Hi, I'm Jessie. I like traveling and am currently teaching English in San Nicolas, Chile. This blog does not reflect the views or opinions of WorldTeach or the Chilean Ministry of Education.
Well, here we are, halfway through July 2010! A LOT has happened since I last updated my blog (clearly)! So, in honor of my ONE YEAR in Chile, here's a brief update on my life as well as a list of things I love about Chile/ my experience (so far) in Chile.
(In no particular order...)
1. The palta. Seriously, I eat avocados straight out of the skin with a spoon. They are delicious and cheap and oh man...abundant. Last night, for instance, my chileno neighbor upstairs, put some avocados in a bag and lowered it down to my window. That was his way of luring me upstairs to hang out. He knows me well. All it takes is palta.
2. The natural beauty. Everyday on my way to work I see these massive snow-capped mountains. It never ceases to amaze me. One of my classes is on the 12th floor, so I always situate myself at the conference table so I can see the cordillera. Seriously, it's wow. I've been lucky enough to see Patagonia, el sur, and a little bit of the north. Chile is just so amazing. I'm looking forward to more backpacking adventures!
3. Public displays of affection. Okay, in the States, I HATE PDAs. But here, I find it heart-warming. There's something so adorable and oddly innocent about the way couples (young and old) will interact in the streets, on the bus, in the parks etc. It's nice to see so much love going around. Plus, when the weather's nice, it's kind of awesome making out in a park.
4. Dancing! Now, I've been told that Chile is not the best Latin American country to dance in...obviously, Brazil and Colombia are going to take the cake in that category. However, Chileans dance a whole lot more than Americans and I like this! There is a salsa club in Bellavista where it is totally not weird to dance the salsa with a creepy old man. People don't go there to "hook up"--they go to dance salsa! Y bailan salsa no más!
5. La Vega. So I don't know how I've lived in Chile this long without having gone to the Vega. The Vega is this huuuuge open air market next to the Mapocho River in Santiago. There, you can buy 2 kilos of tomatoes for 600 pesos! That's about $1.20! And, you can get every kind of vegetable and fruit imaginable there! And it's so cheap! It's also the place to go to buy peppers (thanks Peruvians!) So I am currently drying a bunch of peppers to then crush and use all the time. It's awesome.
6. The people I have met. Despite the fact that most of my teacher friends in the south turned out to be creepers, I have been extremely blessed with the people who have entered my life. From a super awesome Chilean family to my WorldTeach amigos and now to my incredible roommates, I am honored to know such a bacán group of people. I've formed unbreakable connections with people and I'm happy to add them to my collection.
Alright, life update.
Mid-May I left San Nicolás to attempt living and working in Santiago. I was feeling pretty rundown and lonely, to be honest. As much as I love the campo, being the only single, non-pregnant, twentysomething in an extremely small town finally started to wear on me. Not that I wanted to go out and party. I just needed people my own age to spend time with. Sadly, they all live in Chillán or are too busy trying to keep their families afloat. Aaaaaand, turns out all my teacher friends from the high school are pedophiles...
So now, I have been teaching business English to CEOs, IT guys, economists, and engineers in Santiago. Surprisingly, I quite like it. I've signed a one-year contract and will actually be making enough money to save! This means, I'll be able to travel! I am also living in a really cool apartment in the centro. I have the greatest roommates in the world! Right now, it's me, Ludette (from New Jersey), Lizzie (from England), and her fiancé Shander (from Ecuador). We all get along great--cooking for each other, watching movies together, and dancing until 5 am. I really hit the roomie jackpot. Plus, Shander's a doctor. So he's been treating my "almost" bronchitis. Success!
It feels good to be independent again. It's been over a year since I have lived on my own, so it is nice being an adult once more. Now if only Chile would stop being so freaking cold!
Weeeeeell, that's about it for now. Hopefully, more excitement will enter my life (good excitement! not bad excitement!) and I can update once more!
And, I also just wanted to say, thank you so much to everyone who has been supporting me endlessly these past few months. From writing letters of recommendation for me to listening to me cry (Erin Burke!), I cannot express enough how much I appreciate it. I'm so glad I have such a great support network. I know some cool people. :)
Tonight I was making a ghetto handmade Candy Land for my English Club this Friday afternoon. It was a daunting task, so many colors! Luckily, my totally kick-ass host mom was like, "Jessie, te ayudo?" "Si, po!"
So as we are sitting at the dining table, coloring square after square after square, I mess up the color sequence which leads to my host commenting on my intelligence. (Even in a foreign language they catch on!)
"Jessie, que tonta!" "Wilma, hay un chiste en mi familia..."
I told her about the Family Joke. The Family Joke goes something like this. [Jessie does or says something stupid.] "Jessie, you went to Berkeley?"
El fin.
After I explained the joke (informing her that it's funny because Berkeley is the number 1 public university in the United States and the world), she laughed really hard. This led to her telling me about a certain chilenismo. It is now officially my favorite chilenismo (más de "pan con palta" y "hacer una vaca"). The chilenismo goes something like this:
[Someone does or says something stupid] "Y la mamá quería mellizos!"
"And the mom wanted twins!" (Or fraternal twins if we're getting picky. I'm sure gemelos works too.)
Get ready. I'm bringing this to the English-speaking world.
Due to a series of events that were out of my control/ hindered by my inability to properly speak Chilean (let's be honest, I speak Spanish. Not Chilean), I will no longer be teaching English at my high school. I will still be working with the debate kids, but I will not be teaching classes at Liceo Polivalente San Nicolás. My heart is broken.
It all started last week when my host mom found out the Chinese volunteer was going to be receiving money to teach at my high school. She called up my school director and said, ¨You have to pay my Jessie too.¨ After a series of back and forths, I came to believe that I would be receiving money from the elementary school in town, therefore, I would be teaching at the elementary school AND the high school. I was quite fond of that idea since it meant I would be receiving money and that I would be able to experience both elementary and high school students. Broaden my horizons, you know? But since everything in Chile either happens at the last minute or is miscommunicated, I will be receiving a salary from the elementary school but I will not be teaching at the high school. So today was my last day and I cried on three separate occasions:
1. In my host mom´s car after our meeting with the directora of the elementary school.
2. When I told my co-teachers at the liceo what was up.
3. When I finished teaching 2C, my final liceo class.
When I told Javier, my pal and history teacher at the liceo, that I cried in Wilma´s car he said, ¨Tu eres tan sentimental, Jessie.¨ (You´re so sentimental.) Well...yeah.
I love my kids and I love my co-teachers. One of the reasons I came back is because I finally settled in--I found my rhythm and knew how to be an effective teacher. And I came back after the earthquake because I wanted to give my kids some sense of normalcy. And now, I feel like I´m letting them and my co-teachers down. Although, according to my friend Haley, ¨the earth is letting you and your school down.¨ True fact. Thanks, terremoto.
So tomorrow, I start classes in the básica, grades Kinder through octavo (8th). I'm excited but also sad (obvio, po). As the wise WorldTeach field director Allyson told me today, "Why you cryin'? You get to stay in your town, receive money, AND teach? Stop crying!" Well said, Allyson. Well said.
Let's get the bad news out of the way. The remaining two hamster babies are now dead. One died of natural causes while the other was murdered by my host dad. He said it would be better if we just killed the other one because it was bound to happen eventually. True, but I mean, did we have to drown it in a latex glove? Plus, now we're in the difficult position of explaining to the twins why both babies disappeared at once. Mama hamster couldn't have been that hungry.. Luckily they are nine and not skeptical.
Phew. That's finished. So this past weekend was Easter! We didn't have classes on Friday so I spent three days hanging out with my family and recovering from my resfriada (cold/ sickness/ lack of energy/ snot). I also consumed too much meat and bebida (soft drink). Chileans, why can't you like water?
On Saturday I cooked my famous sausage and cabbage soup for them and despite not having beef bouillon cubes or sausages that were not dripping with fat, I'd say it was a success. My family loved it which made me very happy. Although the fat that floated and covered the top was not appetizing for me. Regardless, the fam has asked for a round two. I also made my blueberry pie. Another success. And this dish wasn't dripping grease.
Sunday we had a special guest. Her name is Amanda and she is the three-year-old daughter of my host mom's cousin (I think). She has strawberry-ish blonde-ish hair (like me!) and blue eyes (like me!) so they call her La Gringa. She was quite taken with me and I would even say grew quite attached. Early Sunday morning we had a chocolate easter egg hunt in which my family made me participate. It was awesome. Amanda was all over these chocolate eggs like white on rice. I enjoyed her immensely. Especially when she performed a special rendition of Daddy Yankee's "Llamada de Emergencia". Who doesn't love some reggaeton?
That's about it. Things are changing at the school but I will update that once I know for sure what the heck is happening. I'll be heading to Santiago Thursday afternoon to spend the weekend and am quite looking forward to it!
Since the giant 8.8 earthquake that struck my region at the end of February, I've felt my share of shaking (I did feel the 8.8 in Mendoza after all, but not like here in the south.) However, the massive aftershocks that have occurred, I keep missing. But not the latest one!
Today, can best be described as a day of shakes. Rommy and I woke up to a temblor, we had lunch to a temblor, we read to a temblor, and then just now, we were about to Once to a temblor. I was sitting on my bed, reading the news, when the earth started to shake. At first it was slow, then it quickly gained momentum. It wasn't that strong, but it's the strongest quake I've felt since the Loma Prieta in 1989 (I was two but I DO remember it!) Let's put it this way. Normally, when we have a temblor, we look at each other and wait for it to pass. This one was strong enough that I heard the family flee the house, and Rommy yelled, "Jessie! Sale!" Needless to say I grabbed my flippy floppies and headed atrás (to the backyard). Once it stopped, I headed to the front where my host mom, dad, and the twins were. The twins were crying and my host mom was very upset. She's making the prediction: "We're going to have another quake." I'm going to stay positive here and say the 8.8 will be it for a while.
We haven't lost light, power, or internet. According to the radio, it was centered in Cobquecura (again!) and they've shut off the water in Concepción because it was so strong there. Concepción is a 90-minute bus ride from Chillán. Ohhhh, Chile.
News just in. It was 5.9. Not that strong, but hey, strong enough. We also JUST had another temblor as I write this. Chile, you're out of control.
Recent events here in San Nicolás have reinforced that I made the right decision ten years ago (holy crap! It´s been ten years already!?!?) when I set my hamster free in a park.
A few weeks ago, the twins received two hamsters. One they named Bella and the other they named Jake. Yes, these are Twilight references. I guess they didn´t take it seriously that since one was male and one was female that they would do what bunnies do and make babies.
And make babies they did! Earlier this week, we discovered three tiny little hua huas (babies). However, a few nights ago, the house erupted into chaos when Vania discovered that one baby was missing. Tears, screaming, running around, yelling--you name it, it happened here. My house is fairly loud in general, but after this incident, wow. It´s amazing how loud everyone can get.
After the murder, the fam decided to give Jake to another family. Why they decided Jake killed the baby, I´ll never know. So Jake is now living happily separated from his baby mama and babies.
My jokes have been dead on due to this, which is fantastic because since my host mom is terribly loud, so are her reactions to my jokes. After we discovered the missing baby:
¨Creo que los padres tuvieron hambre anoche.¨ ¨JESSIE!!!!¨ And my personal favorite, when we gave Jake away: ¨Pienso que encontramos el asesino.¨ ¨JESSIE!!!! Qué asco!!!!!¨
The other two babies are still alive, but I think it´s only a matter of time before we realize we punished the wrong guy.
Since the Ministry of Education has suspended my program, if you would like to make a donation to my host family, that would be la raja (the shit haha)!
Here´s the PayPal link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=NG6T3P5489TYE&lc=US&item_name=Jessie%c2%b4s%20Chilean%20Host%20Family¤cy_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donateCC_LG%2egif%3aNonHosted
Or you can send a check to my sister: Jenny Mosher 1710 Peony Lane San Jose, CA 95124
I promise a hand written thank you note and lots of hugs when I come home!
Recently, I've started to see myself differently. I've started to see myself more as a person living in Chile than as just someone merely passing through. I definitely wouldn't consider myself Chilean—I may have large earrings and may be quickly caving into the fanny pack (it's practical!), but I have yet to purchase a pair of acid-wash jeans and have yet to master the cueca. Plus, my Spanish level is still nothing to write home about (but I´m going to write home about it anyway). However, last semester, when I would take the bus back to San Nicolás from Chillán, I´d stare out the window and think, ¨I´ll only be doing this trip so many more times.¨ And that would always fill me with sadness. When I really enjoy a location, I become quite attached. For example, I often get homesick for Washington, D.C. Yes, I went twice last year, but, Jessie, REALLY? You´ve never lived there!
Since I´ll be moving to Santiago in July, I guess mentally, I´m starting to let myself settle in. I thought I had let myself get adjusted last semester, but apparently, I did not. Returning to San Nicolás last night for the first time in almost two weeks felt like coming home. This is a skill I have mastered over the years: I´ve mastered the art of making myself feel at home almost anywhere. Even with crazy host mom last semester, I´d go away for the weekend and be so excited to return. I think it has something to do with familiarity. But there´s also something magical about this family. How is it they can be so warm and kind all the time? I love that I am having the host family experience I always imagined.
All cheesiness aside, things have finally started GOING here in Chile! I´m back in San Nicolás after almost two weeks of being unable to teach. Don´t let appearances fool you, while I may be at my school as I write this, it does not mean I will be teaching today. Ohhhh, Chile. My co-teachers told me I could start teaching March 29th, we´ve been in communication about this for two weeks, yet somehow they didn´t think I would start teaching today. I´ve known them since August. Haven´t they figured out yet that I am exceptionally organized? Oh well. Looks like next week it is!
The last two-ish weeks were spent helping my friends with the WorldTeach new volunteer orientation. While I had some days filled with errands, I spent most of my time reading books and planning my future (sorry if you received constant harassment from me with too many inquiries about PhD funding and programs). The highlight of my time there was this past Saturday. It was former volunteer panel! Don and I came and sat in front of the new volunteers for almost two hours as they hounded us with questions about our experiences. It was fantastic! It got me excited to start teaching again. At the end, one of the new volunteers told me he was really grateful for this because it got him all fired up to start teaching. Mission accomplished. Get me a banner and an aircraft carrier. I never get tired of that joke.
One of the things I told the new volunteers was, ¨Let Chile happen to you.¨ What I meant was, things are going to be different than what you are used to, things are going to go wrong, things are going to go right, sometimes, things are going to be just plain ridiculous, but always be willing to experience all that Chile offers—the good and the bad. And so, taking my own advice, I let Chile happen to me later that afternoon.
After panel, Jorge (my family´s cousin) called me asking if I wanted to hang out. Since we are now officially dating (I know, right? My oddness doesn´t quite translate into Spanish yet haha) and he lives in Santiago and I live in San Nicolás, I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could before regresando-ing to the south. Once he buscar-ed me (picked me up), he asked me what I wanted to do. I said it was a nice afternoon, we should go to a park. He shook his head. No, we´re going to a meeting. What kind of meeting? I inquired. A political meeting, he said. Right.
We drive to the centro and walk into this sketchy building that is on the same block as a few strip clubs. I was skeptical but hey, just go with it and see what happens. Turns out, we were at Marco Ominami´s headquarters. Ominami ran for president this past election. While he obviously didn´t win, he had a huge following. He ran on an independent progressive platform and many people were worried he was going to be the upset candidate. Many people speculated that should he beat Frei (the leftist candidate), he would beat Piñera (right-wing candidate and current president). He was sort of like a rock star. He also had the best campaign commercials, my favorite being two women kissing with the headline, ¨We have rights, too¨. While gay rights weren´t his main issue, the fact that he even made a statement about it here in Chile is a BIG DEAL. Chileans are sadly so homophobic (that´s why when I met Jorge, I knew he was a keeper). Uruguay, Venezuela, and even Colombia have better views on homosexuality than Chile. Ominami´s father was one of the leaders of the MIR (the left-wing party who had many members disappeared during the dictatorship) and was murdered by Pinochet´s goonies. After his father´s murder, he moved to France.
Video Break:
So there I am, in Ominami´s headquarters, the only gringa. Being the nerd that I am, it was pretty spectacular. The meeting was supposed to be two hours but ended up being three because for the last hour, Ominami showed up! He just sauntered in, wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and blazer. I was sitting less than ten feet from him! It was crazy! Of course, he spoke like any normal Chilean (lightening speed), so I understood practically nothing. But whatever, it was pretty freaking cool. Jorge couldn´t stop talking about how when he walked in my jaw dropped.
That night was also pretty fantastic. I went with the new volunteers to Bellavista because since they´d already interrogated me about my experience, Allyson finally gave me permission to hang out with them. (She was afraid if I spent anytime with them prior to panel, my pan con palta mouth would ruin the whole purpose. Fair enough.) So we went to Patio Bellavista which is this outdoor patio area with various restaurants. There´s often live music and when the weather´s perfect, it´s just about the only place you want to be. We grabbed a couple drinks and had a blast. It was so awesome finally getting to know them! Experiences like this unite people who normally wouldn´t be friends in the real world (I know I´d totally hate Erin Burke—chiste!) and WorldTeach does a really great job of recruiting quality people.
As we were about to head to the club, Jorge met up with us. Now, he doesn´t speak English. He can say, ¨I like beer¨ and ¨I´m sorry¨, but you know, those don´t really provide fodder for conversation. And only a couple of the volunteers can sort of speak Spanish. I was really nervous since I am terrible at mixing groups of people, but he is quite the gem. Allyson made him lead the way to the club since he´s a santiaguino, and sure enough, we found it. It was right by Pablo Neruda´s house, up this semi-complicated alleyway. It was a really great club. It had a lounge upstairs and a dance floor downstairs. Also, since we were about 15 gringos, we didn´t have to pay the cover, and neither did Jorge because he was our guest haha. Once we settled it, it was a little awkward trying to mix everyone, but after a few drinks, they melted like butter on warm bread. Many props to Allyson who was trying so hard to include him. So we ended up taking the remaining gringos (some had started to head back to the hostel) to the dance floor. It was a lot of fun. And when one Chilean got a little too friendly with one of our lady volunteers, Jorge stepped in. It was so adorable! He´s got that cute older brother thing down (thank god for his sisters)! We danced until about 4 am before deciding it was time for the ladies wearing heels to give their feet a rest. Jorge drove us all back to our respective locations, earning some new gringo friends. Needless to say, I was so proud of him. I kept smiling at him and he'd say, ¨What? I like knowing people.¨ I also received a huge thumbs up from Allyson which made me very happy because she´s hard to please haha.
Now, a quick note on my Spanish. It´s still pretty awful, but after listening to the volunteers speak Spanish, I feel so much better about my level! Granted, they haven´t even been here two weeks, and a few of them have never studied Spanish, but I´m so relieved! I know I´ve improved, but sometimes when I can´t understand anyone, I feel like I´ve failed myself. But after hearing the volunteers, it reminded me that I was at their level when I came last July, and that yes, I have improved! And I´ve improved a lot! Also, the fact that I was able to have a real conversation with Jorge at a club blasting loud music is also very exciting. I have a looooong road ahead of me, but I´m putting the time and effort into it, so I have hope. My ability to speak Spanish still depends on with whom I am speaking, but when someone is patient, sometimes I feel like I´m fluent (chiste). With Jorge for example, he speaks so slowly and clearly, that I rarely have to ask him ¨otra vez, por favor¨. At the Once (ohn-say) table with my family, when they are talking to each other, yeah, it´s still a struggle. But I now have confirmation that I am indeed improving! Sidenote about my accent. I never thought I had an accent because I´m a gringa and therefore have that lame gringa accent. But Saturday night, Jorge informed me that I do indeed have an accent! He met my dear Radford too that night. At one point he asked me, ¨Where´d she learn Spanish?¨ I told him that she had lived in Costa Rica for a year and he said, ¨Ah. Her accent is definitely Central American.¨ Then he said, ¨She doesn´t have the same accent as you.¨ QUÉ!?!?!!! I gave him a stunned looked and said, ¨I don´t have an accent.¨ He laughed. ¨Yes, you do. You speak like a gringa but you definitely have a Chilean accent.¨ I´m so effing proud.
Well, that´s about it. Hopefully, things will start moving a bit more this week at school so I really can start teaching (I´m starting to think it´s never going to happen haha). Pero todo está bien acá! Les echo de menos y espero que estén bien! Un abrazo!
Today is March 22 which means I have been in Chile for over a month now. It's amazing how fast time flew but also how slowly it is progressing. Update time!
As many of you know, there was an 8.8 earthquake in Chile at the end of February. Luckily, I was in Mendoza, Argentina when it happened. My friend Beto and I woke up at 3:45 am to movement. Our conversation went something like this:
Beto: "Jessie?" Me: "Is your bed moving?" Beto: "Yeah. Is yours?" Me: "Yeah." Beto: "I think we're having an earthquake." Me: "Should we get up?" Beto: "Nawwwww."
We're both from California and clearly haven't learned anything from all the years of earthquake preparedness we underwent in school. Earthquake fail.
The next morning, we awoke to see the horrific images from Chile on our hostel's big screen TV. It took everything I had not to cry. However, once the news said the earthquake was an 8.8 centered off the coast of Cobquecura, I almost threw up. San Nicolas is 90 minutes from Cobquecura. Then the images of Concepcion appeared. Was my family okay? My friends? I immediately insisted we go to a calling center to try and reach our friends and families.
Of course, all phone lines to Chile were jammed and phones in our region were down. I was such a mess. Beto and I had planned to have a fun-filled weekend before he left for his 2 month journey and I started teaching again, but all I wanted to do was hop on the next bus back to Santiago. Beto insisted we go on the bike wine tour, to take my mind off of things.
Once we got back from the tour (which was fun but since I AM Jessie, I was preoccupied all day and therefore didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. Plus, we were with a bunch of gringos. We all know how much I hate spending time with gringos while traveling) we headed to the bus terminal to change our tickets. I changed my ticket to return the following morning at 9am.
I returned to Santiago at about 7pm. Jorge (the family's cousin who I met at the asado) picked me up and let me stay at his house with his mom and sisters. Luckily, they had heard through other family members that my family was okay. I was so relieved. But still, the images were horrific so I had no idea if my town was still standing. And I still couldn't get through to my friends in the south.
As communication slowly started to come back, I was able to talk to some of my students. Most of my students that I talked to were in Chillan had so had not seen San Nicolas. All the information they had about the town they heard on the radio. So for three days I thought the bridge into my town had collapsed as did my school. And when I went to the bus terminal, they had suspended all services to Chillan. Plus, the Monday after the earthquake, the Ministry of Education sent out an e-mail saying they were suspending the English Open Doors Program. This sent me into a panic. The last thing I wanted to do was leave Chile. I did not want to go home to the United States. Kirby, Tim, and Dara all received hysterical phone calls from me haha. My friends in Santiago recommended I go on the job hunt. So I did. I sent out my resume to a few places, and within a day, I heard back from a group called the Homework Club.
I went to the interview the next day and was pretty much offered the job on the spot. He loved that I had experience with Chilean public schools and REAL Chilean students. He said, "We turn down 90% of applicants. But tomorrow, I am going to e-mail you offering you a position." This was so incredibly exciting, I have always wanted to live in Santiago! But I still felt really sad. I wanted nothing more than to be with my host family and my students. I love my school so much despite all its flaws.
Later that afternoon, I finally got through to my host family. They said the school was fine and that the bridge was damaged but functioning. School was scheduled to start in a few weeks and they couldn't wait for me to come back. I told my host mom that if I come back, it would be without the support of the Ministry of Education meaning I wouldn't get paid and they wouldn't get paid. I told her I don't have a lot of money, but I would want to contribute what I could. She laughed and said, "Jessie, don't worry about money. We'll be fine." I knew I had to go back, with or without the Ministry. The next day, when I was offered the job at the Homework Club, I had to turn it down. He responded almost immediately and said, "I admire your decision to return to your town. When you come back to Santiago in July, the offer still stands."
A few days later, I booked a ticket to Chillan. A few companies had started services to Chillan, but you had to show up the day of to purchase your ticket. I didn't want to do this, and thank god this old guy from Pullman Jr. heard me inquiring at Linea Azul. As I walked away, he approached me saying, "Quieres ir a Chillan? Ven conmigo." I followed him and within a minute, had purchased a ticket to Chillan.
I left at noon on the Saturday one week after the earthquake. Normally, the journey from Santiago to Chillan is 5 hours, 4 if the conductor drives too fast. On this trip, it took 8 hours. The road was so severely damaged, that for most of the trip, northbound and southbound traffic were both driving on the northbound part of the highway. I saw collapsed bridges and towns. The damage was unbelievable.
My bus got into Chillan at about 8pm. I had prearranged to stay at my friend Rebeca's house in Chillan because I knew the bus schedule to San Nicolas was going to be a mess. Rebeca and her brother picked me up and told me that Chillan was on a 9pm curfew. We got to her house and spent 30 minutes walking around Chillan Viejo. In the 1930s there had been an 8.3 earthquake that hit Chillan. Chillan Viejo is the neighborhood a little south of Chillan and is all that remains of Chillan after that earthquake. This 2010 earthquake did a pretty good job of destroying what remained of Chillan Viejo. It was heartbreaking. Rebeca's house luckily is sort of okay. The upstairs to her house lost one whole wall and almost collapsed, but in general, her house is going to be okay. A lot of houses around her neighborhood aren't so lucky.
I spent the next week in San Nicolas and I am happy to report that for the most part my town is fine! My school is standing with minor damages and my host family's house is also okay (lost their beer collection but they are okay with that haha). There is some damage to the church and Jess' and my favorite internet cafe was recently demolished, but compared to many other towns, I am so incredibly lucky. One day, I went to Cobquecura with Gonzalo (my favorite former student) and the Red Cross. Cobquecura is a complete disaster zone. About 95% of the houses collapsed. The entire town was just a giant pile of rubble. It was hard to stomach. I also went to Quirihue (a town 45 minutes from San Nicolas; between San Nicolas and the ocean). I could not believe that just 45 minutes from where I live was Quirihue, also almost completely damaged. Quirihue too was like a giant pile of rubble. To this day it is still so upsetting and shocking. And the fact that San Nicolas is alright, I am so grateful.
Teaching update: Due to the earthquake and a series of diagnostic tests my students have to take, I am currently in Santiago and will be in Santiago until Sunday. I cannot start teaching until March 29th, so I came up to Santiago to help with the WorldTeach orientation. This Saturday is the panel in which the volunteers will ask me questions about my experience. I'm really excited. Then, we're all going to go out and continue the conversation over drinks. This was one of my favorite moments of orientation, so I'm excited to be on the other side. But I am DYING to get back in the classroom. I can't wait to start teaching!
Also, in case you were wondering, techo is Spanish for roof. :)
Since you all know how I deal with upsetting situations, this little commentary from my dear friends Dara and Tim made me laugh. And as per usual, it was much appreciated. You stupid dorks.
The following is an iChat conversation between Dara and Tim (please note they live in the same apartment but still iChat):
Tim: so a giant earthquake hit cihle Dara: do you know where Tim: i'm not sure what part ... Dara: is jessie even in chile? Dara: i know she was going to argentina or something, i dont remember when or if thats even true Tim: oh, right. we're bad friends Tim: where's kirby Dara: sleeping Dara: nur. Tim: she might not be in chile, but her wanderlust places her in chile--"And now, I am ready to go to bed. I'm leaving for Santiago tomorrow afternoon to spend the week there. I'm probably heading to Valparaiso at some point this week to see Michelle (don't worry, I'll bring my camera this time!) and then Friday, Beto and I are heading to Mendoza, Argentina for a few days. Biking wine tours here we come!" ... Tim: so that was the 21st, yesterday was friday. i hope she made it out before the quake Dara: im sure she did. she's a planner. Tim: that she is Dara: we'd totally be trapped under our house made of sticks, and jessie would be at the top of a mountain eating some kind of homemade high-carb snack
Also, thanks for the text, you guys. Love and miss you all!
I'm pretty sure my New Year's Resolution is to keep this blog updated. This task is going to be fairly easy now because mi casa en San Nicolas tiene Wi-Fi ahora! This is totally unusual for Chile. AND it's pretty darn fast! I think I'll even be able to keep up with How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock. I'm so happy I could cry! But mostly, it's going to make talking with my family easier. Now, I can actually schedule a weekly Skype date. And I like this a lot!
So far, Chile has been super bacan! I arrived safe and sound last Thursday at 10 am. I declared Beto's food products (corn tortillas, menudito, and pozole) sin problemas. I probably didn't even have to declare them, but I didn't want to risk paying a $200 fine. Then, I went to my hostel, showered, napped for a bit and met up with my friends. My friend Allyson is now the Field Director of WorldTeach and currently, she's preparing for the year-long volunteers who are coming mid-March. Right now, she's living in Providencia (an awesome neighborhood) with a girl named Rad (I know! Another Rad!) who was a DUOC volunteer in Maipu (a neighborhood a little outside Santiago). Rad's Spanish is really good so I am super jealous. She did WorldTeach Costa Rica for a year and then WorldTeach's Chile DUOC for a year. So I have hope. Two years I will be fluent!
So we got dinner and then met up with Beto in Barrio Brasil. The weather has been soooo nice, which means a lot coming from me since I despise warm weather. But here, it's awesome. We sat outside and drank Escudo and caught up. It was great.
Friday, I helped Allyson, Rad, and Meghan (our former Assistant Field Director) move the WorldTeach office out of storage and into its new location at Harvard's Center for Latin American Studies in Vitacura (a super cuico neighborhood. It's next to the UN!) Oh and as a side note, while I was waiting to meet up with them in Plaza de Armas, I had mote con huesillo for breakfast. SO GOOD. And a lady stopped and asked me if I knew where calle San Pablo was. My Spanish just flew out of my mouth (even though I wasn't quite sure where it was haha). There were so many Chileans she could have asked but she chose me! And no, she didn't try to rob me haha.
Then, we all got lunch at a Thai restaurant in Providencia. It was quite delicious but I couldn't afford the pad thai (7 mil?!?! That's like $14 dollars!) But their spring rolls were tasty and cheap. Plus, it had a really nice atmosphere. And of course, we got ice cream after because ice cream in Chile is ridiculously amazing. Mora con crema? Que rico! (Mora is blackberries. And we all know how much I love my blackberries.)
I've also decided that I want to live in Santiago. Either for a bit, or forever haha. Rad has this sweet apartment in Providencia with the most amazing view. Cerro Santa Lucia has a pretty great view of the Andes and Santiago (see my pictures from July). But from Rad's balcony? Pardon my French, but, HOLY SHIT. If I lived there, I would sit out on the balcony all day long. You can see the Andes so clearly and Santiago too. It's so beautiful. And the best part is, it's a two bedroom, two bath apartment. The price tag? 300,000 pesos. That's about $600!!!! And Providencia is a safe neighborhood. And the apartment is NICE. It's furnished and super modern. As Meghan and I were standing on the balcony she said, "We can't afford places like this in the States, huh." Seriously, let's put it this way: The quality of the apartment/ its location/ its view is equivalent to living in New York with a view of Central Park and the city skyline. We're talking millions of dollars here, folks.
As for Friday night, I didn't go out because I was really tired from moving and I had to get up at 6 am the next morning to head to San Nicolas. Saturday morning was rough but not as rough as it could have been. I had to lug all of my suitcases to the bus terminal and then from the bus terminal in Chillan to a bus stop across the street to catch a bus to San Nicolas. Luckily, my new host family (the German's old fam) met me at the bus stop in San Nick and gave me a ride to their house. It was so great to see them! They are seriously amazing. So warm and loud and funny and kind. My kind of crowd. Once I arrived, I doled out my gifts which were much appreciated. Carlos, my Chilean dad, wore the Cal Football shirt immediately. So proud. And of course the twinsies and I have been playing endless rounds of Jenga.
Saturday afternoon, we went to a baptism which was hilarious because Chileans are SO LOUD. Everyone talked during the entire ceremony! Now I know where my students get it from haha. Cell phones even rang!
After that, we headed to the campo for an asado. As per usual, it was awesome. Too much food, too much booze, and too much dancing. I love Chile because people just immediately welcome you into the family (exception being last semester's family haha). And how about all the impromptu cueca dancing? Love it. Plus the stars at night in the campo...son lindas.
Then today (Sunday) we went to the campo again for another asado. Another reason to love Chile: two asados in less than 24 hours. No big deal. This asado was even better than last night's. I hung out with Jorge, Rommy's cousin who lives in Santiago and was just visiting for the day. He's 25 and really cool. We talked for hours (in Spanish!). We also drank way too much jote (wine and coke. Actually, quite good). We talked about everything from traveling, to Chilean politics, to gay rights (he's a fan), to Radiohead. He's also obsessed with soccer (obvio) which I always appreciate. We exchanged numbers and set a date to go dancing in Bellavista this week. Super excited!
And now, I am ready to go to bed. I'm leaving for Santiago tomorrow afternoon to spend the week there. I'm probably heading to Valparaiso at some point this week to see Michelle (don't worry, I'll bring my camera this time!) and then Friday, Beto and I are heading to Mendoza, Argentina for a few days. Biking wine tours here we come!
Well, that is about it for now! I hope everyone is doing well! I miss you all and let's Skype!
Today, I read the German's new revamped blog about life in London (how daaaaare she leave me!) and it made me realize, that I really do suck at blogging. So as a short update: I've been home since December 17th, I've officially read three books and am almost done with two more, I've caught up on all my missed TV (True Blood included!) and therefore have developed strong and important opinions about what is happening on 30 Rock and How I Met Your Mother, and I have been doing absolutely nothing. I've successfully turned my bed into a couch/ day bed. I have my old campus job back for a bit but it's only occasional and therefore, am SO BORED. I'm just grateful I like to read/ can read unlike Dara and Tim.
I'm leaving for Chile February 17th and I'll be back in the States sometime in August or September after brief stints in Bolivia/ Peru/ Argentina.
But yeah, that's it. I promise this semester I'll try and update more about vida en Chile, since Jess' awesomely perfect Chilean blog is now defunct. But you can still read about her adventures at the same address: http://micasadeinhaus.wordpress.com/ Hope you like Cupcake Wars. Apparently, Gwynth Paltrow has a shoddy taste in cupcakes.
Welp, gotta go. I can hear Grandpa playing with Addy and now I'm getting a little jealous.
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