Come one, come all to the great gringo circus.

This is officially my last post from Chile. I definitely haven't been here long enough to be completely comfortable or fluent in Spanish but I am ready to get home to my family. I also cannot wait to be home for a white Christmas. It's hard to be in the Christmas mood in Chile when I spend half the day on the beach. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Tuesday morning, we arrived in Vina del Mar. Expecting to spend the next 4 days working on our tans, we were more than disappointed to find nothing but clouds. There was not even a small break to give us a sliver of hope that the weather would improve. Therefore, our first day was spent shopping in the markets and watching the weather with a hawk's eye. The forecast predicted sun on Wednesday so we were disappointed to wake up to clouds yet again. Instead of just sitting around, I went to the movies with my friends, Penni and Emily, and saw Harry Potter. Later, we met up with the group and shopped at a huge market. There, we saw a number of street performers including a clown, an organillero, and a chinchinero. The organillero is a typical Chilean street vendor who walks around with a music box and a cart of toys and trinkets to sell. Sometimes, he has a trained parrot or monkey with him as well. The chinchinero is also known as a one-man orchestra. He wears a drum on his back and cymbals on his feet. He also dances as he plays his instruments. Both the organillero and the chinchineros are pictured above.

Yesterday morning, we went on a tour of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, the neighboring city. Built on 42 different hills, the technicolor buildings of Valparaiso follow the curves of the land as it slopes into the Pacific Ocean. Since Valparaiso is constructed on the series of steep hills, there are a bunch of cable cars, known here as ascensores, that the people who live here use to get to their homes at the top of the hill. These things are little more than a rickety box pulled up a steep incline by a piece of fishing line. Nevertheless, they have been around for years and haven't broken yet. In Valparaiso, we also visited the house of the famous poet, Pablo Neruda. I had absolutely no idea we would see his home when the tour began yesterday morning. When I first arrived in Chile, my sister gave me a book of Pablo Neruda's poems to read. I have become captivated by his poetry. Needless to say, I was more than enthralled to be able to stand in the exact spots from where he drew his inspiration. Holy cow.

Later yesterday afternoon, the clouds finally broke for the first time. We grabbed our bathing suits and rushed to the beach. It wasn't exactly warm outside and the water wasn't exactly up to a reasonable swimming temperature but we didn't care. This was what we came here for. The beach was full of giant sand sculptures (pictured right). There was even a nativity scene. While on the beach, we somehow attracted a herd of stray dogs. No matter how much we yelled at them, they would not go away. Eventually, after all of our carrying on, everyone on the beach was staring at us and cracking up. Even when we picked up all our belongings and moved to a new spot, the dogs followed. Next time we make a spectacle of ourselves, we will have to charge admission. Come one, come all to the great gringo circus.

Don't cry for me, Valdivia.

Friday was our last day at the Windsor School. Not only was it our last day, though. It was the last school day of the academic year. Since summer in Chile starts in December, their summer break lasts until March. The academic year actually lines up with the calendar year. It feels so strange to us since we are used to our academic and calendar years being different. Our experience at the Windsor School has certainly been unforgettable. The teachers were incredibly helpful and went out of their way to give us a complete understand of Chile and its culture. The classes we took here included Spanish, Chilean history, art, theater, cooking, music, and folklore.

 

In Chilean history, we watched videos on Chilean history and had Q & A sessions with our teacher. We learned about everything from the Mapuche (Chile's native people) to recent history. This was able to better help us understand the culture that we are submersed in. From this class, I have learned that Chile is a country built on perseverance. Since Chile is frequently battered by tsunamis, earthquakes, and over 200 active volcanoes, they have to be able to persevere to survive. No matter what has happens in Chile, they face the dilemma with their heads held high, knowing that it is just another pothole in the road of their history.

 

In folklore and music, we learned the native Chilean dance, the cueca. We then sang a cueca dance song. The cueca is a dance with a man and a woman representing a hen and the rooster who is pursuing her. We also learned a native Chilean Polka and a Chilean bottle dance (pictured above). In cooking class, we made Chilean cookies and bread (pictured below). All of our classes have given us a comprehensive understanding of Chilean culture.

 

After spending our last weekend in Valdivia, we had to say goodbye to our families on Monday night. I never imagined it would be as hard as it was. I was handling it well until me mom started crying. As the bus pulled away, our families all stood together and waved us off. It's hard to imagine that I will probably never be in Valdivia again and even harder to imagine that I may never see my family again. I am trying not to think about it that way. Instead, I just see my new friends and family as an excuse to return to Chile. To all my new friends: don't cry for me, Valdivia. The truth is I never left you.

 

Who even knows what pluperfect is anyway?

Yesterday, I visited the Escuela Mexico in Valdivia with the other Otterbein students. This was by far my favorite visit. Like I said before, we never know what to expect with these visits. Sometimes we just answer the students' questions about the United States, sometimes we observe classes, and sometimes we teach. This time, I was placed in a first grade classroom with my friend, Rilley. When we first walked to the front of the classroom, the teacher asked me what we would be doing and how long we would be there. I told her that we had no plan and that we were not sure how long we would be there. Her skeptical eyebrows told me exactly what she was thinking: good luck controlling first graders without a plan. After introducing ourselves, Rilley and I jumped right in. We began an impromptu lesson plan to teach our class basic English (since they did not know more than how to count to 10). To teach them colors, we used different colored markers. To teach them animals, they would draw pictures both on paper and on the board. Then, we would teach them the names of the animals in English. We taught them several parts of the body using the song, Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. Finally, we helped them practice right vs. left and colors by playing Twister. Our 3 hour lesson went pretty well considering neither of us is an education major and we were teaching completely in Spanish.

The Escuela Mexico was my favorite for other reasons though. From the moment we walked in the room, our first grade girls (there were no boys in the class) were in love with us. Together, Rilley and I were given over 30 drawings and love notes. They also gave us their snacks, Silly Bands, and endless hugs. During recess, all the children in the school came up to us and asked us for our autographs. It was insane. I felt like Madonna. All I know is that I am incredibly blessed to be able to spend time with these precious children.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the Botanical Garden in Valdivia (pictured right). The name is slightly misleading. The Botanical Garden is actually a large, wooded park along the river. It is the perfect place to go for a walk, steal away from the rest of the world, and enjoy God's creation.

After leaving the Botanical Garden, Fernanda, Natalia, and I went to the hair salon. I only mention this because I was pleasantly surprised by Chilean salons. First of all, they are significantly less expensive. I paid slightly over half of what I would pay in the United States to have my hair highlighted. Secondly, no one leaves tips for the hair stylists in Chile. I know that may seem insignificant, but for some reason it really surprised me.

Today, we had our first upper level Spanish grammar course. I went in excited to work on the complex tenses such as subjunctive and preterite perfect. After about 5 minutes into the class, the teacher told us to stop worry and asking so many questions about those complicated grammatical issues. He told us that in Chile they really don't matter. The only tenses we really need to know are the simple ones we learned in high school Spanish. So much for my 300 and 400 level grammar classes at Otterbein. Our teacher had a point, though. Even if we don't conjugate verbs perfectly or use exactly the right tense, people are going to understand what we mean. The most important thing is just to talk and not let the grammar trip us up. He must have thought we were completely ridiculous. It would be the same as if a foreign student  in the United States asked an English teacher how to properly use the pluperfect tense. Who even knows what pluperfect is anyway?

I would have to become nocturnal to survive in South America.

Phew, I am finally back in Valdivia from Bariloche, Argentina. Even though it feels like I just spent 4 days in another city or state, I was actually in a completely different country. I have the stamps on my passport to prove it. My time in Bariloche started out a little rough. It was freezing cold and pouring rain when we arrived there on Friday. Walking around outside was completely miserable. Luckily, the rain stopped by Saturday morning and we were able to have an entire sunny (but still cold) day. Saturday morning we rode an aerosilla (ski lift) to enjoy the view of Argentina. Every time I go somewhere in South America, I think that there is no way the view could be any more incredible. Yet, I continually find more and more beautiful places. The picture above is the view from the top of the aerosilla. Not only can you see Argentina's beautiful lakes; you can see the Andes Mountains in the distance. Views like this prove that God is good.

Just in case the view wasn't enough to prove his love for us, God gave us Argentinian chocolate. There are chocolaterias on every corner in Bariloche. Don't worry, I took full advantage of this. I even brought home a bag to enjoy over the next two weeks. Unfortunately, that bag that was supposed to last two weeks only lasted about five hours. I honestly had no control over the situation. The chocolate covered pistacios, mint chocolate, and banana split bars were staring at me from my dresser begging to be eaten. I only did what was best for the poor little guys. For those of you who will be receiving chocolate as a souvenier, be thankful that I locked it in my suitcase out of my sight.

Even with all the souveniers I have purchased, there are several items that I have yet to find in a souvenier shop. The first item is a shot glass for my dear friend, Joshua Reynolds. Who would have thought that it would be hard to find a shot glass in a country that drinks so much? The second item on my list is a Chilean workout video. Seriously, these people are all skinny. In fact, I have not seen one obese person since entering this country. I think that is because all of their food is prepared fresh every day by their nannies. Also, the largest meal in Chile is lunch, not dinner. This means that their food actually digests instead of sitting in their stomachs all night like ours does. The Chilean system works so well that they can pretty much eat whatever they want. This includes bread, ice cream, and cookies. Chileans definitely don't torture themselves with the absurd diets we Americans love. The third item I am still in the market for is a portable Chilean nanny. I don't know what I am going to do when I go back to school and Pasqui isn't there to make my bed, fold my underwear, make my lunch, and arrange my belongings on my dresser. Hello, reverse culture shock.

I am also going to miss my Chilean family. It's hard leaving them because I have no idea when I will see them again. I am already planning my next trip to come visit. The picture to the left is my sister, Fernanda, and I in front of the river in Valdivia after a fashion show. Fernanda, Maca, and Natalie (my cousin) have taken me all around Valdivia and introduced me to their friends. They have also introduced me to Chilean nightlife. Being a girl who is usually in her pajamas by 11, I didn't even know after midnight existed. The discoteques in Chile are worth staying up for, though. Most people show up around 1 a.m. and stay until 5 or so. In Argentina, people show up even later and the discos are open until 8 a.m. Insane, I know. In America, most places close around 2 a.m. My Chilean friends laughed when I told them this. I cannot figure out how these people party so hard. We gringos just can't keep up. If I ever moved here, I would have to completely reverse my sleep cycle. I would have to become nocturnal to survive in South America.

Yes, this is my Oscar moment.

It's hard to believe that I have only been in Chile for 10 days. My Spanish is 800 times better than it was when I first got here. I can actually hold a conversation with my family, whom I couldn't even understand before. Even though I am nowhere near fluent, I feel confident that I could survive completely on my own in a foreign country. Granted, I still can't understand a lot of what people are saying and I need to learn a lot of vocabulary but I am beginning to speak well enough to function.

I have also visited 3 amazing places in 10 days. This weekend, all of the Otterbein gringos travelled to Pucon, Chile (pictured right). Pucon is gorgeous. It has the feeling of a cozy ski town but is also located on the beach. It really has everything. Our first day there, we drove up a rocky dirt path (known here as a road) to a volcano. From that spot, you could see the volcano, water, and mountains. This view wasn't enough for us, though. We parked our trucks and decided to start hiking the volcano. Every so often, I would stop to take a break because the high altitude made it hard to breathe. After deciding that that was as high as I was going to climb, I would change my mind and hike up higher. The climb was addicting. The view only got better the higher up I climbed. Eventually, I climbed high enough to see over the surrounding mountains to the snow-capped Andes mountains in the distance. I could try to describe the view from the place I stopped but I don't know the words that could do it justice. In fact, I don't think they exist.

On Sunday, we went white water rafting. I'm pretty sure that is going to be my new obsession. The juxtaposition of the idyllic landscape to the raging water was incredible. Flowering trees lined the river against a backdrop of mountains, blue skies, and the volcano. At the same time the river raged over rocks, around curves, and under bridges. At one moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of tranquility and at the next, an exhilarating surge of adrenaline. If you have not experienced white water rafting, you need to add it to your bucket list.

This week, we will be visiting various schools in Valdivia to help them learn English and give them an opportunity to meet someone from another country. Last week we went to the Escuela Alemania and today we went to the Escuela Chile. We will visit two other schools on Tuesday and Wednesday. These visits are interesting because we never know what to expect. On Friday, we split up into two groups of 6 people and went into 2 different sixth grade classrooms. After shoving us into the classroom, the teachers just left and told us to teach the class. We were completely taken by surprise. We taught the kids a few different songs in English and played some games with them. Luckily, we were able to think quickly on our feet.

Today, they separated all of us and shoved us into classrooms with kids anywhere from preschool to eighth grade. I, of course, was chosen to go into the 8th grade, all boys class. I just want to know who thought that was a good idea. Obviously they weren't going to be interested in learning about another culture when there is a blonde girl in the room. Speaking of being blonde, this country is ridiculous. If I walk down the street through a crowd of men, literally every single head will turn to look at me. Also, they think I don't understand all the things they whisper to each other in Spanish about me. I miss being in the United States where I am not constantly the center of attention.

Finally, I would like to give a shout out to my mom, my dad, and everyone else who has supported me in the past 21 years (yes, this is my Oscar moment). Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I am so incredibly blessed to be here right now. There are so many people who never leave their hometown and yet, I get to spend a month in Chile. I wish everyone else in America would realize how blessed we are. Instead of complaining about what we don't have, we need to sit back and focus on what we do have. For, no matter how much you acquire, money will never equal happiness.

The mullet is alive and well in Chile.

Yesterday was my first day at the Windsor School. The Windsor school is a private school for preschool through 12th grade. The other Otterbein students and I take special classes during the teachers' free periods because that is when they can teach us. We have classes on Spanish, Chilean history, art, and even cooking. We are also going to have gym and acting later on. I love every minute at the Windsor school. like I said before, the little kids are adorable. They love talking to us and asking us about the United States. They all think that I know Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus personally because we are from the same country. Hilarious. I can't walk through the hall without being stopped by a mob of elementary school girls that want to talk to me, touch my hair, and hug me. Yesterday after school, a few girls stopped me for about 20 minutes. One 1ittle girl kept asking me if I could come to her house to play with her. She wants me to come over next Wednesday. Another little girl gave me a picture of a horse that she drew because I told her that I have a horse. Needless to say, I am in love with these children.

There are many other reasons why I love the Windsor School, though. The day is structured completely differently than a typical school day in the United States. The day starts at 8 a.m. At 9:30, there is a 15 minute break in which the students have complete freedom on the school campus. They play soccer, run through the woods, eat snacks, talk to their friends, or catch up on homework. There is another one of these breaks at 11:30. At 1 p.m. everyone goes home for lunch. Students that live close walk and the others are picked up by their parents. Lunch is a big deal in Chile. Unlike the US, where dinner is the biggest meal, lunch is the main meal of the day. For dinner, we usually eat leftovers from lunch or a small snack. Lunch lasts until 3 p.m., when the students return to school. At 4:30, there is another 15 minute break. The day ends at 6:15. If you only look at the fact that the day starts at 8 and ends at 6:15, it seems like school would be painful. However, the frequent breaks and long lunch mean that the day flies by. Also, it is much easier to focus during the time you spend in class. As a psychology major, I cannot help but think about the way our education system contributes to the development of disorders such as ADHD, which is highly American. It seems like attention disorders like ADHD would be much less prevalent here since students are able to get their energy out and take frequent breaks.

My Chilean family is amazing. My Chilean mother has brought breakfast to my bedroom for the past two mornings. There is nothing like breakfast in bed. Mom, you have some serious competition. I have only been able to see my dad a few times because he is always working but he is nice as well. I have been having a great time with my sisters, Fena (19 years old) and Maca (17 years old). Fena and I are going to a discotec tonight to go dancing. A bunch of the Otterbein students and their Chilean siblings are as well. When people in Chile go out, they normally go around 1 a.m. and stay until 5 a.m. Yeah, Chileans know how to party. I am too old for that, though, and we all have class tomorrow so going out that late would be a terrible idea. Instead, we are going much earlier and will be home by midnight.

I have noticed the strangest thing here. There are so many men with mullets. I really can't understand it. I don't think this hairstyle ever was or will ever be attractive. However, if anyone has a personal connection to Billy Ray Cyrus, give him a call and let him know that the mullet is alive and well in Chile.

I think a Chilean child would make a great souvenier.

It's hard to believe that this is really my life. I am thousands of miles away from home in a country where I barely speak the language. This isn't just any old foreign country, though. I am in Chile, one of the most beautiful places on earth. Just to give you an example, from the window in the shower in my house, I can see all sorts of mountains. I told my sister, Fernanda, that I liked the view from the shower, which she thought was funny. I'm getting ahead of myself, though.

Yesterday was my last day in Santiago. We went to an art museum, walked through the city, and shopped in an open air market (pictured below). The art museum, El Museo de Bellas Artes, was amazing. It contained some of the most incredible Chilean works. I have taken art history classes before, but never have I seen art as poignant as what I saw here. The art strongly depicted the suffering of the people from the turmoil in Chile of the past several decades. It showed pain, confusion, anger, fear, and a longing to be heard.

As we were walking through the city, one thing became extremely clear: Chile is for lovers. Literally. Chileans love to make out in public, cuddle on blankets in the park, and display their love for everyone to see. Everywhere you turn there are couples. Seriously, does everyone here have a significant other? My advice: if you are single, stay far away from Santiago.

Anyway, today is my first day in my new home. To get here, we took a 10 hour bus ride from Santiago to Valdivia. The weather in Valdivia is basically the same as the weather in Cleveland. One minute it's raining and the next it's sunny. You never really know what to expect. In my new house, I have a mom who is a preschool teacher, a dad that I haven't met yet, a nanny, and two sisters (Fernanda and Macarena). I have only been here for a few hours but I already love my family. They are super nice. My nanny has already made me two meals, done my laundry, and made my bed. Fernanda gave me a crash course on everything about her family and Valdivia. I can tell that Fernanda, Maca, and I are going to get along quite well.

Having a supportive, loving family here is helpful because I am totally on my own. Luckily, they are patient with me and my broken Spanish. My sisters speak English pretty well so we are able to have good conversations in Spanglish. What I am quickly learning, though, is that studying abroad is truly a test of your independence. It will teach you to rely completely on yourself. Also, to succeed you cannot be afraid of making mistakes. Making mistakes is the only way to completely learn a new language (with the amount of mistakes I have been making, I should be learning a lot).

Tomorrow will be my first day at the Windsor School. I will be taking Spanish and Chilean history classes. I will also be teaching first grade English. These children are PRECIOUS. Mom and Dad, don't be surprised if I stuff one in my suitcase. I think a Chilean child would make a great souvenier. Now, it's time for me to take a nap since I have barely slept since I arrived in Chile. Wish me luck tomorrow on my first day!