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!
A million gracias!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Chile, you're just full of surprises
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!
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!
Monday, March 22, 2010
How I learned the word for "roof"
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. :)
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. :)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dara and Tim, I love you.
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!
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!
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