Spring is Here!

I have survived my first real winter.  Sure it didn’t snow, but it was cold.  There was frost and I could see my breath in my room.  I’m calling that winter.  I survived without heat or a down comforter (though I’m planning on buying both for next year.)  The weather has broken into the sixties and seventies, for which I am eternally grateful.  It’s been a while since I’ve seen my toes and I’m really looking forward to donning flip flops some time next week. 

      Things are going relatively well at Duoc.  My schedule is great this semester and my cookies have made me famous.  At the New Semester welcome party at Duoc, about 9 professors from the Mechanics department invited me out for drinks with them.  (Hunky excluded of course)  It was one of the most entertaining evenings I have had since I got to Chile.  They asked me a series of personal questions, most of which I refused to answer and insisted that I come to their future Asados, especially since I am staying around next year.

      A couple of other professors invited me out dancing a couple of weeks ago, which was a lot of fun.  Monica, a Professor from finance is insisting that I stay with her next year until I can arrange my own apartment and so on.  I feel very loved.  I still say that Chileans are shy, but once they open up to you, they are the greatest. 

In other fascinating news, there is a new grading system in place, which I have no idea how to use, and my students seem to be slightly less eager than they were last semester.  Last week I had students ask me why I didn’t speak Spanish.  I explained that if I spoke Spanish, they wouldn’t be able to learn as well.  That not everything is a translation and that in order to succeed in my class they needed to leave their fear outside and be prepared to make mistakes. 

      It didn’t go over well, but they seem to be turning around.  I could put my basic 1 class from last semester up against any other group that I have this semester and my basic 1 group would out speak them.  Even so, it’s my job to get them on the level.  And I’m doing my best. 

      I have one class of Intermediate students that I particularly love this semester.  They are all studying Risk Prevention.  They have every class together and are terrible disasters, but they are a lot of fun.  They prove to be a challenge almost every class, but it’s still a class that I look forward to.  They had Brendon for their professor last semester and for whatever reason, have deluded themselves into thinking that He and I are going out.  Granted the fact that Brendon and I are ALWAYS together doesn’t help curb the rumors, but I still find it entertaining. 

      I’m more or less going out with a Chilean.  His name is Francisco (Pancho) and he’s a lot of fun, as are all of his friends.  It’s nothing serious though.  Don’t get worried or excited.  He supposed to take me to celebrate Chile’s Independence next week and after he sees me eat my weight in empanadas, he’ll probably try to “get the hell out of dodge.”

      In Chile, as in the United States, September 11th is equally remembered, but for different reasons.  Today is the anniversary of the Military Coup that happened here in 1973.  It led to twenty years of Dictatorship under Pinochet.  Classes ended early today because most years protests and rioting break out in the evenings.  I got emails from WT, the US Embassy and my Duoc bosses urging me to be careful tonight.  As such, I decided to stay in for the night.

      

The Corner.

I found this paragraph in an old journal.  It's probably going to make its way into a story someday, but I wanted to share it with you now.  Just because.  

I'll meet you, where we can see the mountains and palm trees, sunsets and the city.  There's a corner where no one ever goes.  It's a place that no one knows, but that's where I'll always wait for you.  And you'll open the door and you'll come to me, and we'll watch the sky change together, whenever you want.  Even if that's all we ever have: I'll wait for you.  I'll be there because it's beautiful.  It reminds me of you, it always has, it always will.  

Winter Vacation in July. . . Just as strange as it sounds

Greetings and Salutations!

      I am finally back in Santiago after my 2 week vacation in Buenos Aires.  Before that the Lathan’s were in town for a few days which we spent in Valparaiso, Vina Del Mar and Santiago.  But let’s take it back first to the end of my first semester at Duoc. 

      I love my job.  I have no idea how I got so lucky, but here I am, at 24 with a job that I’m passionate about, in a city I love, working with people I adore.  My students did exceptionally well on their final exams.  A few are not coming back to Duoc next semester, which made me sad, but I was delighted to hear that one of my best Basic students, is leaving Duoc to study English full time.  I’m really proud of her and excited that she liked my class enough to consider pursuing an English Major. 

      Grading was good, but I was still a little bit behind from when I had Pneumonia, so I spent a lot of time in the Professors Lounge during the week after I had finished my finals, just trying to catch up on everything before Vacations. 

      Also, after months, I have finally befriended most of the Professors at school.  It has taken lots of baked goods and excessive cheer, but hey, that’s what I live for.  Chileans are known for being shy and as such, I have had to introduce myself to everyone as they didn’t introduce themselves to me, but, at the end of the semester, they know who I am and what I’m doing here.  I am under the impression that most of the Gringo English Professors who have worked at my Duoc site in the past haven’t been particularly outgoing. 

      Even though I can’t continue teaching at Duoc next year, the professors have all been helpful and encouraging in regards to my wish to continue teaching and working in Chile.  One Professor already started looking for apartments for me while others have been recommending jobs for me.  A couple of Professors have even offered to let me stay with them at the end of the year if I can’t find an apartment right away.

      I got good reviews by my students at the end of the semester and, like I said, for the most part they performed well on their Final exams, so I finished the term in excellent spirits. 

      My family came in on the Saturday after term.  We drove straight out to Vina Del Mar.  I had a really nice time, but Reid, Naturally complained about everything.  The weather was Crystal clear, which I appreciated.  It was still cold, but it made for good touring weather.  The food was far from sensational, but Chile is like that.  I think the best thing that my brother ate on his trip was a “completo Gringo”.  (Yes a hot dog with ketchup.)

      We went out to dinner with the entire host family on our last night in Chile.  It was fun to have everyone together.  It was a very merry evening.  We all ate well and I think that everyone had a nice time.  The next day, Reid headed home, while Mom, Dad and I headed to Argentina.  The Swine flu had been classified as a pandemic there, so we were a little nervous about being quarantined, but got in and out without any trouble. 

      We stayed in a great little hotel in Palermo for a few days.  My parents got in touch with some friends from Graduate school (the Dougall’s) who live in Buenos Aires.  We had dinner with them a couple of times and then they were nice enough to invite me to stay with them for the rest of my trip.  I couldn’t have been luckier.  They have four kids.  Camila (23) Connie (21) Lolo, who’s actual name is Sebastian (19) and Carolina (18).  They proved to be fantastic guides to the city and I had a lot of fun with them the whole time I was in town. 

      I had a great time with the kids and am sad that I missed out on the last twenty years of our lives.  Camila and I were supposedly friends when we were babies and our Dad’s were studying at Darden.  It was funny when they pulled out baby pictures of the kids and I was in the album. 

      Everyone I met in Argentina was really friendly and outgoing, which was a very nice change from Chile where everyone seems to be painfully reserved.  I made friend just about everywhere I went.  It was nice to be around people who aren’t afraid of me for a change.  I saw a tango show and took advantage of the café’s throughout the city.  I sat, read, wrote and drank fantastic coffee.  (Something I have sorely missed since I left Costa Rica)  I shopped and wandered.  I got around on buses and trains, all of which made for a great vacation.  I can’t wait to go back.  I might even end up teaching there in a couple of years, who knows?

      I got back to Chile on Friday the 31^st.  As I passed through customs, an Argentine Customs agent told me that my passport was a coquetta (flirt) because it had so many stamps.  It was the best compliment I've had in a while.  Since, my return to Chile.  I’ve spent most of the week hanging around the house and getting ready to go back to school.  Yesterday I went up to the mountains with some friends to go skiing.  It was fun to go skiing, but the kids that I went with didn’t exactly know what they were doing, and I’m not a good enough skier to teach anyone else how to do it.  It hadn’t rained in a while either, so it was a bit icy and the wind kept flinging ice into our faces.  Not ideal learning weather, but it was still a lot of fun.

      I’m looking forward to starting classes again on Monday.  It’ll be interesting to meet a whole new slew of students and get to know them.  I will try to keep the updates coming a little more frequently for the next term.  I know they’ve been somewhat sporadic this year.  Wish me luck for back to school!

I don't believe in Pneumonia, I just believe in me

I apologize for my long absence.  I blame twitter. 

      In all seriousness, I’ve been so happy and distracted by my life in Chile as of late that I have been completely negligent of any kind of blog/journal upkeep.  May was a very full month: I gave midterms, my Mom came to visit and I turned 24.  I’ve been keeping busy with school and tutoring. 

      Mom’s trip was great.  The weather was agreeable for most of the trip and everyone was amazed by her Spanish skills.  Of course.  We stayed in a hotel in Providencia and she got to sit in on my classes at Duoc. 

      The birthday weekend was a blast.  About 16 of the World Teachers reconvened in Santiago last weekend to celebrate the birthdays Deepak, Alex and myself.  Our friends Laura and Sidi threw us a barbecue and we went out dancing until the wee small hours of the morning.  It was a great birthday, not to mention the fact that the 31^st, my actual birthday was the most beautiful day I have yet seen in Santiago.  (It rained for a couple of days and the smog cleared to reveal exactly how majestic the mountains really are under clear blue skies.)

      Unfortunately I caught some kind of flu a couple of days after, which then turned into pneumonia.  All of the professors at my school were convinced that it was the swine flu and treated me like a leper.  There have been two cases diagnosed at Duoc, so I guess they had good reason, but I still found it kind of annoying.  Especially since it wasn’t H1N1 (like I said) and it was only pneumonia.  Which, is technically a serious respiratory infection.  As such, I have spent the last ten days on bed rest which seems completely unnecessary to me, but I am not a medical professional.  I am really excited to go back to work tomorrow, I’ve missed my students like crazy. 

      When the doctor told me that I had pneumonia and would have to go on antibiotics I had a very typical Radford response.  I said, “Okay Great.” Because I thought that if I was on antibiotics, since I felt fine I could go back to work on Monday.  Unfortunately this was not the case.  He told me that I would have to stay at home, not because I was infectious, but because I needed to recover.  “But I feel fine” I insisted.  “My lung only hurts when I cough, I’ll be fine once I’m on antibiotics.”  

      No Go.

      It was off to bed with me for ten days.  I have accomplished nothing in this time.  Well, I guess that’s not true.  I was invited to an Asado (Chilean Barbecue) last week at my friend Carolina’s house the day after I was diagnosed.  I threw caution to the wind and decided to attend.  Most of the other professors there were from the Math department and were native Chileans, so I felt really special to have been included.  I’m glad that I’m making new friends, it has made all of the difference and is making it easier for me to think of staying for another year. 

In other news I have discovered the brilliance of the electric blanket.  I also bought a new coat, finished the book “Absurdistan” and bought a bunch of new music on iTunes.  (I can highly recommend Trouble by Ray Lamontagne, Sunny Side Up by Paolo Nutini and Matinee by Jack Penate)

This coming week, I have to double up on classes to make up for the time that I missed this week.  It’ll definitely be a challenge, but even if I double my classes, I’m still working a 36 hour work week, so I really can’t complain. 

      My friend Dave was nice enough to cover 2 of my classes this week. (The only Profe at Duoc to do so.)  Most people had conflicting schedules and so couldn’t do anything, but I’m pretty sure that most just didn’t want to take another class.  I guess that’s fine, but it just makes me think.  Professors here are always complaining about how lazy their students are, but how can they really complain if they are just as ‘unmotivated’.

      This “pneumonia” also made me realize how lucky I am to have a job that I love.  My first thoughts upon learning that I had to go on house arrest were “but I have to teach, what about my students”.  I was horrified to think that I had to miss classes for a week.  If having to skip work for a week is the biggest problem in my life at this moment, I’d have to say that I am a pretty lucky person.

          Still no luck with the “Hunky Mechanic” who we now know is named Cristian, but maybe my absence for the last week will make him realize that he likes me and misses seeing my face every day . . .

      Probably not. 

      Yesterday I decided that I wanted to bake cookies and was shocked to discover that there are NO cookie sheets for sale in Chile.  I spent an hour in the store trying to gather together the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies, but couldn’t find baking soda or chocolate chips or a cookie sheet, which led to a bit of improvising on my part, but overall, it went well and the cookies were delicious.  (At least I think they were since my host family devoured the dozen that I made them in about 3 minutes.) Today I’m going to try my hand at oatmeal raisin.  Just like my dad likes.  (Happy Father’s Day to el Jefe)

            Alright, that’s all for now.  Chile is fantastic, though cold.  I’m still thrilled to be here and I still don’t see myself moving home in December, but I’ll let you know if anything changes.  Thanks for reading.  I miss you all. 

Mealtime

Note: This is my essay entry for the World Teach Spring Journal Contest.

Rice and Beans

They told me that I was going to eat a lot of rice and beans when I got to Costa Rica. I just didn’t understand what that meant. It amazes me now that two such simple ingredients could be the center of life.
At 5am, when the first roosters started to crow outside of my bedroom, my host Mom was already up making the first pot of Gallopinto for the day. (A mixture of rice and beans essential to the Costa Rican diet.) As my host siblings and I rose, we would heat up the gallopinto accordingly and serve ourselves small portions coupled with lots of delicious coffee to jump-start our day.
I complained about the rice and beans constantly. Not to my Costa Rican family of course, but rather: to my friends back home. I moaned about how much I missed yogurt and how hard it was to have to eat the same thing 3 times a day, every day. I begged for my parents to send me peanut butter and protein bars. I bought snacks, fruits and vegetables as often as I could, just to alter my diet. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I could hardly believe that an entire country (and possibly even an entire region) could rely on just rice and beans.
Logistically, I understood, it was the cheapest way to make a whole protein, but what amazed me was that everyone seemed to enjoy rice and beans so much. My host mom was always quick to tell me that rice and beans were the best kind of food for you and that the reason Americans are so fat is because they have so much fast food and they need more rice and beans in order to be healthy.
When a fellow volunteer got sick partway through the year, her host Mom assured her that it was because she wasn’t getting enough rice in her diet. We laughed at this and regularly asked our field directors when the rice and beans would go out of season, but of course, they never did. Week after week, bags of rice and bushels of beans appeared in our kitchen. My host mom went through them with due diligence and the entire family ate well enough to live.
Occasionally the rice and beans would be coupled with an egg or a slice of avocado, but those treats were usually saved for dinner. My first night with my host family, my Host Mom asked me whether or not I liked Tuna. I told her that I did and in that instant she opened a can of Tuna and heaped a spoonful onto my plate of, you guessed it, rice and beans. In that moment I was somewhat taken aback, but I came to look forward to the days that I got Tuna for dinner.
To be perfectly honest, dinner became my favorite part of the day. Two Thirds of my meal was always pre-determined, but then, there was the wild card. Would it be fried cauliflower or plantains? Sliced tomato or a scrambled egg? Maybe even green beans and carrots or a deep-fried hot dog.
I remember my delight when one day, I went into my classroom to discover that a chicken had laid an egg on my desk and then abandoned it, leaving me a delicious lunchtime treat. What Costa Rican food lacked in flavor, it certainly made up for in character.
Despite the fact that the fare was plain and just about everything was fried, I came to love Costa Rican food as if I had been raised on it. When I was hungry, I would find myself thinking “Well of course you’re hungry, you haven’t had your rice and beans today.”
I learned the distinctions between Gallopinto, arroz y frijoles and rice and beans. Sure they all had the same basic ingredients, but no one thinks of them as the same. These simple meals are just as essential in a Costa Rican life as the expression ‘Pura Vida.’ When students pray in school they say that they are thankful for the food that they have been provided with, they thank God for their Rice and Beans. I prayed for the day that I would never have to eat rice or beans again.
I considered myself a martyr for sacrificing my body to the impact of the rice and bean diet. When I got home, I overloaded on meat and potatoes. I ate at my favorite deli’s and Indian restaurants with friends. I ate fresh fruit and vegetables every day just because I could and I was thrilled to be able to eat what I wanted at my leisure. Even so, somehow, within 10 days of my return to the United States I had made a typical Costa Rican breakfast of gallopinto for my entire extended family.
It was only then that my two worlds merged. My life in Costa Rica, my students, all of the long days and cold showers and bug bites, somehow blended together with my family and my hometown. As much as I thought I wanted to leave it behind, Rice and Beans were some of the only things that I was able to bring back with me (or rather find at home) to try to explain my experiences over the past year. Gallopinto doesn’t explain my life during my year in Costa Rica, but if you don’t understand Gallopinto, you can’t even begin to understand Pura Vida or any of the beauty that comes with it. It’s not just another meal. It’s the food of life—or at least, the pure life.

It's cold.

And I don't like it.
It finally dropped below 70 and I am not pleased with the situation. I am going home to bundle up. I just wanted you all to know that even though it's spring for you, it's autumn for me. Enjoy the perfect weather in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Hunky Mechanic and other updates

Oh my, a lot seems to have happened in the last few weeks. I will do my best to recount the last 20 days of my life, I apologize if I omit anything important. Some highlights include, The Santiago Marathon, an invitation to go out on a date with a Chilean, my first private lessons, Carolyn`s visit, Pablo Neruda`s house: Isla Negra, some fabulous care packages and a Professor at my school who has earned himself the nickname of 'Hunky Mechanic'. Here we go.

The weekend of April 4-5 was the Santiago Marathon and Half Marathon. My boss, Thomas was running the full marathon and two friends (Jenny and Karen) were running the half. Several of our WT compañeras came up from Concepcìon to watch the race. As such, we had about 15 of the WT volunteers in town for the weekend, which was a lot of fun. We went out for Chorillana in Nuñoa, found an American bar to watch the Final Four and got to catch up on teaching and life in General.
After Basic Bar, we headed towards Bella Vista to go dancing. The music wasn`t that great, but having 10 Gringos on a dance floor is always a good time. Actually, that was when I met the Chilean Francisco, who a couple of days later asked me out. I haven't gone yet, but I probably will. It's been a while since I had an honest to goodness date. The Gringos and I headed back toward Andes hostel where we spend the rest of those wee small hours in the morning.
At 8 the next morning, we headed out to cheer for the rest of the Marathoners. Watching the Marathon was absolutely beautiful. I honestly got teared up as I watched runners approach Mile 26. I found a marathon in Buenos Aires in October and I am trying to start training for it. We will see.
The following Tuesday Carolyn, Barbara and Ana arrived in Chile. The trip was a lot of fun. We went horseback riding in the Andes, we stayed in a house in the Mountains. We had a couple of very typical Chilean Asados (BBQ's) and had a really great time. Then on Sunday we headed into Viña Del Mar for a couple of days at the beach. We had originally planned to stay there only Sunday night, but Carolyn and I decided to extend our stay a little bit longer, so I cancelled my Monday class and we stayed in Viña another night. It was great because that gave us the chance to wander around Valparaiso, a town that I hadn`t spent any time in previously.
Valpo is even more charming and Bohemian in person than it is on postcard and in descriptions. I loved it and could see myself spending a lot of time there over the course of the next year. It's unlike any other city that I know. There are moments when it seems to parallel San Francisco, but in general, it is a city of its own, which is part of the reason I loved it so much.
Eventually it was time to head back to Santiago and so we said so long to the beach and headed home. More or less. I was able to convince Carolyn to extend her vacation a little bit longer and so we were able to spend even more time together. This meant, among other fabulous things, another beach weekend. So on Friday night, I headed back out to Viña to meet Carolyn who had arrived there the day before. Carolyn treated me like the Regalon and had room service waiting for me when I arrived.
The next day we headed out to Isla Negra (Pablo Neruda`s home) for a tour. I was glad that we went because it was definitely the kind of place that you need a car to visit. It was incredibly beautiful and I have to ban Reginald Lathan from ever visiting it for fear that he might be TOO inspired by all of the eccentric homey details that gave the house its style. It was like a little tiny Hearst Castle or a very big Watts Towers. Depending on how you see things.
My favorite Pablo Neruda quote from the tour 'Everything tastes better out of brightly colored glasses.' Every cup and glass in his house was gaudy and delightful, we had to get some tacky glasses for ourselves just to test the theory. I will let you know when I come to a decision.
The Regalon treatment continued as we headed home when Carolyn got an extra room for my friends and me. Alex, Raisa, Laura and I went dancing in Viña del Mar at Cafe Journal, where we, naturally, started the party. Everyone was sitting when we arrived, but within 10 minutes of us embarassing ourselves on the dancefloor the rest of the crowd joined in. It was great.
I have started my first private lessons with a 5 year old. He is the son of one of the other Teachers at school. His name is Diego and he is absolutely adorable. I am so happy to have the opportunity because I have missed working with kids since I got here. We have had two lessons thus far, and they have both gone well. We are learning the alphabet and its a lot of fun.
Meanwhile, I am trying to figure out the best way to trade English Lessons for a personal trainer. If I start training for this Marathon in earnest I want someone to create a work out plan for me, just so that I have to stick to it. I love my gym and the two hours I spend there are usually my favorite in the day. In fact, I am headed there as soon as I finish this post.
Finally, the mystery you have been waiting for: The Hunky Mechanic. This nickname may conjure up an image of some kind of meathead or grease monkey, but I can assure you, he is not. I have in fact found an attractive Chilean. (Whoa) Unfortunately, the only details that I know about him are that he is 6'5, very stylish and is a Mechanics professor at Duoc. So, he earned himself the nickname. Just to clarify: I don't actually talk to him, I just smile, stare, wave and exchange formalities, but hey, a girl has to start somewhere right?
Alright, that's all for now, I hope that you are all well, Santiago is still reasonably warm and I am enjoying the last days of summer as best as I possibly can. No plans for the weekend, but Brendan's host mom asked if I could make another batch of Chili, and Mauricio Bombero (Brendon's host brother) said he is having a party at his house, so we might go to that. Stay out of trouble. Love Rad.