The following articles demonstrate why my city of birth, San Francisco, is so amazing...
http://www.californiahealthline.org/Articles/2008/10/1/San-Francisco-Ban-on-Pharmacy-Tobacco-Sales-Will-Move-Forward.aspx
http://www.californiahealthline.org/Articles/2008/10/1/Appeals-Court-Upholds-San-Franciscos-Universal-Health-Care-Program.aspx
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Concepcion, Dichato, Valdivia, and Yungay--Fiestas Patrias relived
Chileans really know how to celebrate their independence day. July 4th fireworks and bbqs are smallfry compared to the often weeklong festivities dedicated to commemorating their country's break from the Spanish. But more than really honoring this historic day, Fiestas Patrias is a time in which Chileans just break out their burning pride for their country, their culture, and their traditions. Never have I experienced a country so damn proud of its history and traditions. For one, almost everyone can do the cueca, which I have to say is not the coolest dance in the world (I nonetheless am determined to become a cueca pro myself by the end of this year!). In fact, cueca has been integrated into the primary education curriculum within the last 20 years, so there will be a day when a good 99% of the population will be able to cueca to some degree. Fiestas Patrias is also a time in which many Chileans, primarily children and older cueca dancers, strut around in their guaso/guasa attire. The men wear almost-cowboy-looking hats and a manta, which is like a colorful poncho that goes over their head and covers their upper body, along with killer spurs and boots. Women wear "chinitas" (I love the name for obvious reasons, though the term bears no relation to the ethnicity that shares its name. Pura coincidencia. Back in the old days, farm girls were called "chinas," as I had shockingly learned from the epic Chilean teleserie "El Senor de la Querencia," and their clothing as well), which are colorful, tacky, floral dresses. I have grown to love the look and am also planning to bring one of these dresses back. I'm itching to label a future photo, "Chinita in a chinita." hehe.
One primary reason why Chileans' blazing national pride startles me is the fact that quite plainly, you don't see that in America unless you live in the Christian conservative south. It's interesting to observe how I immediately am overwhelmed by disgust when I think about the type of American who would proclaim how much he loved his country and how proud he was to be American. I guess I belong to a younger, educated, more open generation that is aware and so fed up with the shit the US has put other nations through, ruthlessly asserting its influence and power. And how about the shit our government had put its own American people through in the past, like the impoverished and persons of color, and continues to do so in the present! For me, as I think for most, I have a love/hate relationship with America. As much as I am ashamed of certain dirty moments in my nation's history, I love our culture, diversity, foods, and even aspects of our capitalist market.
Anyway, back to how I spent my glorious weeklong vacation, that actually started the previous Thursday...
Concepcion
On Thursday afternoon right after my last class, I took a bus to Concepcion, a city that's about 1.5 hours south of Chillan. I was supposed to attend a ramada that evening at the University of Bio Bio, which is a typical celebration for fiestas patrias where people socialize, drink chicha (an alcoholic grape juice beverage), eat various oily and delicious Chilean dishes, get drunk, and dance their hearts out to cumbia or cueca. They call it ramadas because on reserved stretches of land called fondas, people open up mini-restaurants that are constructed of wood blocks. I think in the past, they were primarily constructed of wood branches, which translates to ramas in Spanish. Here's a photo of a particular ramada, though it's not of the one that I was supposed to attend that night. I ended up not making it to the ramada because I arrived at Concepcion a bit too late, and the food and alcohol had already been consumed.
This is the front of a particular ramada in Yungay.
Fast forward a bit, I ended up losing my cell phone that night because I had too much fun jumping at a bar, which was appropriately called Bar de Negro. Like Sarah said, who also had lost her scarf there, the place is like a black hole. Pobre Felipe also lost his backpack that night too. Pucha.
The next day, us WorldTeach volunteers traveled to a nearby town called Lota, which used to be a coal mining town. The Ministry of Education was sponsoring our visit to the coal mines, and needless to say I was pretty excited. Who ever gets the opportunity to visit an actual mine? The coal mines aren't in use anymore and now stands as more of a historical landmark, hosting tours and even providing a movie set (Subterra). Decked out in real mining gear, well just the helmet really--snazzy helmet flashlight and battery pack included!--, we descended into el "Chiflon del Diablo," which roughly translates to the "Wind of the Devil." This particular mine was bestowed this name because during its early beginnings, miners would wear candles on their helmets to light their way. Considering the large presence of natural gas produced by coal, you can easily deduce the unfortunate consequences whenever fire and gas fatally combined. Miners would die 30-50 at a time in a single accident. So whenever an explosion occurred, miners farther away from the accident would hear a huge gust of wind. Being underground, who else could mythically produce such a wind but the devil? I know there are more details that I missed from the guide's explanation of the naming of the mine, so I'm probably screwing this up a little, but this is the gist of what I got.
It was a really cool experience exploring the tunnels of the mine, but lordy, if I had to actually work down there...Boys at the age of 8 would start working down in the mines! And miners had to work 12-15 hour shifts, obligated to fill up 20 cars full of coal! If nature called, they had to do their business there, amidst the presence of hungry little rats waiting to chow down on their caca. The guide even told us that they couldn't squat down too much or else the greedy rats would start to jump up and bite for the last remains of their...well, food. To sum up my experience, I learned a lot about a miner's life, and never was I more grateful that I was short and not claustrophobic.
Tiffany and me, walking deeper into the heart of "El Chiflon del Diablo."
One primary reason why Chileans' blazing national pride startles me is the fact that quite plainly, you don't see that in America unless you live in the Christian conservative south. It's interesting to observe how I immediately am overwhelmed by disgust when I think about the type of American who would proclaim how much he loved his country and how proud he was to be American. I guess I belong to a younger, educated, more open generation that is aware and so fed up with the shit the US has put other nations through, ruthlessly asserting its influence and power. And how about the shit our government had put its own American people through in the past, like the impoverished and persons of color, and continues to do so in the present! For me, as I think for most, I have a love/hate relationship with America. As much as I am ashamed of certain dirty moments in my nation's history, I love our culture, diversity, foods, and even aspects of our capitalist market.
Anyway, back to how I spent my glorious weeklong vacation, that actually started the previous Thursday...
Concepcion
On Thursday afternoon right after my last class, I took a bus to Concepcion, a city that's about 1.5 hours south of Chillan. I was supposed to attend a ramada that evening at the University of Bio Bio, which is a typical celebration for fiestas patrias where people socialize, drink chicha (an alcoholic grape juice beverage), eat various oily and delicious Chilean dishes, get drunk, and dance their hearts out to cumbia or cueca. They call it ramadas because on reserved stretches of land called fondas, people open up mini-restaurants that are constructed of wood blocks. I think in the past, they were primarily constructed of wood branches, which translates to ramas in Spanish. Here's a photo of a particular ramada, though it's not of the one that I was supposed to attend that night. I ended up not making it to the ramada because I arrived at Concepcion a bit too late, and the food and alcohol had already been consumed.
This is the front of a particular ramada in Yungay.Fast forward a bit, I ended up losing my cell phone that night because I had too much fun jumping at a bar, which was appropriately called Bar de Negro. Like Sarah said, who also had lost her scarf there, the place is like a black hole. Pobre Felipe also lost his backpack that night too. Pucha.
The next day, us WorldTeach volunteers traveled to a nearby town called Lota, which used to be a coal mining town. The Ministry of Education was sponsoring our visit to the coal mines, and needless to say I was pretty excited. Who ever gets the opportunity to visit an actual mine? The coal mines aren't in use anymore and now stands as more of a historical landmark, hosting tours and even providing a movie set (Subterra). Decked out in real mining gear, well just the helmet really--snazzy helmet flashlight and battery pack included!--, we descended into el "Chiflon del Diablo," which roughly translates to the "Wind of the Devil." This particular mine was bestowed this name because during its early beginnings, miners would wear candles on their helmets to light their way. Considering the large presence of natural gas produced by coal, you can easily deduce the unfortunate consequences whenever fire and gas fatally combined. Miners would die 30-50 at a time in a single accident. So whenever an explosion occurred, miners farther away from the accident would hear a huge gust of wind. Being underground, who else could mythically produce such a wind but the devil? I know there are more details that I missed from the guide's explanation of the naming of the mine, so I'm probably screwing this up a little, but this is the gist of what I got.
It was a really cool experience exploring the tunnels of the mine, but lordy, if I had to actually work down there...Boys at the age of 8 would start working down in the mines! And miners had to work 12-15 hour shifts, obligated to fill up 20 cars full of coal! If nature called, they had to do their business there, amidst the presence of hungry little rats waiting to chow down on their caca. The guide even told us that they couldn't squat down too much or else the greedy rats would start to jump up and bite for the last remains of their...well, food. To sum up my experience, I learned a lot about a miner's life, and never was I more grateful that I was short and not claustrophobic.
Tiffany and me, walking deeper into the heart of "El Chiflon del Diablo."Dichato
The minute Sarah and I entered my host family's house in the beach town of Dichato, we chose which room we'd sleep in and parked our tired bodies in its dusty beds. The previous night of going out followed by a daytrip to Lota exhausted us, and we were ready to truly begin our vacation. That weekend we spent there was truly heavenly. The weather was gorgeous, with the sun shining so brightly and the sea breeze kissing our skin, which was happily free of the confines of winter clothing. I forgot how much I missed the beach. I realized how much I had taken for granted the fact that I live a mere 4 blocks away from the beach back home in San Francisco. I had missed so much my teacher the ocean, with its lessons revealed to me through the calming crash of the waves and the peace that fills me at just watching them slowly dance to its natural rhythm. I missed the sea wind and how it whispers in my ear and fills me with confidence and self-love. The beach is a refuge that helps centers me.
I also ate some of the most amazing seafood I have ever had here in Chile, which doesn't say thaaat much since I actually haven't eaten that much seafood since my arrival. Maybe that's why it tasted so amazing; my body craved it. For our first lunch in Dichato, I ate fried fish with rice. Every chance I get, I order rice as a side dish because come on, I'm Asian...it used to make up the crux of my diet. The following day, in the same delicious restaurant, I ordered a seafood soup dish called marical and Sarah ordered an amazing clam chowder-like dish called pastel de jaiva. Mmmm. Unfortunately, I think the seafood soup gave me a bad allergic reaction, in which my chest started to feel tight, my nose started to stuff out, and my eyes started to get swollen. It was pretty bad and felt pretty random. I remember we were all just hanging out at the beach when all of a sudden, my chest started to tighten up. My first theory was that a bug flew into my throat and bit me inside. Haha. I got pretty worried because the following day, I was supposed to make a trip down to Valdivia, and I really didn't want to miss it. I had already bought the bus tickets for one, I had made the hostal reservations two, and three, I really wanted to go to Valdivia! Not to mention I was planning to travel with another volunteer, Jennifer, and I didn't want to bail out on her, all because a stupid bug bit the inside of my throat.
Well, I eventually realized the allergy was most likely caused by the seafood, after remembering that I used to be allergic to it when I was younger (it would cause me to break out in hives). I took some allergy medicine, and by the end of the night, I started to feel a whole lot better.
Valdivia
I got my booty out of bed early the next day for my 7am bus ride to Valdivia. It was going to take about 6 hours to get to Valdivia from Chillan, which doesn't even sound like a daunting trip anymore. It also takes 6 hours by bus to get to Santiago, and I'm really used to the long ride. The buses here in Chile are really quite comfortable, and if you're lucky, they'd feature an entertaining movie that wouldn't be dubbed in Spanish. On one bus ride, I watched about half of Enchanted and on another, I saw I Am Legend. Lucky for Jen and I, we got to watch random episodes of The Nanny (in English) and a series of scenes from I think an English program called Gag, that's like a hidden camera show. For obvious reasons, I ended up napping the entire trip and listening to my ipod.
When we arrived at the terminal and I got off the bus, I was just blown away by the sight of a beautiful glistening river right before us. I fell in love with Valdivia right then and there.
After unloading our belongings at our cute hostel, we pretty much ran in search of a cafe/restaurant that Tiffany and Lonely Planet raved about, called La Ultima Frontera. It was about lunch time, and all we had eaten during the bus ride were crackers and cookies. Needless to say, we were famished, and my mouth watered at the thought of the shawarma or falafel sandwich that I already knew I was going to order. We easily found the place, and I pleasantly found myself in a very chill, bohemain style restaurant. I quickly scarfed down my huge shawarma sandwich and left very happy.
Valdivia feels like a coastal city because it is located at the confluence of 3 rivers. I became more acquianted with the Valdivia River, where I saw really interesting birds that I had never seen before as well as sea lions! They all crowded by the seafood market, where fishermen would occasionally feed the sea creatures fish.
The river tour that I took on my 2nd day there also disembarked from a port on this river. It was a 5 hour tour that took us to 2 different coastal cities close by where forts had been established by the Spaniards. Even though I woke up with a horrible stomach ache that morning, I was determined to go on the river tour. I only had 2 precious days to spend in Valdivia, and I'll be damned if I was going to spend one of those days in bed. After a 3 hour nap, I started to feel slightly better. I figured that at least the stomach pains had stopped hurting at 2 minute intervals. And luckily, my stomach behaved during the entire trip. I drank a lot of ginger ale that I think helped, and the boat ride wasn't as bumpy as I had expected. The trip was great, even though it was pretty chilly and cold that day. You can see some of the photos I took of the boat ride, the coastal cities, and the forts in my facebook photo albums.
Yungay
The day after I returned from Valdivia, I hopped on a bus to Yungay with my host sister to celebrate "el dieciocho" there since it gets pretty rough and dangerous in Chillan. And I guess Yungayinos just know how to celebrate indepdence day better. My host brother lives in Yungay with his family, and we were going to hang out with them that day. First we attended the city parade by the plaza, where I watched a whole lot of cueca dancing; the mayor give a long speech to a disrespectful whistling crowd; a parade of schools, preschools, centers for people with disabilities, senior citizens' clubs, and even an alcoholics anonymous-type group was represented; stray dogs trying to get in on the parade action; a procession of guasos on horses; and the cleanup of the lovely presents the horses left.
Later, we all drove to a nearby fonda, where we parked ourselves in one particular ramada, I think mainly because of its clever name, El Yungayino. Despite the bevy of delicious food available, we just drank some cokes because there was an asado (bbq) waiting for us at home. I was really craving a sopaipilla though, and I still am. Sopaipillas are basically circular, somewhat thick, flat pieces of fried dough, nothing more. When I first tried one, I didn't know what Chileans were raving about whenever they talked about them. But man, they've grown on me, and I could really go for one now, drenched in pebre (like salsa). Delish. I danced a little cumbia with my 40-something year old host brother, even danced a little with an old drunken man that wouldn't accept my refusals. Plus my host family kept pressuring me to dance with him, and in the end I was like what the hell. This is how fiestas patrias is done right? My host sister had told me about how her older sister's dream once was to dance with a drunk man from the campo during fiestas patrias. Now I can say I've lived this dream. The fonda also had a couple ramadas with typical county fair games, like dart-throwing, gunshot-aiming, and of ourse, foozball. The game ramadas were dominated by tables of old-school foozball tables. That was probably my favorite part of the whole day, playing foozball competitively with Julio, Camila, Cristian (my host nephews and niece, though they're like all my age), Daniela (a cousin), and my host sister. Man I suck at foozball, but it's so fun!
The day ended with a local cueca competition in the centro, a delicious asado dinner, a game of Jenga (called Timberrrr), and episodes of Ugly Betty and Brazil's Top Model.
The last couple days, I've just been bumming around in my PJs, watching episodes of the 2nd season of America's Best Dance Crew, and capitalizing on the free movie website. Oh lazy days. How I miss thee right now, as I think about my morning classes tomorrow.
The minute Sarah and I entered my host family's house in the beach town of Dichato, we chose which room we'd sleep in and parked our tired bodies in its dusty beds. The previous night of going out followed by a daytrip to Lota exhausted us, and we were ready to truly begin our vacation. That weekend we spent there was truly heavenly. The weather was gorgeous, with the sun shining so brightly and the sea breeze kissing our skin, which was happily free of the confines of winter clothing. I forgot how much I missed the beach. I realized how much I had taken for granted the fact that I live a mere 4 blocks away from the beach back home in San Francisco. I had missed so much my teacher the ocean, with its lessons revealed to me through the calming crash of the waves and the peace that fills me at just watching them slowly dance to its natural rhythm. I missed the sea wind and how it whispers in my ear and fills me with confidence and self-love. The beach is a refuge that helps centers me.
I also ate some of the most amazing seafood I have ever had here in Chile, which doesn't say thaaat much since I actually haven't eaten that much seafood since my arrival. Maybe that's why it tasted so amazing; my body craved it. For our first lunch in Dichato, I ate fried fish with rice. Every chance I get, I order rice as a side dish because come on, I'm Asian...it used to make up the crux of my diet. The following day, in the same delicious restaurant, I ordered a seafood soup dish called marical and Sarah ordered an amazing clam chowder-like dish called pastel de jaiva. Mmmm. Unfortunately, I think the seafood soup gave me a bad allergic reaction, in which my chest started to feel tight, my nose started to stuff out, and my eyes started to get swollen. It was pretty bad and felt pretty random. I remember we were all just hanging out at the beach when all of a sudden, my chest started to tighten up. My first theory was that a bug flew into my throat and bit me inside. Haha. I got pretty worried because the following day, I was supposed to make a trip down to Valdivia, and I really didn't want to miss it. I had already bought the bus tickets for one, I had made the hostal reservations two, and three, I really wanted to go to Valdivia! Not to mention I was planning to travel with another volunteer, Jennifer, and I didn't want to bail out on her, all because a stupid bug bit the inside of my throat.
Well, I eventually realized the allergy was most likely caused by the seafood, after remembering that I used to be allergic to it when I was younger (it would cause me to break out in hives). I took some allergy medicine, and by the end of the night, I started to feel a whole lot better.
Valdivia
I got my booty out of bed early the next day for my 7am bus ride to Valdivia. It was going to take about 6 hours to get to Valdivia from Chillan, which doesn't even sound like a daunting trip anymore. It also takes 6 hours by bus to get to Santiago, and I'm really used to the long ride. The buses here in Chile are really quite comfortable, and if you're lucky, they'd feature an entertaining movie that wouldn't be dubbed in Spanish. On one bus ride, I watched about half of Enchanted and on another, I saw I Am Legend. Lucky for Jen and I, we got to watch random episodes of The Nanny (in English) and a series of scenes from I think an English program called Gag, that's like a hidden camera show. For obvious reasons, I ended up napping the entire trip and listening to my ipod.
When we arrived at the terminal and I got off the bus, I was just blown away by the sight of a beautiful glistening river right before us. I fell in love with Valdivia right then and there.
After unloading our belongings at our cute hostel, we pretty much ran in search of a cafe/restaurant that Tiffany and Lonely Planet raved about, called La Ultima Frontera. It was about lunch time, and all we had eaten during the bus ride were crackers and cookies. Needless to say, we were famished, and my mouth watered at the thought of the shawarma or falafel sandwich that I already knew I was going to order. We easily found the place, and I pleasantly found myself in a very chill, bohemain style restaurant. I quickly scarfed down my huge shawarma sandwich and left very happy.
Valdivia feels like a coastal city because it is located at the confluence of 3 rivers. I became more acquianted with the Valdivia River, where I saw really interesting birds that I had never seen before as well as sea lions! They all crowded by the seafood market, where fishermen would occasionally feed the sea creatures fish.
The river tour that I took on my 2nd day there also disembarked from a port on this river. It was a 5 hour tour that took us to 2 different coastal cities close by where forts had been established by the Spaniards. Even though I woke up with a horrible stomach ache that morning, I was determined to go on the river tour. I only had 2 precious days to spend in Valdivia, and I'll be damned if I was going to spend one of those days in bed. After a 3 hour nap, I started to feel slightly better. I figured that at least the stomach pains had stopped hurting at 2 minute intervals. And luckily, my stomach behaved during the entire trip. I drank a lot of ginger ale that I think helped, and the boat ride wasn't as bumpy as I had expected. The trip was great, even though it was pretty chilly and cold that day. You can see some of the photos I took of the boat ride, the coastal cities, and the forts in my facebook photo albums.
Yungay
The day after I returned from Valdivia, I hopped on a bus to Yungay with my host sister to celebrate "el dieciocho" there since it gets pretty rough and dangerous in Chillan. And I guess Yungayinos just know how to celebrate indepdence day better. My host brother lives in Yungay with his family, and we were going to hang out with them that day. First we attended the city parade by the plaza, where I watched a whole lot of cueca dancing; the mayor give a long speech to a disrespectful whistling crowd; a parade of schools, preschools, centers for people with disabilities, senior citizens' clubs, and even an alcoholics anonymous-type group was represented; stray dogs trying to get in on the parade action; a procession of guasos on horses; and the cleanup of the lovely presents the horses left.
Later, we all drove to a nearby fonda, where we parked ourselves in one particular ramada, I think mainly because of its clever name, El Yungayino. Despite the bevy of delicious food available, we just drank some cokes because there was an asado (bbq) waiting for us at home. I was really craving a sopaipilla though, and I still am. Sopaipillas are basically circular, somewhat thick, flat pieces of fried dough, nothing more. When I first tried one, I didn't know what Chileans were raving about whenever they talked about them. But man, they've grown on me, and I could really go for one now, drenched in pebre (like salsa). Delish. I danced a little cumbia with my 40-something year old host brother, even danced a little with an old drunken man that wouldn't accept my refusals. Plus my host family kept pressuring me to dance with him, and in the end I was like what the hell. This is how fiestas patrias is done right? My host sister had told me about how her older sister's dream once was to dance with a drunk man from the campo during fiestas patrias. Now I can say I've lived this dream. The fonda also had a couple ramadas with typical county fair games, like dart-throwing, gunshot-aiming, and of ourse, foozball. The game ramadas were dominated by tables of old-school foozball tables. That was probably my favorite part of the whole day, playing foozball competitively with Julio, Camila, Cristian (my host nephews and niece, though they're like all my age), Daniela (a cousin), and my host sister. Man I suck at foozball, but it's so fun!
The day ended with a local cueca competition in the centro, a delicious asado dinner, a game of Jenga (called Timberrrr), and episodes of Ugly Betty and Brazil's Top Model.
The last couple days, I've just been bumming around in my PJs, watching episodes of the 2nd season of America's Best Dance Crew, and capitalizing on the free movie website. Oh lazy days. How I miss thee right now, as I think about my morning classes tomorrow.
Monday, September 8, 2008
La Chinita-American in Chile, Part I
It´s impossible to write an accurate account of my time in Chile without describing what it´s like to be walking around the streets of Chillán (and all of Latin America for that matter) as an Asian-American. I learned fast that though I´m a gringa since I´m North American and speak English, I am not at all received by Chileans the same way as the other volunteers, who are all white. Physically, they fulfill Chileans´assumptions of what a North American looks like: fair-skinned, blonde or light-color haired, and blue/green-eyed. I, on the other hand, obviously do not. While my friends get catcalled by men who are trying to impress them with their limited English skills (like with "Hello!" "How are you?" or "My name is Jorge!"), I get "Beijing!" (thank you Olympics) and the rare but nonetheless hurtful pretending-to-talk-in-Chinese-Nyaknyang-nonsense. The latter usually comes from huevones (assholes) that so apparently look like they have nothing going for them. As I´m passing by these people and their rude comments, I sometimes want to so badly yell HUEVÓN! I may be Beijing or whatever, but you, well CONCHA TU MADRE! I always manage to calm myself and be the better person and not let the negativity enter my realm. More frequently, when I would pass by men, they mutter "Chinita" or "China" under their breath. Well, OBVIO señor. I don´t go around saying "Chileno" now do I? I have to say though, I´m lucky that my roots are actually from China. They call all Asiatic-looking people here "Chino." I couldn´t imagine how much more annoyed I´d be if my family was from Japan, and everyone around here kept misplacing my ancestry.
Then there are situations in which I find myself in conversation with people, when finally approaches the looming question, "Where are you from?" I always hesitate with this question because I can just feel that they are expecting a response of an Asian country, and it´s always exhausting to correct their misunderstandings, quench their surprise, and explain how it is that I am actually from The United States. However, I have been very impressed by how infrequently people fail to believe my American nationality. I felt like it occurred much more often when I was in Nicaragua about 2 years ago. Most of the time, people smile and politely show their excitement over the fact that I have come from so far and that I am a native English speaker. I have met people who never express curiosity over the origins of my Asian facial features and instead, ask me all about what American society is like. Nevertheless, I find myself fuming every time someone someone blatantly highlights my Asian-ness. I even hate being looked at and stared at by people. One time, a flock of kids outside a school screamed at me and Edgar, after I greeted them with a pleasant Hello. Was I a freak to them? My self-consciousness has gotten so bad at times in which I just walk to school and back, staring straight-ahead with my ipod blasting, not daring to look at anyone around them, for fear they would notice that I was not Chilean and would stare or comment. I hate standing out.
And you know, regardless of how valid these defensive feelings are, I hate them. I don´t like how I get annoyed by these comments and immediately establish a defensive wall around my gentle compassionate insides. Then I get angry at Chileans, for being so ignorant, taking it all so personally. My first couple months here were so difficult as I was adjusting to standing out. I´m not one to like attention and prefer to blend in with the people in the back. There was a lot of anger, a lot of frustration, and a lot of cursing of Chileans for not friggin understanding the notion of an Asian-American. I started to miss my Bay Area bubble so much, where I was merely a wave in the sea of many Asians and no one stirred at the sight of me. I missed the ethnic diversity you could only find in the United States, where people (well most) understood the difference between a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino person. We may all somewhat look similar, but no, we are not all the same because we all come from different countries. We speak different languages. We have different cultures.
However, the exasperated tension that gripped my heart and prevented me from opening up to most Chileans in order "to protect me" eventually started to loosen, although slowly. Through much reflection, I asked myself why it bothered me so much that people made such comments, even despite how obviously inane they are. Why did it hurt me so when Chileans, upon discovering my Chinese heritage, pulled their eyes wide to slant them, even though they weren´t doing it in a mocking manner? My host dad´s girlfriend, who adores me by the way, has done this various times when she emphasizes her own Chinese roots and therefore her instant connection with me. Ridiculous, but really cute I have to say.
Why do I defensively flare up and immediately attack Chileans for what I deem as their cruel ignorance?
I started to realize that my reaction is a defense mechanism that I have acquired as an Asian-American living in America--persons of color utilize it to empower themselves against the white majority that attempt to shadow and ridicule them. Since Asians´arrival (and other immigrant groups) to America, they´ve had white Americans mock them, making fun of their language and the way they looked, rejecting them for their foreignness. And America 2008 still finds traces of this hateful racism from the past, still cringing at its prominent existence. Most of us have experienced a white American questioning our own American nationality or making fun of our facial features. We´re still seen as different and foreign to many Americans because we do not look Anglo-Saxon and instead possess features of the East. And so, we get mad and frustrated whenever our Americanness is ever questioned. It´s like doubting we belong in the country when America runs through our blood and is our home. Our heritage may derive from other parts of the world, but most of us haven´t even visited the motherland or speak the mother tongue very well, truth be told. It´s not something to brag about no doubt, but how dare a person displace us from the soil of our birth. Thus, we throw up our arms, of words, of legal documents, of empowerment parades and such to defend our rights and our identity as Americans.
And that´s what I find myself doing here, which I´ve come to realize is not at all appropriate since I´m in a completely different culture with a completely different history. Chile is in fact familiar with the Asian race since many Chinese people have immigrated here to establish small businesses, as they have done in many parts of the Americas and the world. Pockets of Korean communities are also present in the country. However, there is no Asian America as there is in the States. The population of Asians here is tiny, and yeah, the truth is, most of the Chinese and Korean people that live in Chile did in fact immigrate from China and Korea, respectively. That serves me a big fact, no wonder why they so strongly assume my country of origin lies to the East. And in regards to the passing comments, the slanting of the eyes, etc., I´ve realized they really mean no harm. When they call me "chinita," they do so affectionately and not to make fun of my Chinese roots. It is true they are ignorant, but not in a malicious way. This culture is one that openly acknowledges a person´s particular physical feature, absolutely meaning no harm by it. Chileans who look somewhat Asian (all in the eyes of course) are nick-named"Chino." Fat people are nicknamed "Gordo" or the more affectionate, "Gordito." Darker-skinned people are nicknamed "Negro." More than anything, it is said out of comraderie, out of dear affection for a person when they dub the nickname on a person. They are by no means making fun of the person.
For most, it is outside their realm of knowledge to understand the reality of an Asian-looking person born in North America. Their reference to life in the United States comes from American shows that get broadcasted on Chilean TV stations, such as House, Nip-Tuck, America´s Next Top Model, as well as a lot of American movies, like The 40 year old Virgin. We Americans already know that the life presented in TV shows and movies are not representative of what real life is, even the reality shows. We are also well aware of the lack of persons of color on TV sitcoms for one and two, those who accurately portray the character of an actual person of color-American.
And so, I intend on chilling out for a bit, and taking all these comments, stares, and general reactions to my Asianness + Asian-Americanness all in stride. I want to wear down my defensive wall because it limits me and in turn prevents me from opening up to Chileans and seeing them for who they really are as well.
I, obviously, have a lot to say on this topic. More to come. I´m just too tired to continue. Chaito!
Then there are situations in which I find myself in conversation with people, when finally approaches the looming question, "Where are you from?" I always hesitate with this question because I can just feel that they are expecting a response of an Asian country, and it´s always exhausting to correct their misunderstandings, quench their surprise, and explain how it is that I am actually from The United States. However, I have been very impressed by how infrequently people fail to believe my American nationality. I felt like it occurred much more often when I was in Nicaragua about 2 years ago. Most of the time, people smile and politely show their excitement over the fact that I have come from so far and that I am a native English speaker. I have met people who never express curiosity over the origins of my Asian facial features and instead, ask me all about what American society is like. Nevertheless, I find myself fuming every time someone someone blatantly highlights my Asian-ness. I even hate being looked at and stared at by people. One time, a flock of kids outside a school screamed at me and Edgar, after I greeted them with a pleasant Hello. Was I a freak to them? My self-consciousness has gotten so bad at times in which I just walk to school and back, staring straight-ahead with my ipod blasting, not daring to look at anyone around them, for fear they would notice that I was not Chilean and would stare or comment. I hate standing out.
And you know, regardless of how valid these defensive feelings are, I hate them. I don´t like how I get annoyed by these comments and immediately establish a defensive wall around my gentle compassionate insides. Then I get angry at Chileans, for being so ignorant, taking it all so personally. My first couple months here were so difficult as I was adjusting to standing out. I´m not one to like attention and prefer to blend in with the people in the back. There was a lot of anger, a lot of frustration, and a lot of cursing of Chileans for not friggin understanding the notion of an Asian-American. I started to miss my Bay Area bubble so much, where I was merely a wave in the sea of many Asians and no one stirred at the sight of me. I missed the ethnic diversity you could only find in the United States, where people (well most) understood the difference between a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino person. We may all somewhat look similar, but no, we are not all the same because we all come from different countries. We speak different languages. We have different cultures.
However, the exasperated tension that gripped my heart and prevented me from opening up to most Chileans in order "to protect me" eventually started to loosen, although slowly. Through much reflection, I asked myself why it bothered me so much that people made such comments, even despite how obviously inane they are. Why did it hurt me so when Chileans, upon discovering my Chinese heritage, pulled their eyes wide to slant them, even though they weren´t doing it in a mocking manner? My host dad´s girlfriend, who adores me by the way, has done this various times when she emphasizes her own Chinese roots and therefore her instant connection with me. Ridiculous, but really cute I have to say.
Why do I defensively flare up and immediately attack Chileans for what I deem as their cruel ignorance?
I started to realize that my reaction is a defense mechanism that I have acquired as an Asian-American living in America--persons of color utilize it to empower themselves against the white majority that attempt to shadow and ridicule them. Since Asians´arrival (and other immigrant groups) to America, they´ve had white Americans mock them, making fun of their language and the way they looked, rejecting them for their foreignness. And America 2008 still finds traces of this hateful racism from the past, still cringing at its prominent existence. Most of us have experienced a white American questioning our own American nationality or making fun of our facial features. We´re still seen as different and foreign to many Americans because we do not look Anglo-Saxon and instead possess features of the East. And so, we get mad and frustrated whenever our Americanness is ever questioned. It´s like doubting we belong in the country when America runs through our blood and is our home. Our heritage may derive from other parts of the world, but most of us haven´t even visited the motherland or speak the mother tongue very well, truth be told. It´s not something to brag about no doubt, but how dare a person displace us from the soil of our birth. Thus, we throw up our arms, of words, of legal documents, of empowerment parades and such to defend our rights and our identity as Americans.
And that´s what I find myself doing here, which I´ve come to realize is not at all appropriate since I´m in a completely different culture with a completely different history. Chile is in fact familiar with the Asian race since many Chinese people have immigrated here to establish small businesses, as they have done in many parts of the Americas and the world. Pockets of Korean communities are also present in the country. However, there is no Asian America as there is in the States. The population of Asians here is tiny, and yeah, the truth is, most of the Chinese and Korean people that live in Chile did in fact immigrate from China and Korea, respectively. That serves me a big fact, no wonder why they so strongly assume my country of origin lies to the East. And in regards to the passing comments, the slanting of the eyes, etc., I´ve realized they really mean no harm. When they call me "chinita," they do so affectionately and not to make fun of my Chinese roots. It is true they are ignorant, but not in a malicious way. This culture is one that openly acknowledges a person´s particular physical feature, absolutely meaning no harm by it. Chileans who look somewhat Asian (all in the eyes of course) are nick-named"Chino." Fat people are nicknamed "Gordo" or the more affectionate, "Gordito." Darker-skinned people are nicknamed "Negro." More than anything, it is said out of comraderie, out of dear affection for a person when they dub the nickname on a person. They are by no means making fun of the person.
For most, it is outside their realm of knowledge to understand the reality of an Asian-looking person born in North America. Their reference to life in the United States comes from American shows that get broadcasted on Chilean TV stations, such as House, Nip-Tuck, America´s Next Top Model, as well as a lot of American movies, like The 40 year old Virgin. We Americans already know that the life presented in TV shows and movies are not representative of what real life is, even the reality shows. We are also well aware of the lack of persons of color on TV sitcoms for one and two, those who accurately portray the character of an actual person of color-American.
And so, I intend on chilling out for a bit, and taking all these comments, stares, and general reactions to my Asianness + Asian-Americanness all in stride. I want to wear down my defensive wall because it limits me and in turn prevents me from opening up to Chileans and seeing them for who they really are as well.
I, obviously, have a lot to say on this topic. More to come. I´m just too tired to continue. Chaito!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Some fotos at home and school
The halls of Excuela Mexico
Mi casa
2 of my 5th grade students practicing introduction questions
Me and some 5th grade girls who always come and visit my classroom during break periods
With 2 of my 8th grade students who participated in the Public Speaking competition. We won 3rd place!
With my favorite curso, 5B
4th graders dancing cueca outside my classroom
Villa Ferroviaria, the street that I live on
Thursday, September 4, 2008
i fail as a blogger
I´m sorry I´m so horrible with updating. I realize now that I´m not much of a blogger, but oh well. I´ll do what I can.
So it´s already the month of September, and it was actually sunny and relatively warm today! Chillán winters are friggin cold! It´s not anything like the further south where it snows, but it nonetheless gets cold as hell, and I can´t leave the house without at least 3 layers of clothing on, and siempre with pantis (stockings) underneath my pants. It also strangely gets colder in the house than outside sometimes, which still boggles my mind, even with the estufa (stove ovens that heat up the home) burning.
September is also the month of fiestas patrias, a weeklong (usually) celebration of their independence from the Spanish. They all go out for their independence day, which is actually on September 18. They´ve already started decorating for it, in stores, classrooms, even cars. I hear musica folklórica blasting in supermarkets and from stereos in department stores. I mean, people were talking about fiestas patrias when I first got to Chile, telling me how awesome it was. I´m still trying to decide whether I want to just stay at home during the weeklong feriado (holiday) or if I should travel somewhere solita. I´ve never travelled alone somewhere, like in a way in which I´d be staying in a hostel by myself, exploring by myself, that kind of thing. I´m honestly scared to because yeah I can be pretty chicken and get dependent on others, but I´m also really attracted to the new experience of it. Because I´ve never done it before, I want to do it. I´m a very reflective, introverted person anyway, so I think I could really enjoy the time to myself. Not to mention, if I survived and had fun, it would totally boost my ego, showing myself I can travel and be on my own.
aah I regret for not having updated sooner because there´s so much to Chile that anyone outside this country really knows about, idiosyncrasies that I could have written whole entries about, but ah well, I can still do that. What have I done since my last entry months ago? Well, memorable moments include: a visit from my dad and Edgar; my students meeting Mr. Edgar; a lovely birthday celebration that included a piñata and a birthday tiara; a trip to Las Termas de Chillàn (hell yeah, I skiied on the Andes!); pride in the realization that my students are actually learning English from me (about 98% of my 400 something students, grades 5th-8th, are pros at answering introduction questions like, "How are you?" "Where are you from?" "What do you like to do?"); the rebirth of my love for Reggaetoon; a trip to Buenos Aires during winter break; experiencing a mass demonstration in Buenos Aires--oh yeah which reminds me of a weeklong break I had from school due to a teachers´ strike, which coincided with a students´ strike; visiting a school in the campo that only had about 50 students total--4th-6th grade students were all the same class and they taught Edgar and I how to dance the cueca, the national dance; noticing that cherry blossom trees grow here in Chillán--the sight of them always makes me feel better if I´m particularly feeling down.....
....too many moments to name that I can´t remember. I´ll just have to update more.
Tomorrow is the Provincial Public Speaking competition that I´ve been preparing 2 of my students for. They had to write and practice a speech on either an English-speaking personality or an English-speaking country. My students ended up deciding to do it on New Zealand. It´s pretty hard to make a speech interesting when it has to be given in under 2 minutes, but I think the student who will be giving it is amazing. She is surprisingly good in English, which astounds me because there´s no way her English education at school contributed to her abilities.
Anywho, I want to go and watch El Baile right now, which is the Chilean version of Dancing With the Stars. But get this, the current season is El Baile, on ice! The dancers have to ice skate! haha. Speaking of TV, they also just came out with their version of The Office, appropriate called La Ofis. It´s frighteningly similar to the American version, Jim and Pam love story included. It makes me miss The Office, American style.
So it´s already the month of September, and it was actually sunny and relatively warm today! Chillán winters are friggin cold! It´s not anything like the further south where it snows, but it nonetheless gets cold as hell, and I can´t leave the house without at least 3 layers of clothing on, and siempre with pantis (stockings) underneath my pants. It also strangely gets colder in the house than outside sometimes, which still boggles my mind, even with the estufa (stove ovens that heat up the home) burning.
September is also the month of fiestas patrias, a weeklong (usually) celebration of their independence from the Spanish. They all go out for their independence day, which is actually on September 18. They´ve already started decorating for it, in stores, classrooms, even cars. I hear musica folklórica blasting in supermarkets and from stereos in department stores. I mean, people were talking about fiestas patrias when I first got to Chile, telling me how awesome it was. I´m still trying to decide whether I want to just stay at home during the weeklong feriado (holiday) or if I should travel somewhere solita. I´ve never travelled alone somewhere, like in a way in which I´d be staying in a hostel by myself, exploring by myself, that kind of thing. I´m honestly scared to because yeah I can be pretty chicken and get dependent on others, but I´m also really attracted to the new experience of it. Because I´ve never done it before, I want to do it. I´m a very reflective, introverted person anyway, so I think I could really enjoy the time to myself. Not to mention, if I survived and had fun, it would totally boost my ego, showing myself I can travel and be on my own.
aah I regret for not having updated sooner because there´s so much to Chile that anyone outside this country really knows about, idiosyncrasies that I could have written whole entries about, but ah well, I can still do that. What have I done since my last entry months ago? Well, memorable moments include: a visit from my dad and Edgar; my students meeting Mr. Edgar; a lovely birthday celebration that included a piñata and a birthday tiara; a trip to Las Termas de Chillàn (hell yeah, I skiied on the Andes!); pride in the realization that my students are actually learning English from me (about 98% of my 400 something students, grades 5th-8th, are pros at answering introduction questions like, "How are you?" "Where are you from?" "What do you like to do?"); the rebirth of my love for Reggaetoon; a trip to Buenos Aires during winter break; experiencing a mass demonstration in Buenos Aires--oh yeah which reminds me of a weeklong break I had from school due to a teachers´ strike, which coincided with a students´ strike; visiting a school in the campo that only had about 50 students total--4th-6th grade students were all the same class and they taught Edgar and I how to dance the cueca, the national dance; noticing that cherry blossom trees grow here in Chillán--the sight of them always makes me feel better if I´m particularly feeling down.....
....too many moments to name that I can´t remember. I´ll just have to update more.
Tomorrow is the Provincial Public Speaking competition that I´ve been preparing 2 of my students for. They had to write and practice a speech on either an English-speaking personality or an English-speaking country. My students ended up deciding to do it on New Zealand. It´s pretty hard to make a speech interesting when it has to be given in under 2 minutes, but I think the student who will be giving it is amazing. She is surprisingly good in English, which astounds me because there´s no way her English education at school contributed to her abilities.
Anywho, I want to go and watch El Baile right now, which is the Chilean version of Dancing With the Stars. But get this, the current season is El Baile, on ice! The dancers have to ice skate! haha. Speaking of TV, they also just came out with their version of The Office, appropriate called La Ofis. It´s frighteningly similar to the American version, Jim and Pam love story included. It makes me miss The Office, American style.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Some pictures!!
about time i did some of this...now that i have wifi at my house and no school tomorrow!
Taken when I first arrived in Chillan at the welcome celebration, with my host dad, host sister/coteacher, subdirectora of the school, and a group of the best students in the 8th grade
Taken when I first arrived in Chillan at the welcome celebration, with my host dad, host sister/coteacher, subdirectora of the school, and a group of the best students in the 8th grade
Me in the girls' uniform. I wore it during my famous performance of Hannah Montana's "Best of Both Worlds" during the school assembly for Dia del Alumno (Student's Day)
Virgen del Campo (Virgin of the Farm)
Virgen del Campo (Virgin of the Farm)
Chillan's famous cathedral that stands in the city's center. Constructed in memory of the Chillanejos that died during the huge 1930something earthquake.
Our cat on my bed. He/she still lacks a name and an identified gender.
Our cat on my bed. He/she still lacks a name and an identified gender.What I have learned about Chile and Chileans thus far
1. Chileans are obsessed with mythical lore.
3. They eat bread like Asian people eat rice. I'm consuming way too much carbs!!
4. I'm a tad worried about their ideas about what they conceive as good nutrition and a healthy diet. White bread is white bread, regardless of whether it comes in the form of sliced bread or a bread roll. Sliced bread is not healthier than bread rolls and will add just as many calories, contrary to what my host sister's doctor told her. And talk about the need for sex education!!! My SHEP instincts want to take over some time and covertly hold sex education lessons instead of English lessons. My 7th and 8th grade students are certainly "despertando (awakening)," so aptly phrased by my host sister.
5. I love Chilean Spanish! It's so fun to learn a new word or phrase that they only say here. And I also love the words they've borrowed from the English language. Por ejemplo, living room is "el living," laptop is "notebook," camping is "camping," a punch is a "combo," and much much more.
I really don't mean to sound condescending or judgmental of Chileans. Being the foreigner, I can't help but look through an observer's eye and be astonished by their different views and belief systems. In fact, I think Americans sure have a lot to learn from Chileans, considering that they are supposed to be some of the happiest people in the world, according to a recent study that I learned about over the news. They are so kind, so welcoming, so warm. And these people know what it means to be family, even if you're not really in their family (says this adopted host daughter, sister, sister-in-law, cousin, and aunt).
- They love reading their horoscopes and genuinely believe in them (a horoscope site is the home page for the computer in the teacher's lounge).
- They believe the following behavior causes illness: wet clothing, a change in the weather, walking barefoot in the house, drinking cold beverages on cold days, wet hair in cold weather, etc.
- My host dad truly believes he has telepathic powers. One late evening, my host dad was worried about my host sister who hadn't arrived home yet. He told me that he was going to concentrate and try to telepathically communicate with her to motivate her to come home. 5 minutes later, she opens the door and lo and behold is back home. My host dad of course contributes this to the power of his mind and proudly congratulates himself. My host sister also strongly believes that one of her friends has telepathic powers.
- For the past couple of days, my host sister has been suffering from chronic headaches, and her face and eyes have been swollen. She sought help from her aunt, who can perform this sort of ritual that is meant to cleanse her body and remove any evil curses that were bestowed upon her. My host sister told me that the Friday before the pain started, people one after the other kept telling her that she looked beautiful, that her new haircut looked great, but ultimately, they probably said it out of spite and envy, hence the need for a cleansing ritual to wash away the evil thoughts thrown upon her.
3. They eat bread like Asian people eat rice. I'm consuming way too much carbs!!
4. I'm a tad worried about their ideas about what they conceive as good nutrition and a healthy diet. White bread is white bread, regardless of whether it comes in the form of sliced bread or a bread roll. Sliced bread is not healthier than bread rolls and will add just as many calories, contrary to what my host sister's doctor told her. And talk about the need for sex education!!! My SHEP instincts want to take over some time and covertly hold sex education lessons instead of English lessons. My 7th and 8th grade students are certainly "despertando (awakening)," so aptly phrased by my host sister.
5. I love Chilean Spanish! It's so fun to learn a new word or phrase that they only say here. And I also love the words they've borrowed from the English language. Por ejemplo, living room is "el living," laptop is "notebook," camping is "camping," a punch is a "combo," and much much more.
I really don't mean to sound condescending or judgmental of Chileans. Being the foreigner, I can't help but look through an observer's eye and be astonished by their different views and belief systems. In fact, I think Americans sure have a lot to learn from Chileans, considering that they are supposed to be some of the happiest people in the world, according to a recent study that I learned about over the news. They are so kind, so welcoming, so warm. And these people know what it means to be family, even if you're not really in their family (says this adopted host daughter, sister, sister-in-law, cousin, and aunt).
Monday, May 19, 2008
pura lluvia!
chuuuuuuta....qué lluvia tenemos aquí en chillán! it´s been raining alll weekend, and now i really regret not having brought my galoshes and raincoat with me. my dad will just have to stick them in his luggage when he comes visits me in june.
but geez, it´s amazing how much it´s been raining...there has hardly been a pause. and the streets are just flooded! this morning, ruth, my host sister/coteacher, called every taxi company in chillán to send a taxi over to take us to school. however, she only encountered busy signals, and we had no choice but to begin the wet trek to school. after about walking 6 blocks, through deep puddles and blown back by rainswept winds, we were completely drenched. even the new boots that i had purchased this weekend in concepción no sirvieron, and i was not happy having my feet wet. that´s probably one of my biggest pet peeves. because neither of us brought an extra pair of pants, ruth decided that we should return home and change, and after all, as chilean myth goes, wearing wet clothing causes sickness. of course, we didn´t want that to happen. fortunately, we ran into two of her nephews who had just called their father to pick them up from school. they were going to go straight home and miss school. i soon realized that chileans treat their downpouring days like snow days...literally half the student body at escuela méxico didn´t attend school today.
while we were waiting for my host brother to come pick us up, i was watching 2 carabineros (policemen) at the flooded street corner, literally carrying students and other folks on their backs across the street to avoid the flood. it was such a cool sight! why don´t our policemen do that? btw, did you know that firefighters here are all volunteers? i wanted to take a picture, pero que lástima que no tuviera mi cámara y when ruth took out her phone to take a picture, the carabineros began to walk away. chuta.
soon, my host brother arrived, took us home, i changed, and we finally got hold of a taxi company to send a taxi over to pick us up. we arrived at school, and immediately i sensed that a ton of students were missing. in fact, when we went to see the first class of the day, who also happen to be ruth´s homeroom class, we only met half the class along with a sprinkling of students from one of the 8th grade classes. they were just fooling around and playing cards, which is something these kids seem to be quite used to considering how often they are left alone. but that´s a whole other entry, regarding how as they say, "desordenado" they are, very much contributed by the lax disciplinarian system they uphold at schools here.
to make a long story short, i spent the day playing hangman, watching over a class while they watched high school musical in english (without subtitles, but that didn´t stop them from singing like all the songs!!), and had more time to get to know my students more outside the english only classroom. they´re so darling, and i already know i´m going to miss them so much when i leave...but that´s the future, no use dwelling on that!
my rainy day ended with a surprise meeting with the english network of english teachers in the region. all of us volunteers were notified of the meeting just this morning! it´s been frustrating with horrible communication from the ministry of education officials, but oh well, fortunately i´m extremely flexible and i´m really good at going with the flow. that´s probably the word of the entire 9 months here...flexibility. i spent most of last night planning for today´s classes only to be met with half the number of students and realizing it wasn´t worth executing my planned activities with such a small group. it´s a pain, but what can i do? i just let myself be frustrated for that moment, take a breath, and continue on, knowing that dwelling on anger and bitterness only ruins my day.
and woot, i just found out moments ago that there´s no school tomorrow on account of the rain. it may sound a little silly that they treat heavy rain days like snow days, but the thing is some students come from farther distances and these streets are really dangerous to tread through. their sewage system isn´t as great as ours and so there is very serious flooding in the streets. moreover, wednesday is a holiday, so i pretty much have a 2 day holiday!
but geez, it´s amazing how much it´s been raining...there has hardly been a pause. and the streets are just flooded! this morning, ruth, my host sister/coteacher, called every taxi company in chillán to send a taxi over to take us to school. however, she only encountered busy signals, and we had no choice but to begin the wet trek to school. after about walking 6 blocks, through deep puddles and blown back by rainswept winds, we were completely drenched. even the new boots that i had purchased this weekend in concepción no sirvieron, and i was not happy having my feet wet. that´s probably one of my biggest pet peeves. because neither of us brought an extra pair of pants, ruth decided that we should return home and change, and after all, as chilean myth goes, wearing wet clothing causes sickness. of course, we didn´t want that to happen. fortunately, we ran into two of her nephews who had just called their father to pick them up from school. they were going to go straight home and miss school. i soon realized that chileans treat their downpouring days like snow days...literally half the student body at escuela méxico didn´t attend school today.
while we were waiting for my host brother to come pick us up, i was watching 2 carabineros (policemen) at the flooded street corner, literally carrying students and other folks on their backs across the street to avoid the flood. it was such a cool sight! why don´t our policemen do that? btw, did you know that firefighters here are all volunteers? i wanted to take a picture, pero que lástima que no tuviera mi cámara y when ruth took out her phone to take a picture, the carabineros began to walk away. chuta.
soon, my host brother arrived, took us home, i changed, and we finally got hold of a taxi company to send a taxi over to pick us up. we arrived at school, and immediately i sensed that a ton of students were missing. in fact, when we went to see the first class of the day, who also happen to be ruth´s homeroom class, we only met half the class along with a sprinkling of students from one of the 8th grade classes. they were just fooling around and playing cards, which is something these kids seem to be quite used to considering how often they are left alone. but that´s a whole other entry, regarding how as they say, "desordenado" they are, very much contributed by the lax disciplinarian system they uphold at schools here.
to make a long story short, i spent the day playing hangman, watching over a class while they watched high school musical in english (without subtitles, but that didn´t stop them from singing like all the songs!!), and had more time to get to know my students more outside the english only classroom. they´re so darling, and i already know i´m going to miss them so much when i leave...but that´s the future, no use dwelling on that!
my rainy day ended with a surprise meeting with the english network of english teachers in the region. all of us volunteers were notified of the meeting just this morning! it´s been frustrating with horrible communication from the ministry of education officials, but oh well, fortunately i´m extremely flexible and i´m really good at going with the flow. that´s probably the word of the entire 9 months here...flexibility. i spent most of last night planning for today´s classes only to be met with half the number of students and realizing it wasn´t worth executing my planned activities with such a small group. it´s a pain, but what can i do? i just let myself be frustrated for that moment, take a breath, and continue on, knowing that dwelling on anger and bitterness only ruins my day.
and woot, i just found out moments ago that there´s no school tomorrow on account of the rain. it may sound a little silly that they treat heavy rain days like snow days, but the thing is some students come from farther distances and these streets are really dangerous to tread through. their sewage system isn´t as great as ours and so there is very serious flooding in the streets. moreover, wednesday is a holiday, so i pretty much have a 2 day holiday!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
matamoscas
for the last 45 minutes of my last class today, i was forced to teach all 40 students of 6th A, and i made the poor decision to play a game with them. let´s just say that my throat hurts from yelling at the same boys over and over. then stupidly enough, i made it a boys vs. girls competition. i forgot how preteens get so into these kinds of things. i´m sure the surrounding classes heard each group´s team chant. oh goodness. these kids were already going crazy, and they were even more locos during the game. but what was i to do? i wasn´t prepared to teach all 40 kids. my coteacher thrusted the responsibility at me when the director of the school once again made her film something with her tape recorder.
my most important lesson thus far since i´ve been here is the need to be flexible and ready for anything they might throw at you. already, i´ve either had my classes cancelled or i´ve had to teach all 40 students of a class by myself (instead of half the class for 45 minutes, and then switch groups for the last 45 minutes). on thursday and friday, i´m most likely going to have to teach the entire class by myself once again for the 5th, 6th, and 8th grade classes i have those days. my coteacher has to go to a 3-day conference in Conce, and the school doesn´t like to call for substitutes if it´s not absolutely necessary. me aprovechan, as they would say. ugh, well, however annoyed i may be, i´m just going to flow with it and let it be. i´m not one to stress out and raise a ruckus. i know i can manage an entire class of 40, though it may be a little messy.
all in all, after 1.5 weeks of teaching my own class, i´ve been having a great time. i´ve been doing a lot of interactive activities with my students, and i have the feeling they´re just not used to performing skits or throwing a ball around to designate taking turns. i can tell they´re enjoying themselves, and that´s my primary goal for now...for them to be excited to come to english class with me because then will i effectively capture their attention.
my most important lesson thus far since i´ve been here is the need to be flexible and ready for anything they might throw at you. already, i´ve either had my classes cancelled or i´ve had to teach all 40 students of a class by myself (instead of half the class for 45 minutes, and then switch groups for the last 45 minutes). on thursday and friday, i´m most likely going to have to teach the entire class by myself once again for the 5th, 6th, and 8th grade classes i have those days. my coteacher has to go to a 3-day conference in Conce, and the school doesn´t like to call for substitutes if it´s not absolutely necessary. me aprovechan, as they would say. ugh, well, however annoyed i may be, i´m just going to flow with it and let it be. i´m not one to stress out and raise a ruckus. i know i can manage an entire class of 40, though it may be a little messy.
all in all, after 1.5 weeks of teaching my own class, i´ve been having a great time. i´ve been doing a lot of interactive activities with my students, and i have the feeling they´re just not used to performing skits or throwing a ball around to designate taking turns. i can tell they´re enjoying themselves, and that´s my primary goal for now...for them to be excited to come to english class with me because then will i effectively capture their attention.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
¿cachai?
i´ve been at Escuela República de México for 3 days now, and i feel like i´ve just been so lucky to have been placed here. i feel so lucky to be placed with my AMAZING host family as well!! everyone here has been SO WARM, tan cariñosos, tan amables...especially the students! with every step i take in the school hallway, i hear a "hi miss," "hola miss," and many times i´ve been surrounded by students who all want to greet me with a kiss on the cheek (which is my favorite part of chilean culture, or latin american--and filipino!--culture for that matter). i´m soo going to bring this back to america. i´ve realized how cold and distant the american culture is, in comparison!
i haven´t started teaching my own classes yet; this week is reserved for observing my coteacher´s (who is also my host sister btw) english classes. and good lord does she have a lot of classes that she teaches! she works about 45 hours a week!! she teaches multiple grades, primarily 5th-8th grades, but she also teaches 2 3rd grade classes, 2 1st grade classes, 1 2nd grade class and a kindergarten class. she is seriously mi heroina. in fact today, she didn´t even have a lunch hour! during the normal lunch hour, she had to teach the 2nd grade class. she literally only had 10 minutes to eat her lunch before she was off to teach another class of 40 rowdy students. teachers are overlooked EVERYWHERE in the world! moreover, in the chilean public school system, teachers rotate from class to class, not students. there aren´t enough funds or resources to provide a classroom for each teacher. i, however, will have my own english sala because it was mandated by the ministry of education. one requirement the participating schools had to fulfill was provide the english-speaking volunteers a classroom of their own. i feel pretty bad about this, but what can i do? undoubtedly, this is going to make my job a lot easier...in addition to the fact that i will be teaching 20 students at a time, instead of all 40.
in the classes i´ve visited this week (along with many more to come at the end of this week), ruth, my coteacher, has had the students individually stand up and introduce themselves to me. each would repeat the script, "hello, my name is __________. nice to meet you," and i would respond with the obvious "nice to meet you too." as redundant as this might sound to us angloparlantes, this is nonetheless such good practice for my students because i´ve realized how poor their english speaking skills are and that they have little confidence in speaking english. and their comprehension skills? even worse as you can imagine. i am adopting an ENGLISH ONLY attitude with all my students, in which i only speak to them in english, even if they speak to me in spanish and don´t understand the majority of what i am saying. during the question/answer session each class has had with me, i rely heavily on gestures and drawing pictures on the board to make myself understood, which i gladly can say has been really successful! it´s very challenging i have to say, and i´m sure even more so next week once i start teaching on my own, but i am confident that they will get the hang of things. starting day 1 next week, i will fervently demand, ENGLISH IN (the classroom), and SPANISH OUT. i am determined to improve my students´english oral and comprehension skills...and i am damn excited to start.
Hoy día, agradezco a (today, i am grateful for)...
mis alumnos (my students) for all the lovely cards and posters and pictures and constructions they´ve made for me, welcoming me to the school. all my student´s besitos. their enthusiasm for learning english! making myself understood, speaking in only english to them! my kind and warm colleagues. my amazing host sister/coteacher, who i absolutely love! she always has a smile on her face, even when she´s exhausted. my host sister's support of my relationship with edgar, and understanding my need to talk to him every day. for edgar, and his love for me. i am sooo glad he is so positive and is doing so well! and seeing how productive he´s been! all our phone conversations and feeling more confident in strength of our relationship. the lovely presentation ceremony the school held to welcome me to the school and introduce me to the students. the welcome snack the teachers planned for me today in the teacher´s lounge. FEELING SO WELCOMED! talking to adrianne on gchat the other day. receiving an email from june. hanging out with the other 4 gringuitos of chillán 2 days ago. seeing jason! la fiesta del chivo! a "that´s so raven" by one of my cute chubby students. being overfed. palta (avocado). too much tea and coffee (i am served friggin 5 times a day!). drinking the tap water here and feeling okay. my oh so kind 70 yr old host dad and the funny way that he repeats things. properly using the word "fome" in conversation. speaking spanish.
i haven´t started teaching my own classes yet; this week is reserved for observing my coteacher´s (who is also my host sister btw) english classes. and good lord does she have a lot of classes that she teaches! she works about 45 hours a week!! she teaches multiple grades, primarily 5th-8th grades, but she also teaches 2 3rd grade classes, 2 1st grade classes, 1 2nd grade class and a kindergarten class. she is seriously mi heroina. in fact today, she didn´t even have a lunch hour! during the normal lunch hour, she had to teach the 2nd grade class. she literally only had 10 minutes to eat her lunch before she was off to teach another class of 40 rowdy students. teachers are overlooked EVERYWHERE in the world! moreover, in the chilean public school system, teachers rotate from class to class, not students. there aren´t enough funds or resources to provide a classroom for each teacher. i, however, will have my own english sala because it was mandated by the ministry of education. one requirement the participating schools had to fulfill was provide the english-speaking volunteers a classroom of their own. i feel pretty bad about this, but what can i do? undoubtedly, this is going to make my job a lot easier...in addition to the fact that i will be teaching 20 students at a time, instead of all 40.
in the classes i´ve visited this week (along with many more to come at the end of this week), ruth, my coteacher, has had the students individually stand up and introduce themselves to me. each would repeat the script, "hello, my name is __________. nice to meet you," and i would respond with the obvious "nice to meet you too." as redundant as this might sound to us angloparlantes, this is nonetheless such good practice for my students because i´ve realized how poor their english speaking skills are and that they have little confidence in speaking english. and their comprehension skills? even worse as you can imagine. i am adopting an ENGLISH ONLY attitude with all my students, in which i only speak to them in english, even if they speak to me in spanish and don´t understand the majority of what i am saying. during the question/answer session each class has had with me, i rely heavily on gestures and drawing pictures on the board to make myself understood, which i gladly can say has been really successful! it´s very challenging i have to say, and i´m sure even more so next week once i start teaching on my own, but i am confident that they will get the hang of things. starting day 1 next week, i will fervently demand, ENGLISH IN (the classroom), and SPANISH OUT. i am determined to improve my students´english oral and comprehension skills...and i am damn excited to start.
Hoy día, agradezco a (today, i am grateful for)...
mis alumnos (my students) for all the lovely cards and posters and pictures and constructions they´ve made for me, welcoming me to the school. all my student´s besitos. their enthusiasm for learning english! making myself understood, speaking in only english to them! my kind and warm colleagues. my amazing host sister/coteacher, who i absolutely love! she always has a smile on her face, even when she´s exhausted. my host sister's support of my relationship with edgar, and understanding my need to talk to him every day. for edgar, and his love for me. i am sooo glad he is so positive and is doing so well! and seeing how productive he´s been! all our phone conversations and feeling more confident in strength of our relationship. the lovely presentation ceremony the school held to welcome me to the school and introduce me to the students. the welcome snack the teachers planned for me today in the teacher´s lounge. FEELING SO WELCOMED! talking to adrianne on gchat the other day. receiving an email from june. hanging out with the other 4 gringuitos of chillán 2 days ago. seeing jason! la fiesta del chivo! a "that´s so raven" by one of my cute chubby students. being overfed. palta (avocado). too much tea and coffee (i am served friggin 5 times a day!). drinking the tap water here and feeling okay. my oh so kind 70 yr old host dad and the funny way that he repeats things. properly using the word "fome" in conversation. speaking spanish.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Let´s learn English!
About 40 of us Inglés Abre Puertas volunteers in our corny but snazzy "Let´s learn English" tshirts.
Chillán
Por fin estoy en Chillán, my home for the next 8 months. Yesterday, I arrived with 4 other WorldTeach volunteers by bus from Santiago, which took about 6 hours. right when we got to the bus terminal, we were met by 3 nice ladies, one who was the school directora of one of my group member´s school. they told us that they were going to take us straight to la escuela república italia, an escuela básica (kinder-8th grades), where they were going to hold a ceremony for us! we were stunned and in no mood to meet a ton of people because we were so tired. the ministry of education warned us that this might happen.
we got to the school, put away all our heavy luggage in the office, and waited for about a half an hour for the ceremony to begin. meanwhile, i started to realize what an event this was going to be. for one, there was a journalist in the office with us, talking to us for a bit. she was going to write an article about us in the local paper. we also met some of our directores of our school, which translates to school principals. some head honchos also came, like el jefe of all the schools and la directora of the department of education here in chillán. not to mention, everyone seemed to be wearing their finest attire. meanwhile, i was wearing black sweatbants and a tshirt with robots on it. i came to my senses and decided that i should at least change into jeans.
then it was finally time to enter the auditorium. we ended up walking down the aisle to the tune of that sting song that goes "on the fields of..." (i was never quite sure how he finished that lyric). and there were photographers galore! i´ve never had so many photos taken of me, save for my sorority days. they sat us right in the front row, treating us as the honored guests as we were. it was so amusing! there were speeches welcoming us, and some of the students of the school danced the cueca, a traditional chilean dance, for us and even invited a couple of us to join them on stage. thank goodness i was saved from the embarrassment. it looked really fun though.
then there was this formal meeting of our host families and coteachers, in which us 5 were individually called onto the stage and were then joined by them. luckily for me, my host mom/sister is also my coteacher (she prefers being my sister bc she´d feel old if i called her my mom, although she´s in her mid 40s). of course, more pictures were then taken. after the ceremony, i was met by a throng of students who i soon realized were some of my future students! they were so cute and so excited to meet me! i took some pictures with them, which i´ll hopefully post soon. one asked me how to say 5000 in english and then another asked how to say it in japanese, easily fooled by this asian face. i feel like this won´t be the only time.
my family is sooo nice btw. i pretty much hung out with my 70+ host dad (host sister´s dad) all day today, whose birthday coincidentally falls the day after mine. i foresee a joint birthday party coming up. i had to take care of some important tramites (errands), ie. register my visa and apply for an id card, and he accompanied me and showed me where to do all that. fortunately, vivo cerca del centro de chillán, where all the important buildings are and the fruit market. and omg fruit´s so cheap here! we bought 2 kilos of grapes for like 2 bucks! unheard of in the states! there´s no surprise though of course since they´re so plentiful here. and chillán is such a cool city! it has all the luxuries of a big city but also has that small town feel. i don´t know my way around just yet, but i don´t think it´s hard, even for directionally challenged me.
i start school on monday, which i´m really excited about! next week, i´ll just be observing classes, helping out my coteacher in the same classroom, but the following week i´ll be on my own. i´ll be in charge of like 12 classes a week! though it´s more like 24 classes bc we´re dividing each class for 45 minutes at a time. i´ll be teaching grades 5th-8th, which has 3 classes per grade, about 40 students per class.
we got to the school, put away all our heavy luggage in the office, and waited for about a half an hour for the ceremony to begin. meanwhile, i started to realize what an event this was going to be. for one, there was a journalist in the office with us, talking to us for a bit. she was going to write an article about us in the local paper. we also met some of our directores of our school, which translates to school principals. some head honchos also came, like el jefe of all the schools and la directora of the department of education here in chillán. not to mention, everyone seemed to be wearing their finest attire. meanwhile, i was wearing black sweatbants and a tshirt with robots on it. i came to my senses and decided that i should at least change into jeans.
then it was finally time to enter the auditorium. we ended up walking down the aisle to the tune of that sting song that goes "on the fields of..." (i was never quite sure how he finished that lyric). and there were photographers galore! i´ve never had so many photos taken of me, save for my sorority days. they sat us right in the front row, treating us as the honored guests as we were. it was so amusing! there were speeches welcoming us, and some of the students of the school danced the cueca, a traditional chilean dance, for us and even invited a couple of us to join them on stage. thank goodness i was saved from the embarrassment. it looked really fun though.
then there was this formal meeting of our host families and coteachers, in which us 5 were individually called onto the stage and were then joined by them. luckily for me, my host mom/sister is also my coteacher (she prefers being my sister bc she´d feel old if i called her my mom, although she´s in her mid 40s). of course, more pictures were then taken. after the ceremony, i was met by a throng of students who i soon realized were some of my future students! they were so cute and so excited to meet me! i took some pictures with them, which i´ll hopefully post soon. one asked me how to say 5000 in english and then another asked how to say it in japanese, easily fooled by this asian face. i feel like this won´t be the only time.
my family is sooo nice btw. i pretty much hung out with my 70+ host dad (host sister´s dad) all day today, whose birthday coincidentally falls the day after mine. i foresee a joint birthday party coming up. i had to take care of some important tramites (errands), ie. register my visa and apply for an id card, and he accompanied me and showed me where to do all that. fortunately, vivo cerca del centro de chillán, where all the important buildings are and the fruit market. and omg fruit´s so cheap here! we bought 2 kilos of grapes for like 2 bucks! unheard of in the states! there´s no surprise though of course since they´re so plentiful here. and chillán is such a cool city! it has all the luxuries of a big city but also has that small town feel. i don´t know my way around just yet, but i don´t think it´s hard, even for directionally challenged me.
i start school on monday, which i´m really excited about! next week, i´ll just be observing classes, helping out my coteacher in the same classroom, but the following week i´ll be on my own. i´ll be in charge of like 12 classes a week! though it´s more like 24 classes bc we´re dividing each class for 45 minutes at a time. i´ll be teaching grades 5th-8th, which has 3 classes per grade, about 40 students per class.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
YES, I'm finally in Chile!
hello amigos!
it's been a long time coming since i've created this blog and updated on my time in chile, but i've just been suuuuper busy with orientation. my first week here, i was holed up in a room pretty much all day for 8 days for worldteach orientation. it was undoubtedly helpful for most of us newbie teachers, but as you can imagine, i was pretty exhausted every day. now i'm in a different hostel from the first, doing my second round of orientation with the ministry of education. we go from 9-6 every day, which yes, sucks. i just want to go to chillan already! i wish i could finally be settled! oh well, i'm having a good time though nonetheless. it's been so nice bonding with the other worldteach volunteers because we're becoming one happy family. there are about 30 other volunteers that i recently met during the ministry orientation, but us worldteachers have become quite an exclusive bunch. frankly, i'm all socialed out, and i'm just concerned about getting closer with my fellow worldteach folks. we'll be seeing more of each other after all.
i haven't seen much of santiago unfortunately since my days have been pretty packed, but we get weekends off! but from what i've seen, santiago is quite a bacan (cool) city. it's friggin huge, and there are so many different comunas with its own personality. interestingly enough, there are quite a few chinese restaurants here and even japanese restaurants. i tried one chinese restaurant and wasn't very satisfied, but i appreciated the effort. from what i've observed walking in the streets, there is a small population of asian folks here in santiago. it's always funny when i see an asian person on the street and she sees me and we immediately lock eyes and bond for those 5 seconds.
i think this weekend, i and some of the ladies in the group are going to head to valparaiso and vina del mar, which is about an hour away and by the coast. one of pablo neruda's house is there, so i'm excited to visit. he also has a house here in the city, but i still have yet go see it. i still have 2 weeks left in santiago, so i have time. plus, i'm most likely going to return to santiago and the surrounding area during my break.
so let's see, what have i learned about chilean culture so far? chileans have their own spanish and are very proud of it. it's kind of annoying to have to learn a different sort of spanish, but at the same time, it's kind of fun to use their slang. a lot of people smoke here too, and it's allowed in pretty much all establishments. i went to an electronic dance club several nights ago, and i just came home wreaking of cigarettes since everyone was dancing and smoking around me. also their fruit juices are reallly sickeningly sweet and concentrated. i'm not a huge fan.
this wasn't much of an interesting entry, but i'll be sure to update more later. i realized i'm not much of a blogger, so i might just switch to sending emails out or something.
it's been a long time coming since i've created this blog and updated on my time in chile, but i've just been suuuuper busy with orientation. my first week here, i was holed up in a room pretty much all day for 8 days for worldteach orientation. it was undoubtedly helpful for most of us newbie teachers, but as you can imagine, i was pretty exhausted every day. now i'm in a different hostel from the first, doing my second round of orientation with the ministry of education. we go from 9-6 every day, which yes, sucks. i just want to go to chillan already! i wish i could finally be settled! oh well, i'm having a good time though nonetheless. it's been so nice bonding with the other worldteach volunteers because we're becoming one happy family. there are about 30 other volunteers that i recently met during the ministry orientation, but us worldteachers have become quite an exclusive bunch. frankly, i'm all socialed out, and i'm just concerned about getting closer with my fellow worldteach folks. we'll be seeing more of each other after all.
i haven't seen much of santiago unfortunately since my days have been pretty packed, but we get weekends off! but from what i've seen, santiago is quite a bacan (cool) city. it's friggin huge, and there are so many different comunas with its own personality. interestingly enough, there are quite a few chinese restaurants here and even japanese restaurants. i tried one chinese restaurant and wasn't very satisfied, but i appreciated the effort. from what i've observed walking in the streets, there is a small population of asian folks here in santiago. it's always funny when i see an asian person on the street and she sees me and we immediately lock eyes and bond for those 5 seconds.
i think this weekend, i and some of the ladies in the group are going to head to valparaiso and vina del mar, which is about an hour away and by the coast. one of pablo neruda's house is there, so i'm excited to visit. he also has a house here in the city, but i still have yet go see it. i still have 2 weeks left in santiago, so i have time. plus, i'm most likely going to return to santiago and the surrounding area during my break.
so let's see, what have i learned about chilean culture so far? chileans have their own spanish and are very proud of it. it's kind of annoying to have to learn a different sort of spanish, but at the same time, it's kind of fun to use their slang. a lot of people smoke here too, and it's allowed in pretty much all establishments. i went to an electronic dance club several nights ago, and i just came home wreaking of cigarettes since everyone was dancing and smoking around me. also their fruit juices are reallly sickeningly sweet and concentrated. i'm not a huge fan.
this wasn't much of an interesting entry, but i'll be sure to update more later. i realized i'm not much of a blogger, so i might just switch to sending emails out or something.
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