Spotted...

These drummer guys are all over the place... this was a whole family of drummers. The little kid was TOO CUTE.

This guy trotted past while I was waiting for the bus earlier today.

That's all for now!

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Gum on the Floor

It's been WAY too long since I've posted and for that I apologize. I'm writing this as I sit in my student's swanky lounge. I got here insanely early. On Tuesday I left my house at 9:05 and did not arrive at my class (the one I'm currently waiting for) until 10:08. The class starts at 10… so not ideal. In order to avoid this trauma I left my house today at 8:55. I figure, leave 10 minutes earlier, arrive 10 minutes earlier. False. I arrived at 9:30! Half an hour early for class and 40 minutes earlier than I arrived last time. Santiago, you and your bizarre traffic patterns never cease to confuse me!

My absence can be attributed to a multitude of tasks and annoying activities. I've been working on some things for next year which has taken up a lot of my time. By next week most of my planning for next year will have calmed down (I hope!). I've also been in overdrive since my student gave me his soul-crushing (albeit accurate) comments about my class. I've done everything I can to address the situation, but that's meant planning classes to a tee and not blogging.

I don't have much time at the moment to write a proper post but I will hopefully get back to posting more regularly soon. I will, however, leave you with this anecdote about gum in Chilean classrooms…

Before I came to Chile I read this weird book about Chilean culture. Pieces of the book are incredibly accurate, but other pieces of the book are clearly written for wealthy expats moving to Chile for important business reasons… certainly not for teachers going into poor neighborhoods to teach children. According to this book, gum is not accepted in formal environments in Chile. I assumed, therefore, that gum would be outlawed in classrooms (so to speak). 

This brings us to yesterday (Wednesday). I was teaching a class of fourth graders. They are sweet kids, but totally insane. The school even warned us that this class has behavioral issues and they didn't know what to do with them. Anyways, we were teaching a class and I look over and see a kid pull a long string-rubber thing out of his mouth and squish it into the table. At first I genuinely thought it was rubber. He then coiled it back up and popped it into his mouth. At this point I stopped class and broke into fluent English (something along the lines of "Oh my god, that is so nasty!"). My co-teachers looked over and they too were horrified. The kids, however, were totally confused because their English doesn't span past numbers, colors, and a few simple phrases. They did catch on to the fact that we were talking about the gum.

Then things took a turn. The boy with the gum took the gum out of his mouth, rolled it into a ball and threw it at another student. This student proceeded to put the gum into his mouth! At this point my co-workers and I were laughing as well as disgusted… it was all a bit crazy. Then the gum dropped out of the second boy's mouth. He dove to the ground to put it back into his mouth(!!!). I, however, could not handle the grotesque notion of the gum's recent germ contact (who knows where the gum started--> boy 1--> table--> boy 1 (+his hands)--> boy 2--> floor) and I also dove to the floor. I got the the gum first and threw it away. This caused a stir amongst the kids who felt wronged that their (horrifying) piece of gum had been thrown out. I felt a little bad, but in the end I stand by my decision.

So there's my teaching anecdote for the day. Please excuse lack of pictures, as I said proper posts will come back soon!

Have a nice THURSDAY (TGIT)!

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Rough Week

Hi Guys,

Sorry for posting so sporadically lately. I haven't been having the best week and I wasn't sure that writing about it would interest anyone/be worth my time but in the end I think it'll feel good to organize my thoughts on here... Hopefully it's not too scary? Ha! The week started off poorly as it is back to work after a week-long holiday. Always terrible in my opinion. I find it to be so crushing to go back to reality. So I started my week in a less-than-happy mood. I told myself to get over it and move on. But Monday was rough. My classes felt disorganized and I felt sort of down about myself professionally.

Professionally speaking, Tuesday was worse. I had a student actually tell me that he thought my class wasn't well-structured (do I hyphenate that?). He implied that he did not enjoy the class and I got the distinct impression that he does not have confidence in me as a teacher. This was a big blow to my confidence. You see I enjoy my job, but I was essentially thrown into the deep end in terms of figuring out this whole teaching thing. And to make matters worse I was given two intermediate level classes and my company does not have a set curriculum for this level. I don't understand it at all... we have fully designed curriculums for Basic levels 1 and 2, Pre-Intermediate, and Advanced but no Intermediate. The problem is I can plan a lesson but I've quickly learned that planning a class is much harder. Especially because I'm not totally sure about what I need to achieve with the students in these classes.

I decided at first to follow the book and then add in fun activities. I quickly realized that the book was far too easy for my students and I'd have to figure out a better way to teach them. I think my student was also annoyed that we've been reviewing so much material. He said "I knows this". Do you? Do you "knows" this? Well sir, I've been speaking this language my entire life and I don't even know babies that would say "I knows this". OK, so I'm being harsh, but it was frustrating to be criticized and told I was subpar. I think the worst part, however, is that to a large extent he's right. I'm not prepared for this job and and it's valid to say that the organization of the class is off in that I don't know how to design a full curriculum. I have no intention of continuing in this career path. My aim was to travel and see South America, but this internal battle (desire to succeed v. the fact that this isn't a career I intend to pursue) is killing me a bit. Today I've felt like throwing in the towel, but I also can't stand the idea of quitting. So lame... or as Chileans would say que fome.

So today I've spent my day attempting to design a curriculum but I seem to have come down with some sort of sickness. I don't know what I've got but my throat is killing me, my head is pounding, and that part of your neck that people who are always getting sick always touch and say "I'm sick, I feel my ______ getting larger" hurt. I've been going between freakishly hot and cold all day. At first I thought I was sore from going running (everyday for the last week! WOOP!) but then I realized said soreness has spread through my entire body. YIKES! So basically not only my brain but my body as well aren't functioning properly.

I really just don't want to go to work anymore and I'm a bit panicked about this whole lesson plan situation. I'm sure it will get better, but I'll have to put in some serious work. I'll keep you guys posted, I just hope my mood improves soon!

OK well, internet, I'm terribly sorry for the less-than-happy mood in this post and I hope your week has been better than mine. Enjoy your lives around the world, little readers.

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P.S. Lack of pictures=LAME. So here are some pics I took on Sunday when I was woken up by a religious procession of sorts in the park across the street.

The procession.

Complete with traditional dancers.

And the loudest band EVER. I think they played the same four notes for like 2 hours. 

The virgin of honor (I think they were honoring a Virgin... they usually are).

OK, that's all folks!

La Playa

As promised... here's my post on my recent beach trip! Woop! It was QUITE the experience. On Thursday morning M and I randomly decided that we absolutely needed to get out of Santiago. We decided we would go to the beach. As we were getting ready to leave C saw us and asked where we were going. Soon enough we were all going to the beach. We got to the bus station and we randomly decided to go to El Quisco, a beach that's about an hour and a half west of Santiago. The coach bus was SUPER nice. Coach buses seem to be the chosen mode of transportation here and I see why. They are great! I digress. Once we arrived at the beach town we got some delicious sea food. I got a huge steaming pile of basically every type of shellfish imaginable, which was great. M went for steak, and C went for a crab dish.

While we were eating we realized we needed to figure out where would stay (as I said, this was a very impromptu trip). We asked our waiter and he brought us a the information for a cabaña that we could stay in. We called the number and were told we could rent a cottage with a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping space for 3 for $36 (USD). It sounded pretty great so we set off to find our beach abode. Little did we know we would basically have to climb Mount Everest to get there... and when we finally did get there we were met with an interesting little structure. When I say interesting I mean scary. The ceiling in the bedroom was made of styrofoam and there were ominous holes in the ceilings. Being total gringos, M and I were weary of this lodging option but C, a true Chilean, said it was fine. We trusted her judgement and took the cottage for the night.

Once we had a place to leave our things (place=weird cottage) we went back down to the beach with some Chilean beers to watch the sunset. It reminded me of a night on the beach in northern California (like Mendocino). Super beautiful but also freakishly cold. I thought I was going to turn into a popsicle! We then met up with the lovely K for some drinks. K was staying with the family she works for at the next beach over and she was able to get away for the night to hang out with us. We eventually went back to our cabin/cottage/cabaña/house from a scary movie where we began to settle in for bed. It was FREEZING and no one wanted to sleep on the small bed alone for fear of spiders and other potentially scary things that lurked in the dark corners. This mean that we all slept in the queen sized bed. The mattress was curved and the blankets had some stains that were not exactly comforting. K pointed to one stain in particular that she "hoped was baby food." I think you get the idea... Yikes! Despite the scary atmosphere and weird stains we had a blast. We slept like a can of sardines and we were actually quite warm (I even had to take off my sweatshirt in the middle of the night!).

Overall it was a super fun trip. Definitely a bit different, and if I'd walked into a cottage in the states that looked like that there's no way I would've stayed for the night, but when in Rome... or El Quisco... A little adventure never hurt anyone! I'll be back with more posts soon internet... in the mean time enjoy the pics form my trip!

Pullman Bus... super classy transportation! 

My lunch.

My lunch and I... Excuse weird face and wild hair!

The beach!

Kind of blurry pic of me on the beach... and C in the background.

M and C being all cute.

The beach when it got dark and COLD.

Scary hole in ceiling (1 of 2).

Styrofoam ceiling in the bedroom.

M, K, C, and I all slept in the bed with the blue sheets haha! It was a bit tight.

A cute puppy at the bus station.

As a good liberal arts educated girl I would like to put in a small disclaimer... I realize my aversion to our sleeping arrangement may seem incredibly culturally insensitive and frankly rude. I fully acknowledge that K, M, and I were being total gringas about the whole thing (I mean we did sleep in it, but we also complained a bit). I am just trying to be as honest as possible and explain my actual reaction to the situation. I am fully aware that many Chileans live in worse conditions all year round. I am merely unaccustomed to this way of life. We ended up having a blast so clearly our discomfort was unnecessary.

OK well that's all for now internet. Until we meet again!

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A Day at the Fonda (AKA a Chilean County Fair)

Hello hello!

I hope the universe has been treating you well this week. Usually Fridays are super great, but today Friday marks the end of a nice long week off... back to the real world on Monday. Ew. As I mentioned in my last post, Chileans had time off this week in order to celebrate Fiestas Patrias (or Independence Day). The classic means of celebration= Terremotos (strong drink)+Meat skewers+ Empanadas+ A crazy carnival+ Dancing Cueca. It's all a bit intense, but fun. Most of the comunas in Santiago host their own fonda in which the elements of the above equation are bundled into a fair-like situation. I went to the Providencia fonda (my local fonda) with an eclectic group of people (one Chilean, one other American, one Brit, and two Germans). We ate loads of good food (which I did not get any pictures of... boooo) and watched the dancing. It was perfectly pleasant, although, if I'm being totally honest, the holiday was a bit hyped up. I think Chileans get excited for the holiday because they get time off, spend time with family and friends, and celebrate their culture. To me, it just seemed like a bit of a crowded fair, and I kept looking for whatever it was that made the day so exciting. To be clear, I certainly enjoyed myself, but the hype was definitely a bit intense!

Anyways as usual I've babbled on and on about virtually nothing so I'll let you take a peak at my Dieciocho experience!

Overall it was a nice day with good company... and of course good food :) Stay tuned because I also managed to make it to the beach so I'll be posting my pictures from that trip soon! In the mean time enjoy your Friday evening! 

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Choppin the Loxxx

Hello World,

How is your Thursday going? Mine has been quite all right. I normally work until 8 or so on Thursdays but today two of my classes were canceled so I've had the afternoon free. I'm pretty much on vacation mode now because next week is the 18th which is Chile's independence day. It's supposed to be a week of partying. I only have one class to teach so I'll hopefully get up to some fun things.

In preparation for these festivities I thought my hair needed a bit of a pick-me-up. I was very apprehensive about getting my hair done in Chile. I have gringa hair by Chilean standards, but by gringa standards I have insane hair. Super thick, super curly, and very fine strands. I've gotten my hair routine down in the states but I was a bit freaked out about the idea of getting my hair cut in a country where women have two distinct layers of hair and men have mullets. I was also terrified that my request (which was a very small trim, just take off the dead ends) would be lost in translation and I'd walk out like one of these guys... ah!

So I bit the bullet and communicated to the best of my abilities that I just wanted a short trim and I think it worked out OK...

In the process... and looking very much like a vampire. Oops. The salon used Moroccan hair oil, which is always a plus in my book! I think you can see the wonderfulness of said hair oil in the shimmery results...

The final product... no more split ends!

And last but not least, a completely unrelated pic of the latte my student made me this morning... DELICIOUS.

So overall it's been a nice day and it's not over yet. I am going to meet M and K for drinks later, which should be fun! Have a nice night, people!

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P.S. A small update on the happenings of 9/11 in Chile... The only real action I saw was a caravan of 8 carabinero (police) buses with their sirens on. M saw a bunch of desks on fire outside of a school. The real problems, however, were in the outer comunas. I teach a class in Renca (as I've mentioned before Renca is a very bad neighborhood) and my student there (the one who made me the coffee above) said they had some pretty serious problems. The riots there caused power outages which is bad because my student runs a paper recycling plant. Due to the power outages the plant could not process paper over night. This means that tons of loose paper was hanging around and could easily catch on fire. Everything was Ok, but my student was understandably stressed out! So there's the update... ish!

A Different Take

Stateside September 11th is a sad day of remembrance. It's a sad day of remembrance in Chile as well, but it has a different sentiment here. Forty years ago today Agusto Pinochet came into power in what Chileans call the Golpe del Estado. Pinochet ruled from 1973 to 1990. During that time thousands of people mysteriously disappeared (the desaparecidos) and many were tortured. Every year since 1973 people protest on September 11. Since Pinochet left office the protests have continued. People want justice for the desaparecidos. While many treat the 11th as a day to remember those lost to the Pinochet regime, others take a more violent approach. I have been talking to as many Chileans as possible to understand why the protests become so violent. I know I cannot begin to understand the pain of losing family members to a dictatorship, but I am still confused about this phenomenon. It seems so weird to me that once per year each year everyone gets violent and crazy and then it subsides without achieving any change.

Anyways, despite my confusion about the reason for the violence (to be clear: I'm confused about the violent nature of the protests, not the fact that there are protests) I know that I'm supposed to expect violence today. Now I don't know how crazy it will actually be. This is the 40th anniversary of the day Pinochet came into power so people are eager to commemorate the day. One rumor is that people plan to set 40 buses on fire. Another is that all of the power will go out (this apparently happens every year). Yesterday I was taking the metro home around 8pm--the same time I always ride the metro on Tuesdays--and it was crazy. Basically everyone in Santiago was frantically trying to get home. I've never seen so many people on the metro at that hour. I had to wait for 4 trains to pass before I could get into one. One man couldn't get in and angrily punched the door of the train and ran off. People were totally panicking! I was with another gringo and we were large enough to push our way onto a car, but it was pretty insane.

Last night my two Chilean roommates decided to make a sign that we will hang in our window tonight. I kind of helped (but mostly just sat on the floor and watched them). The sign says "¿dónde están?" which means "where are they?" It's a reference to the desaparecidos.

I don't know what's coming today but I will keep you guys updated.

It somehow makes me sad that people are so violent on this day when at home it's such a sad day of loss. It feels wrong to me, as an American, to be violent on the anniversary of the death of so many innocent Americans. Of course the violence here is prompted by similar feelings to those felt in the states. I suppose it's just a consequence of living abroad.

Cuidense.

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Mini Update Time

Guys! I'm at the visa place, round 2!!! This time I arrived 20 minutes before they opened. I'm number 7 in a line of about 100 people... not bad! Of course they were supposed to let us in 5 minutes ago which probably isn't a great sign but I'm determined to get this stuff dealt with!

Excuse typos... blogging from my phone!

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Oh and a pic of me in line... just cause!

P.S. UPDATE ON THE MINI UPDATE

Boy was I wrong! I was actually 107th in line. The line was actually a line to get a ticket to secure a post in a different line. Now I just think that's cruel! The line literally wound up a staircase to the 6th floor. Then it wound back down to the 3rd floor where I was issued a ticket. Then I went down another floor and waited there for another 45 minutes. It was awful. Now I have to go to two more agencies to get another series of stamps and visas etc. I am totally drained today so there's no way I can handle those next two steps now. Alas I shall save that for another adventure.

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A Proper Udpate

Hello Internet!

As I mentioned in my mini update I've been insanely busy this week. It's been nonstop classes, planning, running around the city, doing errands etc. Today, however, the work gods smiled upon me and granted me a CTL class (Cancelled Too Late) which means I get PAID and I don't have to work. What a beautiful thing! Now I can plan for my 4(!) classes tomorrow and clean my room (it's in a horrid state). Here are some pictures form the last week (complete with descriptions of course...).

I'm sure you're tired of this view by now... but the view out of my window today was too good to pass up. The mountains are so clear and lovely!

This is a picture I sent to my dad while I waited 5 minutes (seriously, 5 whole minutes) to get up a staircase and out of the subway. You may think I'm holding the camera up above my head, but I'm actually that tall here. Anyways the point is the subway is insanely crowded. It can be a bit stressful at times!

I was at a party and I spotted Otto the puppy in the back room. K, M and I proceeded to spend a good chunk of the night snuggling with him and avoiding the humans at the party (we are so sociable).

Today I had to go pick up a document for my visa process. I did not end up picking up said document as the place was packed and stressful and I knew there was absolutely no hope of me being seen that day given my number... (see below).

As you can see I was A257. I sat in the insane waiting room for half an hour and the ticker went from ticket A 227 to A230. Horrible. I'll have to go when they open (noooooooo!!!!) on Friday. 

 So that's my update! complete with lackluster pics. Fun fun. I should have some cool posts coming up. This weekend I have some work plans that should be good and the 18th is independence day here and people go crazy (people have already started decorating and everywhere I go I see people in the traditional outfits practicing dances).

I hope wherever you are you're hump day is going well!

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Barrio Brasil

Hey Internet!

If I may be so bold I would like to start this post with a small anecdote about how being tall in a country of tiny people can be very odd (see picture below for a clear depiction of my stature...). As I've mentioned before on my blog I sometimes have to go to some not-very-nice places for work. Now I'm relatively accustomed to this in the States. I worked in Compton, East L.A., and Juvenile holding cells. I'm not, however, used to being the only person on the train who can see over everyone's heads. At home I feel pretty average (although I suppose at 5'10" I'm not exactly average height, but still, I have plenty of family members who are taller). Now mix the abnormal height (amongst Chileans) with the not-so-nice neighborhood and you get an odd situation. I often find myself riding the bus in this sketchy neighborhood as an old man pulls up alongside us with his horse and buggy... in Santiago! But that's not what bothers me. What makes me uncomfortable is the unwanted attention from gross older men who see a gringa and view an opportunity to make some horrifying noise (along the lines of the little suction thingy at the dentist). What man on earth has ever been successful in wooing a woman by crudely making a creepy noise from their truck and then driving on? Answer: no man. Thus I must conclude that these men do this as a bizarre (and pathetic) way to demonstrate some sort of nonexistent power over me? I'm getting philosophical and far away from my point. Anyways in response to all of this gross weird older man nonsense, my student offered to have his sweet little old security guard stand with me at the bus stop. Result: a huge woman standing at the bus with a man who must not be more than 5'3" as her protector. Sometimes the bus takes it's sweet time and I have to make awkward small talk with this sweet old guy who has no interest in talking to some 20-something gringa. I also struggle with his impossible accent (worsened by his missing teeth), and bizarre Chilenismos. But I guess that's what I signed up for when I moved to the country where the average height for men is 5'7" and 5'1" for women. Oops. Ha!

Anyways now that I've rambled on and on about something totally unrelated I'll get back to the point of this post which is to show my pictures of Barrio Brasil!

M, K and I decided to hang around in Barrio Brasil yesterday. It's a fun neighborhood with lots of cool graffiti. We wandered around the streets for a while and had a very disappointing meal at a restaurant across from an awesome park. Overall it was a nice day, but next time I will definitely do some research before choosing a restaurant. Hopefully my odd assortment of pictures will entertain you :)

M and I taking a selfie in a small market.

Random Graffiti.

This was my favorite one.

I loved how colorful this wall is.

I'm definitely not a cat person but this cat is kind of cool... more importantly, however, is the cute little old man carrying all sorts of flowers. Aw.

Another cool piece. The building was shnazzy in a dilapidated way.

Overall Barrio Brasil is pretty fun and super accessible (Linea 5 and Linea 3!). I'll have to go back next time with a little more research under my belt (in other words where to eat). I'm not sure what I'll get up to today, but I'll keep you guys posted. Happy Sunday :)

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P.S. Happy September!

Life Lately

Hello world!

My week has been very busy but it's basically done now, which is great! I'm not totally sure what I'll do this weekend. I think I'll probably go to an Asado (BBQ) on Saturday and hopefully I'll get up to some other fun shenanigans. The only other definite plan I have is to cook (and obviously eat). I'll of course keep you updated :) In the mean time I thought I'd share some pictures from this week :)

Me being bored and making faces... Embarrassing but whatever.

I made some homemade oven-baked fries. Mmmmmm. Recipe from here.

A pic as I ran (ergo slanted composition) through Plaza de Armas. I love all of the old and new stuff.

Snack today before class. HUGE fresh squeezed OJ and a whole wheat muffin. Not bad ;)

I went to yoga a few times this week... this is a terrible picture, but it seemed relevant. Ha!

So that's my week in a nutshell. Excuse the particularly bad photo quality. I've really got to sort out my camera situation. Oy vey. I hope everyone has a lovely Friday! :)

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Dreaming About Warmer Days

This post and my last post are not normal for me. Usually I relish the cold. But the weather today (and more importantly the horrible traffic that ensued) made me wish I was sitting on a warm beach... or at least walking around in Santiago during the Spring. Of course I complain now, but I've been told that the summer temperatures are the absolute worst in Santiago. I'm not looking forward to that. I have, however, enjoyed daydreaming about warm weather clothes...

These are some of my favorites.

ASOS Midi Sundress With Scoop Back In Aztec Print

ASOS Midi Sundress With Scoop Back

People Tree Organic Cotton Printed Skater Dress

So Cold

For those of you who don't know... it's currently winter in Santiago. This means that I have to trek around the city in rain. While I love the rain in California, rain in  Santiago is a nasty beast! Think cold, dirty, and crazy public transit delays. This morning it took all of my effort to squeeze onto a subway car and I was nearly trampled when I got to a transfer station. Later I had to wait for what felt like eternity at a bus stop in a not-so-nice neighborhood. Eek!

Here's the weather today at Plaza de Armas:

In other news it's Wednesday which is great! I dislike Wednesdays, but Wednesday nights are amazing! The bulk of the week is over AND I don't have to wake up at 6:30 on Thursdays. #win. More to come and hopefully proper pictures soon.