I am sitting here on a damp Tuesday evening listening to the rain fall onto the tin roof of our house along with the faint sound of my host mother humming along with crackling Chilean music coming from the radio in the kitchen. I believe she is preparing empanadas (a traditional Chilean treat), or at least I hope she is. This past weekend was another relaxing weekend at home. The rain limits the possibility of outdoor activities, but I am more than happy spending my time here at the house with the family.
After looking back at my previous posts, I realized that I haven’t told you much about my “daily life” here in Chile. Most of what I have written about has been the big events and some of my travels. So here is a post on the things I encounter on an every day basis.
Welcome To English
My classroom has become a second home for me here in Chile. The room was just recently furnished and there is still hint of the fresh mint green paint on the wall. The school really went all out for my arrival; all new windows, new chairs, a brand new teachers desk, new white board, and newly wired electricity. In the school there only 4 heaters/stoves: one in the front entryway, one in the library, one in the teachers lounge and one in my classroom. My heater is propane fueled and all the others are wood burning.
The rest of the rooms are frigged cold for the majority of the day and it is certain that there is a group of students or teachers huddled around one of the heaters every minute of the day. With that being said… I try to keep my room open for students to stay warm while I don’t have class, which is often my favorite time of the day. This time often leads to spontaneous English lessons with students I don’t have in class, games of hacky sack, me practicing my Spanish with the students, and students asking; “Will you play music by Michael Jackson or Eminem for us?”
All of my classes are only in English. I do not use a single word of Spanish, and my students essentially have no English knowledge, which adds a pretty interesting element to my classes. I do a lot of acting things out, and miming and I have a good time making a fool out of myself! Haha. Every class period I start with the date and “slang” of the day. So far my students know “What’s up?”, “Peace out”, “See ya”, “Yo”, “Dude”, “Buddy”, and “Awesome” amongst a few others. It is always fun to hear “What’s up Mr. Matt?” when walking down the hallway.
The students seem to be enjoying class, and most show a lot of enthusiasm when in class. But as usual in any high school, there are a handful of students that are just way too cool for school. Karyn (the other volunteer) and I have also started an English club which many of my students have attended which allows for a more fun and informal time with the students.
Desayuno, Almuerzo, and Onces
Most every morning I enjoy my breakfast (desayuno) by myself in silence while the rest of the family is still sound asleep. I cherish this time as it allows me to mentally prepare myself for each day that follows.
Everyday, I walk home for lunch (almuerzo), which is a time that I have come to love. Most of the family comes home to warm up with a nice hot bowl of soup and a cup of coffee or tea. It is always difficult to get myself to return to work after filling my tummy plump, but this is nothing that a nice cup of instant Nescafe cant cure.
Onces (dinner) is possibly my favorite time of the day. Onces always consists of homemade bread and coffee/tea as well as a solid conversation. It is a time for everyone to reflect on their day with the people that they enjoy most in life. Onces always starts out quiet because everyone is famished and is busy eating, but after a good 5-10 minutes the conversation starts to snowball and usually lasts for a good 1 ½ - 2 hours.
Cold Showers and Toilet Paperless Bathrooms
Every day starts with the battle of getting out of my warm and toasty bed, and entering the teeth chattering air that fills the room. Kevin (the other volunteer that I share a room with) and I are fortunate enough to have our own bathroom, but there are two conditions that I have had to adjust to. The first condition is the almost guaranteed cold shower. The showers in our house are electric, and don’t generate much warm water which has lead to my mastery of the one minute shower.
The second condition… no toilet paper in the bathrooms and you cannot flush the toilet paper. I have yet to find a bathroom in the past 1 ½ months that has its own toilet paper, so I always have a roll in my back pack. Also, the plumbing in most bathrooms is not very strong, so you are not allowed to flush your toilet paper as it often leads to clogs. In most every bathroom there is a garbage can next to the toilet for your “dirties” once your deed is done. As you can imagine, it isn’t always the prettiest sight.
The Lost Dogs of Chile
For every 3 blocks you walk in Los Alamos, there is sure to be at least 2-3, what seam to be, stray dogs. I have yet to wrap my head around the whole “calle perros” (street dogs) issue, but I have come to accept them. You can walk by most without receiving any gruff, but every once in a while I’ll come along a dog that just isn’t having a good day and needs someone to take it out on. It isn’t common to be bit, but they sure do like to bark.
Our family has two dogs of our own. Good ol’ Max and Kitty. The two of them are our guard dogs and so far they have done a good job. Apparently it usually takes them a long time to adjust to new people, but since day two or three here in Los Alamos Max and Kitty have taken a liking to me. My host parents are continuously impressed when I can just go up to both of them and start playing around with them without either of them barking or snipping at my hands.
Below is a little birthday video for my sis Mary Beth. She turns 21 today! If you haven't wished her a happy birthday today, post a birthday message for her here. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MB!!!
