Como se dice...?

So, I'm in a Spanish speaking country, and came here wanting to beome fluent in Spanish. And up until 3 days ago the progress has been slow. The first few weeks I avoided a lot of necessary communication. Only, I didn't even realize this until moving into the apartment, where there is no avoiding Spanish. Here, in my own home, I must feel like an ass when I don't make any sense, theres now no running away from it!

I was one of the first English speakers moved in, and that first night making dinner with 6 people in a small kitchen blabbering away in Spanish was, well, hmmm, how shall I say this, derrifying... yay, thats the word. I think the first 4 or 5 days in the house were the most frustrated I've ever been in my whole life. I like to think of myself as a positive person, but somehow I lost my ability to be determined to learn Spanish- I pretty much just gave up and couldn't snap myself out of this negative funk. But alas, the positive Marina is back:

A few nights ago I sponteneously had dinner with my American friend Liz and her Chilean boyfriend, Juan. It was exactly what I needed. To be sitting in their apartment, peacefully, communicating in a mix of Spanish and English was a perfect transition. Juan having patience with me speaking Spanish and me having patience with him speaking English and Liz translating when needed... well, it woke me up and made me realize I can learn Spanish. And then I realized that if I study Spanish on my bus ride to/from school everyday, thats at least 50 minutes a day to memorize vocab. The next day after doing this I had a great conversation with my red-headed Chilean roomate Sergio and his two friends. For the first time with the roomies, we truely expressed what communication is really about. With or without all the words I needed, we were able to express ourselves and it was so great because, ultimetely, love can be communicated without words, and with that, people can get to know each other. Like my roomate Natalia, I don't understand a lot of what she says but still, I know she is just so so sweet and I now always feel comfortable speaking with her, because I can feel her kindness and her sincerity in listening to me, however slow I talk. I now no longer see language as a barriar, but more as an opportunity to develop my ways to communicate. Maybe this all sounds corny, but I truely feel the communication going on even with a lack of words, and in this am seeing love being expressed.

And now with me talking way more Spanish in the house, I'm not at all afraid to talk to people in public. Like, buying things and asking directions, instead of feeling like theres no point in talking because I won't understand a response, I know I can at least try. And its very freeing to feel this.

Mi Apartamento!

So, I've moved into the apartment/house!

My address:

Echenique 5361
7790452 Nunoa
Santiago
Chile


My cell number: 011 56 9774228283

Echenique is my street and Nunoa is the area of Santiago I'm in, sortof on the outskirts of the city, so it's a little more residential than the bustling city feel of downtown Santiago Central, where I was for the first three weeks. There are 14 rooms total in the house- mine is that front window on the left with the jail bars on the window. There are 7 of us American teachers, one Scotish girl, one Brazilian boy, one Spainiard boy and 4 Chileans. If anyone feels like crashing on the couch of an orange house, you're all invited!

The important things of Santiago

I’m on week 2 of class now. And I went to the beach this weekend, about 2 hours outside of Santiago. And I went on a sea-wolf cruise. And I’ve moved into an apartment/house and have had many a IDSSBILWSS breakdown (I don’t speak Spanish but I live with Spanish speakers)… yet what’s more important at a time like this? You guessed it, let’s talk about food:

So, I’m a food snob, I’ll admit… (these are the important things you learn about yourself when placed outside your comfort zone.) But I can say, I’m also all about trying weird foods, even if I know I’m not gonna like it, I’ll try it. Well, I’ve given up here… but I’ve spent so much time talking with my fellow Americans about the Chilean restaurant going experience that I now see it as the funniest thing in the world and can’t wait for a feature film to come out that takes place (from start to finish) in a Chilean restaurant.

Typical Restaurant Experience: 6 of us loud Americans sit down. We finally find a waiter and ask for menus. They bring one. We order sandwiches that take up half of the one menu. They don’t make sandwiches at the busy time of day because it would take up too much room in the kitchen, we should come back in 2 hrs if we want sandwiches. Hey, whose complaining? So, we play it safe--- papas fritas, nope sorry no fresh fries this time of day either. So what do you have? Oh, ONLY pizza, thanks for telling us. The tea comes, but just the bag with no water. And when you want a little more water, nope, they don’t have anymore hot water. And how about when everyone orders dinner and one person just wants to order dessert…. Oh, they don’t have dessert, ok, no problem. And then dinner is done and the infamous question of “does anyone want to see a dessert menu?” And if you order anything without mayo, or with extra cheese, etc… nope, they bring you just what is says on the menu. And my favorite, I ordered Ensalada (I finally found a restaurant that has salad!!!!!) and I get a completo… aka the hotdog covered in mayo, avocado, onions, ketchup, etc etc. Actually, two of those incidents happened at the same place… a restaurant that changed names to something de Clinton because when Clinton was in office he was in Santiago and stopped in there for a Fanta and now the name is changed and the walls are covered in his picture holding a Chilean fanta bottle.

But now I am in my apartment and I discovered JUMBO, an American-style grocery store and so for the first time in 3 weeks I have peanut butter, cream cheese (Chase st girls, I will never again complain about Philedelphia Cream Cheese!), non white bread, meat that I can cook so its not dripping with blood (literally), rice cakes, jelly that’s not marmalade, etc etc.

Next time I swear I’ll talk about more important things, like how I had two students come in late today and be rude about it and mannnn did I get pissed… oh and how the books arrived! Just when I was getting used to the idea of teaching a class with not knowing what I am supposed to teach, they give me books! Quick shout-out to having books!

I´m a teacher... say what????

So, yesterday I taught my first three classes. But I found out my schedule the night before. And the books haven´t arrived yet. And they don´t know when they will arrive. And there is no syllabi and my schedule was wrong. And an attendance sheet for one of my classes was missing. Oh and did I mention that I don´t speak Spanish and that for Chileans this is a very high-class institution? And when I asked to see a copy of the book they used last year I was told no, because it might confuse me. But really, its ok, because any concerns of mine were met with a frantic, ¨don´t worry, don´t worry¨ and then some ranting in Spanish. (Clearly I´m the worrier!) I was told to ¨not do anything the first week or two,¨ yet I also had a room of up to 18 students who speak little English starring at me for an hour and a half... so yay, exactly, what the hellz was I supposed to teach? A few of us met in the morning to joint-plan what to do, and after being in student mode for my whole life the whole thing was so laid-back, very surreal. Despite this scenerio, my three classes yesterday turned out FABULOUS!

I got lucky in that my first class was my one advanced, where there are only two students, and only one showed up. Her name is Mitzy and she speaks good English and so we just talked and she really wants to become fluent so I think that will be good. Later in the day I had two beginner classes and both classes knew way more English than I expected. I had them do a version of speed-dating, introducing and talking about themselves to other kids in the class. Then we played games like pictionary to review basic vocab words. Some of the students gave me the on the cheek but in the air kiss goodbye, and all said goodbye to me about a million times. Really sweet kids.

Duoc University has 9 campuses total, and mine is by far the best (Campus San Carlos). Its Chile´s version of UVM, and so I love it- the mountains are literally RIGHT next to campus, ping-pong and foose ball tables in the main coutyard, every hippster student with a good 2-3 piercings and colorful hair... it definetely has the groovy-UV feel!

Last Weekend

So, I tried Salsa dancing. And by tried I mean forced. And by forced I mean I sat in the corner of a salsa club watching in amazement as beautiful Chilean women moved their hips to a beat I couldn´t even keep in my head... until one of these such women (the club´s star dancer in fact) started talking to my little American group in the corner, asing where we were from, etc. I guess this was the sign for the men in the club to come grab us, rotating person to person, teaching us how to salsa. It was quite fun and I definetely improved, although I still need many a lesson to walk back in there with confidence.

After coming back from salsa dancing at 4 am, some of us met at 9 the next morning to pick a place along the coast to go, since training on Monday was cancelled. We randomly picked a town about 4 hours north of Santiago called Los Molles, and ps don´t listen to Fodor´s Travel Guide. Seven of us went, and I did have the time of my life, it was wonderful, but just so random and definetely not the beach resort I was secretely expecting.

We got off the bus and found ourselves on the side of the highway, amongst shacks of houses, all empty except the tiny one room beach houses which were converted into arcades and filled with local children. We walked toward the beach and finally found a great (and cheap) hotel right on the beach---- two floors, 4 rooms and a balcany. The next day we did this little hike along these cliffs by the ocean on a search for an island of sea lions. We had a great time at night and I now feel permanentely bonded with my Los Molles crew.

My Life

Soooo I realized that I never actually explained to most of you what exactly it is I´m doing here... but only because before a week ago all I really knew was that I would be teaching English in Santiago.... and nothing more! So now that I know I didn´t take an expensive 12 hr flight to find out my program is actually not ligit and the imfamous voice on the phone telling me I could spend 6 months in Chile is a real person, heres the deal:

So, I am teaching for Duoc University (http://www.duoc.cl/), which is the largest university in Chile with 9 campus total, 6 around Santiago. My campus is San Carlos which is in an area of the city called Los Condes. Los Condes is in the very very end of the city, so right beyond the campus is just mountains, so although it will be a little of a commute I´m thinking its well worth it for the view. The area is more upper-class residential with a fun shopping area, etc.

I got this job through a program called TeachingChile, run by an American man who decided to move his life to Santiago 4 years ago, having no clue what he would be doing. After volunteering with the Ministry of Education he wrote a proposal to them to create this program and alas I am here.

My training is with a wonderful Venezuelan man who grew up in England named Ivan, who works for Duoc. The training is for TeachingChile people and three other similiar programs. Duoc started using native English speakers in 2002 when they hired 3 people and this year there are 50 total. Everyone is friendly with each other during training and breaks etc but of course there are little groups between the different programs, and thats fine with my because TeachingCHile is where all the cool people are at. And I am lucky that out of the 7 people teaching at my campus, 5 of us are TeachingChile, 2 being two of my five roomates.

Duoc gives us all free housing for the first month, in Hotel Londres, which is beautiful from the outside but a little ghetto inside. But I love it. We have three connected rooms, mine at the end with the bathroom attached. I have a big window leading to a little courtyard where the staff hang out and blast loud Chilean music at random hours... and by random hours I mean when I´m trying to sleep.

Yesterday and today I have my practicum, where I go into a middle and high school and teach a class. Yesterday I had 8th graders and 12th graders and it was the greatest experience ever. They were beyond adorable and I loved it. One of the 8th grade girls even recognized me from MTV... or so she thought! Off to teach my two classes today.....

Week 1 Randomness

Sooooo after telling people I'm going to be a Chilean English Professor for the last 4 months, I began to feel it was actually just my excuse for not having a "real" job and I wasn't actually going to South America for 6 months... but like any other life changing experience, I was intensely thrown into something originally surreal, delving my every moment into the life of a TeachingChile trainie as if this has always been my life. Suddenly I'm more than half way through my training and this time next week I'll be standing in front of my very own class of Chilean university students. Training has been fun, as we practice teaching English to each other and pretend to be funny Chilean students, and take the English tests that our students will be taking... (quite entertaining).

Santiago is everything I imagined it to be, and nothing I imagined it to be. My lack of Spanish has really hit me hard. I romanticized about sitting in the middle of Plazas and outdoor markets, reading my dual-language Neruda poems, naturally learning Spanish.... um NOT quite so! I'm living in a hotel with other soon-to-be English teachers who are predominently Americans, and so its really easy to not speak Spanish. Initially I felt badly about not bonding with locals, but the fact is I love my TeachingChile group and after training we will all be in different locations, so I've told myself its ok to enjoy getting to know them... everyone is so international and has done so so much traveling, its so inspiring hearing everyone exchanging their stories... although a few times its turned into a loud group of 15 Americans looking ridiculous, and being ridiculously loud, in a subway or walking down the street, and I'm constantly waiting to hear some local laugh and call us gringos... I suppose I've learned to embrace the gringo nature.

So, the food here is so BIZARRE.... theres just no other word for it. I don't know where this comes from, but other than Empanadas (which in reality is nothing other than friedness with Cheese) the only authentic food I have found is a hot dog called 'Completo'... and let me tell you a hot dog just can't be called a completo until its loaded up with Avocado, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and salsa... its there pizza, found on every street corner. But there are fruit stands everywhere, so thats pretty much saved me.

Lastly for this entry, I would like to give a shout-out to my TeachingChile people, who I really love and feel so blessed to be getting to know in Santiago. Its like being at Sundance in the sense that you put a group of people with similiar interests together and wow KABOOM everyone is excited about life and each other and its quite beautiful.

My Contact

So, here I am in Chile, first week down!

I'm staying at Hotel Londres in the center of Santiago for the first month while I look for my permanent housing. Right now I'm looking for an apartment in Providencia with another girl, the hip youngish area of the city.

Hotel Londres
Room 102
Londres 77
Santiago Centro

Numbers to come!...