So the Chilean Congress passed the controversial education law anyway. Meaning, in effect, that the teachers simply gave up after finding out that their efforts went unnoticed. Seems kind of like a cop-out to me, but hey, the students do need to get back to school after all! Also, I heard that a strike longer than one week would have cut into winter vacation time (in order to make up classes). In retrospect, the whole strike seemed a bit half-hearted to me, especially in the particular high school in which I'm teaching.
So classes finally started back up yesterday. Although the terms of my "contract" require a full week of observation, I was eager to start out on my own, so the co-teacher, Boris, and I began with split classes in the morning. Everything went pretty well, although I still don't have a wipe-board! This makes teaching a whole lot more difficult, as I have no way to show the students what they're supposed to be repeating and no model for discussions.
In general, high school classes (middle school as well) can be summed up in one particularly appropriate chilenismo that I have adopted as my favorite: Cumpleaños de Mono ("Monkey's Birthday"). Just picture what a monkey's birthday party might consist of for a second...yes, that is the Chilean education system for you. Kids make calls during class, blast music through earphones from their cell phones, walk around the room, and generally disrespect the teacher in every way possible. Luckily, I don't have to deal with other volunteers' stories of kids making out for an entire class period because there are very few girls in my school. Yet today, at the request of my co-teacher, I went over to speak with one student who reeked of Marijuana. It was 9:30 in the morning! What have I signed up for?
So far, however, I have witnessed fairly decent behavior in my breakdown classes. Because the whole English class splits for two 45 minute periods, I haven't had more than 15 students at one time. This definitely prevents some of the Cumpleaños de Mono, but what really should prevent it is the class division. I specifically went over the entire roll call with the co-teacher in order to split up best friends and various partners-in-crime. Yes, I know what you're thinking...great call.
I am really looking forward to getting back into a normal work habit this week. I was incredibly lazy all last week during the strike, and I feel extremely unhealthy after partaking in minimal physical activity. This is definitely one of those get-back-on-track weeks! Today is a perfect day to start: very warm, completely sunny, and fried fish (fresh off the morning boats) for lunch!
Chao Everyone... I hope all is well.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Mi Familia Chilena
“Max, tu vas a pololear a ca in Taltal?” was literally the first question I received from my family when I arrived. Although the translation into English isn’t all that smooth, they were basically asking me whether I planned on searching for a Chilean girlfriend (polola=girlfriend; pololear=verb form, literally “girlfriending”). Although my answer of “no, thank you” probably thwarted some of their lofty gossiping ambitions, it certainly didn’t faze them all that much, since they still haven’t stopped asking me this question.
They are five strong (eight if you count dogs, twenty if you count voice strength and volume of conversation): Walter, father, 44; Carmen, mother, 43; Cristian, son, 17; Stephanie (Boni), daughter, 13; and Alexandra, daughter, 11. They also have three Maltese dogs: Francisco Javier, father, 4; Francisca, mother, 4; Francisca Javiera, daughter, 3 months. Oh, and Francisca Javiera, the perrita (puppy), just so happens to be one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen, even though I don’t like Maltese very much.
Walter and Carmen are the biggest jokers I have ever encountered in my short life. Literally everything is a joke for them - which is great fun for me most of the time – especially when the jokes are at my expense (which they often are). However, their constant joking presents a particularly difficult problem, namely, I hardly ever understand them until I’ve said “no entiendo” (I don't understand) twenty times and ruined the hilarity for everyone. Their absolute favorite source of roasting is Lisa, another volunteer teacher in town from Champagne/Urbana, Illinois. Because she has very light skin and blonde hair (they call her “La Rubia”), they think I must want her to be my polola. They simply won’t take no for an answer. Every day, in fact every five minutes, they ask me “how is your polola Lisa?” or if my cell phone rings, “oh Max, it’s your polola Lisa calling!” I’m beginning to think that I should have told them I was married the minute I arrived. In fact, they just barged into my room two seconds a go because Lisa called my cell and it happened to be in the living room. “Max, corre! Lisa ha llamada!” (Max, run, Lisa called!) I’m really not sure how much more I can take!
Their other favorite joke is one that I came up with in Spanish – something I am very proud of – and it’s actually not that funny, but go easy on me guys…I made a joke in Spanish! Palta is avocado in Spanish, and they happen to eat tons of it (score!). One day, they asked me what palta is in English, and I told them. Avocado said in Spanish, however, sounds exactly like “abogado” (lawyer), because they pronounce v’s like b’s. After the entire family attempted to pronounce avocado for a full minute, I came up with “Si, las paltas estudian en la escuela del derecho para hacerse abogado!” In English, “Yeah, avocados study at law school to become lawyers!” Lame, I know, but they loved it.
The three children are extremely well-behaved and always help out around the house. Cristian, the 17 year-old, is in 12th grade (cuarto) at Liceo Politecnico, the school where I teach. Lucky for Cristian, however, I don’t teach his class! He gets muy vergonzoso (very embarrassed) whenever he walks around town with me, probably because I say “buenas dias!” to literally every person I pass in Taltal (he simply doesn’t understand this). It’s not like I have a habit of saying hello to everyone, and I certainly don’t do that in the U.S., but literally every person stares so intently at the gringo that I’m forced to say hello in order to break the awkwardness. The other day I went for a run with Cristian to the beach and much to his chagrin I decided to pass through town on the way back. At one point he thought he saw some friends from school, so he dropped back about 15 feet behind me, started to walk, and brought out his cell phone and pretended to check his messages. He’s so timid! Here in Chile, they call the years between 16-18 “El Edad del Pavo”, literally, “The Age of the Duck”. It describes that time period perfectly!
The two young daughters, Alexandra and Stephanie, are pretty quiet and very well mannered. They also love to make fun of me – especially about girls – but for the most part they’re pretty tranquilo. They’re on their laptops for an incredible amount of time each day – it’s truly amazing how little outdoor activity kids get around here. For the most part, they would rather play computer games than play sports or go down to the beach. At least Cristian plays a lot of soccer, and is always willing to bring me along to play even though I pretty much suck. But watch, by the time I get back from Chile I’ll be the American version of Cristiano Ronaldo, haha.
The bottom line is I feel like I am truly a member of the family. Everyone is so easy-going and open to discussing literally every topic – to use a particularly extreme example – Carmen has absolutely no qualms about discussing sex around the entire family, in fact, she keeps two boxes of condoms in the refrigerator. Certainly peculiar and interesting, yes, but I find it to be unbelievably refreshing in a country where little attention is paid to birth control and girls are often getting pregnant at 13 and 14 here in Taltal. Although Cristian (17) is in no way sexually active yet, I think it’s great that his parents are that open with him and want to ensure that he takes the appropriate measures when he’s ready.
Beyond that, my laundry is done for me, I have a nice big room, and the food has been great, although one big meal a day (lunch) is hard to get used to. I am so accustomed to having a large breakfast, small lunch, and large dinner that the total switcheroo is throwing me off a bit, although I’ll get used to it eventually. I live a bit far from town (in Taltal that means a whopping 15-20 min. walk), but I wouldn’t change my family here for 100,000 Chilean pesos (only $200, haha). They’ve been absolutely great, even if they are nearly impossible to understand at times, and I can’t wait to spend a full five more months here!
Here are some pictures, and if you guys have any questions about my living arrangements, family, food, etc, just comment, because I can’t continue this marathon post any longer.
They are five strong (eight if you count dogs, twenty if you count voice strength and volume of conversation): Walter, father, 44; Carmen, mother, 43; Cristian, son, 17; Stephanie (Boni), daughter, 13; and Alexandra, daughter, 11. They also have three Maltese dogs: Francisco Javier, father, 4; Francisca, mother, 4; Francisca Javiera, daughter, 3 months. Oh, and Francisca Javiera, the perrita (puppy), just so happens to be one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen, even though I don’t like Maltese very much.
Walter and Carmen are the biggest jokers I have ever encountered in my short life. Literally everything is a joke for them - which is great fun for me most of the time – especially when the jokes are at my expense (which they often are). However, their constant joking presents a particularly difficult problem, namely, I hardly ever understand them until I’ve said “no entiendo” (I don't understand) twenty times and ruined the hilarity for everyone. Their absolute favorite source of roasting is Lisa, another volunteer teacher in town from Champagne/Urbana, Illinois. Because she has very light skin and blonde hair (they call her “La Rubia”), they think I must want her to be my polola. They simply won’t take no for an answer. Every day, in fact every five minutes, they ask me “how is your polola Lisa?” or if my cell phone rings, “oh Max, it’s your polola Lisa calling!” I’m beginning to think that I should have told them I was married the minute I arrived. In fact, they just barged into my room two seconds a go because Lisa called my cell and it happened to be in the living room. “Max, corre! Lisa ha llamada!” (Max, run, Lisa called!) I’m really not sure how much more I can take!
Their other favorite joke is one that I came up with in Spanish – something I am very proud of – and it’s actually not that funny, but go easy on me guys…I made a joke in Spanish! Palta is avocado in Spanish, and they happen to eat tons of it (score!). One day, they asked me what palta is in English, and I told them. Avocado said in Spanish, however, sounds exactly like “abogado” (lawyer), because they pronounce v’s like b’s. After the entire family attempted to pronounce avocado for a full minute, I came up with “Si, las paltas estudian en la escuela del derecho para hacerse abogado!” In English, “Yeah, avocados study at law school to become lawyers!” Lame, I know, but they loved it.
The three children are extremely well-behaved and always help out around the house. Cristian, the 17 year-old, is in 12th grade (cuarto) at Liceo Politecnico, the school where I teach. Lucky for Cristian, however, I don’t teach his class! He gets muy vergonzoso (very embarrassed) whenever he walks around town with me, probably because I say “buenas dias!” to literally every person I pass in Taltal (he simply doesn’t understand this). It’s not like I have a habit of saying hello to everyone, and I certainly don’t do that in the U.S., but literally every person stares so intently at the gringo that I’m forced to say hello in order to break the awkwardness. The other day I went for a run with Cristian to the beach and much to his chagrin I decided to pass through town on the way back. At one point he thought he saw some friends from school, so he dropped back about 15 feet behind me, started to walk, and brought out his cell phone and pretended to check his messages. He’s so timid! Here in Chile, they call the years between 16-18 “El Edad del Pavo”, literally, “The Age of the Duck”. It describes that time period perfectly!
The two young daughters, Alexandra and Stephanie, are pretty quiet and very well mannered. They also love to make fun of me – especially about girls – but for the most part they’re pretty tranquilo. They’re on their laptops for an incredible amount of time each day – it’s truly amazing how little outdoor activity kids get around here. For the most part, they would rather play computer games than play sports or go down to the beach. At least Cristian plays a lot of soccer, and is always willing to bring me along to play even though I pretty much suck. But watch, by the time I get back from Chile I’ll be the American version of Cristiano Ronaldo, haha.
The bottom line is I feel like I am truly a member of the family. Everyone is so easy-going and open to discussing literally every topic – to use a particularly extreme example – Carmen has absolutely no qualms about discussing sex around the entire family, in fact, she keeps two boxes of condoms in the refrigerator. Certainly peculiar and interesting, yes, but I find it to be unbelievably refreshing in a country where little attention is paid to birth control and girls are often getting pregnant at 13 and 14 here in Taltal. Although Cristian (17) is in no way sexually active yet, I think it’s great that his parents are that open with him and want to ensure that he takes the appropriate measures when he’s ready.
Beyond that, my laundry is done for me, I have a nice big room, and the food has been great, although one big meal a day (lunch) is hard to get used to. I am so accustomed to having a large breakfast, small lunch, and large dinner that the total switcheroo is throwing me off a bit, although I’ll get used to it eventually. I live a bit far from town (in Taltal that means a whopping 15-20 min. walk), but I wouldn’t change my family here for 100,000 Chilean pesos (only $200, haha). They’ve been absolutely great, even if they are nearly impossible to understand at times, and I can’t wait to spend a full five more months here!
Here are some pictures, and if you guys have any questions about my living arrangements, family, food, etc, just comment, because I can’t continue this marathon post any longer.
Walter
Carmen
Cristian
Alexandra
Stephanie (Boni)
Francisca, the puppy
Monday, June 16, 2008
A Panoramic View of Taltal
Bienvenidos!
Looking North
Looking West towards the mountains
Looking South towards the town center
Sunset facing East on the Pacific
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Las Huelgistas
Hola Mis Amigos de EE UU,
Today I was informed that teachers, along with students, will be on strike here in Chile next week. And honestly, even though I sat in on a lengthy, heated teacher's meeting today at my school, I still have only a slight idea why they are striking (maybe due to my poor Spanish?). The first, and probably most important, reason that I have deduced is that there exists an entrenched culture of striking in Chile. I'm actually beginning to think that striking in Chile is similar to the all-too-familiar and carefully-planned song and dance commonly known as health insurance in the US. Por ejemplo: get sick, go to the doctor (or emergency room in my case), hospital submits claim, insurance company denies, patient complains 487234 times, insurance company finally pays. Entonces, in the Chilean education system: Chilean Congress passes questionable law dealing with education (sometimes not even very questionable), teachers (or even students) threaten to strike, Chilean Congress continues to threaten to pass law, teachers and students go on strike, el gobierno threatens to cut jobs, teachers and students threaten to remain on strike forever, and so on and so forth. Yet concerning the latter I still have yet to find out which side typically concedes. I'll certainly know by the end of next week (con suerte)!
The second, and most presently relevant reason, is that the Chilean Congress is planning to pass some law that will prevent something from happening and allow some other things to happen that will make public school teachers veryyyy angry. This is the complex information that I picked up while sitting in on the heated teacher's meeting at the Liceo Polytecnico. At one point, I kind of just pumped my fist in the air for no reason (especially since I couldn't understand much)...but it certainly felt appropriate at the time. I think it also has something to do with allowing more semi-private and private schools to exist in the system, therefore pushing out some public schools that of course are necessary to allow the poor to attend school until 12th grade, but I can't really be sure, haha...
Seriously though, one thing to take note of when discussing the passage of new laws in the Chilean Congress: since the departure of General Pinochet in 1990, Chile has dealt with a very sensitive legislative situation. Pinochet, having been a dictator, was able to mold the constitution and pass amendments fairly easily. Many of these amendments were aimed at benefiting certain extraction industries (therefore particular companies). Obviously, this strange version of authoritarian capitalism has in many ways allowed Chile to economically develop far beyond other South American nations, especially when one looks at the income Chile derives from mining (copper, gold, formerly nitrate) and forestry exports. On the other hand, the sudden introduction of democracy in 1990 presented a particularly delicate situation in which the constitution needed a major renovation to allow the existence of an efficient democracy, yet drastic changes could not be made at the risk of repeating the same mistakes of the Pinochet era. Therefore, systemic legislative modifications are still taking place to this day in order to reflect a more democratic government.
So, I will keep everyone posted on how the strike progresses once Monday rolls around. The students, of course, are threatening to strike "in solidarity" with the professors, but I've yet to figure out if here in Taltal this means that the students are genuinely concerned about the passage of the law or if it just means they want more time off of school. At least in my school, it is quite possibly the latter, although many students have said that their workload is horrible after a strike because the teachers simply double up their lesson plans. We'll see what happens!
Hasta Luego a Todos!
Today I was informed that teachers, along with students, will be on strike here in Chile next week. And honestly, even though I sat in on a lengthy, heated teacher's meeting today at my school, I still have only a slight idea why they are striking (maybe due to my poor Spanish?). The first, and probably most important, reason that I have deduced is that there exists an entrenched culture of striking in Chile. I'm actually beginning to think that striking in Chile is similar to the all-too-familiar and carefully-planned song and dance commonly known as health insurance in the US. Por ejemplo: get sick, go to the doctor (or emergency room in my case), hospital submits claim, insurance company denies, patient complains 487234 times, insurance company finally pays. Entonces, in the Chilean education system: Chilean Congress passes questionable law dealing with education (sometimes not even very questionable), teachers (or even students) threaten to strike, Chilean Congress continues to threaten to pass law, teachers and students go on strike, el gobierno threatens to cut jobs, teachers and students threaten to remain on strike forever, and so on and so forth. Yet concerning the latter I still have yet to find out which side typically concedes. I'll certainly know by the end of next week (con suerte)!
The second, and most presently relevant reason, is that the Chilean Congress is planning to pass some law that will prevent something from happening and allow some other things to happen that will make public school teachers veryyyy angry. This is the complex information that I picked up while sitting in on the heated teacher's meeting at the Liceo Polytecnico. At one point, I kind of just pumped my fist in the air for no reason (especially since I couldn't understand much)...but it certainly felt appropriate at the time. I think it also has something to do with allowing more semi-private and private schools to exist in the system, therefore pushing out some public schools that of course are necessary to allow the poor to attend school until 12th grade, but I can't really be sure, haha...
Seriously though, one thing to take note of when discussing the passage of new laws in the Chilean Congress: since the departure of General Pinochet in 1990, Chile has dealt with a very sensitive legislative situation. Pinochet, having been a dictator, was able to mold the constitution and pass amendments fairly easily. Many of these amendments were aimed at benefiting certain extraction industries (therefore particular companies). Obviously, this strange version of authoritarian capitalism has in many ways allowed Chile to economically develop far beyond other South American nations, especially when one looks at the income Chile derives from mining (copper, gold, formerly nitrate) and forestry exports. On the other hand, the sudden introduction of democracy in 1990 presented a particularly delicate situation in which the constitution needed a major renovation to allow the existence of an efficient democracy, yet drastic changes could not be made at the risk of repeating the same mistakes of the Pinochet era. Therefore, systemic legislative modifications are still taking place to this day in order to reflect a more democratic government.
So, I will keep everyone posted on how the strike progresses once Monday rolls around. The students, of course, are threatening to strike "in solidarity" with the professors, but I've yet to figure out if here in Taltal this means that the students are genuinely concerned about the passage of the law or if it just means they want more time off of school. At least in my school, it is quite possibly the latter, although many students have said that their workload is horrible after a strike because the teachers simply double up their lesson plans. We'll see what happens!
Hasta Luego a Todos!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
A Couple More Photos and First Impressions of Taltal
Well Guys,
I arrived in Taltal on Monday night. By now it feels like I've been here for two weeks! This past weekend we stayed in Antofagasta for one night to see the city and attend a short orientation with the regional director of the Ingles Abre Puertas (English Opens Doors) program. Antofagasta is fairly unimpressive - it's city bordering the driest desert in the world (Atacama) after all - and just so happens to look very much like a mini-Lima. The coastline is even a bit rockier and far less inviting - more pollution I think. Still, the city happens to have a mall the size of Garden State, haha, with stores lined up as follows: pharmacy, futbol store, ugly clothing store, cell phone store, pharmacy, futbol store, ugly clothing store, cell phone store, and so on and so forth. Besides this never-ending cycle, there was actually a car store, as in a car dealership of every manufacturer, right inside the mall! Inside one of the futbol gear stores (I think it was Diadora), I tried to buy a very nice pair of sneakers, only to be told that they don't order any shoes beyond size 10. Yes, folks, I feel like a giant here. When I explain to people that my height (5'10") is the absolute norm for men in the US, they simply don't believe me! My Chilean gigantism is also exacerbated by the fact that the average height of my host family is approx. 5'1" - Father, 5'4" or so; Mother, maybe 4'10"; Brother, 5'5"? Sisters, about 4'11" each, haha.
Taltal is pretty much what I expected. We had to hop on a four-hour bus south from Antofagasta on Monday afternoon, even after taking a twenty-hour bus ride north from Santiago on Saturday - they could have just dropped us off on the way! All of the host families were at the bus stop when we arrived. My host family, along with my co-English teacher, brought me to the house and thus began my total immersion. It feels great to be back into the swing of speaking Spanish...even after a short three days I feel like I'm already back to my end-of-Peru form. With a solid amount of studying grammar and constant absorption of new vocabulary I should be fluent by the time I go back!
I will post some photos of Taltal when I get a chance to take some this weekend. It is very third world when compared to a city like Santiago, but very similar to what I experienced in the areas surrounding Cusco. First impressions of the school: I'M SCARED OUT OF MY MIND. It's very different from any school that any of us attended in the US. First impressions of the family: AWESOME. I live a bit far from the center of town, however, and the four other volunteers are living right in the center, so I feel a bit cut off at times.
Must get to sleep now though...my Chilean parents smoke a bit in the house and I'm starting to feel something brewing in my throat! I will be posting separate updates about the family and the school in the next few days since I have so much to tell and so little time.
Now, two more photos...
I arrived in Taltal on Monday night. By now it feels like I've been here for two weeks! This past weekend we stayed in Antofagasta for one night to see the city and attend a short orientation with the regional director of the Ingles Abre Puertas (English Opens Doors) program. Antofagasta is fairly unimpressive - it's city bordering the driest desert in the world (Atacama) after all - and just so happens to look very much like a mini-Lima. The coastline is even a bit rockier and far less inviting - more pollution I think. Still, the city happens to have a mall the size of Garden State, haha, with stores lined up as follows: pharmacy, futbol store, ugly clothing store, cell phone store, pharmacy, futbol store, ugly clothing store, cell phone store, and so on and so forth. Besides this never-ending cycle, there was actually a car store, as in a car dealership of every manufacturer, right inside the mall! Inside one of the futbol gear stores (I think it was Diadora), I tried to buy a very nice pair of sneakers, only to be told that they don't order any shoes beyond size 10. Yes, folks, I feel like a giant here. When I explain to people that my height (5'10") is the absolute norm for men in the US, they simply don't believe me! My Chilean gigantism is also exacerbated by the fact that the average height of my host family is approx. 5'1" - Father, 5'4" or so; Mother, maybe 4'10"; Brother, 5'5"? Sisters, about 4'11" each, haha.
Taltal is pretty much what I expected. We had to hop on a four-hour bus south from Antofagasta on Monday afternoon, even after taking a twenty-hour bus ride north from Santiago on Saturday - they could have just dropped us off on the way! All of the host families were at the bus stop when we arrived. My host family, along with my co-English teacher, brought me to the house and thus began my total immersion. It feels great to be back into the swing of speaking Spanish...even after a short three days I feel like I'm already back to my end-of-Peru form. With a solid amount of studying grammar and constant absorption of new vocabulary I should be fluent by the time I go back!
I will post some photos of Taltal when I get a chance to take some this weekend. It is very third world when compared to a city like Santiago, but very similar to what I experienced in the areas surrounding Cusco. First impressions of the school: I'M SCARED OUT OF MY MIND. It's very different from any school that any of us attended in the US. First impressions of the family: AWESOME. I live a bit far from the center of town, however, and the four other volunteers are living right in the center, so I feel a bit cut off at times.
Must get to sleep now though...my Chilean parents smoke a bit in the house and I'm starting to feel something brewing in my throat! I will be posting separate updates about the family and the school in the next few days since I have so much to tell and so little time.
Now, two more photos...
The Atacama Desert while entering Antofagasta.
El Santuario at Cerro San Cristobal.
A Few Nice Shots from Santiago de Chile
Cerro San Cristobal
HUGE variety of palm trees in Santiago.
Found this building close to the hostel I was staying at.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Week In Santiago
Hola Amigos!
I am writing this from seat number four on the salon cama bus en route Santiago to Antofagasta. It is currently hour SEVEN of TWENTY. Yes, folks, TWENTY. I’ve no idea how many km’s this trip actually is, but I imagine about 1600…pretty much like driving from NJ to Florida. The one upside is, however, that salon cama just so happens to mean sleeper bus – as in I basically have a seat that should belong in International Business class on Singapore Airlines. Not so bad really! Another interesting thing about buses in Chile: each one has a sensor that beeps when the driver goes above 100 km’s/hr (60 mph), and I think that sensor actually sends a signal to the bus company headquarters. Two words: Thank God. Peruvian buses really need to adopt that system, because they simply scare the crap out of me.
Sorry for the late post - this past week has been a complete blur filled with incredibly cheap Chilean vino and way too many orientation classes. In fact, I’m so sick of positive reinforcement that I just want someone to tell me I’m a fool and can’t teach for crap! Every single session went “OK, very good, here are some small things that you could change to make the lesson more effective, but overall a very nice job.” Some people really needed to be told that their lessons were awful, because they truly were, but the TEFL teachers were too nice way too often.
Monday was spectacularly exhausting. I got off the plane at 8am, only to arrive at the hostel at 10am to be told that I needed to take a Spanish evaluation test ASAP. I went straight into the classroom without having showered or brushed my teeth only to find the HARDEST damn three-hour Spanish test I could ever imagine. I ended up getting a 36/100, so clearly better than every AP Chemistry test I took in Senior year of high school, but still not too respectable. After taking that test I thought I was going to be the lone minimal Spanish speaker, but I ended up being placed in the intermediate Spanish class for some odd reason. Most likely because I am very good at pretending that my Spanish is passable…meaning I say the only things I know how to say very quickly and with the best accent possible. Still, this can present some especially challenging situations, especially when Chileans respond to my rapid speaking with something COMPLETELY unknown to me. Then, folks, I am immediately identified as a gringo, as if the really sweet zip-off pants doesn’t already do the job.
The rest of the week was a total jumble in my brain, although I managed two fantastic jogs up Cerro Santa Lucia and Cerro San Cristobal, followed by a fantastic asado, or barbeque, on Friday night. Just arrived in Antofagasta now, will write a larger update once I arrive in Taltal on Monday night. I also have a few very cool pictures that I took while in Santiago, but I can't seem to post them right now because of a sketchy internet connection. I will definitely be posting them once I get settled in Taltal!
Hasta Pronto Todos!
I am writing this from seat number four on the salon cama bus en route Santiago to Antofagasta. It is currently hour SEVEN of TWENTY. Yes, folks, TWENTY. I’ve no idea how many km’s this trip actually is, but I imagine about 1600…pretty much like driving from NJ to Florida. The one upside is, however, that salon cama just so happens to mean sleeper bus – as in I basically have a seat that should belong in International Business class on Singapore Airlines. Not so bad really! Another interesting thing about buses in Chile: each one has a sensor that beeps when the driver goes above 100 km’s/hr (60 mph), and I think that sensor actually sends a signal to the bus company headquarters. Two words: Thank God. Peruvian buses really need to adopt that system, because they simply scare the crap out of me.
Sorry for the late post - this past week has been a complete blur filled with incredibly cheap Chilean vino and way too many orientation classes. In fact, I’m so sick of positive reinforcement that I just want someone to tell me I’m a fool and can’t teach for crap! Every single session went “OK, very good, here are some small things that you could change to make the lesson more effective, but overall a very nice job.” Some people really needed to be told that their lessons were awful, because they truly were, but the TEFL teachers were too nice way too often.
Monday was spectacularly exhausting. I got off the plane at 8am, only to arrive at the hostel at 10am to be told that I needed to take a Spanish evaluation test ASAP. I went straight into the classroom without having showered or brushed my teeth only to find the HARDEST damn three-hour Spanish test I could ever imagine. I ended up getting a 36/100, so clearly better than every AP Chemistry test I took in Senior year of high school, but still not too respectable. After taking that test I thought I was going to be the lone minimal Spanish speaker, but I ended up being placed in the intermediate Spanish class for some odd reason. Most likely because I am very good at pretending that my Spanish is passable…meaning I say the only things I know how to say very quickly and with the best accent possible. Still, this can present some especially challenging situations, especially when Chileans respond to my rapid speaking with something COMPLETELY unknown to me. Then, folks, I am immediately identified as a gringo, as if the really sweet zip-off pants doesn’t already do the job.
The rest of the week was a total jumble in my brain, although I managed two fantastic jogs up Cerro Santa Lucia and Cerro San Cristobal, followed by a fantastic asado, or barbeque, on Friday night. Just arrived in Antofagasta now, will write a larger update once I arrive in Taltal on Monday night. I also have a few very cool pictures that I took while in Santiago, but I can't seem to post them right now because of a sketchy internet connection. I will definitely be posting them once I get settled in Taltal!
Hasta Pronto Todos!
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