Painful Lessons in Vocabulary

The beauty of living in another country is the daily opportunity to learn new things.  Between the culture, the people and the language, there are always new things to discover.  However, like with anything, there can be growing pains along the way.  Here are ten of the most painful Spanish vocabulary words I've learned in Chile:

1. Hinchado/a: I learned this little beauty of a word back in May when my board popped me right in the face during a surf lesson.  I got this nice fat lip (pictured above) as a souvenir and the word "hinchado" (swolen or, in this case, fat) as a long-term reminder of what a kook I was  am in the water.
  
2. Multa: This unknown vocabulary word kept popping up on our itemized lists of gastos comunes (shared community charges that pretty much every apartment building in Chile charges) at our old place.  One day, we got the brilliant idea to look it up and found out that we were being charged a "multa" (fee) for paying those gastos comunes late...almost every month.  Lesson(s) learned.

3 & 4. Asangrar & Toser: I never really found the need to know either of these words until Jeff arrived to Chile and began doing both of them at the same time.  A nasty case of strep throat (his second week in Chile) brought us to the infamous Clinica Iquique with a little scrap of paper that held our very important new vocabulary words: "toser" (to cough) and "asangrar" (to bleed).

5. Riñón: Although I had the basic body parts down before moving to Chile, I never made it around to the internal organs.  It wasn't until I had a triple dos of terrible in the form of e.coli, salmonella and an infected "riñón" (kidney) that I learned this little gem of a word.  

PS. I still don't know the names of any of my other internal organs, including my liver; although I've put her through quite a lot here in Chile.  I blame the terremotos.

6. Gusano: Speaking of drinking...after being force-fed the "gusano" (worm) at the bottom of the mescal bottle by a very drunk friend, this slimy (yet satisfying) piece of vocabulary won't be soon forgotten.

7. Atropellar: One day, I was talking with my good friend Kenita via facebook chat and she said, "¡Alguien me atropelló en Baquedano!" which (roughly translated) means "Someone somethinged me on Baquedano!"  Thanks to the fabulous spanishdict.com, I was able to look up the word instantly and find out (to my shock and horror) that someone RAN HER OVER...on the street I walked down every day to work.  Dually noted.

8. Celeste: This painful vocabulary lesson took place on my October trip to Peru.  When I showed the park rangers in the lost and found office a little bag that my mom made me and asked if they had seen a similar one with a camera in it, they made an announcement over the walkie-talkie system about a bolsa celeste; a word I had never heard before.  That day I learned that "celeste" meant sky blue and begrudgingly took this vocabulary word home instead of my pictures from Machu Picchu.  RIP Camera :(  

9. Resbalar: For some reason, this was a word that I could never remember for the longest time.  Surf class after wax-deprived surf class I would mime it out to my surf teacher by gliding my hand along my surfboard and exaggeratedly falling back into the water to show how I had just "resbalar"ed (slipped) on my ass.  This was followed by a plea for mercy and "cera" (wax).

10. Erizo: The newest edition to my painful vocabulary list is erizo; a word I had heard several times but never committed it to memory until it committed itself to my foot.  Last weekend, while beach camping just outside of Iquique, I made a new (not so friendly) friend when I stepped on this critter in the ocean and he (or she) left one of its pokey little spines in my foot.  Ouch "erizo" (sea urchin) ouch.

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.  

Lo Que Significa Un Año en Chile

 A year ago today, the 23 hours of travel (back when that was a big deal) from California came to an end and I arrived at my final (or so I thought) destination, Santiago de Chile. I had written this post the day before and was about to write this one, the next day.  No post that day though.  I was too busy getting my first taste of Chilean cuisine at the empanada shop down the street and organizing way too much luggage into my cute little blue room in Las Condes.

I had never been to Chile before and I had 0 experience teaching English.  My Spanish was decent but I had no idea what cachai, weon or CSM meant.  I had never surfed, never been paragliding and never hiked Machu Picchu.  I had never heard of Pucón or Iquique and had no idea that I'd be spending a significant amount of time in either.  I'd never seen warning signs for volcano eruptions or tsunamis nor lived near people who considered the constant threat of one or the other to be a normal part of everyday life. I had never tasted cherimoya, pebre, humitas or a terremoto.  Come to think of it, I had never actually met a Chilean person before (to my knowledge, at least).

Needless to say, 366 (leap year) days later, all of that (and so much more) has changed.  Here are a few more things that one year in Chile means....

1. One year in Chile means one year since I've driven a car.

Yup, if you thought I was a bad driver before...watch out.  I'm coming back in July, crazier than ever.  I may be forced to practice in my high school parking lot with my dad until I brush up on my skills.

2. One year in Chile means one year since I've had real Mexican food or decent tequila.

Best believe the Cazadores will be flowin' when I get back.

3. One year in Chile means one year since I've greeted someone without kissing them on the cheek.

If this is how I respond when we see each other again, please do not be startled. 

4. One year in Chile means one year since I've thrown toilet paper in the toilet instead of in a trash can.

I'll try to remember this one when I come back ;-)

5. One year in Chile means one year since I've had a bowl of soul from The Naked Lounge, a jasmine green tea from Empire or an iced coffee from anywhere besides Starbucks.

No Chile, "café helado" is not the same thing.  An iced coffee does not come with sprinkles, an ice-cream cone and a cherry on top.  This concept seems to be lost in translation.

 

6. One year in Chile means one year since I've gone bike-riding through Bidwell, downed an Irish car-bomb at Duffy's or gone skinny dipping at One Mile (not that I would ever do the latter, of course).

7. One year in Chile means one year since I've sent a piece of snail mail.

Sorry about those post-cards I promised.  I'll try to get that accomplished at some point before I leave .

8. One year in Chile means one year since I've used a stove without lighting a match (or occasionally using a lighter).

Electric stoves are very rare here.

9. One year in Chile means one year since I've used a dryer.

Nothing but clotheslines for me.

10. Sadly (almost as sad as #2), One year in Chile also means one year since I've seen a whole lot of people I love :-(
 

On a happier note, Today I celebrated my anniversary with a day off, a delicious little pie from Suiza Pucón and the silly little lake-side photo shoot pictured above.  I wasn't sure whether it was appropriate to make a resolution or a wish as I blew out the candle so I made something that I don't make very often, a plan.  I got a little nugget of good news this morning via e-mail which was just enough to finalize an idea I've been mulling over for a while.  The details will not be revealed quite yet, but you'll see soon enough. 

Cheers to the first year Chile, here's to the rest of our time together :)

Che Boludo: My "Afternoon" in Argentina

In Chile, a “completo” is a hotdog; complete with avocado and tomato and drowning in mayonnaise.  Completos are fatty, cheap and, although they look rather disgusting to me, an undeniable staple of Chilean cuisine. 

However, when a hostel worker in San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina tells you, “Estoy completo”, it doesn’t mean “I’m a big greasy Chilean hotdog”.  In fact, it not only means, “I’m complete (aka, full).” but also, “Every hostel in this town has been booked for weeks.” and simultaneously, “If you think you’re just going to waltz in here and find something on the spot, you’re straight trippin’ home girl.” That’s a rough translation, of course, but you get the idea.

After being told “Estoy completo” for the sixth time, I was starting to get the picture.  I wasn’t going to find a place to stay for the night.

That wouldn’t have been an issue if my initial plan had worked out.  I would have left Pucón in the morning, arrived in San Martin in the afternoon and headed back that evening with a 160-dollar Argentina stamp in my passport and a shiny new visa good for another 90 days in Chile.

This dream plan was shattered when, upon my arrival to SM, I was informed that the only daily bus to Chile left at 6 each morning.  I wasn’t shocked.  I half expected this to be the case.  What I didn’t expect was that, when my hostelworld search returned no results, it was because there was literally not a single empty bed left in the whole town.

So that’s how my “afternoon” in Argentina turned into a 27-hour ordeal; how I ended up having speed for dinner (see below), staying up all night in the bus station to wait for the morning bus and munching on sweaty (though still delicious) artesanal cheeses at an hour that can not be rightfully called dinner nor breakfast.

Despite all of the hassle with the bus, I must say, I really enjoyed San Martin.  It's very similar to Pucón in appearance but the city seems somehow more lively.  During the day, there were literally people drinking mate e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. (way to be an Argentinian stereotype guys) and I found some pretty cool gords and bombillas (like these) around town.

 At night, there seemed to be live music on every corner with a great variety of styles.  I witnessed some folkloric dancing as well as some tango in the park.  Every performer that I saw had a big group of people surrounding them; cheering and tossing some monedas their way.  Nice supporting of the arts there Argentina.

 Even when things weren't going ideally, I was kept in good spirits by lovely landscapes, tasty food, the rush of being in a new country and the silly sounds of the Argentinian accident; the latter of which continued to keep my giggling all day.  Every time I overheard someone talking about the see-sha (silla), the pla-sha (plaza) or the ply-sha (playa), it put a smile on my face.

Although for the same amount of money and half of the time, I could have flown comfortably to Brazil and been happily sipping a caipirinha and stuffing my face with pão de queijo, I'm glad I finally made it to Argentina.  I've just scratched the surface and I'm ready to get some use out of my ten-year visa.  In the meantime, I'm happy to be back in Chile; the land of "po", "weon", ample available sleeping spaces and the original completo.  Until we meet again Argentina, until we meet again.

 View from the bus.

 Argentinian cookie

 The plaza (aka, the pla-sha)

 The Lake

 

Tango in the Park 

• If you want more information on the new visa fee for Argentina, click here.
• If you want to pay the fee online, you can create an account here.
• If you want to put your head through a wall (or have a good laugh, depending on how badly you need a need an Argentine visa at this particular moment), click here to view the website's tutorial on how to pay the fee, which looks like it's been created using a combination of Google translate and paint.

On Family Life & Fleeing the Country

"Well, transience always carries with it an air of possibility" 

-T.H. Watkins

I snagged that little gem of a quote from a PBS special about the gold rush a few years back and am recently finding that it's becoming increasingly applicable to my life.  

One thing I've noticed about that so-called "transience" is that the speed at which it can change your day-to-day reality is remarkable.  Unknown landscapes become your backyard overnight and complete strangers become your family in a matter of hours.  After a few days, something that was so recently foreign to you, becomes the new norm and you slip seamlessly into routine, just in time for everything to change again.

That's a pretty accurate way to sum up the past few weeks of my life.  In Santiago, I spent 3 days with a friend of a friend and her roommate and daughter.  They were absolutely lovely.  I spent my days doing job research and load after load of free laundry (uh-may-zing after 3 months without a washing machine) and my nights eating onces with the family and talking with them until the wee hours of the morning. Their kindness and generosity overwhelmed me.  They not only put me up but also fed me and offered to help me find a job in Santiago, a place to stay in Valdivia and even to loan me money.  I didn't accept any of those offers but I did take them up on a suggestion to leave a bag at there house for the time-being and thank God I did.  Next time I go abroad, all I'm bringing is a change of clothes and a tooth brush, that's it.  Ok, maybe a stick of deodorant...maybe.  Lugging around all of this baggage has seriously been the bane of my existence on this trip.

And I've been doing a lot of lugging.  As I mentioned, I kicked off my summer in the south with a few days in Puerto Varas where I couch surfed for the first time.  If you're unfamiliar with couch surfing, it is an amazing site that connects people from all of the world.  Travelers can contact people who live in the areas where they're traveling and be hosted in those places for free (have I mentioned lately that I'm broke...pinch every peso!)  I'll admit, I was slightly sketched out by the whole thing at first.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my valuables hidden and my pepper spray handy upon arrival.  There's always that initial suspicion of someone who wants to do something nice for you for no good reason but it didn't take me long to loosen up.  

My second couch surfing experience in Caburgua was even more amazing.  The girl who hosted me was renting a lakeside cabin in Playa Blanca with her family.  I spent a couple of nights with them there and then went back to their house in Temuco (about an hour away) for one extra night.  The whole family was such buena onda.  I had an amazing time with them.  Not only was the place beautiful but the people were tons of fun.  Great location, awesome company, good food & drinks and all for free?!  Holllller.

To be honest, these random little encounters I've had with now four different individuals/families (in Santiago, Puerto Varas, Caburgua/Temuco and now in Pucón) have been some of my best experiences in Chile.  Hooray for talking to strangers.

Now, I find myself right smack in the middle of a completely different family; complete with a mom, dad, two small children (6 and 9), a few dogs and twenty-something foreigners from all over the world.   

After my night in Temuco, I bid farewell to my new adopted family and headed back to Pucón where I had landed a job at  La Bicicleta; a hostel/restaurant in the central part of this cute little city.  For now, my plans to work in the mine are off, or at least postponed for the time-being.  In the meantime, I'm going to take advantage of being in this gorgeous (although, right now, hot as hell) place and try to do all of the outdoorsy stuff I can.  Bring on the hiking, kayaking, rafting, canyoning, biking and whatever else you've got for me Pucón.  

Tomorrow I'm off to do an (insanely expensive) border hop to Argentina to renew my visa and earn my ninth Chilean passport stamp upon re-entry.  I'll be hanging out in San Martin de los Andes for the day (maybe day and a half) thus bringing my total bus time for the past month up to a record-breaking 58.5 hours (ew).  I'll be setting off around 10:30 AM and returning either later in the same night or the next morning depending on the bus schedule, available accommodations and, frankly, how I feel.  Who knows, if I really fall in love with it, I may never return.  Crazier things have happened.  I guess that's the beauty of transience, anything is possible.