Finally settling down...

After officially being here for over a month, I feel like I am settling into life in Santiago.  I have been teaching for two weeks and am slowly settling into a routine. I teach Monday through Friday and my schedule is so different each day. Most of my students want to learn English. Some of them have basic knowledge and are able to help the other students who don't understand. I basically have to follow exactly what the book says and teach to the book because that is what the test is based off of. I do have some flexibility with activities so that is fun. The students have learned the verb To Be, family members, Yes/No questions, present progressive, jobs and schedules, and so forth. It is really cool to be walking around campus and see students who are excited to see me and say "Hi Profe!!!" There are also other teachers at my campus (Foreign English teachers are called "TIPS" - Teacher Intern Practicum Specialists") so I see them a lot and hang out with them. One of the TIPS and I usually go to the Mall next door during our break to get food or explore. So life as a teacher has been pretty good so far :)

My roommate Abby and I moved out of the hostel. We lived in the hostel for a month and it was really fun to live with a bunch of people and form a mini family amongst Americans and Chileans. Abby, another girl and I all went to a bar with one of the hostel cleaning ladies and had her try a "terremoto" for the first time so that was fun. The hostel front desk guy named Lucas even took us on a Trek in the Andes a few weeks ago so that was fun. One night we had a "wine and cheese" night which was really fun. We also had an "Asado" on the last day we were living there where Álvaro another hostel worker grilled for us a feast of Steak, Chicken, Mariscos (seafood), Chorizo, rice, Pebre (pico de gallo with avocado) which was delicious. I am excited to go back to the hostel and see all the new friends I made.

After living in the hostel, Abby and I found an apartment in Santiago Centro about ten minutes away from the metro. The apartment is really cute and girly so it fits us perfectly. We have an INCREDIBLE rooftop with a spectacular view of the city and the Andes. We also have a pool and a gym on the roof which is on the 26th floor. My goal has been to take a picture every single day and so far I have been able to do that. Even if it is of just something little. Here are some pictures from my new apartment:

Abby and I have been making some Chilean friends at the bars. We hang out with her friend Sebastian a lot which is cool because that means we are speaking a lot of Spanish. I can slowly tell that my Spanish is definitely improving. We go to the bars and speak to the locals and learn a lot of local songs which is cool. I can't wait to see how much better my Spanish is come December. 

Earthquakes: Earthquakes are inevitable here in Chile. On Friday night, I was sleeping in my new apartment for the very first time and apparently around 4:30 in the morning there was a 5.2 TEMBLOR (tremor). I was sound asleep so I felt nothing. On Sunday, Abby and I went to see a movie and we took the metro back to our neighborhood at around 7:30 pm. We were walking back to our apartment when all of the sudden her friend Sebastian calls us and asks us if we felt the "TEMBLOR". We told him he was lying and that we didn't feel anything. As we arrive in our apartment lobby, SO many people are in the lobby. All of the sudden we start hearing people saying "Tan Fuerte" or "how strong", meaning that they felt the ground shaking too. Abby and I got into our department, turned on the TV, and sure enough there was a 7.2 TEMBLOR in Chile. The epicenter was near the coast so the shaking was a lot stronger in the coast but almost everyone else in Santiago felt it. I still can't believe we didn't feel it but I am pretty sure it is because we were walking. All of these TEMBLORs have been "aftershocks" from the 2010 massive earthquake that hit Chile. There will be a lot of aftershocks for years to come. According to scientific reports, there isn't supposed to be another big earthquake for 20 years (knock on wood). 

I do miss some things back home in the United States: I really miss Spicy Food. The food here is good but it hasn't been incredible. I know that I will find that incredible restaurant with an awesome meal that I just can't resist (maybe it is a good thing I haven't found it so I don't constantly eat there), but as of right now the food is kind of bland. Yesterday Abby and I went to the movies to see The Hunger Games (SO GOOD btw!) and we ordered popcorn of course and I was so excited to eat salty popcorn but it was caramel corn and sweet. I love caramel corn but in small amounts and eating caramel corn throughout the whole movie made me crave salt haha. I do miss the fast paced life of the US, like when I am walking in the metro station I constantly get stuck behind slow people who are so clueless to the fact that people are behind them. However, I know and appreciate the fact that time here isn't the be all and the end all so I need to eventually learn to slow things down just like Chileans do (My students almost ALWAYS arrive to class 15 minutes late). Even though I do miss some things from the States, I am beginning to fall more in love with the Chilean way of life and la ciudad de Santiago de Chile :) 

It's official...

Welp I am officially a teacher! I don't know how accurate that is but I have officially completed my first day of teaching Basic English 1 to Spanish speaking students. In my opinion, it went a lot better than I thought. Yesterday at this time, I was a stress ball.  I had NO idea how I was going to plan my first class. Luckily, I have 6 other co-workers who are all still living in the hostel with me to help me out. It was not an easy task. After spending 2, almost 3, weeks in straight vacation mode, getting down to business took a lot of motivation. Normally, during the first 2 weeks of orientation, we would go to orientation, come back to the hostel, take a nap, eat dinner, and then relax at the hostel or go out. Yesterday, the day before our "reality check," was a slap in the face. I laid out all of my papers, books, guides, etc. and tried to organize. Here is proof of all my teaching material:

The first day of class in pretty much any school usually consists of "syllabus day." It is pretty much the same here in Chile. All 6 of my classes are Basic Level 1 English so I can plan all of the lessons to pretty much be the same. My lesson plan went as follows: I introduced myself, had the students introduce themselves, went over the "reglamentos" (the rules) of the class, talked about basic classroom language, and did some more ice breakers. I know the rest of the semester will be a lot different but as of right now I feel pretty good about teaching. It is pretty neat to think that I am more or less the students' first real exposure to English but it is also a lot of pressure.

It is VERY weird that I am on a different schedule now. I have been so used to living in the hostel with the other teachers in my program and all being on the same schedule but now some of us have morning classes and some of us have evening classes. Also, some other teachers in the program left for the coast this past Thursday so the hostel is a lot more quiet. But we had a good last night with everyone in the program and I am sure we will all reunite in the middle of the program.

As I am slowly adjusting to the Chilean culture and Spanish, I know that, come December, I will feel so much different. I know teaching will be a challenge, but I enjoy challenges. I like diving right in and seeing how fast I can swim. I also look forward to knowing my way around a MASSIVE city. Seriously, Santiago is SO big. I have been here for almost 3 weeks and I feel like I have barely even seen a fourth of it. It is weird going from a city where I drive everywhere to a city where I take the metro every single day to and from work. Almost every single time I get on the metro it is PACKED. Even though Santiago is so big, I know that the coast is only an hour and a half away and ski resorts are about the same. Teaching, speaking Spanish, living in a big city and finding new friends are all part of the new adventure that I have just embarked upon :)

Mi Ciudad Nueva: Santiago, Chile

I have officially arrived in my new city for the next 10 months: Santiago, Chile! I cannot believe I will be living in this beautiful city until December. I met with my Teach in Chile coworkers and I am currently living in a hostel with them in Providencia, a really nice area of Santiago. Everyone seems really nice and we all have similar backgrounds with studying/traveling abroad. We had orientation, ate at some really nice restaurants, learned about transportation and housing in Santiago, learned about our universities (DuocUc) and have done some sight seeing throughout the city. The weather has been gorgeous: about 80 degrees each day and blue skies with some smog over the mountains. The hostel has been great: the location is right near a metro and a running park. I am sharing a room with 4 other girls, including a mother and her 9 month old baby (who is adorable), and then there is another room with 5 girls and we all share one bathroom. I celebrated my 23rd birthday on the first day we were here which was really fun. We went to a restaurant for lunch (which is the biggest meal of the day) and my friend Mary Kate was squirming in her seat when all of the sudden she screams that there was a slug in her food. There literally was a slimy, wiggly slug moving around on her plate. It was hilarious. The guys have been cooking food for us which has been great. We all usually hang out in the patio at our hostel at night and drink some wine or beer. We are living in the hostel until the end of March and then we are on our own for living. I am living with a girl Abby in my program and we are currently in the process of apartment-hunting which is proving to be somewhat difficult. There is a lot available but we want to find a good location next to a metro stop because I have to commute at least a half hour outside of the city to my University.

The Chilean culture is definitely a lot different. The Spanish is INCREDIBLY difficult to understand: they drop their "s" at the end of words and they speak super fast and have tons of slang words ("Cachai" means "Do you understand?", There are different words for the stages of relationships: Pololo is a boyfriend and Novio is a fiance, they say "Huevón" almost all the time and it has a ton of different meanings). I am mostly speaking English right now in the hostel with all of my friends but I know I will be speaking Spanish more when I go out and at my university. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. Empanadas and completos (hot dogs covered with mayonnaise and tomatoes and avocado) are EVERYWHERE. Pisco Sour is their drink of choice. Chileans are not as focused on time and getting places quickly which is really nice. I am slowly starting to learn the city. It is nice because I don't need a map as much right now because we are staying in the same place but when I move I know I will need a map. When I was in Spain I constantly used my map the first month and I stood out like a sore thumb. The metro system is pretty easy to follow but it is kind of expensive. A lot of the stores are closed on Sunday. It is SO weird how the seasons are completely reversed: March is back to school month and winter break is in July. Whenever you ask for water they always ask "sin gas" or "con gas" for mineral water. The coffee is "Nescafé" which is just instant coffee and I am not its biggest fan but I will get used to it. I feel like culture shock has not hit yet because I am hanging out with a bunch of Americans so when I move and start to teach I know it will be a lot different. I am SO excited to be here though and I know this will be one of the best experiences of my life :)

PERÚ :) La verdadera aventura pisquera

Well let me start off by saying that Perú has been INCREDIBLE! I am so glad I started my year-long adventure in South America in Perú. I landed Wednesday night only to discover that NONE of my bags arrived with me. Oh well! That's a part of traveling for a year that is almost inevitable. I found my friends C. May (we studied Spanish together at the University of Colorado) and Russell (C. May's boyfriend) and they were nice enough to help me get ahold of my friend Isabel who we were staying with. I met Isabel through one of my Spanish professor's at the University of Colorado. My professor, Daniel, told me his niece was coming to live in Colorado so we agreed to be "intercambios" or help each other with our native languages. Anyway, I have stayed in touch with Isabel and she asked me to come visit her so I did! She picked us up from the airport and we went back to her house.

Thursday morning came and we woke up and went to the airport. We flew from Lima to Cusco and stayed at the Point Hostel. We walked around Cusco which was really pretty. We bought train tickets to Machu Picchu, ate some Peruvian street food (Tuna which is a fruit that is delicious, anticuchos (heart meat on a stick with potatoes, tamale-like corn break wrapped in corn husks, etc.) and made PB&J's for our long day ahead of us in Machu Picchu. Since I didn't have any of my clothes, I borrowed Isabel's jacket and sweatshirt, a lot of C. May's clothes, and I bought some "tourist pants" so I could sleep in them at the hostel. We went to bed at 8 pm because we knew we had to wake up super early.

2:30 am Friday morning we woke up, took a "collectivo" or a taxi van that tries to fit a lot of people, to Ollantaytambo. The road was very bumpy and curvy. We arrived at Ollantaytambo and took the train at 5:30am. The Urubamba River was super intense because it had been really rainy. Some trains were even closed because the river was too intense. We arrived in Aguas Calientes and took a bus up an even curvier road with tons of switchbacks. Machu Picchu awaited us! It was chilly at first and super cloudy. But I was at an ancient Incan site! So COOL! We walked around Machu Picchu, saw Al Pacas, and we were almost 8,000 feet above sea level! Coming from Colorado, though, the altitude did not affect us as much as it did some people. C. May was smart enough to do her research ahead of time and we bought tickets to Huayna Picchu so we could hike the big mountain. We entered Huayna Picchu at 10:15 and began the 3 1/2 hour hike. We climbed stairs, crawled through holes, hiked through rain, and met people from all over the world. We got to the top of Huayna Picchu and were literally in the middle of clouds. It was breathtaking. I was in my Converse and jeans and I knew I was going to be cold the rest of the day from the rain, but I didn't let that stop me from hiking this amazing ancient civilization. We hiked down Huayna Picchu to the Gran Caverna, hiked back up and left Huayna Picchu around 1:30. We ate lunch, took the train back to Ollantaytambo, took a collective back to Cusco and arrived back at our hostel at 9:30 pm after being gone for 19 hours! We were exhausted so we fell asleep almost immediately.

On Saturday, we flew back to Cusco, my friend Isabel picked us up, my bags FINALLY arrived, and we went to the BEACH :) Isabel has a beach house at Playa Santa María which was beautiful. We met Isabel's friends (Hector, Fiorella, Pamela, Roberto, Pierina, and Dennis) and ate authentic Ceviche which was delicious! The fish was so fresh and the taste was mouth-watering. We laid out on the beach, took a nap, and went back to Isabel's house. Later, Isabel and her friends made Chilcanos (Pisco, ginger ale, and sugar syrup, lime and ice) while we played Pictionary. The language barrier was difficult at first but we made it work. C. May and I both studied Spanish at CU so we knew enough to communicate. Russell didn't know much Spanish and a some of Isabel's friends didn't know any English. But we were all able to help each other out. We tried to go to a club but there was a cover for guys so we went back to Isabel's house and played card and dice games.

After a long couple of days, sleeping in felt SO good. I woke up at 11:30 on Sunday and went straight to the beach. I interacted with Isabel's friends, shared with them some English words (like Social Butterfly!) while they taught me Spanish words (esmalte=nail polish!) The sun was strong and I applied sunscreen a lot, but not enough because I am a very pale, Irish girl that never fails to get burned. We ate lunch (which consisted of Tequeños (kind of like Taquitos but better) and delicious fish in garlic sauce. C. May ate chita (a really good fish that sounds like "cheetah!") and I tried the infamous Inca Kola (Peruvian soda that tastes like Bubble Gum). We packed up our belongings and drove back to Lima on Sunday night. We went to Larcomar (an outdoor mall right along the coast) and did some window-shopping.  Then, we ate PERUVIAN CHICKEN!!!! (aka Pollo a la brasa!) which was SOOO good. I had eaten Peruvian chicken in Washington, DC before, but this was AUTHENTIC Peruvian chicken which was DELICIOUS! We also drank Chicha, which is a purple-colored drink made out of corn. We took some more pictures with Isabel's friends (including one that looks like Russell is getting pick-pocketed, but it was just a joke!).

Monday morning we woke up to a beautiful day in Lima. Isabel showed us around her gorgeous house and we drove into Miraflores (a district of Lima) and we went to her uncle Daniel's house (My Spanish professor). Next, we went to Parque del Amor which was right along the coast and was beautiful. For lunch, we went to a restaurant that served Cui (Guinea Pig). I ordered it (yes I ate Guinea Pig!) and so did C. May. I was not a huge fan but C. May really liked it. We also ordered Queso Helado which is a typical Peruvian dessert. Then Daniel and Isabel took us to get our first Authentic Pisco Sour! Perú and Chile argue over who has the true Pisco Sour: Peruvians say Perú invented it while Chileans say Chile invented it. I am lucky enough to drink Pisco Sour from both countries so I will let you know which one I like better when I arrive in Chile. Anyway, we walked around Miraflores and tried more street food: Melcochas and picarones and went to a Peruvian flea market. I bought a bracelet (like I do from every country). Isabel bought us Groupons for a Peruvian buffet at Restuarant Costa Verde. Our table was right by the ocean and we ate authentic Peruvian dishes: Rocoto relleno, etc.

On Tuesday we took Public Transportation into the city of Lima. Isabel suggested we go to the Museo Metropolitano de Lima which provided a historic portrait of Lima. It was very interactive and it had AC which felt nice since it was a hot day outside. Then we took a bus to the city and saw the Governmental Palace and the plaza's in Lima which were beautiful. Lunch arrived and we ate Tacu Tacu (a combination of rice and beans). We walked into Peruvian shops and enjoyed the shade while we could. After walking around and being hot, we decided to cool off by drinking some more Pisco Sours. We ate some more street food and cooled off some more with ice cream. Then we took a Cab back to Isabel's house and I thought I was going to die. The taxi driver had legit Road Rage and was driving in between lanes, not leaving enough space between cars, and cutting people off. It was so scary! But I am ALIVE! We got back to Isabel's house and watched El Secreto de Sus Ojos (an Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film). My last night in Lima I slept very well but am sad that it was my last night. Today Isabel is nice enough to let me do laundry before I leave and we are going to eat some more Peruvian dishes. C. May, Russell, and I all leave Perú tonight which is sad but I am also excited to start my Chilean adventure!
Thank you all for reading :)

Whirlwind of Emotions

Today I am officially leaving the United States for 10 months! WOW! Words cannot describe how I feel right now: Excited, Nervous, Anxious, Sad, Happy, Eager, all of the above! This past weekend was great! I worked my last shift at the Rio, saw The Vow (cute and cheesy and predictable but Channing Tatum=Gorgeous), went to Japango for amazing sushi, and had a great last night at the bars in Boulder with some of my closest friends. On Monday I did last minute shopping and packing with my wonderful mother and then went to dinner for Valentine's Day/my B-day at Shanahan's with my fabulous parents. Yesterday I went to breakfast with my Grandma and then spent all day trying to organize and re-organize and unpack/repack. I tried to pack as lightly as I could for 10 months but as a girl I feel like that is not very easy. I packed: A big suitcase, a duffel bag, and a backpack. Wowsers. Then my incredible parents gave me the sweetest Valentine's card that made me cry! I finally realized that I am not going to see them until June and that really hit me. I pretty much cried last night and this morning at the airport haha. Anyway, I arrived at Denver International Airport this morning at 4 am. I checked my bags and went through security.  I boarded my plane at 5:30 which was supposed to take off at 6 am to go to San Francisco. I would then have an hour layover in San Fran to catch a new flight to Houston. In Houston, I would then have a 45 minute layover to catch my flight to Lima. 6:30 comes along and I am still on the plane in Denver not going anywhere. Panic begins to flood my brain as I think of all the possibilities: I would miss my connecting flight in San Francisco which would make me miss my connecting flight in Houston and I wouldn't arrive in Lima to catch my flight tomorrow morning to Cuzco. AHHH!! The customer service representative comes on the plane and tells us we have to get off the plane due to a mechanical issue. I got off the plane still freaking out. I went to the customer service desk and they switched me off the San Francisco flight to a direct flight to Houston (which would have made WAY more sense in the first place but the woman who booked the flight for me over the phone said I would have had enough time to transfer to all those planes. LIAR!) Anyway, my bags and I got switched to the 8:30 direct flight to Houston and now I am here in Houston waiting for my 3:30 flight to Lima. I am much more calm and excited! I talked to my friends C. May and Russell who I am going to Lima with and they are in Atlanta waiting for their flight to Lima. We will arrive in Lima tonight around 11 and then we are catching a flight tomorrow morning to Cuzco so we can go to Machu Picchu! I hope all is well with everyone and that you all keep up with my blog!
My next entry will hopefully include a picture or two!
Love mucho :)

Once Upon a Time...

"Once upon a time we believed the world was flat - that beyond a certain point there would be nowhere to go. And though we now know the world is round, we still fear falling off imaginary edges, too often thinking there's only so far we can stretch, so hard we can push. The most dangerous limits are those in our own head. When you feel you're at your edge, look again. You CAN go farther." :)

I found this quote in SELF Magazine as I was waiting to fly back to Denver from Los Angeles after getting my visa. Yes, I had to fly to Los Angeles to get my visa. Although it was an expensive trip, I am glad I went. I got to see my friend Morgan who I have known since I was 10 and go to a Superbowl Party. I also got to see a good family friend Jim Gallagher who showed me around Santa Monica. After coming back from Los Angeles, I realized that this process of getting ready for Chile has lasted 6 months and the time is FINALLY here for me to go live and teach abroad for almost one year! I am very excited and also very nervous. I am flying to Peru on Wednesday, February 15, to go to Lima, Cuzco, and Machu Picchu with my friends from the University of Colorado and then I will arrive in Santiago, Chile on February 23 which will be permanent residence until December. This is just the beginning of what I hope to be a blog full of funny, adventurous, stressful, rewarding and influential experiences. I look forward to sharing everything with all my close family and friends who mean so much to be back in the States :)

Happy Reading!