The Beginning of the End! (A Basket Full of Feelings)

Today we had a closing ceremony at Hotel Antofagasta that included lunch with our head teachers. I couldn't believe that just four short months beforehand I was sitting in the exact same hotel for our opening ceremony. Starting and ending our journey at the same place felt like everything had come full circle. I felt the same crisp breeze from the ocean on my skin, and I gazed out onto the beautiful shoreline. Antofagasta had become my home away from home, and I know that I'll miss the gorgeous sunsets, the never-too-cold climate, and the beach. But most of all, I will miss the people who made my semester in Chile worthwhile.

It's a bit ironic that when I finally feel used to Chilean culture, I'm heading home! I know that it will be difficult to adjust to American culture again after being around chilenos que son de piel.

When you're leaving a place, lots of strange and conflicting emotions arise. Sometimes there's regret from feeling like maybe you could have done a little more. Maybe I could have gone out more, maybe I could have tried harder to make English club take off, maybe...maybe I should have done more. But then you have to take a step back and realize all that you've accomplished. I admit that I was feeling kind of down today, wondering if I made that much of an impact, but I saw all of my students with booths for a project they had been working on all year for another class. They exclaimed, ''Hello Miss!'' and explained their projects in English! (Try explaining a solar-powered cell-phone charger in another language!). I was so proud of them!

There's of couse sadness because you're going to be leaving your students and people that you have grown close to. There's possibly indecision about the future because the place that you lived has touched you and changed you as a person. Some days I think I'm going to come back and stay in Chile forever and ever! Then I realize the compexities of teaching here and I feel more affirmed in my decision to study speech pathology in the states. But I don't feel quite at home in either place and I flip flop on where I want to 'start my life'. I have itchy feet to get out of rural Ohio and explore a new place that finds a spot in my heart like Chile has.

Maybe there's insecurities too. I keep seeing engagement and baby pictures on Facebook while I'm hopping continents in South America, or I hear about people meeting their pololos (boyfriends) while they're volunteering in Chile. I hear about people starting grown-up jobs or going to graduate school, and I start to wonder if I'm on the right path. But I assure myself that everything has folded out exactly the way it should, and what is meant to happen in the future will happen.

Sometimes I forget that everyone goes through these emotions, especially in the 'growing-phase' of being a 20-something. Heck, I think most people in the program are probably going through the same thing as I am!

But when all those negative emotions arise, you have to feel them, release them, and procede with confidence. I admit that the confidence and making decisions is not my forte. I got some slack for doing this program from some people I know because it's not a paid position, and I let myself wallow in that indecision. (Oh my gosh, did I make the wrong choice?). But I realize that when people disagree with you, that's when you really have to be confident in what you are doing. You don't have to know everything in the universe about said decision to be sure that it's what you want to do.

But in this basket of emotions I mostly feel thankful to have been able to meet such wonderful people in Chile, to bond with hard-working students, to inspire students to learn English, to work with dedicated staff, and to feel so at home at Netland school. I know that my experience might not be typical and I feel like I got the best of everything: a great host family, supportive and knowledgable staff, and amazing students! So if you are reading this, THANK YOU, because you probably helped make my stay in Chile such a wonderful and rewarding experience. I know that I'll always have a little piece of Chile in my heart!

My seventh graders threw my a Thanksgiving feast! :)

In the future: What I wish I knew before teaching in Chile!

Lesson on the Week! Food!

Per doctor’s orders, I am currently banished to my bed due to strep throat- amigdalitis. I actually had to look it up because in Argentina it’s called anginas. So I knew that I was sick with something, but I wasn’t sure exactly what until I whipped out my online dictionary. Giving classes on strep throat probably wasn’t the best idea, so I have to take it easy this weekend. I wanted to meet some people through CouchSurfing and ‘get out there’ a little bit more, but it will have to wait!

The good news is that I have time to catch up on some reading and blogging.

I thought that it would be cool to do a Lesson of the Week segment. I personally love reading teaching blogs that help me brainstorm  ideas for lesson plans, so maybe this entry can help out some fellow volunteers and TEFL teachers. As a new volunteer, you experiment a lot with different ideas. Sometimes they go just okay and sometimes they totally bomb (I’m sure every teacher knows that moment of dread when you stare into a sea of 20 blank faces and then try to then improvise on the spot). But sometimes, lessons go really well, the kids use the language, and they actually have fun doing it! I think that every teacher relishes those awesome lessons where everything seems to just click.

 What would you like?

I did this lesson with my terceros or high school juniors. They are working on a unit with food, and one of the activities in their workbook dealt with using different measuring units (a cup of, a glass of, a bowl of, etc.). Their learning objective was to order food at a restaurant using these expressions.

Vocabulary

·        A cup of

·        A glass of

·        A slice of

·        A piece of

·        A bowl of

·        A bag of

Miscelaneous food items, such as pizza, chips/crisps, water, juice, apple tart, cake, pie, etc.

Food items. The one in the middle is an apple tart. I realized halfway through drawing that I don't know
what an apple tart looks like...

Grammatical Structures

What would you like (to eat/drink)?

I would like _______

Could I have ?

Here you are.

The Lesson

I started out the lesson by passing out nametags and asking each student what his  favorite food was. I introduced the word of the day (‘tried’) and asked the them, Have you tried ____? They responded and they also asked me if I have tried various Chilean foods.  Have you tried empanadas? Have you tried terremotos? Have you tried kababs (anticuchos?) Of course, I said yes to almost everything!

I then brought up a graphic organizer with the measurement words. I had various foods drawn on paper with sticky tack on the back. I told the kids, I would like…and then held up the paper. I would like…. Pizza? A whole pizza!? No? Ah, very good. I would like a SLICE of pizza! I then put the piece of paper under the respective category on the board. Or I let the kids stick it on the board for me. I also joked around with the students to reinforce vocabulary words. So I would like a glass of pizza? *pretend to drink a glass of pizza* No? A slice? Ahhh…

Excuse my Ipad's poor picture quality! 

After we sorted out the vocabulary items, if I had time, I did a ball toss with the students, asking them What would you like? I would like _______. Then we got into our game, which was inspired by a lesson that I saw during English Opens Doors orientation.  There were two teams, and another person who was the customer.  One person from each team stood in the back of the room, while the customer sat at a desk in the front of the room. I placed all of the food papers (I had duplicates for each team) on both sides of the customer’s desk. The waiters asked, ´´What would you like?´´  and then the customer said, ´´I would like …´´ When I said GO!, the waiters ran to the front of the room to pick up the paper of the food item. The first waiter to place the paper on the desk and say, ´´Here you are!´´ got a point for their team.

Getting Ready to Race! 

I enjoyed some of the customers’ suggestions. I would like a slice of bread and a glass of water. (Living life on the wild side, huh?). I would like a bag of chips and a slice of cake. (Class, is that healthy?). Some students put the waiters’ working memory to test by asking for five things off the menu! And some students said, ´´I would like everything off the menu, please!’’ and the waiters scrambled to pick up all the pieces of paper.

Finally, for my ticket to leave/ exit question, I asked each student, What would you like (to eat/drink)?

So if your class is working on food, this might be an interesting lesson try!

The Little (Positive) Things

I have realized how important it is to focus on the little positive things! Sometimes, it can be discouraging when a lesson doesn't go as planned, but sometimes I forget that the positive things far outweigh the negative ones. 

So what are the positive things?

• When my students see me in the hallway and shout 'OH!' and I shout 'IO!' (Anyone buckeye from OHIO should know the chant!)
• When my students get excited to participate in a game
• When I see my students using something that I taught them. There is no better feeling than seeing lightbulb moments go off in their mind! :)
• When I get to see my students' creativity and silliness. I usually try to encourage their silliness because hey, they are using English! 
• What did you eat during vacation? - I ate babies! 0_o
• What is a baby? -A mini-human.
• Where did you travel over vacation? -To Spain to see my family, the king and queen...
• What did you do last week? -I played with dolphins who vomitted rainbows!
• When students stay after class to talk to me
• When students say, ''Hello Miss!'' when I walk down the hallway
• When students try to explain Chilean culture to me in English. Several students have engaged in full-blown discussions about the regional dances of Chile, the cultural diversity, the geography....It's sweet that they want to share their culture with me!
• When the students give me little surprises, like candy or drawings.

Last, I want to share a drawing that one of my 7th grade students gave me. I have told the kids a little bit about Ohio, and one day I found a gift-wrapped paper under my door. It was a picture of all the things from Ohio! It is the best gift that I have gotten here...I still can't help but smile when I see it. Football, our state bird, buckeyes...I think he covered everything!

Felices Fiestas Patrias

Are you ready for Fiestas Patrias? All of Chile has been gearing up for their independence day celebrations. Technically September 18th commemorates the primera junta, or when Chileans first gathered to discuss breaking away from Spain. They gained their independence at a later date, so September 18th techinically isn't independence day...but let's just call it that for translation's sake!

One of the best aspects of independence day is the food. Chileans celebrate with asados, or cookouts where they grill meat. I already feel stuffed from empanadas, choripan, and mote con huesillo. Chileans also play typical games like sack races, musical chairs, and three-legged races, but they have uniquely Chilean games as well. Many play with emboque, which is like ball in a cup but much harder, and trompos, where you wrap string around a top and throw it on the ground to make it spin. My students tried to teach me and it's much harder than it looks! 

Mote con huesillo- Peaches in juice
with grain that you eat at the bottom!

Choripan with pebre, a Chilean pico de gallo

Empanadas filled with beef, eggs, raisins

Emboque, Chilean ball in cup!

Trompo

Flying kites is also a traditional 18 de Septiembre event, and the younger students at my school sparkled the sky with their colorful kites. 

Dancing is also a huge part of Fiestas Patrias! At my school, the students practiced all semester to perform their dances for an Independence day celebration. Chile is a beautifully diverse country with lots of different cultures, and each culture is represented in a dance. For example, the national dance is the cueca. A man in traditional garb, the wasso, tries to win over his partner, the wassa. The girl flirts with him and the man tries to show off with fancy footwork to win her heart. If you have a handkerchief (which is a crucial element to the dance!), you can learn the basic footwork to dance cueca. What's difficult is jazzing it up and giving it your own style.

Las wassas

We also saw dances from the North of Chile which are heavily influenced by Peruvian and Bolivian culture. For example, the caporal, in which boys dance with bells on their boots, is a typical Bolivian dance. The caporal is a favorite among many Chileans because of its upbeat rhythm and power. Other dances included the pascuense, from Easter Island, which is very similar to Hawaian dances, and the mapuche, named after the indigenous people of the South of Chile.  

The ending of the caporal 

Mapuche

Pascuense

A dance from Northern Chile called tinkus. So many colors!

The little kids were adorable! Representing the Chilean Flag.

                   
Felices Fiestas Patrias!

Spelling Bee, Public Speaking, and Bears...Oh My!

I have been incredibly busy! It´s hard to find time to blog, but I would like to update this blog every week to get keep you in the loop. I also realize that time goes by so fast, and I want to remember every detail of my experience here before it all goes away. Writing things down helps my infallible memory.  I have already been in Chile for one month! I can´t believe it! And I don´t want to miss a thing!

HEM Debate 

Last week, we had a debate competition with the surrounding schools. I want to give a shout out to my students to tell them how proud I am of them! Unlike the topics for the Ministry Debate, which were more personalized (Do you think rap music is a bad influence?), the topics for this debate were tough. It was difficult for me to even think of how to debate them, because you need to know a lot of history, politics, etc. 

Do you think Chileans living abroad should be able to vote in national elections?
Do you think that the U.S. should intervene in world affairs? 

Thanks to Miss Sara, the debate coach, for her hard work!

Our group made it to the final round and I was so proud of all their hard work! The students from our team were pretty young in comparison to those from the other teams, so they have the chance to come back next year stronger and more prepared. The students got lots of great experience from the competition. 

And I was blown away at how well some of the students (ours and other schools´) could debate such complicated topics that would be difficult for any gringo.

Public Speaking

The Ministry of Culture and Education in Chile holds a public speaking contest to encourage students to use their English and to engage in healthy competition. The topic for this year was:

Who is the most influential American of all time?

My students chose Mark Zuckerburg, the inventor of Facebook, of course! Again, I was impressed at how well the students did their speeches and how articulate they were! Public speaking is hard even in our first language; I remember how nervous I was for my mandatory communications class in college. Our regional representative, Carla Fuentes, comments that each year, the students get better and better. She is constantly being impressed by their English!

We moved on to the next round of the competition, so Miss Sara (the other American teacher at the school), the two participating seventh graders, and I are very excited! Some schools seem to take the competitions too seriously, which puts too much pressure on the kids. But I can honestly say that that isn't the case here. We have been having so much fun preparing for public speaking! The kids have really come out of their shell and it`s great to see their personalities.

Students from public speaking and spelling bee. Both teams moved on to the semifinals! 

Travel

Last week was chock full of travel! I appreciate how my host family is going to such great lengths to make me feel at home and get to know more of Chile. We first visited Huatacondo, then Pica, and finally Iquique. 

From L to R: Iquique, Pica, Huatacondo

In the small town of HUATACONDO, we saw the religious dances for La Asuncion de la Virgen. Catholics believe that this day, Mary left Earth for Heaven. (I`m sure it has an English translation, but since I`m not Catholic, I don`t know!). It was fascinating to see the mixture of indigenous and religious influences in the celebration and the costumes. The costumes were adorned with beads, textiles, and other decorations that demonstrated indigenous roots. For example, many of the costumes looked similar to the native Peruvian wardrobe that many of us are familiar with. (Multi-colored dresses, etc.) 

This blend of indigenous and Catholic influences can be seen all throughout Latin America, such as in the Mexican festival of Dia de los Muertos. While historically, the Catholics tried to oust indigenous beliefs, the ceremony in Huatacondo seemed welcoming to both cultures. For example, many indigenous people in South America believe in a deity called the Pacha Mama, or Mother Earth. The priest in the ceremony mentioned, ``Those who believe in the Pacha Mama are blessed by Jesus. They are from the Earth and they are meek.`` The valdiation of the indigenous culture in a Catholic ceremony was refreshing. I think that we could learn a lot from this tolerance and acceptance of different ways of life.

And then, the dancing. People danced into the wee hours of the night, with their own marching band blaring behind them. Then they danced at seven in the morning to get everyone ready for the day`s festivities. When do they sleep?! Certainly not during this week!

The aforementioned bear dancer

Fireworks at night

The dragon dancer!

I don´t know what this is. Medusa?

The caporal, my all time favorite dance! The dancers have bells that jingle jangle as they move. 

The outside church

Then we went to PICA, home of oodles of mango and lemon trees. I probably drank my weight in natural mango juice there. We also visited the hot springs, and it was nice to unwind and relax in the warm water. Supposedly there are also dinosour tracks in the town, so they had an exhibition devoted to dinosours. My host sisters looked so tiny next to the gigantic dinosaur statues!

Finally, we went to IQUIQUE, We saw a replica of the ship La Esmeralda. If I have my facts straight, the ship was used in a war against Bolivia and Peru. The countries were fighting for territory, and Bolivia and Peru ganged up against Chile. While Chile won the war (and consequently, the land), they lost the battle and a Pervuain ship actually sunk the Esmeralda. Pratt, the commander of the ship, was killed when he jumped onto the Peruvian ship to try to attack the enemy. 

And now?

I admit that I am still getting used to teaching and Chilean culture, even though I feel very much at home here. There are lots of pros about living here: the students are friendly, there is a great sense of community at the school, the pace of life is more relaxed, etc. However, as a gringa, it`s still hard for me to get used to the relaxed pace of life (Sometimes I`m in a go go go mood!), waiting until the last minute to do everything, constantly changing schedules, etc. That`s when you have to hone in your flexibility and just go with the flow. I`m learning to be more flexible, which I think will serve me well as a future teacher or speech pathologist. I love to plan, but you really need that flexibility when your plans fall through. 

As for some bad news, my laptop is kaput. I thought that it had a transformer already built into the charger to deal with the voltage difference, but I might have been wrong. With a fried motherboard, there is little hope for salvation. I am very fortunate that the school has lent me a laptop, but it only gets internet in the school. I try not to think about the fact that a new laptop is probably more than my stipend for my entire semester in Chile, because that makes me feel like throwing a mini temper-tantrum. Maybe I can scrap my laptop and sell it for parts...

As for teaching, I am having a great time with the students! I try not to become overwhelmed, because this is still fairly new to me. Sometimes, I struggle with thinking about how to teach a certain concept in a conversational way (How do I make reporting verbs fun?). Sometimes I can`t come up with anything, and other times, I have so many ideas that I don`t know how to filter through them all! I have to remember to keep things simple and to not overthink things, because I have a habit of doing that! There are always going to be challenges. Sometimes I talk too fast and forget to simplify my language, sometimes a class is bouncing off the walls, and sometimes a lesson just bombs. But you learn from it! 

Vacations are coming up in my school, so the kids are getting a bit antsy. I am excited to see all of the celebrations for the upcoming Chilean Independence Day! The students have practiced typical Chilean dances such as the caporal, pascuence, and cueca. 

I'm off! I sent a giant hug to anyone who is reading this from the U.S.- I miss all of you!

Those Days

[10:00 a.m.]

Today has barely started but it´s already seemed like one of ´those days´. I anxiously glanced at my watch as we ate breakfast this morning, worrying about whether I would get to my class in time. I usually go to school with my host sisters, but they arrive about five to ten minutes before school starts. That´s great for the days when I have late classes, but today I felt like a frazzled mess! My heart raced as I rushed to set up the projector, organize my books, and do the million little things I like to do before class.

I´ll have to take the bus next time!

To be honest, I have felt like a frazzled mess lately! I try to breathe deeply and tell myself that it´s normal. It´s just culture shock and it will eventually dissipate. The thing is, I honestly could not ask for a better situation, but I know that I will still have ´those days´. My host family has astonished me with their kindness. The school climate is welcoming and the English department, a group of twenty and thirty year olds, seem ´hip´ and full of great ideas. The school has an excellent English curriculum from Cambridge, the teachers speak almost 100% in English in their classes, and the school has resources that my schools in the states never even had! (I can´t describe how pumped I am to have a projector!).

My host family is the best! My host mom, Eliana, and my two host sisters, Evelyn and Natalia. 

Culture shock comes in waves and the things that you love at first can turn into little annoyances that grate on your nerves. Wow, people are so friendly and family-oriented here! It´s nice that they´re not so rush rush rush like in the United States. And they don´t eat dinner? Well, you don´t really need a huge meal at the end of the day, anyway. Bread and tea will do. And school lasts until 5:00? It seems like the school has more of a sense of community here and that the kids actually like staying after school to participate in clubs!

But then.... Oh my gosh, can I get a moment alone!? I love talking to everyone after dinner (here that has a name - la sobremesa), but how in the world can I get anything done? I have clubs at school and don´t get home until six or later, then we have once (tea time), everyone talks, and then it´s time to go to bed! How does anyone accomplish anything!? How can I break away without being the cold American - la gringa fria? And what I would do for an American dinner!  will have to propose the idea of an American dinner day to my host family. What should I cook? (Or rather, what can I cook? Ramen?).

Overwhelmed is how I feel, but I know that´s normal. Since my school has trimesters, we are in the midst of preparing students for a debate competition and public speaking. I have a colleague who actually did the English Open Doors program a few years ago and she´s been a huge help iin introducing me to the different initiatives that I will be involved in. But everything still seems like a lot! I also have to organize some sort of a club (I´m thinking something with music in English), I also need to take a speech pathology course online to have the pre-reqs for grad school. And oh, I should probably brush up on my Portuguese since I´m going to teach in Brazil next year. Brain exploding in 3...2...1...

I know that preparation and better time management can help overwhelm, but it´s really difficult in a culture that isn´t time-centric! I´m afraid of seeming antisocial when I´m trying to be productive. 

I just have to remember to not take it personally. Feeling frazzled doesn´t mean that I´m not cut out for Chile or teaching, or that I´m doomed, or anything like that. But I also try to remember that I create the climate of my classroom. If I´m all spazzed out and stressed, my students will feel that too. I don´t know what I need to do to not feel like that. Yoga? Meditation? Regular exercise and mindfulness? I think I´m making life harder than it needs to be- having the right attitude is really half the battle.It´s important to acknowledge your feelings and let yourself feel them, but if you let them pull you in, then everything goes downhill from there. If you can feel those feelings and let them go, your day can do a 180. 

I´m trying to be more mindful of my doubt and insecurity as well. I doubt myself way too much and have a habit of fatalistic thinking. Oh my gosh...what if something goes wrong! But what if it goes right? I don´t exactly know how to build confidence but I´d like to start doing that. My collegue keeps saying, ¨You are so creative! Your students are going to have so much fun!¨¨. As silly as it sounds, sometimes I take myself too seriously and I forget Hey, this can be fun! This can go well! 

Later

I was in a much better state of mind for my later classes. My students reminded me why I wanted to do this program :) I showed them photos from Ohio and did the O-H-I-O chant with them. It works surprisingly well to catch their attention when it's too noisy! I poured more energy into my lesson and you would be surprised what a difference it makes in the students! I left the classroom feeling energized and inspired.  

Also, a little girl from fifth grade pulled me aside and asked me, ¨MIss, when are you going to work with my class?¨I told her that I wasn´t working with the fifth graders, and she looked dissapointed. ¨¨You should talk to my teacher! Come in for a day! Miss, I want to learn English so bad!" Another student on the debate team popped in my room too. I thought she was confused on where her practice was, but she said, "No! Just to say hi, Miss!" Their interactions really made my day and lifted my spirits. I realized that I can have a positive relationship with these students and inspire them to learn English.

The classroom

I´m pumped to have my own classroom and I put a lot of thought into the set up. I learned from student teaching that the classroom layout and the rules and procedures are crucial  to the classroom running smoothly! (I wish I knew that beforehand!). I have a behavioral management system related to soccer and even though it might seem a bit babyish for high school students, it sets clear expectations and gives them opportunities for positive reinforcement. I realize that during student teaching, I didn´t provide students with enough opportunities for being rewarded for ´being good´, so some acted out for attention. I´ve learned my lesson!

Sorry Hawaii. Forgot you...

No texting in class! ;)

Trophy- did an outstanding job in class. X3 = prize
Yellow card = warning
red card= kicked out of class

Learning objective

Tyler representing in his pink robe...

400+ students so....NAME TAGS! So many name tags...

Behavior management- if the class does well, they get to move their push pin soccer ball ahead one spot. The first team to get a goal gets a prize. (Ignore the basketball....I ran out of soccer balls!)

Numbered chairs- each student gets a number for the semester. This way they have assigned seats, but I can switch them up! I have all of my students listed in a notebook with their numbers beside them. The numbered seats are quick for taking attendance. (Chair 5 is empty. Marcos must be absent!)

I have lots more pictures to show and this weekend, I'm travelling to the North of Chile to a city called Pica with my family! I have lots to do, so hasta luego!

Oh, the people you'll meet!

One of the things that I like the most about travelling is meeting new people, and I've gotten to do exactly that during my time in Chile! The first couple weeks have been a whirlwind filled with interesting stories and experiences. First, we attended orientation in Santiago, Chile, while spending the nights in a hostel for a week. I've meet English Opens Doors volunteers from all over the world: Bulgaria, Australia, Colorado, New Zealand, Scotland. It was fascinating to get a synopsis of everyone's autobiographies: their aspirations, their doubts, and their motivation to do the program. Even though we only spent a week together, we bonded and shared intimate details of each others' lives. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to everyone when we boarded the buses for our respective regions.

I like to think that everything happens for a reason and sometimes I marvel at the coincidences that destiny throws my way. I met a volunteer who knew a friend from YSU, a speech pathologist named Katie who is taking classes through the same university as me, and a group of chilenos who lived in my region and happened to be staying at the same hostel in Santiago. Each person left me with something: contagious enthusiasm, a feeling of not being alone in uncertainty, hopeful idealism...I hope I left the other volunteers with something, however small, as well.

Why? 

Listening to the other volunteers made me really think about why I'm doing the program. While there seem to be a lot of 'push' factors for many volunteers (a bad breakup, stuck in a dead-end job, a quarter-life crisis), there are also many 'pull' factors, such as a desire to teach and work with youth. I have to admit that during the summer, my focus became cloudy as I got a mixture of positive and negative comments about my decision to teach in Chile. However, during our orientation, I started to realize again why I had signed on for the program, and I re-read my application essays to jog my memory. I learned that the volunteer program is just a small part of the many initiatives that the Chilean government is imposing to improve English education across the country. The government's focus on English Education has lead to the creation of immersion camps, debates, public speaking competitions, teacher training, and much more! 

I admire how progressive Chile is in tackling English Education. I see how the US compares, and while our foreign-language teaching has moved to more of a communicative-competence based model, many students are still indifferent or intimidated by Spanish, or they don't know Spanish outside of grammar drills. And while these sentiments exist in Chile about English, students genuinely get excited about speaking to a native teacher, or going to one of the government-sponsored English camps. My head teacher tells me that the students keep asking when the voluntaria is coming to teach English! Being able to give these students the tools necessary to communicate in another language in a fun environment is rewarding, and I really wish a program like this existed in the U.S. I remember that feeling of excitement when I first used Spanish to communicate with people across the globe through Skype, and I hope that I can instill that same excitement and passion in my students.

 Language learning is all about the new people you'll meet, so hopefully my students will enjoy meeting me. I realize that I really can be a positive influence in these students' lives, and I can inspire them to learn English...that's a powerful feeling! 

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”

Getting there

Just getting to Chile was an adventure in itself. My plane got delayed twelve- yes, twelve- hours, but luckily I had met up with another volunteer in the airport. We decided to be spontaneous (okay, more him than me!) and rent a car to explore downtown Dallas, the city of our layover. We didn't have much time to sleep before our next flight (American Airlines set us up with hotels, so good for them!), so we just drove around, gazing at the city lights illuminating the night sky. We also passed by the place where JFK got assassinated, aka the 'grassy null'. My volunteer friend was quite excited, "Wait! Did we pass it? No....there it is! THE GRASSY NULL!!!!" I haven't seen the video of JFK's assassination, but the experience will probably mean more to me get around to searching for it on Youtube.

I guess this is it?

My Dallas outing set a good precedent for my semester in Chile. While I'm usually plagued by indecision and end up opting out of things, I learned the value of saying yes. I had a lot of fun by turning the airplane fiasco into an adventure, and it made me wonder what things I'd missed in life by staying on the sidelines. Therefore I've made it a personal goal to say yes more often and to become more confident and decisive. When I feel myself getting paralyzed by doubt, I want to be able to trust myself, say 'yes', and take the jump. :-) I don't have every detail planned and figured out, but I want to have faith in myself that everything will be okay despite that. 

And in a new country, there are so many opportunities that I would be cheating myself if I constantly turned them down!

Orientation

Orientation was great and well-organized. It was jam-packed full of information: Chilean customs, TEFL training, a German lesson to show us that our students could understand 100% of the target language in a lesson even if they don't speak it.... I think I'll have fond memories of orientation and the people at the National Volunteer Center who show such great passion for what they do.

Learning to read in our teacher voices

Off to Antofagasta

The bus ride to Antofagasta took around 19 hours, and I passed it alongside my a witty volunteer from Australia, whom I understood about 85% of the time. (Australian accents can be hard to understand, mate!). We passed through interesting landscapes, such as the Atacama dessert, to reach our destination. My camera battery died but I will have to snag some photos from him! He will be teaching at a school close by, so it will be nice to be able to reach out to another volunteer. 

My host family

Not to jinx anything, but my host family is so sweet! My regional representative and my head teacher both talked about what a great family I have. One thing that struck me is that the families that host volunteers usually aren't doing it for money. When I studied abroad, there were quite a few families that turned hosting students into a full-time job. Even though I can't judge that decision, some of my acquaintance's families during study abroad weren't really interested in their country of origin, their culture, etc. But the families here don't gain much economically from hosting volunteers; they do it more because they want to support the school and their community. From what I understand, the school also has to recommend a family before they can host a volunteer, so it's a collaborative effort to provide a multicultural experience for both parties. Jeremy, one of the leaders of the National Volunteer Center, told us that families have been excited for our arrival and that they've spent months preparing everything! 

I was surprised at how welcomed I felt. One can really feel the emphasis that people place on family here, which is endearing but a bit hard to adjust to at the same time. For example, I'm not accustomed to family volunteering to help me with chores (like getting my legal documents!). I always thought it was rude to hull someone around when you ran errands, but it's kind of rude to break off and do your own thing here. Family is very united and you can see them together almost anywhere. It just takes some adjustment to move away from the "Oh, don't worry about me! I'll do my own thing." mentality, which can come across as quite rude here! 

As for my family, I have a mom and dad: Eliana and Hector. They have two beautiful daughters who are 13 and 16 years old. They seem sweet and studious. I'll have to post a picture later! 

And now...?

For a week, I'll be observing my head teacher and decorating my classroom. I'm pumped! Most Chilean teachers don't get their own classroom (the students have their own classrooms and the teachers rotate), so having our own space is a huge privilege for the volunteers. In my school, the teachers actually get their own classrooms, which is unusual! The school also seems to have lots of resources that I didn't even have in the U.S., such as a projector, speakers, etc. I got to meet the staff as well, and everyone seemed so friendly and warm. My head teacher seems great and excited to collaborate with me, and I also met another teacher from the United States.

Starting next Friday, I'll be teaching my own conversational class. I'm a ball of conflicting emotions but I'm overall excited -albeit a bit nervous - to make learning English something special for my Chilean students. I feel like there's so much left to talk about but I've already written a novel!

I guess Tsunamis are a thing here....No worries!

A building painted as another building!