Llegando a la costa

I arrived on the coast almost a week ago and have felt excellent since I got here. The time in Santiago was great, but it felt like vacation, business, eat, repeat. We had a lot of fun, but I was exhausted. Here, I feel right. This place is more fitting to my lifestyle, my view, my emotion. I am absolutely enjoying my life here to its fullest. That is not to say that all time has been free, because we have had meetings and workshops and planning in preparation for teaching, which started yesterday, on top of searching for housing. But despite the work, I have felt relaxed. I have felt great. So I'm going to try to give you some tastes of it...

To start off our time here just right, our hostal is comfortable and the people here are incredibly welcoming. We live in a neighborhood on a hill in Viña del Mar, a 10 minute walk from the beach.  There are two Chilean men (Diego and Martin) and a woman (Maira) who live here permanently, as well as a girl from France who is moving out today, and an Argentine couple who left yesterday. They already treat us as if we have been friends for years. The night we moved in, we sat with them on the porch, talking for hours...in Spanish, which is another reason I am glad to be out of the big group of gringos. Since I got to the coast, my understanding of Chilean Spanish has improved immensely. A couple nights ago, we had an asado, a bbq, on the terraza. They made chicken and steak and chorizo and invited all of their Chilean childhood friends over. They were all really good people, and it is awesome to be introduced to so many close friends so quickly. Also, I'm already catching on to the Chilean modismos, Chilenismos in my speach. Also, the dueña (Natalia), who cleans and cares for the house, is here every morning to chat with us over breakfast and tea. She is 26 and a little saucy, she wears dresses and high heeled boots to mop the floor some days, but she really cares for the place and is loving, helpful and wonderful to have around. Diego told me the other night that she is their angel. As I said before, Chileans are just a warm, friendly people and they love to get lost in conversation.

 Our hostal is also about a ten minute walk from the beach. I love the ocean, always have. I love how the expanse of it, and the sound, and the rhythm makes me feel at peace, but powerful. Along the beach there is an artisan market, and stands selling churros and ice cream, and other treats. There is also a man that wanders the beach selling hard boiled eggs. I wouldn't touch an egg thats been in the sun in a basket all afternoon, but he must sell something because he is there every day. Also, there are all sorts of stray dogs. I thought there were a lot of strays in Santiago, but here they are everywhere. When a fishing boat comes by on the water, the dogs swarm and run in packs barking at it as it moves along the shoreline. I have had them walk right over my head as I lay on my towel in the sand. And, the water is cold, but its excellent. So refreshing.

Valparaíso is about a 6 minute ride on the metro, from Viña and I think I just found my new home there. It's not a clean, flashy city like Santiago, but it is fantastic. The vibe there is great, people are artsy and chill, and still as friendly as ever. The city rises from the hustle of the port and city center, up into hills full of vibrantly colored houses, shops, parks, and cafés. There is street art everywhere. Bright, creative, inspiration around every corner, up every street. The hills are steep and twisted, but you quickly start to understand the maze.

Oh yeah and school, that's why we are here and teaching is just as exciting to me as these new people and places. Our campus is a four story building of glass and wood. It is not a sealed building, so fresh ocean air is always passing through...until you get into one of the interior windowless classrooms, then things start to get stuffy real quick, but no one complains. The building also has a really nice, big patio deck on the fourth floor that looks out at the ocean on one side, and the ascending hills on the other. I head up there between classes to relax and prepare. We also have a really nice teacher's lounge, which I'm sure we will start to retreat to when the weather gets colder. The other professors we work with are great people too. I have already become good friends with one of them, Mariajosé. She is 27 with a 3 year old daughter, but we share very similar views about life and teaching, so we always get into good conversations if we meet up for coffee on break. Everyone helps us with everything we need, despite the chaos of rescheduling and reorganizing that is whirling through the main office. Things are not as clear or as organized for the first week of classes as they are at home, but we've all made it to our classes and rolled with the setbacks. My first class was a bit of a rough start because my presentation I had prepared would not work on the computer, so I let it go and winged it, and all was well. I had my first class yesterday. 17 giggly girls and one shy boy, who knew next to nothing at all of English. My students are all Basic 1, which means they have no educational experience with English, and most of them seem like they really don't know a word. I taught them how to introduce themselves, and had to really push them to spit out some English, but we got through it and tomorrow morning I will see them again, and I think they'll be more comfortable. My class this morning was excellent. Mostly girls again, but four guys to mix it up. They seemed genuinely excited to be learning English, and all seemed really happy that I was their profe. They were willing and eager to try to speak and made the teaching experience much less strenuous. My second class of the day was a completely different story. A rowdy class of twenty 18 year old boys. They cracked themselves up through the introductions, but when I got to the rules of the class, they finally started to take me seriously, and it was obvious in their faces that they understood I meant business. Final class of the day was great. All boys, except one girl, all attentive and excited, but full of questions. So I think I am really going to love teaching. It feels natural to me, even in the tougher classes, and I think it will become increasingly rewarding as I get to know the students more.

Just wrote all this, and realized I didn't really share a single real story. There are so many little stories to tell, but writing them is never the same as living them. Sun just set on the terraza and it's getting chilly, so I think it's time for me to head in and plan my lessons for mañana.

Cachai?

It's another absolutely beautiful day in Santiago. I’m up early again because of the traffic on the street outside our hostal window, but waking up to sunlight and a cool breeze drifting in, knowing it will be 86 by mid afternoon makes it easier to hop out of bed and grab the day. Early morning seems like an appropriate moment to reflect and share some of Santiago before I move to the coast tomorrow.

Because its been almost a week now, and because I don’t want to recount some sort of chronological description of the past six days, I'm just going to present some moments of Santiago as they come to mind.

When in Santiago...
    Walk. It feels good to explore the city in the sunshine. I’ve found I can see more of what this place has to offer if I do it by foot, and eventually I’ll get where I’m going. There are little boutiques and cafés and markets to peek into. It’s smoggy, but it’s a neat city just the same...on that note, don’t expect clear boogers because they’ll be black. That makes it sound like its nasty here, but Santiago has remarkably clean streets and parks for a city this size, the surrounding mountains just trap the smog in, so the air isn’t the cleanest. From ground level though, all is sharp and clear.

    Hike. Get up to the top of San Cristobal. I’ve run it once and hiked it once, and while it wasn’t an easy stroll, it was well worth the sweat both times. It’s the only way to give yourself enough perspective to realize how flat and expansive Santiago is, and to see all of the surrounding mountains. At the top is the giant statue of La Virgen, who looks out over the city. She's the guardian figure of Santiago. People hike San Cristobal to visit her, leaving candles and plaques to express their appreciation for what she has done for them. The variety of people is awesome...mom's carrying babies in their arms, elderly couples, three-year old troopers, wearing everything from church dresses and shoes, to speedo swimsuit bottoms. We here that some people make the hike every Sunday.

    Eat. The food is excellent so far. I have yet to eat a meal I did not thoroughly enjoy. I feel like all things I find delicious are put together into creative combinations that I haven’t thought of before. The creation to the right is a completo. Chile is known for them. Might look mostly like your average hot dog from this view, but it is so much more. It is a hot dog, bun packed with sauerkraut and a chunky carrot and tomato salsa, then smothered in avocado, then topped with tomatoes, mustard, and ají chileno (hot sauce). There are also about 12 different varieties of completos all with different combos. Below is mechada, a slow cooked beef and chilean mashed potatoes which are cheesy and spicey...The savory food here has been more satisfying to me than the dessert, but the ice cream flavors are like none I have seen before...favorite so far coco nut and pasión del caribe...thai pineapple was also pretty awesome.





Drink. Fresh fruit juice, so refreshing...I choose raspberry or a tart, tasty green fruit called chirimoya. Pisco...Chile’s own distilled grape liquor served as Pisco sour, Piscola, Piscoblanco, and the list goes on. It would not surprise me if some people drink Pisco with breakfast. Realize that when served a drink you will recieve a glass at least three-quarters liquor, one quarter soda or juice. Expect coffee or tea, because coffee breaks are culture. We have at least 2 coffee breaks with little sandwiches or cookies each time we go to our office for a meeting.

    Be chill. Things are very relaxed here. It is not uncommon to wait for thirty or fourty minutes for someone to meet up with you. If told to arrive at 9, its alright and expected to arrive at 9 20 or 9 30. If someone is an hour late, try not to get too grumpy about it. Don’t wait to go to dinner until my stomach is grumbling because I know will wait at least an hour for food to be served, we have even wait that long to be asked our order. But its always worth the wait, and allows for more conversation, more relaxation.

    Chat with Chileans. Their Spanish is unique and will take some getting used to, but it reflects their free lifestyle. They speak quickly and loosely. Consonants, especially ‘s’ are never necessary, and vowels kind of slur into one, so things sound like a mumble and it takes a minute to process before responding to what you think they’ve said. Also, their language is full of all sorts of their own words. I’m learning all sorts of new vocabulary. Cachai?---you know? Te cacho.---Got it/I understand. Huevon---dude, but also idiot within a different context. Altiro---right now. Carretera---party, but can also mean just hanging with friends, or also going out on the town...can be used as a verb as well, quereís carretear? o estamos carreteano. Pololo---boyfriend or girlfriend, novio as we know it implies engaged. Po---used all the time, but has no meaning. Chileans also indicate location with a kissy face in the intended direction. If you ask where the supermercado is, they will appear to kiss to the right or left, or up the hill towards it.
  
Wear a fanny pack, but wear it across the chest rather than fanny. I bought mine yesterday. It is funky and fun, but ideal when all you need for the day is the essentials. Its also great for areas where you want your things as close and in sight as possible, like on the metro at rush hour, or walking through a busy weekend afternoon market. I am convinced there is a fanny pack perfect for everyone to be discovered among the markets and boutiques of this city.
  

Love dogs. Strays are everywhere, but they are tail wagging friendly and always game to accompany you on a walk. We have already made many dog friends. And they are all gorgeous and handsome because they are all mutts full of character. I’m going to want to bring one back to the states with me, but its obvious they are more than content roaming the streets, and they’ve got some pretty neat streets to roam.



Now to seize the Santiago sunshine, and wander its streets for my last day before the coast.

Now

So...I have three more days of this before ten months of that. I leave San Fransisco at noon on Tuesday, and by 8:05am Wednesday I'll be in Santiago. Wham. When I put it out there straight, seems simple enough. If it were only a matter of travel time, the transition would be saved much complication, and I'd sleep better these nights, but that's just not how it is. The move involves a whole slosh of thoughts and emotions that I'm pretty sure I can't sort out into anything worth trying to describe. What it all breaks down to is my soul. A soul can be a tricky thing to carry, but I'd obviously never want to lose it. I have an emotional soul, it packs a lot of feeling. Sometimes I get carried away, but I've always felt unrelenting awareness of my deep appreciation for the people and places around me. I embrace this world. As departure gets closer, the more I feel my emotions creeping in and the more I find myself realizing how much I cherish this life. Living feels so great. I am very aware of what I love here and its tough to move away from that, but I want to explore what I will love about there. That's the exciting part. That's why I'm embracing this opportunity. That's why when I think about Chile my mind starts to wander and my heart beats faster. Then tears blur my vision, my emotions won't let excitement keep them down. I try not to wipe them away too quick, they glaze this transition. They stem from my roots, from the part of my soul where I'll keep what I know, what I love, safe as I travel. In that way I'll hold all I love snuggled safe, until I'm with it again, even though right now I can't let it hold me back. Here I'm embracing these moments that are now, and there I'll embrace the moments I'm excited to find myself in.

I'm sure its for moments like this that I'm alive. Despite the threat of rain, my parents and I decided to trek up into Mitchell Canyon and enjoy the supreme beauty that is the Diablo foothills together. Because of them I am alive, because of them I am me, and I could never thank them enough for that. They are also just fantastic people that teach and inspire me, and I always do and always will cherish my time with them. I haven't even left yet and I look forward to their visit. But for today we had a whole mess of fun bouldering and splashing our way up the waterfall ravine.

And this is the great stuff of life.