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.

Don`t You Worry, I´m still living the dream

Yes I am.
Classes are still going relatively well. I have given my first round of quizzes and I am in the process of grading them. The weather is still quite warm, but it was quite cool this morning when I woke up. I had to sport a vest in order to battle the cold. Of course by the time I got to the bus stop it was 75 degrees again.
I have made several important discoveries in the last couple of weeks. For example, there is a dunkin donuts in the mall that serves real coffee and delicious blueberry muffins. Also, I have found the cheapest way to get fruits and vegetables during the work day is a quick trip to the wal-mart like Tottus. Also, McFlurry`s with oreos are probably the most delicious snack on the face of the planet. How did I not know about this before? I have also made discoveries that don´t involve food, I just can´t remember what any of them are at this moment in time.
I lost my cell phone last weekend but someone found it and brought it back to me, which I very much appreciated. My whole family told me that in Chile when you lose your cell phone, you never get it back, so I feel pretty lucky. Yay Karma. Because I was out of touch with the rest of the world for the weekend, I stayed home and read A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore, which was full of dark humor and there was a laugh on every page.
I seem to be a little bit under the weather as of late and can´t seem to get rid of my cough or stuffy nose. It probably has something to do with the fact that I can´t get regular vitamins here, but no worries. I´m not exactly suffering.
My day to day is mostly just teaching, working out and waiting. I would really love to do some more volunteering or other contributions, but my schedule prevents that because even though I only have 18 hours in the classroom per week, they are all spread out. I should get a second job at the gym, I seem to spend most of my time there anyway.
In other news, my host family finally got paid and my Mom got a new job so there is food in the house again. Hooray! It`s still mostly bread and crackers, but it`s better than nothing. I even spotted some eggs in the fridge today! Joy. Honestly though, it is impossible for me to complain after the rice and beans from last year, which I did also love, eventually. Chile is a developed country as far as I am concerned and I am completely able to get the kinds of food that I want when I want them, so if I complain, it is because I am not actually trying to better my situation.
I hung out with Dave, Grady and Brendan in Bella Vista on Tuesday night after the teachers meeting at Duoc. It was nice to have a chance to hang out with all of them since normally we only see each other in passing or at school for breif moments. We have hardly had a chance to get to know one another, but now, I would say that we are all quite friendly. We went to a birthday party and stopped by both Grady and Dave`s apartments, so it was a pretty eventful Tuesday if I may say so myself.
Alright, enough ramblings. Santiago Marathon is this weekend and some friends are running so I will probably go cheer them on for a while. Love to all, happy April.

Family Life.

I would like to make a quick note on one of the many things I love about Latin America: The Importance of family.  It seems like in American media, pregnancy is a downer.  When women become pregnant unintentionally in the movies it’s always a disaster.  No one looks forward to parenthood and Children become a burden.  I was recently watching a Novella in which the main character suspected she might be pregnant with her boyfriend’s baby.  They were not married nor did they intend to be (due to complications that only a Novella could pull off) but when she told him the news, the joy was remarkable.  There was no moment of fear that one’s youth is over.  He merely commented that this was what he had been waiting his whole life for.

I thought this was a bit much, until I considered all of the young parents I knew in Costa Rica and remembered how much they loved their Children and how much they claimed their lives had been improved because of them.  Then yesterday, when teaching one of my night classes, some of my students, told me about their sons and daughters.  None of them was embarrassed, they were all incredibly proud of their accomplishments as parents and knew that they were in school to try to better the lives of themselves and their children. 

            One of my favorite songs is called “More adventurous” by a band called Rilo Kiley.  In the song the main singer claims that “maybe ours is the purpose of all mankind, get loved, make more, try to stay alive.”  I similarly, like to think that we exist for each other.  It’s possible that I come from such a loving family, that my perspective is too rosy to be realistic, but even so, I think that if the entire region of Latin America gets it, It shouldn’t be so hard for the rest of us.  Family life, ought to be encouraged.  This doesn’t mean that we ought to rush into things that we aren’t ready for, but rather that we should consider the stigma that comes along with young families.  It’s not sacrificing youth, it’s just a matter of choosing a different path.  

That's all that I really wanted to say for now.  I'll put up a real post soon.  (Oh also, I temporarily lost my cell phone, so don't try to call for now.)

It´s a disaster. Naturally.

I´m a bit of a disaster.

You see, today was my first day of class and it did not go according to plan. No, you see, despite my having left the house over an hour before class was supposed to start, I still somehow managed to arrive 20 minutes late to my own first class. Excellent first impression don´t you think. The buses were so packed this morning that the first one I tried to get on shut its doors on me. That is to say it tried to, it was unable to actually shut the doors because a number of junior high school kids who were standing on the steps had blocked the bus doors with their backpacks. When I finally got on a bus at 8, the traffic was so bad that it took even longer than usual to get to school.
I hate being late. I always have. I don´t like tardiness from others and I certainly don´t condone it myself, so when 8:30 struck and i was still about 2 miles away from school I started to have a minor panic attack. My heart was pounding in my chest and I was sure that I was going to be fired, before I had even started the job.
Once I finally got to school, I ran up the stairs to find all of my doe eyed students waiting for me intently with their day old facial hair and mullets in tow. After my seriously delayed arrival class went quite well. The students were all able to introduce themselves and I got a chance to gauge their english abilities. They seem promising.
I didn´t get in trouble with my bosses, they just told me that sometimes these things happen and to try to leave earlier next time. I still felt terrible, but luckily, Brendon had just gotten to campus and was able to give me a hug and a pep talk before I headed to the gym, which was really the best medicine for the day. Also, my cell phone isn´t letting me make calls, but I do not understand that because I just put money on it last week. Moral of the story: Call me, don´t wait for me to call you.
In other news, life in Santiago is still pretty great. It is still hot and dry here, which is nice. This weekend I went into Santiago on Friday night to hang out with some friends. I also met a couple of the volunteers from last year, who have been kind enough to take us under their wing and show us around Santiago. Brendon found a jazz club on Saturday night that I can´t wait to visit and we have finally started to discover the best restaurants in and around Santiago. That´s all for now. I have some pictures to post, but I can´t connect my computer to the internet to transfer them, so you´ll just have to wait a little bit longer. Happy Spring forward! To all of you east coasters, next week Chile falls back so we will be in the same time zone. Note it.
Rad

One step at a time

Hello again from a beautiful and narrow land.  I have finally arrived at my host family’s house, I have unpacked and am ready to begin the new academic year; more or less.  The last two weeks have been so filled with activity, I hardly know where to begin.  Our hectic schedules continued throughout orientation, leaving only enough time to walk home in the afternoon in order to enjoy the last of the daylight.  The Santiago summer heat is slowly beginning to fade and the cool nights are becoming more frequent.  Still, the last month has felt distinctly like a vacation.  Living in a hostel for a month and hearing the tales of everyone’s travels within Chile is a real challenge because it desperately makes me want to go on vacation to see all of the supposedly breathtaking sites I have heard about.  From what everyone says, I may never want to leave Chile. 

This orientation could not have been more unlike last year’s.  I had daily internet usage, I was constantly surrounded by Gringo’s and I only had to use Spanish when ordering food in restaurants.  Not to mention that I have yet to shed a single tear this time around. 

            Last year, I constantly felt as though I was on the brink of tears.  As if the whole experience was too much and that I needed to turn around and go home, where I would find something less frightening to do with my life.  In contrast, this year, I have almost constantly felt as if the coming year won’t even be a battle.  I have my own bedroom and bathroom with hot water.  I have a cell phone and a TV.  What else could I possibly ask for?   

            It’s funny to think that I am doing WT again.  They are entirely different programs with the same mission.  I am here to provide excellent English instruction so that my students, who have been disadvantaged until now, might be better able to improve their well being as well as that of their families.  You can’t change the world all at once.  You can only help one person at a time, but that’s the only way to do it. 

            During the last week of Orientaion, we met the rest of the English Teachers from different programs.  I considered a couple of the other programs but I am really glad that I chose World Teach again because the compensation from the other programs is still pretty minimal and they have to find their own housing.  Not to mention that they receive about 4 days of in country training.  I’m sure that they are perfectly capable, I’m just glad that I chose the path that I did. 

            In other news, we also learned how to dance the Cueca, which is the typical Chilean dance.  It’s not nearly as fun as Salsa, but at least I have another Latin American Dance under my belt.  I need a little more practice with the Cumbia and I need to learn the Tango, but then I am good to go. 

            I also took my first Capoiera class, which is a form of Brazilian Martial arts that reminded me a lot of dance classes.  It’s a strange combination of gymnastics, Martial Arts and Dance, but it was a complete blast.  I am definitely going to try to take more classes over the course of the year.  I can’t remember the last time I had such a great work out.  Bottom line: I want to keep that going if I can.   

            So now: a word or two on my new digs.  I must say, my situation has vastly improved since last year.  My house is 3 stories.  I live on the second floor.  There is also a little office and a second bathroom on my floor which my host siblings use.  My host siblings Aranza (10) and Joaquin (7) live on the third floor in a kind of attic/open space.  My parents live on the ground floor.  The living room, kitchen and laundry room are all on the ground floor.  The house is really quite cozy and the family is terrific. 

            Brendon lives a few blocks away, so I anticipate seeing him, just about every day.  Our school meetings got cancelled today so he and I are going to go on an adventure in Santiago.  I feel so lucky that he is my neighbor here.  I really couldn’t ask for someone nicer or more outgoing.  He’s just a sweetheart.  The rest of the volunteers laugh because we constantly refer to one another as “Hermano” and “Hermana” but that’s what it feels like.  He is my long lost little brother from Michigan. 

            Also, I found out that our host families are staunch Pinochet supporters.  Or they were, so, that will be interesting.  I shouldn't say it as if it's a bad thing, I was just surprised.  I have to remember to tread softly on that note.  I have to keep the socialist in me under wraps. 

I finally got my official Chilean Identification card by the way.  It's pretty exciting, It's like a belong here now.  More or less.  Brendon's wasn't ready because he somehow messed up his fingerprinting the day that we initially went through the extremely tedious process of getting ID's.  So now, he has to go back some time next week to pick his ID up.  

            Alright, that’s enough ramblings for one day.  Stay tuned for more notes from the Other Hemisphere.