Llegando a la costa

I arrived on the coast almost a week ago and have felt excellent since I got here. The time in Santiago was great, but it felt like vacation, business, eat, repeat. We had a lot of fun, but I was exhausted. Here, I feel right. This place is more fitting to my lifestyle, my view, my emotion. I am absolutely enjoying my life here to its fullest. That is not to say that all time has been free, because we have had meetings and workshops and planning in preparation for teaching, which started yesterday, on top of searching for housing. But despite the work, I have felt relaxed. I have felt great. So I'm going to try to give you some tastes of it...

To start off our time here just right, our hostal is comfortable and the people here are incredibly welcoming. We live in a neighborhood on a hill in Viña del Mar, a 10 minute walk from the beach.  There are two Chilean men (Diego and Martin) and a woman (Maira) who live here permanently, as well as a girl from France who is moving out today, and an Argentine couple who left yesterday. They already treat us as if we have been friends for years. The night we moved in, we sat with them on the porch, talking for hours...in Spanish, which is another reason I am glad to be out of the big group of gringos. Since I got to the coast, my understanding of Chilean Spanish has improved immensely. A couple nights ago, we had an asado, a bbq, on the terraza. They made chicken and steak and chorizo and invited all of their Chilean childhood friends over. They were all really good people, and it is awesome to be introduced to so many close friends so quickly. Also, I'm already catching on to the Chilean modismos, Chilenismos in my speach. Also, the dueña (Natalia), who cleans and cares for the house, is here every morning to chat with us over breakfast and tea. She is 26 and a little saucy, she wears dresses and high heeled boots to mop the floor some days, but she really cares for the place and is loving, helpful and wonderful to have around. Diego told me the other night that she is their angel. As I said before, Chileans are just a warm, friendly people and they love to get lost in conversation.

 Our hostal is also about a ten minute walk from the beach. I love the ocean, always have. I love how the expanse of it, and the sound, and the rhythm makes me feel at peace, but powerful. Along the beach there is an artisan market, and stands selling churros and ice cream, and other treats. There is also a man that wanders the beach selling hard boiled eggs. I wouldn't touch an egg thats been in the sun in a basket all afternoon, but he must sell something because he is there every day. Also, there are all sorts of stray dogs. I thought there were a lot of strays in Santiago, but here they are everywhere. When a fishing boat comes by on the water, the dogs swarm and run in packs barking at it as it moves along the shoreline. I have had them walk right over my head as I lay on my towel in the sand. And, the water is cold, but its excellent. So refreshing.

Valparaíso is about a 6 minute ride on the metro, from Viña and I think I just found my new home there. It's not a clean, flashy city like Santiago, but it is fantastic. The vibe there is great, people are artsy and chill, and still as friendly as ever. The city rises from the hustle of the port and city center, up into hills full of vibrantly colored houses, shops, parks, and cafés. There is street art everywhere. Bright, creative, inspiration around every corner, up every street. The hills are steep and twisted, but you quickly start to understand the maze.

Oh yeah and school, that's why we are here and teaching is just as exciting to me as these new people and places. Our campus is a four story building of glass and wood. It is not a sealed building, so fresh ocean air is always passing through...until you get into one of the interior windowless classrooms, then things start to get stuffy real quick, but no one complains. The building also has a really nice, big patio deck on the fourth floor that looks out at the ocean on one side, and the ascending hills on the other. I head up there between classes to relax and prepare. We also have a really nice teacher's lounge, which I'm sure we will start to retreat to when the weather gets colder. The other professors we work with are great people too. I have already become good friends with one of them, Mariajosé. She is 27 with a 3 year old daughter, but we share very similar views about life and teaching, so we always get into good conversations if we meet up for coffee on break. Everyone helps us with everything we need, despite the chaos of rescheduling and reorganizing that is whirling through the main office. Things are not as clear or as organized for the first week of classes as they are at home, but we've all made it to our classes and rolled with the setbacks. My first class was a bit of a rough start because my presentation I had prepared would not work on the computer, so I let it go and winged it, and all was well. I had my first class yesterday. 17 giggly girls and one shy boy, who knew next to nothing at all of English. My students are all Basic 1, which means they have no educational experience with English, and most of them seem like they really don't know a word. I taught them how to introduce themselves, and had to really push them to spit out some English, but we got through it and tomorrow morning I will see them again, and I think they'll be more comfortable. My class this morning was excellent. Mostly girls again, but four guys to mix it up. They seemed genuinely excited to be learning English, and all seemed really happy that I was their profe. They were willing and eager to try to speak and made the teaching experience much less strenuous. My second class of the day was a completely different story. A rowdy class of twenty 18 year old boys. They cracked themselves up through the introductions, but when I got to the rules of the class, they finally started to take me seriously, and it was obvious in their faces that they understood I meant business. Final class of the day was great. All boys, except one girl, all attentive and excited, but full of questions. So I think I am really going to love teaching. It feels natural to me, even in the tougher classes, and I think it will become increasingly rewarding as I get to know the students more.

Just wrote all this, and realized I didn't really share a single real story. There are so many little stories to tell, but writing them is never the same as living them. Sun just set on the terraza and it's getting chilly, so I think it's time for me to head in and plan my lessons for mañana.