Hi everyone! It appears as though I have not been so great about keeping this up. I guess that also means I am trying to be busy! Lots of good things to report this time around.
First, I have to say that I have been incredibly lucky since I have arrived. Things have really gone my way, despite several lonely moments throughout (to be expected). Since my last post, I have started three jobs and met a couple people. I have a job as an English Tutor at an institute here in Viña. To be perfectly and brutally honest, I hate it. I find it to be disorganized and I don't really teach much. The only thing that I do find enjoyable is interacting with people who want to learn. Some of my students are very kind, but I never (or rarely) have the same student twice. The plus to this Institute though, is that they facilitate the visa process which will allow me to switch from a tourist visa to a 1-year work visa. Through the Institute, I also got a job with CORFO. This is a government program for people to learn English. Each class is about 15 adults and 3 hours long. I have this class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 7pm-10pm. The hours aren't really desirable, but a job is a job. It will be good experience and I am hoping I can meet more people my age.
This week, though, I had an enormous stroke of luck when I was asked to interview for a 6-day subbing position at a really good private school in Viña. Roswitha's (my roommate) parents had put me in touch last summer with an administrator from that school. That lady called Ross' parents coincidentally when I was at their home, and asked if I was available to interview. Of course I went without hesitation, and despite never having had a full interview in Spanish before, I got the job! The lady who I am subbing for teaches 8th grade, along with 2nd Medio, 3rd Medio, and 4th Medio, which is the equivalent of sophomores, juniors, and seniors respectively. I started today and I loved it. At first I found it very overwhelming, as each grade has a different book and I wasn't really given prep time. But, the kids were mainly just interested in hearing my accent and asking questions, which I was perfectly ok with seeing as I hadn't looked at the textbook yet! 8th grade is certainly new, but I felt right at home with the older ones. If all goes well, it is possible that I will be called to sub again, or maaayyybeee get a permanent position. Either way, this opportunity opens a lot of doors!
I have started a ballet class since arriving. The dance academy is about 3-5 minutes away walking. It is taught by a strict Chilean male ballerina and he loves to correct. But, the class is small and I really enjoy it. He is tough but he is nice. It's a little strange because even though the terminology is all the same, it sounds different from English to Spanish because of the accent. I'm doing ok with it though, and as I said, I really enjoy it.
I have also tried a couple Zumba classes since arriving. Two have been excellent, one not so much haha. I went to one as an invited guest, because the instructor knows my host family. She works at a fancy gym, and I'm glad I was her invitee because one class is 10 thousand pesos, about 20 dollars! Crazy! Before she knew me even for 5 minutes, the instructor asked if I wanted to lead a song. I hesitated but why not, right? The class was really receptive and friendly. They were excited to have "an international" class, haha! The gym asked if I was interested in subbing, so I'll have to follow up with that. This week, because of my insane work schedule, I won't be able to attend any classes :/
Last weekend I went to Santiago to visit my friend Heather from college. It was really nice, it had been nearly a year since we saw one another! It was a good friend's 30th birthday, and we had a blast! A true Chilean night out! The next day we checked out a food truck festival, though not exactly like the trucks we have at home. More like food-vw-busses. A lot of them had run out when we got there and had to re-stock, but we stuck around and it was well worth the wait! I was excited to eat some middle eastern food, mainly because they had hummus, which is not easily found around here. Of course they ran out when I got there, still delicious though.
Last Friday I went to temple too. A friend from college has family that lives nearby and I joined them. I was put through the 3rd degree before they let me in. A thorough interrogation. Security is tight because the Jewish population is so small, and Chileans for the most part are not too keen on Israel these days. For safety reasons, they have shortened the service and eliminated the Kiddush afterward. I was introduced to someone right around my age though, which was nice. As it turns out, this guy speaks perfect English and asked me "what part" of Boston I was from. I told him Framingham, and he replies with "No way I have family in Wellesley! I love Route 9! Do you ever go to the Natick Mall?" Small world right?! Hooray for a potential new friend.
I also ended up going out with another American girl I met at that party last weekend. Ana Tijoux is a Chilean rapper who actually played Boston the night I left. But, she was in Valpo last weekend playing at a club. We got in and it was so fun! Didn't stay for too too long, just the songs I like. I actually used to use her music in my Spanish classes, so it was so cool to see her live.
My roommate's part-time kitty and I are learning to co-exist. She loves to run under my bed, probably because she knows I want nothing to do with her. She's just like a dog though, I didn't realize cats beg for food so much! Only, she likes to jump on the table which is gross. I have stepped on her a couple times, she is always right under foot, literally. But, so far, it could be worse with her.
Things are really starting to fall into place. Hoping to expand my social circle a bit, but I'm sure that will come with time. Please send emails and updates, I miss everyone!
Lots of love,
Caroline
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