Hola Todos,
I know that as of late, I have been a horrible blogger. This is a long on so hopefully all of you (probably about 3 or 4 people in total) who have been anxiously awaiting an update, here it goes:
(To the right of this post is a photo slide show entitled, Spring in Chile. These photos are from the past few weeks. Click on it and it will open up to a larger window...disfrutan!!!)
My top time consumer right now is school, school and more school. I am in a certificate program which has me writing six page papers every weekend. Long story short, but the program has been somewhat disappointing. Two main reasons are, first, we are doing a ton of work (reading and writing) and very little learning. All of my professors use a lecture style of teaching in which student participation is non-existent. Last semester, the classroom is where I felt my Spanish and understanding of Chilean culture improved greatly. You would think that with a class of 5 people, participation and discussion would be the focus. Anyways, no more whining. I’m a mover and a shaker, so rather than keep complaining about the problems I have with the program, yesterday I went and spoke to our program coordinator. I told her about our issues and we set and appointment to speak with the director next week. Three of the other four students and I are going to explain our frustrations and possible solutions. Wish us luck!!
I have also been very busy with Rotary the past few weeks. Jessica and I went to a Rotary Foundation Conference hosted by our district. My host club President, Lily Castro, gave an amazing speech about the importance of donating to the Foundation. It’s incredible that in a country where there is so much need; people like her recognize that there is greater and/or an equal amount of need in other countries. Jessica also gave a speech detailing what the role of an Ambassadorial Scholar is and the impact the scholarship has had on her. We also went to one of my Rotary club’s meetings just to catch up and hang out. Then we met with several members for once to discuss my home club of Thousand Oak’s visit to Chile. They are so excited (so am I) about the potential of working together on a project.
Tias y Tios is going GREAT!! Our first event was a folkloric theater show and playtime at the Quinta Vergara Museum. The theater show was interesting. It was about a brothel in Valpo. Good music, but prostitution and drunkenness were not themes we expected from a Chilean folkloric show. I think it went over the kids’ heads, but still it was awkward. After the show we had a big pizza lunch and played the M & M get to know you game. The kids were really cute. They kept playing with the stray dogs when people were giving their answers…so easily distracted. We also made our own hoola hoops and did gymnastics.
Our second event was a beach soccer game and movie night. The kids met up with us at our apartment, which if you didn’t know is on the beach. (I know, I’m really lucky) We made a field using cones and played soccer for about an hour and half. Playing soccer on sand is sooo hard! I was wiped out after 10 minutes and made them let me play goalie. After soccer we did a sandwich buffet and watched the Simpson's Movie.
This weekend we will be visiting a local fire station. My good friend Blake, my friend Bre’s husband, is a volunteer firefighter in Valpo and set up an activity for the kids at the station. They will be trying on the uniforms, climbing the trucks and learning about fire safety. I think this will probably end up being the boys’ favorite Tias y Tios event thus far.
Other than the big events, Jessica and I have gone up to the house to check up on the construction projects and visit with Gina. Everything is nearly done. She needs some trinkets here and there, but that’s it. To me it looks like a completely new house on the inside. She and the kids are thrilled with the finished product.
This last week was a big week in Chile: La Semana de Fiestas Patrias. We have the Fourth of July, they have a whole week of celebrating 18 de Septiembre. Jess and I went to spend the holiday with our Chilean family in Santiago. It was a much needed visit after about 3 weeks of non-stop school work. We ate empanandas, chorripan and asado. We also attempted to learn Chile’s national dance, the cueca. I wanted to teach them the U.S. national dance, but sadly we don’t have one. Diego, my one year old Chilean nephew is walking now. When I arrived he was still wearing infant clothes…now he can walk around on his own, oh how time flies!!!
There is much more to tell but this blog is ridiculously long as is and my homework awaits me. Below are some photos from around my hood…spring has arrived in Chile and the sun is shinning and the flowers are blooming!!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Segundo Semestre has begun!!!
I’ve been waiting to write my blog until the sunshine decided to show itself. Today was a beautiful, clear sunny day…and therefore, a perfect day to blog.
My second semester has officially begun!!! I have received all of my grades for last semester and was pleased with all of them (see below). The scale is 1.0 – 7.0.
PRIMER SEMESTRE 2009
LCL110-01 EXPRESION ORAL Y ESCRITA - 6.2
PIIE340-01 ESPAÑOL COMUNICACIONAL Y CULTURA CHILENA – AVANZADO - 6.6
PIIE350-01 ESPAÑOL ESCRITO – AVANZADO - 5.9
PIIE360-02 GRAMATICA - 6.6
By the end of this week I will have my final class schedule for second semester. I am enrolled in a special certificate program this semester called, Certificado de Estudios en America Latina Contemporanea. I think the program will coincide quite nicely with my academic interests and background. I fear the heavy reading but predict once I’m in my grove, I’ll be just fine.
I spent quite a bit of time with the Munoz family these past couple weeks. The last two weekends I was in Santiago participating in various family activities. Sunday, August 9th was Día de Los Ninos in Chile. We celebrated by having a big family lunch and all the children received presents. I also went to Santiago last weekend to attend Martina’s 3rd birthday party. Jessica and I had a sleepover party at her house on Friday night. Saturday was her party at the nicest McDonald’s in Santiago. Unfortunately, the roof wasn’t in such good shape and the rain leaked through leaving huge puddles all over the restaurant and play area. Most people would have shut down or at least blocked off certain areas…but in Chile no…the kids were just told not to remove their shoes. I thought that was pretty funny.
Jessica and I went had “once” with our Tias and Tias kids this week. We also taught them how to play the game MASH. They are all doing amazing. Romanet is now on track to pursue a career in child care. The program includes a sort of internship followed by job placement assistance. In two years she will be a sufficiently trained to be a pre-school teacher. Jessica and I are thrilled about her plan!
The construction projects are also going great. The outside stairs leading to and from their front door are finished. Now, when it rains they won’t slide into the front door, the will actually be able to walk to it. The upstairs bedroom is done and the downstairs kitchen and living areas should be done in a couple of weeks. I will post a special blog about the construction project featuring before and after pictures once everything is complete.
Jessica and I have also started recruiting new Tías y Tíos. We’ve been visiting certain classes to spread the word. Our first meeting is next week. We hope to set up our first event as a trip to the snow up in the Andes. The kids have not seen snow, so it will be a big deal. Also, Gina’s birthday is next week; Jessica and I plan to take her and the kids out to a movie.
I hope all is well stateside…I’m going to get back to my homework. I need to review the play, Pueblecito, before class tomorrow!!!
My second semester has officially begun!!! I have received all of my grades for last semester and was pleased with all of them (see below). The scale is 1.0 – 7.0.
PRIMER SEMESTRE 2009
LCL110-01 EXPRESION ORAL Y ESCRITA - 6.2
PIIE340-01 ESPAÑOL COMUNICACIONAL Y CULTURA CHILENA – AVANZADO - 6.6
PIIE350-01 ESPAÑOL ESCRITO – AVANZADO - 5.9
PIIE360-02 GRAMATICA - 6.6
By the end of this week I will have my final class schedule for second semester. I am enrolled in a special certificate program this semester called, Certificado de Estudios en America Latina Contemporanea. I think the program will coincide quite nicely with my academic interests and background. I fear the heavy reading but predict once I’m in my grove, I’ll be just fine.
I spent quite a bit of time with the Munoz family these past couple weeks. The last two weekends I was in Santiago participating in various family activities. Sunday, August 9th was Día de Los Ninos in Chile. We celebrated by having a big family lunch and all the children received presents. I also went to Santiago last weekend to attend Martina’s 3rd birthday party. Jessica and I had a sleepover party at her house on Friday night. Saturday was her party at the nicest McDonald’s in Santiago. Unfortunately, the roof wasn’t in such good shape and the rain leaked through leaving huge puddles all over the restaurant and play area. Most people would have shut down or at least blocked off certain areas…but in Chile no…the kids were just told not to remove their shoes. I thought that was pretty funny.
Jessica and I went had “once” with our Tias and Tias kids this week. We also taught them how to play the game MASH. They are all doing amazing. Romanet is now on track to pursue a career in child care. The program includes a sort of internship followed by job placement assistance. In two years she will be a sufficiently trained to be a pre-school teacher. Jessica and I are thrilled about her plan!
The construction projects are also going great. The outside stairs leading to and from their front door are finished. Now, when it rains they won’t slide into the front door, the will actually be able to walk to it. The upstairs bedroom is done and the downstairs kitchen and living areas should be done in a couple of weeks. I will post a special blog about the construction project featuring before and after pictures once everything is complete.
Jessica and I have also started recruiting new Tías y Tíos. We’ve been visiting certain classes to spread the word. Our first meeting is next week. We hope to set up our first event as a trip to the snow up in the Andes. The kids have not seen snow, so it will be a big deal. Also, Gina’s birthday is next week; Jessica and I plan to take her and the kids out to a movie.
I hope all is well stateside…I’m going to get back to my homework. I need to review the play, Pueblecito, before class tomorrow!!!
Friday, July 3, 2009
El Fin del Semestre 1
Hi Everyone!
I am currently up in Arica, Chile’s most northern city. I have a great deal to report, but I am going to break the past few weeks up into a few different blogs. A girl can only blog so much in one night!
First off, Kevin is here in CHILE! He arrived to wind, rain and freezing temperatures in Vina. Despite the dreary weather, we made the best of it. Jessica and I invited some friends over for a night of Jenga, pizza and dancing (I know how to do the cupid step now…thanks to You tube). I also took Kevin to meet the Munoz family. We had a big lunch and hung out for the day. Then, we spent some time exploring Valpo. We hit the pier, a street market and my favorite cafe, Cafe Color. I took Kevin up to Con Con and Renaca as well.
I finished up my classes for the semester. I am very happy with how all my final projects/papers went therefore, I am expect
ing good grades across the board.
We had our final Gringo dinner party for the semester last week. Jessica and I hosted a potluck of 20 people in the conference room of our building. It was great to host the final dinner because we hosted the first one and it was only 5 people. It was great to see it come full circle and how much it had grown.
Last Sunday was also our final Tias y Tios event of the semester. We went bowling at the local mall. None of the kids had ever bowled and at first they all looked awkward trying to bowl, but by their 3rd or 4th turn, they were all pros. Even Javiera bowled, broken leg with the cast and all. Gina, their guardora, came along too. I was so happy she could be part of our activity and meet all the volunteers. Many of our volunteers will not be returning next semester. It was bitter sweet to see the kids say goodbye to them. I will post pics of this event on my next blog…I don’t have the pics with me.
On Monday this week Kevin and I headed up to Arica. I will blog about my time in Arica and Putre in a few days. I hope all is well in states!!
Buenas Noches!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Strikes, Soccer, School and Tias y Tios
Hola Todos!!
School is winding down, so I’ve been working on several final projects. One of which is about graffiti as a form of social protest. I’m not sure if many of you know, but in Chile there are constant marches, protests and strikes. Actually, these types of protests are very common in most Latin American countries. Unfortunately, I have had the opportunity to see this first hand. The public school teachers across Chile have been on strike for approximately 2 months. They have been marching and protesting on the main streets of Valpo and in areas of Santiago. The reason for the “paro” aka strike is that the various municipals across Chile were supposed to pay the teachers their bonus for the last two years. However, claiming they did not have the money, the municipal never paid them. Therefore, the teachers refused to work. The seven children we work with in our service project, Tías y Tíos, (Daniél, Romanet, María Jose, Javiera, Kevin, Diego and Julio) all attend public school. They missed a total of six weeks of school. They are also enrolled in the school lunch program which wasn’t distributing the appropriate amount of food to the children during the strike. As you can imagine, they were hungry and bored. Luckily, the teachers returned last week and the kids are back in the classroom, except for Javiera. She broke her leg 3 weeks ago. She ran into a stopped car and now has a cast from her toes to her hip…poor thing!
Despite the bad luck the kids have had with school and parked cars, yesterday we had a great Tías y Tíos event. We had a big spaghetti lunch and then played games because it was too rainy to go to the museum. Jessica and I cooked spaghetti for over 20 people. It turned out delicioso. Then we danced and played Twister, Pictionary, Jenga, etc. We turned the rainy day into a fun day. The kids had a blast. They loved playing Pictionary. It got pretty heated because we split the teams into boys v. girls and as always, boys are too competitive!!
I am also very excited to report that my home Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks, California has donated $2,205.00 toward the various construction projects we want to do at the kids’ house. THANK YOU ROTARY CLUB OF T.O.!!!! We will be constructing stairs outside their house, a kitchen floor, a kitchen wall with window, a bedroom with two walls and a door and many other things. Gina has spent hours with us going over the list of materials we need to buy and plans for building. She has many friends and neighbors that are excited to help which means we probably won’t have to hire any labor workers. I am so excited to see how much this will help her with the everyday tasks she has to do with the kids. The construction projects will practically double the usable space in the house.
Aside from school and various Tías y Tíos stuff I have had a few nights to have fun with my friends. Last week on Wednesday, we went to the Chile v. Bolivia World Cup qualifying game in Santiago. It was incredible. The stadium was packed, and the fans stood the whole time singing cheers (many of which included every bad word I know in Spanish). Chile won 4-0 and will be going to South Africa in 2010 for the World Cup!! Here is one of my favorite cheers, “Vamos, vamos chilenos, esta noche tenemos que ganar…Chi Chi Chi Le Le Le Vive CHILE!!!!” Click on the video below and you can hear it for your self.
I also experienced my first time at the Juevo. The Juevo is the biggest disco tech in Valpo. It has 4 floors with various rooms. Each room has a different theme of music. It is a dance factory. Aside from the smoke that fills every room like a dark cloud (smoking is allowed inside everywhere in Chile), it was a lot of fun. My favorite room was the 80’s music room. We danced and danced and danced!
This week is an exciting week because KEVIN is coming to visit me. He arrives on Thursday night. I can’t wait. I am going to drag him to all my classes and to meet all my Tías and Tíos kids. I want to show him off. He will definitely stick out here being a tall blonde haired blue eyed boy. I might have to put him to work building things up at Gina’s place, but he likes that stuff. On June 29th we will be flying to Arica, a city up north near Peru. We will be traveling around the area for 6 days. The entire region has a high concentration of indigenous populations and a huge national park. It will be much warmer up there too. I hope to get a sun tan!
I hope all is well state side and as always please, please, please send me e-mails and posts. They mean so much to me!!!
School is winding down, so I’ve been working on several final projects. One of which is about graffiti as a form of social protest. I’m not sure if many of you know, but in Chile there are constant marches, protests and strikes. Actually, these types of protests are very common in most Latin American countries. Unfortunately, I have had the opportunity to see this first hand. The public school teachers across Chile have been on strike for approximately 2 months. They have been marching and protesting on the main streets of Valpo and in areas of Santiago. The reason for the “paro” aka strike is that the various municipals across Chile were supposed to pay the teachers their bonus for the last two years. However, claiming they did not have the money, the municipal never paid them. Therefore, the teachers refused to work. The seven children we work with in our service project, Tías y Tíos, (Daniél, Romanet, María Jose, Javiera, Kevin, Diego and Julio) all attend public school. They missed a total of six weeks of school. They are also enrolled in the school lunch program which wasn’t distributing the appropriate amount of food to the children during the strike. As you can imagine, they were hungry and bored. Luckily, the teachers returned last week and the kids are back in the classroom, except for Javiera. She broke her leg 3 weeks ago. She ran into a stopped car and now has a cast from her toes to her hip…poor thing!
Despite the bad luck the kids have had with school and parked cars, yesterday we had a great Tías y Tíos event. We had a big spaghetti lunch and then played games because it was too rainy to go to the museum. Jessica and I cooked spaghetti for over 20 people. It turned out delicioso. Then we danced and played Twister, Pictionary, Jenga, etc. We turned the rainy day into a fun day. The kids had a blast. They loved playing Pictionary. It got pretty heated because we split the teams into boys v. girls and as always, boys are too competitive!!
I am also very excited to report that my home Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks, California has donated $2,205.00 toward the various construction projects we want to do at the kids’ house. THANK YOU ROTARY CLUB OF T.O.!!!! We will be constructing stairs outside their house, a kitchen floor, a kitchen wall with window, a bedroom with two walls and a door and many other things. Gina has spent hours with us going over the list of materials we need to buy and plans for building. She has many friends and neighbors that are excited to help which means we probably won’t have to hire any labor workers. I am so excited to see how much this will help her with the everyday tasks she has to do with the kids. The construction projects will practically double the usable space in the house.
Aside from school and various Tías y Tíos stuff I have had a few nights to have fun with my friends. Last week on Wednesday, we went to the Chile v. Bolivia World Cup qualifying game in Santiago. It was incredible. The stadium was packed, and the fans stood the whole time singing cheers (many of which included every bad word I know in Spanish). Chile won 4-0 and will be going to South Africa in 2010 for the World Cup!! Here is one of my favorite cheers, “Vamos, vamos chilenos, esta noche tenemos que ganar…Chi Chi Chi Le Le Le Vive CHILE!!!!” Click on the video below and you can hear it for your self.
I also experienced my first time at the Juevo. The Juevo is the biggest disco tech in Valpo. It has 4 floors with various rooms. Each room has a different theme of music. It is a dance factory. Aside from the smoke that fills every room like a dark cloud (smoking is allowed inside everywhere in Chile), it was a lot of fun. My favorite room was the 80’s music room. We danced and danced and danced!
This week is an exciting week because KEVIN is coming to visit me. He arrives on Thursday night. I can’t wait. I am going to drag him to all my classes and to meet all my Tías and Tíos kids. I want to show him off. He will definitely stick out here being a tall blonde haired blue eyed boy. I might have to put him to work building things up at Gina’s place, but he likes that stuff. On June 29th we will be flying to Arica, a city up north near Peru. We will be traveling around the area for 6 days. The entire region has a high concentration of indigenous populations and a huge national park. It will be much warmer up there too. I hope to get a sun tan!
I hope all is well state side and as always please, please, please send me e-mails and posts. They mean so much to me!!!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
La Serena & Valle de Elqui
Hola Todos!!
Our trip to La Serena was awesome. La Serena is about 6 hours north of Valparaíso, situated right on the coast. We left last Wednesday night and arrived in La Serena at 4:15 a.m. Luckily we arrived as scheduled because we almost missed our bus. We were waiting at the wrong terminal in Santiago until about 15 minutes before we were supposed to leave, I looked at our tickets. The main bus station in Santiago is actually split up into three different terminals. San Borja, the one our tickets were for was about 4 blocks away at the end of a shopping mall. I sprinted down the main street and through the mall with all my bags. My sweatpants kept falling down and my shoelaces came untied…I was definitely an entertaining sight for all the mall shoppers.
After we arrived we took a nap at our hostel then rented bikes. We rode all the way to Coquimbo, a small town about 4 miles outside of La Serena. Even though it was foggy (they call the thick fog “camanchaca” and cold (as you can see from the pics), we put on our gloves and scarves and peddled away. On day two we went on a group tour to Isla Damas to see penguins. Only about 12 penguins decided to show up for us, but luckily it was sea lion and dolphin play day and we saw tons of bottle nose dolphins. Olive oil is the main product in the area and Jess and I bought a bottle from the cutest Chilean woman. We wanted to take a picture with her (see below). She was so excited that she took of her hat and fixed her hair. We also saw a few lamas grazing on our drive back.
Our trip to La Serena was awesome. La Serena is about 6 hours north of Valparaíso, situated right on the coast. We left last Wednesday night and arrived in La Serena at 4:15 a.m. Luckily we arrived as scheduled because we almost missed our bus. We were waiting at the wrong terminal in Santiago until about 15 minutes before we were supposed to leave, I looked at our tickets. The main bus station in Santiago is actually split up into three different terminals. San Borja, the one our tickets were for was about 4 blocks away at the end of a shopping mall. I sprinted down the main street and through the mall with all my bags. My sweatpants kept falling down and my shoelaces came untied…I was definitely an entertaining sight for all the mall shoppers.
After we arrived we took a nap at our hostel then rented bikes. We rode all the way to Coquimbo, a small town about 4 miles outside of La Serena. Even though it was foggy (they call the thick fog “camanchaca” and cold (as you can see from the pics), we put on our gloves and scarves and peddled away. On day two we went on a group tour to Isla Damas to see penguins. Only about 12 penguins decided to show up for us, but luckily it was sea lion and dolphin play day and we saw tons of bottle nose dolphins. Olive oil is the main product in the area and Jess and I bought a bottle from the cutest Chilean woman. We wanted to take a picture with her (see below). She was so excited that she took of her hat and fixed her hair. We also saw a few lamas grazing on our drive back.
The next day we went on a tour through Valle de Elqui. Valle de Elqui is prime pisco property. There are several pisco factories throughout the area. On the tour we visited one of the oldest pisco factories in the region. I’m a fan of pisco, but my favorite part was eating the grapes from the field. The pisco was too strong for me. We stopped at a few small pueblos along the way to walk through the plazas and churches. At one of the churches, a wedding was taking place. It was really cool, especially because the bride was pregnant. One of my favorite stops was at the dam. We walked the whole length of it and saw beautiful views of the entire valley. For lunch we ate at a solar restaurant. They cook all the dishes in small solar ovens outside the front of the restaurant. I ate a goat dish. It was delicious.
That night we stayed in Valle de Elqui in a small town called, Vicuña. Vicuña is home to several of the world’s best star observatories. We did a late night tour of the Mamalluca Observatory. It was incredible. They let us look through a huge telescope at all the different stars. My favorite constellation was the Southern Cross which you can see perfectly.
On our last day, we explored on our own. We went to a spot where two rivers meet. One is a greenish grey color and the other a dark blue. Then we had lunch at an outdoor pizza café. It was a great last day to a very fun trip.
Tomorrow is a big day for our Tías and Tíos event. We are playing soccer and then taking the kids to a soccer game in Valpo. I will be sure to post again soon!
Chao!
On our last day, we explored on our own. We went to a spot where two rivers meet. One is a greenish grey color and the other a dark blue. Then we had lunch at an outdoor pizza café. It was a great last day to a very fun trip.
Tomorrow is a big day for our Tías and Tíos event. We are playing soccer and then taking the kids to a soccer game in Valpo. I will be sure to post again soon!
Chao!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Las primeras semanas de Mayo
Hi Everyone! I am in La Serena right now but I need to blog about the last few weeks, so you’ll get the La Serena scoop in a couple days.
School has been going great. Over the past few weeks I gave three big presentations and turned in a few papers. In my expression class I had to memorize, recite and analyze a Pablo Neruda poem. In my culture class I presented on short story by having the class play jeopardy. Also, Jessica and I did a group presentation on Sola Sierra (founder of the AFDD) and the Rettig Report (a comprehensive report commissioned by the government regarding the events that took place between 1973 and 1990).
All and all, the unit on Pinochet was extremely interesting and at the same time sad. Following the golpe de estado on Sept. 11, 1973, Pinochet and his followers tortured, murdered and abused human rights of innocent citizens for years and years. For example, the carabineros (police) would raid homes and neighborhoods looking for leftist activists (many times that included anyone and everyone that was in the area or interfered). They would take them to various locations such as stadiums, schools, private homes, mines, boats, etc. to be tortured, raped and/or murdered. The Pinochet regime used any method deemed necessary to keep communism out of Chile. The population was drastically polarized during this time and still is to a certain extent. Many Chileans did not know what happened or if they did, turned a blind eye. It is obvious to me that Chile is doing a great job of trying step into the future without giving proper acknowledgment to the true version of their collective past. They do not teach the subject in public schools and aside from a couple monuments and memorials here and there, one could visit Chile without ever knowing something horrible happened here.
In addition to lots of school projects, two weekends ago, Jessica and I visited our Chilean family in Santiago. As always, it was very refreshing to see our nieces and nephews and spend time talking with Tita and Tata. We went shopping in La Patronata with Mari, our Chilean sister, and visited Tita at work. Jess and I also went to the big cemetery to see the monument dedicated to the desaparecidos. You can see from the pictures that the wall has thousands of names listed. These are the names of people who went “missing” during the Pinochet era. Many of their bodies were never found, hence why they are called the “desaparecidos.” On Saturday we went to our Chilean niece’s food festival at her elementary school. I had a plate from every stand. That’s probably not surprising to anyone.
Last weekend was another big Tías y Tíos event. We took the kids to the Botanical Gardens. Not only were the botanical gardens beautiful because all the leaves were falling, but the kids had an amazing time. We played soccer, volleyball and walked around the small lake. They were stuffed full of food and exhausted by the time we took them home. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!
On the home front, my sister, Katie, graduated from high school this past week. CONGRATS KATIE BO BATIE!!! Kevin drove out to AZ for a few days to see the ceremony and hang out with my family. My Nana, the best Nana in the world hands down, was also in AZ, so she was able to meet him for the first time. I wish I could’ve been there but Kevin gave me the scoop on everything.
Jess and I are going to head out of La Serena soon…I’ll be posting in a couple days about our trip! Chao!
School has been going great. Over the past few weeks I gave three big presentations and turned in a few papers. In my expression class I had to memorize, recite and analyze a Pablo Neruda poem. In my culture class I presented on short story by having the class play jeopardy. Also, Jessica and I did a group presentation on Sola Sierra (founder of the AFDD) and the Rettig Report (a comprehensive report commissioned by the government regarding the events that took place between 1973 and 1990).
All and all, the unit on Pinochet was extremely interesting and at the same time sad. Following the golpe de estado on Sept. 11, 1973, Pinochet and his followers tortured, murdered and abused human rights of innocent citizens for years and years. For example, the carabineros (police) would raid homes and neighborhoods looking for leftist activists (many times that included anyone and everyone that was in the area or interfered). They would take them to various locations such as stadiums, schools, private homes, mines, boats, etc. to be tortured, raped and/or murdered. The Pinochet regime used any method deemed necessary to keep communism out of Chile. The population was drastically polarized during this time and still is to a certain extent. Many Chileans did not know what happened or if they did, turned a blind eye. It is obvious to me that Chile is doing a great job of trying step into the future without giving proper acknowledgment to the true version of their collective past. They do not teach the subject in public schools and aside from a couple monuments and memorials here and there, one could visit Chile without ever knowing something horrible happened here.
In addition to lots of school projects, two weekends ago, Jessica and I visited our Chilean family in Santiago. As always, it was very refreshing to see our nieces and nephews and spend time talking with Tita and Tata. We went shopping in La Patronata with Mari, our Chilean sister, and visited Tita at work. Jess and I also went to the big cemetery to see the monument dedicated to the desaparecidos. You can see from the pictures that the wall has thousands of names listed. These are the names of people who went “missing” during the Pinochet era. Many of their bodies were never found, hence why they are called the “desaparecidos.” On Saturday we went to our Chilean niece’s food festival at her elementary school. I had a plate from every stand. That’s probably not surprising to anyone.
Last weekend was another big Tías y Tíos event. We took the kids to the Botanical Gardens. Not only were the botanical gardens beautiful because all the leaves were falling, but the kids had an amazing time. We played soccer, volleyball and walked around the small lake. They were stuffed full of food and exhausted by the time we took them home. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!
On the home front, my sister, Katie, graduated from high school this past week. CONGRATS KATIE BO BATIE!!! Kevin drove out to AZ for a few days to see the ceremony and hang out with my family. My Nana, the best Nana in the world hands down, was also in AZ, so she was able to meet him for the first time. I wish I could’ve been there but Kevin gave me the scoop on everything.
Jess and I are going to head out of La Serena soon…I’ll be posting in a couple days about our trip! Chao!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tias y Tios, Bikram and Estudios
Hi everyone, I have many updates!
First and foremost, our service project Tías y Tíos is officially up and running. You may be wondering why it’s called Tías y Tíos…the kids call us Tía y Tío, so it just fits.
We had our first big event this Sunday. I went to pick up the kids from the house and we met up with all the Tías y Tíos at Telepizza. First we played a get to know you game with M & M’s and ate pizza. Then we broke up into teams for the scavenger hunt. Each team had 2-3 kids and 3-4 Tías y Tíos. I was on the Los Tigres team with Diego and María Jose and Tía Angela from Columbia and Tía Julie from Indiana. We walked all through the hills of Valpo. Luckily, it was a beautiful day. I was apprehensive as to whether or not the kids would enjoy it, but not only did they have a blast, they were super intense. We jogged for an hour and 15 minutes straight so that we could check everything off the list and get back to Telepizza on time. After the scavenger hunt we did a journal activity. They had to write down a reflection about the activity along with a personal goal and academic goal they hope to accomplish before the next activity. The Scavenger Hunt surpassed my expectations, and I know the kids enjoyed every second of it. Our next activity is going to be on May 17, 2009. We will be doing a pot luck spaghetti dinner then going to a museum and doing an art project.
School is going ok. I am really enjoying my Culture class. We are learning about the Pinochet era. Pinochet is a very controversial figure in Chile. Some Chileans consider him to be the Chile’s most violent dictator in history and very similar to Hitler, while others consider him to be Chile’s saving grace. Let’s just say Pinochet is not something I’ll bring up during a dinner table chat. We haven’t finished this unit yet, but when we do I will give you a summary of who he was and what it was like in Chile during that era. Stay tuned for that!!!
My other classes are so/so. It has been a roller coaster the past few weeks on the Spanish front. One day I’ll feel really confident, and I have no problem blabbing away. Other days, I want to crawl under a rock. Also, I am not required in any of my classes to apply what I’ve learned. For example, I am used to doing worksheets or exercises in which I put into practice concepts learned during lectures. It is an extremely rare occasion that I do worksheet or exercise in class or for homework. I am learning the subjunctive, que v. cual, ser v. estar, accentuation, etc. but am not asked to put them to use. I have lectures everyday and then poof, there is a quiz or test. This is on top of the fact that there are no textbooks. I am trying to use on-line resources to do exercises, but if I have a question I don’t have a professor in front of me that I can ask. (Dr. Factor…maybe you have some suggestions???)
First and foremost, our service project Tías y Tíos is officially up and running. You may be wondering why it’s called Tías y Tíos…the kids call us Tía y Tío, so it just fits.
We had our first big event this Sunday. I went to pick up the kids from the house and we met up with all the Tías y Tíos at Telepizza. First we played a get to know you game with M & M’s and ate pizza. Then we broke up into teams for the scavenger hunt. Each team had 2-3 kids and 3-4 Tías y Tíos. I was on the Los Tigres team with Diego and María Jose and Tía Angela from Columbia and Tía Julie from Indiana. We walked all through the hills of Valpo. Luckily, it was a beautiful day. I was apprehensive as to whether or not the kids would enjoy it, but not only did they have a blast, they were super intense. We jogged for an hour and 15 minutes straight so that we could check everything off the list and get back to Telepizza on time. After the scavenger hunt we did a journal activity. They had to write down a reflection about the activity along with a personal goal and academic goal they hope to accomplish before the next activity. The Scavenger Hunt surpassed my expectations, and I know the kids enjoyed every second of it. Our next activity is going to be on May 17, 2009. We will be doing a pot luck spaghetti dinner then going to a museum and doing an art project.
School is going ok. I am really enjoying my Culture class. We are learning about the Pinochet era. Pinochet is a very controversial figure in Chile. Some Chileans consider him to be the Chile’s most violent dictator in history and very similar to Hitler, while others consider him to be Chile’s saving grace. Let’s just say Pinochet is not something I’ll bring up during a dinner table chat. We haven’t finished this unit yet, but when we do I will give you a summary of who he was and what it was like in Chile during that era. Stay tuned for that!!!
My other classes are so/so. It has been a roller coaster the past few weeks on the Spanish front. One day I’ll feel really confident, and I have no problem blabbing away. Other days, I want to crawl under a rock. Also, I am not required in any of my classes to apply what I’ve learned. For example, I am used to doing worksheets or exercises in which I put into practice concepts learned during lectures. It is an extremely rare occasion that I do worksheet or exercise in class or for homework. I am learning the subjunctive, que v. cual, ser v. estar, accentuation, etc. but am not asked to put them to use. I have lectures everyday and then poof, there is a quiz or test. This is on top of the fact that there are no textbooks. I am trying to use on-line resources to do exercises, but if I have a question I don’t have a professor in front of me that I can ask. (Dr. Factor…maybe you have some suggestions???)
Our new Chilean roommate Helen is also trying to help me with my Spanish. I am very thankful that she wants to correct me, but after a long day at school it is sometimes frustrating to be corrected. It is a work in progress.
Last weekend, Jessica and I went to Santiago for our Chilean sobrino, Diego’s, baptism. It was a huge deal for the Munoz family and I was so happy that we were invited to attend such an important family event. Even though the service was an hour and a half, it was well worth the wait to eat Carla’s homemade alfajors. (Carla is our Chilean sister)
It is starting to get cold and foggy here. The season changed really fast. Jessica and I are whipping out the ear warmers and warm socks. I get so jealous when I talk to Kevin or my family because summer is well on its way in sunny LA and AZ. I felt bad that this Saturday the weather wasn't ideal because our friend Keong Te from language school came to visit us and we treked through Valpo in our winter coats and scarves.
Last weekend, Jessica and I went to Santiago for our Chilean sobrino, Diego’s, baptism. It was a huge deal for the Munoz family and I was so happy that we were invited to attend such an important family event. Even though the service was an hour and a half, it was well worth the wait to eat Carla’s homemade alfajors. (Carla is our Chilean sister)
It is starting to get cold and foggy here. The season changed really fast. Jessica and I are whipping out the ear warmers and warm socks. I get so jealous when I talk to Kevin or my family because summer is well on its way in sunny LA and AZ. I felt bad that this Saturday the weather wasn't ideal because our friend Keong Te from language school came to visit us and we treked through Valpo in our winter coats and scarves.
I've started doing Bikram Yoga here. I am amazed that they have a studio!! For those of you who don't know what Bikram is, it is hot yoga and the poses are the same every class. You do each pose twice. It is hard core yoga...none of that kum-bi-ya stuff. I bought a month pass. I also am joining the PUCV's basketball team. Our first game is tomorrow and I just hope I get to play for a few minutes. There are a lot of girls on the team but I'm the only gringa :)
I also got my first piece of mail!! My sister, Katie, sent me her graduation invitation. She will be graduating from high school on May 22, 2008. Samie, my other sister, was inducted to National Honor Society last week too. GOOO PEORIA PANTHERS. I am so proud! What can I say...they learn from the best.
Well, I need to get to bed. Bikram Yoga is at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.
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