The last week here in Copiapó has been pretty spectacular. As I´ve settled into the routine of teaching the workdays go by a bit faster, and the students and I are both settling into a routine. Not to say that some days are not extremely difficult. I´ve come to realize that on Mondays and Tuesdays I have my most difficult classes, behavior-wise. Tuesday is actually the worst...in 2 of my classes there are a few kids who literally run around and shout the entire classroom. I already usually lose my voice by the end of the day, but I was told I can start sending them back to their normal classroom (something none of them want). We´ll see if it gets any better.
This past weekend had a lot of highlights. It was the first weekend since I arrived that I did no REAL travelling. On Friday my host mother (who is the head teacher of a sixth-grade class at my school) actually organized a field trip specifically for me. I told her earlier in the week that I´ve been itching to do some sort of a hike, and so in 2 days she organized permission slips and everything for her whole class to hike Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross). It´s right next to the city and while it´s really not huge it is steep and challenging at parts, and from the top there´s a fantastic panoramic view of Copiapó and all of the surrounding desert hills/mountains. As soon as I saw the view at the top it became my new favorite place here. It was also a fun and interesting experience going on a fieldtrip with 30 rowdy sixth graders...I just can´t believe I was ever that crazy :-)
On Saturday morning we had a school make-up day. (In June there was a teachers´ strike so there are several Saturdays that all of the teachers have to be in school). This week, rather than classes, we had the celebration festival for the school´s anniversary (which is in August). It was one of the most fun school events I´ve been too. The bulk of it was this huge dance competition, in which about 16 kids (8 couples) from each grade, all the way from 1st to 8th, danced to a different type of music. The cutest were the 1st graders...the little boys were in full penguin suits and the girls in these long pink and white dresses with hats, and they did sort of a "waltz-type" dance. The 5th graders were the most disturbing...their song was "Like a Virgin" by Madonna. The teachers just didn´t think it was as weird or disturbing as I did. The older kids danced to pop and reggaeton which was fun but the dancing was also not what I would do in front of a ton of teachers and younger students. During each dance each couple had a number on their backs and at the end a winner was chosen. After the dance competition was over it was our turn. 2 days earlier one of the assistant directors at the school had asked me to sing something in English. So, in front of about 1200 kids, parents, and teachers, with my Martin backpacker guitar and a small band backing me up, I got to rock out to "Sweet Home Alabama" (Lynyrd Skynyrd). About 100 kids rushed down to the front and formed a little pit. It was SO much fun!! It also made me miss Young Life VERY much. Afterwards 2 of the other female profs and I sang 2 Chilean pop songs which was also fun, and made me realize I need to get some Spanish music on my computer!
After the celebration on Saturday I headed out to Caldera, which is the port town about 45 minutes West of Copiapó on the beach. 3 of my friends and other volunteers Joy, Heinz, and Ben, are all living and teaching there. It´s a beautiful town...much smaller than Copiapó but right on the water, and for dinner we got to have empanadas (so far my favorite Chilean food) at a cute and tasty place called Empanapolis. The roundtrip bus ticket from Copiapó to Caldera is only 2 mil pesos (about $4) so i´ll probably be making the trip every week or 2.
On Sunday I went to my first church here in the City. Donte and I went to the Presbyterian Church near La Plaza. The church is small (maybe about 35 people) but the pastor and the message were good (I probably understood about 75%...as it was all in Spanish). The people were also very welcoming, and the best part was that the closing worship song was "Todo Poderoso", which is a song that I actually know from Wake and InterVarsity stuff...one of my favorites.
Sunday afternoon I met up with Donte again at the football (soccer) stadium to watch Copiapó take on Iquique....we beat them 1-0, and it was a pretty fun experience. Though the stadium wasn´t full all of the spectators were pretty vocal...I only wish I could have understood everything they were saying...instead I waited until there were enough other people shouting and I shouted stuff in English. Although I don´t think there´s any way I could stand out any more as a gringo...it´s pretty obvious :-)
It´s a new week now, and today after school I strapped on my hydration pack and ran to and up Cerro de la Cruz...a pretty good and challenging hill workout, and decided it´s not only my new favorite place here in Copiapó, but it´s also a great place to spend some quality time with God. Teaching is a lot of fun so far but also quite stressful in the classroom, requires a lot of energy, patience, and a loud voice. I´m sure this is all true in the US as well, but the added dimension is that the kids understand almost NOTHING of what I say in English. Hopefully that will only get better as the months go on.
My least favorite thing about Chile so far is the attitude of the men. I can´t go anywhere without getting comments, whistles, hissing, and yesterday while I was running a collectivo driver actually slowed down and drove beside me for 30 seconds shouting something that I neither acknowledged nor tried to understand. I don´t know if it would be better to just start telling them to back off, but for now I´m just ignoring it. If you have blonde hair and blue eyes (especially CURLY blonde hair) you´re pretty obviously a gringo, and the men are pretty vocal about it.
Well what was supposed to be a short post has turned into a book. Thanks to all I´ve gotten to skype with and e-mail. Though I love Chile more and more I am missing home...especially as everyone is going back to Wake! Please keep in touch and keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
- Steph -
ps. I just found out my address here...check it out on my facebook page or email me if you want it!
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