Peru

alright, I admit. I've been super bad about updating y'all on my life.  So for winter break in July I went to Peru for nearly 2.5 weeks and it was freaking awesome! Peru is an amazing country, beautiful, awesome intact indigenous culture still and their spanish is so much better!  The food is spicy, the landscape amazing, the history is everywhere and fascinating and is super different from Chile.  It was awesome to finally do some traveling - granted coming to Chile was one huge trip but I live and work here... it's different.  I got to practice my spanish with strangers, eat different foods, see new and different places.  We spent a couple of days traveling (flight at 330am which I thankfully boarded after purchasing the WRONG ticket.... then a collectivo at 730am across the Peru/Chilean border, a bus at 830am and finally arriving in Arequipa at 330pm where it was nice a HOT! FINALLY).  Arequipa is super beautiful as you can see below....

but not tons to do. We went to the Monastery which was completely cloistered until the 70s! can you imagine.....

Afterwards, we took an 11 hour bus ride overnight between Arequipa and Cusco.  oh geez... and cusco is beautiful as well tho in a totally different way than Arequipa. and man that altitude will get you.  We stayed in Cusco for 4 days I think before we went on our trek to Machu Picchu

Cusco

Sexy Woman (which sounds like it's real name), Sacsayhuaman, outside of Cusco, and my friend Lauren

one day which we escaped from Cusco and took a 4 hour bus into rural Peru to celebrate the Festival de Virgen de Carmen in Paurcartambo.  Super interesting but exhausting trip.

Paurcartambo

LaVirgen!

check out the terracing from the last hundreds of years... incredible

peru y una peruana

Afterwards... we began our amazing Salkantay Trek: 4 days of walking through the diverse environment of Peru (hills, mountains, glaciers, forest, and semi-tropical environments). incredible! seriously intense.  At the highest, we were are 4600m, which doesnt sound like much but i believe is around 15000ft! take that. to give you an idea, I literally would walk like 300ft and have to take a break (uphill).  That night I could not sleep (I mean it was ACTUALLY freezing and I was sleeping it what apparently is a sleeping bag LINER, ha jokes on me) and I could not control my breathing. it was like I had just stopped running, sprinting even, but I was laying down trying to fall asleep.  It was like the torture.  take a second to reflect on trying to breath normal and not being able to too!!!


crazy.  anyways, it was truly an amazing way to see peru. the food was awesome. great company and at the end! MACHU PICCHU! which was insane: we woke up at 330 am to hike to the entrance (arriving a lil before 5am) to wait in line. the first 200 people to enter can climb up Wayna Picchu (I believe it is spelled) which is the taller mountain behind all the fotos of MP and is an even more intense hike (literally straight up) but has even more amazing ruins on top of a tiny peak.  dude, it's terrifying... the steps are teeny tiny and straight up, you fall and youre donzo, you fall to the river below... and actually this has happened before. scary stuff. but definitely worth it, just dont look down and tread slowly!

which is Inca?

obviously Machu Picchu

Wayna Picchu

Damn if this ain't the hardest job ever...

This post is dedicated to all the poor teachers who have to deal with the youth of the world... I'd like to share with you the stuff that I have to deal with everyday, and I can assume that I am not the only one that deals with this crap.
First of all, each class has it's own individual personality.  I'm not sure if this applies to the US as much or not, I imagine that it does, however in Chile it is different because each class stays together for the ENTIRETY of their HS career.  ie these children rule their classroom.  So each class has it's own personality, atmosphere, for 4 years.... in addition, I split each class into half, so therefore I have actually twice the number of personalities to deal with.  In total, I have 22 personalities to deal with.  So if I were a superstar teacher.... I would taylor EACH class to their personality. But anyone who has ever taught will tell you that is just straight up impossible.  And I have it easier... typically the regular Chilean teachers have to teach the classes together, meaning sometimes times nearly 35-40 students at one time  (and we're talking all grades here, imagine 35 3rd graders, or 35 10th graders, or 35 7th graders... no matter the age, all is hell).  So I can handle 13 students, but the difference between 13 and 18 students is huge. 18 is nearly impossible to control so imagine 35... again.... THIRTY FIVE.  Furthermore I try to make my classes super interactive, fun, all while controlling the class AND having them actually speak, practice and learn English.  This is a huge task! I can honestly tell you that in my 9th and 10th grade classes I have had to pull apart boys from fighting (legit rage in their eyes and fear that they'd break a window in my room - which I have so far avoided and happens frequently to other windows). In fact, if i can say so myself, my room has remained fairly inhabitable.  All the other rooms, since the kids don't change classes, and I don't think rooms either for 4 years, they mark their territory with their names, scribble and whatever else you have and just completely destroy the school. Obviously this behavior is not ok in my classroom (and if Nicole would stop signing her name everywhere.... it would be better).  Anyways, the students here are crazy but their raised like that, and that's not to say they raise their kids wrong here, it's just they are raised in the society of mama's boys (and girls) - they are handed everything, and the revolves around them everywhere, except in my classroom.  and sometimes they are totally awesome and i can like TEACH! and other times i just have to create games to MANIPULATE them in behaving, shutting up, and speaking english. HOWEVER, this also often results in fights (whether fake or real) in 1o medio and 2o medio (9th and 10th grades).
I just dont understand sometimes how anyone learns anything for the following reasons: teachers regularly do not come to school for whatever reason (let's reflect on the society of mama's boys/girls. if you are slightly sick, under the weather, runny nose, you do not come to school for days.  imagine more serious sicknesses... we're talking kids and teachers out for weeks! it's bad enough having children miss school for weeks but imagine teachers missing school for weeks. that class, be it spanish language, or math, just goes untaught for WEEKS! there are no substitutes here.  depending on the time of the class, the students can just go home, and often don't return for their classes for the rest of the day, therefore there is no class of english for example.  i have a friend whose school is currently down one spanish language professor, one PE teacher, and i think science too.)
ok so imagine you have both teachers and students at school.  well guess what, there's an acto (like an assembly) or another teacher needs to class to take a test, or the students didn't finish their other work in their English class, or they skip, or they have to practice for a parade, or the English teacher has to give a speech at another school or.....  the reasons are endless. but I can say that this week I ONLY missed 2 classes... the week before it was 4 and again ONLY 2 the week before, bringing me to seeing each student 45 mins every TWO weeks.... and now you can see why my life is frustrating and really impossible.  I just hope I've maybe changed someone's impression of United States-ians or inspired someone to student more English in the future.
So with all this above, I am currently having trouble dealing with the fact it's impossible to actually 'make a difference' (what does that mean anyways), not feeling like a failure, and still being motivated (because I certainly cannot live and teach in a foreign country without a mission or motivation).  Advice anyone?? I mean it's a. not my place to change the system and b. impossible.  but do i just give in ...

TId Bits

Colegio General Velazquez: this is where it all goes down.  This photo was taken from the high school part of the school (where my class room is) facing the elementary part of the school.  Behind the school is Puchuncavi.  You can see the church steeple.  And behind that the cerros!  I'm not sure if I've talked about the structure of school but it's pretty different in Chile: in between every class there's 15 min breaks, which really turn into 20-25 min breaks.  Therefore, for every 1.5 hours of class (but in reality 1 hour 15 mins) there is 20-25 mins of break.  Terribly inefficient.  Also, the teacher's change rooms.  The students stay in the room.  You have the same classmates all year long, and I actually think for you're entire high school career.  In reality, however, I think there are little more than 100 students per grad in my school, meaning only 2, maybe 3, different 10th grade classes for example.  I hate this system.  The students OWN the room, there is no mercy here.  Thank god.... I AM THE EXCEPTION.  I have my own room :) and oh how it is liiiiiiinda.

This is a really awesome stain glass window at the Naval Museum in Valparaiso.  That's Neil Armstrong I believe in the lower right hand corner, yes even the explorers of the moon are included here.

These are some photos that I took at Pablo Neruda's house in Isla Negra.  His house has an incredible view of the Pacific Ocean and waves crashing on the rocky coast.  His bedroom was are windows.  It is literally the ideal bedroom view. And if you enjoy poetry, I highly suggest reading some Neruda.  He's quite amazing.  The picture to the right is the north view from his house and the other are this super strange and awesome plants here in Chile, with the ocean in the background.

These pictures are from two weekends ago.  We had a holiday Monday so I had a four day weekend.  Me and some of my gringo friends left Thursday night for the north, a 6 hour bus ride through the strange terrain that is Chile.  SUPER hilly (like intense hills, ravines, and yet weirdly plateaued at the top and then DEEP immediate ravines that provide glimpses of the Pacific to the west and to the east, just higher higher hills... and very arid.  dry soil/sand? and cacti!! everywhere.) Anywho, we went to La Serena and stayed with the sister of my friend's co-teacher.... yeah this is how it is Chile, complete strangers totally welcome you.  Literally upon 10 minutes in La Serena, 2 different people approached to ask us if we needed help.  Just a super friends and hospitable culture.  We stayed with her sister, her husband and cutie little daughter with the roundest face every.  On our last day, the only day of sun, we went east, towards the mountains.  It takes you almost 2 hours to drive the width of Chile, btw. So we took the bus inland and arrived at Valle Pisco and Pisco Elqui.  This is where Chile produces the national liquor, Pisco.  It's a delicious liquor produced from sunrippened grapes I believe. y que rico con sprite, ginger ale o coca cola.  OR the famed Pisco Sour which can involved egg white.  Anyways, these are pictures taken from Pisco Elqui, the pueblito at the bottom of the Pisco Valley.  The hills are super dry, nothing grows on them nearly. And at the top, snow sprinkled them and behind you can see the ANDES and shortly thereafter gives way to Argentina. That beautiful church is in the center of town and the other is of the Mistral Pisco Distillery, one of the more if not the most delicious of the Pisco brands.  And an example of the strange plants up in here.

THE ANDES in all their glory!

In more news, winter vacation is next week and I'm going first to La Termas de Chillan in the south of Chile and on Tuesday I am going to Peru! Can't wait!

I'm obsessed with this song right now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxuAWU_VX34

It's called 'My bed smells of you' of course in spanish. Disfrutate!

Omigdalitis.... perhaps?

omigdalitis, or tonsillitis, is awesome. yep, that's right. for the last week i have been confined to my modest house in Rungue, trapped at first because I was totally and completely incapacitated (unable to talk, eat, move, actually all I could and did do was take 3 ibuprofens every 6 hours or so) and for the second part of the week because after it became more obvious I was actually really sick, my family wouldn't let me outside.  But I really should've known, right?, that I am sick because I don't wear a scarf, cover my neck or mouth with it constantly.  At times, with a fever, I feel inclined to take off my jacket, imagine that?! unheard of... I must always wear a jacket, scarf, slippers.  I don't like feeling fragile (you probably know that about me).  I don't like feeling like i need to be taken care of, even though it's nice at times, like when you're sick for example.  but seriously, tonsillitis is a VIRUS.  there is ACTUALLY nothing that i can do to both prevent it and get over it: it is beyond my control and requires some real prescriptions. that's just it. no matter how much i sleep, rest, no matter how much clothing i wear, no matter how patient, tonsillitis will NOT go away without prescriptions. end of story, i win.
I am totally open with cultural differences but medicine sometimes is a little difficult. I am totally open to alternative medicine, but i have had a bad case of strep before and if strep goes untreated for a long amount of time, you may have to have surgery, or get something worse like rheumatic fever.  so after being on ibuprofen, a shot of penicillin, and an anti-inflammatory that is not even available in the US, I decided i needed to go to the doctor again (also i could not teach the next day for sure, golf ball in throat, and needed another dr's note to excuse my absence) where the new dr (really just an EMT) told me that I needed serious medical attention and perhaps surgery.  I lost it.  Crying like a blubbery mess all over chile.  I told you i needed more than patience, but i decided to be patient instead.  But jesus, surgery in chile is about the LAST thing that I wanted.  i mean would have it if necessary, duh, but really, this is preventable!  2000mg of Amoxicillin later i felt LOADS better... imagine real treatment.  the next day we went to Vina for a real series of blood and swab tests.  at this point, they all came back negative: no strep, no mono (thank god), and no tonsillitis.  i mean i certainly at one point had at least strep, but i was more than willing to have negative test results. anyhoo, all is good now. three days post vina trip to recuperate, meds and rest, i am ready to teach again, but really nervous, i've been out of it for so long it's like the first day again!
additionally, if anyone has any sort of experience or recommendations for Macchu Picchu, I would love to hear them.  I am trying to go in July if permits still exist to enter/hike but I am open to things to do around Cuzco, companies to hike with, alternative hikes, all of the above, places to stay, you get the idea etc.
THANKS!
also, if you feel so inclined to send care pkgs (hint hint) books are a good place to start.  they aren't really wildly available here in english and i get the idea i might plow thro what i got.

ALSO,
I have this really awesome idea: I want to do penpals with my advanced class (ie 6 kids i think) and maybe open it up to anyone else who would be interested and has good enough english to communicate and write letters.  Who would be interested in sending letters and or postcards to some of my advanced students here?? I was thinking about starting this initiative in mid June-July, give them a little bit more time to develop their English skillz. All you would have to do is write a couple of letters/postcards, in simple English, and buy stamps.  we're talking less than 2 bucks. for the year. any takers!?! hollar at me :)

RUNGUE Represent!

RUNGUE! this is where it all goes down y'all!

My house is just to the right of that pole, it has a blue fence.  This is after the rain.

Downtown Puchuncavi!

Another view of the downtown, its crazy busy.  It's small, quaint, nothing going on, but I do really like it and it's beautiful.

This is me in front of my school: Colegio General Velasquez Borquez

This is the elementary part of the school.  The high school is behind this and where my room is.  I just decorated it yesterday and pictures will be coming soon!

Also, here is my address in the event that you'd like to send some something (hint hint): 

Juan Matta

Carretera F30E

El Rungue Puchuncavi

V Region

Casilla 11

CHILE

keep in touch y'all!

some fotos

A couple of weekends ago we (actually our first weekend at our host family's houses) all of the volunteers and I got together in Valparaiso for Saturday night.  Here is a picture of Valpo.  It is a city completely built on hills surrounding a bay.  Across the bay is Vina del Mar, which you could perhaps describe as a more clean and trendy city. 

VALPO!

friends at valpo for the veleros!!

Cachagua with Bennett and Lauren! (this is a 20 minute bus ride from my house!)

Here's a map of the region.  I work in Puchuncavi and live in Rungue, a pueblito a little north of Puchuncavi.  There are other vols in Catapilco, Cachagua, La Calera, Valpo, Limache, Quilpue, Las Ventanas and Quillota

My Life as a Teacher

And so it begins.... or began, last Tuesday that is.  After meeting my family and moving into my house two Mondays ago, I began my life as a teacher.  On Tuesday (through this Monday) I was introduced to all of my classes and all of my students.  Some of the classes we just had a question and answer session and some of the other classes I actually began to tutor.  So I think I have nearly 350 students: I have 13 classes, as small as 8 and as big as 40!  I co-teach with two classes because they are particularly advanced and the rest of the classes we split in half while I take one half of the class for the first 45 mins and then we switch and I teach the second half for the second 45 mins.  I teach one 3rd grade class, one 5th grade, one 7th grade and the other ten classes are 9th-12th grades.  If you had asked me literally 2 weeks ago which i would rather teach, children or teenagers, hands-down, I would've said kids.  That is NOT the case now.  I am ecstatic that I am teaching teenagers for the following reason: kids are INSANE.  They are so hard to control.  My 3rd grade class this week was actually so difficult that I hate to admit it but afterwards I almost started to cry in the teacher's lounge (which is NOT ok)!!!!  Lunch is the worst part of my day.  I sit in the teacher's lounge and talk to no one b/c I have no idea whatsoever what is being spoken around me.  it's absolutely loco.  and i feel horrible because i want so much to be friends and communicate but not only do i fear sounding like an idiot, i really know so little spanish that every other line would be 'como?'  I find it particularly hard to pay attention also. it's not always the case that i dont understand but i often completely lose interest in trying to understand so i give up and zone out and then everyone assumes i have no idea whats going on. ugh.  i imagine this is what ADD feels like.  anyhoo, i love my HS classes so much. unfortunately, or fortunately, not sure yet, they crack me up! i laugh so much in school but that may make my life more difficult in the future in terms of classroom management?  who knows.
other firsts:
First day of teaching alone was Tuesday, and I taught all week on my own! this week was hello, my name is ____. Nice to meet you.'  Next week is 'How are you'
First Chilean Funeral: yes it's true,  week two I went to the funeral of my principal's mother.  School was cancelled Tuesday after 130pm for the funeral in las ventanas and finishing in the cemetery in puchuncavi.
First Wedding: potentially tonight? I will keep you posted.
First conversation about pololos: ugh, i hate the conversation about boyfriend.  I never understand if they are asking if i have one or if i need one or who they want to set me up with. i just don't understand and i get particularly frustrated about this topic of conversation and then my face gets all flushed... ugh
First Gin and tonic: I missed it so.
First Asado: last friday, the carne was delish but tore me up as you can probably imagine as a veg head for 2 years.
First English Network meeting: intended to encourage Chilean English Teachers to talk in English and improve.  of course the meeting was conducted in Spanish duh
First sleepover: Corrie spent the night last night in my room, ie my bed and i think my parents think im crazy. yeah it's ok, i'm gringa.
First trips to Papudo, La Ligua, Maitencillo, Asienda, Catapilco, Cachagua por micro! go me!

I cannot think of any more updates right now.  i got my spanish book so hopefully here soon i can totally communicate! ugh. mostly im ok with trying to be invisible but when im acknowledged and don't totally understand or how to respond i have difficulty.  i hope everyone is doing well and i'm sending lots of gringa love from chile up north :)