Much Needed Update!

I´m so sorry that it has taken me so long to update my blog. I realize that once I get behind, it is so hard to catch up!!


4.16-17
The perfect time came for me to go to one of the most highly spoken of places in the south of Chile...Valdivia!! Better yet, I was going to spend the weekend with two of my great friends from Santiago, Maria and Vanessa. We began by picking up some things for the weekend at the grocery store and dropping it off at the house. Then we went to the center to see what was available to keep us busy. We found a warehouse that houses a craft market as well as several restaurants with beautiful views of the river. After walking around and looking at the things for sale, we enjoyed a meal overlooking the fish market and the river where we watched little sea lions play and swim around. Next, we meandered around to see the town a little before heading to the house. Once at the house, we decided to put on some music and catch up...with no surprise, we ended up having our own little dance party in the living room!!
The next day, we headed out to see the fort where it seems no battle was actually fought, but it still holds a lot of history and interesting artifacts. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day, and we were able to enjoy about an hour walking around and taking pictures of the incredible scenery and views. Then, we headed off for lunch at the Kuntzman factory. All I can say was that the sandwich that came was so much bigger than any I´d ever seen before.

4.21.11
Easter was a very interesting time for me to be in another country. For the first time of my life, I had the opportunity to witness another culture celebrate one of the holidays that I hold as very important. Let me begin by explaining some of the traditions in my family when it comes to Easter. First of all, this holiday holds quite a bit of significance in my relationship with Christ. Without God allowing His Son to be sacrificed, I would have no hope at salvation, for that matter, I would have no hope at all. During this time of year, I reflect more than ever the significance of the cross and all that Christ has done in my life and through my life. Second, holidays are always used to justify getting the entire family together-aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc.-to spend time together for a day. Many of my favorite memories growing up are of dying Easter eggs with my cousins or sitting around on the couches and watching Grant & Brandon battle it out to see who was stronger or hanging out with everyone in my grandparents’ Jacuzzi and talking about life.

I’ve only missed two of these major Easter get-togethers and that was because I had midterms the next week and desperately needed to lose myself in my studies. This year, however, I’m serving as a volunteer English teacher in the south of Chile. So, as Easter rolled around, I had mixed emotions regarding the occasion. Part of me was thankful for the time to solely focus on my Lord and not have anything distracting me, but a very large part of me wanted to curl up in bed and sleep the day away and pretend I wasn’t missing anything back home. Thankfully, God used the people in my life down here to make it a wonderful weekend (and Skype helped too!)

On Thursday, I went with my head-teacher to his church. This was my first time going to a LDS church in any country so I was very curious to learn about it. I had a great time meeting the young adults there and answering all of their questions. Many of them are studying English at the University, so it was a great opportunity for them to practice speaking with a native speaker. They did a little lesson about what it means to judge people and showed a video of Nick Vujici (the man born with no arms or legs). It was cool because I´ve seen him speak a few times at the Rock church and he really is inspirational. Then we did a type of Easter egg hunt where we ended up with bags of chocolates and candy.

4.22.11
Friday, they had another get together where we played volleyball and basketball. I had so much fun running around and eating and just hanging out with everyone. They were all so nice and didn´t mind that I´m not Mormon. It was such a blessing to make these new friends and spend time with Alexis and his amazing family.


4.24.11
Sunday morning, we all packed in the car (Yenny, Mom, Dad, Aunt Norma, Me) and headed to Entre Lagos and Lago Puyehue. I don´t really have much to say except that my breath was taken away time after time by the things that I got to see that day. I can´t believe so much natural beauty exists in this world. I felt the name of God declared by the seas, waterfalls, mountains, and rocks. The hard part was standing there wishing I could turn to someone and say, ¨Do you see this? Isn´t it amazing?¨ but not having anyone there. So instead, I told God hat He did such a good job and I´m so thankful that I get to see His creation.

When we got home, I hopped on Skype and had an hour long talk with my mom´s whole side of the family at my grandparents´house and loved seeing everyone. It made it feel like I wasn´t quite so far from home. Although I expected an emotional breakdown after realizing how much I missed everyone, I found myself sleeping very soundly when I chose to dwell on all the great things God is doing in my life and the lives around me.

4.28.11
One day after school, my host dad walks in and tells me that we are going to Alondra’s birthday party. I can´t exactly explain how, but I´m pretty sure there is some type of family relationship with her. Anyways, she was turning 7 so we all got in the car and went over to the family´s new home. I can´t even tell you how gorgeous this home was. I felt like it belonged in a magazine or something. We enjoyed little sandwiches and coffee as the kids played up stairs until it was time for birthday cake. To my amusement, they carried out a tradition that has been in my family for years...someone shoved her face in the cake!!! It was classic. Then the family asked if it was possible to skype with someone from the US (this kind of confused me since I was sitting right there...I kinda wanted to say ¨hello? do you know I´m a gringa?¨jaja). So, after a bit of searching, I got online with Miss Lauren Felt (my roommate from college) and we all had a little skype party.
 

4.30.11 (Saturday)
Desperately needing to get my haircut, I asked Ana Jones (one of my co-teachers) if she would go with me to make sure I explained myself well to the hairdresser. We ended up making a full day of it and did some shopping after. Thankfully, I love my new haircut and I think it will grow out pretty nicely as well.That night, we were invited to go out dancing with some of the other teachers and volunteers. We devised our plan to make sure that we went home decently early since she had a lot to do the next day, and I had to get home early for a trip with my host dad in the morning. Well, it didn´t quite work out to get home early, but we had such a great time dancing the night away and hanging out with everyone.

5.1.11
Although this particular Sunday did not include church, it was one of the days that I felt closest to my Savior. I walked home from the bus stop very early in the morning and watched as the sun emerge from behind the mountains and the trees and create a heavenly effect on the sky above. I arrived with just enough time to take a quick shower and get ready for the trip around Lago Llanquihue.

With my camera in hand, I was prepared for the day driving around the lake with my host dad, aunt, and grandma. I wasn’t very sure what to expect, so I just buckled up and prepared myself for anything. First on the agenda was to explore a bit of Puerto Octay. Here we found beautiful old homes and hotels that were definitely picture worthy. Also, the views of the volcanoes were enough to have me singing in worship to their Creator. Next, we began the drive to the base of the volcano and then up the windy road to the top. I felt the temperature of the air drop as we neared the snowy cap of the volcano. When we reached the parking area, our picnic commenced and we ate sandwiches with turkey and avocado with a glass of fresh apple juice.

After our lunch, we hopped back in the car and continued on our “paseo” (trip). Next on the agenda was to travel to Saltos de Petrohue (Petrohue falls). Here I found myself in awe as I watched a huge amount of water cascade from several cavities in the earth into one large river. I could hardly believe that a place such as this was almost deserted. I truly believe that if I lived so close, I’d go to this wonderful place at least once a week to gaze upon such an inspiring sight.

We headed from there to continue driving around the lake. We briefly drove through Puerto Varas but decided that it was more profitable to continue on to Frutillar. We stopped on the way at a friend of the family’s home that is currently being built. His wife is from the Netherlands, so we talked about the many difficulties of learning the Spanish language especially through people who have heavy German accents.

5.5.11
Let me begin by saying that Cinco de Mayo is just not the same when you live thousands of miles from California. On the other hand, it ended up being a pretty fun night. I’ll back up and mention that due to teaching my students about the reason we celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the US, I now know more than I’ve ever known before about the holiday. After classes, I went home and got ready to be gone for the whole weekend since I was spending the night in the center and leaving the next morning for two days in Puerto Montt.
Luisa, Zach and I began our night by eating Chilean versions of tacos (not bad but not the same) and talking about how things were going with teaching. We each shared some of our horror stories and the funny things that have happened so far. It was great to talk to people who are going through many of the same things. Then we decided to look for a place to go dancing. Turned out that no one else was going out to dance on this particular Thursday night, so we had the entire disco to ourselves and just made a night of it.

5.6.11
Although I desired to spend my entire day in bed, I woke up in time to meet Zach at the bus stop to go to our meeting in Puerto Montt. We met the other volunteers and coordinators for lunch to catch up before the meeting. At the meeting, we spent two hours going over our experiences with our host families, teachers, schools, and students. I found myself very appreciative for my experience thus far with all of the aforementioned variables. I have a family that truly feels like family to me and treats me like their own daughter, a head teacher that invites me into his home and his family and who is always willing to help me with anything I need, a school that functions very well and includes some of the most incredible people, and students that I honestly adore and know that I will miss very much. Not that the other volunteers are having awful experiences, but many have at least one issue or another. After the meeting, we all went to a little restaurant to just hang out and of course, the waiter had lived in Canada and spoke perfect English...so much for learning Spanish! hehe

A few of us had decided to stay the night in this part of the region, so we wandered into the mall to search out the Pizza Hut. We didn’t have high expectations since “American food” does not often measure up to the way it tastes back home. However, after a very long wait, we were served very accurate Pizza Hut pizza!! YUM!! Next, we all caught the 20 minute bus to Puerto Varas where we had decided to spend the rest of our evening and find a hostal. We began our evening at the restaurant next door where low and behold we end up meeting a group of people from Ventura County. After flying thousands of miles away and living in a small town in the south of Chile, I end up sitting and talking to people who are basically my neighbors back in California.
When we had all sat and talked long enough, we headed to the best place in Puerto Varas to get some exercise...the disco! Several hours passed with us dancing our hearts out to reggaeton, rap, reggae, pop, 80’s, 90’s, metal, salsa, mambo, and every other type of music known to man. I have to say that it has been fun being able to dance to songs that I grew up listening to when I sat in a carseat. Unfortunately, dancing not only pushed my leg muscles to the limits, but also my cowboy boots =(. I found that the bottom had a large crack and would no longer keep my feet warm or dry. After we had all exhausted all resources available for dancing, Elliot, one of the volunteers that lives in that city, took us over to Paradise...literally...it was the name of a burger joint where I regrettably demolished a huge Paradise Burger at 4:30 in the morning.

5.7.11
I awoke Saturday to drizzling outside and promptly got on a bus to head back to Puerto Montt to buy some things at a cheaper price. After buying some shoes, a belt, a scarf, and some warm socks, I hopped on a bus to head home (yes, home). I arrived just in time for my lunch with my head teacher (and now good friend) and his family (Carolina and Tiki). This family has become some of my closest friends in South America. I am so blessed to have these people in my life. Knowing that I was missing Mexican food, Carolina made tacos and I swear she got the recipe from my mom. She even had spicy taco salsa!!! After forcing my 4th taco into my full stomach, I couldn’t imagine anything more delicious. However, after a round of mate (an herbal tea that is more about the feeling of family than the drink itself) and a quick trip to Jumbo, I found myself teaching Carolina about Root Beer Floats and soaking up the story of how she and Alexis fell in love. I’m advising her to write a book because the story is truly beautiful. She had also bought Dr. Pepper for her family to try and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t plan on drinking any other soda ever again. =D

5.8.11
I began Sunday/Mother’s Day by connecting with my dad very early in the morning on Skype. We planned it out so that I could wake my mom up like I have most Mother’s Days since I was little by singing to her. He took the computer into her dark room and I was able to continue a tradition for another year. It was so special to still be able to honor my incredible mom on this special day. I know that we should honor our parents all of the time, but it is so great to have a day dedicated to celebrating the selfless way that they live their lives once they have children. My gift to her was a poem that I wrote and after reading it, we had to quickly change the subject as we both began to get emotional. I have to confess that there have been a few rough days during my time here in Chile that I really missed my family. They have always meant so much to me, but I thought it wouldn’t be that difficult after living in San Diego for 4 years. Also, being so independent, I didn’t expect it to be so hard. However, I also see how fortunate I am to have the chance to really see the value of the relationships that I have with the people in my family.
 

After a nice chat and catching up with my parents, I proceeded to call my grandmas to tell them Happy Mother’s Day as well. Again, I realized how blessed I am to have such a close family. Then, I wandered into the kitchen where my host mom was preparing the hot water for coffee and gave her the frame I had bought her. I think she was very surprised that I would get her anything. It was a special moment. I also told her that I’d get the picture printed sometime this week.
 

I spent the next hour working on my bible study since I didn’t take it with me over the weekend and really enjoyed some time with God. I read about understanding what it means to have authority as Christians and that we can only exercise authority if we are living under the authority of Christ. It wasn’t something I had ever really thought deeply about before, but as I did, I realized how quickly and how easily, my life can become directionless and powerless. When I submit myself to the authority and plans of God, then I can see His power through my prayers and through my life. This was a great reminder of my purpose of being in Chile. Yes, I am here to help the students learn English, but so much more, I am here to be a light for Christ and to allow Him to use me in the lives of the people I meet. With so many distractions, it’s easy to lose focus.
At 1pm, it was time to head to Aunt Norma’s house for lunch with the family. I swear that I ate enough to last me the entire day and probably two more. We began with empanadas (which I intend to learn how to cook) and then a savory salad with tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, hardboiled egg, and tuna salad. During this time, we proceeded to converse about politics, religion, and my experience so far in Chile. I felt like such a part of the family and my host mom even said to them that she loved having two daughters. juan Carlos (my host dad’s brother) said that he was amazed by my Chilean accent and that I only had a little bit of an English accent...I almost cried with joy! Lastly came the desserts which included leche asada (a type of flan), kuchen (German apple pie), and a manjar layered cracker cake. You would think that this much sugar would have had us bouncing off the walls, but all I wanted to do after the glorious lunch was sleep. So, upon arriving home, I laid down and enjoyed a 2 hour siesta!

 
When I woke up, I quickly jumped on the computer to enjoy a Skype session with a large majority of my family that was at my parents’ home to celebrate the day. What a special and incredible time it was to talk to everyone and see how everyone was. I can’t tell you how much I miss everyone and how excited I am to be home and be a part of all of their lives again. On the other hand, it is so neat to see how God works from a distance.
I’ll end by saying Happy Mother’s Day one last time to the most incredible, loving, talented, selfless woman I’ve ever known. I love you so much mom and not only are you a great mother, but you are also one of my best friends. I can’t wait to spend a week with you in Peru where I don’t have to call you back every 20 minutes when my internet stops working. I look forward to many wonderful memories to be made when I get back. Lastly, I remember countless things that I am thankful for that you have done for me. I am so blessed to have you in my life and I love you more than I could ever express.

5.12.11=Student´s Day/Dia de Alumnos
This particular Thursday did not include classes. Instead, we were privileged to entertain our students for ¨their day¨. Fortunately, since arriving in Chile, I have refused to let embarrassment stop me from having a great time, and for this day, I did exactly that. My first performance was as Miley Cyrus singing ¨Party in the USA¨. With a wig, hat, and similar clothing style, I got up on stage and sang my heart out. The video later showed me that I really need to work on stage presence! My later debut was as Justin Bieber with Juan Carlos, the P.E. teacher, as Ludacris singing ¨Baby¨. I didn´t actually sing this time, I just danced around and pretended to be the little boy who is famous for who knows why. I laughed so hard when all of my young girls screamed at his name. Later, I was asked to play soccer on a team of teachers against students. I tried to warn them that I have no coordination with kicking a ball, but no one listened. After again making a fool out of myself trying to run back and forth in the gym to stay near the ball, I finally quit and swore to myself that I was going to start running a few times a week to get back in shape.

When it was time for lunch, all but the high school students left and we got to enjoy a delicious barbecue with them (breaking so many health codes in California that I was a bit nervous). I sat talking to a few of my seniors who have excellent commands of English and really soaked up the time that I had to get to know them better. It was in this moment that I began to realize how much I´m going to miss my students.

5.20.11
My morning began by receiving my first check from the program. After walking over to the bank and getting everything sorted out, I found myself in possession of way too much cash. Then I headed to the school to meet the rest of the teachers to head over to where we were having lunch. I think I´ve mentioned before that my school did very well on the SIMCE tests (similar to star testing in the US) and my principal wanted to celebrate by taking everyone out to lunch. So when we arrived at Club de Union, I was shocked at the effort put forth to celebrate the achievement of the school. The place that we had the lunch was at an old home that was converted into a restaurant type of place, but I think it is only used for special events and private functions. I thought about how incredible it would be to be an event coordinator for a place like this. It was so special to sit and talk to all of the staff and faculty that works at my school. During the meal, several people stood up and gave small speeches about how proud they were and how much they appreciated everyone. Although I protested, I was volunteered to also give a small speech. Since only 3 people in the room of over 50 understand English, I was forced to do my best to explain my many emotions and sentiments in Spanish. By the end, I realized that I need to write and translate a speech before I leave so that I can truly explain to these people just how much they mean to me and how much I will miss them. The people I work with have become like family to me when I came here with neither friends nor family. They have helped me have such a wonderful experience and shown me a very different part of the world in the best way. With only 7 weeks left of classes, I’m seeing more and more how much I truly appreciate them.

After lunch, several of us went over to Miguel’s house to continue the celebration. I’d like to take a moment to mention that if I could change one thing about Chile, it would be the amount of people that chain-smoke cigarettes. It is the most awful smell and doesn’t come out of your clothes no matter what you do. Anyways, we all hung out talked for a few hours and then I headed to Ana’s to celebrate Luisa’s birthday. We had such a fun night and all of the people I got to meet from the other school were very nice. Finally getting to sleep around 5am, I was very much looking forward to sleeping in the next day.

5.21.11
The day the world was supposed to end but didn’t....ya, the guy who claimed that the Apocalypse was set to be May 21st definitely stirred things up a bit. Thankfully it ended up being a great opportunity to tell people about the truth stated in the Bible about how no one knows when Christ will come back.

Well, to start the day off, I woke up about 2:30 and enjoyed a nice meal with Ana and her roommate. It’s funny how much of my life is currently conducted in Spanglish. Then I went over to Miguel’s to watch a movie that was long over due...The King’s Speech. I absolutely loved it and had a great time hanging out. That night, he had some friends over and I had a blast communicating once again in Spanglish. I find it interesting how many Chileans that I’ve met really do want to learn and speak English, yet have a very hard time getting over their fears of embarrassment. Pretty quickly though, I was having a half Spanish half English conversation as we helped each other along in using a foreign language.

5.22.11
I woke up this morning to a text from my friend Cesar that his wife had given birth to their new baby boy. I’m so excited for them since this is their first child. Hopefully I’ll get to see photos on Wednesday at our English teachers meeting. Today I am spending most of my day relaxing as it looks to be a busy week and next weekend will be spent celebrating my birthday in Santiago with some great friends. I promise I’ll try to be better about keeping my blog updated more often. Thanks for your patience!

7 weeks left of classes
2 weeks of camp
1 week celebrating with volunteers in Santiago
1 week in Peru with parents
8.6.11=Home in California!

Don't Know Whacha Got Til It's Gone/Missing the Sun

Have you ever stood back and examined your life only to see in disbelief how different it is than you ever expected it to be? That is exactly how I feel as I look back on my time here in Chile. As of today, I’ve been in Chile for 14 weeks and as of next Tuesday, I’ll be half way through my entire program. In other words, instead of counting up the time I’ve been here, I’ll be counting down the time I have left. This is such an odd thing for me because every day feels a little bit different here. One day, I feel like I’ve been here forever and can’t believe I’m only half way through with everything that I’ve gotten to do, but the next day, I feel like I just got here and haven’t done half of the things I thought I would. I guess that’s just part of traveling and being mindful of every experience.

Thursday (March 31) began with classes (which all went fantastic) and then a quick exit to the bus station where I was to take a bus to Puerto Montt. From there, I hopped on a plane and headed back to where my entire journey began…Santiago! See, my friends are beginning a new business in Chile with headquarters in Santiago and were beginning their launch at Lollapalooza 2 weekends ago (April 2-3). They asked me to come up and help with promotions and a housewarming party for the apartment. Little did I know that I’d be asked to do some live entertainment (i.e. singing) at the party and end up with incredible tickets to see bands like The Killers, Kanye West, Los Bunkers, Jane’s Addiction, 311, The National, etc. Such a fantastic weekend with fantastic people!!

Wednesday, April 6th through Friday, April 8th was the celebration of the school’s birthday (Proyeccion Siglo XXI). With only one day of classes, Tuesday, I relished the idea of having a chance to spend one-on-one time with my students during the festivities and celebration. Wednesday began with an introduction to the activities and I was asked to sing something. I defaulted to the one song I can confidently sing acapella…“Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Surprisingly, my confidence level has skyrocketed since being in Chile. I used to freeze and blush to my toes when someone asked me to sing on the spot...now, I just bust out one of my favorite songs and leave it at that =D. I spent the rest of Wednesday watching the competitions (i.e. soccer, basketball, towel volleyball, limbo) The students were constantly laughing at my Spanish, but I was proud of my ability to understand and respond even though it wasn’t perfect.

Thursday was a day full of dressing up, music, acting, and having a whole lot of fun! I did realize how sensitive I am to the way my students think of me. I had one boy that has been fantastic since I arrived get a bit too into the competitive spirit and completely disrespect me. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I can just see it now...me with teenage kids saying that they hate me because I won’t let them to go a party or something and I will fall apart for sure!! Thankfully it was towards the end of the day and I was able to go home and process it. Also, after all was said and done, he went back to being the way he was in the beginning. I think I just forgot how intense high school boys get about their competitions lol.

Friday was the last day of the festivities and we had games like “Yo soy” and “Battle of the Bands”. I was a judge and was constantly impressed by the talent of my students. I can’t wait to use those talents to help them learn English. The day ended in exhaustion but smiles all around. The professors and staff got together for lunch to celebrate the amazing scores the students received on the standardized tests. We ate “curanto” which was comprised of lots of different shellfish like oyster and clam with chicken and beef; and then we had something that looked and tasted like hashbrowns! So delicious and definitely not healthy. That night, I went with some of the professors to take salsa lessons but because they don’t have the lessons Fridays, we ended up at the Casino and I ended up on stage singing a Dixie Chicks song!

Saturday was mostly spent relaxing and doing laundry. So not much to report about that.

Sunday morning we got ready and headed to the beach. First stop was Maicolpue where my host parents have a vacation house in which they spend the 3 summer months. After a short coffee break there, we headed for the next beach, Pucatrihue. There we entered a large home that had been converted into a quaint bed and breakfast where we were to have a birthday celebration for my Chilean aunt, Norma. Apon arriving, I met several family members related to my host father. His sister ended up speaking fluent English because she lived in San Francisco for one year when she was in college. I still spoke in Spanish to her just because I really need to keep working on it, but it was fun to learn new vocabulary and have someone assist when I got stuck. We enjoyed a lot of great conversation before we even sat down to eat lunch which consisted of a delicious salad, a baked fish dish, and homemade bread. When we were all finished, several of us piled into cars to head up the windy mountain for an incredible view of the ocean and forests surrounding it. See, here in the south of Chile, the beaches are crowded with hotels, homes, restaurants, and bars; instead, there are only a few small houses tucked into the trees and animals grazing in a very natural habitat. So from the top of the windy road, we looked out to see an array of God’s beautiful creation. This was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen since arriving to Chile (and I’ve seen some incredible things). On the top of that mountain, I sat and just sang a few worship songs praising my Lord for a job well done. His creativity shone through and filled my heart with His joy. We ended up taking a walk down a dirt path for a little while. It wasn’t really smooth so I was glad to be in tennis shoes and not my boots. The walk back up proved to be even more difficult as the dirt slipped beneath our shoes and threaten to land us on our faces. We made it back to the top and into the car just as it began to rain.

Back at the house, we enjoyed lots of different desserts like strudel, torta (cake), and sweet jams. We also sang happy birthday in 3 different languages: Spanish, English, and German! The way they sing Happy Birthday in Chile is definitely different than the way I learned it in my high school Spanish classes. Before we left, we enjoyed playing some games and just relaxing, but then it was time to head home and prepare for Monday to come bright and early.

Monday, April 11-Thursday, April 14 seemed to just fly by. My activities planned for my classes all went really well. I had the chance to show pictures of friends and family and places around Simi Valley. I reviewed how to ask someone if they’ve ever done something (i.e. ridden a horse, sang on stage, met Minnie Mouse, etc.) and then taught my seniors how to give directions (they are ready to give directions from my parents’ house to In-N-Out, Vons, Albertsons, or Carl’s). I also taught my 5th & 6th graders about Old McDonald’s Farm and the animals that he keeps there.

Yesterday, Thursday, I was supposed to go and become a legal temporary citizen of Chile. My regional coordinator came down and met me at the “Gobernacional” and we went up to begin the process; however, what the woman neglected to tell my coordinator before she took a bus up from Puerto Montt was that I’d have to leave my passport there until Tuesday before we could do the rest of the process (which is slightly complicated and includes alot of running around the city to different buildings). So after making a copy of my passport, we left it with the woman and told her we’d be back Tuesday and left to figure out what to do with the rest of our day. We ended up getting tea and lunch at a really cute little house turned into a coffee shop. I also met Louisa, a former volunteer who decided to come back to Osorno for another 4 months to live with the same family and work at the same school because she loved it so much! That was very encouraging to me. I think I am just as fortunate with my host family and school, but I need to figure out how to best take advantage of my time here. It’s hard to motivate myself to get out of the house when I don’t have plans because I really hate walking around and doing stuff in the cold. I end up spending most of the day in my warm bed reading or writing or watching something on-line. I’m making the commitment now though to be more adventurous in this city like I was in Santiago. I never spent a full day doing nothing in the house! So, we’ll see how this goes when it gets even colder and begins raining for days at a time, but today it’s beautiful, so I’m going to get out and go for a run or something! Well, just after I watch an episode of “How I Met Your Mother” ;-)

Teacher Want an Apple?

Wow…first of all: Thank you so much to all teachers. I never knew how much work was included in being a teacher!!! I am now the supplemental English teacher for all grades from 5^th-12^th at Colegio Proyección Siglo XXI in Osorno, Chile. It is a small school that includes all grades from Pre-Kindergarten to Seniors in High School. I’ve been here since March 14^th, and after a week of observing and only talking a little bit with the students, I’ve taken on the responsibility of taking half of the class for an hour and then switching for 25 hours throughout the week. I also have 10 other hours each week of lesson planning and working on extracurricular activities (speech and debate). 

So far, teaching is proving to be a more challenging job than I ever expected it to be. First, this is the first time I’ve ever worked a full time job (I say full time because I am at the school from 8-5:30 every day from Monday-Thursday). Also, this is the first time I’ve had a job that I take home with me. I spend much of my time outside of class preparing activities and ideas for my several levels of students. I can use some of the ideas for most or all of my classes and just revise the language I use and the way I motivate them to learn the material. This is anything but me complaining. For the first time in a long time, I’m feeling challenged to expand my mind and my heart in new ways. I’m connecting with students that I would have never known how to connect with before this. To both their benefit and my own, I’m also able to be empathetic with the struggles of learning a new language and how frustrating it is to want to be able to express your thoughts and feelings but not knowing the words.

Honestly, I can’t think of a more rewarding thing to be doing with my time. Aside from being cold (which I’m adjusting to), I absolutely love everything about the south of Chile. I love that everywhere you look is green. I love that the people are friendly and kind to everyone. I love that the food is delicious and always fresh at my house. I love that my host family goes to a Christian church. I love that the teachers at my school are all so nice and patient with me when I don’t understand Spanish. I love that there are cows outside my window and rolling green pastures in which to walk as my backyard. I love that teaching is stretching me beyond my limits to grow and learn so many new things about myself and others. I love that my host teacher and his family have become my great and very special friends. I love that people invite me to their homes in order to share their incredible culture and food with me and to learn about me. I love that I feel so accepted here even though I so obviously don’t fit in. I love that God uses the rain to force me to stop and rest and think on Him and what He is doing in my life. I love that God uses the sun to help remind me that no matter how much time passes where everything seems dark, He will always light my way and shine on my face. I love that the simplicity of life down here doesn’t make me miss the convenient things of the US but does make me appreciate them for what they are worth.

Every day, at lunch, I walk into the lunch room and sit down at the usually vacant table. I try to monopolize on that time to just breath and relax my mind before I begin eating and head back to class. The inspector at the school (one of the sweetest old men I’ve ever met) usually will sit down and eat with me as well. I’ve had to begin eating during the second lunch hour when the jr. high and high school students eat because if I’m there when the little ones eat, I barely have a moment to stuff food in my mouth before answering their spitfire questions (always in Spanish). The first time this happened, I just about cried because they were all so precious!!

As my first official presentation, I taught my students about In-N-Out back in California. You can bet that by the end of the day, I would have paid anything to have a fresh In-N-Out burger, fries, and shake! The goal of the class was to prepare my students to be able to order food in an English speaking country. I began with fast food because it’s very simple to teach and easy to explain. Later in the semester, I plan on doing a simulated sit down restaurant experience to show them the differences.

Friday March 25, 2011

I spent the majority of this day in my bed looking up ideas for activities in my class and ways to motivate my students to want to learn English while I listened to the rain outside. =D

Saturday March 26, 2011

First plan on my agenda for the day was to figure out the bus system in order to arrive at the institute class of my head teacher. He teaches extra classes on the weekend and had extended me an invitation to meet his students and speak with them so they could practice with a native English speaker. Of course I said yes, but I was a little bit nervous about finding my way there as I’m still quite lost in this city. To my great and happy surprise, my host mom was on her way into town to go to the grocery store and offered to drive me to the institute. Needless to say, I got there early but didn’t have to deal with being lost =D. I really enjoyed having conversations with the 5 students that were there. It is so impressive that they would give up most of their Saturday in order to learn a new language. We talked about several topics, including the changes in education in Chile, the benefits of volunteers coming, the change in teaching, why students don’t take English class seriously, etc. I feel I learned a lot in a short amount of time about the way many Chileans think and feel about English class which gave me several ideas in order to help motivate my students. 

I also had the opportunity to meet Alexis’s boss: Patricio H. Atton Bohn… YES, I SAID BOHN!!!! My jaw dropped when I read the last name on his card. We spoke a little bit about family heritage, and I look forward to hearing what my Grandpa Bohn says about this. Before I left the school, he gave me a great big bear hug and invited me to his home some day for dinner. How’s that for southern hospitality???

After class, I went with Alexis (my head teacher/friend) to his home to enjoy “Pichanga” with his family. This delicious dish is comprised of French fries, hotdog, sausage, hard boiled egg, carrots, pickles, cheese, and the option of a homemade spicy sauce with which I just about drowned my plate. Oh it was so fantastic!!! Upon finishing a large portion of the delicious meal, we made our way to the couches where we sat for hours drinking Mate and talking about life. It felt so nice to talk about topics other than the basics that I discus with everyone I meet. It also feels very nice to have such great friends. They have a 4 year old son also that I’ve adopted as my little nephew/brother. He is absolutely adorable and knows a few cute songs in English that he loves to sing for me. By the time I went to bed that night, I was more than content and so thankful for the people and opportunities that God has placed in my life.

Sunday March 27, 2011

What a fantastic day!! I woke up and had a delicious piece of fruit pie for breakfast that was homemade by my host momma. Then, the whole family was off for church and a celebration of the church’s 148^th birthday. During church, I felt very excited that I was able to understand much of what was said. The pastor spoke out of Acts and told about the command for Christ’s disciples to Go out into the world and spread His name. It has been very interesting for me to sing Spanish worship songs. I feel it has put me in a position to really think about the words (since I’m translating them) and what I’m singing about. After church, we had a snack celebration with lots of goodies and treats that were made by people in the congregation: empanadas, pies, cakes, chips, crackers, dips, etc. It was a nice time of fellowship and meeting people.

Now I'm enjoying some relaxation time of writing my blog, catching up with emails, and hopefully posting some new photos. I'm definitely looking forward to dinner tonight because I happened to catch a sneak peak at Pastel del Choclo in the fridge! I have not yet tried this meal, but since every single Chilean I've met has asked me if I've had this typical traditional Chilean dish, you can imagine I'm very curious to see what the hype is all about! I promise to let everyone know how it is!!! =D

Tengo Que Estar Donde Debo Estar

"I have to be where I am supposed to be" (Translation of Title)

At  the end of a long and emotional day, I definitely feel the need to write and express my feelings. I want to begin by saying that I am so happy to be here in Osorno, Chile and I couldn’t dream of a better opportunity. I love the people that I’m meeting and getting to know as well. On the other hand, today I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. I began the day with my first video chat with one of my best friends, Katie, and my nephew, Sage. He is now almost 7 months and almost 17 pounds! He’s grown so much!! Also, his personality is definitely developing and he’s learning a lot. I loved seeing his smiling face. Not being able to see Katie for about 3 months is awful considering the fact that I basically lived at her house while I was in Simi.

Next, I got to talk to my sister. We get to talk more often than I had expected, but it still feels like forever when we can’t talk for more than a few minutes for a week. Unfortunately, Skype wasn’t working, so the phone had to do, but it was great to catch up and talk a little bit. I really miss hanging out with her and just being together as sisters. She definitely is one person who knows me better than most.

A few hours later, to my very happy surprise, I got to Skype with my cousin, Riley. She was getting ready to go to the mall with our other cousin, Heather, so we caught up a little bit while she did her makeup. Before I left, I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with her and developing a very special friendship. I loved hearing about her plans for high school and how well her last semester of jr. high is going. Just before she left, Heather arrived at her house and popped on the screen to say hello. She’s another one of my cousins that might as well be my little sister. Having the chance to see them and talk to them, even for a very short time, made me miss home more than I could bare and the tears began to flow.

After trying to clean myself up, I went to talk to Nati, knowing that she was possibly leaving to find out what was going to happen. Then, to add to pain of the day, I found out that she only had a few more hours before she had to leave Osorno to go back to Santiago. To some it may seem silly to be so sad about saying goodbye to someone I’ve known for only one week, but I’ve learned that when you’re traveling and you meet incredible people that you click with, you develop special bonds very quickly. So we went for a walk in the countryside and hung out with the cows and talked about leaving and how much it sucks to say goodbye. She was also saying goodbye to her aunt, uncle, and cousin whom she is very close with so she was crying too.

In conclusion, like I said before, I am so beyond thankful for my choice to come to Chile and live abroad, but I am also more thankful than ever before for my amazing relationships with very special people back home in California. I very much look forward to the adventures ahead of me here in Chile and all of the adventures to be lived when I return home. <3

My Personal Little House on the Prairie

What does it mean to be a teacher? I’m learning that it means much more than I ever thought before. Let me back up to arriving in my new home: Osorno, Chile. After another long night on the bus, we arrived in Osorno. As we stepped off, I saw a family with a sign saying “Welcome to Osorno” and a bouquet of flowers. I recognized that they were probably there for someone in the program, but there were four of us so I didn’t think they’d be my new family. Well…they were!!! My dad, Luis looks very German (as he has German roots). My mom, Teresa is originally from Santiago but has definitely adapted to the generosity and beauty of the southern culture. Their daughter, Yennifer (pronounced “Jennifer”) is one of the sweetest young girls I’ve ever met. She’s in 9^th grade and is very patient with me as I struggle through my Spanish. Their niece, Natalia is also living with them. She’s 20 and I am so thankful for her. She’s not fluent, but she has a pretty good grasp of English and loves using what she knows and learning new things. We really clicked immediately and have spent a lot of time getting to know each other. After getting all of my things in the cars (smart of them to bring two seeing as how I had two massive bags and my backpack), we headed toward the house. 

After just a short 10 minute drive, we were out of the city and surrounded by green on all sides. We turned down a dirt road off the high way and wound our way to what will be my home until the end of July. I’m certain that my jaw dropped with grateful surprise as I was reminded of “The Little House on the Prairie”. They led me in and showed me my room (yes, my room!!! I actually got to unpack and put away my suitcases!) After a tour of the beautiful home that reminded me of a nice cabin in Hume Lake, I began to unpack my things. I happened to look out the back door of my bedroom and found myself face to face with a cow with only about 4 feet separating us. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud!!

When my new room was set up, I went for a walk with Yenny (Jenny) and Nati out the back of the house. It was at this point that I really realized how much in the countryside I was. We hiked a mud path up to a large field filled with cows. It was so incredibly beautiful and I felt like I was in a great dream. On the way back we took a detour to see the river that flows nearby. They told me that the water is usually much higher and stronger but it hasn’t rained as much yet. For lunch, my mom made a delicious creamy soup of corn, carrots, lima beans, and lots of other delicious items. After, I took a quick shower and put on lots of clothes in order to stay warm. As I brushed the tangles out of my hair, my mom walked in and informed me that my head teacher was there to meet me and talk about classes! I felt like I would die of embarrassment, knowing that I had no makeup on and my hair was soaked. Also, I was still wearing my slippers and couldn’t find my socks or shoes!!! I was super nervous about meeting him, not only because I was super discheveled, but I also didn’t know anything about him or his level of English. Boy was I surprised and thankful to find out that he’s completely fluent and super nice! Alexis not only has a great grasp of the language, but he truly loves teaching and his students. We spoke a bit about the program and about our lives. He had brought his 4 year old son with him so I asked him a few questions in my elementary Spanish as well. Afterwards, Alexis took me to the school where I would begin teaching and to see a little bit of the city. In our question and answer time, we passed a church and I got really excited. Come to find out that he is Mormon and totally understands the importance of finding a church wherever you are and getting involved. He took me to a Christian church that he knew about and introduced me to some of the people there. Not knowing my schedule, I told them that I would try to come back some Sunday very soon. Alexis then took me to meet his wife and several of his friends as they had just gotten out of a meeting at his church. I was fed empanadas and cake and greeted by more people than I can remember. I was invited to go out with them and come to their homes for dinner. It was just crazy to me because I had done nothing to earn their love or their interest or admiration, yet they gave it freely and without presumption. In the States, I feel it’s often the opposite: prove to me why I should care about you and that you worth my time. 

Sunday was a fantastic day: sleeping in, going to the beach, and church! First, you know that feeling of being so cozy and warm because you are nestled inside of a cocoon of blankets and the cold air outside of this cocoon is anything but inviting? What an incredible way to wake up on a lazy Sunday morning. After finally rolling out of bed, I was served coffee and toast with homemade blackberry, strawberry, and plum jellies!! Talk about heaven on earth! Then my family asked if I’d like to go on a trip to the beach to see their beach home and where they spend most of the summer. Of course, I said yes! So we took a beautiful (windy) drive to the beach where we had lunch at a quaint restaurant with more fish options than my grandpa’s cookbook (ok, not exactly possible, but all they had was fish =D). After lunch, Nati and Itold a nice long walk down the highway to the river to get our blood flowing and warm up. Then we all hopped back in the car and drove back home to get ready for church. Even though I didn’t understand much of the sermon, it felt so good to be back with other believers. I’m not sure yet of their theology, but they use the Spanish version of the NIV bible which is what I have in English so I was able to follow along with that. After the service, we enjoyed a coffee time with several other members and they all had several questions. Thankfully, people ask many of the same questions so I’m really fluent with those answers ;-) 

6:30 am came way too early on Monday, but as soon as I woke up, I began to feel excited for my first day at school. The day was filled with greetings and introductions and trying to remember peoples’ names and trying to stay decently warm (the most difficult thing to do). The students were fantastic and I had a great time telling them a little bit about myself and hearing about them. A few of them asked if I knew any famous people or if I lived near any. They seemed so disappointed when I told them no. 

Tuesday was very similar to Monday, but after school, we had a teacher’s meeting. I was surprised to see lots of snacks and a big cake on the table. I thought to myself “I don’t think teachers have meetings like this back in the US.” Turns out, it was a welcome reception for me!! The principle said a few words (using basic Spanish so I understood) and then I was asked to say a few things…I was bright red in the face, but I stood up and told them all how thankful I was for them having me here and how excited I am to get to know them and work alongside them. I was so very touched when they told me that I was now part of their family. From my experience, it’s true what everyone said about the people in the south of Chile being super kind and generous. 

As the week has gone on, I’ve felt so welcome by the students as well as the other teachers and staff here. They are patient with my lack of Spanish proficiency and have told me several times how happy they are to have me here and how thankful they are that I’m not like the last volunteer who didn’t talk much with anyone and was very antisocial. I really feel like part of the group here and I’m loving it!!! This sort of reminds me of the feeling you have when you’re on a sports team and everyone is really close and everybody hangs out during their free time. After working at restaurants with lots of turnover and large staffs (as fun as it was), it’s very refreshing to be a part of a small staff. A few of them have even invited me over to their homes for dinner to try traditional Chilean dishes (most of which are absolutely delicious). 

Alexis (Mister Alexis as the students call him) has used me as leverage these past few days. He happened to hear me sing under my breath and asked if I like singing…well, of course I said yes. So he has been telling the students that if they act appropriately and finish their assignments with time to spare that I’ll sing a song for them. I have to say that since arriving in Chile, I have sung more in front of people than I have in my entire life combined. The go to song for class has been “Over the Rainbow” because it’s one that they know and Alexis really likes. I’m very excited to teach them new music and lyrics when I have my own class. 

Last night, I had the opportunity to skype with my grandma and my cousin, Taylor, and her friend, Kaitlin. It was so hard to say goodbye because I miss my family more than I can say in words, but I loved seeing them and talking to them. Some of my friends probably hate me for not being better at calling, but hopefully when I have a more solid schedule and I get used to the sleeping hours, I’ll be able to make more of those much needed calls!

I’m having a difficult time adjusting to the cold weather after leaving Santiago’s dry heat. However, these next few days are supposed to be pretty warm (relative to the low 50’s of the past few days). I wonder if we will have snow when we get into the middle of winter.

Now that this blog is written, I need to put up the rest of my pictures from Argentina and my new pictures from Osorno! Sorry it’s taking me so long this time…traveling every few days took away my desire to write or be on the computer. Abrazos y Besos!

How Many Passport Stamps Can I Get In Two Weeks??

I have so much to tell you about from the last two weeks since I wrote! I went to Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Colonia (Uruguay), and back to Santiago and met incredible people along the way. The best place to begin this story is the beginning.

February 22^nd began my adventure to yet another country: Argentina! I hopped on an 8 hour night bus through the Andes on route to Mendoza, Argentina with two of my friends from my program. Of course I didn’t acquire the best night sleep as we wound up the switchbacks in the mountains, but the whole experience was definitely one I won’t forget. We arrived in Mendoza at 5:30 in the morning and had the whole day for exploration. After finding our way to the center, we did quite a bit of walking to see what this beautiful city had to offer for the three of us. Shortly after the city woke up, we booked our much anticipated adventure of taking a horseback riding trip into the mountains. To kill time, we walked around the city and found some hidden treasures. Unfortunately, as we spent our last 30 minutes enjoying coffee and ice cream in McDonald’s (the only place where we could get coffee in cups larger than a shot glass) a hail storm began pelting everyone and everything not hidden inside. We waited it out as long as we could before we had to brave the torrential flooded streets to get back to the meeting place for the horseback ride. However, upon arriving, we were told that it was no longer safe for the horses to go up and received our money back. Well, we no longer had a plan for the afternoon so we decided to buy dulce de leche and bread and sit on a bench and people watch. Not the experience we had hoped for in Mendoza, but not the worst day at all.

The 13 hour night bus to Buenos Aires proved to be much smoother and relaxing. I was a bit nervous coming in because I had not ever met the couple that was picking me up nor did we exchange phone numbers and the bus got in a half hour late. My nerves were alleviated as I turned to see my name printed largely on a piece of paper carried by a kind looking gentleman. What a blessing to have missionaries like Gary and Linda greet me in Buenos Aires. After arriving at Melanie’s apartment, I enjoyed a bit of time to sit and relax before she came home from work. Yet another blessing to have such an incredible young Christian woman willing to share not only her home but also her friends, her life, and her culture with someone she’s never met before. We enjoyed the evening of playing “get to know you” and asking lots of questions. I could instantly tell that she was awesome and we’d get along great for the week I was there!

Friday, I stuck around the house and walked around the little mall next to her house and enjoyed some people watching in the park. That night, she took me to San Telmo which is the Tango capital of Buenos Aires and to Puerto Madero for ice cream. It was definitely interesting to compare this new culture to the one I had been enjoying for the past month and a half in Chile. There were many moments in which I felt like I was back in Europe with the architecture and the physical appearance of the people.

Saturday, I finally took the leap and got a haircut…I loved it!!! The salon we went to had us sitting for a while waiting, but I had the opportunity to read a lot of different Spanish magazine articles/look at the pictures, and they served us tea or coffee if we wanted. It was REAL espresso!!! Magnificent! After getting the haircut, we sauntered through some shops and found a few small treasures. We then moseyed on over to La Boca to see the beautifully colorful buildings and shops. There were several restaurants with dancers out front performing the Tango for the audiences eating and drinking. Mel and I took a seat and enjoyed a great show. Then, I was pulled out of the audience to attempt my own version of the Tango with one of the male dancers…what an experience! This is definitely a dance of passion and romance. It was then time to head home and get ready to go out dancing! In my one pair of heels and my one dress, I felt so excited to actually get dressed up for the first time since leaving the States! I regretted those heels later, but beauty is pain. We went to dinner with a few of Mel’s friends from school, and the opportunity to listen to and speak Spanish was wonderful. The girls were from Peru, so their Spanish was much easier to understand then that of Argentines. After our Columbian extravaganza, we headed to another restaurant with a rooftop dance club where we spent the rest of our evening into the wee hours of the morning dancing the night away!

Sunday morning was very difficult to wake up, but we did and prepared to go to the graduation party of one of Mel’s good friends. I felt like I had found paradise as we laid by the pool and played with their puppy, Mina. Her name means “chick” as in “hey I saw this chick crossing the street”. Playful and teething, I just fell in love with her sweet face. When it came time to eat, I was quickly briefed on the process that was about to begin. There was a constant procession of different slices of meat set on my plate to be enjoyed. Knowing that I had never been to an Argentine asado (barbeque) before, the father (host) made sure I tried a bit of everything and got to experience the glorious options available to me. It is an understatement to say that I was stuffed at the end of that meal. This day was also the day that back home, my family was throwing my Grandpa Bohn a major 80^th birthday party and also my sister’s birthday. When we arrived home, I went through everything I possibly could to attempt calling my family to wish happy birthdays, but unfortunately, I was unable to make it work. It was everything I could do to keep from having an emotional breakdown, but I reminded myself that God was in control of everything, even something small like this and I gave my sadness over to Him.

Monday, Melanie had to go back to work and I ventured on my own into the Capital. My first assignment was to purchase a map so that no matter how lost I got, I could find my way back. Through my explorations, I saw places like the Pink House (Argentine version of the White House), Avenida Florida (best walking street for shopping), the obelisk (mini version of the Washington Monument), Hard Rock Café, beautiful parks, and so much more. I stopped into a few cafés during the day for lunch, dinner, and coffee. Beautiful day, but it was difficult to not have anyone to turn to when I discovered new places to share in the amazement. One of those moments was when I ended up at Plaza Francia’s park and there were several young men performing tricks on homemade tightropes tied to the trees. Instead, I just sat and marveled on a lonely park bench. You’ll be able to see a little bit of this in the pictures I’ll be putting up.

Tuesday was my day to travel to yet another country…Uruguay!! I took a boat over and explored the city of Colonia for the day and had such a wonderful experience. First, I was quietly prompted to remember my passport (thank the Lord, seriously!) After finding a table on the boat, I overheard a few other Gringos talking about Spanish words for something they were looking for. Remembering how frustrating it is when you can’t finding something as simple as sunglasses in the translation dictionary, I turned around and offered my services from what I had learned. After spending the rest of the hour long boat ride getting to know this group of people, they asked if I’d like to walk around with them. After several days of traveling alone, it was a welcome invitation. We found a great little hole in the wall restaurant with the nicest people working. My new Canadian friends surprised me by paying for my part of the meal saying that they remembered being the one with a small supply of cash to support themselves while traveling. At that moment, I resolved that when I have an income, I will definitely be blessing the younger generation as they travel the globe. We spent the rest of the time walking through the quaint town’s cobble stone streets and climbing up the lighthouse. I can officially say that I’ve put my hand in the Atlantic Ocean! The water was purely brown though, so I promptly cleaned it off afterwards.

Wednesday, I enjoyed the ability to relax and sleep in and walk around some little shops near Mel’s apartment. I purchased a Capresse Calzone for dinner, and yes, it was as delicious as it sounds! We then enjoyed our dessert of ice cream and popcorn while watching “Social Network”.

Thursday, I barely made it in time to the travel agency to book my adventure for the day and hop in a van that took me to a Fiesta Goucha out in the campo (countryside). Our tour guide, Marcelo was one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met and I loved hearing about his many adventures as we wound our way out of the city. After about an hour, we found ourselves in Capilla del Señor (the Lord’s Chapel). We were promptly greeted with empanada’s and small glasses of wine. I quickly found my way to the horse stable and enjoyed a short walk around the grounds. I was hoping for a bit more of a galloping adventure, but that wasn’t allowed with the amount of people. Next, I went on a little carriage ride to see the other side of the property. I met a man named Johnny Walker from England. He was about 80 years old and had been in Argentina for several months and had missed speaking fluent English. You really can learn so much from someone who has been around for such a long time and been to so many places. We were then ushered to the asado where I found one food that I just can’t get myself to try: the blood sausage. The rest of the meet was exquisitely prepared and tasted incredible. We were entertained by a man who not only spoke at least 3 languages, but also incredibly sang songs from each region of Argentina and from the several countries represented in the audience. He was accompanied by two dancers who were nothing less than elegant and talented. The next item on the ballet was being wowed by two young gauchos (cowboys) who did tricks on their horses. Back in the van, I had the incredible opportunity to share mate (a typical Argentine tea) with the van driver, Marcelo, and the male dancer. They found it so strange to see a Gringa take part in the mate traditions because most foreigners find it gross to share the metal straw and often don’t like the taste. Once again, I was told that I am not like most people from the US…guess that’s a good thing!

Friday, I spent the morning repacking my luggage and cleaning up the apartment before heading out to meet Mel for lunch. I made it to the bus on time and settled in for the 24 hour ride. I was fortunate to have children around to entertain and play with and even had a mother ask to take a picture of me with her daughter. So precious!

Now, I am back at Hostelling International and enjoying the time spent with those of my group I haven’t seen for a month and also meeting the new people who just arrived. Today was the first day of orientation and we mostly just covered the basics of expectations and what we will be doing as teachers. I know that I will be in Region X: Los Lagos, but I have yet to find out about which city I will be teaching in. As of late, I do have a friend who has good friends that own a resort like hotel down in my region in the city of Puerto Varas, and after seeing pictures of it and the surrounding city, I’m very much hoping that I end up there. The waiting is killing me, but I’ll be finding out on Wednesday afternoon and likely taking off Thursday or Friday to go to my new home for the next 5 months! I’m so excited and I know that wherever I end up will be where I’m needed and exactly where God has prepared for me to be.