Hey all-
I figured that I should probably update sometime soon, especially since we've now got guests and I'll probably be "busy" the rest of the weekend...
For starters, I'm all better! My tummy decided that it wanted to behave after all which means that I'm able to eat anything I want! Granted, I'm going to be staying away from mall food, anything fried, and tap water, but that doesn't limit my intake in the slightest. :)
Alright, I suppose I should get to part one of the title: Visa!Fail. The whole day was full of fail (and frustration), we'll just start there. Bonnie and I were sent/taken to Illapel to get our visas. According to everyone else, this should've been a relatively easy process: maybe three or four hours. Ha. Try from 10:AM to 5:PM. And we didn't get anything accomplished. >:(. It started with us getting there. Our Regional "Support" (biggest effin' lie EVER), was there to meet us. The first thing she asks is what we're supposed to say when we get to the Extranjería office. I'm pretty sure that my eyes bugged out of my head. This awesome level of preparedness lead to us visiting the office not one or two times, but four times. The first three, our "Support" kept trying to talk about things that she knew nothing about, making the office worker super defensive. That was fun to deal with.
After the second visit to the office, I called Claudia, our CIEE guardian angel in Santiago. Even though she's SUPER sick, she was able to get things taken care of. The first words out of her mouth when I explained the situation were "she's stupid."
Before our third trip to the office, our "Support" decided that we needed to go the biggest flea market/yard sale that I've seen in awhile; that way, Bonnie and I would be "entertained" while she went home to "make lunch." After wandering around and then chilling in the plaza, we got to go to her house and eat "lunch": vegetables, vegetable broth, and juice. ... Yeah. After this disappointing interlude, we went back to the office (mainly because "Support" poked and prodded). After another failed attempt at becoming legal, I called Claudia back to let her know what was going on. She wanted to talk to "Support," which pissed "Support" off. From my end, it was full of superlolz but she didn't seem to see the humor in it. Oh well.
Once she was off the phone, she showed us where the other two offices were and explained that the next time we came (hopefully to actually get our visas), we would have to do it all on our own. ... Waitwaitwaitwait. You're supposed to be our REGIONAL SUPPORT. You're supposed to support us while we're here, not leave us to complete government processes that we know nothing about. ... The end of our day came when Bonnie and I were unceremoniously kicked out of "Support"'s car and told to run after a bus so we could catch it. Awesome.
We were pretty much furious when we got home and, after dropping off Bonnie at her house, I got the distinct pleasure of explaining the whole ordeal to my family. My mom was not happy; she told me that when we have to go back, she's taking us because she has friends in the PDI (the Chilean FBI). It's no longer a joke... My family is MOB. :)
Alright... Now, (in the words of the immortal Paul Harvey) the rest of the story. :)
The whole acid trip thing is the experience that (so far) is the Chilean Bicentennial. Everyone here has been preparing for this weekend for at least the time that we've been here (almost two months). God only knows how long before that. When I say...write...prepare, I don't mean the crappy preparations we do (i.e. we get a day off of work [if we're lucky], so let's make sure that we have some sparklers and shit). No, these folks are going all out. Every house has decorations and the mandatory Chilean flag out front. Add to that the ridiculous amounts of food and alcohol that people have been purchasing and you've got the makings for one hell of a party. I'm actually intimidated. :S I know, I know, you're probably thinking this has nothing to do with a freakin' acid trip but it does! Well, at least part of it does.
Last night, there was a light show put on by Pura Energia, Puro Chile. This group (company? I'm not too sure) used the Moneda (the Chilean version of the White House) as the backdrop for a tripped out light/music show. Whoever dreamt it up was either on acid or high. Really, really high. Don't let this description trick you, though. It was honestly one of the most beautiful things I've seen in a very, very long time. There were quite a few points where the breath was literally taken away from me. That pretty. My favorite part, though, was the Pablo Neruda/Victoria Parra mashup. Freakin' GORGEOUS. If I can find it on Youtube, I'll post it. It honestly almost moved me to tears.
If this is the start of the Bicentennial celebrations (the festivities don't "start" until tomorrow), I'm a little scaredexcitednervoushappy about what's to come. :)
Alright, I've gotta jet, so that's it for now. If I get a chance, I'll post pictures, but if not, you can find them on Fbook. I've got them all over the place there. :)
Loves to all. :)
Cb.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
My, how time flies!
Hey all!
Sorry about the time between the last post and this one. I normally write on weekends but the last two have been full to say the least. Add to that the fact that I've finally gotten tummy sick and you have a huge chunk of time between posts. :( Anyway, enough moaning, let's start where we left off! :D
After my birthday, not too much happened. There was a Cueca (the Chilean national dance) competition, which was really fun to watch. Other than that, I went to my classes, helped out, and tutored the family that I'm working with. :)
Two weekends ago (the last week in August), our CIEE family (plus Mildred, Tess, Amanda, and Katie) all met up in Valparaíso. It honestly was like our family was meeting again; despite the fact that it had been almost a month since we had seen each other, it didn't feel like anything had changed. :) After Bonnie and I hiked up an absurd amount of stairs (after getting dropped in the most random place imaginable), we met everyone who decided that we needed to go and eat. After another odd, late-night hike, we ended up at a rather expensive place about five minutes from the hostel. That night, we decided that we were going to cook for ourselves from now on. Best. Idea. Ever. :D
The next day, we went wandering around Valpo and eventually ended up at one of Pablo Neruda's old houses. I took an absurd amount of pictures (over 100), very few of which were of people. By the time we reached the bottom of the hills (sort of where we were staying), almost everyone was tired, cranky, and extremely hungry. We all went to the super (BAD IDEA) and almost ended up with a dinner!fail. Despite the crankiness floating in the air, we all made it out alive and returned to the hostel to cook.
I'm not sure if the food was really that good or if it was like the first meal you have when you're camping; either way, it rocked hardcore. Everyone was more than pleased (which could've had something to do with the copious amounts of wine being drunk). :D After eating, we all went back up to the bigger room to hang out. We were entertained by the fabulous Victoria, whose penchant for storytelling will make her extremely famous and/or very, very rich. :) At about 1230, everyone but Bonnie and I decided to go out to a place called Huevo. From the stories that we heard the next day, it was an interesting night to say the least. :)
The next week at school was more of the same. I find myself getting a little annoyed with one teacher simply because I'm not being allowed to teach AT ALL. I have to continually remind myself that I'm here to help, not to do her job for her. :) During this week, Bonnie and I found out that we had to go to Santiago on Saturday (just on Saturday) for a meeting with the CIEE organization folk. Originally, I wasn't going to go because it would be a waste of time (try 10 hours on a bus) and money. My parents, however, thought otherwise. My mom has been wanting to get out of Salamanca for awhile and decided that the weekend would be a perfect time to do it. On Friday, then, Bonnie and I found ourselves in the back of the Jeep on the way to a high-rise freaking apartment in Viña del Mar (Valpo's super rich cousin). We stayed there that night and caught a bus to Santiago (a much more manageable 1.75 hour bus ride) the next day.
Once in Santiago, we learned the Cueca (!), went to lunch (yummo) and had our "meeting". During this "meeting," I found out that not only am I, like, the luckiest girl on the planet, but also that my dad's family pretty much owns Chile (according to Claudia). I'm not quite sure if their copious amounts of money doesn't effect me because I don't see them as super snotty or if it's something that's so outside my comfort zone that it just isn't real. I'm pretty sure it's a combination of the two but if they're mutually exclusive, I'll side with the former. :) That night, our dinner reservations got canceled (or something equally weird), so we were left to fend for ourselves. We made breakfast for dinner (complete with pancakes with Wal-Mart brand syrup!) and, once again, had a fabulous time. The next day, after a morning!fail, Bonnie and I headed back to Viña where we were escorted around the biggest mall I've ever been to in my life. Ho. Ly. Cow. Bonnie wasn't phased but I didn't know what to do with myself. At about 430 we headed home; once here, we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for onces and then, finally, we got home home. :)
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I didn't have classes with one of my teachers because she got sick. Monday, my stomach started to feel funky. Tuesday, it got worse. Wednesday, I came home for lunch and didn't wake up until almost seven. Here I am today, not any better and being forced to stay at home. Oh, and fending off everyone who thinks I need to go to the hospital. Ugh. Talk about feeling lazy as crap as well as a burden. Despite all of this, I still feel like I'm the luckiest girl alive. The fact that none of my family nor my main teacher won't leave me alone (they're trying to do everything for me) reminds me how great these folks are. :)
Alright, alright, I can see you retching from the amount of sweet that's in this so I'll shut up. I'll try to update sooner (probably next week sometime?) but, until then--
LOVES!
Cb.
Sorry about the time between the last post and this one. I normally write on weekends but the last two have been full to say the least. Add to that the fact that I've finally gotten tummy sick and you have a huge chunk of time between posts. :( Anyway, enough moaning, let's start where we left off! :D
After my birthday, not too much happened. There was a Cueca (the Chilean national dance) competition, which was really fun to watch. Other than that, I went to my classes, helped out, and tutored the family that I'm working with. :)
Two weekends ago (the last week in August), our CIEE family (plus Mildred, Tess, Amanda, and Katie) all met up in Valparaíso. It honestly was like our family was meeting again; despite the fact that it had been almost a month since we had seen each other, it didn't feel like anything had changed. :) After Bonnie and I hiked up an absurd amount of stairs (after getting dropped in the most random place imaginable), we met everyone who decided that we needed to go and eat. After another odd, late-night hike, we ended up at a rather expensive place about five minutes from the hostel. That night, we decided that we were going to cook for ourselves from now on. Best. Idea. Ever. :D
The next day, we went wandering around Valpo and eventually ended up at one of Pablo Neruda's old houses. I took an absurd amount of pictures (over 100), very few of which were of people. By the time we reached the bottom of the hills (sort of where we were staying), almost everyone was tired, cranky, and extremely hungry. We all went to the super (BAD IDEA) and almost ended up with a dinner!fail. Despite the crankiness floating in the air, we all made it out alive and returned to the hostel to cook.
I'm not sure if the food was really that good or if it was like the first meal you have when you're camping; either way, it rocked hardcore. Everyone was more than pleased (which could've had something to do with the copious amounts of wine being drunk). :D After eating, we all went back up to the bigger room to hang out. We were entertained by the fabulous Victoria, whose penchant for storytelling will make her extremely famous and/or very, very rich. :) At about 1230, everyone but Bonnie and I decided to go out to a place called Huevo. From the stories that we heard the next day, it was an interesting night to say the least. :)
The next week at school was more of the same. I find myself getting a little annoyed with one teacher simply because I'm not being allowed to teach AT ALL. I have to continually remind myself that I'm here to help, not to do her job for her. :) During this week, Bonnie and I found out that we had to go to Santiago on Saturday (just on Saturday) for a meeting with the CIEE organization folk. Originally, I wasn't going to go because it would be a waste of time (try 10 hours on a bus) and money. My parents, however, thought otherwise. My mom has been wanting to get out of Salamanca for awhile and decided that the weekend would be a perfect time to do it. On Friday, then, Bonnie and I found ourselves in the back of the Jeep on the way to a high-rise freaking apartment in Viña del Mar (Valpo's super rich cousin). We stayed there that night and caught a bus to Santiago (a much more manageable 1.75 hour bus ride) the next day.
Once in Santiago, we learned the Cueca (!), went to lunch (yummo) and had our "meeting". During this "meeting," I found out that not only am I, like, the luckiest girl on the planet, but also that my dad's family pretty much owns Chile (according to Claudia). I'm not quite sure if their copious amounts of money doesn't effect me because I don't see them as super snotty or if it's something that's so outside my comfort zone that it just isn't real. I'm pretty sure it's a combination of the two but if they're mutually exclusive, I'll side with the former. :) That night, our dinner reservations got canceled (or something equally weird), so we were left to fend for ourselves. We made breakfast for dinner (complete with pancakes with Wal-Mart brand syrup!) and, once again, had a fabulous time. The next day, after a morning!fail, Bonnie and I headed back to Viña where we were escorted around the biggest mall I've ever been to in my life. Ho. Ly. Cow. Bonnie wasn't phased but I didn't know what to do with myself. At about 430 we headed home; once here, we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for onces and then, finally, we got home home. :)
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I didn't have classes with one of my teachers because she got sick. Monday, my stomach started to feel funky. Tuesday, it got worse. Wednesday, I came home for lunch and didn't wake up until almost seven. Here I am today, not any better and being forced to stay at home. Oh, and fending off everyone who thinks I need to go to the hospital. Ugh. Talk about feeling lazy as crap as well as a burden. Despite all of this, I still feel like I'm the luckiest girl alive. The fact that none of my family nor my main teacher won't leave me alone (they're trying to do everything for me) reminds me how great these folks are. :)
Alright, alright, I can see you retching from the amount of sweet that's in this so I'll shut up. I'll try to update sooner (probably next week sometime?) but, until then--
LOVES!
Cb.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Week Two? Double Check!
Hey all!
So week two (my official first week teaching!) has come and gone. :( But it was really fun! :D I suppose I'll start at the beginning...
On Monday, Bonnie and I got sent with a huge group of high school students to a chinchilla reserve. It was, by Chilean standards*, a fairly decent trip. We got a lot of sun time in, ate some decent food, got gawked at, walked around a little, and got some cute pictures of chinchillas in. :) The only bad thing was that I didn't get a chance to go and see the one class that I haven't seen yet (Chuchini). Apparently they actually wore their uniforms correctly and were extremely disappointed that I wasn't there. Super :*(.
Tuesday was a little better as I actually got in front of a classroom for the first time. The kids in Tahuinco crack me up simply because they're super duper touchy. They don't give me an opportunity to say no as they're always holding my hands, playing with my hair, and/or escorting me around the tiny school. The three classes that I worked with (7th, 8th, and 6th graders) all seemed to have a decent time. The exception was, of course, the kid in 8th grade whose phone I took away. He was still pretty grumpy with me on Wednesday but he'll either get over it or he won't. Oh! And the 6th grade girls have requested that I sing them an American song...? They want something from High School Musical or the Jonas Brothers but I'm pretty sure I'm going to sing them Thrice or Queen. I'm not sure which one, but it'll be one of them. :)
My Tuesday at Cumbres rocked! The 5th graders there are angels and, despite the fact that some of them were on losing teams, they all seemed to have fun and learn. :) I'm going to try some games that require a little more speaking interaction on their behalves, but everything seems like it'll work well there. :)
Wednesday was...interesting. I had 7th and 8th graders again in Tahuinco and everything went how it was supposed to. :) Fifth grade was where it got ugly. It's not that the kids are bad--it's not that at all! They've never had any sort of structure before and they're a rowdy bunch. All of them want to talk all at the same time which means that getting answers is both too easy and extremely difficult. Once I laid down some rules, they seemed to work pretty well, especially since I introduced cool stickers. I don't understand what it is about stickers and kids but I've found that I don't care. If it works, I'm a happy fat kid. :)
Thursday and Friday were, by far, my favorite days of the week. I taught 5th-8th grades in Chalinga, which rocked. :) The kids here were SUPER willing to take part in everything, including my stupid name tags (because I have ten distinct classes, I need some way to tell them all apart!). After having taught all of them once, I have a very good idea about what I need to be doing to make sure that a) everyone participates and b) everyone participates in English. The only major problem I had was with the 7th graders. In both of my sections, I ended sending one person into the hall. As I explained to them after class, if they want to have fun and be a part of class, then they have to act like a student, not a hooligan. Aside from those hiccups, everything went really well. :)
The fact that the whole teaching thing is going well makes me extremely relieved. I was never sure that I'd be able to teach but to see that I'm doing it on a little kid level is something else entirely. :) One happy fat kid. :D
In the early afternoon on Saturday (because that's honestly the only time anyone does anything around here), we all went to my Grandma and Grandpa's house for lunch (i.e. food coma). I took quite a few pictures and had some funny discussions about my "weird" views on love. Super lolz. :)
After lunch, Bonnie and I had our (what I'm sure will become a tradition) weekly vent/walk around session. We've both decided that it's impossible to get lost in Salamanca; this is something that freaks Bonnie out as it's never happened to her before. She's from Chicago, so the size of Salamanca (and corresponding lack of things to do) is proving to be difficult for her. I told her that she'll get used to it but neither of us really thinks that she will.
Today was my birthday and it was one of the best I've had in awhile. I woke up pretty early and worked on my lesson plans for awhile. Apparently, the fencebell rang but, since I had my IPod in, I didn't hear it. Around 8, Maite, my sister, woke up and decided that I should be up too. I helped her find the music that we had put on her phone and she was off. :) At about 11 or so, the rest of my family got up and brought me my birthday present: my very first grown-up, girly purse! I'm in love! I squealed and gave everyone hugs and was so happy I could hardly stand it. I took pictures of it and then started to transfer everything (all, like, five objects). :D After that, my family started in with the food--which included a trip to the only Chinese place in town, a huge amount of ice cream, and a ton of sweets. Finally, I talked to my family (Mom, Jay, and Daddy) through Skype--MUCH cheaper than with my cell!
All in all, it was a very good week, if slightly uneventful. :)
Loves to you all! :)
Cb.
P.S. If you haven't been to my Facebook page and checked out my awesome pictures, let me know. Or just stop being lazy and get on it. ;)
*Chilean standards include: not having enough vehicles which means absurd amounts of standing around either a)wondering how in the world this government functions or b) complaining about how much standing around is actually going on.
So week two (my official first week teaching!) has come and gone. :( But it was really fun! :D I suppose I'll start at the beginning...
On Monday, Bonnie and I got sent with a huge group of high school students to a chinchilla reserve. It was, by Chilean standards*, a fairly decent trip. We got a lot of sun time in, ate some decent food, got gawked at, walked around a little, and got some cute pictures of chinchillas in. :) The only bad thing was that I didn't get a chance to go and see the one class that I haven't seen yet (Chuchini). Apparently they actually wore their uniforms correctly and were extremely disappointed that I wasn't there. Super :*(.
Tuesday was a little better as I actually got in front of a classroom for the first time. The kids in Tahuinco crack me up simply because they're super duper touchy. They don't give me an opportunity to say no as they're always holding my hands, playing with my hair, and/or escorting me around the tiny school. The three classes that I worked with (7th, 8th, and 6th graders) all seemed to have a decent time. The exception was, of course, the kid in 8th grade whose phone I took away. He was still pretty grumpy with me on Wednesday but he'll either get over it or he won't. Oh! And the 6th grade girls have requested that I sing them an American song...? They want something from High School Musical or the Jonas Brothers but I'm pretty sure I'm going to sing them Thrice or Queen. I'm not sure which one, but it'll be one of them. :)
My Tuesday at Cumbres rocked! The 5th graders there are angels and, despite the fact that some of them were on losing teams, they all seemed to have fun and learn. :) I'm going to try some games that require a little more speaking interaction on their behalves, but everything seems like it'll work well there. :)
Wednesday was...interesting. I had 7th and 8th graders again in Tahuinco and everything went how it was supposed to. :) Fifth grade was where it got ugly. It's not that the kids are bad--it's not that at all! They've never had any sort of structure before and they're a rowdy bunch. All of them want to talk all at the same time which means that getting answers is both too easy and extremely difficult. Once I laid down some rules, they seemed to work pretty well, especially since I introduced cool stickers. I don't understand what it is about stickers and kids but I've found that I don't care. If it works, I'm a happy fat kid. :)
Thursday and Friday were, by far, my favorite days of the week. I taught 5th-8th grades in Chalinga, which rocked. :) The kids here were SUPER willing to take part in everything, including my stupid name tags (because I have ten distinct classes, I need some way to tell them all apart!). After having taught all of them once, I have a very good idea about what I need to be doing to make sure that a) everyone participates and b) everyone participates in English. The only major problem I had was with the 7th graders. In both of my sections, I ended sending one person into the hall. As I explained to them after class, if they want to have fun and be a part of class, then they have to act like a student, not a hooligan. Aside from those hiccups, everything went really well. :)
The fact that the whole teaching thing is going well makes me extremely relieved. I was never sure that I'd be able to teach but to see that I'm doing it on a little kid level is something else entirely. :) One happy fat kid. :D
In the early afternoon on Saturday (because that's honestly the only time anyone does anything around here), we all went to my Grandma and Grandpa's house for lunch (i.e. food coma). I took quite a few pictures and had some funny discussions about my "weird" views on love. Super lolz. :)
After lunch, Bonnie and I had our (what I'm sure will become a tradition) weekly vent/walk around session. We've both decided that it's impossible to get lost in Salamanca; this is something that freaks Bonnie out as it's never happened to her before. She's from Chicago, so the size of Salamanca (and corresponding lack of things to do) is proving to be difficult for her. I told her that she'll get used to it but neither of us really thinks that she will.
Today was my birthday and it was one of the best I've had in awhile. I woke up pretty early and worked on my lesson plans for awhile. Apparently, the fencebell rang but, since I had my IPod in, I didn't hear it. Around 8, Maite, my sister, woke up and decided that I should be up too. I helped her find the music that we had put on her phone and she was off. :) At about 11 or so, the rest of my family got up and brought me my birthday present: my very first grown-up, girly purse! I'm in love! I squealed and gave everyone hugs and was so happy I could hardly stand it. I took pictures of it and then started to transfer everything (all, like, five objects). :D After that, my family started in with the food--which included a trip to the only Chinese place in town, a huge amount of ice cream, and a ton of sweets. Finally, I talked to my family (Mom, Jay, and Daddy) through Skype--MUCH cheaper than with my cell!
All in all, it was a very good week, if slightly uneventful. :)
Loves to you all! :)
Cb.
P.S. If you haven't been to my Facebook page and checked out my awesome pictures, let me know. Or just stop being lazy and get on it. ;)
*Chilean standards include: not having enough vehicles which means absurd amounts of standing around either a)wondering how in the world this government functions or b) complaining about how much standing around is actually going on.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
First Week Done? Check!
Hey all!
So my first week here in Salamanca is officially over! :( It was a whirlwind (this is, honestly, the first time that I've truly sat down since arriving on Monday), but I've loved it. :D I suppose I should start at the beginning, especially for those of you who don't/can't read the Spanish blog (carainternacional.blogspot.com [shameless self plug!]).
A little bit of background on what I'll be doing here/where here is:
I'm in Salamanca, Chile. It's a town of about 25K people but it feels no bigger than Guernsey, which is probably because there are absolutely no buildings that have more than two floors. Super odd. Anyway - I'll be teaching 10 different classes of students during the four months that I'm here. The 10 classes are made up of students from the 5th-8th grades (5-8 in two schools, 5/6 in one, and 5 in the other). Finally, I have a family with a mom (Maria Jose), dad (Carlos) and little sister (Maite) along with three dogs (Bruno, Perla, and Upa) and a woman who helps around the house (Carolina, who is a riot). :) Still with me? Good. Let's start:
Bonnie and I arrived on Monday around lunch time (1:PM). We thought we were going to be together but we both got whisked off by our respective families/teachers. I got taken to lunch at what I found out is a restaurant/hotel owned by my family. (Later, I came to find out that my parents [and, in some cases, parts of their families] own nearly everything in/around Salamanca. Seriously.) After a hugely filling lunch, I was off to one of the four schools (yes, that's right, four) that I'll be teaching at. I got to meet all of the teachers, students, and staff (WAY TOO MANY NAMES) and helped Yocelyn with the 5th graders. :D After school got done, I sat through a teacher's meeting at this school, which was hilarious to say the least. Unlike in the US, the agenda means nothing. Sure, the conversation occasionally strayed to what was written on the board, but most of the time, it was just teachers/admin, exchanging stories about EVERYTHING. Literally everything. Massive lolz. :) Anyway, after school got let out, Maria Jose brought me home to drop my bag off and then we were off to the super (grocery store). She told me over and over how relieved she was that I spoke Spanish (she knows "hello" "how are you?" "yes/no" and "thank you") and continued to talk to me about everything and everyone. Oh, and I forgot to mention that they know EVERYONE in Salamanca. This meant that our shopping trip was actually a "let's have everyone meet Cara" trip. So much hugging and so many kisses! After our adventure at the store we got home just in time to have dinner (roughly 7:PM). Maria Jose, Carlos, and I sat at the table talking until around 11. Then, I finally got to unpack (and may I say, not living out of a suitcase rocks SHIT) and then hit the hay. And that was just Day One, folks.
Tuesday and Wednesday I was with a new teacher (Debora) in a new school (Tahuinco). It's a ten minute commute through a crazy beautiful part of this tiny valley. When we got there on Tuesday, I felt like a zoo animal; everyone stared. Then, after a few seconds, they all came up for hugs and kisses (the normal "hi how are ya" here) and then the questions started. "Who are you?" "What's your name?" "How do you say 'snow' in English?" Lord. But it was adorable and I loved it. Every. Freakin'. Second. :D At 8:AM, we started classes (7th graders). Next, I was supposed to watch an 8th grade class, but the principal decided that the kids needed to have a ping pong tournament instead. For the next hour or so, we all sat outside, drank tea, ate cookies, and watched kids play ping pong. :) Finally, I ended Tuesday with 6th graders, who were adorable and SO excited! Wednesday was pretty similar except that I was able to meet/watch the 8th graders (all six of them) and I ended the day with extremely hyper-active, noisy 5th graders. :)
Thursday and Friday I was back with Yocelyn in a new school (Chalinga). These kids are all so freakin' adorable it makes me sick. As soon as we walked in the door, they all wanted hugs and kisses and answers. Then, they took all of our stuff and carried it to the room, putting it all away at the front like pros. It was like having concierge service only creepier (the whole having people do stuff for me creeps me out. I guess I'm too independent or something...). Much like everywhere else, these kids were extremely excited (if a little nervous) to have me there. On Friday we had our English Network meeting (basically, an excuse for food and talking) where I got to see Bonnie. :) She was sick, but it was good to see her!! :D We're going to go walking around after I get lunch today (yay!!). :)
Anyway, I think that's about it. I've gotta go have empanadas now. :D
LOVES!!
Cb.
P.S. I promise I'll post pictures soon! If I don't, you can either beat me, or check them out on Facebook. Chao! :D
So my first week here in Salamanca is officially over! :( It was a whirlwind (this is, honestly, the first time that I've truly sat down since arriving on Monday), but I've loved it. :D I suppose I should start at the beginning, especially for those of you who don't/can't read the Spanish blog (carainternacional.blogspot.com [shameless self plug!]).
A little bit of background on what I'll be doing here/where here is:
I'm in Salamanca, Chile. It's a town of about 25K people but it feels no bigger than Guernsey, which is probably because there are absolutely no buildings that have more than two floors. Super odd. Anyway - I'll be teaching 10 different classes of students during the four months that I'm here. The 10 classes are made up of students from the 5th-8th grades (5-8 in two schools, 5/6 in one, and 5 in the other). Finally, I have a family with a mom (Maria Jose), dad (Carlos) and little sister (Maite) along with three dogs (Bruno, Perla, and Upa) and a woman who helps around the house (Carolina, who is a riot). :) Still with me? Good. Let's start:
Bonnie and I arrived on Monday around lunch time (1:PM). We thought we were going to be together but we both got whisked off by our respective families/teachers. I got taken to lunch at what I found out is a restaurant/hotel owned by my family. (Later, I came to find out that my parents [and, in some cases, parts of their families] own nearly everything in/around Salamanca. Seriously.) After a hugely filling lunch, I was off to one of the four schools (yes, that's right, four) that I'll be teaching at. I got to meet all of the teachers, students, and staff (WAY TOO MANY NAMES) and helped Yocelyn with the 5th graders. :D After school got done, I sat through a teacher's meeting at this school, which was hilarious to say the least. Unlike in the US, the agenda means nothing. Sure, the conversation occasionally strayed to what was written on the board, but most of the time, it was just teachers/admin, exchanging stories about EVERYTHING. Literally everything. Massive lolz. :) Anyway, after school got let out, Maria Jose brought me home to drop my bag off and then we were off to the super (grocery store). She told me over and over how relieved she was that I spoke Spanish (she knows "hello" "how are you?" "yes/no" and "thank you") and continued to talk to me about everything and everyone. Oh, and I forgot to mention that they know EVERYONE in Salamanca. This meant that our shopping trip was actually a "let's have everyone meet Cara" trip. So much hugging and so many kisses! After our adventure at the store we got home just in time to have dinner (roughly 7:PM). Maria Jose, Carlos, and I sat at the table talking until around 11. Then, I finally got to unpack (and may I say, not living out of a suitcase rocks SHIT) and then hit the hay. And that was just Day One, folks.
Tuesday and Wednesday I was with a new teacher (Debora) in a new school (Tahuinco). It's a ten minute commute through a crazy beautiful part of this tiny valley. When we got there on Tuesday, I felt like a zoo animal; everyone stared. Then, after a few seconds, they all came up for hugs and kisses (the normal "hi how are ya" here) and then the questions started. "Who are you?" "What's your name?" "How do you say 'snow' in English?" Lord. But it was adorable and I loved it. Every. Freakin'. Second. :D At 8:AM, we started classes (7th graders). Next, I was supposed to watch an 8th grade class, but the principal decided that the kids needed to have a ping pong tournament instead. For the next hour or so, we all sat outside, drank tea, ate cookies, and watched kids play ping pong. :) Finally, I ended Tuesday with 6th graders, who were adorable and SO excited! Wednesday was pretty similar except that I was able to meet/watch the 8th graders (all six of them) and I ended the day with extremely hyper-active, noisy 5th graders. :)
Thursday and Friday I was back with Yocelyn in a new school (Chalinga). These kids are all so freakin' adorable it makes me sick. As soon as we walked in the door, they all wanted hugs and kisses and answers. Then, they took all of our stuff and carried it to the room, putting it all away at the front like pros. It was like having concierge service only creepier (the whole having people do stuff for me creeps me out. I guess I'm too independent or something...). Much like everywhere else, these kids were extremely excited (if a little nervous) to have me there. On Friday we had our English Network meeting (basically, an excuse for food and talking) where I got to see Bonnie. :) She was sick, but it was good to see her!! :D We're going to go walking around after I get lunch today (yay!!). :)
Anyway, I think that's about it. I've gotta go have empanadas now. :D
LOVES!!
Cb.
P.S. I promise I'll post pictures soon! If I don't, you can either beat me, or check them out on Facebook. Chao! :D
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Placements, nervousness, and actually growing up...
Hey all -
So it´s been a couple of rough days here. First off, we got our placements and found out that we´re, for the most part, going to be pretty separated. Bonnie and I are, thankfully, in the same town (Salamanca). It just happens to be about two hours away from everyone else. :( At least public transportation is good here! :) We also found out who we´re teaching (I have two grade schools that I´m bouncing between--unless they agree to switch Bonnie and I {who has high school, which she´s terrified of}) and a little information about our families. Apparently, I have a mom, a dad, and a sister named Maite. Other than that, we´re totally in the dark; this seems to be a common erm... status for those working with the Chilean government. It makes for a good joke, but living it isn´t all that fun.
I honestly can´t complain, though. I´ll get to be teaching in less than 10 days, which is exactly what I want to be doing. I´ll have my own classroom and I´ll be immersed in yet another Spanish-speaking culture. I´ll be constantly learning about myself, the folks around me, and the languages that I speak. :) Yes, it´ll be difficult and challenging and it´ll force me to do things that I wouldn´t normally do. BUT, I´ll change, become better and THAT´S exactly why I´m here. :)
Anyway, I wanted to fill everyone in just a little about what´s been going on. I´ll hopefully be able to post when we get to Salamanca and let you see how pretty (or Wyoming-like) it is. :)
LOVES!!!
Cb.
So it´s been a couple of rough days here. First off, we got our placements and found out that we´re, for the most part, going to be pretty separated. Bonnie and I are, thankfully, in the same town (Salamanca). It just happens to be about two hours away from everyone else. :( At least public transportation is good here! :) We also found out who we´re teaching (I have two grade schools that I´m bouncing between--unless they agree to switch Bonnie and I {who has high school, which she´s terrified of}) and a little information about our families. Apparently, I have a mom, a dad, and a sister named Maite. Other than that, we´re totally in the dark; this seems to be a common erm... status for those working with the Chilean government. It makes for a good joke, but living it isn´t all that fun.
I honestly can´t complain, though. I´ll get to be teaching in less than 10 days, which is exactly what I want to be doing. I´ll have my own classroom and I´ll be immersed in yet another Spanish-speaking culture. I´ll be constantly learning about myself, the folks around me, and the languages that I speak. :) Yes, it´ll be difficult and challenging and it´ll force me to do things that I wouldn´t normally do. BUT, I´ll change, become better and THAT´S exactly why I´m here. :)
Anyway, I wanted to fill everyone in just a little about what´s been going on. I´ll hopefully be able to post when we get to Salamanca and let you see how pretty (or Wyoming-like) it is. :)
LOVES!!!
Cb.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
More from Chile!
Hey all!
I know that my last post wasn't nearly enough; unfortunately, I don't think this one will be much better. :( Blame it on the fact that I'm sick (thanks, Santiago Smog). I'll start from the last time I left off and see how far I get. :)
CIEE orientation was fantastic. Claudia took care of us like we were family and we learned A LOT about Santiago, Chile, the people, the schools, and nearly everything else we'll be coming into contact with. It was really nice to have someone here to help us navigate our way around (Santiago has roughly 6 million people). Also, Claudia organized a tour around Santiago with a dude named Sergio. He gave us the lowdown the country's pretty tumultuous history while showing us the sites of Santiago. It was a lot of fun and really, really informative. :) The best part, though, was connecting with the others in our little group. We're super tight and don't go anywhere without at least one other person. Thankfully, we're going to be placed into regions in chunks (three, three, and four), so we'll never truly be alone. :)
On Saturday, we moved to our new "home" for the week, Hostelling International. Let me be the first to say that it was a HUGE transition. We went from apartments to a place with no central heat, a ton of people, and questionable (read that: prison quality) food. We don't really complain, we just get a kick out of it. We also added about 40-some people to our little group which was...interesting to say the least. On Monday, EOD orientation started. It's a little more formal and teacher/lesson oriented, but it's pretty decent. The greatest thing about this program is the fact that EVERYTHING is laid out/already done for us.* I can get more explicit if you want me to, but let it suffice to say that this is as close to being a first ESL job as I could ask for. :)
I'll write more when I can/if I have something to say but for now, I'm going to go get slop and head up to bed. :)
LOVES!
Cb.
*A little background/the reason behind Chile's English policies:
Pinochet (a not-so-nice dictator) was removed from power in 1989. Schooling for high school (8-12th grade) only became mandatory in 2003. A year after that, the Chilean Ministry of Education decided they wanted to increase the amount of students that could effectively communicate in English (which is determined by taking a test created by Cambridge [yes, the university in England]). In order to ensure that all students have the same education, the Ministry mandated that all schools use the same texts and all students are taught in the same way. During our sessions, then, we are being taught the Ministry-approved (man, I sound like I'm straight out of Harry Potter there!) method and the underlying theories behind it. Because ESL education is it's infant stages, they encourage our strict adherence to the structure we are given. We can, of course, play around with what's within the structure. :) Hence, there's quite a bit of structure, but just enough flexibility for me to feel comfortable/to have fun. :D
I know that my last post wasn't nearly enough; unfortunately, I don't think this one will be much better. :( Blame it on the fact that I'm sick (thanks, Santiago Smog). I'll start from the last time I left off and see how far I get. :)
CIEE orientation was fantastic. Claudia took care of us like we were family and we learned A LOT about Santiago, Chile, the people, the schools, and nearly everything else we'll be coming into contact with. It was really nice to have someone here to help us navigate our way around (Santiago has roughly 6 million people). Also, Claudia organized a tour around Santiago with a dude named Sergio. He gave us the lowdown the country's pretty tumultuous history while showing us the sites of Santiago. It was a lot of fun and really, really informative. :) The best part, though, was connecting with the others in our little group. We're super tight and don't go anywhere without at least one other person. Thankfully, we're going to be placed into regions in chunks (three, three, and four), so we'll never truly be alone. :)
On Saturday, we moved to our new "home" for the week, Hostelling International. Let me be the first to say that it was a HUGE transition. We went from apartments to a place with no central heat, a ton of people, and questionable (read that: prison quality) food. We don't really complain, we just get a kick out of it. We also added about 40-some people to our little group which was...interesting to say the least. On Monday, EOD orientation started. It's a little more formal and teacher/lesson oriented, but it's pretty decent. The greatest thing about this program is the fact that EVERYTHING is laid out/already done for us.* I can get more explicit if you want me to, but let it suffice to say that this is as close to being a first ESL job as I could ask for. :)
I'll write more when I can/if I have something to say but for now, I'm going to go get slop and head up to bed. :)
LOVES!
Cb.
*A little background/the reason behind Chile's English policies:
Pinochet (a not-so-nice dictator) was removed from power in 1989. Schooling for high school (8-12th grade) only became mandatory in 2003. A year after that, the Chilean Ministry of Education decided they wanted to increase the amount of students that could effectively communicate in English (which is determined by taking a test created by Cambridge [yes, the university in England]). In order to ensure that all students have the same education, the Ministry mandated that all schools use the same texts and all students are taught in the same way. During our sessions, then, we are being taught the Ministry-approved (man, I sound like I'm straight out of Harry Potter there!) method and the underlying theories behind it. Because ESL education is it's infant stages, they encourage our strict adherence to the structure we are given. We can, of course, play around with what's within the structure. :) Hence, there's quite a bit of structure, but just enough flexibility for me to feel comfortable/to have fun. :D
Thursday, July 22, 2010
CHILE!
Hey all!
Sorry I didn't write earlier but it's been super hectic here. I arrived in Chile yesterday and, despite the country's insistence on being laid back, have been running around since. Let me be the first to say that this place is BEAUTIFUL. The Andes are, of course, the best part. Well, so far. I have yet to get to the city where I'll be staying (Coquimbo, for all of you who were wondering), so I have to hedge a little.
We've (by we I mean the 10 other teachers in this CIEE program and I) have been wandering around Santiago with our awesome guide Claudia since yesterday. I honestly prefer the metro (which is SUPER simple) to any of the buses (they're scary). She's been treating us to really great food (Peruvian, cool jazz club food, and tonight: vegetarian) and telling us everything we need to know/answering all of our questions (which is most important). :)
I think that'll be all for today. I'll try to update as frequently as possible but I'm not sure how accessible the internet will be once we move to the new hostel/our homes. :)
Loves to you all! :)
Cb.
Sorry I didn't write earlier but it's been super hectic here. I arrived in Chile yesterday and, despite the country's insistence on being laid back, have been running around since. Let me be the first to say that this place is BEAUTIFUL. The Andes are, of course, the best part. Well, so far. I have yet to get to the city where I'll be staying (Coquimbo, for all of you who were wondering), so I have to hedge a little.
We've (by we I mean the 10 other teachers in this CIEE program and I) have been wandering around Santiago with our awesome guide Claudia since yesterday. I honestly prefer the metro (which is SUPER simple) to any of the buses (they're scary). She's been treating us to really great food (Peruvian, cool jazz club food, and tonight: vegetarian) and telling us everything we need to know/answering all of our questions (which is most important). :)
I think that'll be all for today. I'll try to update as frequently as possible but I'm not sure how accessible the internet will be once we move to the new hostel/our homes. :)
Loves to you all! :)
Cb.
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