TEFLbloggers.com

Oh hey, look whose the new resident writer for Chile TEFLbloggers.com! To celebrate (and because I'd hate for anyone who found my blog this way to be greeted with the biggest bummer of a blog post I've ever written), I've put together a little collection of blog posts that might be particularly interesting or helpful to someone who is considering teaching English as a foreign language in Chile.  I hope these ten selections (in no particular order) will give you a good little overview of what my experience here in Chile has been.  I also plan to post a lot more blogs specifically about life in Chile and TEFLing in the near future so stay tuned.  In the meantime, happy reading :)

•  My First Few Days in Santiago
• Leaving Santiago and finding Iquique
• First Month in Iquique
• Spending the Holidays Away From Home
• New Years in Valpariaso
• Five Random Things About Chile
• My Trip to Peru
• Chilean Independence Day
• Reflection After Finishing A Year In Chile
• A Video Slideshow of My First Year in Chile

Lamentablemente

The Word of the Day, I was informed, was lamentablemente.

lah-mehn-tah'-bleh-mehn-teh
(adverb) unfortunately, regrettably

Examples

1. Lamentablemente, cuando llegamos a la playa había empezado a llover.
   Unfortunately, when we got to the beach it had started to rain.
2. Lamentablemente, cuando Claudia llegó al viñedo, Eduardo estaba encamado, sin muchos ánimos de seguir luchando.
   
   

   Regrettably, when Claudia got to the vineyard, Eduardo was bedridden, with not much of a will to continue fighting.

   
   

   Both coincidentally and quite lamentable in and of itself, I not only already knew the word, but had also had it thrown at me just a few hours prior.  It was used as an opener to laundry list of unfortunate developments in my work situation.  Lamentablemente, the mining company had confirmed earlier that day that they changed their mind about needing a native speaker at the site.  Lamentablemente, they were now requesting a teacher who was qualified both to teach both English to their Chilean workers as well as Spanish to their Canadian workers.  Lamentablemente, I didn't fit the bill.  Lamentablemente, since I was only staying until July and wasn't going to the mine anymore, it wasn't worth their time to give me a visa... 
   
   I stared at my boss for a few seconds in silence until I could absorb the full shock of the blow.  Her tone of voice was so light and casual that I needed a moment to bend my brain around the words she was saying and wring out the weight of their true meaning.  Her tone and facial expression said something more along the lines of, "Unfortunately, when we got to the beach it had started to rain." but the words coming out out of her mouth were infinitely more destructive.
   
   In my mind's eye, I could see all of my plans lined up in a neat little row.  With one clumsy flick of the wrist, she knocked down the first of them and they fell like dominoes; each one colapsing onto the next.  There wasn't a glimmer of sympathy involved, not even a simple "I'm sorry", just the dreaded Lamentablemente. I was back to square one.
   
   I felt like Charlie Brown, running at full speed towards that football, only to have it yanked away at the last second and fall flat on my ass.  That's beginning to describe my relationship with the academy alarmingly well.  It seems to be empty promise after empty promise with them lately.  I always approach cautiosly at first but (much like Charlie) am quickly convinced to give more trust than has been earned.  
   
   Within the next few weeks, I'll be scrambling to put together a new plan (be it in Iquique or elsewhere).  When my other boss gets back from vacation, I'm sure he'll have lots of lovely things to tell me about how great it will be for me if I stay on here in Iquique.  He'll hold out another football and things will seem shiny and new and promising again.  Maybe I'll run after it, or maybe I'll just walk away.  
   

Nos Complementamos Como Mote & Huesillo

We go together like...

If you're a fan of the movie Greace, you probably finished that phrase in your head with ...rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong.  If you're more of the foodie type, your mind might have raced to something like "macaroni and cheese" or "peanut-butter and jelly."   

Unfortunately, both of these delicious combinations are pretty hard to come by in Chile.  It´s okay though, don't feel too bad for me.  This V-day, I'm mixing it up and bringing you some classic Chilean combinations to add some new flavor to your day.  Feel free to pass these babies on to that special someone.

 

Once upon a time, mote con huesillos (a tea that contains barley and dried peaches) was a meal for the very poor in Chile.  Now, it's a popular drink enjoyed by Chileans everywhere, especially in summertime (which, down here in the southern hemisphere, is now).  By telling your loved one "nos complementamos como mote y huesillo" (literally translated to: we compliment each-other like barley and little bones...but referring to the dried peaches), you can share in this sentiment of true love.  Essentially you're saying that, although one of you may be round and wrinkly while the other is smaller, firmer and more supple, you still make a mixture that's pretty darn sweet.  Now isn't that just precious?

The love between pisco (Chile's national hard alcohol) and coca-cola is a classic.  She's a little bit overbearing and he's a little bit, shall we say, vengeful?  However, in the end, they make it work.  I bet that coke-bottle figure doesn't hurt either...

This  great card for your healthy, uncomplicated relationship.  Unlike pisco and cola, milk and banana have just that.  Putting these two in blender together may not be a novel concept, but it's a good one.  Chile doesn't necessarily have a trademark on this combo but they do do it often and they do it well.  Three cheers for a love that just plain makes sense.  Hip hip horayyy!

For that fiery new love you've got going, I recommend the pebre and marraquetta V-day card.  Pebre, Chile's very spicy sauce sauce, is pretty similar to Mexican salsa.  However, it has a distinct set of spices or something which sets it apart.  It's typically served with white "marraquetta" bread which is great because it helps put out the fire that pebre often starts in your mouth.  This card speaks of a balanced relationship; maybe one that contains a hotheaded person and someone a little more tranquilo who helps take things back down a notch.  Don't worry, if you don't want a valentine's day card that accuses your significant other of being an enojón/a (rage-a-holic), you can always just tell them that it just means that they're hot and sexy (I won't tell if you won't).

 

She's easy-going and lighthearted.  The panqueque of Chile is slightly different from its North American cousin, the pancake.  It is lighter, and more closely resembles a crêpe (the French look is so in right now).  He's sweet and versatile, but also a bit of a man whore.  Manjar is a carmel-like sauce that's used on almost every kind of sweet treat here in Chile.  That's right MANjar, we've seen what you've been doing with that churro...and that Cuchuflí ...don't even get me STARTED on the alfaWHORE.  Overall, this relationship might be doomed.  I knew it seemed too good to be true. Don't worry Panqueque, just wait till we take you up north and introduce you to some nice maple syrup.

 

Here's an odd combo for ya.  She's a little bit country, he's a little bit rock and roll... The mixture of beer and fanta isn't extremely common in Chile but, for better or for worse, it's here.  It kind of reminds me of that one Dr. Suess quote, "We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love.”  If that quote describes your relationship, the Fanshop card might be right for you.

Noticias del Norte

Well, I´ve officially been back in Iquique for a week now and I must say, I'm feeling pretty awesome about the decision I've made.  But before I get into that, can we take a moment to appreciate the new blog layout and the little animation thingy that I made?  What do you think?  Would it detract from my blogger street cred if I told you that I made it using paint?  Shit, too late.

Anyways, as I was saying... life in Iquique has been great.  I have been surfing, tanning and spending time with a lot of friends that I hadn't seen in what feels like a really long time.  I'm also meeting a bunch of new people from all over the world, thanks to my new job.  A few days ago, I started working  as a receptionist at the hostel where I'm staying.  The job has been a serious lifesaver since I came back with close to no money and have yet to start any classes.  The kids' course I was promised didn't pan out after all because of low enrollment, but things are rolling right along with the mining job.  On Friday, I spent three hours in the clinic doing a ton of different exams. Now have the official stamp of approval to go up to the mine (from the medical perspective, at least).  The visa situation is another story but that is suppose to be getting sorted out this week.

Today I met up with my co-worker, Maja, who use to work at the same site. She gave me the low-down on the students and a few extra tricks of the trade.  Looks like I'm in for a cold "Bolivian Winter", which might actually be nice after so many weeks of face-melting heat.  My projected start date is next Monday but it still feels like there is a lot to do and I'm a bit dubious.  Meanwhile, I'm digging the job at the hostel and taking things one day at a time.

I'm not really sure what to expect at the mine site.  To be honest, I've heard some slightly scary things about the working conditions but I'm actually looking forward to getting an insider's view of something so essential to Chile's entire economy.  I'm also stoked for the improvement in my own economical status that this job will make.

Overall, I imagine it to be pretty much exactly like this, only with copper instead of diamonds...and in Spanish of course.

She Left as She Came; in the Rain and with Too Much Luggage

Sunset south of Iquique (taken from the window of my bus)

After innumerable warnings about the quantity of rain in the south (supposedly regardless of season), I experienced exactly two days of it.  First there was the beautiful misty morning that greeted me upon my arrival to Puerto Varas.  Then, after almost a month of uncharacteristically high temperatures, the south of Chile granted me one more beautiful day of rain in Temuco before I set off on a 25-hour bus ride northward through the driest desert on earth. 

My decision to leave Pucón was a combination of push and pull factors.  For now, I´ll keep it classy and leave the details of those push factors off of the internet.  In all honestly, I really would have loved to spend more time in the south but, to put it nicely, the stars just weren't alined this time.  I will say that met some genuinely amazing people during my trip and I have no doubt that I'll be back to visit them before my time in Chile is up.  However, for the time-being, my place is in the North.

It seems strange to call a place home when, a year ago, I barely knew it existed.  However, upon my return to Iquique, there was no denying it; I was home.  I've done my fair share of running around since I left Iquique in late December and, after six weeks of being away (and 95 hours on a bus), it feels sweet to be back.  For all the things I love about traveling and being in new and exciting places, there's something undeniably comfortable about familiar places and faces.  After running into several friends on the street this evening and popping in to visit a few more, my decision to return to Iquique was reaffirmed.  It feels good to be with my peeps.  Some reassuring news from work also helped sweeten the deal.

For now, it looks like my near future will involve a little waiting and thus require a bit of patience but I've become pretty accustomed to that.  Unfortunately February is vacation season in Chile which means everything runs just slightly worse than usual.  Luckily, I have surf, sun and good people to keep me distracted while things get organized.  The picture is a little foggy but it looks like my career in mining will be taking off after-all. I, as usual, will keep ya posted.

Un Año en 8 Minutos

This one is for the folks that always tell me that they've fallen way behind on my blog because of  crazy schedules.  Don't worry, I get it.  For anyone that wants to know what I've been up to for the past year but doesn't have time to click through hundreds of pictures or read through dozens of blog posts, this one is for you.  As I mentioned in a previous post (that you may or may not have had time to read), a picture is worth a thousand words (stop me if you've heard that one before).  That means that by watching this video, you'll essentially be 299,000 reading words in 8 minutes.  That's 37,375 words a minute.  That's impressive.  I'd brag about that if I were you.

Anyways, If you hadn't heard, I just wrapped up my first year in Chile.  It's been a crazy one.  I worked hard, I played hard (ok, pretty much all of my pictures are of the later... but I swear, I fit working hard in there too somehow) and, overall, it was a pretty frickin' amazing year.  Don´t believe me?  See for youself.