Friday, December 12, 2008
Christmas in the summer?
Weird. All of my students apparently hang at the beach with their families on Christmas day. And songs like "Let it Snow" and "Winter Wonderland" seem so out of place with bright sunshine all around. Granted, it never snows in LA, but still....at least it gets cold. The Santa Claus at the mall looks like he's boiling in that getup. I'll be in Buenos Aires for Christmas and it'll be even hotter over there. Here's to Christmas in South America!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Hi-yah!
On my very first day teaching English back in March, I asked my class if there were any questions they wanted to ask me. I told them they could ask me about myself, about the U.S., whatever. After a moment, one guy raised his hand and asked:
He then proceeded to make several martial arts gestures. I was sure he was joking, but a glance at the expectant look on his face told me otherwise. Of course I told him I didn't, and I swear the look on his face afterward was one of sore disappointment. Seeing as how he ended up giving me attendance problems last semester, maybe I should've said I had a black belt and that I'd kung-fu his butt if he ever skipped my class. ;-)
So going along with this theme, I've been told that I shouldn't worry too much about getting attacked or assaulted here because many Chileans believe that all Asians know martial arts. Or at the very least, they think that the odds that an Asian knows martial arts is pretty high, and they'd rather not risk getting their trasero kicked. I always joke with Tyler that he should feel safe walking with me at night. Anyway, I've decided that if one day I were to get attacked (let's hope not!), I might actually yell out a "hi-yah!" and attempt what I think is a roundhouse kick.
"Miss, do you know the hi-yah?"
He then proceeded to make several martial arts gestures. I was sure he was joking, but a glance at the expectant look on his face told me otherwise. Of course I told him I didn't, and I swear the look on his face afterward was one of sore disappointment. Seeing as how he ended up giving me attendance problems last semester, maybe I should've said I had a black belt and that I'd kung-fu his butt if he ever skipped my class. ;-)
So going along with this theme, I've been told that I shouldn't worry too much about getting attacked or assaulted here because many Chileans believe that all Asians know martial arts. Or at the very least, they think that the odds that an Asian knows martial arts is pretty high, and they'd rather not risk getting their trasero kicked. I always joke with Tyler that he should feel safe walking with me at night. Anyway, I've decided that if one day I were to get attacked (let's hope not!), I might actually yell out a "hi-yah!" and attempt what I think is a roundhouse kick.
Friday, October 24, 2008
When my students make me laugh...
I had just covered a unit about giving advice with my basic English students. As an exercise, I asked them to give advice to a student who's broke where they can get a part-time job to make some extra money. Here were some of their responses:
- You should be a stripper.
- I suggest you donate your sperm.
- You should sell your blood.
- Be a gigolo!
- You can deliver newspapers.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The "my-country-is-better-than-yours" syndrome
During my year so far in Chile, I've had my share of ups and downs, just as I would if I was living anywhere else. As an outsider living in another country for a year, it's only natural to compare your hometown with your new surroundings. But when I'm in that downs phase here, I have to admit that I fall prey to the "my-country-is-better-than-yours" syndrome. Chilean culture has its perks, but there are just as many things that leave me scratching my head on good days and wanting to clock someone on a bad day. That being said, here are some things that trigger that nasty little syndrome:
This year has been about keeping an open mind and soaking up another culture. With everything, you take in the good with the bad. Of course, there will be things that about Chilean culture that I'll take back with me to the US, and others that I'll be more than happy to leave behind.
- Change: I've been here long enough and had enough sour exchanges with cashiers to safely say that Chile is a country that HATES to give change. I really don't understand it. For example, if something is 500 pesos (equivalent to US $1.00) and you hand the cashier 5,000 pesos ($10.00), you're bound to get a disdainful look from the cashier and then get asked in a whiny voice, "Do you have a 1,000 pesos?" If you say no, sometimes they begrudgingly and with a bad attitude hand you your change. But I've often found that they would rather not take the sale than give you all that change back. On more than a few occasions, I have walked out of a store empty-handed because I couldn't get change for a 750 peso soda with my 10,000 peso note. And it's apparently my fault and I'm the incompetent one for not having smaller bills. I mean, what's the deal? When I worked as a cashier, I don't remember getting upset or huffy when a customer paid for a $1.50 item with a $20. (I have to say though, that this doesn't happen at large department stores or supermarkets, but that it does happen everywhere else.)
- Lines and Receipts: Sometimes just trying to buy a simple thing like a white-out pen takes way longer than you anticipate. A lot of things here function on a roundabout receipt system. Usually, you first have to stand in a long line to try and get what you need. When at long last it's your turn, the salesperson gets the item and takes it to the caja (register) then gives you a little receipt. Then you take that little receipt over to the caja and proceed to stand in yet another long line to pay. After you pay, you are finally given the item you bought. Now, this system varies, as sometimes you stand in line to pay first, then get a receipt, then stand in line to get what you paid for. The important thing is the receipt. You just can't get anything without the receipt and often find yourself standing in long lines twice for something that could have been taken care of in one line. In reference to things like this, our host mom often tells us the story of a German man who came and lived in Chile and said to a fellow Chilean, "I love you guys, but you run terrible businesses here."
- Lack of Manners and Apologies
- Choques: It's not uncommon that you'll be walking along and someone will bump into you. I'm not sure if it's a personal space thing, but it happens all too frequently here. Anyways, when it happens I always say a perdon or disculpa whether it was my fault or not, but it is never said back to me. Maybe it's the shock of realizing that they've bumped into a foreigner and they forget to say their excuse me. Trust me, seeing an Asian girl is not an everyday occurrence for Chileans. A car once actually drove over curb with a loud clunk because the driver was so busy staring at the china while he was turning the corner. I digress. Maybe they just weren't taught to apologize? I don't know. But I don't appreciate getting an elbow in my side or a hard hit from someone's shoulder without an apology. And it might be my imagination, but it feels like I'm getting the dirty look from them. A fellow WT volunteer always tells the story about how her foot literally got stabbed on the metro by a chilena's high heels, and how ms. congeniality didn't apologize and instead gave her a nasty look.
- Cutting in Line: Chileans definitely have no concept of lines. Even after 8 months, I am still amazed at the sheer audacity that Chileans have when it comes to cutting in line. It doesn't matter if you were waiting there patiently first. It doesn't matter that they saw you waiting. Apparently, this means that it's their turn. They'll push past you and shove their money in the cashier's face to get what they want. This happens everywhere, at our school's cafeteria, the pharmacy, and getting on the bus. It's surprising how disorganized and chaotic it is to get on the bus at rush hour. Even if I was waiting for the bus and I am about 3 steps away from getting on, someone will come running from the side and put his foot on the bus step and board the bus right in front of me. It is so exasperating sometimes. Anyone who knows Tyler knows that he's an incredibly patient person, but the line cutting incidents have been enough to even piss him off.
This year has been about keeping an open mind and soaking up another culture. With everything, you take in the good with the bad. Of course, there will be things that about Chilean culture that I'll take back with me to the US, and others that I'll be more than happy to leave behind.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Spring and Pokemones
The weather in Concepcion has vastly improved starting at the beginning of September. It seems as though the interminable crappy winter weather is slowing wearing off and the sun has decided to come out of hiding. Anyway, lately the sky has been looking like this, and I haven't seen it like this since early May:
It's so glorious! Anyway, so with these nice days, I've been able to walk around the neighborhood and tomar el sol. So far, I have only walked around in the same areas where I live, and it's usually to run to the little store to buy snacks or to the bus stop to go to school. Here is what I normally see:
It's not exactly the most picturesque neighborhood. The buildings are really worn down, there aren't any trees or grass, and the sidewalks are horribly cracked or non-existent. You see more cell blocks instead of houses. On a walk on day, I decided to walk in the complete opposite direction. Imagine my surprise to see:
And this was only a few blocks away! There are some pretty, nicely maintained houses where the paint isn't chipping off and the grass and plants are actually alive. It felt like I was in another suburban neighborhood in the States, and I didn't think such a place existed so close to my house.
I've also seen these flower trees blooming, and I think they're so pretty! I'm not sure exactly what they are, but they kind of look like tulips on trees.
One thing I kinda like about my neighborhood are all the little businesses run from some homes. There are a few minimarkets near my house, and sometimes it's really convenient to just run over and buy some bread for onces or some cookies to satisfy my sweet tooth.
Minimarket Saturno: Looks like it was once the garage of the house.
The things that are chosen to be sold seem quite random to me. Apparently, this market sells fruits and vegetables, rechargeable electronics, office supplies, and much more.
Other common businesses are:
Internet cafes. They charge you by the minute to use the internet, and usually offer Skype, printing, and videogame services. Lots of jovenes (young people, usually boys) are usually found here after school playing their favorite video game.
There are also quite a few peluquerias (hair salons/barber shops) found around the neighborhood. Some look a little shadier than others (at least to me), and it strikes me a little odd to get a haircut at one of these places. Anyways, I'm too scared to get a hair cut here for fear of ending up with a mullet or some crazy pokemon hair like this:
This pokemon style is all the rage right now among teenagers here. There was some japanese anime influence thrown in, and this style was born. The hairstyle involves a lot of layers and sideswept bangs, spiked hair in the back, and a general overuse of hair gel.
It's so glorious! Anyway, so with these nice days, I've been able to walk around the neighborhood and tomar el sol. So far, I have only walked around in the same areas where I live, and it's usually to run to the little store to buy snacks or to the bus stop to go to school. Here is what I normally see:
It's not exactly the most picturesque neighborhood. The buildings are really worn down, there aren't any trees or grass, and the sidewalks are horribly cracked or non-existent. You see more cell blocks instead of houses. On a walk on day, I decided to walk in the complete opposite direction. Imagine my surprise to see:
And this was only a few blocks away! There are some pretty, nicely maintained houses where the paint isn't chipping off and the grass and plants are actually alive. It felt like I was in another suburban neighborhood in the States, and I didn't think such a place existed so close to my house.
I've also seen these flower trees blooming, and I think they're so pretty! I'm not sure exactly what they are, but they kind of look like tulips on trees.One thing I kinda like about my neighborhood are all the little businesses run from some homes. There are a few minimarkets near my house, and sometimes it's really convenient to just run over and buy some bread for onces or some cookies to satisfy my sweet tooth.
Minimarket Saturno: Looks like it was once the garage of the house.
The things that are chosen to be sold seem quite random to me. Apparently, this market sells fruits and vegetables, rechargeable electronics, office supplies, and much more.
Internet cafes. They charge you by the minute to use the internet, and usually offer Skype, printing, and videogame services. Lots of jovenes (young people, usually boys) are usually found here after school playing their favorite video game.
There are also quite a few peluquerias (hair salons/barber shops) found around the neighborhood. Some look a little shadier than others (at least to me), and it strikes me a little odd to get a haircut at one of these places. Anyways, I'm too scared to get a hair cut here for fear of ending up with a mullet or some crazy pokemon hair like this:
This pokemon style is all the rage right now among teenagers here. There was some japanese anime influence thrown in, and this style was born. The hairstyle involves a lot of layers and sideswept bangs, spiked hair in the back, and a general overuse of hair gel.There was an article in Newsweek about pokemones back in March. You can check it out here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/124098
Another article was recently published in the NY Times talking about Chilean youth and pokemones again. Here's the link to that article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/world/americas/13chile.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
The articles are pretty interesting, though some Chileans I've talked to have remarked that they think the article grossly exaggerates the culture, especially about them having many sexual partners. I'm by no means an expert on this, but it's hard to say whether the article exaggerates a little or whether the Catholic upbringing of Chileans makes them deny this. It is pretty crazy that in a largely Catholic , conservative society, such a culture like this could exist.
Another article was recently published in the NY Times talking about Chilean youth and pokemones again. Here's the link to that article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/world/americas/13chile.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
The articles are pretty interesting, though some Chileans I've talked to have remarked that they think the article grossly exaggerates the culture, especially about them having many sexual partners. I'm by no means an expert on this, but it's hard to say whether the article exaggerates a little or whether the Catholic upbringing of Chileans makes them deny this. It is pretty crazy that in a largely Catholic , conservative society, such a culture like this could exist.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Felices Fiestas Patrias!
VALDIVIA!!!
Happy Birthday Chile! September 18 is Chile's Independence Day, and we get a 4-day weekend! Some of the volunteers, Tyler, and I are taking off for Valdivia, a town 7 hours south of here. I still haven't quite read up on it, but all I know is that we're going to visit the Kuntsmann brewery and eat (hopefully) like royalty. It's supposed to be beautiful there, and we might take a boat tour on the river and see some sea lions. I'm excited to get out of Conce!
Happy Birthday Chile! September 18 is Chile's Independence Day, and we get a 4-day weekend! Some of the volunteers, Tyler, and I are taking off for Valdivia, a town 7 hours south of here. I still haven't quite read up on it, but all I know is that we're going to visit the Kuntsmann brewery and eat (hopefully) like royalty. It's supposed to be beautiful there, and we might take a boat tour on the river and see some sea lions. I'm excited to get out of Conce!Since the beginning of September, the Chilean bandera has been flying outside of people's homes. Cars and buses have been toting multiple little ones. I can hear music to dance the cueca (the national dance of Chile). It's a festive time!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Winter Vacation
I realize that my winter vacation was in July and that I also suck at blogging. But I thought it was high time for an update, so here goes!
Let me just say that I L-O-V-E Peru. It was seriously one of the best trips I've ever taken. Peru is so beautiful and the photos don't do it justice.
Tyler and I met up with my family in Peru. We had an insane itinerary. 5 hotels in less than 2 weeks and sightseeing galore = exhausted (but happy!) Christine. We stayed in Cusco (10,000 feet) and Puno (13,000 feet) for a few nights. Altitude sickness is common in both places, and I wasn't exempt from it. While it can be severe for some people (nausea and vomiting), I had it pretty mild with just some headaches and shortness of breath. Coca tea is supposed to help with that, and I drank so many cups of it in 2 weeks!
In Puno, we checked out the Uros (Floating) Islands and Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca. Taquile is beautiful, but Uros is pretty darn awesome. The Uros islands are man-made and the people build them with reeds found in Lake Titicaca. They build their homes and boats with them, and it's also included in their diet. Because the reeds do rot away at some point, the homes need to be rebuilt every 6 months. Talk about a lot of work! We also took a ride in a reed boat, which stays afloat by putting 2,000 empty plastic bottles below it. Ahh, it was so cool! Taquile was pretty, but it was obvious that the people of this island weren't so happy about tourists infiltrating their home. Children dressed in traditional, colorful clothes run up to you as you're taking pictures, volunteer to be in the shot, then ask for money. They were so adorable, but I couldn't help but think about their parents who put them up to this. Sadly, I lost all of my pictures from Puno. Stupid memory card. Oh well, life goes on!
I wish we had spent more time in Cusco. Cusco has such a cool, old town vibe, with cobbled streets, incan walls, and tiny winding alleyways. The city is so vibrant and there's so much to do there. It's pretty touristy though. There are women on the streets selling alpaca clothing and artesanal crafts. I really hope I can go back someday. Here's a shot of the Plaza de Armas:
We visited a lot of Incan ruins in Peru in Ollantaytambo and of course Machu Picchu!!! Machu Picchu is amazing--the wonder of the world title is definitely deserved. It was fascinating walking around the Incan ruins, seeing all the terracing and the stones they used for astronomical predictions. Hard to believe that such an advanced people could be wiped out so quickly.
the mystical Machu Picchu
After Tyler and I got back from Peru, we relaxed for a few days in Santiago then decided to aprovechar (take advantage of) our precious winter break and traveled to San Pedro de Atacama (SPA) in northern Chile. Northern Chile is such a contrast to southern Chile. It's all desert, while the south is so green. SPA is the driest desert in the world, complete with volcanoes, bubbling geysers, and salt flats with flamingos. The sightseeing was action-packed and we also went horseback riding through the desert and rented bikes and rode around the desert.
The only downside to the stay in SPA was that the whole town has water problems. The first hostel we stayed didn't have hot water and turned off the water all day. Tyler and I decided to run for it and went to another hostel for a $10 more a night with hot water all day! Ahh, luxury.
It was so good to get out of teaching mode and travel around. I definitely needed this trip after my first semester teaching. Here are the links to the photo albums from my travels during my much needed winter break:
Peru Part I
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2271833&l=f3cd7&id=3600611
Peru Part II
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2271893&l=810ee&id=3600611
San Pedro de Atacama
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2271968&l=a15c1&id=3600611
Let me just say that I L-O-V-E Peru. It was seriously one of the best trips I've ever taken. Peru is so beautiful and the photos don't do it justice.
Tyler and I met up with my family in Peru. We had an insane itinerary. 5 hotels in less than 2 weeks and sightseeing galore = exhausted (but happy!) Christine. We stayed in Cusco (10,000 feet) and Puno (13,000 feet) for a few nights. Altitude sickness is common in both places, and I wasn't exempt from it. While it can be severe for some people (nausea and vomiting), I had it pretty mild with just some headaches and shortness of breath. Coca tea is supposed to help with that, and I drank so many cups of it in 2 weeks!
In Puno, we checked out the Uros (Floating) Islands and Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca. Taquile is beautiful, but Uros is pretty darn awesome. The Uros islands are man-made and the people build them with reeds found in Lake Titicaca. They build their homes and boats with them, and it's also included in their diet. Because the reeds do rot away at some point, the homes need to be rebuilt every 6 months. Talk about a lot of work! We also took a ride in a reed boat, which stays afloat by putting 2,000 empty plastic bottles below it. Ahh, it was so cool! Taquile was pretty, but it was obvious that the people of this island weren't so happy about tourists infiltrating their home. Children dressed in traditional, colorful clothes run up to you as you're taking pictures, volunteer to be in the shot, then ask for money. They were so adorable, but I couldn't help but think about their parents who put them up to this. Sadly, I lost all of my pictures from Puno. Stupid memory card. Oh well, life goes on!
I wish we had spent more time in Cusco. Cusco has such a cool, old town vibe, with cobbled streets, incan walls, and tiny winding alleyways. The city is so vibrant and there's so much to do there. It's pretty touristy though. There are women on the streets selling alpaca clothing and artesanal crafts. I really hope I can go back someday. Here's a shot of the Plaza de Armas:
We visited a lot of Incan ruins in Peru in Ollantaytambo and of course Machu Picchu!!! Machu Picchu is amazing--the wonder of the world title is definitely deserved. It was fascinating walking around the Incan ruins, seeing all the terracing and the stones they used for astronomical predictions. Hard to believe that such an advanced people could be wiped out so quickly.
the mystical Machu PicchuThe only downside to the stay in SPA was that the whole town has water problems. The first hostel we stayed didn't have hot water and turned off the water all day. Tyler and I decided to run for it and went to another hostel for a $10 more a night with hot water all day! Ahh, luxury.
It was so good to get out of teaching mode and travel around. I definitely needed this trip after my first semester teaching. Here are the links to the photo albums from my travels during my much needed winter break:
Peru Part I
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2271833&l=f3cd7&id=3600611
Peru Part II
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2271893&l=810ee&id=3600611
San Pedro de Atacama
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2271968&l=a15c1&id=3600611
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