Welcome me back!

I know you haven't heard from me in a while, and that's because after my vacation in Chile, I came back to the United States! That's right, I'm back home. But don't worry, I still have a few posts left in me. After I get settled in I will write some more (this week, I promise).

Take care.

Jen in Valparaiso is Now Illustrated!

Go check out some of the posts from June! I have finally uploaded pictures!

I promise to add more after my two week vacation in Chiloe.

Enjoy!

My School

It's all in Spanish, but if you go to this site you can see some pictures of my school. Check it out! I bet it's not what you thought it would look like.

No Nos Falta Palta

The other day, Rosa and I were having tea and bread and talking after school when we heard the neighbor calling at the gate by the road. I went out to let him in. He was carrying a crate of avocados. 'I brought these for Tia Rosa' he told me. I couldn't believe it. Chileans are so generous. There are probably about 3 bushels of avocados in the kitchen now. We will not be lacking for a long time. Last night we made guacamole for our tea and bread. Yum.

A Miracle

Last night Rosa decided to change my bedroom. We moved my mattress and blankets and everything to the smaller bedroom on the front of the house, away from the dogs, but closer to the noise of the cars passing.

I actually slept well! Dogs didn't wake me up! It's a miracle!

(But maybe the dogs weren't barking last night.)

¡Otro Temblor!

This time I knew immediately. 5 minutes ago I felt that same rumbling from two weeks ago and didn't hesitate a moment in realizing that I was experiencing another temblor. I was still startled. So startled, in fact, that I started speaking English to the kid next to me in the computer lab. ¨Shall we?¨ I said, and looked towards the door. He looked back at me, confused.

This temblor was not quite as strong as the one last time but it was a little bit longer. (Still no need to worry, Mom.) We all stood out on the patio for two minutes, then the students went back to class and I came back to write about it.

Cockadoodledoo!

If you think it is enchanting to be awakened by a rooster crowing, Chile isn't for you. If you can sleep THROUGH a rooster crowing, come on down! I'm serious. Between the roosters and dogs and the occasional duck, I haven't had a decent night's sleep since I left Santiago.

Some of you would say, ¨Jen, you are such a baby. You have such sensitive ears. Suck it up and sleep.¨ To you, I say ¨Cockadoodledoo!¨ And I'll keep on saying it outside your window... all night.

...And turn the air conditioning down to 40 degrees in your bedroom.

Campo Encantado

Sunday, I was allowed to leave the house. Rosa's friend, Tonio, took Rosa, Claudia, and I on a trip to Campo Ahumada. We went in Tonio's truck.

Campo Ahumada isn't much of a destination as it is a journey. The road winds up into the mountains, giving breathtaking views of the whole valley. It started to drizzle, then further up it turned into snow. The snow stuck to the plants (cactus covered in snow = funny) but not to the ground, making the landscape look like a brown-red mat covered with cotton balls.

The road turned from paved to dirt and we continued up until we came to a school. The outside of the school was all painted with English phrases that were poorly translated like ¨Here, English is learning, so if you speak, come on and welcome my pal.¨ We took a picture.

On the way back down, we passed the first huasos, Chilean cowboys, that I`ve seen. They were on horseback wearing round hats and wool ponchos to keep out the snow. They were leading a young black colt by a rope. We stopped the truck and Tonio approached them. ¨Can you spare a moment so she can take a picture with you? She's North American¨ he said, as if North American was an excuse for wanting a picture. They allowed it, in any case.

One day, when it's not snowing, Tonio has promised a return trip to Campos Ahumada where we will continue beyond the English school and further up the mountain.

Perkins

Wednesday night, Piero, Rosa's son, arrived from Santiago. At that time I was sick. Wednesday night, Rosa and Piero decided that I would NOT be going to school on Thursday and I had no say in the matter. Thursday, Rosa brought me breakfast in bed on one of her breaks from school. The rest of the day, Piero served as my personal ¨Perkins.¨ The Chilean Jeeves. He fresh squeezed orange juice for me, waited on me hand and foot, even considered finding a little bell for me to ring.

Thursday night I got a house call from the doctor, who gave me a shot of some antibiotics and some ¨North American¨ prescription. What he really wanted to give me was another medicine but since I have no Mapuche (native Chilean) blood in me I couldn't take it; it could kill me.

Today, they finally let me go back to school. I'm still sniffling a little, but I'm much better for the most part.

Everyone's a Doctor

So, I'm a little sick. I've got a cold and a cough. I went to the pharmacy in Valparaiso and got medicine but I still haven't gotten over it. The past two days at school, however, I've had the best doctors in Chile telling me what to do. I'm serious. Everyone at the school has recommended something different. I should take this cough syrup, that pill. I should forget medicine and take herbs. I should drink onion juice sweetened with sugar (really). Today, they had me covering sections of orange with honey and eating them to coat my throat so I won't cough as much. But then my 4th grade students told me that wasn't good, I had to try it with lemon. Everyone's a doctor... and I'm still sick.

Happy 4th of July

I'm sad to miss it, just like I was sad to miss Thanksgiving when I went to Spain. But, unlike in Spain, the people here have tried to make me feel like this is a special day. The group I eat lunch with had a little fiesta for me. We had choripan, a typical Chilean sausage with bread, like a hot dog. They took out a bottle of wine, which I couldn't drink because of my medicine. And last night I made brownies with the mix I brought from the US (mmm Ghiradelli). Making brownies was an adventure in itself because the ovens here don't have temperatures on the dial, nor do they sell thermometers for inside the oven to know the temperature. Chilean women just stick their hand in the oven to see if it feels right. Also, they don't have standard measuring cups. 1/3 of a cup is actually 1/3 of a teacup! So I just estimated. The brownies turned out ok. Maria Alicia used the birthday of the US as a chance to give me a bottle of Bailey's! Yum!

I will miss fireworks. They are outlawed here and can only be seen in Valparaiso on New Year's. I miss the beach at Grandma's, the warm weather, family and friends. But, come on, how many times do I get to spend 10 weeks in Chile in my life?

Valparaiso

Friday, in 80 degree weather, Rosa, Maria Alicia and I set out by bus to Maria Alicia's house in Valparaiso. It was cloudy and cold when we got there, but Valparaiso is still a pretty cool place. It's built on 45 hills and one flat area in the middle. It was the most important Pacific port until the Panama Canal opened but even still it's bustling. The houses are built on the hills and many were made from metal stripped from old ships. The houses are painted in bright colors: pink, orange, yellow, green, purple, blue. It's quite charming even if some of the houses are rusting.

It seems like more than anything, we walked. I bought a new pair of boots on Friday night and they were very comfortable (also warm, thank God). Saturday we went to La Sebastiana, the house of Pablo Neruda. We had to take an ascensor to get there. Ascensores are something like elevators that don't go straight up. Usually a small box fitting 6 or so people, a roof, and windows, they cost about 60 cents for a trip. While I was in Valparaiso, an ascensor caught on fire and destroyed the car, the building at the base of the hill, and the homes of a few people.

Saturday we also had lunch at a typical seafood place and walked around the port area, too. In the afternoon we went shopping (overall during the weekend I bought 7 sweaters, a pair of boots, and two pairs of wool socks for about 115 dollars). Saturday night I met up with other people from the program; Jack, Emily, and Sara. We went out with a Chilean and then spent the night in the apartment of the director of Jack's and Emily's school. Rosa and Maria Alicia didn't want me to return back to the house alone at night.

Sunday we went to the zoo. I wanted to see the condor. I was a little disappointed that the condor at the zoo was small. I was hoping to see a bird with a 20 foot wingspan. Condors have ugly faces, but you have to admit that they have a majestic presence just by their size. At the zoo there was a 59 year old elephant rescued from a circus in Argentina. For years she was chained up and could only get exercise by rocking herself back and forth. To this day, that's all she does... just rocks and rocks. It was one of the saddest things I've seen.

Sunday night we had tea with Rosa's brother, who's a professor in Santiago during the week and returns home to Valparaiso on the weekends. He lives with his wife and daughter in a beautiful apartment in the city just north of Valparaiso, Viña del Mar. Monday we had lunch with Rosa's aunt and uncle and some other family members before returning home Monday night.

Maria Alicia has offered me the keys to the house anytime I want to return. I'm so lucky to be friends with such generous and kind people in Chile!

Caution! Caution! Caution!

A word for the wise:

If you ever happen to be in Chile and go to Valparaiso and go to Cerro Baron and are on a street with lots of construction and a big hill and you want to cross from one side of the street to the other on a pedestrian crosswalk, FIRST make absolutely sure that there is no crazy taxi driver charging up the hill ready to run you over... or at least have reflexes like a cat so you can jump out of the way fast (I did the latter).

Good advice to live by.

I'll write more about Valparaiso later... and get the pictures up soon!

El Veranito de San Juan

They call it El Veranito de San Juan. St. John's Little Summer. It's a few more days of warmth before it gets cold again. Friday and Saturday of last week were so unbearable that I didn't think I could make it a whole Chilean winter. But since then the nights have been chilly and the days have been warm... until the sun dips behind the mountains. Today the temperature is going to reach nearly 80! There are no clouds in the sky. The view from the school is amazing. Snow topped mountains and palm trees. Take THAT all you North Americans. I still get (a little) summer AND I get to be in Chile.

Mi Reloj

My watch. My poor watch. He needs his own Guaterito, as Rosa would say.

My watch stopped working in Santiago. It had been in my purse and when I took it out the time was all wrong. So I went to get a new battery. They put it in my watch, I put my watch on my wrist and was ready to go. That night I took my watch off and put it in my purse. The next day it had stopped again! Darn battery store! They gave me a bad battery, I supposed. I put my watch on anyway. Later, I realized that my watch was working again. As it turns out, my battery isn't bad, my watch just needs a little calor humano or human heat, in order to work. Now, I only take off my watch when I shower. I try to see if I can make my shower short enough that my watch doesn't get too cold and stop. It only takes about 7 minutes (yes, Mom, I CAN take showers that short).

La Reina

I am royalty. Really. Kids come up to kiss me on the cheek (typical greeting), touch my hair, stare at my eyes. They ask to carry my bags. They can't wait for English class. But today's recess took the cake.

I was sitting outside in the patio when one of my students came up to me with her notebook and pen. I thought maybe she wanted me to translate something, but instead she asked for my autograph. I'm 100% serious! I told her that I wasn't famous, but she replied 'Here, you are.' So I wrote a little message in English and signed my name. Soon, I had a line of students waiting for me to sign their notebooks and write messages in English. I only had time to sign two, and my admirers were sad that I didn't get to sign theirs, but I told them we had 8 more weeks and that I would sign every single notebook.

Yo soy la reina.

¡Temblor!

About 15 minutes ago I was sitting and planning lessons and all the sudden a train passed by and the room shook... except there are no trains in my city. I just felt my first temblor in Chile. We had to evacuate the classrooms and stand in the patio in the center of the school. The epicenter was nearby on the coast and the temblor rated a 6 on the Richter Scale. A big tremble, but not yet a terremoto, which has to rate a 7 or above.

Don´t worry about me. Temblores are more common here than most places in the world and buildings here are built to withstand them and terremotos much larger than the one felt today.

No te preocupes. ¡Estoy viva!

Don`t worry! I`m still alive!

So much has happened since Friday morning. It would take me forever to write it all, but I`ll try to write the important stuff.

Friday:

6 of us left Santiago to come north into the mountains. We got to our bus destination in San Felipe and we were supposed to be greeted by two people from the program. It was freezing! We waited on the platform (outside) for an hour for the two people. Finally, I called them and they said that they were on their way and were running 'A little late.' We were all supposed to go to a lunch with our host teachers, English teachers, and school directors, but my director came and got me and took me back to the school. School gets out at 1 on Fridays but the teachers were still there having a 51st school anneversary party. I was the guest of honor. During our special lunch everyone got quiet to listen to the radio. The radio show hosts had a special 'Saludo' for the school in Las Cadenas (where I am) for their 51st anneversary and an extra special 'Saludo' for their special guest 'Yenneefer, who must be very cold.' All the teachers seemed so proud that we were on the radio. It was cute. At the lunch I met my madre, Rosa, who`s extremely nice and generous. I also met the English teacher who really doesn´t speak a word of English.

We returned to Rosa`s house after and I unpacked. She gave me presents: socks she knitted for the bed and a box of chocolates. We had tea and talked until 8 and went to bed early. There`s no heat in the house! It`s amazing how the majority of the breaths I take I can actually see. Rosa and I are lucky, however, she has a small wood burning stove that heats a very small area and she also has a propane heater in the little living room. Friday night it snowed! They told me it never snows here. Maybe once every three years or so... They told me I brought it.

Snow outside Rosa's house.

Saturday:

I woke up to the sound of roosters and dogs. My bed was so warm with 5 blankets and my 'Guatero' that I didn`t get up for an hour. Rosa and I went to a small Mapuche New Year's fiest in San Felipe. The Mapuche are the native people of Chile and they celebrate their New Year on the longest day of the year. Actually, the fiesta wasn't very interesting. They prayed in the Mapuche language and danced around a plant and then there was to be a lunch.

Rosa and I, however, went and had lunch with her best friend, who is also a teacher at my school. I had cactus fruit for dessert. On the news they said that Friday and Saturday were the coldest days they've ever had in 30 years.

Sunday:

View from outside Rosa's house on Sunday.

I woke up again because of the barking dogs. Dogs aren´t kept inside here and from 4-5 I could hear them barking outside. Rosa and I went to the cementery to visit her mom's grave. It's an above ground cementery and I took a few pictures.

Typical cemetery. Even the graves have great views!

A funeral came in while we were there. There was a small procession and people carrying flowers. Nobody was crying. We ate lunch at Rosa's father's and step-mother's house. It's very large with a big patio and even an orchard in back. The day was warm because the sun was out finally and so we ate outside on the patio (which was warmer than inside anyway) and I could take off my jacket, my two scarves, and my vest. I was left with a thin button-down sweater and a camisole.

After lunch, an old student of Rosa's (Claudia) and her mom (Carmen) came to get us in their truck and we drove to a nearby valley and climbed a hill called El Cristo de Rinconada where there is a great wood cross and Jesus carved from one single tree. From the top we had an excellent view of the valley and mountains.

A priest came up the hill with us and did a mass.

Then we went to El Cementerio de las Carretas, which is a huge field at the top of a hill where people have left old horse-drawn carts and covered wagons.

Me on the Iron Burro.

The most beautiful sky I've ever seen.

Today:
Today was the first day of school. I barely slept last night due to the incessant barking from 12:00-3:00. Rosa told me the dogs are barking at the night workmen that are constructing the new gym at our school and since the school is 3 doors down from us, we can hear the dogs barking at the workers. I went to 3 classes of 90 minutes each today. 5th, 6th, and 7th grade. I answered questions, showed them a map of the United States and pictures of Michigan. I helped them with work and pronunciation (because the English teacher doesn't know how to pronounce anything) and I played 'Diez' or 'Ten' with one of the classes.

About 7 of us went back to Rosa's house for lunch. You have to know the special password to enter but they told me I'm not allowed to tell anyone else, so... sorry. Tomorrow I've got more English classes and then the rest of the week I'll visit other teacher's classes. The kids are so excited for me to be here. They all call me Tía Jenni and want to be around me all the time. It's not hard to get them interested in English because they are so interested in me. It's quite amazing and I'm glad to be here.

The computer lab at school is pretty nice and I hope to update the blog a lot. Tomorrow I'll try to remember to bring my camera and upload some pictures.

Hasta luego!

Mi Guatero

I got a new best friend two days ago. His name is Guatero. He sleeps in my bed with me and keeps me warm. I know Guatero and I will be together for a long time. Long after I come back from Chile. I need Guatero with me forever.


Guatero is my hot water bottle. He is my hero.

Demi like me?

In our group of volunteers, we have some celebrity look-alikes. There is a girl who has been told that she looks like Angelina Jolie (minus the distinctive lips) and there`s another girl who`s a dead ringer for Kirsten Dunst. But this is a new one for me: I was told that I look like Demi Moore yesterday. Ok... so I`ve never even thought that, but what do you think?

Do I look like Demi? Vote in the comments section.

Call me!

I got a phone here! If you want to call me, Lerone and my mom have my number.

It`s expensive! (But I`ll really appreciate it!)

Coincidences

Today we had classes in the morning. We have to go back in the afternoon for more. One of the girls giving the classes is an American that now works as a program director. I asked her where she was from.

¨Michigan¨ she told me.
¨Really? Me too! What town?¨
¨Oh, a small one. It´s called Saugatuck.¨
¨NO WAY!!!!¨

Yes way. Very cool.

San Cristobal

Today I set out with four other girls to go to San Cristobal, which is a big hill in the middle of the city. We decided to walk to the river and then along it until we got to the San Cristobal. Along the way we passed a market that sold mainly fruits and vegetables but there were also little restaurants inside. We sat down for lunch and I got bread, soup, chicken and rice for about $2.50!

We walked through a dirty part of town, then a bohemian chic part of town, then showed up at the base of San Cristobal. We took the Funicular, a tram, up to the top and walked around.

Funicular route (I haven't figured out how to change the photo so it's upright. I suggest turning your head to the right 90 degrees.)

The view was AMAZING. Santiago stretched as far as I could see in every direction and in the distance I could see the snow-covered Andes. My pictures didn´t turn out great because there´s a layer of clouds and fog covering the city. But you can just take my word for it.

To go down the hill we took the Transferico, a cable car. We went down the other side of San Cristobal to the very nice side of town. There were a lot of beautiful houses over there and nice cars, too.

Now, I´m waiting for the program coordinator to show up and give us our itineraries. Classes until Thursday and then Friday morning we ship out to our towns. Good times.

Strength

This morning I woke up, still without my luggage, and I must say that I was feeling quite depressed. I asked myself how I could be so crazy and why I would come here. I was cold, I felt dirty, and more than that, I felt alone. I woke up before the other girls in my room, ate breakfast with a guy from Ireland that´s here just to travel, and went out. I walked to the Plaza de Armas and went into the cathedral. Mass was about to start, but I just sat down and prayed. I prayed for the strength to carry on. I prayed for my purpose to be revealed to me. I prayed for the opportunity to change the lives of the people I meet and have them change mine. Then, I left and returned to the hostel

...where, an hour later, my luggage arrived. And with it arrived my strength.

Cerro Santa Lucia, on my walk through the city.

View from Santa Lucia, National Library

No heat!

No hay calefacción.

There´s no heat in Chile. (I´m sure some might says it is chilly and think that is very clever) Very few stores and restaurants have heat, so I see families sitting down to eat at a restaurant and they are all wearing their jackets. I guess you learn to dress warm. The hostel where I´m staying also doesn´t have heat, which means I´m sitting here with pants, a shirt, a jean jacket, a courderoy jacket, socks AND sandals on. The jacket and the socks belong to Emily from the program (yes, I´m still waiting for my luggage). I can´t believe I´m wearing socks with sandals, but when you´re cold, fashion goes out the window.

There´s also no heat in our bedrooms. Last night I slept under two blankets and a comforter and I had to put my head under the covers to get my nose warm.

I should get my luggage sometime this afternoon. I tried to call the airline this morning to tell them where to deliver it, but they don´t answer the phone until 1pm there. Oh well. I´m going to head out to see the city and then I´ll come back to luggage (hopefully).

Happy Father´s Day

UPDATE: My luggage arrived 10 minutes ago! ... still no heat, however.

I´ve arrived! But my luggage, no.

Hola de Chile! I arrived this morning after three flights and 15 hours. After an hour, I finally got through immigration and went to wait for my luggage. And I waited... and waited 30 minutes. It´s cold in Chile, so my luggage decided to stay in Miami. This may be convenient for my luggage, but not for me. I am left coatless and shoeless (I am wearing sandals) and pijama-less until tomorrow. Luckily, I met two other girls from the program, Lindsey and Emily, who can loan me some things to hold me over until my luggage arrives. I´ll be in Santiago for a week and I hope to blog frequently. I´ll also try to upload some pictures.

This morning, as I was flying into Santiago, I had the best view from the plane´s window. The snow-covered Andes mountains were on my left and the sun was rising behind them, making it appear as if there was a great fire on the other side and I could only see the light. I can´t begin to describe how beautiful it was. Photo: La Moneda (Government Palace) in Santiago.

After a week-long orientation in Santiago, I go north to the town I will be staying in. I´m living with another teacher named Rosa. I´m very excited to get there and get settled in.

Take care and enjoy the warm weather!

Over Eager

In my over eagerness to learn more about my summer home, yesterday I drove to my neighborhood bookstore and plopped down on a stool in the travel section. I pulled out four different travel guides for Chile and flipped to the index to look up Santa Maria. No dice. Then I looked for San Felipe and out of the four guides, San Felipe was mentioned only in one! It wasn't even a feature. All this guide said was that San Felipe was a good day-trip from Valparaiso and it had some "pretty historical buildings" to see.

That's it.

Oh well.

I bought a different guide (the cheapest one) and went home to do another internet search for San Felipe. I did find this article that's more about the region around San Felipe in general. Check it out!

Another thought that I had last night: I will see a whole new set of stars when I'm down south. Kinda exciting.

Have a good week, everyone!

The Location

Yesterday I found out where in Chile I will be going. The town is called Santa Maria and I haven't been able to locate it on a map yet! However, I do know that it is near a city in the Valparaiso region called San Felipe, which is north of Santiago at the base of the Andes! Try Google Mapping San Felipe. Some people have uploaded pictures of the town and the surrounding areas as well. Still no word about my host family.

According to my contact in the program, there will be four other people from the United States going to the Santa Maria. He said that some schools participating in the program do not have internet access or even a phone but told me not to worry. I'm not worried. Don't you be, either!

I cannot make promises about blogging with any frequency. I'm not sure yet whether I will be able to have internet access in Santa Maria or if I will have to go to San Felipe. I will try to keep you updated, of course.

In the Beginning

So, here I am again at the beginning of a new Spanish-speaking journey.

Actually, it's about a month before my flight departs Detroit for Santiago (via Chicago and Miami). But I was getting excited about blogging again and I was trying to think of a good procrastination tool. I really should be lesson planning.

Oh well. Here's to many future adventures in Chile!