! (Nicole) I thought that it was unacceptable for them not contact all of the participants at the same time! So, after a million phone calls in an attempt to reach A.A.G., I finally spoke with Kim, the Chile program director, and she had no idea what i was talking about.

"We still haven't received the word from Chile. " Kim replied.

After Kim and I discussed Nicole's email, Kim unveiled the secret spilling of my placement site. She had me refer back to a recent email that was sent direct from Chile. It was addressed "Dear Curico volunteers". I had overlooked this blatant clue, because of the pointless welcome message that was attached.

"Well, it is likely that you will be placed in Curico, then. But there is no guarantees until we hear from Chile."

Keep your fingers crossed! Curico was my number one choice!