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 :)

check it: we're on the news!

we are famous!

Estoy en Puchuncavi, or near there rather...

so this was probably the most terrifying day of my life.  we left santiago at 6am after only 4.5 hours of sleep of course, and we arrived in vina del mar at 9am only to meet our families at 930 or 10am.  my mama, principal and host teacher were all there to greet me!  in addition, we shared a van w/ two other of the vols who will be living the closest to me and their host teacher and host mama and papa.  we then drove from vina del mar to quintero along the mar, through renaca and con con. we stopped in quintero to see jeremy's host school where he will be teaching high school. upon entering one student happily announced that there were gringos in the building.  after a little conversation with the principal, of which i understood literally about 5 %, we went to las ventanas to drop off leigh ann and jeremy at their host family's house.  then me and my host teach and mother went to the host teacher's house, across the street from my shcool in downtown puchuncavi. it is the ONLY school in puchuncavi and therefore there is high school and chiquitos in the same place.  it was totally overwhelming.  we visited one of the english teachers and the students were literally hitting each other in the background with notebooks!!!!!  however, the host teachers are awesome and don't want me to have a horrible experience.  i will be working with the best behaved classes apparently. i dont want to filter my classes by behavior, i want everyone to have access to education, but jesus christ, i dont know about that. also, it looks like i might have friday off if not part of monday off as well. like maybe a half day monday.  that way i can travel on the weekends which would be fantastic.  i have to take the bus to school bc im technically not even in puchuncavi so it doesnt look like i'll be getting that far out however tonight we had 12 family members over during/after onces, which is their cena, which consisted of eggs and avocado on bread with nescafe con leche.  i actually found it delish but it will probably be the same meal everyday.  my family is amazing and so nice. they speak no english which is perfect. we live on a ranch with horses and lambs which i will see tomorrow! i live with a mama, a papa, and their 27 year old son and tonight one of their grandchildren sofia is spending the night. i think that is fairly often for them.  in addtion, they have 2 older daughters and another grandson julian who is adorable!  after lunch we went to make some marmalade which my mother, malvina, sells at various markets around the area (ranging from valpo) to the andes which i obviously said i would help her with! hellllllo, the andes!  i really think that i have lucked out. my family is super warm and accepting of my horrible spanish and quietness and my host teacher speaks english and is super sweet! puchuncavi looks small, quaint and cute but i dont even live in the town! but there is a bus stop no more that 30 ft from my front door so i can easily go to horcon, maintencillo, las ventanas, valpo or zapallar where things may get more exciting.  having said that, my family definitely likes a good asado, ie bbq, and we will be having one soon for me i think! im super excited about it all! theyve had vols before, one of which was a vegetarian so this is not a new thing to them!  im feeling very positive about this all.  having said that, im pretty nervous about tomorrow. it was wild at school yesterday but here we go! ahhhh.

An interesting article about Chile/NOLA

Pinera looks to NOLA for recovery tips!