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.

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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!