Hello lovely and faithful readers.
I have a big announcement to make!
Drum roll please...
Presenting!
I've imported (almost) all of my old posts. I'll keep this blog up for a little bit while I work out some quirks over there, but I won't be updating here any more.
Thanks, Blogger, for being so faithful over the past five years, but it's time to move on.
I'd appreciate it if everyone could update their feed readers and blogrolls. Thanks!
PS. There's no www in front of the URL
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
If you need a good laugh...
A friend posted this on facebook the other day and I just had to repost it here for anyone who needs a good laugh.
Plus, it reminds me of a video we have of my sister as a baby laughing exactly like this baby at my uncle doing an impression of Donald Duck.
This same sister who in less than three months is getting married and just sent me her engagement photos! Waaaaaahhh my baby sister is all grown up.
That is all. I will blog something real when work calms down.
In the mean time, have a good laugh.
Plus, it reminds me of a video we have of my sister as a baby laughing exactly like this baby at my uncle doing an impression of Donald Duck.
This same sister who in less than three months is getting married and just sent me her engagement photos! Waaaaaahhh my baby sister is all grown up.
That is all. I will blog something real when work calms down.
In the mean time, have a good laugh.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Una confesión
Primero que todo, un "disclaimer"...trabajé 14 horas hoy día así que estoy un poco cansada, y si mi castellano no es perfecto, es solamente por eso....jajaja. Broma. Si mi castellano no es perfecto, es porque no lo es no más. Pero sí es cierto que he trabajado mucho hoy, así que puede que ande peor que lo normal.
Bueno, tengo que confesarles algo. Aunque vivo en Chile, siento a veces que hablo inglés mucho más que debería. Bueno, hablo castellano la gran mayoría del tiempo cuando estoy en el trabajo, pero mi jefa también habla inglés, así que si de repente no sé una palabra, o si estoy cansada, puedo decir cosas en inglés y me entiende. Además como la casa central de nuestra organización está en EEUU, tengo que enviar muchos mails en inglés, además de hacer traducciones al inglés y cosas por el estilo.
Segundo, la mayoría de mis amigos acá son gringos, y hablamos inglés, obviamente, porque es más facíl y creo que sería ridículo si hablaramos castellano.
Obviamente también tengo amigos chilenos, y con ellos hablo castellano. También cuando he estado pololeando, hablo castellano con mi pololo.
Con Charlie hablo (obviamente hablo con mi gato, no me juzguen) 100% Spanglish. A veces mezclo los dos idiomas en la misma frase. Charlie es un gato bilingüe, experto en Spanglish.
Sin embargo, hoy día llegaron los nuevos estudiantes de EEUU. Como recién han llegado, tengo que hablar con ellos solamente en castellano para que se vayan acostumbrandose al idioma. O sea, se supone que durante todo el semestre tengo que hablar con ellos en castellano, así que mejor todavía que se acostumbran al tiro.
Entonces hoy día, desde las 8:00 hasta las 22:00, hablé puro castellano. Creo que dije como dos palabras en inglés todo el día. Y esto es raro para mí. Porque incluso si no hablo inglés acá en Chile, hablo a menudo con mis padres o hermanos o amigos en EEUU. Pero hoy día no. 100% castellano.
Es raro que uno viva en un país hispanoparlante y pasa mucho tiempo hablando inglés. O sea, menos mal que ya no soy profesora de inglés, porque ahí sí hablé inglés incluso mucho más que ahora.
Decidí hace dos minutos (mientras escribía este post) que este año voy a intentar de hablar casetllano mucho más que actualmente hablo. Tengo que aprovechar que vivo en un país hispanohablante, y no andar todo el día hablando inglés. Y esto siginfica que voy a hacer más posts en castellano también. ¿Les parece?
Bueno, tengo que confesarles algo. Aunque vivo en Chile, siento a veces que hablo inglés mucho más que debería. Bueno, hablo castellano la gran mayoría del tiempo cuando estoy en el trabajo, pero mi jefa también habla inglés, así que si de repente no sé una palabra, o si estoy cansada, puedo decir cosas en inglés y me entiende. Además como la casa central de nuestra organización está en EEUU, tengo que enviar muchos mails en inglés, además de hacer traducciones al inglés y cosas por el estilo.
Segundo, la mayoría de mis amigos acá son gringos, y hablamos inglés, obviamente, porque es más facíl y creo que sería ridículo si hablaramos castellano.
Obviamente también tengo amigos chilenos, y con ellos hablo castellano. También cuando he estado pololeando, hablo castellano con mi pololo.
Con Charlie hablo (obviamente hablo con mi gato, no me juzguen) 100% Spanglish. A veces mezclo los dos idiomas en la misma frase. Charlie es un gato bilingüe, experto en Spanglish.
Sin embargo, hoy día llegaron los nuevos estudiantes de EEUU. Como recién han llegado, tengo que hablar con ellos solamente en castellano para que se vayan acostumbrandose al idioma. O sea, se supone que durante todo el semestre tengo que hablar con ellos en castellano, así que mejor todavía que se acostumbran al tiro.
Entonces hoy día, desde las 8:00 hasta las 22:00, hablé puro castellano. Creo que dije como dos palabras en inglés todo el día. Y esto es raro para mí. Porque incluso si no hablo inglés acá en Chile, hablo a menudo con mis padres o hermanos o amigos en EEUU. Pero hoy día no. 100% castellano.
Es raro que uno viva en un país hispanoparlante y pasa mucho tiempo hablando inglés. O sea, menos mal que ya no soy profesora de inglés, porque ahí sí hablé inglés incluso mucho más que ahora.
Decidí hace dos minutos (mientras escribía este post) que este año voy a intentar de hablar casetllano mucho más que actualmente hablo. Tengo que aprovechar que vivo en un país hispanohablante, y no andar todo el día hablando inglés. Y esto siginfica que voy a hacer más posts en castellano también. ¿Les parece?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Reasons to move to Chile
So far this week, two people have written to me asking for advice about moving to Chile. Since I believe that things happen in threes, I'm anticipating the third and writing this blog post.
When I decided to move to Chile, I didn't ask anyone anything. I just decided. Then I did it.
Looking back, this probably wasn't the best way to go about it. Granted, everything has worked out for the best, but I now truly believe that people shouldn't make such big decisions without thinking it over first and making sure it's the right decision. That being said, if you're moving here for love, that's a different story. I have my opinions about that as well but I'll just keep them to myself for the time being.
So, why should you move to Chile, specifically, Santiago?
If your life dream has been to teach English, then by all means, come on down. There are a plethora of English teaching jobs available. See my FAQ section or these posts for more info.
If you love speaking Spanish and want to improve. Or, if you want to learn. I personally did not learn Spanish here in Chile (that happened in El Salvador) but I know plenty of people who have. There are lots of language schools in Santiago. Chilean Spanish can be tricky, but it's by no means impossible. I caught on (with a significant background in Spanish) in about a month or so. Of course, I'm constantly learning new chileanismos (like this one), even today.
If you can telecommute or work from home, Chile is a great place to live, because it's less expensive. Rent is significantly cheaper in Chile than in most places in the U.S. If you live in Santiago, there's no need for a car. You can literally get almost anywhere in the country by bus. It's pretty amazing. Some things are more expensive or the same, but overall, I live much simply and cheaper here in Santiago than I would in the U.S.
If you'd like to live a slower-paced life, with long weekend lunches, lazy Sunday afternoons, and a looser concept of time, then Chile is great. This is probably the thing that has been the hardest for me to adapt to (I can be a bit impatient) but it has taught me to relax and enjoy life more.
If you're open minded and willing to learn about a new culture, Chile will welcome you with open arms. It's different from the U.S., but not so different that everything is 100% foreign. Parts of Santiago look so much like a U.S. city that sometimes I forget that I'm in a foreign country. But then again, there are many more parts that are 100% Chilean. Also, as a rule Chileans have a good attitude towards people from North America and Europe. There's little anti-U.S. sentiment that I've felt in other countries. (On the other side of the coin, Chileans can be very prejudiced against their South American neighbors, especially Bolivians and Peruvians, but that is for another post).
So I hope these help anyone contemplating a move to Chile. Stay tuned for future posts on the subject!
When I decided to move to Chile, I didn't ask anyone anything. I just decided. Then I did it.
Looking back, this probably wasn't the best way to go about it. Granted, everything has worked out for the best, but I now truly believe that people shouldn't make such big decisions without thinking it over first and making sure it's the right decision. That being said, if you're moving here for love, that's a different story. I have my opinions about that as well but I'll just keep them to myself for the time being.
So, why should you move to Chile, specifically, Santiago?
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| One of my favorite classes |
If your life dream has been to teach English, then by all means, come on down. There are a plethora of English teaching jobs available. See my FAQ section or these posts for more info.
If you love speaking Spanish and want to improve. Or, if you want to learn. I personally did not learn Spanish here in Chile (that happened in El Salvador) but I know plenty of people who have. There are lots of language schools in Santiago. Chilean Spanish can be tricky, but it's by no means impossible. I caught on (with a significant background in Spanish) in about a month or so. Of course, I'm constantly learning new chileanismos (like this one), even today.
If you can telecommute or work from home, Chile is a great place to live, because it's less expensive. Rent is significantly cheaper in Chile than in most places in the U.S. If you live in Santiago, there's no need for a car. You can literally get almost anywhere in the country by bus. It's pretty amazing. Some things are more expensive or the same, but overall, I live much simply and cheaper here in Santiago than I would in the U.S.
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| The sobremesa is one of my most favorite of Chilean traditions. It's when you sit around and talk after a meal, sometimes for hours. At my host family's house, this often includes music and singing. |
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| Lota, a city in the south of Chile, near Concepción, which I think looks very "Chilean". |
If you're open minded and willing to learn about a new culture, Chile will welcome you with open arms. It's different from the U.S., but not so different that everything is 100% foreign. Parts of Santiago look so much like a U.S. city that sometimes I forget that I'm in a foreign country. But then again, there are many more parts that are 100% Chilean. Also, as a rule Chileans have a good attitude towards people from North America and Europe. There's little anti-U.S. sentiment that I've felt in other countries. (On the other side of the coin, Chileans can be very prejudiced against their South American neighbors, especially Bolivians and Peruvians, but that is for another post).
So I hope these help anyone contemplating a move to Chile. Stay tuned for future posts on the subject!
Friday, February 18, 2011
I miss these girls...
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| Lovely R., who lives in New Mexico and is a kick-ass geologist. |
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| D. and E.L., both in grad school for sciency things (astrophysics and oceanography, I think). And E.L. is getting married in May! |
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| E.R., my pretty friend who teaches English in the Mother Land and will hold your hand all through stressful episodes of Gray's Anatomy. |
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| Me, K and S, roomies senior year! |
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| Me and A.T., roomies freshmen and sophomore year. So close they called us "Abya" :) |
Don't get me wrong, I've made lots of great friends in Chile who I wouldn't give up for the world, but sometimes, man, I miss these girls. Ever since freshmen year (well, almost, S. joined later) we were a tight group that stuck together. To my Drummond girls, plus additions, I miss you!
Monday, February 14, 2011
A Weekend at the Zoo
You may think I went to Buin Zoo this weekend, because I did, in fact go to Buin, but we skipped the zoo.
The zoo, my dear readers, was in my apartment.
So here's my Valentines Day gift to you. Cute animals. Enjoy.
Song is At the Zoo by Simon and Garfunkle
The zoo, my dear readers, was in my apartment.
So here's my Valentines Day gift to you. Cute animals. Enjoy.
Song is At the Zoo by Simon and Garfunkle
Friday, February 11, 2011
Chilean Word Play
Eileen at Bearshapedsphere once posted on how Chileans soften their swear words, replacing them with words that sound similar. Margaret recently updated her Chilenismos Glossary over at Cachando Chile. These two things inspired this post.
Chileans are good at replacing words that sound the same. For example, there is the infamous: "Y Boston?" or "Y Bosnia?" No, nobodys concerned about geography here, they just want to know about you. See, the informal version of tú here in Chile is vos (or really pronounced voh). So if you say "Y voh?" it means, "And you?" So to be clever, you can elongate this into "Y Boston?" or "Y Bosnia?" because in Spanish, the v and b are practically the same sound.
Another one my boss likes to use is "Como le baila?" which would roughly translate into "How do you dance?" But really, she just wants to know how you're doing. The correct phrase would be "Como le va?" which is the polite way of asking "How's it going?"
Here are some others that I've heard around town.
Serapio: this comes from the phrase "Será, po," which is Chilean (or Spanish, without the po) for a resigned "I guess that's the way it will be." Apio is celery.
"Veronica, mi amor, perdóname, pero no voy a poder ir a almorzar donde tus padres hoy día." (Veronica, my love, I'm sorry but I can't eat lunch at your parents' house today.)
"Bueno, serapio." (Okay, I guess that's how it is.)
De todas mangueras: This comes from the common phrase "De todas maneras", which means "By all means". A manguera is a garden hose.
"Juan, vai a venir a mi cumple?" (Juan, are you coming to my birthday party?)
"De todas mangueras, compa're" (Of course I am, man)
Por si las moscas: Moscas are flies, but this phrase means "Just in case" or "By the way" from the Spanish phrase "Por si acaso" (Which Margaret points out is often shortened to porsiaca and I've even heard porsi.)
"Susana, puedes revisar el base de datos de nuevo, por si las moscas" (Susana, can you check the data base again, just in case)
"Claro, jefa." (Sure thing, boss)
Nos Belmont: Belmont* is one of the most popular brands of cigarettes here in Chile. This phrase is derived from "Nos vemos", which is "See you later."
"Claudia, me voy." (Claudia, I'm leaving)
"Ya, nos belmont!" (Okay, see you later!)
Lenteja: This comes from the word lenta or lento, meaning slow. Lentejas are lentils.
"Vicente, ¿querí ir a almorzar en la Picola Italia?" (Vincent, wanna have lunch at the Picola Italia?"
"No, weon, son medio lentejas allá...vamos mejor al Dominó." (No, dude, they're kind of slow over there...let's go to Dominó instead.)
*Unfortunately, to many Chileans "Vermont" sounds like "Belmont" so when they ask where I'm from, they sometimes ask "You mean, like the cigarettes?" No, ew, gross.
Chileans are good at replacing words that sound the same. For example, there is the infamous: "Y Boston?" or "Y Bosnia?" No, nobodys concerned about geography here, they just want to know about you. See, the informal version of tú here in Chile is vos (or really pronounced voh). So if you say "Y voh?" it means, "And you?" So to be clever, you can elongate this into "Y Boston?" or "Y Bosnia?" because in Spanish, the v and b are practically the same sound.
Another one my boss likes to use is "Como le baila?" which would roughly translate into "How do you dance?" But really, she just wants to know how you're doing. The correct phrase would be "Como le va?" which is the polite way of asking "How's it going?"
Here are some others that I've heard around town.
Serapio: this comes from the phrase "Será, po," which is Chilean (or Spanish, without the po) for a resigned "I guess that's the way it will be." Apio is celery.
"Veronica, mi amor, perdóname, pero no voy a poder ir a almorzar donde tus padres hoy día." (Veronica, my love, I'm sorry but I can't eat lunch at your parents' house today.)
"Bueno, serapio." (Okay, I guess that's how it is.)
De todas mangueras: This comes from the common phrase "De todas maneras", which means "By all means". A manguera is a garden hose.
"Juan, vai a venir a mi cumple?" (Juan, are you coming to my birthday party?)
"De todas mangueras, compa're" (Of course I am, man)
Por si las moscas: Moscas are flies, but this phrase means "Just in case" or "By the way" from the Spanish phrase "Por si acaso" (Which Margaret points out is often shortened to porsiaca and I've even heard porsi.)
"Susana, puedes revisar el base de datos de nuevo, por si las moscas" (Susana, can you check the data base again, just in case)
"Claro, jefa." (Sure thing, boss)
Nos Belmont: Belmont* is one of the most popular brands of cigarettes here in Chile. This phrase is derived from "Nos vemos", which is "See you later."
"Claudia, me voy." (Claudia, I'm leaving)
"Ya, nos belmont!" (Okay, see you later!)
Lenteja: This comes from the word lenta or lento, meaning slow. Lentejas are lentils.
"Vicente, ¿querí ir a almorzar en la Picola Italia?" (Vincent, wanna have lunch at the Picola Italia?"
"No, weon, son medio lentejas allá...vamos mejor al Dominó." (No, dude, they're kind of slow over there...let's go to Dominó instead.)
*Unfortunately, to many Chileans "Vermont" sounds like "Belmont" so when they ask where I'm from, they sometimes ask "You mean, like the cigarettes?" No, ew, gross.
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