First Weekend in Iquique....SUCCESS!

This past week has been an absolute whirlwind.  It is great to know that I will not have to work in the camps anymore.  They were extremely fun and rewarding but they were also very long days and a lot of stress.  I also survived my first weekend in Iquique AND my first earthquake! Yes, as I was lying in my bed on Friday I started to notice that things on my side table began to slightly move.  It lasted only about 10 seconds but it was pretty awesome and it was definitely not as bad as I thought it was going to be. 

I had a really wonderful weekend.  After work on Friday I went out with some friends and we grabbed some beers at Papa Gallo (Daddy Rooster?).  Saturday was the last day of camp where the kids performed in a talent show for their parents that they had been preparing throughout the week.  My favorite act was done by a girl named “Bessie” who could swallow water and then regurgitate it through her nostrils.  It was a definite crowd pleaser. 

Saturday night was filled with loud music, free drinks, and a lot of laughing. I went out with my co-workers from the camp to a bar called Democratica.  If you could imagine the most crowded, sweaty, and disgusting bar in the world- you can visualize my Saturday night.  We were introduced to a Chilean drink called “Terremoto” which literally translates to “earthquake” since it is said that you are left with the ground & legs feeling very shaky.  Let me tell you, it is TRUE.  One of these suckers and you’re toasted for the night.

The next morning I woke up “con cana” which essentially means “hung-over as shit.” No need for words,“con cana” can also be communicated by straightening out your hand vertically, and placing it on the front of your nose.  However, my hangover was overcome by a pleasant surprise of a large welcome asado (bbq), which all of my extended Chilean family came over and we spent the afternoon eating and getting to know each other. We ate HUGE portions of steak, salad, a potato dish (I forget the name of it), rice, and lots of desert. It was by far the best meal that I have had thus far in Chile.  The night was spent shopping at Zofri, which is also known as Zona Franco.  This is a large mall in the northern part of Iquique that sells everything from electronics to beauty products and is all tax-free.  Tourists come from all over Latin America to buy their Christmas presents and essentially anything they could need/want at a cheaper price. In my opinion, I would never go back again.  It was the most chaotic, stressful place I have ever been in my life, and if one more person had bumped into me I probably would have gone ape shit crazy.

Today I had my regional orientation with all the most prestigious governmental officials in Iquique. After a great start to the day by getting kicked out my collectivo (story for another day) we got there at 9:30 and of course started at 10:15 (Chilean time). I met the teacher that I will be working with for the next few months and I am not the slightest bit disappointed.  She is absolutely hysterical and I think that we are going to work really well together.  I learned that I will be teaching juniors and seniors in high school and will be tailoring my lessons so that they will be business and technology related.  The only concern that I have is that I will have my first class Monday-Thursday is at 7:45AM (no class Friday wooo).  Meaning, in order for me to get there on time I will need to leave my house at 7:00AM (public transportation is slowwwwwwwwwwwwwww).

Everything here is going super well!  I am finally getting accustomed to the city and my Spanish is improving!  The rest of the week I will be observing the classes that I will be teaching.  Wish me luck!

PS. I made it on CNN Chile news. Search for me in the group picture, I am wearing the green scarf.  These are the students that I have been working with over the past week!

http://www.iquiquetv.cl/2.0/2011/07/21/winter-camps/

First Impressions

First off, I would like to point out, that as I am sitting here writing this I have experienced my first “black out.”  Apparently, it is very common in Iquique for the lights/water/electricity to randomly shut off at any time during the day.  As I stare out my window I do not see lights for miles.  The only light is my computer and there is an eerie silence that is also ringing through the city.  Quite creepy- I can only imagine what my first earthquake will feel like! 

I would like to pick up where I left off in discussing my experience teaching in Alto del Carmen.  As far as the rest of the classes went, they went very well.  I performed with the two other volunteers in the talent show and we sang and danced to “Bohemian Rhapsody.”  There was a lot of head banging and air guitar playing (oh the joy of not giving a shit what the kids think of you and being a rock star regardless since you are a gringo).  In the spirit of acting like children, we reverted back to our high school days and “snuck out” the last night of camp.  Myself, along with two other volunteers and my three bosses decided that we would make the 40- minute trek to the small town of Alto del Carmen for their festival celebrating the life of St. Carmen herself. Needless to say, this was a very interesting night. 

We began by each grabbing some type of “lighting” device that we could use to light the way as we maneuvered through the winding gravel roads in the middle of the Andes Mountains. So as we walked with our cell phones, lighters, and cameras we became very accustomed to screaming “COCHE” and throwing ourselves over the guardrails to avoid being hit by the cars, which zoomed by at uncomfortably fast speeds.  When we finally arrived to Alto del Carmen the people greeted us with open arms and we were herded into the local pub where we continued to drink for the rest of the evening-UNTIL we were invited to the dance hall (gymnasium) where we shared many laughs and danced until our legs were sore.  On our way home we stopped and climbed up the side of a mountain where we finished our cervezas and shared stories from our previous lives.

My time in Alto del Carmen was a week that I will never forget.  The kids and my co-workers were wonderful and it was difficult to say goodbye knowing that it would be a long time before I would meet with them again.  However, I was anxiously awaiting my overnight bus ride knowing that I would soon begin the next part of my journey in Iquique. Unfortunately, to my dismay, what was supposed to be a 13hr bus rides turned into an 18 hr bus ride due to the fact that we received a flat tire! There is no AAA here in Chile.  So we had to drive at extremely slow speeds until we reached the next town that had a maintenance shop. What-a-freaking-pain.

But here I am! In Iquique, sitting through my first blackout and more importantly, my host family is absolutely wonderful.  I have been welcomed into the family as their own daughter and I can tell that I will have an enriching experience living here. I have my own room on the second floor that overlooks the ocean with a lot of space to store my stuff.  The only downfall of the situation is that in order to get to my bathroom I literally need to walk through the room of my host parents.  This phased me for about 2 hours and then I had to poop.  No room for hesitation. 

I have a ton of first impressions and I have a lot of mixed feelings after my first few days in Iquique.  I have spent the past two nights wandering the city with volunteers that have been living here for the past five months.  They have taught me the ins and outs of Iquique and have definitely been a huge help to my assimilation into the city.  However, in addition to their knowledge, they have also shared a lot of, well, negative experiences in which they have had as well.  Just last week a volunteer had their apartment broken into and all of their stuff was stolen including their computer, passport, and a stack of money.  Which brings me to my first concern of Iquique: danger.  Apparently, Iquique is the most criminal city in all of Chile and is home to the most dangerous neighborhood.  I was told by the other volunteers that it is never a good idea to walk alone and they warned me especially not to wear my headphones while walking through the city. GREAT, just great.  Walking through the streets I have already seen some of the negative characteristics such as drug deals and prostitutes.  It will be very important that I am aware of my surroundings at all times.

There was also a lot of frustration coming from the other volunteers in the fact that they have not been teaching for the last two months due to strikes at their schools.  Incase you are unaware; Chile is currently dealing with protests regarding the educational system in all of the country.  It stems from the idea that there are three different types of schools public, subsidized, and private. Obviously, private schools are well off and offer a strong education.  Subsidized schools are the next highest, receiving all types of governmental help.  Leaving the public schools with little to nothing, and the difference in the level education is gigantic.  In Iquique, there are many schools that are currently “en toma” which means the kids have literally taken over the school.  They blockade doors, throw huge parties and often times throw the chairs and desks off of the roof of the school.  My host brother, Santiago, has not had school at the university in over a month.  The protests are a serious problem here and it is said that they will not end until the government does something about it.  It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.  For now, lets keep our fingers crossed that I will have a smooth orientation and will not have to deal with strikes at my school.

Other than that, I am extremely excited to get to know Iquique better.  Although I have heard negative things from the other volunteers, I feel as if they are jaded by their unfortunate circumstances and I am hoping to have a much more of a positive experience.  I am currently looking for different groups to get involved in so that I can start a routine here. Things are good, and I am happy.

Miss everyone tons.

Until next time. 

A Quick Update-Winter Camps-Alto Del Carmen

After having my first two days of teaching English at a winter camp, I can not tell you how I excited I am to start working in the classroom.  As far as the “winter camps” go-they are paid for entirely by the Chilean government so that students who excel in the English language have the chance to be fully immersed into the culture and language. Most of the winter camps are outside of big cities and the students travel to and from the camp every morning and evening.  Two other volunteers and I are the lucky few who get to go to “sleepover” winter camp in Alto del Carmen. There is no exaggeration that I am in the MIDDLE of the desert up in the Andes.  The closest town or even corner store is ½ hour away by bus. 

The whole set up the camp is very interesting as well.  There are about 60 Chilean students ranging from ages 14-18 and they come from a city called Copiapo or small rural towns on the outskirts.  We have split the 60 students into three different groups and there is a volunteer and a monitor that run each group.  Fortunately, I am working with a wonderful Chilean woman named Sandra that is an English teacher in the city of Copiapo.  After working with Sandra it is easy to say that her English is not that strong.  This is the case in a lot of the Chilean public schools throughout the country.  English teachers teach “English” using their Spanish, which is why it is so important that we are here.

The theme of the winter camps this year is the fight against bullying.  Today we introduced the topic and we had to do a lot of different activities to show how bullying is indirectly affecting everyone and to influence the children to come together in the fight against bullying in their specific schools.  It was an extremely difficult topic to teach, however, I was so impressed and touched by the way the children responded to the activities.  We had to do a certain activity where there was one kid in the center of a circle and the other 19 of us screamed and pointed and laughed at them for 15 seconds.  This was so that the kids could feel what it is like to be bullied.  The first few kids that were asked to be the victim laughed and did not take the activity seriously but after a few more times they started to feel the tension, nervousness, and intimidation by the other students. We concluded this with a very heavy conversation about bullying where each of the kids were asked to reflect on an experience where they knew someone or themselves had been bullied.  This was the best English I had heard all day and I think the kids really learned from the activities we completed and I cannot begin to express how excited and motivated I was by this.  I know that there will be bad and frustrating days of teaching-but this satisfaction is why I am here.

Tomorrow we are taking a field trip to a beach about an hour and a half away.  FINALLY, I can get some shampoo and conditioner so I can hopefully take care of the nasty stench that has been following me around. We will have a talent show on Saturday (the last day of camp) and the English volunteers and monitors are singing Karaoke to “La Loba” by Shakira.  We have a lot of practicing to do.  After this I will have another overnight bus trip to Iquique! Finally!

Miss everyone!

PS. Pictures will be posted to facebook soon! 

First Week

So as the first week comes to an end all I can say is that I have made the right choice by coming to Chile through the Ministry of Education.  The program has exceeded my expectations and I am really enjoying myself.  The new experiences, friends, and responsibility are all playing a large role as to why I am the happiest I have been in months!  This week has been extremely long with orientations lasting from 9 to 5 everyday but they have all been very beneficial to our success in the classrooms.  I just learned that I will be taking a 14hr bus ride and spending next week in Copiapo, Chile at my first winter camp.  This is very close to where the miners were trapped just a few months ago.  The following week I will be headed to Iquique, where I will finally be able to move into my host family and stop living out of my suitcase!

This following week can be described through laughing, laughing, and even more laughing.  I have had some of the greatest conversations with all of the other volunteers and it seems as if we are all on the same page as far as why we are here and what our intentions are.  Santiago is beautiful as well.  I went on a run yesterday and seeing the Andes in the distance made this feel so real.  The run felt awesome but my lungs did not take it as well.  Apparently, just by being in Santiago the pollution in the air is equivalent to five cigarettes in one day!  So yes, I have had my fair share of black snot…pretty gross right? 

My Spanish is right back on track as well.  I have been trying very hard to practice speaking with whomever, wherever and whenever.  I have also done a lot of roaming by myself throughout the city.  Which means asking others for directions or where there is a good place to eat an empanada. Since I have been here before I do not need to go to all of the “touristy” spots that the other volunteers were going to.  This has been really nice and has given me the opportunity to get some alone time and discover Santiago by myself.   My favorite part is a small neighborhood about forty minutes walking from our hostel called “Bellevista.”  It is filled with packed bars and hip clothing boutiques. 

Tonight there is a soccer game so I plan on going out to drink some beers with a few of the other volunteers.  I want to wear my jersey but apparently it is thought to be extremely weird for a girl to be a huge sports fan so I am not sure if I am in the mood to draw more attention to myself.  The catcalls have not stopped since I have been here- not sure if it is a confidence booster or flat out annoying. 

So I guess that these are just some basic updates on my life here in Chile.  I should have more time to reflect upon my time in the upcoming weeks and probably a lot more stories coming from winter camps!  I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer sun…IT’S FREEZING HERE! (Literally wearing 2 pairs of pants, 4 layers of shirts every time I go to bed)!

Hope everyone is well!

T-Minus...TODAY!!!!

Not only is it the end of (the first month of summer) it is also the beginning to (my first month of winter) in Chile.  Having changed my departure date from May to July, I am excited to finally be on my way to my new life. However, with excitement there also comes  a lot of nerves- and I think they have finally started to interrupt my sleeping habits!  But for anyone who has suffered traveler's anxiety before you know the deal: strap on your running shoes and get seated in the plane-as fast as you can! Because once the plane starts not only is there no turning back but (after a cocktail..or two) your hearing is consumed by the constant humming of the engine and there is nothing else to do than to pass OUT.

Putting aside the nervousness, just a few days ago I received an email from my host family explaining to me that for the next few months I will be living in Iquique, Chile.

Courtesy of my host brother, Artemio- here is a youtube video of photographs taken in the city:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2PtkogYTCs

Okay, I know you're jealous.  That just means you will have to visit! As far as my host family goes: besides my wonderful host parents: Artemio and Sonia- I will have a puppy, Canela and two college aged host brothers: Santiago and Artemio.  I have gotten the pleasure to speak to both Santiago and Artemio through Facebook (one in Spanish the other in "Spanglish") and I have a feeling we are all going to get along really well!  Santiago is a DJ at some of the cities best clubs which means FREE ENTRANCES! Seems like I have hit the jackpot as far as host families are concerned.

Well...I'd love to add more into this blog post but I feel as if until I am Just Chilean in Chile I will just be rambling.  SO bye bye America y helllllllllllllllo CHILE!

****Feel free to call up until 10:00PM**** Kisses & Hugs to all!