un poco - a little

(this entry was written a few weeks ago but published today...sorry)

almost 4 weeks in Chile

I've met so many amazing people here in Chile already after just 4 weeks which is quite shocking considering I'm in class the WHOLE day and rarely have opportunities to meet new people. My schedule is always so busy because I'm in class from 9 am till 5 30 or 6 pm every day. Not to mention a few hours of homework added to that everyday. 

I've taught 5 classes so far to volunteer students from the area. They are in their 30s and 40s and there are 6 students in total - 2 intermediate level and 4 beginner students. I have found that it is much easier to teach the intermediate students than the beginner students. Beginner students can struggle with the simplest of verb tenses and often mispronounce words (not that I'm complaining because they certainly know more English than I know Spanish). 

One thing I've noticed is that I get so proud of the students when they get something right or understand what is being said. It reminds me of my struggle with learning Spanish (on my own) while hearing Maria tell her friends and family that 'ella aprend Espanol muy rapido!' (she learns Spanish very quickly) haha. My last class was recorded on a dvd to show future employers that ask to see a demo (which is apparently common) of my ability to teach. i brought it home yesterday and showed Maria. She couldn't really understand what I was teaching because she doesn't know ANY English but she kept saying "muy buennno!" (very good). She looked so proud that I was teaching people haha. It's always nice to hear that...but when you can see that on someone's face...it's a great feeling.

I don't have as much time now to practice my Spanish as I did in the first week I was here. I'm always at school (where we only speak English) and then I'm doing work, looking for apartments, keeping in touch with you in my room the rest of the time. I have been able to comprehend most of what is said when reading apartment ads (that are written in Spanish) and I've been able to send back some decent replies haha.

I've kind of lost track of time but here are some things I have not written about:

I met up with a girl I met through facebook that is also teaching in Chile. Patrick and I met her at the subway on our way to our friend Paul's apartment. Earlier that day (Saturday, Feb 14) we met up with Patrick's friend (Lior) from Israel (that he met on an earlier trip to the south of Chile). We spent most of the day with Lior eating empanadas, guacamole and sandwiches at Patrick's place while watching funny commercials and comedy skits on youtube. 

The more people I meet here, the more I realize we are so tiny in comparison to the rest of the world's population. You may think you have the best friends in the world...and maybe you do...but there are so many other people out there worth giving a closer look. There are beautiful people (inside and out) all over the place if you just open your eyes.

Later on Saturday, Patrick, Lior, Leslie (the girl I met through facebook) and I went to Paul's apartment and drank some Chilean wine and we also had pisco which is a hugely popular liquor here. You mix it usually with Coke-a-Cola to make "piscola". Some of our friends from class were there and a few others met us there as well. 

Here are some pics from the event

 (from left) Lior, Pancho, Me, Paul and Leslie.

 (from left) Patrick, Leslie, Lior, Me, Pacho, Alex, and Adam.

This past week in class was hectic. BUT I did get to meet up with a girl that is good friends with another girl that went to UPEI also! Her name is Breanna and she is lots of fun. She arrived in Chile on the 20th and we met up last Sunday. We just hung out at this little ice cream restaurant. It was so nice to have a girl talk with someone for once. A lot of the friends I've made here are guys...I don't know why but I've just met more guys than girls here. 

We talked about our home towns, our family and friends. She reminded me of the type of person I would/have met at camp because we became great friends in the first 10 minutes of talking and anyone who has been to camp before...knows this is exactly what happens.

I have been thinking about where I'm going to work and I think I will look into jobs at the school I've been taking training classes at. It is a language institute that has spanish and english language classes (as well as this training class). March and April are supposed to be the months where language classes are really popular so I guess I arrived in Santiago at the best time haha.

The insititue doesn't pay as well as other colleges or universities but I am hoping to make a decent income off of private lessons as well. A 'normal' rate for teaching private lessons is 10,000 pesos per student per hour which is about $21 CAD. 

I've gotten used to counting in thousands haha. It's funny sometimes when I think about it. There is a little bakery/deli near my school where I go sometimes for lunch to get a little pastry or salad (to go along with the sandwich that I usually bring to school) they are anywhere from 300 pesos (for desserts) and 1,900 pesos for a big salad. it sounds like a lot of money if you've never counted in pesos before but food is generally pretty cheap here especially considering I'm living in a nice part of the city.

will write more later.

love and miss

x

-jacquie