It's been 3 weeks since I arrived to Angol. It was a 9 and 1/2 hour bus ride that left from a summer's midnight Santiago. I rode in style; the seats fully reclined and I made my way to Angol in a horizontal position. I was warmly greeted by my host family and after intros I asked them an important question.. "Ustedes pueden hablar Inglés?" (Can you speak English?) They replied in swift Spanish. I managed to decipher that the answer was "no." As we rode into town in a Toyota pick-up that belongs to my host uncle, my new family sitting in the backseat, I remember thinking to myself, "This is going to be interesting."
Firstly, I am quite content that my family doesn't know English. It makes for interesting encounters and finding creative ways to communicate. I'm getting pretty good at charades.
My hosts are super nice. Fernando, my host father, works with distribution in supermarkets and loves to teach me about Chile and its customs and its language. My host mother, Sandra, is a hard working mother and operates a snack bar at my school. She cooks delicious foods and makes sure I eat well. Yesyes! And she also makes my bed, even though I try to make it myself.
My host brother Niko is a senior at the high school where I teach. He's hilarious and always makes for fun times at the dinner table. My favorite, though, might have to be my new sister, Fernanda (or Feña). She's 10-years-old and loves to read and draw. She is gorgeous.
The language barrier has been an insignificant obstacle to the fact that I already know my family. I can tell by their actions, their smiles, their eyes, that they are some of the most caring people I've ever met.
I very much enjoy Angol. It's a small city; about 50,000 people. A beautiful Plaza de Armas adorns the city's downtown area, which is a 12-minute walk from my house. There are many piles of rubble, though. Many of the buildings in Angol were destroyed or damaged in the earthquake last month. It was an 8.5 on the richter scale here. Not far from the 8.8 that struck just north of Concepción, about 3 hours from Angol. Despite the loss of homes and businesses, the spirit of the city and its people is evidently stronger than I expected. The people here are tranquil and friendly. They take their time with a calm stroll on broken sidewalks and greet me with "Hola, buenos dias!"
I teach at Liceo Politécnico Los Nogales, a high school about 30 meters from my front door. There are about 250 enthusiastic kids, all who eagerly run up to me and say "Hello, Teacher!" I work with Paulina, the new English teacher at the school. She's 23 also and this is her first year teaching medio (high school). The level of the kids' English is poor, so we've had to start from square one. I have my own classroom and I do listening and speaking activities with the kids. I play my guitar for them and do a bunch of call-and-response and repetition songs with them. It seems like they really enjoy it and it's been quite rewarding to see them learning something.
It's been a juggling act maintaining a balance between cool, hip teacher and strict professor who has to maintain peace in the classroom. Some of the students are completely off the wall! However, I've implemented a punishment system with a verbal warning, white card (2nd warning), yellow card (move their seat), red card (points off grade/sent out of class). It seems to be working well.
Teaching is more fun than I thought it would be. Given that I don't have the same responsibilities as Paulina, the actual English teacher, I do have it easier.
There are both good and okay days. I haven't really had a bad day in these past 3 weeks. I hope you've been having good days too. Nice.
chao.
ry v
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Torres del Paine
"This is not my idea of fun... but I am enjoying myself."
I said this to my friend and fellow trekker, Martha, as we maneuvered through muddy, waterlogged trails while being punched in the face with heavy winds and drenched with cold rains as we carried 30lb. packs. It was Day 4 of my hike on the "W" trail in Torres del Paine National Park in the Chilean Patagonia, which was one of the most beautifully arduous adventures I have ever had.
Las Andinistas (The Hikers):
Jordan Crabtree (super-outdoorsman), Martha Thomas (showtune singin' Iowan), Johnny Anderson-Hermann (backpack jerry-rigger), Jess Wartenweiler (li'l wena), Kelsea Anderson (1st to puke), Lee Meryash (2nd to puke), and myself (3rd to puke). Must've been some bad water. No bueno. We also picked up 2 more andinistas; Jon from Hawaii who is doing a 6 month exploration of Sud America, and Andrew, an exchange student from England who is studying in Santiago.
Before making the epic 6day/5night journey, we spent the night in Puerto Natales, a small town 2 hours southeast of the Torres; the gateway city for tourists and backpackers. Omar, the owner of our hostel, outlined and ideal route for us to take. After breakfast on Sunday monring, we bussed out at 7:30, making it to our starting point around 11:30.
El Viento (The Wind)
Tremendous, unrelenting, gale force winds were a frequent obstacle/spectacle the first few days of the hike. Leaning into each step, it seemed as if the wind was trying to obstruct my path, warning me of impending hardship and pain.
La Lluvia (The Rain)
Constant, unforgiving, cold rains made for an awful experience. I discovered one of the worst feelings in the world is putting on cold, wet clothes on a shivering body. The rain had seeped through my outer layer jacket, infiltrated my upper layer, soggied up my undershirt, and found its ultimate victim.. my thermal longsleeve. Brrrr...
El Sol (The Sun)
The morning of the 5th day was one of the happiest moments that I've had in recent history. AFter two straight days of rain, and hiking with a sick stomach, I woke up to clear skies and an inspirational sunrise. Things are so much more enjoyable when the weather is nice.
Sunscreen is a necessity, however, due to an immense hole in the earth's atmosphere in the southern hemisphere. Muy peligroso! (very dangerous!)
SUMMARY
The first day of the hike was cake; a simple four hour hike to our first campsite, Paine Grande. Within that time though, Johnny managed to get lost and ended up hiking by himself for the last couple hours. Apparently he was a minute behind and didn't realize we had stopped for lunch at a nearby campsite. Oops!
The second day was more challening. It was about five-and-a-half hours to Camp Grey. Steep hills climbed us to great lookouts of luminescent lakes and blue glaciers. It was as if I was on another planet, the lake displaying some sort of green-blue color; a sort of olive-azure hue that was riddled with white rips of splashes. A one-hour hike after setting up camp, I found myself on a cliff overlooking a massive glacier spanning for miles and miles. A mountainous background, topped with thick clouds under a setting sun set the scene for a sobering sight.
The third day was rainy, cold, and windy, At least the wind was on our backs this time, pushing us in the right direction. Heavy winds and flooding prevented us from making the trek to Camp Italiano in the middle valley of the W.
The fourth day brought a constant rain and was probably one of the worst days I've experienced in quite a while. Having not slept much because of my sick stomach, I was exhausted. The trails were muddy and flooded and parts were so submerged in water that it was difficult to see where the trail lead. I went to bed wet and cold.
The rain stopped in the middle of the night. I woke up around 2. I could hear the wind coming from a mile away. It came in waves like the ocean, the leaves of the trees spashing in the air.
All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt something sucrry across the side of my head! I sat up in a hurry and started shouting "Something just crawled across my ear!" Jordan and Martha woke up and tried to get more information from me, but I just kept yelling "Something just crawled across my ear! Jordan ignited his flashlight and whipped out his knife, which he handed to me for some reason. "What just crawled across my head?!"
After some minutes, we finally spotted the culprit. A field mouse had chewed through our tent and was enjoying a bag of M&Ms and oatmeal.
The morning of the fifth day was the glorious morning, aforementioned. I woke up to clear skies and a sun beaming its soulful rays on the worn, wrinkly mountain faces that towered over our campsite. A most beautiful treat for the human eye. And ahh.. no rain.
It was a long hike to our last campsite of the hike. Camp Torres.
At 5:30 am on the sixth day, I woke up to Jordan moving around in the tent. In two minutes we were conquering a mountain, hustling up one kilometer into the sky to catch the sunrise. It was one of the hardest climbs I've ever done. But in the end, it was totally worth. The sky to the east was scattered with clouds, the sun bouncing vibrant reds and awesome reds that weaved through the stratus.
It was pure beauty.
I left the park that day feeling an overall sense of graciousness. Not many people have had the opportunities that I have had. I don't take for granted my adventures here in Chile, or on Earth for that matter. I am thankful for everyday that I'm alive. And so should you. You never know when a natural disaster, like an earthquake, could change your life.
(I am currently in Angol, Chile at a high school where I've been teaching for 2 weeks now. I will update you next time of my adventures teaching kids who don't want to study English.)
I said this to my friend and fellow trekker, Martha, as we maneuvered through muddy, waterlogged trails while being punched in the face with heavy winds and drenched with cold rains as we carried 30lb. packs. It was Day 4 of my hike on the "W" trail in Torres del Paine National Park in the Chilean Patagonia, which was one of the most beautifully arduous adventures I have ever had.
Las Andinistas (The Hikers):
Jordan Crabtree (super-outdoorsman), Martha Thomas (showtune singin' Iowan), Johnny Anderson-Hermann (backpack jerry-rigger), Jess Wartenweiler (li'l wena), Kelsea Anderson (1st to puke), Lee Meryash (2nd to puke), and myself (3rd to puke). Must've been some bad water. No bueno. We also picked up 2 more andinistas; Jon from Hawaii who is doing a 6 month exploration of Sud America, and Andrew, an exchange student from England who is studying in Santiago.
Before making the epic 6day/5night journey, we spent the night in Puerto Natales, a small town 2 hours southeast of the Torres; the gateway city for tourists and backpackers. Omar, the owner of our hostel, outlined and ideal route for us to take. After breakfast on Sunday monring, we bussed out at 7:30, making it to our starting point around 11:30.
El Viento (The Wind)
Tremendous, unrelenting, gale force winds were a frequent obstacle/spectacle the first few days of the hike. Leaning into each step, it seemed as if the wind was trying to obstruct my path, warning me of impending hardship and pain.
La Lluvia (The Rain)
Constant, unforgiving, cold rains made for an awful experience. I discovered one of the worst feelings in the world is putting on cold, wet clothes on a shivering body. The rain had seeped through my outer layer jacket, infiltrated my upper layer, soggied up my undershirt, and found its ultimate victim.. my thermal longsleeve. Brrrr...
El Sol (The Sun)
The morning of the 5th day was one of the happiest moments that I've had in recent history. AFter two straight days of rain, and hiking with a sick stomach, I woke up to clear skies and an inspirational sunrise. Things are so much more enjoyable when the weather is nice.
Sunscreen is a necessity, however, due to an immense hole in the earth's atmosphere in the southern hemisphere. Muy peligroso! (very dangerous!)
SUMMARY
The first day of the hike was cake; a simple four hour hike to our first campsite, Paine Grande. Within that time though, Johnny managed to get lost and ended up hiking by himself for the last couple hours. Apparently he was a minute behind and didn't realize we had stopped for lunch at a nearby campsite. Oops!
The second day was more challening. It was about five-and-a-half hours to Camp Grey. Steep hills climbed us to great lookouts of luminescent lakes and blue glaciers. It was as if I was on another planet, the lake displaying some sort of green-blue color; a sort of olive-azure hue that was riddled with white rips of splashes. A one-hour hike after setting up camp, I found myself on a cliff overlooking a massive glacier spanning for miles and miles. A mountainous background, topped with thick clouds under a setting sun set the scene for a sobering sight.
The third day was rainy, cold, and windy, At least the wind was on our backs this time, pushing us in the right direction. Heavy winds and flooding prevented us from making the trek to Camp Italiano in the middle valley of the W.
The fourth day brought a constant rain and was probably one of the worst days I've experienced in quite a while. Having not slept much because of my sick stomach, I was exhausted. The trails were muddy and flooded and parts were so submerged in water that it was difficult to see where the trail lead. I went to bed wet and cold.
The rain stopped in the middle of the night. I woke up around 2. I could hear the wind coming from a mile away. It came in waves like the ocean, the leaves of the trees spashing in the air.
All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt something sucrry across the side of my head! I sat up in a hurry and started shouting "Something just crawled across my ear!" Jordan and Martha woke up and tried to get more information from me, but I just kept yelling "Something just crawled across my ear! Jordan ignited his flashlight and whipped out his knife, which he handed to me for some reason. "What just crawled across my head?!"
After some minutes, we finally spotted the culprit. A field mouse had chewed through our tent and was enjoying a bag of M&Ms and oatmeal.
The morning of the fifth day was the glorious morning, aforementioned. I woke up to clear skies and a sun beaming its soulful rays on the worn, wrinkly mountain faces that towered over our campsite. A most beautiful treat for the human eye. And ahh.. no rain.
It was a long hike to our last campsite of the hike. Camp Torres.
At 5:30 am on the sixth day, I woke up to Jordan moving around in the tent. In two minutes we were conquering a mountain, hustling up one kilometer into the sky to catch the sunrise. It was one of the hardest climbs I've ever done. But in the end, it was totally worth. The sky to the east was scattered with clouds, the sun bouncing vibrant reds and awesome reds that weaved through the stratus.
It was pure beauty.
I left the park that day feeling an overall sense of graciousness. Not many people have had the opportunities that I have had. I don't take for granted my adventures here in Chile, or on Earth for that matter. I am thankful for everyday that I'm alive. And so should you. You never know when a natural disaster, like an earthquake, could change your life.
(I am currently in Angol, Chile at a high school where I've been teaching for 2 weeks now. I will update you next time of my adventures teaching kids who don't want to study English.)
Friday, March 5, 2010
Movie - Chile: Los Gringos
In Chile, the non-derogatory term "gringos" is used to describe foreigners, most caucasians from the US, Australia, Europe and other countries w/ caucasians. Here is a video featuring our group of volunteer English teachers in this year's Inglés Abre Puertas (English Opens Doors) program.
For the video click aquí.
Que te vaya bien!
For the video click aquí.
Que te vaya bien!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
8.8 Earthquake Hits Chile
Valparaiso, Chile -At 3:48am on the morning of Saturday, February 27, I recall exactly where I was standing. Or trying to stand..
Three friends of mine and myself had just left a club called "2012: El Fin del Mundo para Carrete", which translates to "2012: The End of the World Party" (an appropriate name for what I saw next). The second we stepped outside onto the sidewalk, I saw the road starting to mimic the nearby ocean. Parked cars and telephone poles were tethering on top of a jelly-like avenue. I later described to my compañeros that I was riding the street like riding a surfboard, catching concrete olas (waves).
I heard that the terremoto (earthquake) in Valparaíso was around a 6.5 on the richter scale; nothing in comparison to the 8.8 quake that originated just north of Concepcion in the middle-southern part of Chile. It took me a few seconds to acknowledge what was going on. I wasn't scared; it was more of a state of shock and awe. Aware that I was not in any immediate danger, I marveled at the spectacle of this happening; a phenomenon that I've never seen in my 23 years.
I was totally oblivious to the magnitude of the damage that the earthquake had caused. With communication systems down, I had no way of knowing that the 2nd largest earthquake this country has seen (the 5th largest in recorded world history) had just happened. The earthquake has displaced more than 2million people and has killed more than 700.
source: BBC News and New York Times
Although the quake was larger than the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 killing over 200,000 people, much of Chile's infrastructure held strong. However, older buildings in the south were not as sturdy.
I am very fortunate that I was not closer to the epicenter of this calamity. Many are without food and water or even clothes. Those who were in danger of tsunamis are camping outside on hills outside of their cities. The military has been sent to hard hit areas where there have been many incidents of looting. Please keep in your thoughts and prayers all of those who are feeling the affects of this catastrophe.
(apologies for looking so gloomy, I recorded this video shortly after waking up)
My volunteer teach English program is currently reorganizing and trying to get more information on our placement schools and host families. We will be starting our teaching orientation soon and hopefully be on our way to our placements by next week. All we can do now is wait.
Here is an article from my hometown online newspaper, Cumberland Times-News, that gives an account from my friend Jordan who was interviewed. The title is great:
Cumberland Men Survive Chilean Earthquake
Here is the article that made the front page of the actual newspaper. Such a great picture!
Photo: A collapsed building in Concepcion, Chile. (AP photo)
More photos at boston.com
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