Machu Picchu y el fin...

After some extensive thought on the matter, I have decided that it is impossible to say “I climbed a freaking mountain!” without appearing as though bragging. After even more extensive thought on the matter, I have also decided that I don’t care if it looks like I’m bragging, because I did in fact climb a freaking mountain and I’m pretty darn proud of myself. It was, without a doubt, the hardest physical thing I have ever done in my (rather sedentary) life.

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is not for the faint of heart: it took us 4 days to hike about 28 miles up into the clouds. Some of the people in my group had run marathons before, and they said that this hike was in a lot of ways harder than a marathon (mostly because of the I-can't-breathe-in-this-altitude thing). I even found out that Katie Couric tried to do this hike and failed, which makes me more awesome than Katie Couric.

The first day was definitely the easiest day; it was mostly rolling hills (which is called “Peruvian flat” by the locals). The only bad part about the first day was my brilliant idea to buckle the chest strap on my backpack (which was set to the tightest setting) right after I climbed a hill, in order to take some pressure off of my back. Turns out that doing this almost immediately cut off all the blood that was pumping to my head, causing me to come pretty darn close to passing out. In addition to seeing some really pretty white lights, I was wobbling worse than Lindsey Lohan leaving a bar. Luckily, there was a vacationing doctor in our group that just happened to be right by me when this all this went down, so I was well taken care of.


Dead Woman's Pass. Those tiny dots
in the middle are people.



The second day of the hike can only be described self-inflicted misery: 5 miles straight up to an altitude of 14,000 feet via the appropriately named “Dead Woman’s Pass” and 2 more miles straight down. I basically spent the entire first part of the day regretting every decision that got me to that point, while at the same time hoping that sweet death would spare me from having to take one more step up that bloody mountain. Miraculously, I eventually made it to the top of “Dead Woman’s Pass” (named for the mountain formation that looks like a very well-endowed lady taking a nap) without actually becoming a dead woman myself. The rest of the day was completely downhill to camp. I’m not sure if it’s because my body was just so happy to not be going uphill anymore, but this downhill business turned out to be my forte: I rock-hopped my way down that mountain like a mountain goat and was the first one in my group back to camp that night!

Day three wasn’t a bowl of giggles either; our guide Jose called it “The Gringo Killer” since the entire stinkin day was nothing but downhill on stupidly steep Incan steps. All my zeal for going downhill from the day before disappeared about 2 hours after we left camp that morning when my knees decided that they hated me. On top of everything else, there was some never-ending rain that made the whole day a broken ankle waiting to happen (luckily I had my trusty Gandalf walkin stick to keep that from happening). On the bright side, we saw some really excellent views and some Incan ruins. Even so, when this day was over my body hurt like I had been stabbed by a thousand spoons.

Yeah. It was amazing.

The fourth day began at the very un-Caroline hour of 3:30 am. This was the day when we hiked the final stretch of the trail to Machu Picchu. The first part of the hike wasn’t bad at all and was filled with some of the most amazing views of the sun rising over the mountains and the cloud forest. Eventually we stumbled upon the final “Gringo Killer” which was basically a rock wall with tiny steps straight up. Finally, we made it to the “Sun Gate” that faced Machu Picchu over a valley. I would be lying if I said that pure exhaustion and relief didn’t make me shed a few tears when I saw Machu Picchu for the first time. When we finally reached Machu Picchu, we took some time to do the obligatory photo shoot and then had a two hour tour of the city. There is no way that anything I could write would do the place justice, so just believe me when I say that you should go if you ever get the chance. Probably the only down side of my time at Machu Picchu was the overwhelming amount of tourists; it was like an ancient ruins version of Walt Disney World. I immediately resented the lot of them for being well dressed and showered while I was smellier and sweatier than a hobo.

A side-note on camping: I don’t like it. Give me a shower and a Holiday Inn and I’m a happy Caroline.

After I got back to Iquique I only had a week left before I would take a plane back to Santiago. My last week was spent saying goodbye to all of the friends I met, bonding with Mateo, and having the most awesome going away ceremony thrown for me at my school. They even gave me my own school uniform! The kids were really sweet and gave me lots of little goodbye notes; I can honestly say that I will miss them and am so glad that I was able to be there to help motivate them to learn some English.

Saying goodbye to my host family was especially difficult. I gave them all some little Texas gifts that my wonderful family sent me from home, and they were super excited (especially my host dad when he was introduced to a beer koozie for the first time). I even gave Mateo a festive holiday sweater to add to his closet, as well as an enormous doggie biscuit in the shape of Texas that said “Woof, y’all” on it. He seemed pleased. I will definitely miss my host family and my wonderful co-teacher Isabel; they welcomed me and cared for me like they had known me my entire life.

I caught my plane back to Santiago on the 24th to attend the closing ceremony of the English Opens Doors program at the United Nations headquarters. Now that the program has officially ended, I have moved into my buddy Melissa’s apartment in Santiago until December 7th, when I fly back to Texas. Melissa and I are planning on doing a little travelling to the towns surrounding Santiago as well as a 5 day trip to Mendoza, Argentina next week. I will be doing a final post after that to let you know how awesome it is :-)

I've uploaded all of my Machu Picchu pictures and my going-away pictures from Iquique to my online photo album. You can see them by going to http://carolineenlaciudad.photoshop.com/. Enjoy! Until next time, here is the philosophical question of the day:

Why do they call it a TV set when you only get one?

-Caroline

P.S. – To those of you feeling sorry for me for missing Thanksgiving, fear not: I brought the turkey-lovin’ down to Santiago! Melissa and I bought a 10 pound turkey (which was pretty difficult to find) and named him Juanito. We bought all the stuff to do my grandmother’s fantastic recipes of dressing, broccoli with olive butter, pan gravy, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Since neither pre-made pie crust nor canned pumpkins exist in Chile, the pie was really a labor of love. In the end, everything turned out delicious and I got to share my Thanksgiving traditions with 3 Mexicans, 1 Colombian, and a Chilean. They loved it!

Juanito gave his life so that
I could have my Chilean Thanksgiving.
Gracias Juanito!

¿Dulce o Truco?

Some of my kids dancing to the Monster Mash with some
Thriller moves thrown in. They love my class.

Halloween is not popular in Chile. In fact, it only made its way down from the United States about 10 years ago and has been slowly growing in popularity ever since. Since my lesson last week in class was about Halloween and all of the fun vocabulary that goes with it, I was able to see which kids were very pro-Halloween and which kids were being told by their parents that it is evil pagan celebration. Even so, none of the kids seemed to mind when I played the Monster Mash and attempted to do the dance from Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. I was even invited to a couple of different Halloween parties this weekend. Cursing the fact that I left my German fraulein dress from last year at home, I went with a friend to Iquique’s largest flea market to costume hunt. After 4 hours of digging through a glorified garage sale, I encountered a lightly used Alice in Wonderland dress that I found to be perfectly analogous to my time here in Chile. Not only was my costume a hit, but I also had a lot of fun telling people that I was “Alicia en el pais de las maravillas”.



Me in my costume (over my clothes) 
after I triumphantly found it at
 the flea market. That chick in the
background is totally jealous. 



Last week I had my “Big Show” with all the kids and all the fairy tales and all the stress. We had a room full of about 65 parents and at least 2 babies who were consistently crying throughout the whole thing (I like to think they were just overwhelmed with the sheer brilliance of the show). Other than an epic battle I had with the sound system and a few forgotten lines, it went really well. For your viewing enjoyment, I have uploaded some of the acts to YouTube. Since the kids were speaking a delightful hybrid of English and Spanish, you probably won’t be able to understand much of the dialog. Regardless, the kids looked pretty darn cute in their costumes and seemed to have had a good time.

Here’s the link to the Three Little Pigs – those guys at the beginning are the “Three Stooges” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIIyD2rEACg



Here’s the link to Aladdin. As long as you don’t mind horribly off-key renditions of “A Whole New World”, you will probably enjoy it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE5kE8V9tlE

And finally, here’s the link to Little Red Riding Hood; please note the great pause before the music starts at the end and know that I was backstage whispering obscenities to the antiquated sound system: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXO5I2LNHCo

Okay, so in previous posts I have mentioned my desire to do some traveling around South America, specifically to Machu Picchu. Well, in five days I am doing just that… albeit in a bit of a different way than I had previously thought. Those of you who know me know that I am not the most outdoorsy type of gal; my idea of “roughing it” is to stay in a 10 bed hostel dorm with a shared bathroom. However, I am about to take a big friggin leap outside of the Caroline Comfort Zone onto the Inca Trail… 4 days and 3 nights on the Inca Trail to be exact. That means that I will be hiking (gasp!) and sleeping in a tent (double gasp!) and going without a shower for a few days longer than is socially appropriate. Yes, that’s right: there will be no luxury train up to Machu Picchu for this girl; I am hiking 28 miles (through a very reliable tour company, so you won’t have to worry) up the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Will there be pain? Yes. Will there be blisters? Probably. Will I be sick from the altitude? Most definitely. But, upon my survival of this crazy trip, I will be able to say that I hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and not many people can say that. So, during the days of November 9-12, I ask that you send positive energy my way as I attempt something that is so very far outside of my comfort zone. Also, if you would like to send some Icy-Hot alongside that positive energy, I know that my aching body will thank you for it after the 12th.

So, next time you hear from me I will (hopefully) be able to share all the ups and downs of my climb to Machu Picchu (pun intended). Until then, here’s the philosophical question of the day:

If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes?"

-Caroline

¡Chi, Chi, Chi, Le, Le, Le, Los Mineros de Chile!

Chile's President and one of the rescued miners.

What a crazy week to be in Chile! During what I’ve decided to call “Miner Fest 2010”, all of Chile has been entranced with what’s going on in the desert. Outside of the city of Copiapó (which is where I originally thought I would be living) 33 miners were stuck underground for 69 days while rescue workers drilled a super deep hole to get them out. Last week you couldn’t leave the house without getting a play-by-play of the rescue process. When they finally took out the first miner last Wednesday night, the whole country went nuts. I was watching the whole thing from my room and suddenly I heard the whole block cheering, horns honking, fireworks popping, and bells ringing. I would be lying if I said I didn’t get a little teary eyed… Viva Chile!

So ever since I got back from San Pedro, I haven’t really taught actual classes. Instead, I have been given the role of “Theater Teacher Caroline” since I am now in charge of preparing the students for a big show that we are having this Thursday. In what has creatively been titled “The Big Show”, the students will perform (in English) numbers from Aladdin, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and the Three Little Pigs. As much as I love yelling stage directions at a room full of hyperactive kids, I will be very happy to return to regular classes so that I am once again Miss Caroline, ruler of the classroom and maintainer of scholastic peace.

I am in the process of making plans for some upcoming travelling, and will post the final details later this week. In other news, Mateo has a new sweater this week. This little gym is covered in teddy bears that are wearing ribbons of various colors around their necks; fear not, a photo will be posted soon.

Also, I have added new photos and a video to my online photo album. You can see them by going to http://carolineenlaciudad.photoshop.com/ and clicking on the album called “More Iquique” and the video called “Gypsy Dance”. Enjoy!

So, until next time, here’s the philosophical question of the day:

Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile

San Pedro de Awesome

Just another day in the life...

So San Pedro de Atacama was, to say the least, awesome. As promised, I got to enjoy watching llamas (and their pocket-sized cousins called vicuñas) run free through the hilly country expanses. I can’t quite explain how my newfound fascination with llamas came to be, but I am, in short, slightly obsessed with the wooly beasts. Not only do they have eyelashes that bare no small resemblance to those of Ms. Liza Minnelli, but they also have an air approachability that I have yet to find in any other domesticated livestock. Sure, they have a tendency to spit without warning – but so does my brother and I love him all the same. Basically, I want to bring one home with me and name him Pancho, but I have a feeling that the United States Border Control would have a few things to say about it. Instead, I’m going to load up on winter-wear accessories woven out of llama wool to gift to my friends and family upon my triumphant return to the States in December. If you fall into the “Caroline’s Family and Friends” category, prepare to get llamafied.

All attempts to keep warm were futile.

While in San Pedro I had the delightful opportunity to wake up at the black hour of 3:30 am in order to take a 2 hour bus ride through some windy, unpaved, and bumpy roads into the middle of the desert. Why would I, notorious avoider of all things that invoke motion sickness, do such a thing? Geysers. Lots and lots of geysers. Although I was intensely regretting this decision as I was praying to the gods of Dramamine on the bus, I’m definitely glad I went. The reason we had to get there so bloody early is because in the early morning the temperature at the park is about 10˚F, which makes the steam from the geysers especially impressive. My only regret is not wearing an additional pair of pants, as my legs decided to lose all feeling about 10 minutes into the tour.

Flamingos in the desert. Who knew?

Finally, San Pedro’s last gift to me was the gift of flamingos. We visited the Salar de Atacama (salt flats), which came fully equipped with a couple of lakes full of the little guys. Apparently the shrimpy things that turn our feathered friends the color of bubble gum just love the salty water in this part of the desert. Seeing the flamingos awkwardly fly off into the sunset (which I didn’t previously know they could do, by the way) was a delightful way to end a delightful trip.

When I got back to Iquique on the 17th, I had a boatload of Bicentennial fun waiting for me. As I mentioned in my previous posts, Chileans really know how to throw a party. I was lucky enough to get not just 1, but 3 days of parties with delicious asados (barbeques), wine, and other traditional dishes. We even had a Pictionary throw-down (in which my host-sister and I came out victorious) as well as a Bingo-esque game called Lotería. With about 30 family members of all ages taking part in such festivities, it was definitely a memorable experience. They even introduced me to their time-honored tradition of drunkenly writing and reciting short poems (called payas), which always end in ambiguously dirty double-meanings. Viva Chile!

Thanks to 3 days of channeling my inner Anthony Bourdain and trying new foods that most Americans wouldn’t normally touch, I have spent the last week battling an infection in my intestines (I will let your mind wander with what all that entails). Thanks to some gut-wrenching pains and an inability to eat more than a few crackers and broth, I finally conceded to a doctor’s visit and got to experience the grandeur of Clínica Iquique for the first time. 2 hours and one very uncomfortable test later, I walked away with some antibiotics and a specialized menu of nothing but bland food for the following week. Oh, the price of adventurous eating…

Well, as it is now past my bedtime, I will leave you with the philosophical question of the day:

If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile

P.S. – I’ve added lots of pictures from my trip to San Pedro to my online photo album. You can see them by going to http://carolineenlaciudad.photoshop.com and clicking the album called "San Pedro and Chile's Bicentennial". I recommend clicking "Slide Show" to look at all of them with their captions. Enjoy!

A new week, a new Mateo sweater. I especially like this one because
it has a "Mr. Rogers" feel to it.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Chile!

I gotta say, these Chileans really know how to celebrate a holiday. I haven’t had school since September 8th and don’t have to go back until September 21st. Why? Because September 18th is Chile’s 200th birthday, which obviously requires an entire week of celebration. Last week in class I taught the kids about our Independence Day compared to theirs; they couldn’t believe we only celebrate for one day… they actually felt sorry for me haha.

Given my abundance of free time, I’ve decided to take a little trip down south for a few days. I’m meeting my buddy Melissa in a city called Antofagasta and then travelling with her to San Pedro de Atacama. San Pedro is supposed to be a really beautiful spot in the Atacama Desert (according to Google). From what I understand, it not only has some really neat salt flats, geysers, and valleys – it also has some randomly displaced flamingos and llamas that run free. And I might actually get to go horseback riding in the desert; as much as West Texas might seem like a barren desert sometimes, this will definitely be a new experience for me.

Last Friday I made my host family a Mexican food feast (thanks to my wonderful care package from Grandmary). Since I didn’t have the right type of chili to make enchilada sauce, I ended up making them a kind of taco casserole. They seemed to really enjoy it, but I think they were a little overwhelmed by the presence of actual flavor. Needless to say, I’m missing food from home.

I’ve been talking with one of the other volunteers here, and I think I’m going to plan a trip to Machu Picchu for the beginning of November since it would be cheaper to leave from Iquique than Santiago. If that works out, then I will probably only hit up Argentina (and maybe Uruguay) when my program ends on November 24th. So, there is a distinct possibility that I will be back in Texas for Christmas… which also means that there is a distinct possibility you will get to buy me a Christmas gift :-).

In other news, Mateo went to the groomers and was completely shaved. Now he’s about a third of his previous size, which means that all of his sweaters are too big and make him look like he has an eating disorder. I’ve uploaded photos of Mateo as well as some from my wanderings around Iquique. You can look at them on my online album at http://carolineenlaciudad.photoshop.com/. Just click the album called “Iquique!” to see what I’ve been up to. You can also check out the album called “Video of Cueca” to watch a video of Chile’s national dance that I filmed at a folk-dance festival. It's an especially entertaining video since one of the dancers gets a little too fancy with his footwork and actually wipes out at the end. Enjoy!

I suppose I should start packing for my trip now, seeing as how I leave in about 5 hours. Rest assured that upon my return I will have plenty of photos and stories from my trip to San Pedro, and hopefully even a tan. So, until next time, here’s the philosophical question of the day:

Why don't sheep shrink in the rain?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile

"Por favor, Bob necesita su ayuda."

Guaco (my host mom) is holding the cake,
 and Danny (host sister) snuck into the background.

So the birthday party that my host family threw me was fantastic. Not only were they able to find decorations that actually said “Happy Birthday” (not “Feliz Cumpleaños”) but they made me tacos and got me a huge birthday cake (filled with my new favorite food called manjar – a dulce de leche that will knock your socks off). When it came time to sing Happy Birthday, my host-sister’s boyfriend pulled a guitar out of nowhere and I was serenaded. I fully expect my friends to learn how to play guitar so that next year I can be serenaded for my birthday yet again… I’m talkin’ to you Petross and Utley.

I felt like a little Gringa princess on my birthday...
they really went all out.

Nothing too notable happened last week at school. I taught the different names of animals and had the students play Animal Pictionary. Probably the most entertaining part of this game was being asked by the kids how to say “chupacabra” in English. This week’s lesson isn’t so easy: I’m teaching how to give and take directions so that they would be able to find their way around an English-speaking city. I drew a map of a little city that I shamelessly named “Carolineville” so that they can give directions to my friend Bob (a poorly drawn little man driving a blue sports car that is also poorly drawn). Occasionally Bob makes it to his destination with the student’s help, but mostly he spends the class getting directions shouted at him in Spanish since the students have a hard time understanding Bob isn’t bilingual. We’re still working on the whole English part of learning English…

Carolineville and the forever-lost Bob...

So, I came to Chile with the idea that after the program ends on November 24 I would spend the month of December travelling through other parts of South America. Forever the optimist, I was just sure that I would be able to hit up Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, and even Uruguay if I was feeling sassy. When I was in Europe I was able to go all over the place because airfare there was so darn cheap, so I just assumed that it would be the same in South America. Turns out South America is a little bit bigger than Europe; a plane ticket from Buenos Aires to Lima costs about $400 on a good day. So needless to say, I’m in the process of revising my plans. Once I have some set in stone, I’m sure I’ll update the ole’ blog to complain about how expensive everything is, so get excited!

Gracias a Dios, now I have a candle!

Yesterday I got my first care package from home. Nothing can make a crummy day turn right around like a care package. My wonderful stepmother and father sent me an enormous box full of things to make my room cozier; now my walls are rocking some excellent artwork. Plus they sent me candles, which are the best gifts I could ever ask for right now – as much as I adore the ball of fluff that is Mateo, he tends to leave a puppy stench behind that room spray struggles to mask.

Overall I’m starting to get comfortable in my new home here. I no longer have a panic attack when a curious taxi driver strikes up a conversation with me – my Spanish has gone into survival mode and I don’t have nearly as hard of a time understanding everyone now (even though it’s still no walk in the park). My day-to-day has settled into a comfortable pattern that allows time for my favorite part of Latin culture: siestas. I also have started going to a little gym that is a hilarious hodge-podge of equipment from the past 30 years (including some really excellent posters of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his glory days which threaten to “Pump You Up”). I don’t really go for the equipment though; there is an aerobics class called “Fight-Do” which is a scary mix of boxing and karate that made me hurt for a solid 3 days after I took it, which I think means that it was good. The only drawback is that the music in the class is played at concert-level decibels and could very possibly damage my hearing… but no pain no gain, right?

Ok well it’s getting late, and since I’m waking up every morning at 6:30 am (which I know is hard for my family to believe) I better tuck in. So, until next time, here’s the philosophical question of the day:

If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?

-Caroline

Advisor Abroad in Chile

**Update: I just went to the gym to what I thought was another Fight-Do class. About 30 minutes into it, I was utterly confused by the abundance of hip-shaking and the sheer lack of air-punching. Turns out I unknowingly showed up to a “RitMix” dance class which showcased all the best steps from Samba, Tango, and Salsa. Yes, that’s right: I was forced to dance in front of a room full of wonderful Latin dancers. I’m probably the most rhythmless person I have ever met. The teacher (a sassy little man in neon spandex) kept pointing me out to the rest of the class to demonstrate how not to do things… it was lovely. However, the absolute highlight of my week came at the end of our class during our cool-down: our teacher instructed us in a “sexy dance” to a Shania Twain song that involved us slinging our jackets over our shoulders. Best cool-down ever. Needless to say, I definitely double checked that tomorrow’s 4 pm class would actually be Fight-Do…

"Simon dice toca tu nariz... otra vez"

Today is my 23rd birthday. Yes, it’s my first birthday away from the States, but I have a feeling that I won’t be feeling any homesickness because of it. My host family has decided to throw me a party tomorrow with tacos because they know how much I love Mexican food. On top of that, I might be making a little trip to the Casino tonight; it’s a proven fact that people are 47% more lucky on their birthdays :-) . Plus the Casino here is super inexpensive by US standards; last time I went, I only took out about $10 in coins and only lost about $2 after 3 hours of gambling… and that’s with a significant amount of losing.
This past weekend I went to a town about 2 hours away from Iquique called Pica. Overall it was a very relaxing weekend, save the presence of an inquisitive 8 year old (the granddaughter of my co-teacher) who didn’t understand the concept of “speak slowly for the Gringa because her Spanish isn’t the best”. It was interesting to go on a road trip in the desert; sure, I know that deserts are supposed to be dry, but good grief – there was nothing but sand, hills, and more sand. Also, this desert (the Atacama Desert to be precise) is the driest in the world – there are some places that have no recorded rainfall in history. Seriously.

So far school has been going well. Last week we worked on learning parts of the body. Of course, no Parts of the Body lesson would be complete without singing “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and a game of “Simon Says”. Over the course of the week, I probably sang that song over 100 times; it will be years before I can bring myself to sing it again. Also, Simon is permanently retired; he gave out more orders last week than an army drill sergeant and has nothing more to say. Every week I am teaching the kids a new slang word so that they can keep up with the American vernacular like pros. Last week our word was “Sweet!” and this week it was “Dude!” I definitely made sure that they understood the diversity of the word “dude”, as it can be used in anger, confusion, excitement, and utter sorrow. They also enjoyed my impression of Keanu Reeves from “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” as I demonstrated the theatrical application of the word “dude”. I’m still debating over what the slang word next week should be; if any of you have suggestions, let me know.

Ok, well I’m off to go do some shopping and other frivolous activities because it’s my birthday and I’m allowed. So, until next time, here’s my philosophical question of the day:

Is there another word for synonym?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile

P.S. – My host family changed Mateo’s sweater this week. As shocked as I was and as much as I miss the plaid, he’s looking quite dapper in his new tan sweater, especially because it is accented with doggie footprints and stripes.

**Update** Last night my family and I went to an aunt's house because one of the cousins was having her birthday too. There was a huge (delicious) strawberry cake that they had made for her, and my family made sure that everyone knew it was my birthday too. After she blew out her candles, they added 1 more candle (because she turned 22) and lit them again. Amazingly, a room of about 20 Chileans started singing "Happy Birthday" to me in English. Absolutely delightful.

Also, I won $10 at the Casino... then I lost it all and had the best time doing it :-)

“Conoces a Miley Cyrus?”

Well, since my last update a lot has happened. Firstly (and most importantly) I found out my placement. I’m in Iquique (woot!) and really like it so far. I’ve been here a week and am definitely relieved to be out of the hostel. When I got here my host family still had another volunteer living with them, so I lived in a hotel for the first 3 days. After a week of sharing space with so many people, it was nice to have a little respite in the hotel. Plus there was a television with cable in my room, which is always a plus.

Mateo and his plaid sweater.

I moved in with my host family last Thursday and couldn’t be happier. I literally struck the host family jackpot: these people are so sweet and are well trained in the art of housing volunteers. I’m their fourth volunteer; they love having volunteers and even have an altar-like corner of their kitchen covered with photos of the past volunteers. I’ve already been informed that I will soon be a part of the volunteer altar as well. The members of my new family are the following: Guacolda (Guaco for short) is the mother. She is a teacher who works at two different schools and, because of this, is super busy during the week. She told me to call her “Mamá” so I definitely feel right at home. Miguel is the father – he works with a concrete company and is also super busy during the day. I have a host sister named Daniela (Danny for short) and she’s 25. She works at Brinks Security and attends a university at night. And, as an added bonus she speaks some English! I also have a host brother named Cristobal who is 23 and is studying mining at the university. Also, we have an abuelita (little grandmother) who lives in a room by the kitchen. I really haven’t seen much of her; she stays in her room all day and watches old movies. Finally, we have Mateo the dog. He’s more of a Dennis the Menace character than anything else: he’s a master thief of socks, shoes, and jewelry. Apparently he’s never been naked a day in his life; he’s been wearing the same plaid sweater ever since he was a puppy. During the daytime there is a maid named Sandra who comes to cook lunch, do laundry, and clean. She’s super nice and was delighted to find out that I’d rather have soup than eat meat everyday.

Where my captive audience sits...

School has been great so far. For the first 4 days I was just observing the classes to see what they were like. Needless to say, classroom dynamics here are a tad different than in the United States; the concept of “sit down and listen” doesn’t really apply. My first day I was a little taken aback because the students were literally walking all over the classroom during the majority of the class; they were talking to their friends and listening to their iPods while Isabel (my co-teacher) was busy yelling at them to shut up and listen. I actually started teaching classes yesterday; I have my own classroom (which is pretty sweet by the way) and only get the 10 best students from every class. So far this system is working out pretty well. So far I’ve surprised myself with how teachery I can be. I’ve even been wearing cardigans that could possibly be described as teacher sweaters (gasp!). Also, all my students think that I have met famous people. I’ve been asked if I know Miley Cyrus, Justin Beiber, Michael Jackson, and the Jonas Brothers at least 40 times.

My desk and white board.

Today at school we had a tsunami drill. At first I didn’t understand that it was a drill and almost had a panic attack; my school is right by the beach and apparently we will only have about 10 minutes after a tsunami advisory to get to higher ground before the tsunami hits. Once the bell sounded, the students knew exactly what to do and took me to the middle of the school where everyone is supposed to meet. It’s comforting to know that the entire school can be ready to get to higher ground in about 2 minutes.

A view of my classroom.

Chile culture is pretty entertaining. Probably my favorite part about their version of Spanish is the fact that they make everything small: bread is not just bread, it’s tiny bread (pancito). They do the same thing to cheese (quesito), tea (tecito), and pretty much everything else (I have been called Carolinita on more than one occasion). Also, they use the word “po” in almost every sentence. What does it mean? Well, nothing really; it kind of gives emphasis to other words though. For example, they like to say “Sí, po”, which I’m pretty sure means “heck yeah”. It’s definitely entertaining to listen to.

My list of rules. Yes, that's right: I am now an authority figure.

This weekend I’m going to a small town by Iquique called Pica with my co-teacher Isabel and her family. They have a house there and I think the plan is just to relax. Apparently it’s a really pretty little town, so I’m sure I’ll have a good time.

I’ve added some pictures from Santiago to my online photo album. You can look at them at http://carolineenlaciudad.photoshop.com/. Once you’re at the website, select the Santiago album and then you can view it in a slide show via the buttons that have little blue squares on them in the lower right side. I haven’t taken too many photos in Iquique yet, but rest assured that some will be posted soon. So, until next time, here’s the philosophical question of the day:

Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice?"

-Caroline

Advisor Abroad in Chile

Orientación…

My first meal in Chile: a sandwich called the Barros Luco.
It's named after a former president who just
loved his meat and cheese sandwiches. He and I have
that in common.

Well, 2 days of Orientation have passed without a hitch. The official name of this program that I’m doing is English Opens Doors (which will henceforth be referred to as EOD) and is put on by the Government of Chile, who is partnered with Cultural Embrace in Austin. The people running EOD are a fun group of Chileans, American ex-pats, and a delightfully random Kiwi from New Zealand. So far Orientation has consisted of several workshops on classroom management and lesson planning (which for a novice like myself will prove to be invaluable).

What wasn’t so fun was today’s presentation on health safety; although super informative, it had to address the nasty little subjects of earthquakes and tsunamis. For those of you who know me well, you know that I have a teensy bit of anxiety when it comes to storms/natural disasters… and when I say teensy, I mean a lot. As a kid, I was the paranoid freak wearing a football helmet while hiding in the hall closet with a handheld radio and a flashlight whenever there was a tornado watch. Turns out I never really got over it (I blame my mother for forcing me to go with her when she was trying her hand as an amateur storm-chaser). Anyways, needless to say that during today’s presentation I was a bit on edge. We were told that there are often earthquake tremors in the north, especially in Iquique – in fact, they had one 2 weeks ago (I think it was a 5.6). They tried to tell us that this was a good thing because it means that the earth is releasing its built up stress regularly instead of being quiet for years and going absolutely nuts like it did in southern Chile in February. Stay tuned for the blog that comes after I experience my first tremor: I have a feeling that I will have a hard time seeing it as a good thing then. They also said that there are several tsunami drills in Iquique over the course of the year without warning so that people will always be on their toes. The blog that I write the day after I’m woken up at 3 a.m. and told to run for the hills should be a delightful read as well.

The view from Melissa's window of her new apartment.
Yeah, those are the Andes.

After Orientation I’ve been able to hang out with the girls that I’m rooming with as well as Melissa, my new friend from Mexico. Luckily, she was able to find an apartment that has an AMAZING view of Santiago (I’m talking postcard worthy). In our free time we’ve mostly been walking around the city while trying new places for meals and sightseeing – I feel like the blisters I’ve gotten from the countless miles that I’ve walked in my new shoes are necessary evils because I’ve seen a lot of Santiago and have eaten really amazing food so far. These Chileans love their meat; Texans can rest assured that they will feel right at home here (not to mention that their national flag is pretty darn close to the Texan flag).

Some of my new friends: Melissa (left) from Mexico and
Amanda (right) from Houston

Since I got here about 2 days before everyone else and have had some time to learn the streets of Santiago, I’ve been elected the unofficial city navigator among my little group of friends. I find this hilarious because I’m never the person who volunteers to carry the map and find out where to go; I’m a very content follower and leave the ‘taking charge’ role to my friends like Emily Quant :-). Even so, I’ve not gotten too terribly lost yet and I’m pretty darn proud of myself. I just can’t get over the fact that people keep asking me how to get places and I actually know… it’s the darndest thing. Also, while going through the streets of Santiago, one can’t help but notice the huge number of stray dogs wandering all over the place. Although this fact makes me pretty sad since it forces me to imagine my Buddy as a jaded little street-wiener, I am comforted by the fact that some dog-loving Chileans have taken it upon themselves to equip about 90% of the street dogs with their own little doggie sweaters so that they can stay warm – these are probably some of the most chic homeless pooches in the world.

Hostel living hasn’t been too bad so far; it’s no Holiday Inn, but it has free internet and hot water so I’m moderately comfortable. There are only 3 girls living with me in this little room and they are all super nice. Even so, living in such close quarters has some drawbacks. Since I know that I’m not someone who can sleep through loud snoring, I came prepared with earplugs. However, there is some snoring so thunderous that even earplugs can’t block it out, and because of this I’m about to take a much-needed siesta. Until next time, here’s your philosophical question of the day:

If God sneezed, what would you say to him?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile

¡Estoy aquí!

After a 3 hour flight from Dallas to Atlanta, a 3 hour layover, and a 10 hour flight to Santiago, I finally got here yesterday! And it’s cold. Really cold. Right now it’s about 46˚ and tonight it’s supposed to get down to 28˚. And it’s raining. I have about 4 blankets on my bed right now because the hostel doesn’t have central heating and my bed is right by the window. Considering all the complaining I did about the Texas heat, you would think I would be happy. Turns out that being super cold isn’t all rainbows and hugs either.

I had a really interesting cab ride from the airport. The cab driver picked up on my gringa-tastic Spanish and the fact that it was my first time in Santiago and decided that he could make some money off of me. $80,000 Chilean Pesos seemed a little high to me anyways, but thanks to the tiny calculator in my wallet, I found out that it was about $160 USD for a 20 minute cab ride. That guy really thought that I was an idiot. He even called his boss/fellow con-artist while he was driving so that I would really see that $80,000 was a good rate. I told him I wasn’t paying him any more than $20,000 and that even that was too generous. He told me that he would at least need $30,000 so he wouldn’t get in trouble with his office. Since I just wanted to get the heck out of that cab, I gave it to him. Caroline’s first lesson in Chile: don’t trust the taxi drivers.

After I got here yesterday, I was lucky enough to get a temporary roommate who turned out to be awesome: Melissa from Mexico. She’s in Santiago as part of a study abroad program with her university in Mexico. She and I did some exploring of Santiago yesterday while looking for an apartment for her to rent. It makes me feel so much better that Melissa, a native Spanish speaker, is having a super hard time understanding what these crazy Chileans are saying. Having her around is like having Spanish training wheels; it’s been great exploring Santiago with her. We even tested out the metro, which turned out to be one of the cleanest that I’ve ever been on (it puts Chicago’s to shame). Unfortunately the hostel is full for tonight so she just had to move to another one across town.

Ok, well I’m about to hop in my 2 ft x 2 ft shower before I go explore the city for some lunch. I’m excited about orientation starting soon! But more than anything, I can’t wait to get up north to my new home in (hopefully) Iquique. I’m sure I’ll post another update before the week is over! Here’s the philosophical question of the day:

Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile

Tarapacá...

Today marks the 2 week countdown until I leave for Chile. Good grief. Every time I start to think about what I should pack, a storm cloud of information overload threatens and my brain goes into self-preservation mode (which typically results in a nap). Rather than focusing on silly things like packing, I’ve chosen to be productive in ways that don’t require me to think too much. For example, I will inevitably need several new playlists on my iPod, and choosing new music is not a task that should be taken lightly. Also, I decided to get my International Driver’s Permit just in case I need to rent a car. After my Russia fiasco, I’ve decided that it’s best to have as many transportation options as possible while traveling.

A View of Iquique... I really want to be placed there!!!

I just got an email from the Chilean Ministry of Education saying that my regional placement in Chile is in the Tarapacá Region. Since I was thinking that it was going to be in the Atacama region, I’ve not bothered to learn about any of the other regions. I just did some frantic Googling and learned a little bit about the region thanks to the always useful Wikipedia. It’s located in the “Big North” of Chile and is divided into 2 provinces. Since I don’t know exactly which town I’ll be in until I go to orientation in Santiago, I can only guess where I’ll end up. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I end up in the town of Iquique. It’s the capital of the region and seems to be pretty awesome. It’s located right on the water and seems to be metropolitan and very well developed. I don’t mind small cities, but I’d much prefer to be in a bigger one; mostly because it would be more likely to have a movie theatre, which is always nice if I’m feeling homesick.

My book on Chilean Spanish... really entertaining

I’ve gotten very lazy with my Spanish practice and I just know that I will regret it once I get off the plane in Santiago. I bought a book of Chilean Spanish called “Chilenismos”. As far as I can tell, Chilean Spanish is going to eat me alive. Although the book is full of super entertaining Chilean slang (especially the section labeled “The Profane and Sexual”… I’m not proud of the amount of giggling I did), the introduction of the book didn’t serve to boost my Spanish confidence. It says that Chilean Spanish is so difficult to understand that most native speakers have trouble understanding it. It even says that oftentimes Chilean movies have standard Spanish subtitles when they are released into other Spanish-speaking countries. Although the Spanish Department at Baylor was more than wonderful, I don’t think it has prepared me for what I’m about to encounter…

So, the next time you will get an update from me will probably be when I get to Santiago since I'm about to go into a panicked preperation mode for Chile while attempting to re-learn high school math for the GRE. Rest assured that these entries will be much more frequent and entertaining once I have interesting things to talk about during my adventures in South America. So, until next time, here’s the philosophical question of the day:

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile

Las cosas importantes...

So, in about a month and a week I’ll be on my way to Santiago. Am I jazzed beyond belief? Yes. Am I in any way prepared? Not hardly. I tend to be one of those wait-til-the-last-minute kind of gals, so it’s not surprising that I haven’t done too much. Starting this week, I’m going to try to pick up the pace a little bit though. That "Culture Kit" that Cultural Embrace sent me contained a fairly detailed packing list, gracias a Dios. I’m sure this will be invaluable for someone as disorganized as myself.

I remember that when I was in Spain for 5 months last year, there were some very specific things that I missed terribly from the US (not including my friends and family… that’s a given). Since I only have about a month before I pack up and head off to Chile, I feel the need to make a list of those things so that I can make a point to enjoy them to the fullest before I fly out.

1) Carpet – My Señora in Spain only had tiled floor… and so help me if my feet weren’t cold most of the time. You don’t realize how precious warm feet are until they are taken from you. My sock monkey house slippers just couldn’t compare to some nice warm carpet. I’m not sure what the Chilean policy is on carpet, but I am definitely hoping that they are pro-carpet.

2) Tex-Mex Food – Anyone who has ever had a truly amazing Tex-Mex meal knows what I’m talking about. Sure, Madrid had a few “Tex-Mex” restaurants, but when you’re that far away from the real thing, the authenticity suffers. Now, I’ve not been to Asia (yet), but I’m sure my Tex-Mex problem can be compared to living in China your whole life and then coming to the middle of Texas and having a meal at a “Chinese” restaurant and being served Sweet and Sour Chicken swimming in unnaturally red translucent sauce. Delicious? Yes. Authentic? Probably not… that color of red doesn’t exist in nature. Anyways, Tex-Mex food is something that is near and dear to my heart. I thought about it weekly while in Spain and demanded that my family immediately take me to the closest Tex-Mex restaurant possible once they picked me up from the airport. They did and it was amazing. I’m hoping that since we’re on the same hemisphere, Chile will know a thing or two about some decent Tex-Mex… but if not, está bien… distance only makes the heart grow fonder.

My first Tex-Mex meal back in the States after I left the airport. Sublime.

3) My Weenie Dog – His name is Buddy and he’s the best dog in the world. I know you probably think your dog is pretty awesome, and maybe even the best in the world. However, since you’ve never met Buddy, your ignorance is understandable. His cuteness is only rivaled by his ability to love unconditionally. He’s melted the hearts of many a grown man, and I’m quite confident that no one is immune to his charms. My Señora in Spain didn’t have any pets, but she did have a stuffed turtle named Juanita. Unfortunately, Juanita was not familiar with the art of loving unconditionally. If I’m lucky, my Chilean family will have some sort of pet (hopefully not a bird... I can't handle the squawking). Anything will do really, just something that is lovable enough to lessen the pain of my Buddy withdrawal. At least Buddy has already agreed to Skype with me often…

Two great things in one picture: The Magnificent Buddy and the fantastic carpet from my Grandparent's house.

4) My Car – Don’t get me wrong; I love to walk and, provided that it’s reasonably clean and safe, I’m a big fan of public transportation (global warming and all that…) I didn’t really miss driving during the first few months of being abroad, but I came to find out that there was really no private place for me to belt out singing without there being people nearby to annoy. Bad singing is one of the perks of driving around, although most people don’t consciously recognize its significance. The desire to belt-out only became more painfully strong when I was walking the streets of Madrid while listening to my iPod. Without a car to encapsulate the rocking-out, one runs the risk of blowing the minds of others with sheer talent. Being a visitor to a foreign country, I wasn’t sure of the consequences of mind-blowing, so I refrained from public singing. You can bet that when I got back home to my car (it’s name is Corollatron: by day it’s a mild-mannered Toyota Corolla, by night it’s a Transformer), I used the majority of a tank of gas to perform the highlights from Les Miserables. I’m sure that Chile will pose a similar problem, but I’m not opposed to shower singing if my host family can handle it.

A typical Rock-Out session in the car. Don't worry, I wasn't driving.

Although there were many more things that I found myself missing terribly, these were the most obvious. I’m sure that while I’m down there I’ll start reminiscing over other things that are just as random and I will inevitably talk about them in this blog, so get excited. So, until next time, here’s the philosophical question of the day:

Whose cruel idea was it for the word lisp to have an "s" in it?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile

No más tarea!

I'm done!!!!

Well, now that graduation is over (sans tripping on stage!), I have left the thriving metropolis that is Waco for the browner pastures of West Texas. Whereas most of my friends are currently soaking in some summer sun, I am buried in a mountain of LSAT books. In my life that is currently being darkened by Logic Games, my July trip to Chile seems to be the only bright spot. Buying my plane ticket last week only served to make me even more excited… especially since I got such a sweet deal from FlyForGood.com!

Now that I’m not in a Spanish class everyday like I was at good ole’ Baylor, I’m forcing myself to watch Telemundo/Galavisión etc. every night to keep my ear trained to Spanish (so that I don’t sound like an idiot once I get to Chile.) So far the commercials have been the best part of this exercise; I highly recommend that everyone take at least 15 minutes to watch a Spanish-speaking TV station just to see how entertaining the commercials are. For example, what I thought was just an innocent advertisement for pots and pans turned out to be the story of a lackluster marriage that could only be saved by a scandalous makeover of the wife and a new desire to cook seductive food… using her new pots and pans. Better than a telenovela. Oh, how I love Latin culture :-)

Since I’ve been so inundated with LSAT madness I haven’t taken too many steps to prepare for Chile except a few things here and there. For graduation I was lovingly gifted with a new computer (thanks family!!) and am soooo excited to take it to Chile with me. My last computer was a 4-year old dinosaur that weighed about 10 lbs… not the easiest to travel with. This one is a sassy little black thing that only takes up minimal room – all the better to go through airport security with! Also, I’m planning to allot some graduation gift money towards a new digital camera so that I can post some excellent pictures for you guys to enjoy.

I just received my “Culture Kit” in the mail from Cultural Embrace. It’s filled with really great information about living in another culture; it even includes how to deal with the inevitable effects of culture shock. When I was living in Spain I remember having a few very intense moments of culture shock. A few times I would venture down to the movie theatre that showed American movies with subtitles. Another time, I had a very low moment and ended up sitting by myself in the corner of a Burger King savoring the beauty of an order of fries and chicken strips while getting some funny looks from the locals. As depressing as that sounds, it helped immensely.

Well, unfortunately I have to get back to my LSAT for Dummies book since I only have about one more week to improve my score by an unrealistic amount. I’m convinced that there is a special place in infierno for standardized tests. Until next time, here’s the philosophical question of the day:

When you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile

¡Graduación y Empanadas!

Yes, it’s true: I’m finished with finals! Glory hallelujah! I even managed to make all A’s, with the exception of a B in that pesky Spanish Grammar class that I was complaining about in my previous post (I will forever despise the subjunctive tense.) All that’s left is to walk across the stage this Saturday without tripping. Considering the heels that I’m planning to wear, this will indeed prove to be tricky…

Aside from packing up my little apartment, I have an ample amount of free time… and to be honest, it’s freaking me out. Therefore, I am going to take this opportunity to kill about an hour talking about what I’ve found out about Chilean etiquette and food culture thus far…

Chilean Etiquette!

After some very productive Googling, I discovered a website with some very interesting information on Chilean etiquette, and here are the highlights:

*Men will usually shake hands and women generally pat each other on the right forearm or shoulder.
*If invited to a Chilean's home, take sweets/chocolates or wine for the hostess. Send flowers in advance. Do not give yellow roses as they indicate contempt, or purple/black flowers as they symbolize death. Also, do not give scissors or knives as they indicate you want to sever the relationship.
*Dining etiquette can be quite formal in Chile. The hostess invites people to eat. Keep your hands visible when eating with your wrists resting on the edge of the table. Avoid speaking with eating utensils in your hands. It is considered polite to finish everything on your plate. Finally, pour wine with the right hand only.

Comida Chilena!

Chile has a very diverse food culture. As I have previously mentioned, I’m especially excited about the seafood, but I have discovered that there are other local dishes that sound equally as exciting. Here’s a little look into what I’ve found out about the Chilean food culture:

*Chileans normally eat 4 times a day. The first meal of the day is breakfast, which mostly consists of rather light fare including toasted bread with butter and instant coffee with milk. Lunch (served between 1:00 and 2:00 P.M. ) is the big meal of the day. Traditionally two main dishes are served. The first course may be a salad of some kind. The second dish generally includes beef or chicken, accompanied by vegetables. Around 5:00 P.M. Chileans take once, an afternoon tea with bread and jam, that often also includes cheeses and palta (avocados). Once, which means "eleven," is evidently named after the British tea time—11:00 A.M. Around 9:00 P.M. most families serve dinner, which is usually a single but substantial dish, most often accompanied with wine grown in the many Central Valley vineyards.
*Some popular dishes in Chile are empanadas (pastries stuffed with meat, cheese, or seafood, as well as onion, raisins, and olives), humitas (a paste of white corn, fried onions, and basil, wrapped in corn husks and cooked in boiling water), and pastel de choclo (white corn and beef casserole topped with sugar and mostly cooked in traditional black ceramic dishes).

I’m pretty much obsessed with Anthony Bourdain’s show No Reservations on the Travel Channel. Despite his snarky attitude about most things, his look into the food culture of the countries he visits is super entertaining. Here’s a link to a video of his visit to Chile and the empanadas he encountered.

http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain/Video/Tony_Visits_The_Legendary_Las_Deliciosas
Well, unfortunately I need to start the long and arduous process of packing up my apartment. So, until next time, here’s the philosophical question of the day:

When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile

Sobre mi vida...

¡Hola!

Well, as promised, the level of procrastination in my studies has significantly increased as the number of days before graduation has decreased. Since I am currently putting off studying the subjunctive verb tense in Spanish (a topic which I repeatedly have nightmares about), I’ll take this opportunity to tell you more about myself.

I was born and raised in Abilene, Texas and graduated from Abilene High in 2006. After my graduation, my senior trip was a 2 week tour of Europe with a group from my high school history classes. We started off in Italy and visited Rome, Florence, and Assisi and then made our way to Lucerne, Switzerland. From there we took a bus to Paris, where I officially ran out of money, and then took the Chunnel to London, where I begged my parents for more money via a 4 minute phone call from a hotel room that would turn out to cost about $40. This was a particularly momentous occasion in my life because it not only showed me how much I love to travel, but also created a deep-rooted fear of using hotel phones in Europe.

Me in Paris. I was smiling because I had not yet realized that I was out of money...

I entered Baylor University in the fall of 2006 and have been here ever since. I’m an International Studies major and have a minor in Spanish (which would turn out to be a masochistic decision… who knew that learning another language would be difficult?) As much fun as Waco is, my first 2 ½ years here only increased my desire to get the heck out of Texas. Finally, my opportunity to escape came last spring during my junior year when I decided to study abroad in Madrid, Spain at Saint Louis University’s Madrid campus. During my time in Spain, I lived with an awesome Señora named Carmen, I learned how to thoroughly embarrass myself with my botched Spanish, and I had the opportunity to travel all throughout Spain and to parts of Europe. I visited Amsterdam, Athens, Munich, Prague, Vienna, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Moscow (where I lost my passport and barely escaped… it’s a really entertaining story that would probably make a decent Lifetime Movie).

Me in front of Lenin's Mausoleum in Moscow... something I will never fully understand.

Last fall, as I was trying to figure out what to do with my life after graduation, I received an email saying that a Cultural Embrace representative would be at Baylor to talk about opportunities abroad. Since I knew that I’d already missed the deadline to take the LSAT and apply for law schools for the fall of 2010, I figured that going back abroad would be the thing to do during the year before entering law school in 2011. After the presentation, I was fairly positive that this was the company that I wanted to work with in deciding what to do and where to go abroad.

Over the past few months, I have made the decision to teach English in Chile through Cultural Embrace so that I can work on my Spanish while imparting wisdom upon the niños there. Although I was a little nervous about the prospect of teaching English since I’ve never done it before, I was comforted by the fact that I will be working alongside a Chilean teacher in the classroom; basically it’s like having teaching training wheels. I can’t tell you how excited I am to get down to South America and throw myself into the Chilean culture. My dealings with Cultural Embrace so far have been great. Even when the earthquake hit a few months ago, they were in constant communication with me to help me figure out what would happen next. Their mission statement of “discover the differences, share the possibilities” is something that I have found to be true in all of my travels abroad and is something that I can’t wait to apply to my time in Chile!

So, next time you hear from me I will (hopefully) be a graduate of Baylor University and will be prepping to take the LSAT in June (ugh.) and for my trip to Chile in July (yay!!). So, until then, I will leave you with the philosophical question of the day:

Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?

-Caroline
Advisor Abroad in Chile