Monday, September 03, 2007
So I’m finally caught up journaling. I’m going to try to start journaling every night what I did the day before so I don’t get behind. Anyway, I woke up early around 8:15 to study and head to campus early. I left around 9:40 after frantically rereading all the readings and my notes. I almost fell asleep on the metro on the way and realized just how tired I was. At 10:30 I met up with Andres, who is my Tandem partner. This is a program to match up gringos with Chileans to help each other learn each other’s languages. Andres is 19, studies Civil Construction, and learned English in High School. I felt really bad because I was so tired I had a really hard time talking and listening. But seemed to understand and after about 45 minutes I headed out to cram a little more studying in before the test.
The test wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I did a good job of just repeating verbatim the definitions he gave us in class and certain things from the text. I’m hoping he doesn’t mind that it might now flow too well or that there might be tons of grammar mistakes during the transitions and recognizes that I worked really hard to memorize. Its kind of an old school way of learning and definitely against the whole: think critically, put it in your own words and apply what you’ve learned to real life. But it’s in another language and I was exhausted. We’ll see.
I went to mass then to my Education class. The teacher told us she hasn’t been to thrilled with the test results we took last week so that wasn’t too uplifting. But I’m really enjoying the class and she is a great teacher (she should be right. It’s about Education!) I had lunch with Christian and again could barely carry on a conversation. After we ate I helped him set up a facebook account. Its pretty excited about it and asked me if he could friend Trevor and my sisters! I told him of course.
Finally I headed back downtown for my Biblia class. I know my Spanish is getting a little better because despite my exhaustion, I followed along pretty well. Or actually, I just realized that I for once did the readings BEFORE class like we are supposed to, so maybe that’s why I understood more! After class I walked home. Olga wasn’t there, but I crawled into bed and started catching up on my journal. She got home around 7 and made us dinner. We finished around 8 and now I’m back in bed ready to go to sleep.
I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t been this tired in months. I got more sleep this weekend than usual. Olga has a theory that it is because I did so much with Nuestra Casa and it is very taxing. Plus she thinks I was very stressed about this test today. I didn’t feel more stressed than usual. I know working with Nuestra Casa was difficult, but I still shouldn’t be this tired. I’m hoping one night of excessive sleep (i.e. tonight) will cure it.
One other observation: sometimes I want to give up learning Spanish. I think it's a symptom of lack of sleep and it is usually only fleeting. But I definitely experienced it today. The scary thing is that it would be incredibly easy to quit trying to learn. I'd come back to the states not much better than when I left it! But don't worry. I'll be fine tomorrow and ready to dive back in.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007 Study Party!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
I woke up around 10:15, went running, and then showered before mass. On my way out to mass, I met the neighbor who lives across the hall. I could barely understand her, but was very sweet and I from what I understood, her name is Maria Teresa and she was happy to finally meet me. She went to mass at St. Ignatius, but I went over to St. Lazaro. While I was walking over, I thought I should have changed plans and gone to mass with Maria Teresa. But as soon as I got to the church I was glad I hadn’t changed my mind. There was a group of musicians, 4 singers, 2 violins, a viola, a cello, a flute, and an organ and they played the entire mass. It was absolutely beautiful. After mass the priest walked out and they continued playing/singing. They sang Ave Maria, then for the last song they sang the Alleluia. I was listening and it wasn’t until the second verse that I realized it was in English! Its amazing when you realize things you’ve always taken for granted can actually completely foreign for some people. They sang it perfectly and I had goose bumps when they finish. And just when I thought mass couldn’t get more perfect, a bagpiper walked in the front door. He walked all the way down the isle, played a song at the front of the church, and then walked back down. I don’t know how many people knew that was going to happen, but everyone looked pleasantly surprised.
After mass I walked home and again ran into Maria Teresa and another neighbor Patricia. Patricia immediately asked me how old I was and mumbled something to Maria Teresa about the same age as Juanito. We continued talking and Patricia asked me how I like Chileans. I told her they are all very nice and I’ve had a wonderful time so far. She then told me that she hopes the Chileans treat me very well and hopefully I can find a Chilean boyfriend! I told her I had a boyfriend back home and she couldn’t hide a slight look of disappointment on her face.
Olga had almuerzo waiting and after eating I took a little nap. I was really tired and knew that although I have to study for the test on Monday, it would be worthless to study now. So I slept for a while, and then studied/slept till 4:30. Then two gringos in my class, Christine (who came to the book fair Friday) and Mike came over to study. At 7 Mike left to go to mass nearby and when he got back at 8, Olga pulled all the stops and fed us enough for a small army. Both Christine and Mike were super appreciative and seemed to love it. Christine’s family never really eats together and Mike was just happy to eat, so we had a great time sharing stories and laughing. They headed out after nine and we continued studying. I gave up around midnight and fell asleep.
I woke up around 10:15, went running, and then showered before mass. On my way out to mass, I met the neighbor who lives across the hall. I could barely understand her, but was very sweet and I from what I understood, her name is Maria Teresa and she was happy to finally meet me. She went to mass at St. Ignatius, but I went over to St. Lazaro. While I was walking over, I thought I should have changed plans and gone to mass with Maria Teresa. But as soon as I got to the church I was glad I hadn’t changed my mind. There was a group of musicians, 4 singers, 2 violins, a viola, a cello, a flute, and an organ and they played the entire mass. It was absolutely beautiful. After mass the priest walked out and they continued playing/singing. They sang Ave Maria, then for the last song they sang the Alleluia. I was listening and it wasn’t until the second verse that I realized it was in English! Its amazing when you realize things you’ve always taken for granted can actually completely foreign for some people. They sang it perfectly and I had goose bumps when they finish. And just when I thought mass couldn’t get more perfect, a bagpiper walked in the front door. He walked all the way down the isle, played a song at the front of the church, and then walked back down. I don’t know how many people knew that was going to happen, but everyone looked pleasantly surprised.
After mass I walked home and again ran into Maria Teresa and another neighbor Patricia. Patricia immediately asked me how old I was and mumbled something to Maria Teresa about the same age as Juanito. We continued talking and Patricia asked me how I like Chileans. I told her they are all very nice and I’ve had a wonderful time so far. She then told me that she hopes the Chileans treat me very well and hopefully I can find a Chilean boyfriend! I told her I had a boyfriend back home and she couldn’t hide a slight look of disappointment on her face.
Olga had almuerzo waiting and after eating I took a little nap. I was really tired and knew that although I have to study for the test on Monday, it would be worthless to study now. So I slept for a while, and then studied/slept till 4:30. Then two gringos in my class, Christine (who came to the book fair Friday) and Mike came over to study. At 7 Mike left to go to mass nearby and when he got back at 8, Olga pulled all the stops and fed us enough for a small army. Both Christine and Mike were super appreciative and seemed to love it. Christine’s family never really eats together and Mike was just happy to eat, so we had a great time sharing stories and laughing. They headed out after nine and we continued studying. I gave up around midnight and fell asleep.
Saturday, September 1, 2007 Happy Birthday Trevor!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
After a quick breakfast, I walked about 25 minutes to the Nuestra Casa house for the Taller (workshop). I got there at about 10:26 and Daniel, one of the volunteers, gave me a surprised look and told me I was early! The taller was supposed to start around 10:30, so I didn’t think it was that big a deal. An hour when the workshop finally started, I understood! The workshop, titled Amor: Encuentro Verdadero (Love: a True Encounter) was two Saturdays and this was the second week. I was thinking it would be about loving all types of people, especially people who live on the streets and people who are difficult to love. Before starting, the facilitator Guillermo gave me a quick update of what I’d miss last week. He basically told me that love doesn’t exist, only the capacity to love. Although I wasn’t exactly sure if I agreed, I went with it. And although it didn’t really go with what I thought the workshop would be about, I figured the second week would tie it back into working with people in the streets.
The workshop started out talking about identity, relationships with others, and communication. When then started talking about intimacy and what interferes with intimacy. We split up into groups and I was with a volunteer worker from Viña del Mar (rich, touristy costal city) and three men who live on the streets. Two of the men have a pareja (basically a wive but they aren’t official married) who they live with on the streets and who were also at the workshop. The other man, Alejandro, used to be a bodyguard for the government and only recently started living on the streets. It was great to talk with them and I felt incredibly comfortable. They all helped me with the language and everyone had great things to share.
We all ate almuerzo together and in the afternoon the second half of the workshop started. Once again, I was expecting it to all tie in to working with people on the streets, but Guillermo opened up the afternoon discussion talking about sex! We amazingly spent the next 2 hours talking about sexuality vs. sensuality, the different perspectives between males and females, and how ultimately, it is all about love! I was definitely the youngest person in the room (the average age was probably about 45) and the only extranjera, but the afternoon was incredibly interesting, eye opening and not nearly as awkward as I’d feared. By the end of the day, I felt comfortable and connected with many of the people in the workshop and excited to keep working with Nuestra Casa. I also had some great notes and interesting things to think about!
I walked home around 5:30 and again realized how exhausted I was. The immensity of the Spanish and the experience was overwhelming. But of course, I talked to Calli and she told me about a Festivo de Vino that I couldn’t pass up. We met up around 8 in Providnecia, a swanky uptown comuna. We found the huge white tent, lights, music, and stylish looking people and marched right in. We paid about $8 for the wine glass and 5 tokens, which converted to 5 classes of wine. For the next 3 hours, we sat, ate appetizers, drank fancy wine, and talked with our friends that we ran into. I couldn’t finish all 5 glasses, so after the 2nd, I drank the first half and Calli finished off the second half for me. The wine was amazing and it was great talking to the people at the booths about how it’s made, where the grapes are from, everything.
Around 12:30 all the wine was gone and the group of gringos that had congregated headed out to get empanadas (the Chilean drunk food). I hadn’t had that much, but everyone was raving about this place they had found not too far away that we had to go to. So we got empanadas from the Iranian man and Peruvian woman who own the shop. They were both really nice and I could understand everything the Peruvian woman said, once again cursing Chileans and their horrible Spanish. I took the bus home around 1:30 (super early for a Saturday) and fell asleep. Trevor was at a camp out for his bible study so I didn’t get to wish him a happy birthday, but his birthday present is waiting for him at the UNL bookstore.
After a quick breakfast, I walked about 25 minutes to the Nuestra Casa house for the Taller (workshop). I got there at about 10:26 and Daniel, one of the volunteers, gave me a surprised look and told me I was early! The taller was supposed to start around 10:30, so I didn’t think it was that big a deal. An hour when the workshop finally started, I understood! The workshop, titled Amor: Encuentro Verdadero (Love: a True Encounter) was two Saturdays and this was the second week. I was thinking it would be about loving all types of people, especially people who live on the streets and people who are difficult to love. Before starting, the facilitator Guillermo gave me a quick update of what I’d miss last week. He basically told me that love doesn’t exist, only the capacity to love. Although I wasn’t exactly sure if I agreed, I went with it. And although it didn’t really go with what I thought the workshop would be about, I figured the second week would tie it back into working with people in the streets.
The workshop started out talking about identity, relationships with others, and communication. When then started talking about intimacy and what interferes with intimacy. We split up into groups and I was with a volunteer worker from Viña del Mar (rich, touristy costal city) and three men who live on the streets. Two of the men have a pareja (basically a wive but they aren’t official married) who they live with on the streets and who were also at the workshop. The other man, Alejandro, used to be a bodyguard for the government and only recently started living on the streets. It was great to talk with them and I felt incredibly comfortable. They all helped me with the language and everyone had great things to share.
We all ate almuerzo together and in the afternoon the second half of the workshop started. Once again, I was expecting it to all tie in to working with people on the streets, but Guillermo opened up the afternoon discussion talking about sex! We amazingly spent the next 2 hours talking about sexuality vs. sensuality, the different perspectives between males and females, and how ultimately, it is all about love! I was definitely the youngest person in the room (the average age was probably about 45) and the only extranjera, but the afternoon was incredibly interesting, eye opening and not nearly as awkward as I’d feared. By the end of the day, I felt comfortable and connected with many of the people in the workshop and excited to keep working with Nuestra Casa. I also had some great notes and interesting things to think about!
I walked home around 5:30 and again realized how exhausted I was. The immensity of the Spanish and the experience was overwhelming. But of course, I talked to Calli and she told me about a Festivo de Vino that I couldn’t pass up. We met up around 8 in Providnecia, a swanky uptown comuna. We found the huge white tent, lights, music, and stylish looking people and marched right in. We paid about $8 for the wine glass and 5 tokens, which converted to 5 classes of wine. For the next 3 hours, we sat, ate appetizers, drank fancy wine, and talked with our friends that we ran into. I couldn’t finish all 5 glasses, so after the 2nd, I drank the first half and Calli finished off the second half for me. The wine was amazing and it was great talking to the people at the booths about how it’s made, where the grapes are from, everything.
Around 12:30 all the wine was gone and the group of gringos that had congregated headed out to get empanadas (the Chilean drunk food). I hadn’t had that much, but everyone was raving about this place they had found not too far away that we had to go to. So we got empanadas from the Iranian man and Peruvian woman who own the shop. They were both really nice and I could understand everything the Peruvian woman said, once again cursing Chileans and their horrible Spanish. I took the bus home around 1:30 (super early for a Saturday) and fell asleep. Trevor was at a camp out for his bible study so I didn’t get to wish him a happy birthday, but his birthday present is waiting for him at the UNL bookstore.
Friday, August 31st, 2007 Yet another Chilean cultural experience...
Friday, August 31st, 2007
I had a wonderfully relaxing day with absolutely nothing to do. I exercised after breakfast and at noon, Olga and I walked to the near by church, hoping they had mass. Neither of us were sure and when we got there, the sign said they only had mass in the morning and evenings. There were people standing out front and a man walked in carrying flowers, but since the sign said there was no noon mass, I figured we would head back home. But Olga decided that since there were people and flowers, something had to be going on. So we went inside and right in front of the alter was a beautiful coffin. I was mortified, but Olga insisted that a funeral mass was mass and that God never turns away anyone. So she marched right up and sat down in the pew, while I embarrassedly followed. The worst was that I was wearing a bright pink and red stripped sweater! The family members definitely looked at us, but after a while, it wasn’t so awkward. So my incredible event for today was that I attended a funeral! We left quickly at the end to avoid any more awkwardness and had a good laugh about it on the way home.
Rino, Olga’s son came over for almuerzo and we enjoyed Fantshops with lunch. Afterwards I studied and relaxed until around 6:30. I took a bus for almost one hour to meet up with my friends Courtney and Alea (both gringas) in Nuñoa, a comuna in the south east part of the city. We got gelato, then walked to the Feria de Libros (Book Fair!) in the Nuñoa Cultural Center. There was a great live Chilean folkmusic band and we mingled while scanning the various books. Its was really relaxing and a fun change for a Friday night. A friend of mine named Christine in my Doctrina Social class and Tom (the kid who had fish at my house) met up with us later. When they kicked us out of the bookfair, we walked around Plaza Nuñoa while we told jokes and funny stories.
Sidenote:At one point we found a big spot light and tried to do shadow figures, which brought us to talking about the youtube video about the incredible shadow figure show (THANKS POPPA!!) Tom and I then found out that both our grandfathers sent it to us, along with many other funny joke and interesting anecdotes.
Around 10:30 a Community group of young kids did a Cueca performance. Cueca is the national dance of Chile and very popular in September, during the Fiestas Patrias. They were all dressed up in the traditional outfits and were quite impressive. After the performance I decided to head home since I had a long day Saturday. So around 11:15 Courtney and I got to the bus stop and she was nice enough to wait with me. Unfortunatly we waited 40 minutes for the bus, the whole timing missing my good old suburbia and Nissan Sentra! Now I understand why everyone complains about TransSantiago! Once the bus finally got there, 2 Chileans guys started speaking to me in English. Neither of them spoke too well and when they realized I spoke Spanish, we chatted all the way downtown. One of the guys gave me his email address and I politely thanked him, figuring it wasn’t worth the hassle explaining I have a boyfriend in the States. They always claim they just want to practice their English. Right. I got home around 1 am and called Trevor to wish him a Happy 21st Birthday.
I had a wonderfully relaxing day with absolutely nothing to do. I exercised after breakfast and at noon, Olga and I walked to the near by church, hoping they had mass. Neither of us were sure and when we got there, the sign said they only had mass in the morning and evenings. There were people standing out front and a man walked in carrying flowers, but since the sign said there was no noon mass, I figured we would head back home. But Olga decided that since there were people and flowers, something had to be going on. So we went inside and right in front of the alter was a beautiful coffin. I was mortified, but Olga insisted that a funeral mass was mass and that God never turns away anyone. So she marched right up and sat down in the pew, while I embarrassedly followed. The worst was that I was wearing a bright pink and red stripped sweater! The family members definitely looked at us, but after a while, it wasn’t so awkward. So my incredible event for today was that I attended a funeral! We left quickly at the end to avoid any more awkwardness and had a good laugh about it on the way home.
Rino, Olga’s son came over for almuerzo and we enjoyed Fantshops with lunch. Afterwards I studied and relaxed until around 6:30. I took a bus for almost one hour to meet up with my friends Courtney and Alea (both gringas) in Nuñoa, a comuna in the south east part of the city. We got gelato, then walked to the Feria de Libros (Book Fair!) in the Nuñoa Cultural Center. There was a great live Chilean folkmusic band and we mingled while scanning the various books. Its was really relaxing and a fun change for a Friday night. A friend of mine named Christine in my Doctrina Social class and Tom (the kid who had fish at my house) met up with us later. When they kicked us out of the bookfair, we walked around Plaza Nuñoa while we told jokes and funny stories.
Sidenote:At one point we found a big spot light and tried to do shadow figures, which brought us to talking about the youtube video about the incredible shadow figure show (THANKS POPPA!!) Tom and I then found out that both our grandfathers sent it to us, along with many other funny joke and interesting anecdotes.
Around 10:30 a Community group of young kids did a Cueca performance. Cueca is the national dance of Chile and very popular in September, during the Fiestas Patrias. They were all dressed up in the traditional outfits and were quite impressive. After the performance I decided to head home since I had a long day Saturday. So around 11:15 Courtney and I got to the bus stop and she was nice enough to wait with me. Unfortunatly we waited 40 minutes for the bus, the whole timing missing my good old suburbia and Nissan Sentra! Now I understand why everyone complains about TransSantiago! Once the bus finally got there, 2 Chileans guys started speaking to me in English. Neither of them spoke too well and when they realized I spoke Spanish, we chatted all the way downtown. One of the guys gave me his email address and I politely thanked him, figuring it wasn’t worth the hassle explaining I have a boyfriend in the States. They always claim they just want to practice their English. Right. I got home around 1 am and called Trevor to wish him a Happy 21st Birthday.
Thursday, August 30th, 2007 Alright Kayla, Its time to get off your butt and do something good for someone else!!
Thursday, August 30th, 2007
I woke up early (at 9:30) to go meet with the Directora of a High School (Colegio San Lawarence) about my volunteer job with the English Opens Doors program. This is an iniative of the chilena Governtment to help teach students English. They coordinate native English speakers with Chilean English teachers in high schools and some elementary schools. The idea is to motivate the students and help them hear a native accent. I’m not supposed to be doing a volunteer job outside of Nuestra Casa, but its only 4 hours a week and I think it should be interesting. So I met with the Direcotra and decided I would work every Thursday from 7:30 am to 11:30 am. Ouch. That’s going to hurt. Then she called the teacher down to meet me. The teacher I’m going to work with is probably only 25 years old and her English is about as good as my Spanish. So that is telling you something about the quality of the education system in Chile.
At first the teacher wasn’t too excited about me working with her on Thursday mornings. She told me that one of her classes is out of control (“Tey aur monstars”) and claim that they never learn anything. I immediately had flashbacks to my high school Spanish classes and I totally understood. Nevertheless, the Directora decided to go have a word with the class to put them in line before they introduced me. So after a good talking too, they called me in and introduced me. They want me to pretend that I don’t speak Spanish so the students are forced to speak in English to me. So I went in and she had me tell them about my life. Then they repeat back what they understood. Highlight: I told them I had a 17 year old sister. They asked me if she lived in Chile.
After assuring the teacher that I would love to help her make lessons plans (she really needs the help), I headed home. I got back and went for a quick run before showering and almuerzo. I “studied” all afternoon until I went to meet Calli, Sam, and Niki at the Bus Station to buy our tickets for our trip. After a funny adventure trying to find the best deals, we ended buying 4 tickets, 2 round trips, to Puerto Montt before Fiestas Patrias and to La Serena after. We are traveling with TurBus, the biggest and most well known bus company, so don’t worry. It should be a crazy, exhausting, amazing, and very safe (that’s for you mom) week. I can’t wait.
I had to be at the Nuestra Casa residnecia at 7:30 for Jueves Solidario (I’ll explain in a minute). But we got done early so I bought a Diet Coke, found a park in front of a church, and sat for about 45 minutes. I thought and prayed while watched the sun go down (I couldn’t see it set because I was in the middle of the city), the children play on the playground, and the people walk home from work. It was really relaxing and a great way to prepare myself for the next few hours.
Around 7:15 I walked to the residencía of Nuestra Casa. Remember Nuestra Casa is the group I’ll be volunteering with for my Poverty class that works with homeless people. Every Thursday night they take sandwhichs and coffee to people living in the streets (its called Jueves Solidario which means Solidarity Thursdays). I didn’t know what to expect, but I was excited. I helped them finish making the sandwhichs while meeting many of the men who live in the residencia and talking to other volunteers. A group of about 15 high schools students came and all together there was a group of about 25 people.
We drove to a huge market where during the day they sell vegetables and fruits. Apparently its one of the most important markets in all of Chile and produce from all over the country (and probably South America) goes through this market. There a ton of people who work there during the day and sleep there at night. When we got there, they automatically lined up and a high school girl and I passed out the sandwiches while the others gave them hot chocolate and coffee. Once we had passed out all the sandwiches, we started walking around and talking to the people. Eduardo, a volunteer of 3 years, took me under his wing and showed me around. We ended up talking to many different people, but mostly to an incredibly drunk, dirty, and smelly but incredibly interesting man, probably in his early 30s. He had a palta (avocado) and was telling us that this avocado was love. And that it wasn’t quite ripe yet, but come back in a week and it will be perfect. Then he told us a joke about David and Goliath (it’s a pun, so it wouldn’t work in English) and then he started talking about God and Jesus and all kinds of things. I definitely didn’t understand most of it and Eduardo had to clarify things for me, especially when the man told him to tell the German girl (he was quite insistent that I wasn’t North American, but German). The thing that struck me most was when he said, “Jesus had suffered and died for us. And he looks out for us. But who looks out for these people [the people living in the street]. I do. I do”
The other thing that struck me was seeing the children and babies. There were two young girls, one probably 7 and the other probably almost 4. they were absolutely adorable, especially the 4 year old. They talked and played with me and the high school kids the whole time and absolutely broke my heart. We were there for over 2 hours and I never saw their parents. I asked Eduardo where the parents were and he told me that they are probably around somewhere. I asked why the state doesn’t take them and place them in foster homes. He said that there is technically a program to help do that, but it’s very inefficient and complicated. Then he said he doesn’t think its right because you can’t just take children from their mothers. When he said that, I realized how different the culture, government, and social support systems are here. For them, no matter how desperate the situation, they couldn’t imagine taking a child from their mother. As opposed to the US where children are taken by Child Protective Services.
Around 10:15 we headed out and all met up in a parking lot to have a closing. Since there were so many new people, they made all of us speak. Of course, I was next to the speaker, so I had to go first! Before starting, I told them to forgive the language, then told them that I really enjoyed the experience but was very surprised by the amount of people and the fact that there were so many children. And I said that I loved taking to the men because despite the fact that most of them were drunk and said some crazy things, they were very kind and just wanted someone to talk to.
I went home and Olga was waiting for me. I started telling her how it went and as I spoke, it started sinking in. I slowly processed everything I had seen and became very somber. A bunch of my friends were going out Salsa dancing, but I was so drained I didn’t want to go. I went to bed around 1, the earliest in a long time.
I woke up early (at 9:30) to go meet with the Directora of a High School (Colegio San Lawarence) about my volunteer job with the English Opens Doors program. This is an iniative of the chilena Governtment to help teach students English. They coordinate native English speakers with Chilean English teachers in high schools and some elementary schools. The idea is to motivate the students and help them hear a native accent. I’m not supposed to be doing a volunteer job outside of Nuestra Casa, but its only 4 hours a week and I think it should be interesting. So I met with the Direcotra and decided I would work every Thursday from 7:30 am to 11:30 am. Ouch. That’s going to hurt. Then she called the teacher down to meet me. The teacher I’m going to work with is probably only 25 years old and her English is about as good as my Spanish. So that is telling you something about the quality of the education system in Chile.
At first the teacher wasn’t too excited about me working with her on Thursday mornings. She told me that one of her classes is out of control (“Tey aur monstars”) and claim that they never learn anything. I immediately had flashbacks to my high school Spanish classes and I totally understood. Nevertheless, the Directora decided to go have a word with the class to put them in line before they introduced me. So after a good talking too, they called me in and introduced me. They want me to pretend that I don’t speak Spanish so the students are forced to speak in English to me. So I went in and she had me tell them about my life. Then they repeat back what they understood. Highlight: I told them I had a 17 year old sister. They asked me if she lived in Chile.
After assuring the teacher that I would love to help her make lessons plans (she really needs the help), I headed home. I got back and went for a quick run before showering and almuerzo. I “studied” all afternoon until I went to meet Calli, Sam, and Niki at the Bus Station to buy our tickets for our trip. After a funny adventure trying to find the best deals, we ended buying 4 tickets, 2 round trips, to Puerto Montt before Fiestas Patrias and to La Serena after. We are traveling with TurBus, the biggest and most well known bus company, so don’t worry. It should be a crazy, exhausting, amazing, and very safe (that’s for you mom) week. I can’t wait.
I had to be at the Nuestra Casa residnecia at 7:30 for Jueves Solidario (I’ll explain in a minute). But we got done early so I bought a Diet Coke, found a park in front of a church, and sat for about 45 minutes. I thought and prayed while watched the sun go down (I couldn’t see it set because I was in the middle of the city), the children play on the playground, and the people walk home from work. It was really relaxing and a great way to prepare myself for the next few hours.
Around 7:15 I walked to the residencía of Nuestra Casa. Remember Nuestra Casa is the group I’ll be volunteering with for my Poverty class that works with homeless people. Every Thursday night they take sandwhichs and coffee to people living in the streets (its called Jueves Solidario which means Solidarity Thursdays). I didn’t know what to expect, but I was excited. I helped them finish making the sandwhichs while meeting many of the men who live in the residencia and talking to other volunteers. A group of about 15 high schools students came and all together there was a group of about 25 people.
We drove to a huge market where during the day they sell vegetables and fruits. Apparently its one of the most important markets in all of Chile and produce from all over the country (and probably South America) goes through this market. There a ton of people who work there during the day and sleep there at night. When we got there, they automatically lined up and a high school girl and I passed out the sandwiches while the others gave them hot chocolate and coffee. Once we had passed out all the sandwiches, we started walking around and talking to the people. Eduardo, a volunteer of 3 years, took me under his wing and showed me around. We ended up talking to many different people, but mostly to an incredibly drunk, dirty, and smelly but incredibly interesting man, probably in his early 30s. He had a palta (avocado) and was telling us that this avocado was love. And that it wasn’t quite ripe yet, but come back in a week and it will be perfect. Then he told us a joke about David and Goliath (it’s a pun, so it wouldn’t work in English) and then he started talking about God and Jesus and all kinds of things. I definitely didn’t understand most of it and Eduardo had to clarify things for me, especially when the man told him to tell the German girl (he was quite insistent that I wasn’t North American, but German). The thing that struck me most was when he said, “Jesus had suffered and died for us. And he looks out for us. But who looks out for these people [the people living in the street]. I do. I do”
The other thing that struck me was seeing the children and babies. There were two young girls, one probably 7 and the other probably almost 4. they were absolutely adorable, especially the 4 year old. They talked and played with me and the high school kids the whole time and absolutely broke my heart. We were there for over 2 hours and I never saw their parents. I asked Eduardo where the parents were and he told me that they are probably around somewhere. I asked why the state doesn’t take them and place them in foster homes. He said that there is technically a program to help do that, but it’s very inefficient and complicated. Then he said he doesn’t think its right because you can’t just take children from their mothers. When he said that, I realized how different the culture, government, and social support systems are here. For them, no matter how desperate the situation, they couldn’t imagine taking a child from their mother. As opposed to the US where children are taken by Child Protective Services.
Around 10:15 we headed out and all met up in a parking lot to have a closing. Since there were so many new people, they made all of us speak. Of course, I was next to the speaker, so I had to go first! Before starting, I told them to forgive the language, then told them that I really enjoyed the experience but was very surprised by the amount of people and the fact that there were so many children. And I said that I loved taking to the men because despite the fact that most of them were drunk and said some crazy things, they were very kind and just wanted someone to talk to.
I went home and Olga was waiting for me. I started telling her how it went and as I spoke, it started sinking in. I slowly processed everything I had seen and became very somber. A bunch of my friends were going out Salsa dancing, but I was so drained I didn’t want to go. I went to bed around 1, the earliest in a long time.
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