Christine in Chile!

Christmas in the summer?

2008-12-12T19:21:00.002-03:00

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!

Hi-yah!

2008-10-26T00:06:00.002-03:00

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:

"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.

When my students make me laugh...

2008-10-24T14:00:00.000-03:00

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.

Let's just say that was an entertaining hour and half. =)

The "my-country-is-better-than-yours" syndrome

2008-10-21T12:48:00.000-03:00

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:

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.

These are just some things that make me think, "That would NEVER happen in the US." (Now I know that bumping into people and line cutting happen in the States, but it happens here WAY more frequently. Seems like it's a part of the culture or something.) When I start to think this way, I have to remind myself that I'm not in the US. I'm in Chile.

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.

Spring and Pokemones

2008-10-15T22:37:00.010-03:00

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.

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.

Felices Fiestas Patrias!

2008-09-17T20:41:00.004-04:00

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!

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!

Winter Vacation

2008-08-15T22:26:00.007-04:00

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

I'm Engaged!

2008-06-29T14:05:00.007-04:00

I know I'm a little late with the blog posting, but as of June 19, I am officially engaged to Tyler! After sending me on little missions to find clues (and presents!), I was led to a computer and mysteriously told to play a Word Scramble game on Facebook. For those who know me, I LOVE word games, like Scrabble, TextTwist, and Word Scramble. Well, when the game loaded, I saw:

Will you marry me yeonmi?

Turns out, the Word Scramble people were in on it and set up the special game! Then when I went to Tyler's room, the room was dark and lit with candles all around. And that's how he popped the question. :)

I got engaged in Chile!

Chile is Chilly!

2008-06-28T17:00:00.003-04:00

Yeah, yeah, I know it's not an original joke, but it IS cold here! Last Saturday was the official first day of winter, and that was sad sad news because I thought we were already in winter in May. Every night, getting ready for bed is a big production, as I bundle up wearing layers and layers of clothes, wool socks, gloves, and a scarf. And I'm still cold! Well, let me tell show you how I've been trying to keep warm the last few months in addition to layering:

About 2 months ago, Nancy bought Tyler and me some guateros (hot water bottles) to keep warm during the frigid mornings and evenings. I've never had one of these before, but they work pretty well. I just boil some water and fill it up and they stay warm for about an hour or so. I've gotten used to the familiar rubbery smell of my guatero and snuggle with it to bed some nights.

Here is our beloved estufa! It's basically a big propane tank that you use to fire up a flame to heat up the room. It works pretty well except for the fact that after awhile the room smells strongly of gas. It's for this reason that we don't use it too often. Nancy has warned us that if it's in a room for too long when the door is closed, you can get sick from the fumes. I've gotten lightheaded after it's been on for 20 minutes.

Another reason that it's so hard for me to stay warm here is that there is no warm water coming out of the faucets. Just coldcoldcold water. Talk about waking up in the morning with a splash of freezing water on your face! Every time I wash my hands, I have to wait a bit for my hands to thaw out. The other day, I let the water run over my fingers and about 10 seconds into it, I had lost all feeling in them!

Now, there is a way to get warm water, so I haven't been taking cold showers this whole time......well, we'll talk about this. Here is where the calefont (hot water heater) comes in. Behold our calefont:

To heat up the water, you turn that little dial to the left and step in to a glorious hot shower! Well, turns out, our calefont is a fickle little thing. One never knows if it will grant you a scalding, lukewarm, or cold shower. It seems there's no balance. The scalding showers make you feel like your skin is being burned off and the lukewarm or cold showers are so cold that it's impossible to think, let alone moving toward the bottle of shampoo. You can't turn on the cold water when the water is scalding, or the warm water completely vanishes and you're left with a cold shower. When the water is cold, it never gets warm. Thus, the calefont and I have developed a love-hate relationship.

There are some interesting theories as to its inconsistency in functioning, such as the gas being used is low quality or that the water pressure isn't strong enough. Either way, it makes me yearn for the warm showers I could always count on in the States.

In the last week, my relationship with the calefont has improved. Thanks to a tip from another volunteer here, I've been able to get warmer showers more consistently. Instead of turning on the shower at full blast right away (like I would do in the States), I put the water on low for awhile first so that the calefont can get a chance to warm up the water. Then slowly turn up the water but not at full blast, lest you lose the precious warm water. One turn too far and the warm water will just disappear. This has been working for the last few showers, so I'm hoping I've found a permanent solution!

I'm ready for spring. No, forget spring. I want summer!

Excuses, Excuses

2008-06-27T13:44:00.001-04:00

Before the semester even started and actually before I came to Chile, I had heard that the students at this institute were famous for making all kinds of excuses. I believe that a previous volunteer said that they will cheat and lie to your face and walk all over you if you let them. And after this first semester, I have heard a plethora of excuses (not good ones, mind you) that have spewed out of the mouths of my students. Here are 2 examples:

I had warned one of my students who had reached the 8-absence maximum rule that he would fail if he missed another class. Of course, he proceeded to miss 2 classes in a row after this. The next class I saw him, I told him that he had failed based on attendance. He then basically demanded me to give him those 2 attendances because he was sick and couldn't come to class. I tried to explain to him that that's what those 8 absences are for: in case he gets sick or for other emergencies. Now he's past the limit and there's nothing I can do. I asked why he missed 8 classes to begin with, and after a pause, he informs me that he had to work those days. When asked why he scheduled class at a time when he has to work, I'm met with silence because there are no more excuses. What baffles me is how students don't seem to understand that they have these 8 absences in case they get sick or for emergencies. Sadly, many of my students are in this boat, having missed 8 classes playing hooky, then finding themselves in trouble when they actually get sick or have an emergency. To this I say to the jefes: the ball's in your court.
On the day of a quiz, a student comes to me and imploringly asks me if she can take the quiz the next class. This is such a hilarious exchange, purely because after a line of excuses (terrible ones), she was grasping at straws at the end. Below is the conversation that ensued:

Student: Can I please take the quiz next class?
Me: Why?
Student: I didn't know there was a test today.
Me: Well, I've announced it for the past 3 classes.
Student: Well, I didn't come to class because *muttering of some excuse*.
Me: Ok, but I also sent a reminder email to everyone about the test date.
Student: But the email system went down yesterday and I couldn't access my email.
Me: Well, I sent the email over a week ago.
Student: *sputter sputter* But I didn't study!
Me: *shrugs shoulders*

This leads me to the topic of excuses. I hate to generalize, but I find myself generalizing lately in my attempt to understand the mentality of my students. And I can't help but notice an overall, overwhelming lack of responsibility on their part. I've never heard my students admit when something is clearly their fault, even when it is so apparent. They put in the smallest effort and expect a flowery high grade handed to them on a silver platter. It's so bizarre to me. Because I know when I half-assed an assignment in college, and so I wasn't shocked when my grade reflected my effort. But the students here are not like this. They're surprised and even angry when they get the low grades they deserve. "But why? Why did I get a 1 (an equivalent of F in the U.S.)?" Well, hmm, I'm gonna play the because-you-didn't-do-the-assignment card one more time.

Burritos and Lost in Translation

2008-05-14T17:38:00.012-04:00

Last week, Nancy made burritos for lunch so that we wouldn't feel too homesick. (They were awesome by the way, as is she for making them for us). Contrary to popular belief, Mexican food is almost nonexistent in Chile, so I haven't been gorging myself with tacos and nachos while I've been here.

In fact, tacos mean "traffic jam" and tortillas mean "bread made in the country " here in Chile, so if you tried to order them somewhere, you'd either get quizzical looks or wind up with something you didn't mean to order. So what have I been eating? Lots of pan and palta (bread and avocado), soups, longaniza (sausage), and others I can't think of right now. Nancy is an amazing cook and I thank my lucky stars everyday that she is my mama chilena.

Anyway, I digress. So when lunch was ready, we went to tell our host dad Jaime that the burritos were ready. The conversation went something like this:

Tyler: Los burritos estan listos. (The burritos are ready.)
Jaime: Si, pero yo prefiero caballo. (Yes, but I prefer horse.)

Tyler then turns to me and says, "I think he said he prefers onions." Meanwhile, I'm laughing too much to respond but when I finally stop I tell him, "Onions are cebollas. He just said he prefers horse."

Poor Tyler. He was still confused, as you might be as well.

You see, burritos don't mean the same thing here either. Just as tacos mean traffic jams, burritos mean small donkeys. Jaime said (jokingly) that he prefers horse to donkey. Jajajajaja (hahaha in spanish).

Jaime is pretty quiet and reserved and some days doesn't say much. But occasionally he cracks a joke like this and I find them so hilarious. Plus, the fact that I actually got the joke made it that much more enjoyable. :)

I was in a Chilean newspaper!

2008-05-04T21:13:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Tyler and I attended our host dad Jaime's art exhibition. A good time was had by all, and we were served wine and cheese all night long. At some point, our photographs were taken along with our names. A few days later, our photo appeared in El Sur, a newspaper in Concepcion. I never make it in U.S. newspapers, but it only took a few months for me to appear in a Chilean one. :)

Our host dad is in the top picture in the middle and our host mom is in the picture below. Tyler and I are standing next to Gabriel, a fellow DUOC English teacher, and his fiancee Loreto (who is our host family's goddaughter).

Mini Trips (with photos)

2008-04-28T22:32:00.025-04:00

For the past couple of weeks, Tyler and I (and some other volunteers) have gone on day trips to nearby cities to check them out before the weather gets too cold. So far, we've gone to Tome, Lota, and Chillan.

We went to Tome, a small town by the ocean, with fellow English professor Gabriel and his fiancee Loreto (who just happens to be our host mom's goddaughter). Small world,
huh? I was feeling a bit nostalgic for Santa Barbara that day, and I have to say that Tome is nothing compared to SB. It was still beautiful nonetheless and it was nice to see the ocean.

Left to right: With Meredith and Chris (WT volunteers) and Loreto and Gabriel.

The beaches of Tome

About a week ago, we went to Lota to check out its park and coal mine. They actually call it Lota Sorprendente (Surprising Lota) for the beautiful park. The park was gorgeous and from the viewpoint, you could see amazing views of the ocean. Up until this point, all of the parks I'd been to had been full of grafitti, stray dogs, and pololos (couples) making out. Imagine my delight when I saw that Parque Lota had none of these! Of course, it's not a public park; we had to pay to get in, but still. It was just so serene there, and they even had sequoias! The coal mine was an interesting experience too. We descended into the mine in a tiny cagelike contraption, and I was terrified the whole time. We got hard hats with lamps and had to wear a pretty heavy (at least for me) battery for the lamp. I started to feel a bit claustrophobic after 30 minutes, being underground and all and having to walk half bent at the waist for a lot of the time. I'm glad I went though, and now I can say that I've been in a mine! Check out the Lota photo album if anything; the pictures are really pretty.

One of my favorite pictures from Lota

A lake with a little house for the ducks!

In the mine Chiflon del Diablo

With the coal behind us

Last weekend, all of the Conce volunteers went to Chillan. Chillan is known for its Mercado Central, which is a huge market with the best produce in Chile, so they say. From what I saw, I can't disagree. All of the produce looked incredibly fresh, better than anything I've seen in Chile so far. It's also supposed to be the cleanest market. There is also a large section of artesan stuff, which is one of the reasons why we all went. Since the weather has been getting chilly, we were on the lookout for some warm alpaca wool clothing. There were shops and shops of artesan stores selling copper, leather, wood, and wool goods. A few of us ended up getting some gorros (hats/beanies) and wool jackets, including myself.

Mercado Central

Artesan crafts

Meredith and I sporting our new gorros

That's the brief update for now. Here are the links to access all the photo albums (for the non-facebookers):

Chillan: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2233036&l=9380b&id=3600611

Lota: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2230381&l=e9900&id=3600611

Tome: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2225913&l=d3aad&id=3600611

Concepcion: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2225901&l=37095&id=3600611

Sushi in Conce

2008-04-28T21:54:00.007-04:00

I'm making sushi. I'm in Chile and I'm making sushi in my host mom's kitchen.

I found myself saying this yesterday as I made sushi for lunch for my host family. It all started when my host mom (surprisingly) told me one day that she'd LOVE to make it. I mentioned this to my parents and of course, they sent me an awesome care package, complete with everything I'd need to make sushi. So yes, in the picture below, you see seaweed, chopsticks, a bamboo rolling mat, soy sauce dishes, and Wasabi right next to a mountain of chocolates and korean snacks (Thanks mom and dad!).

Anyways, my host mom, Tyler, and I had a blast making them, and my host mom was just itching to make her first roll of sushi. She had watched some Japanese chef on TV make sushi and had noted some of his techniques. We prepared a variety of things to put in the rolls, including eggs, palta (avocado), red bellpeppers, cream cheese, cucumber, and sardines. They came out pretty good; I'm happy to say that my sushi-making skills haven't deteriorated too much.

My host mom Nancy with her first roll!

Sushi!

I really love how my host family is so open to trying new things. I couldn't help but smile yesterday as I watched them smell the wasabi, delicately grasp the sushi with their chopsticks, and stare curiously at the sheets of seaweed (which they said almost looks like something laminated). For me, it was interesting to see something so familiar to me through their eyes

One month update as an English teacher

2008-04-11T00:07:00.002-04:00

It has been exactly one month since I started teaching, so it's time for an update! Here are some of my observations so far teaching English to Chilean students:

Attendance
To put it mildly, attendance is variable. I never know how many students will decide to show up to class. I know that I'm supposed to have 18 students, but it varies from 4 to 12 each class. This is probably the most obnoxious aspect about teaching, especially when you consider how long it takes to plan a lesson. Plus, when a lot of students miss a class where you cover key grammar points or vocab, they will have absolutely no clue what I'm talking about the next class. This can be frustrating when I have activities that build off of the things I taught the previous class and I often find myself having to backtrack to catch everyone up to speed (as best I can). It's really unfair for those few who come to every single class.

Cell phones, etc.
Chilean students love their gizmos and gadgets and can often be found in the corridors fiddling around with their cell phones, mp3 players, etc. They especially love their cell phones so much that they will answer it during class. While I'm talking. While I'm teaching. If I didn't say anything and confiscate their phone, they would have an entire conversation on their cell phone during class. At least they're a little embarrassed when I tell them to hand it over, but I basically confiscate a phone every week. Also, one of my students looked shocked when I told him that it was NOT ok to have headphones in his ears during class. He claimed he could still hear me. Too bad his quiz results don't seem to agree.

Talkity-talk
I have 2 classes where talking is a huge problem, and this mainly stems from the fact that in both classes there are 7-9 students who are all really good friends and habla espanol all throughout class. In one class, I have a bunch of immature 19-year-old guys who are "too cool for school." Especially for English, apparently. Some days, it takes all my effort not to throw my dry erase marker at them. In my other class, I have a group of girls who seem to think that English class is the perfect time to have a gossipfest about pololos (boyfriends) and parties. And when they get going, it is almost impossible to stop them. I've tried separating them, but the rooms are so small anyway that then they talk to each other across the room which ends up being even louder.

Lesson planning
I knew before coming here that lesson planning would take awhile, but I didn't realize just how long it would take. I think the reason why it takes me so long is that I'm planning a class for students basically don't want to be in English class. Compared to the classes for their career, English just isn't that important for them. So I spend alot of time trying to find creative games and activities to keep them engaged, and whenever I have an awesome class where the students are speaking English and having fun, it motivates me that much more to duplicate that same enthusiasm for the next class.

Wow, from this post, it sounds like I don't like teaching at all and this is completely untrue! These are just some of the challenges and surprising things I've found as an English teacher that I'm dealing with. It's really challenging to teach English when neither the students care about it nor their jefes de carrera (Career Coordinators) care about it. But it only takes one amazing class where the students have a blast with your activity/game and where you're almost rolling on the floor laughing to make me realize that maybe I am making a little bit of a difference. My most rewarding moment as a teacher so far was when one of my students (a really sweet, but quiiiiiiet girl who never says anything) came up to me after class with a big smile and said "It was a good class" and then scurry off. These are the students that I'm teaching for. =)

I'm in Conce! And I'm teaching!

2008-03-13T09:36:00.023-03:00

Last Friday (3/7/08), six of us WorldTeach-ers travelled south on a 6-hour bus ride to Concepcion, or as it's more commonly called, Conce. It's hard to believe that just last week I was in Santiago, living in the colorful Andes Hostel with the other volunteers. But here I am one week later, becoming more savvy on the micro (bus) routes, adjusting to Chilean home life, and surviving my first week of classes.

Conce is beautiful. It's the second largest city in Chile, but it is much smaller than Santiago. Santiago is such a huge city with few trees and tall buildings everywhere looming over you, so I have been immensely enjoying Conce's open space and greenery. The air in Conce also feels exponentially cleaner in comparison to the smog-ridden Santiago. I no longer wake up with a tickle in my throat from breathing all the smog and secondhand smoke. It is also about 5-6 degrees cooler here, according to my handy little alarm clock which tells me the temperature in Celsius and the time military-style, both of which are used here in Chile.

The family: My host family is wonderful! I have a host dad (Jaime) and mom (Nancy), and a host brother (Anibal). Anibal is studying tourism, but is currently in Andorra participating in an intern/work abroad program. While he's gone, his cousin Fernanda has been staying in his room. She is awesome. She goes to the Universidad de Concepcion and gave us a nice tour of the campus last weekend. The campus is gorgeous with a forest surrounding parts of the campus and a lake with swans.

See the swans behind us?

Universidad de Concepcion

The house: there is art everywhere. Jaime is an active painter and is actually getting ready for an exhibition in early April to which Tyler and I are both invited. Even as I write this blog, I can hear the swish swish of his brush as he works in the studio with opera music blaring in the background. Can't get more artsy than that. :-)

As for my room, it is cozy. The yellow curtains and few pieces of art make for a cheery little space. Every morning, the sun pokes through the curtains and casts a sunny glow in the room. I have been waking up every morning to the shrieking of the gaviotas, to which my host mom assures me signals rain. No rain yet.

My room:

The food: One of my biggest worries coming to Chile was the food. But with Nancy, I don't have to worry too much because she is a great cook. So far, the food has been tasty, healthy, and not greasy. I don't get mayo all over my food, and she even has herbal tea! That's about as unusual as it gets for a Chilean. I have asked several places for herbal tea or tea without caffeine, and I only get blank stares so this is amazing for me. My favorite so far has been her homemade blackberry jelly and her delicious muffins! The smell of muffins is wafting through my room right now, and it's taking all of my effort not to run downstairs and snatch one.

Micros: The micros here are insane. INSANE. There are lots of different lines, and apparently some lines just change the route whenever they feel like it. So far, it hasn't been too bad...minus the fact that we got lost 2 times at the beginning of last week. And one of the times was definitely the driver's fault. Oh well, crazy conce micros!

When I'm on the micro, I literally have to hang on for dear life as it careens through the streets while the driver honks furiously at other micros that are driving too slow. There is also some intense tailgating going on with the micros, which is funny because on the back of each micro, there is a sign that says, "Maintain your distance from the bus." When I get to my stop, the driver just barely gives me enough time to get off before it speeds off. I've gotten in the habit of hopping very quickly off the micro, haha.

Teaching: Tyler and I have great teaching schedules this semester. We were able to coordinate our schedules so that we could commute together, thanks to the 4 other wonderful volunteers (You guys are awesome!). We teach 4 days a week, and we start no earlier than 11:30AM and end no later than 5:30PM. Some days are longer, others are shorter. We definitely can't complain. All of the volunteers teach a total of 5 classes per semester, and there are 3 levels of English classes: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. I'm teaching 3 Basic and 2 Intermediate classes this semester.

Classes started this past Monday and I'm happy to say that I survived my first week as an English teacher! It's been an interesting week, involving me frantically gesturing to make a point and desperately trying to understand my students when they very rapidly ask me a question in Spanish. Also, the absences are already driving me crazy. Apparently, there are 18 students enrolled in all of the English classes. I have yet to see all these students in my classes. The first day of Basic classes, I had 7 for the first class, 16 for the second, and 1 for the third. Lots of tweaking my carefully planned out lessons...whew!

DuocUC Conce!
This is where I teach. It's perched on top of a hill...with a Hyundai dealership next door.

That's the update from Conce for now! I will leave you with:

Things I'm getting used to in Chile:

greeting everyone with a kiss on the cheek (I don't want to be a cold American!)
not flushing toilet paper down the toilet, but throwing it away in the trash can
finding light switches outside the rooms
the stares and head turning wherever I go
being called a "china" (all Asians are called chino/a)

I came to Chile looking for an adventure. And an adventure it most definitely is.

Halfway through Orientation

2008-02-24T20:28:00.008-03:00

Welcome to my lovely Chile blog! I'll be documenting my adventures in this skinny South American country, so I hope you enjoy!

Well, I've already made it halfway through Orientation! I've been in Santiago for 2 weeks, though sometimes it feels like I've been here much longer. Maybe that's because we've been doing so much during orientation. The past week was filled with long days attending sessions on teaching English, not to mention early mornings going to the Policia Internacional and Registro Civil to get our carnets (Chilean identification cards). Waiting in long lines is just a fact of life here, and the Policia Internacional and Registro Civil were no exception. But all is well, and I should get my carnet in a couple of weeks.

We also started Spanish classes last week, which is great speaking practice for me. Last Friday, our class went on a field trip to Cerro San Cristobal, which is a big hill with a HUGE statue of the La Virgen (Virgin Mary) at the top. We took the teleferico (gondola) to the top of the hill and saw amazing views of Santiago.

Oh, by the way, I've finally posted up some pictures! You can see all the places mentioned in this post in my Santiago, Chile album on Facebook. If you don't have Facebook, you can go to the link below to see them:
http://ucsb.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2215003&l=93630&id=3600611

Teaching news: I got my first taste of teaching English to Chilean students last Wednesday and Thursday! All of us were assigned a partner to teach a class together at one of the institutes here to get some teaching experience. My partner and I taught a lesson to a basic level English class. It made me realize how much thought and preparation go into lesson planning and how excited I am to start teaching. It also made me aware of things I still need to work on, like speaking louder in class. The Chilean students were very enthusiastic and it was really an eye-opening experience for me.

Orientation days are long, but our free weekends definitely make up for it! This past weekend, Tyler and I went La Chascona, one of Pablo Neruda's houses. We took the guided tour (in Spanish!) and I'm proud to say that I understood most of it. My Spanish comprehension is getting better every day, just by being here. Anyway, La Chascona was awesome. I had read some of Neruda's works in college but never knew much about him and his life. There were some great pictures and art on his walls, and all of them had an interesting or hilarious story behind them. We also got to see his biblioteca (library), which housed his Nobel Prize among other awards. It's too bad they wouldn't let us take pictures inside the house. I guess you'll just have to come down to Chile to see it. ;-)

In other general news, I'm getting used to all the stray dogs in the streets. They're pretty harmless and most of them sleep during the day. Unfortunately, that means they're awake at night when we're trying to sleep. I've heard quite a few dog fights and non-stop barking at 3AM. Good times.

Bueno, this was a fairly lengthy post, so thanks for reading! I'm off to watch the Oscars now. Ciao for now!

First mass email sent on Feb 13

2008-02-23T23:50:00.001-03:00

Hola a todos!

I guess this is my first mass email from Chile! It's been quite the whirlwind since I left a week ago, from long layovers in airports to few hours of sleep every night to exhausting (at least for me) orientation sessions. I have finally started to settle into a routine and will hopefully be able to catch up on my precious sleep. :)

For those of you who don't know what I'm doing, I'm going to be teaching English in Chile for a year with 19 other volunteers through a program called WorldTeach. I'll be teaching at a technical & professional institute that is equivalent to community colleges in the US. Classes start on March 10, and I will be living and teaching in Concepcion, which is 6 hours south of Santiago. Until then, I am staying at a hostel (http://www.andeshostel.com/) in the center of bustling Santiago with the other volunteers and attending orientation sessions about Chilean culture and teaching English. Our field director, Josh, is leading orientation and is an amazing guy who is always here for us and will help in any emergency. Orientation days are long (almost 12 hours a day) but super helpful and has all of us a little freaked out about being robbed or bitten by poisonous Chilean spiders. It's intimidating being in such a huge city; Santiago has about 6 million people. With this being my first long-term experience in another country, I am slowly adjusting to Chilean life and find myself a bit homesick some days.

In other news, I had my first successful Chilean conversation today (yay!). Chilean spanish seems so different, filled with all sorts of slang unique to this country and with all the dropped s's. It's difficult to shift the gears in my brain to think and speak in Spanish, but I'm definitely working on it. Usually, I'm so busy trying to translate what's being said to me that by the time I do this, there's already been a lengthy pause and I have to formulate words to respond!

For those of you I didn't get to see before I left, I am so sorry. It was a crazy last few weeks with all the nonsense that comes with leaving a country and packing my life away for a year. I will load some pictures soon and may start a blog about my adventures in Chile. PLEASE email me and if you could, send me your address. I would love to be able to send everyone some postcards/letters. I will write back and look forward to hearing from you!

Chao,
Christine