El Viejito Pascuero, Jacarandas, and Other Causes for Awe and Wonder in Chile

Last spring, I mentioned to a co-worker that I would have to brush up on my Spanish before going to Chile.  She, a former Fulbrighter in Chile, told me I would have to learn Chileno.  I nodded and giggled and had no idea what I was in for.  Despite being a bit of a blow to my language ability confidence it has been neat to learn the idiosyncrasies of Chilean Spanish.  Most puzzling of all has been the reference of all things Christmas as Pascua.  I always thought that Pascua, similar to the Italian Pasqua meant Easter.  But here, the only place in the Spanish speaking world, it means Christmas.  You've got Pan de Pascua (fruit cake), El Viejito Pascuero (Little Old Easterman aka Santa Claus), Calendario de Pascua (advent calendar) and Felices Pascuas (Merry Christmas).  After conducting a mini-inquiry project about it, no Chilean seems to know the origin, that's just the way it's always been.  I bet you're wondering what they call actual Easter? Dia de la Resurrección.  

To add to the confusion, it's full on summertime weather here, not the New England feel for the holiday season.  But it's just beautiful.  Everywhere you turn there are these bright purple jacaranda flowers which I'd never seen before.  

It's been a nice backdrop to a busy week.  Lots of events and meetings. I also can't help but be totally distracted but upcoming exciting travels.  A visit from our dear friends, Eric and Emi!  Seeing Machu Picchu with Joe and Lindsay!  Christmas in Lima with Lisie! My sisters in Southern Chile!  It's quite difficult not to prioritize planning the fun stuff.  But it's time to focus on putting together all the valuable information for my final work products.  I'm very sad to see my time here wind down.  I'm still discovering so much.  

A little recap of what has been going on:

Cathy, my schopping buddy and fellow educator, and I.

 At the tail end of the week before last, I presented at and attended TESOL Chile, a conference for teachers of English.  At the conference,  I chatted with other professors, teachers, and students I have met and worked with.  It was great to feel like I had a little network.  

I had the honor of meeting with Eledin Parraguez, the real life Machuca.  Eledin was a student in Chile's most famous and perhaps only educational social integration project which took place right before the dictatorship.  It was incredibly inspirational to talk with him.  Education totally transformed his life and he spoke eloquently about traversing two cultures, home and school. Reminded of why I became a teacher and made me grateful for what I do.  It was also very helpful for my project.  Funding for impoverished students to attend an elite school came from cooperative work on a working farm.  The original project based learning.  He is now a teacher and writer and I was lucky enough to attend a poetry reading to hear him read his beautiful work.  

Fellow Fulbrighters and I were treated to an early Thanksgiving luncheon at Deputy Chief of Mission's (2nd to the Embassador) home.  It was delicious! Not sure where they got all the authentic ingredients but it was so close to home.  (Zia Cathy, if you're reading this, don't worry, the pie was nowhere near as good as yours.)  After lunch I jetted off, full of turkey, to present at a staff meeting at my favorite school on Barbieri's efforts to implement academic conversations.  And I did the presentation in Spanish, realizing maybe my language ability isn't so bad after all!

Another treat last week was a visit from Betsy from the State Department.  She was here to get know first-hand, the experience of the Fulbright teachers in Chile.  It was really neat to get to tell her all about what's going on with education in Chile.  

Me and Betsy at Thanksgiving lunch

The week wrapped up with a presentation at a diploma course for mentor teachers with Cathy at the Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso.   With everyone new person I meet, I gain valuable and interesting information.  That was certainly the case with talking to mentor teachers about their opinions and experience with cooperative work.  I also realized how I've gone from hyperventilating before a presentation to looking forward to it.

So much to be thankful for in this experience! Happy Turkey Day everyone!

A spaahhh treatment hit the spot!

I feel like I'm adding years to my life span by taking some time away from work and my usual life and by having a chance to reflect on my profession while exploring another piece of the world.  But, it was a long week of ups and downs in Temuco.

DOWNs included:  being completely blown off by the professor who, through email and months in advance, told me she would help me make connections and encouraged me to visit Temuco.  After several emails politely asking for her help and to get in touch, I never heard from her, leaving two days without school visits.  Also, the internet being out for 3 days at the airBnB (it is a big deal when trying to get work done!) and when the internet came back, realizing the phone reception was terrible. Another low- partying like I was 21 one night, forgetting that I would feel the effects like I was almost 33 the next day.  No bueno. On my last day, I was looking forward to returning to the school I first visited.  I made the trek out to the campo to the school (much easier this time), only to have the director tell me that he forgot about me because a teacher that had been ill had passed away and they canceled classes for the day.  He did offer me a ride back to town on the bus that they had rented to attend the funeral, but I passed.  That left another day with no agenda.

Temuco from Cerro Nielol

But the UPs included using those free days to make some progress on my final project and to put together some upcoming presentations.  I was accepted to present at the TESOL Chile conference, at a staff meeting at a school and to a class of 1st graders on school in the USA.  Spending time with Anne, the airBnB host was really great.  She was really interesting to talk to, laid back and had some hilarious insights on the US from her German perspective.  Her Spanish grammar and pronunciation weren't perfect but that didn't stop her from being super out going, friendly, and adventurous, and the type that just goes- with or without a plan, something for me to aspire to.  Having fun at said party was a plus, too. There was also a super awesome used book fair at a university, a great climb up the city's big hill, a free yoga class, and meeting Juan's dad, Carlos for lunch one afternoon.

Ines the Director and me 

playground at Allipen

The best part of the whole week was a visit to Escuela Allipen in the town of Freire, a ways outside of Temuco.  I got this connection from another profesor the Embassy put me in touch with.  It was an unforgettable and touching visit.  After taking the micro bus out, the director and picked me up in plaza of the two road town with the school bus van.  We made a few stops then headed more into the country to the school past views of the Volcano Villerica. Once we arrived, I realized the stops we made were to pick up some fresh bread and cheese to share with me over coffee.  It is so touching when people who have so little can share so much.  The school was a very precious place.  With only 100 students pre-K to grade 8, the student body is diverse in culture, learning needs and is comprised of kids who live in the remote country side.  I was the first visitor the school had had from the US, I talked briefly with different groups and answered some questions while the director took pictures of the visit.  It was humbling that to be so well received I just had to be born where I was born.

To take advantage of being in the south, Anton and I made a last minute plan to meet up and head to Pucón, a lake side town everyone raves about.  It is beautiful.  The high tourist season hasn't yet hit so the town is empty and quaint.  All the buildings are small and wooden.  It is surrounded by beautiful views of mountains.  I've haven't been to the Alps but it seems Alpine (probably thanks in part to the German influence here, too).  There is every outdoor adventure imaginable here horseback riding, kayaking, rafting, canopying, and hiking to a waterfalls or up a volcano.

We had a great hike in the Huerquehue National Park with spectacular views and company.  On the bus in, we met Emma a very mature Penn State student here on study abroad.  Not pictured below is the real live tarantula that crossed our path since I ran screaming upon the sight of it.

 To shed the soreness of the hike and troubles from the past week, we headed to Paradise aka Termas Geometricas, natural hot springs about an hour outside of town.  It was one of the most incredible places I have ever been.  The owner/designer enhanced the natural beauty of the area with a long wooden bridge that is a path that connects to stone pools of different temperatures.  I didn't bring my camera, check out the photos on the website!

While bathing in one of the 17 thermal pools I had some reflections for the week.  I'm really learning that it's ok to change your expectations and it's ok to be frustrated but not to let those frustrations overwhelm you.  Like what they are always saying in yoga, it's ok to be bothered but what you do with that bother is what effects your happiness.  Something only you are in charge of.

Mari Mari de Temuco

That's Mapuzungun for "good morning".  I am writing from Temuco, about 600 kilometers south of Santiago.  It is an area with access to Mapuche communities, the largest indigenous population of Chile.  Less than 10 years ago, the Ministry of Education began an initiative to maintain indigenous language and culture in schools.  Some schools near here are designated as Intercultural Bilingual schools.  The indigenous language is not a language of instruction but teachers are representatives of the community, Mapuche language and culture are taught, and the curriculum is modified for cultural relevance.  I thought Temuco was where I would be placed for my project so when I was assigned to Santiago, I knew I had to visit to Temuco to learn more, and thanks to a professional development grant from Fulbright I am able to.  

I've had quite a few "I'm not in Kansas anymore" moments in Santiago, and here in Temuco I've already had a few, "I'm not in Santiago anymore" moments.  Stepping out of the airport, the air immediately felt different- more fresh and pure.  The sun is less harsh and the weather is very pleasant.  The airport was surrounded by green fields and hills and on the drive into town we passed three snow capped volcanoes in the distance.  

The starkest difference was the help I got from strangers in getting to my first school this morning.  The only address I had for the school was a km marker on a highway.  The public transportation is micro buses.

No website or google maps to know how to navigate these babies.

Without knowing any better, I hopped on a bus that said the name of the town I knew the school was in.  A while into the ride through a rural and remote area, the driver asked me where I was going (?!?!) and told me I was on the wrong bus.  He pulled over, hopped out, flagged down another bus and told the driver where I needed to go.  On that bus a woman told me to follow her when she got off and she graciously lead me to the bus stop of a another bus.  Then on that bus, another woman told me she was going near the school and that I could follow her.  We got off, crossed the highway under a bridge by a stream and she pointed me towards the school.  What a journey and what generosity.  

The school was wonderful.  Though not a bilingual school, the student body of this public school, is majority Mapuche.  A small public school with one class per grade level, it has lovely buildings, classrooms and staff.  I got to observe a few classes with the "hablante" from the Mapuche community who is the indigenous language and culture teacher.  It was very interesting to sit in on the class as one of the students and learn a bit of the language.  Although the instruction seems similar to the traditional methods I have observed in other schools, the school environment seemed special.  Maybe it was the unique population or it's isolated location, but it was pretty neat. The director was kind and attentive.    

Last night, I had a drinks with my "housemates" here.  Anne, the German AirBnB host, Angeline, another guest from Worcester, MA who speaks English with an Australian accent after living there for 10 years, and I were chatting away in Spanish, go figure.  Very interesting women to share the evening with!

But not everything is puppies and rainbows.  The last few blog posts have been full of gratitude and happiness.  But you can’t have the good without the bad, right? I'm so happy to have had a good day since the days leading up to it were less than stellar.  

At the end of last week I was just feeling a little bummed about humanity.  That feeling unfortunately pops up every once in a while.  Many people in Santiago "work" by selling goods (chocolate, ice cream, panty hose, plants . . ) on the street and on public transportation.  It's hard to imagine being able to make a reasonable living from those efforts.  It's such a harsh contrast to the business suits and the fancy cars that drive around.  Makes you feel grateful and guilty all at the same time.  

And also weariness struck.  Around Halloween, I cherish the photos of my friends and especially of their babies all dressed up and celebrating.  I know I'll see everyone again soon and I know that missing the Halloween bike ride for the first time in 5 years is a small price to pay for this adventure.   I’m not sure if that’s what triggered it or if it was just time, but I felt a little of what might have been homesickness.  Not that I wanted to go home.  I just had some longing feelings for the comforts home has to offer.  Yesterday, walking around the mall trying to find help to get my cell phone to work I was rambling to myself, "wouldn't it be nice to be somewhere with great customer service, to be able to communicate without any challenge, to be able to try on both shoes instead of just one in a shoe store. . . "

Actually, I think it was starting off in a new place again that did it.  I was feeling back to square one.  Anton decided to stay in Santiago, so I was alone again.  I was also waiting to hear back (still am) from people I was in touch with about school visits.  Sundays are rough too since mostly everything is closed down.  But hopefully today was a good indication of how the rest of the week here will go!