the thing about Chile is...

I have noticed...that there are things in Chile that make me laugh, smile, and do the "ugly face" as we call it in my teaching training course (refers to the face you make when you're questioning something). These things define my first week in Chile:

hospitality of locals -

(Maria and Edgar primarily but I've also met other Chilean families that are just so generous and loving). They just invite you into their home and want you to be comfortable. Maria and Edgar are such lovely people. We talk about anything and everything and they get so proud of me when I can say something in Spanish and not use my Spanish/English dictionary. Maria has told her relatives about how fast I've been learning and it's really great to hear others talk about my progress. Even after I move out on my own in Santiago, I will definitely come visit my lovely host family.

the stare down - 

the way locals stare at me like I'm from a different planet. they look at me like I don't belong here. I've tried staring back...they don't even flinch. The kids are the most amused by the way I look (my light hair and fair skin) because they can stare for a whole 10 minute bus ride and never be interested in looking at something else.

street and bus performances - 

I will never forget the Bob Marley performance on my bus ride home from class on Friday (read "pieces of the puzzle" to get the full story). the street performers here look like they can afford not to perform for a few extra bucks so thats what makes it extra special. they like to do it and it's more fun to watch. you don't feel obligated to give money and they don't beg you for it. So far I've witnessed the following bus performances:

guitar, some type of Chilean ukulele/mandolin, keyboard (yes a full size key board WITH stand on the bus), tambourine, more guitar and finally the plastic bottles used as drums. 

I've witnessed the following street performers:

Character drawings, flame throwers/flame jugglers, cheer leaders, jugglers (probably the most popular aside from the flame jugglers), a boy balancing on a large wooden wheel while juggling, baton twirlers and the one-man-drum-band...I'm sure I've seen more but those are the most memorable ones.

Edgar's English and his sense of humour- 

Edgar helps me out sometimes when I'm looking for a Spanish word...or when I want to say something faster than it would take to look it up. Edgar and I went for a bus ride on my second day here. We passed a Chrysler car lot and he pointed to it and said with his thick Chilean accent "Chrysler....American...Dream!" haha. 

The mountains - 

I'm happiest here when I'm just going about my business not realizing I'm in Chile and then something grabs my attention (usually the most obvious thing is the mountain scenery). In that moment of realizing where I am and how beautiful it is and realizing my gratitude for being here...I'm so happy.

'fruta' - 

the fruit and veggies in Chile are unreal. What we call fruit and veggies in Canada and the US should have a different name because if what I eat here is fruit...well I don't know what I've been eating back at home. The only way I can describe it is its like drinking a food. Its so juicy and so refreshing and so....amazing. The other thing about the fruit here...it's served commonly for dessert and you literally get like a quarter of a huge watermelon...or half a honey dew melon or like a peach and some plums...not just one slice haha. it's a whole other meal.

street dogs -

Yes...street dogs. there are dogs everywhere in chile...even in the downtown core of Santiago. most of them look fairly well groomed or taken care of but they are mainly just run away dogs or dogs people didn't want anymore. They just join together in packs on the sidewalks or near bus stops. They know when to safely cross the street and they are very tame. the other day while I was riding the bus, a lady came on and a dog followed her in. the bus driver asked the dog in Spanish if he had his bip card (which is the bus pass). I seemed to be the only one on the bus that found this hilarious because I guess it happens (dogs coming on buses...not dogs having bip cards). I think if I were homeless in Chile, I'd adopt a street dog as a companion. 

driving - 

people drive here like they have to get somewhere really fast or they will die. they aren't wrekless but they really want to get to where they are going. the funny thing about that is I rarely see road rage...and you'd think in a country where everyone drives in a hurry...that would mean they would get angry when someone cuts them off. 

walking - 

even though people drive like maniacs here...they walk super slow. Chileans arent really time conscious. If you're late it's not a big deal. There are many hours of the day. People are very relaxed here and happy. It's a good place to be.

"eehhhh" - 

the noise my students make when they are thinking of the answer. It's a long drawn out canadian sounding "eh". For example, students response to the question "where are you going today?" "eehhhhhhhhhh....I'm going....to the store." It's one of those things that acts as a reminder of where I actually am.

This list will certainly be an ongoing one that will hopefully last for the whole time I am here in Chile.

pieces of the puzzle

For the first two days I was living in Santiago, Chile, I wasn't lonely...but my list of friends was quite small. My best friends were Maria and Edgar and facebook. And trust me...those are pretty good friends. But after just two days...I was dying to meet people my age! It´s exhausting coming from an entirely english speaking place to an entirely spanish speaking place. I had been learning, listening to and speaking on spanish for two solid days. I was starting to think in a little Chileano accent haha. My brain was going loco.

The first day felt like a year...just puttin that out there. Two days does not seem like a long time when you are used to the things that fill your days on a regular basis. However...in Chile, my first two days felt like an eternity...in a good way.

Maria drove me a block or two away to buy a bip! card (a card for the bus system here). They have a bus stop right on the corner of their street...super handy. She then took me to a store to get her shoes fixed. Then we went to the supermarket and i pointed to each fruta and asked the name of it in espanol. We came back home, had dinner later, watched the noticas (news) and after I spent a while on facebook I went to bed. The jet lag was certainly setting in so I was out like a light.

Tuesday (my second day), Edgar and I went to Santiago center (the heart of Santiago with Museums, Cathedrals...city stuff). We took the bus and the metro just so I could get used to riding them on my own. Edgar and I walked around downtown and he pointed out good malls, shops, restuarants, museums and so on.

We took a few pictures and it was great.

This is a picture Edgar took of me in Santiago. (refer to Facebook for more from that day)

I met a lady on the bus back home who spoke English. It was my first time speaking English in a couple days so I just dove right in. She asked for my phone number at home and said it would be nice to get together for tea or something. She was Chilean but her husband was from the US and so her relationship with him, helped her learn English. So now...my second day in Chile I had a new friend. Nothing against old people but I didn´t feel super cool knowing that my best friends in Chile so far were an elderly couple (Maria and Edgar) and now another elderly woman I had met on the bus. I guess we have some things in common like an appreciation for knitting and drinking tea...but I was looking forward to Wednesday - the beginning of class and thus...the beginning of new friends...my age!

Wednesday morning rolled around and it was time for class. Maria was supposed to accompany me on the buss to class so I knew where I was going. It was part of her contract as being my host family. That was handy but the busses go so fast I was trying to landmark as fast as possible so I could remember my stops and transfers for the way home. Chinese restaurant, cool grafitti, crazy lookin tree, massive park and so on. We got off at Los Leones and got on another bus up to Linguatec (where I go to school). The buses are incredibly packed...and remember...its hot out. Needless to say...the bus ride is nice in the morning if you happen to get on a bus with very few people...but the chances of that happening are slim to none.

I met the 5 other people in my class and immediately after a warm up exercise to help us learn each others names and backgrounds...I felt at home. These were already my friends. We were all in the same boat (new to Chile and scared shitless). We all went out for lunch and I needed their help ordering my meal. I know the least amount of spanish in my class, however..I´ve probably learned the fastest as well. I´m pretty proud to say I´ve taught myself spanish...from a dictionary...it may not sound pretty...but it gets the job done haha. Class ran till 6 oclock...no that is not a typo. Class from 9 am to 6 pm. After that I went for a walk with my friend Patrick to his house and then to my house. We had arrived at the perfect moment. I showed him my set up upstairs and we looked out the window and saw this:

I can´t get enough of this view. I´m not bragging but...it´s gorgeous to wake up to. It´s a lovely reminder of how amazing our world is and how fortunate we are to be able to participate in it´s beauty.

He had dinner here with Maria and Edgar and I and it was nice to finally have someone help me with speaking rather than referring to my dictionary all the time.

We took a bus down to Providencia (near our school) to grab a glass of wine. We ate some empanadas which were lovely and the wine was delish! We learned that our waiter was originally from new jersey but now lives in Chile haha. Interesting encounter. Throughout our conversation, we saw a one man drum band go by, a flame thrower man, a woman selling roses, a man drawing pictures of people (including a picture of Patrick and I that looked HILARIOUS - I think Patrick is going to send me a photo of it and I will post on here). Chileans love their street performers. Anyways we took the bus back home and went our seperate ways. He´s a cool guy, fun to hang out with and has lots of experience travelling so he is also a handy person to have around...not to mention the usefulness of his knowledge of the Spanish language.

This is my friend Patrick and I.

The next day I rode the bus to class by myself and made it there with no problems at all. I get stared at a lot here and now I know what it´s like to feel out of place...really out of place. Number one I look much younger than I am and number two...I´m white haha. I´m definitely a conversation piece for people riding the bus.

Class has been great so far but it´s tiring. It can be fun sometimes but it´s such a long day. During our lunch hour we met another guy taking some Spanish classes at Linguatec who was also taking the same course as us for teaching...but online. He ate with us and is super cool. His name is Adam and he is from Detroit which I learned means something super explicit in Chile...look it up if you ever have time. Note to those from Detroit...never say your city name in your travels to Chile...it could save you mucho humiliation haha.
After class on Thursday Patrick and I went to the nearby mall and bought cell phones. We both needed phones and I needed someone who spoke Spanish and English. He´s my walking dictionary...and friend too of course haha. On my bus ride home a guy came on with a guitar and started playing a Spanish song. This is common in Chile to have not only street performers...but bus performers too. After the Spanish song, he broke out some Bob Marley `get up, stand up´which I so wanted to join in on but was too shy. He had a great voice and although you could tell he had heard that particular song...I knew he had no idea what he was saying. It was funny and really cool to just realize that that was my little soundtrack for my bus ride home from school. When I came home, I showed Maria and Edgar and their son (who is older and has a career in architecture) and told them (in spanish of course) about my shopping trip and about how cool my new phone is. The great thing about coming home after a day full of teaching lessons in English...I have an implied two hour spanish lesson with Maria and Edgar (just through conversation about how my day was).

On Friday two of the people in my class had their first practice teaching lesson. We all teach 6 hours worth of Enlgish classes to real Chilean volunteers that want to learn English. We have a topic given to us and we formulate the lesson plan for the one hour class. We have 4 beginner students and 2 intermediate students. They are older business people and stay at home mothers who are interested in learning language. They are all very fun and lovely to be around. It is so amazing seeing people learn a Language you are fluent in. I get so proud of them :)
I can´t help but think that means I´m doing the right thing here by choosing to teach English if it makes me so happy. My first practice class is on Tuesday. I´m teaching the intermediate class the vocabulary and context in which to use the word `honesty´.

Patrick invited Adam and I to a birthday party. One of Patrick´s friends he had met from Chile was turning 23 and throwing a party.

This is a picture of Pancho (Patrick´s Chilean friend), myself and Adam.

It was so much fun and I was so glad I went. At this party I learned that you havent gone to a party unless you stay until at least 5am. If the party ends before then...it´s not a party but simply a get together haha. I met a guy named Joseph there who is a Jewish Chilean that had lived in the US for a few years. His English was great and we chatted most of the night. It´s been so fun meeting new people around here that I can keep in touch with..I am after all living here now...and not just visiting.

This is almost the whole group of people at Pancho´s party...I was one of the few girls there (Pancho´s sister and friend were there as well but were not present for this photo). They were really fun and Pancho´s parents that were hosting the party were very generous and tried teaching me some Spanish as well. I brought my dictionary and phrase book because...well I don´t go anywhere without it! The Chileans thought it was hilarious because it has things in there like pick up lines, how to order food, what to say at a doctors office, and of course the sex chapter. It made for a humourous evening.

Yesterday (Saturday), Paul from my class invited Patrick and I to his place in downtown Santiago. He took us on a little tour of Santiago. We saw the Cathedral, walked past museums and took a small outdoor tour of their Presidential Palace called La Moneda.

The guards in the entrance to La Moneda look like this :) He was pretty cool and let me pose with him for a photo.

After seeing some sights, we walked around in Bellavista...the bohemian (and more dangerous -at night- part of town). I really liked the vibe there...but would never go alone or want to live to close to it. I think it is kind of touristy to the point where pick pocketers watch you and wait for the perfect moment to pounce. I feel safe in every other part of Santiago I´ve been to...but I didn´t feel suuuper safe there...even walking with two much bigger men. After that we went to Paul´s apartment that Linguatec set up him with and he has such a great view. his place is fantastic and really cool. Two more of my classmates also live in the same building and so we saw them too and Adam came over too. I met some new people and practiced some Spanish and got a few little lessons from my friends Jamie and Paul. We drank wine, chatted, ate some pizza and hung out until around 3 am. Paul´s apartment has a cool terace that overlooks the city and is so beautiful. It was nice to look at Santiago from a different angle and especially at night too. It was really nice.

Today was my day to just hang out and relax. I walked to a store called JUMBO which is equivalent to the Superstore or WalMart. It had everything and there are workers stationed in each isle in case you need help or have an questions. It´s a great concept...for someone who speaks the language haha. A man working there asked if I needed help when I was picking out pens and things for class...my response was `No habla Espanol bueno´or `I no speak Spanish good´hhaha. Anyways he was alright with that and gave me some space haha.

I walked home and the sun felt so nice. It was scorching here today and if I hadn´t put on sunscreen earlier...I´d look like a lobster right now.

I´m starting to feel more comfortable in Las Condes, Providencia, Santiago area and it´s feeling more like home everyday. I know the language will come and the barrier will be broken but it´s a slow process. I feel more comfortable speaking at home here with my host family than out in the real world. I´m just takin it day by day. So far I just feel like the pieces of the puzzle are all coming together.

Thanks for reading! xo to all

solo espanol

(first written the night I arrived...then added to several days later. )

I am pleased to announce my arrival to Santiago, Chile. It was a long long trip, sprinkled with ups and downs but I managed to pull through without shedding a tear. I am currently sitting in my bedroom. I have just finished unpacking. It is 6 35 pm and the sun is shining bright still. I look out the window and right in front of me is some kind of exotic tree, in the distance some type of palm trees and in the distance behind those (but still quite close) are the mountains. ...I'm not joking. I will wake up tomorrow morning, look outside...and see mountains. It is absolutely beautiful in Santiago. Let me paint a picture of my trip here:

I woke up on Saturday morning bright and early to finish my packing. I knew I was packing far too many clothes...but I seem to do that every time I go somewhere and it always sets in when I unpack that I brought too much. I watched some TV with my sister, ate a little (but not too much because I get nervous before plane rides and therefore can't eat). Before I knew it I was giving Moe (my dog) a kiss goodbye. The drive to the Toronto airport was filled with talk of what to do if, where to go when, how to... and so on. Travel advice from parents always helps, especially those as well travelled as my mother and father.

I had a bit of a wait at the Toronto airport and looked around for a universal adapter. Unfortunately none of the adapters I could find were for laptops...they all had specific instructions to only be used with hair dryers and so on. (I would later find out from a well travelled friend´s experience that this is not necessarily true). My flight from Toronto to Miami was great. No complaints...except I had to sit beside a couple that loved each other...and although that is lovely...I couldn´t help for the full flight how much I was going to miss my love...and how I would not be able to simply sit beside him for a long time like this couple was doing right then and there beside me.

I landed in Miami which was beautiful (at least from the view I had upon arrival there). I would guessed based upon my 2 or 3 hour experience in the Miami airport that 90 percent of people living in Miami are more than fluent in Spanish. I felt like I was already in South America haha. I was confident that I would have enough time to catch my next flight with lots of time to spare (which was true) BUT after a very long wait in a check-in line, the woman working at the counter and I had a conversation similar to this:

Check in lady: Passport please

(I handed her my passport and flight booking confirmation information)

(She typed many things into the computer and didnt say much for what felt like an eternity)

Me: Is everything OK?

Lady: No.

Me: What´s wrong?

Lady: It´s cancelled

Me: What? It´s cancelled?!?!

Lady: Yes. One minute.

(I was silent for a good...3 minutes but it felt like forever. Thoughts of how I was going to make it to Chile, where I would stay that night, how much money I would need...and so much more ran through my head. I was silent for a few minutes while the woman looked concerned and frantic, making calls, typing things in and so on. I felt like I could have cried and asked for my mommy haha.)

Me: So my flight is really cancelled?

Lady: Nope, just your reservation for the seat...but that´s OK. I fixed it.

Me: Wow, you just ruined and made my day all in the same 5 minutes. Thanks! (I think I said this in a mixture of attitude and graditude haha).

Oh miscommunications...that´s all I have to say about that.

My flight to Santiago from Miami was like 9 hours or so. It left Miami at around 9pm I think and landed in Santiago at around 7am. I had arranged for a car to pick me up and take me to my new address. The cab driver spoke NO English but knew the address. It was quite a long drive past mountains, run down neighbourhoods, posh neighbourhoods, garbage but then pure beauty. I kept switching back and forth from thoughts of amazement and happiness to concern as to why I had come all this way haha. I had always thought going to University in PEI when I lived in Ontario was a little crazy...but was I actually going loco now??? haha

I had a smile on my face the whole ride. Who knows what the driver thought...but I didnt really care either.

Finally, we turned down this street. My new home...for the next month anyways.

When I arrived at my host family´s house I got out of the car and saw Maria (my Chilean mama as I know call her). She was speaking spanish so quickly I had no idea what was going on. I just smiled and laughed and eventually said Englias? She said `No...no Englias! Solo Espanol!´. I knew maybe Ola and Englias as my complete vocabulary of the spanish language. We took my bags upstairs to my room and what I was alone for a second I said out loud to myself. Ok...they only speak spanish...crap!

I was terrified. But then I opened my window and saw this

I knew I would be ok.

I pulled out my spanish/english dictionary and we started to have a conversation. I showed Maria and Edgar (my Chilean papa) pictures of my friends, family, school and so on. We were talking. I was actually learning Spanish...even if it had taken me 5 minutes to say a couple sentences. They gave me a tour of the house and fed me lunch. I didn´t go back to my room for another 3 hours due to thelength of our initial conversation. Later that evening Edgar showed me his officina and told me that if I ever needed to use his computardo it was OK. I noticed his calendar hanging on the wall. November 2008 is what it said. I looked through my dictionary to formulate a sentence that meant something like`Edgar you´re living in the past. It´s 2009. Maria laughed and then pointed to his clock on the wall which had no working batteries and she commented on how time did not pass in Edgars officina haha. After that...I knew this new home was going to be great.

I unpacked my things and got settled in. I was sure that when I left Ontario I was going to cry myself to sleep that first night I arrived in Chile but the mixture of learning a day´s worth of Chilean Spanish, jet lag and heat made me sleep like a baby in my new room!