Transantiago woes, or how it took me 1 hour to get home last night

I have a love hate relationship with Transantiago. Yesterday it was all about hate.

My class ends at 6:30, and usually if I let them go a little early and book it to the metro, the lines aren't that bad and the trains only get really crowded at Pedro de Valdivia station where everyone and their grandma gets on. But yesterday I kept my kids (ha...they are all older than me) until 6:30, then chatted with my friend E. for a little while, then got distracted by blueberry muffins at Castaño and waited in a long line to buy them, and by the time I got down to where you swipe your BIP! card, it was CROWDED. The lines to put more money on your card were at least 20 people deep and the lines to go through the turnstyle were about 10-12 people deep. Ridiculous! I considered turning around and going to take a bus, but I was lazy and figured I'd tough it out like a real Santiaguino.

Well, Santiaguino I am not. I squished myself on to the train. We got to Los Leones, miraculously three more people managed to sqeeze on, which left me in a very uncomfortable position (think, sandwhiched) in front of a middle aged man and an old woman. I literally could not move. We got to Pedro de Valdivia and a couple people got off, which obviously meant there was room for five or six more people to get on. Then we waited. And waited. And then the driver came over the loudspeaker and appologized for the wait. Usually right after that, they close the doors and get going. Not yesterday. We waited and waited. Then the voice came again and applogized for the wait and said something unintelligable about an accident and the emergency break. So I thought that after the second announcement they would close the doors and we'd be off. Nope. I am a claustrophobic person by nature, but usually the metro doesn't bother me as long as we're moving. But standing still in that hot hot hot train with no airflow, I couldn't handle it. So I shoved my way past the old lady and headed for fresh air.

I forgot that around Pedro de Valdivia the bus stops are NUTS. There must have been 60 people waiting for one bus. But somehow I managed to get on and again squeezed uncomfortably between two people. Because the micro was so full, the bus driver only stopped to let people out the back door but there was no way I was going to get that far back. So when my stop came, I asked him to open the front door. He said no way, that people were going to try to get on and there was no room. I told him that I couldn't get to the back door and that he had to let me off. So he begrudgingly stopped one block later and let me off.

So you may think that I was home by now. Nope! One more micro. This one wasn't as crowded and I safely arrived at my doorstep, one hour after starting my journey.

Fútbol

Growing up in the U.S., I was not destined to be a soccer fan. Soccer, in the realm of professional sports, is not popular. I would say it comes in a distant fifth behind Football (American), Baseball, Basketball and Hockey. It wasn't until we got a satellite dish when I was 13 that I actually watched a professional game on TV, because none of the major networks carried the games. I found it confusing and hard to watch, mostly because the players were so tiny on the screen (I found out about a year later that I needed glasses...maybe that has something to do with it!)

My first real experience watching soccer was in 2006. I was in El Salvador, and it was the World Cup. I fully admit, my knowledge about the World Cup before I arrived was nil. I knew it had to do with soccer. That's it. But, everyone was talking about it when I got there, so I asked lots of questions and started to understand more. I don't remember in which round I started religiously watching the games, but I mainly started watching them because the guy I really liked watched, and I did it spend time with him.

I remember when Mexico lost. It was horrible. Y. (the guy I liked) cried. Why so much emotion? Well, if you all think that Chile has had some bad national teams, you should see El Salvador. It's way worse. They've only ever qualified for two World Cups, once in 1970 and the other time in 1982 (thank you, wikipedia.) So Salvadorans tend to support Mexico during in the World Cup. But I digress.

Once Mexico was out, it was Italy all the way (I don't know why, but I suspect it was because Y. owned a tee-shirt that said "Italia" on it). The day of the World Cup Final came. It was a Sunday. Usually on Sundays Y. and I taught catechism classes in the afternoon to small children from their community. I assumed that we wouldn't be going that day because of the game. We settled in to watch. Half time came. Y got up and said, "Are you coming?" I asked where. He responded, "To teach catechism. Like every Sunday." So off we went, to catechism class. The whole time I couldn't believe people were missing the game for catechism. In the middle of teaching the little ones to cross themselves, a yelp went out from a house nearby. "ITALIA GANÓ!!!!!!!" (ITALY WON!!!!) It was so anticlimatic for me. I had watched countless games, but I missed the most important one.

So now, almost three years later, I'm in Chile. Obviously the World Cup isn't until next year, but right now are the classifying games. Last night, the Chilean national team beat Peru 3-1. Now they are number three in their division, behind Paraguay and Argentina. It is so exciting because Chile has historically not been a great team, and has only qualified seven times for the World Cup. But now they have a really good chance.

And on Wednesday I'll be there in the Estadio Nacional, cheering them on as they play Uruguay, hopefully bringing them one step closer to South Africa and World Cup 2010. And you better believe that I'm not going to miss that for a catechism class. ;)

I am now a glorified babysitter

All throughout high school and most of college I thought that my calling in life was to work with children somehow. I wasn't exactly sure if that meant teaching, or social work or what, but I was pretty sure children would be involved. In fact, when I applied for an internship in El Salvador for the summer after sophomore year, I requested to be placed with an NGO that served children. I was pretty disappointed that I got put with the agricultural NGO instead, even though I had way more knowledge and experience in that area. In the end, it worked out fine because I got to work with children in my community by teaching catechism classes and also by tirelessly playing with my four host siblings.

That being said, when I got to Chile and started my job I purposefully did not mark "children" on my preferences sheet for teaching. After my TEFL course I realized what a challenge it was to teach English to people who know how to sit still in a chair and pay attention for an hour straight. Because I'm not getting paid the big bucks to teach, I thought it would be easier to stick with teens and adults. I've done enough babysitting in my day, and the thought of being an English Language Babysitter did not appeal to me.

However, I was assigned a children's class. This class of 11 lovely little 8 year old angels is on Saturday at 8:30 am. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

Let me just say, I'm not so sure anymore that my calling in life is to work with children.

I just get so frustrated! Also, since I'm so competitive with myself, I can't help but wanting this to be an AMAZING experience for them. I don't want them to get bored. I want them to have lots of fun and learn lots of English.

But it's like pulling teeth. Between the pencil cases falling on the floor, the three rowdy boys fake fighting, half the students asking when we can go to the computer lab, three people at a time asking if they can go go the "toilets", children speaking in voices so quiet that I can't hear them when I'm standing right in front of them and only half the class paying attention at any one time, I want to pull my hair and scream.

And it's not like I make them sit in their chairs the whole time. I have games, songs and always give them a longer break than what is scheduled (did I mention the class is 3 hours long?).

But still, the past two Saturdays I have left that class COMPLETELY drained.

So this is why, when my boss asked me if I wanted to give up one of my adult classes to teach another kids class at a school nearby, it was all I could do not to yell in her face, "Not over my dead body!!"

What's wrong about love?

Apparently Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont, thinks there's something wrong with two people who love each other getting married. That is, if they are two men or two women.

Wait, you might be thinking, doesn't Vermont already have gay marriage?

Well, kind of. It has Civil Unions, which is like marriage without the name. So what's wrong with that? Why shouldn't they have the right to the word "marriage" just as much as heterosexual couples have the right? Plus, "Civil Union" sounds so icky and cold compared to marriage.

Recently the Vermont State Senate passed a bill allowing gay marriage. And it is expected to pass in the House as well.

But Governor Jimmy publicly declared today that he will veto the bill.

I know that is his right as Governor, but that doesn't make me any less angry.

Shot down.

Remember my (kind of angry) post about British vs. American English?

Well last night in one of my classes we were talking about the different types of Englishes in the world. One of the discussion questions was, "Which English do you think will be most helpful for you in your life?" And the options were: American English, British English, English as a Lingua Franca or Other. Both of my students picked British English.

So, obviously being curious and a little bit peleador (argumentative) I asked them why.

Their answers (I'll omit the grammar mistakes):
"Because British English is spoken more throughout the world."
"Because Europe is the most important area of the world right now."
"Because when I took the IELTS my worst score was on the writing part because I didn't know British English."
"Because everyone in Chile speaks British English."

Well, I don't agree with all their reasons, but I have to concede this one. Chileans think that British English is better. I guess it will be my mission in life to prove to them otherwise ;)

Pet Peeve

I think I've written about pet peeves before. But this is another to add to the list.

Documents that are not correctly formatted in Word!

Here is an excerpt of something I have to translate:

1,.-Circulatorios : luego de una inyección aguda de manitol 15 o 20 % hay una incremento del gasto cardiaco y de las presiones de llenado derecha e izquierda produciendo si la autorregulación hidráulica esta presente una elevación aguda y temporal de la presión arterial y de las cifras circulatorias cerebrales.(17).Agudamente se induce una elevación de las presiones venosas central, auricular derecha e izquierda así como las presiones de fin de diástole ventricular.Su gasto cardiaco se incrementa en hasta un 30% produciendo un incremento en el gasto cerebral secundariamente.Las presiones de perfusión esplacnica,renal ,miocárdica y pulmonar se incrementan en forma proporcional y temporal.

Honestly, why would anyone ever put a period, comma and a dash after the number 1? One would suffice, thank you, although I personally would chose either the period or the dash. And HELLO. You are supposed to put a space after punctuation (and not before, might I add).

This seriously bothers me so much that before I translate this I'm going to have to go through and fix all the formatting errors. I know that's kind of OCD, but it just rubs me the wrong way.

There are also grammar and spelling mistakes, but these honestly don't bother me as much as the formatting ones.

One Gringa's Guide to Chilean Courtesy

During my relatively short stay(s) here in Santiago de Chile, I pride myself with having learned some basic but VERY helpful rules about Chilean courtesy. It varies a bit from the United States, and I think that's why some Chileans accuse Norteamericanos of being cold. So here it is: Miss Manners Chilean Style.

1. Saludar. This is very important. Yes, it's annoying to have to go around and kiss everyone on the cheek, but Chileans see it as a sign of respect. Even if you're just passing through the room, you should say hi to everyone. This is especially important when there are visitors, and usually requires a bit more effort as it is also polite to make small talk in this situation.

2. Despedirse. Say goodbye. In my experience, the cheek kiss is less important, especially if the time spent was short. However, if you've spent a significant amount of time with a group of people, use the cheek kiss. What is really rude though, is to leave a place without at least saying "Chao!"

3. Say "Buenos dias" or "Buenas tardes" instead of just "Hola." This rule applies in any public setting such as the pharmacy, grocery store, notary, offices, etc. As a rule of thumb, if you are going to use "usted" with the person you're talking to, take the extra nano-second and say "Buenos Dias/Buenas Tardes". Even better, combine it with an Hola and a smile. In my experience whoever is helping you will be more attentive.

4. When offered a drink while visiting someone, accept. In the U.S. we are generally taught that declining is the polite thing to do. But here, they look at you like you have two heads and say "Are you sure?!?!" Also, in my experience just asking for water is kind of weird, because as a rule Chileans don't drink a lot of water. If it's the first time I'm at someone's house I will accept juice or soda, and then once I feel more comfortable I'll ask for water.

5. Finish all the food on your plate. (To the extent that you can.) This is considered a compliment to the chef and you won't be seen as a glutton. In fact, if you can, take seconds.

6. Use a napkin. Cachando Chile posted a great article on napkin etiquitte here in Chile, so check that out.

7. When serving food to others, make sure you use placemats and little saucers under bowls and tea cups. This may seem excessive, but it's how it's done.

Any other suggestions? One thing I have a doubt on is how to politely ask for something, for example at the pharmacy. I know it's rude to say "Quiero______" (I want_________), but I almost never hear anyone say "Quisiera______" I usually just make it really long and complicated and say "Estoy buscando__________" or "Me gustaria __________" or shorten it completely and say "Paracetamol, por favor." I seem to remember that you should say "Me da ___________?" but I'm not 100% sure on that one.

Working Girl

Yesterday morning I was feeling pretty bad for myself as my alarm went off at 6:45am to go to work. I grumbled to myself about getting up before a lot of Santiaguinos were going to bed from partying the night before.

I stumbled into the Santiago morning and waited for the bus. I was pretty surprised to see quite a few people on the bus, but I figured most of them were going home from the night before.

Then I got to the Metro.

It was PACKED.

Then I realized:

Obviously I'm not the only person in Santiago who has to work on Saturdays.

This made me feel a little better. I was probably just imagining it, but I felt that we were all sympathizing with each other during the commute.

It still stinks to have to work six days a week, but at least I know I'm not the only one.

Why I came (back) to Chile

This is part of a group blogging topic. Find the other entries here at Kyle's blog.

The story of why I first came to Chile is simple and boring. I needed (and wanted) to study abroad for my major. I had already traveled to El Salvador, but I had never been to South America. My university offered programs in Chile and Argentina. The Chile program was smaller and offered a host family experience, while the Argentina program was larger and the students lived in dorms. So, I decided on Chile, mostly by process of elimination.

I actually kind of dreaded coming to Chile to study abroad. See, the summer before I had an amazing experience living in the campo in El Salvador and came home with a Salvadoran boyfriend (well, he didn't come home with me, but you get the idea). So, I was pretty caught up in my relationship with him, and could only really focus on the next time I would be able to go visit him. Six months in Chile were just cramping my style.

However, that changed pretty much as soon as I got here. Things with my Salvadoran boyfriend went down the drain (for many complicated reasons) and then I met F. I loved my host family, the people in my program were great and I LOVED living in a city (something I had never done before in my life.) I got totally wrapped up in everything Chile.

My study abroad friends and I went on a trip to Peru and Bolivia in February, and I remember towards the end just aching to be back in Chile. But when people ask me why I like Chile, I can't really explain in concrete terms. Yes, I like seeing the snow-capped Andes mountains in winter, I love once, I like going bed late and waking up late, I like pisco sours, etc. But it's more than that. It's this feeling I get when I smell the wet pavement after my neighbor has watered her sidewalk, or I hear a micro on the street, or I see the Chilean flag, or I taste a completo. It feels like home to me, just about as much as Vermont feels like home.

So towards the middle of my study abroad experience I started brainstorming ways to come back here. First I decided to write my senior Honors Thesis on La Revolución Pingüina (by the way, if you need to know anything about the Chilean Education System, I'm your woman) and therefore got a grant to come back to Santiago to do research in January 2008. Then I started researching ways to teach English in Santiago. By March of my senior year, I pretty much had decided that's what I was going to do.

People sometimes ask why I didn't try to travel somewhere new. First of all, I don't think I could ever live in a place where no one spoke Spanish. I never want to lose my fluency. And I studied all things Latin America during college, so obviously I feel more comfortable here than in Spain. And because of my study abroad experience I KNOW Chile. I know the customs, the habits, the language, the transport system, how to deal with people who don't know customer service, how to take a number at the pharmacy, etc. etc. I feel as though if I went to another Latin American country I would have to learn that stuff ALL over again, and that I would constantly be comparing it to Chile.

Well, the rest is history. After graduation I worked for 7 months at a famous ice cream factory located in Vermont and saved up money to pay for a TEFL course and my plane ticket down here (plus enough to live on for awhile and to pay some interest on my loans). If you want to read about my life then, look in the archives of this blog, but it wasn't very thrilling.

But it was definitely worth it, because here I am, teaching English in Chile.

I guess I should add that I would be lying to myself if I said that F. had nothing to do with my decision to come back. But he was never the main reason. I always knew that if things didn't work out between us, I would be able to stay here anyway. And I was right, because I'm still here, and plan on being here for awhile.

ETA:

I realized I didn't answer the second part of the question. Maybe I didn't because the answer is: I don't know. I do know that I have a plane ticket back home for Christmas, but my feeling is that I'll come back after that, although I recognize that a lot could happen in nine months to change my mind. I have plans to go to Grad School in the U.S., but until I figure out exactly what for, I have a feeling I'll be here.

American English vs. British English

I'm probably opening up a huge can of worms here, because I think there are British gringas here in Chile, but I swear I'm not trying to offend, just state my opinion. Plus, this whole topic actually stems from a conversation I had at a hostel in Mendoza with some Dutch boys.

As an American English speaker, nothing makes me angrier than seeing those signs from the Instituto Britanico that say "Aprende EL MEJOR Inglés!" (Learn THE BEST English).

British English* is not BETTER than the English spoken in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, etc. It's just DIFFERENT. Some people claim that British English is "best" because that is where it was originally spoken. I would just like to remind those people that back a few centuries ago when the British colonies GAINED THEIR INDEPENDENCE that pretty much gave them the right to develop whatever sort of English they wanted

Some textbooks even look down on American English and customs. Case in point, taken from Cambridge University English for Business Communication, pg. 2:

In the US it is considered rude to stare--regardless of who is looking at whom. In contrast, the polite Englishman is taught to pay strict attention to the speaker, to listen carefully, and to blink his eyes to let the speaker know he or she has been understood as well as heard. Americans signal interest by bobbing their heads or grunting. (Emphasis my own).

WHAT THE HECK? Seriously? Granted, we do kind of do that, but couldn't they say it in a nicer way? For example, "by nodding their heads or voicing agreement" would be much nicer. But no, instead they portray Americans as little more than cavemen. Plus the fact that the British speaker is portrayed as a "polite Englishman" while the Americans are just plain Americans.

I wish I had time to expound more on this topic, because I have a lot more to say, but I have to go plan a Business English lesson, and the book I was going to use has proven to be completely incompetent ;).

*No, I obviously don't consider the term "British English" to be redundant. Don't even get me started on that.

Tiiiiiiiired.

So far, I have had two successful classes at the Institute. Well, the first one was much more successful than the second I guess. Let me explain.

You see, I didn't get my class list for my class this evening until 10 minutes before the class started. So I had no way of knowing that the class would consist of three men in their mid-30s. And that is why my lesson plan that had to do with exercise and eating healthy was kind of silly. Especially the listening part that dealt with pilates and yoga. But they were really good and went along with it.

All of my paperwork got sent of this morning for my work visa. Yesterday I had to go to the Notary office to get the contract signed and it was like a zoo. It opened at 3:30 and when I got there at 3:20 there was a line out front. So I got at the end of it. Then I realized it was transforming into a blob and I was at the back. Chileans don't know how to form lines, so they have little numbers for everything, like at the pharmacy, the ice cream parlor...well I can't think of anymore right now (see the title of this post). So at 3:30 the doors open and everyone goes rushing in to grab a number. Even though I was maybe the 5th person "in line" I got the second to last number. But whatever, I eventually got everything signed and this morning I spent $3 to send the package approximately 6 blocks. I should have just brought it over to the Central Post Office myself, but that didn't occur to me until later. Probably they wouldn't have accepted it though, because it had to be "Certified Mail", whatever that means. (I think it means they put it in a plastic bag and charge $3 for it).

Sorry if this post is disjointed, or if the English is funny. I've spent the past two days thinking about how I can simplify the way I speak so my students can understand me. Today I almost wrote "riding the horse" on the board before I realized that it should be "horse-back-riding". Sheesh!

Skype Frustrations

Normally I love Skype. You can have video calls for free, what's not to like?

Well, let me tell you. It has not been working for the past two days. I call my parents and then it cuts out after about 5 minutes. Then I call back and it cuts out after 2 minutes. Then I call back and it cuts out after 30 seconds. Then I call back and it doesn't work.

It's definitely something here in Chile because Sara is having similar problems.

Anyone else? Or maybe it's just our network here at the house.

Does anyone have a better program to use?

Abby goes to Mendoza: a tale of shoe smugglers and police escorts

Thanks to Sara's magic pills (a Chilean form of dramamine, I'm pretty sure) nothing bad happened on the bus. In fact, I was so drowsy I barely remember going through customs on the way there or the way back. On the way back I contemplated not taking one so I could enjoy the breathtaking scenery, but as soon as the bus started moving I started to feel a bit queasy (I think it was the enormous gelatto I had eaten right before) so I quickly took one.

I'm afraid this post is going to turn into a story about my bus rides, but I spent almost as much time on the bus as actually in Mendoza.

Anyway, on the way there I thought I was going to luck out and have no one sit next to me. But at the last minute a man got on the bus and sat next to me. Things were fine until we got to Argentine customs (around 2:45 am). They clearly instructed us to take everything off the bus, and everyone did, except my seat mate. So he then got all of his (5!!) bags searched. Turned out he was bringing in LOTS of shoes to Argentina, probably to sell. After that, I was a little wary of sitting next to him, thinking he might like to sell my iPod or cell phone there as well, but soon the pill took over and I fell asleep.

I was pretty confused when we got to Mendoza, because it was pitch black out, yet my cell phone said it was almost 7:00am. I did not want to walk to my hostel while it was still dark, so I sat on a bench and decided to wait at least a half an hour. By 7:30, it showed absolutley no signs of getting light out, so I decided to try to walk to the hostel, following some vague directions on their website and tips from Sara. But, I went out the wrong exit and ended up on some random side street. And I didn't know what random side street because Mendoza annoyingly does not clearly mark their streets. But, there was a policeman there so I asked him for directions. He told me, "Esperáte un momento, señorita." (What a second, ma'am) Then he went to talk to his partner in the cop car. He came back. "De dónde sos vos?" (Where are you from?) he asked me. I told him the US. He asked if I was alone, I said yes. Then he said he didn't want me walking on the street in the dark alone. I asked if I should just go back to the bus station and take a cab. He said, "No, señorita. Jjjjo te voy a jjjjjevar al hostel." (No, ma'am, I'm going to bring you to the hostel).

So that's how I ended up arriving at Hostel Lao at what I thought was a very dark 7:45am escorted by two policemen who insisted on walking me to the door.

A very suprised young guy opened the door and the police made some jokes about being my personal body guards. Then I thanked them and left. (Should I have tipped them???)

The hostel guy escorted me in and seriously asked, "What happened?"

I can only imagine what was running through his mind...he was probably questioning if he should let this would-be delinquint into his tranquil hostel.

But I reasurred him that I had no criminal tendencies, paid for my room and went to rest in a hammock.

To be continued....

Killing Time

I need to leave my house in about 45 minutes to go to Mendoza. I'm all packed, and I don't think I'm forgetting anything. I'm trying not to dread the bus ride too much.

Today I got my class assignments today from the Institute. I think I got lucky because I have five classes, for a total of around 17 hours/week. They say that the number of hours will increase, but they also talked a lot about the recession and that things are slower than usual this year, so I'm not hoping for too much. Plus, there are teachers that got way less, so I feel like they should get more hours before I do. Hopefully I'll be able to supplement my hours with private classes.

I have one class for children (ages 8-12), two classes for teens (one beginner, one advanced), and two classes for adults (one beginner, one advanced). I think I share my advanced adult class with someone, which should be interesting, considering my past experience with sharing a class was not pleasant. They (I should probably find out who the other teacher is) have the class three days a week and I only have them two days. I hope the students like me better. (What? I didn't say that...)

Also, I work on Saturdays. From 8:30am-2:40pm. It's funny thought, because all my classes during the week are in the late afternoon/evening, so basically (unless I get private classes) the only day I'll have to wake up early is Saturday. Joy.

Sometimes I'm so stubborn

The other day I went to the Lider Express on Rancagua with Seminario. I usually just go to the Ekono, which is closer and cheaper, but I felt like going for a little walk.

I needed a few things, but mostly went because I needed some crema for a recipe I wanted to make.

I don't usually go to this grocery store so I don't know where everything is located, but I figured the crema (which is a thick cream that is very common here in Latin America) would be somewhere near the milk/yogurt/cheese section, considering it's a dairy product.

After two sweeps through there, I couldn't find it.

So then I went and looked in the cooking and condiments sections.

Nope.

Then I went and looked everywhere again.

By this point, I was getting frustrated. But since I wasn't in any sort of hurry, I figured I'd look again. Why didn't I ask someone? Because I'm stubborn. And if I had asked, then I would have felt stupid for not finding it in the first (or second or third) place.

Then I spotted a gigantic thing of crema (1 liter I think) on a random shelf next to some cleaning supplies. I picked it up and thought, "Well, I really don't need this much crema, but I'll buy it."

Then between where I was and the register, I realized how ridiculous that was. When was I ever going to use 1 liter of crema? I can barely finish 1 liter of milk before it goes bad! So I put it back in some other random place.

Moral of the story, I left Lider without crema. I thought maybe the whole experience was trying to send some sort of message that I didn't need to use crema in that recipe. After all, crema is really fattening.

It happened...

Remember the work scheduling conflict I alluded to in my previous post? Well, it happened.

I had to make a decision quickly and ended up leaving one of my jobs. It's not a big deal legally, because I didn't sign a contract with them, but I feel really guilty about saying yes and then saying no.

I guess I have to remember that this is business, and I did what I think is best for me professionally.

In other news, last night I went to a friend of a friend's apartment and we were up on the roof enjoying some wine. We had a great view and were able to see the full moon rise over the Andes. It was beautiful. At first I wish I had a camera, but then I remembered how nothing looks as good in a picture (especially at night) so I just sat back and enjoyed the view.

Stress

My body is amazing. Sometimes I don't even realize that I'm stressed, but my body will tell me.

If I'm stressed out emotionally, I get cold sores. They suck and are really ugly. End of story.

If I'm stressed out about work/academics/etc I start clenching my jaw in my sleep and when I wake up my jaw is REALLY sore. I once went to the doctor and he gave me this special mouth guard to wear at night. But the thing is, I'm a finicky sleeper and absolutely could not sleep with it in. Since then, I've mainly been able to control through trying to relax, making sure I'm getting enough sleep and exercise, eating healthily, making lists and schedules to keep me organized, and other stress reducing techniques.

However, right now I'm stressing out about two things that are outside of my control.

One is a possible work related scheduling conflict that I won't even find out if it exists until Friday.

The other is my upcoming trip to Mendoza, which I have to take. The main reason: I get carsick, or bussick in this case. Switchbacks+Increasing Altitude=No fun for Abby's stomach. If you would like to read about my past experience with this, click here, but it's not very pleasant. The moral of the story is that I'm nervous about getting sick, plus not looking forward to what will inevitably be a long wait at the border to get into Argentina and then back into Chile.

Anyway, I need to learn how to file these types of things away so I don't stress about them. My mandibula begs this of me!

Sing-a-longs

I have always loved to sing. I'm not the world's greatest singer, but I can carry a tune.

When I filled out my study abroad info sheet before coming to Santiago for the first time, I put down that I played saxophone and guitar. Well, I haven't touched my saxophone since high school and I know how to play two songs on the guitar, so I guess that wasn't 100% truthful, but I think I wanted to portray that I was a musical person.

Well, luckily my point got across and I was placed with THE musical host family, and also (in my humble opinion) one of the best families in the program. I lucked out! And now I'm living in their casita.

One of my favorite things about my family is the sing a longs that we have. Last night we had a birthday BBQ for my host mom and after dessert the guitars came out. We sang from around 11pm to 3am. We sang The Beatles, Shakira, Soda Stereo, Gwen Stefani, Chilean folklore (well, I mainly listened during this part), Boleros (ditto), Bon Jovi, Elvis, Guns N Roses, U2, Oreja de Van Gogh, Frank Sinatra and J. and I even attempted to sing "The General" by Dispatch but after struggling through the first verse, realized that we didn't remember hardly any of the words.

None of this would be possible without my host sister. She is seca on the guitar (that means really really really good). You say to her, "U., there's that song that kind of starts like this," and then hum a little bit and she can play it. I wish I could do that. I really really admire her talent. Granted, she was in a cover band for awhile and so a lot of the Beatles songs she knows from that, but her ability to just hear a song and translate that into what chords need to be played on the guitar is mind-boggling to me.

I think my favorite part of last night is when all the girls were singing "No Creo" by Shakira and my host mom, host dad and neighbor all started dancing. Or maybe it was when J. and A. (both gringos) danced the cueca. I can't decide.

A Mendoza los boletos

I have to go to Mendoza, Argentina soon, specifically before the 1st of April. That's when my tourist visa expires.

I was originally thinking of going March 28th-29th, but I forgot to weigh in the fact that The Institute might give me a Saturday class. If so, I'm screwed.

So now I'm thinking I should go next weekend, before classes start.

But the thought of that makes me really tired.

But it's the best option.

What do you wise bloggers think, will it be difficult to find a hostel? Should I reserve in advance? Anyone know a good place to stay? What is there to do/see in Mendoza in (less than) two days? What's the best bus company to take?

My new favorite comercial

Unfortunately, I can't find it on Youtube :(

It's for Entel (a telephone company here in Chile), and it shows a little baby who loves to play with his toy phone, then when he gets to be older he LOVES to answer the phone. There is one scene that just kills me where he goes running from the bath when the phone rings yelling "voy!" with suds all over his little bum.

Anyway, the point is that the people who work for Entel love phones, even from an early age (corny, I know) but the little boy is just so cute that it makes me go awwwwwwwwwwwww every time and want to squeeze something.

Save me from Salvador

I have trouble pronouncing some things in Spanish. And when I say "trouble pronouncing" it's not like I can't say them at all...but when I say them my gringa accent REALLY comes through. These words generally involve a combination of the "rr' sound with the "r" sound (like Rodrigo or Irarrázaval) or a vowel plus "l" (like sol or mal).

There is one word though, that Chileans simply don't understand when I say it. And it sucks because I have to say it a lot.

SALVADOR.

Guess where I live? On a street off Avenida Salvador. Every time I have to take a taxi I have to say that word, and every time the taxista looks at me quizzically and can't figure out what I'm saying. One time I even had to spell it for him

Also, I lived in El Salvador for three months, and often when people ask me where I learned Spanish, I answer, "El Salvador". But they don't understand me. So now I just usually say "Acá en Chile" to make things more simple, unless I'm talking to someone I care about forming a relationship with.

I don't know why it's so hard for me to say this word. Perhaps because the empahsis is on a different syllable in Spanish than how we pronounce it in English (salvaDOR vs. SALvador). Also, I have a hard time rolling my r's at the end of words, and at the beginning we have the famous vowel plus "l" combination that is so tricky for me.

I actually thought I was getting better at pronouncing it (compared to when I first started studying abroad) but last night I hopped in the cab, told him where to drop me off and he remained silent for a few minutes before pulling away from the curb. I asked if everything was okay. He said, "Sí, sí, solo es que....Sucre con...ahhh! Salvador me dijiste?" Yes, I did say Salvador.

Or at least I tried.

Filling my Days

Last night after watching Che with Emily, she asked me, "Do you find it's hard to find stuff to do this time of year?" I don't think I responded emphatically enough last night. But the answer is YES. I realize this will change very soon (i.e. Thursday) but for now, I have lots of free time. How do I entertain myself? Here's a list.

• I improve my geography skillz on this website (thanks Isabel!)
  
• I learn how to make rice using the internet. Then I make it and it comes out great.
• I learn how to reprogram the universal remote in my room so I can watch TV without getting up to change the channel.
• Then I watch lots of episodes of "Two and a Half Men" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine" plus The Virgin Suicides and You, Me and Dupree
• I clean out and consolidate a bunch of salt shakers in the cupboards, then fill an old one with cinnamon I recently purchased (this may sound silly but took quite awhile).
  
• I read, mostly 2666 by Roberto Bolaño and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
• I go to the movies
• I drink wine
• I blog
• I write e-mails
• I surf facebook (probably too much).
  

Thrilling, huh? Let's just say I'm pretty excited to start working. Although that means I'll have to wake up before 11:00 during the week. Booooo.

Social class and language in Chile

Kyle's post about the Chilean terms flaite and cuico reminded me of this. Katina has also posted about this before.

Recently, I was at a training session at an English Institute to be remained unnamed where I will not be working. Anyway, a large portion of the training session focused on pronunciation problems specific to Chilean Spanish. This was kind of redundant for me, being the only potential teacher there who had actually been in Chile for more than 3 weeks. But I did learn two interesting things.

According to the trainer, Chilean men are reluctant to make the /z/ sound (the s in he's, the z in zipper) in English because it is associated with gay men.

After that little tidbit, he talked about /ch/ vs. /sh/ (sorry, I can't type those special little phonetic symbols), but basically the ch in cheese and the sh in shut up. I already knew that the lower classes here in Chile use the /sh/ sound, while the upper classes use the /ch/ sound. For example, a lower class person might say "Sheelay" for Chile while an upper class person would say "Cheelay". What I didn't know is that this makes students unwilling to create the "sh" sound in English! He told us about a class he had once of mostly upper-middle class women. They were working on the /sh/ sound and one woman in particular refused to say it, saying "ch" instead. Then she turned to the class, and in Spanish said, "I can't!", basically sending the message to the rest of them that she was SOOO high class that she simply could not produce that sound. Ridiculous!

Another example of this happened while I was on the beach in Serena. There was a really funny man selling charqui, which is basically beef jerky made out of horse meat (UGH, don't get me stared on horse meat...I know it's a delicacy some places but seriously, CUAK!!). He would go down the beach yelling "Chaaaaarqui charqui chaaaaarqui!" then change to "Shaaaaarqui sharqui shaaaaaarqui!" Why would he switch between the /ch/ and the /sh/? The only reason I can think of is to attract clientele of any social class.

I guess this just goes to show how it's difficult to learn a language (or teach a language) without learning the culture at the same time.

Summer is over

Although it will technically last until March 21st, for all practical intents and purposes, summer is over in Chile. Tomorrow the majority of high school students will return to classes. When I studied abroad here, I loved seeing the pinguinos (=penguins, because of their uniforms) out in masses. I never had to wear a uniform for school, so for some reason I found their outfits adorable. This time, I'm more concerned about how they are going to clog the public transport system. Not many schools have "school buses" and those that do are for very small children. Therefore, students that live far away from their high schools take public transport using the pase escolar, a card that discounts the trip from $400 pesos to $130 pesos.

In addition to the kids going back to school, most everyone who has been on vacation goes back to work tomorrow too. I bet the highways are teeming with cars right now trying to make their way back to Santiago from the beach or the South.

One thing I like about the end of summer is the evenutal end to brutally hot weather. Already I can sense a change. The nights are cooler, and yesterday it even rained! Although by no means am I a fan of the Santiago winter, I love the fall. I love being able to wear jeans and long sleeved shirts. For some reason I'm a fan of that style more than the summer style of shorts and tank tops.

So yes, I'm a little sad that summer is over, but excited to start working, for cooler weather, and whatever else the fall may bring.