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Short Stories, Long Country

July

2010

WorldTeachers having some fun with sand

and cameras on the beach in Viña del Mar.

Message from the FD

Allyson Caudill

WorldTeach Chile Field Director

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“Always keep a

positive attitude!”

- Allyson

Chile. From its Atacama desert to its glaciers down in Patagonia, you can find curi-

ous, slightly confused, but generally cheerful gringos. These gringos have come to

Chile to try their hand at not only teaching English, but also educating Chilean

youth in fields like Square Dancing, American slangs such as AWESOME and OMG,

and the Electric Slide. Additionally, there have been mountains of empanadas con-

quered, embarrassing "gringo" moments survived, and Facebook groups created to

commemorate volunteers mistaken to be Justin Timberlake.

WorldTeach Chile volunteers, past and present, are making tremendous contribu-

tions to English education while simultaneously building cultural bridges. Individu-

ally they are motivators, mentors, superstars and most of all, teachers. I have wit-

nessed their charisma and exceptional creativity. I have watched them do whatever

it takes to ensure student understanding, including doing the Hokie Pokie to teach

body parts, painting their faces to teach colors, and literally drenching themselves in

water to teach "rain." If the end result is learning, there is nothing they won't do.

In the following pages you will get a glimpse into what it truly means to be a World-

Teach Chile volunteer - the comedy, the drama, the adventure. I encourage all of

you, current volunteers and alumni, to take advantage of every learning (and teach-

ing) opportunity and to always remember that you are a part of the ever-expanding

WorldTeach Chile familia.

Onward and upward!

Allyson

About WorldTeach

Based at the Center for International Development at Harvard University, World-

Teach offers the benefits of a well-established volunteer organization, while also

providing more comprehensive, personalized support and training as a small

NGO. In each of our programs, volunteers are placed in schools and host com-

munities in developing countries that specifically request WorldTeach volunteers

and would otherwise be unable to afford or locate qualified teachers. Volun-

teers receive training, language preparation, and field support, empowering

them to make an impact that will last long after they leave.

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Table of Contents On Our Way: First Impressions

I Chose Chile Because...

All Settled In: La Vida Chilena

Causes for Celebration: National Holidays

You Know You‟re In Chile When…

At School

At Home

4

From the Editors

To all Past, Present, and Prospective Volunteers, Family and Friends, Last March, thirteen gringos arrived in Santiago. We quickly realized that the one thing we shared in common was that we had no idea what we were in for. We come from different places, different backgrounds, and different life experi-ences. Such a diverse crowd to have chosen such a unique experience. But the fact that we are all here is reflective of the characteristics we truly share: an eagerness to help others, an interest in new cultures, and a maybe a little sense of adventure. We began this newsletter as a way to share our stories, thoughts, and experiences before, during, and after our Chilean life. We have experienced a new way of life, in big and small ways, and here is our chance to be reflective, funny, sentimen-tal, cheesy- any or all- in order to convey our experience. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue. We are proud of what we have accomplished and we are excited to share our thoughts and stories. Thank you to our wonderful field director, Allyson Caudill. Without your drive and or-ganization, we would all be lost and confused and this newsletter would never ex-ist. Also, thanks to all the volunteers and their family and friends for their sup-port. WorldTeach Chile is an amazing program and we are all so happy to count ourselves a part of it. Besitos y abrazitos, The Editors

Heather Tang

Allison Hahn

Lauren Phillips

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On the Road (and Off)

Pan y Palta: Musings About Chilean Cuisine

El Terremoto

6

7

5

16

8

14

12

11

9

Chile in the World Cup

18

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On Our Way: First Impressions

Fast City, Fast Friends

By Brandy Hearn I have been told that the first stage of culture shock occurs right when you arrive in a new environment and usually consists of an overwhelming sense of euphoria and excitement. Luckily, my arrival in Chile did in fact abide to that rule but only when I saw the Andes mountains from the plane and stepped foot onto Chilean soil. Below is a brief account of my first impressions of not only Chile but of the WorldTeach pro-gram and volunteers themselves. While sitting at the Miami International Airport hotel lobby looking into the ex-cited yet terrified faces of the other volunteers in my program, the first thought that went through my mind was, "Holy crap, is this still a good idea? I just completely left my life at home for the unknown..." The second was, "What the hell did I get myself into?!" Little did I know that those faces would later become my family and my uncertainty as to whether or not "this" was a good idea would rap-idly fade. The first person I saw was Jeremy with his scruffy beard and rasta jewelry. Then, Lauren's goldilocks hair caught my eye. Within two minutes, Allison laughed and I didn't think I would ever find someone with a more vivacious laugh than me. I quickly began to put together the faces with the names I had be-come accustomed to reading over the previous months due to our Google group. Finally, after what seemed to be hours on end, we boarded the plane. Allison and I decided to sit next to each other giving way to chatting about everything from New Orleans and New York to the men in our lives. It was incredible how open we both were after just a few minutes of knowing each other. I guess the

nerves, excitement, and knowledge that we would be spending the next eight months together allowed us to spill our guts and relax. After six hours, we landed in Santiago and were immedi-ately greeted, besos and all, by our Field Director, Ally-son, and Assistant FD, Rad, who proclaims herself as a "halfrican-american." My mood couldn't have taken a faster turn. All of a sudden I was surrounded by the aura that is Chile and filled with complete and utter excite-ment. Standing outside of the airport for what seemed like ages, we met Corrie and Heather who had taken a different flight and made our way to the hostel. Londres was quaint to say the least. The hostel, promptly named Hotel Londres was as perfect as you could get for a hostel. The staff was nice, the rooms were clean and we even had a local street dog named Cafe after the adorable and affordable cafe down the street. There was a living room which acted as a wifi cen-ter and a kitchen which gave way to great conversation, great food, and great singing. The thirteen of us grew

very close, very quickly. There was this unsaid un-derstanding that the more we acted like a real family and the more open we were to each other, the easier this experience would be on us all.

I was in awe by Santiago and with whom I was sharing this experience. The city is incredible, with everything you can imagine. We were quickly exposed to empana-das, pisco colas, discotecas, Pablo Neruda, the Cueca, Terremotos (an amazing beverage which consists of white wine and pineapple ice-cream), completos, fruit stands, pan y palta, almuerzo, and of course, the wine. Long live Gato and 120. To say the least, I was fully in my first

stage of culture shock and couldn't have been hap-pier. I was con-stantly stimulated by my surround-ings and the peo-ple I became lucky enough to call my friends.

Chile Ministry 2010 in front of

La Moneda.

After conquering Cerro San Cristobal and the

Orbitz 10K run for earthquake relief!

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Chile Chose Me

By Allison Hahn

Here I am. Am I really doing this? Looks like it…” I al-ways wanted to travel abroad for an extended period of time, to live with a host family, to learn Spanish and I wanted to do these things in South America. Yeah, much easier said than done. The anticipation is the worst part, and this was no ex-ception. For months, I knew I would be moving to Chile. Every dollar I made, every dollar I spent, I thought about Chile. I was ready, or so I thought. Moving to Chile required me to sever my bond with my other love: New Orleans. Could I possi-bly handle that? And what a whirlwind: the day after Mardi Gras, with 3.5 hours of sleep, I barely crammed the last of my belongings in my car and off I drove to Virginia, to my parent‟s house and storage unit for the year. As I saw the last vista of my city in the rearview mirror, the damn broke down neither for the first or last times. I allotted myself three weeks in Virginia to prepare for Chile. Unfortunately, they were three weeks to con-sider, reconsider and doubt more. Two weeks until my departure, the south of Chile was devastated by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake. I was glued to the TV for as long as CNN would report, and my future was now completely unknown. Do I apply for jobs in Virginia? Do I move back to New Orleans? Do I travel elsewhere in South America? In this country‟s moment of need, I found clarity. I knew I was doing the right thing. All doubts about my decision immediately dissipated: there was nowhere I would rather go and nowhere that needed me more than Chile. Chile chose me.

Why Now...at 50, in Chile? By Susan Vance

I am 50-- Isn't it late to follow my dream A very old dream? At 50-- Shouldn't I rest, Stay at home Enjoy my last years? At 50-- Should't things slow down Shouldn't I unwind and take it easy? But what about my dream, I've had since I was 15, to teach, to go to the South? To speak Spanish??? What about my Dream? To live with a host family, Who knows no English When I am forced to learn? The time is NOW-- I can wait NO more... I am here, in Chile, To teach, to learn, to grow How much time do I have left? I do not know... It is not too late I am only 50, while I am in Chile.

I chose Chile because... ...of the incredible diversity in

landscapes, endless variety of out-

door activities, and the prospect of

snowboarding in July.

-Heather Tang …it’s a beautiful place to be OUTSIDE. You can’t help but

explore the diversity in nature of the country.

-Lauren Phillips

… I was accepted to the program.

-Allison Hahn

...I miss Alaska, but wanted to go south to teach and learn Spanish. -Susan Vance

...subconsciously I wanted to have my expectations confounded. -Carol Eckman

...it has cheap avocado and stable elec-

tricity, and I really, really love mayon-

naise.

-Chris Doherty ...because I have been fascinated with

the country after reading Peter Winn's

Weavers of Revolution, which explores

the social, economic, and political tur-

moil in the 1970s.

-Stephen Hildebrand

Chile’s Other Population

By Carol Eckman

Gloria, my new host has two dogs, an older cocker spaniel and a poodle. most Chileans do not allow their dogs into the house. While the dogs have some place to move around outside, it isn´t large. Many of the dogs function as guard dogs, out of boredom probably rather than training. They bark at anything that moves. In my old neighborhood, Los Pinos, there were so many dogs that the entire neighborhood resounded with furious barks day and night. Some of the dogs look pretty neglected. This is in addition to the large population of street dogs that wander around and seem to be fed by people. Today at my school i watched older students do an improvised obstacle course in gym class. A street dog had found its way into the inner courtyard and lay peacefully sleeping in the middle of the path used by the kids, who made an extra little jump over the dog, who continued in repose. It is not uncommon for several dogs to be inside the school grounds. They are tolerated everywhere, in Santiago under the noses of Carabiñeros at government buildings and in the parks. They traverse at the crosswalk and exude an air of confidence. Only the street dogs can be found sleeping in posi-tions of complete oblivion. The domesticated rest of them are on edge for the next barkable sound. So of course I have started taking my host´s dogs, Max and Canella, out for walks. Both of them pull unmercifully but

seem so grateful and excited to get outside that it´s worth the struggle. I think it has been over six months since they

have been out, and then not regularly. Clearly, there is another concept at work here about dogs.

On the other hand, if the Chileans were to hear about the way Gringos treat their beloved pooches, they would surely say

that we´re insane.

La Vida Chilena

10 Things I’ve Learned In Chile -By Sharon Welch

1. Family is very important to Chileans, and the family meal usually turns into a small party every evening. I talk much

longer with my Chilean family than I do with my own family. We are always in a hurry at home.

2. Don‟t toast your bread over the center of the oven, or it will smoke and burn.

3. Red wine in Chile is inexpensive, plentiful and delicious. Viva Carmenere!

4. Wear your hat to bed so that you don‟t wake up from the cold. Pull the covers over your face. Leave a breathing hole.

5. If one layer of polar underwear is not enough, wear two layers. Discover the many uses of Chilean

scarves.

6. Don‟t believe the legal looking sign about only four passengers in a collectivo. I‟ve driven with 7 people in a small

car. Two of us sat on top of the sign.

7. You won‟t have a dry towel in the morning unless you hang it the spokes over the stove to dry at night.

8. Never underestimate the power of a good lock and key.

9. The rules of a Chilean rodeo. The goal is to control the calf along the back wall with 2 horsemen. It was interesting to

watch the competition although I am sure that the cows were not so happy. One jumped into the stands with me!

10. There are Chilean cowboys called “Huasos” ,and they are skillful horsemen.

The huasos at a rodeo Sharon attended

in Olmue.

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To Home Remedy or Not? By Allison Hahn Sometimes I forget I‟m in Chile and need to be reminded. I‟m not quite sure why this is but some-times certain things will happen and I‟ll be like “Yeah, I live in CHILE!” That was until I got sick, then it was quite regular: “Yeah, only in Chile…” I was doing a really good job at avoiding culture shock: Enter strep throat. As I began to experience the first pangs of pain, I thought I‟d nip it in the bud and go to the doctor early. My host mom and I went to the Consultorio for a penicillin shot in the ol‟ poto and a prescrip-tion. That night I even thought I might go to school the next day! I was feeling GOOD! Wait, I spoke too soon. The following three days were horrible. I actually finished all of my pain meds from the US. I mean, I couldn‟t speak Spanish anyways, but I could not speak at all now. Forget eating. I had a golf ball in my throat. After three days of unrelenting pain, I Googled my meds: only in Chile would a doctor prescribe an anti-inflammatory for strep. Still my family persisted that I just be patient and rest. After I returned to the doctor, things ap-peared a little more serious. I fi-nally received a real prescription and was recommended to go to a Clinica in Vina del Mar where I was told I might need sur-gery. Perfect! Thankfully, surgery was not neces-sary, just some actual treat-ment. Even after all of this, to my family, patience was still the cure. Home remedies include gar-gling vinegar and drinking onion juice as well. And the preventative measures?...Wearing a sweater (body temperature does not mat-ter) and a scarf to protect your neck and mouth! “Really? Yep, I live I Chile. And I

still love it!”

Causes for Celebration

Chile National Holidays 2010

Month Day Holiday Local Name

January 1 New Year’s Day Año Nuevo

17 Presidential Election Segunda Votación de la

Run-Off Elección Presidencial

April 2 Good Friday Viernes Santo

3 Holy Saturday Sábado Santo

May 1 Labour Day Día del Trabajo

21 Navy Day Día de las Glorias Navales

June 28 Saint Peter and San Pedro y San Pablo

Saint Paul

July 16 Our Lady of Virgen del Carmen

Mount Carmel

August 15 Assumption of Mary Asunción de la Virgen

September 18 Independence Day Fiestas Patrias

19 Army Day Día de las Glorias del

Ejército

October 11 Columbus Day Día del Descubrimiento de Dos Mundos

31 Reformation Day Día Nacional de las Iglesias Evangélicas y Protestantes

November 1 All Saints Day Día de Todos los Santos

December 8 Immaculate Conception Inmaculada Concepción

25 Christmas Day Navidad

31 Banking Holiday Feriado Bancario de

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You know you’re in Chile when...

Favorite Chilenismos …“Qué dijiste?”

...white bread is a food group.

...you see and hear a parade in the street, people dancing, and the proud Chilean flag waves in the air.

...you start to crave pan y palta for every meal and

when you don‟t get it for every meal, you get cranky.

...huasos ride past while you wait for the

bus in the morning.

...the dogs outnumber the people on the streets of your town.

...THE in hair style is the mullet.

...hitch-hiking is considered a legitimate form of transportation.

…you find hotdogs very creatively dis-guised in almost every dish.

…every Spanish word has an ito or ita added on the end: chaoito, tecito, paltita, permicito, chicitita, and the list goes on...

...wake up, see sunshine, and think, “I can dry

my laundry today!”

...you tell the woman at the hostel you need 9

beds and she says they don‟t have 9 so you

leave and then come back and just ask for all

the beds they have which happens to be way

more than 9.

...you can walk down the street with an ice cream

cone in one hand and a cone of fries in the other and

not feel guilty!

Phrase Meaning Use Al tiro at the gun shot -right away Bacán (adj) cool -describing something cool Cabros (n) goats -when referring to teenagers Cachai? Got it? -checking for understanding Comprar terreno (v) to buy land -when you fall/eat it/crash and burn Chau Bye -when parting ways Es lo que hay It is what it is -situations you can‟t control Filete (adj) filet (the best cut of meat) -one of the many uses: Cool Fome (adj) boring; lame -boring or lame situations Fondo blanco (n, v) white bottom -CHUG! Machucao (adj) crazy -used by flaite (ghetto) Tipo (n) type -when referring to a guy Tuto (n) slumber; nap -when going to sleep Weon (n) ass; buddy -you can call the guy who just cut you off this or your

best friend, depending on the context Yo lo pasé chancho I was like a pig -I had a great time Po -Added to ends of words and phrases for emphasis Dropping the “s” in words -Examples: seis=sei; estás=etai; gracias=gracia

Chileans speak their

own dialect of Spanish

full of idiosyncrasies

and idioms called

“Chilenismos” not

found in any other Span-

ish-speaking country.

PAGE 8

...you get strep throat from one or all of the

following: not covering your neck with a scarf,

not covering your mouth with a scarf, taking

off your sweater, or not wearing slippers. ...there is a law for everything posted pub-licly —and it is (almost) always followed.

...after 5 days of being too sick to eat, according to

your host mom, a single bon bon will make you a

gordita.

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Me…a teacher?

By Jeremy Gould

There were many aspects of living in Chile that I was sure I would have no problems adjusting to, given my very flexible and adaptive nature. Teaching was not one of these things. In fact, there was nothing I was really worried about other than teaching. So many questions crossed my mind. Am I organized enough to be a teacher? Am I too “easy-going” to maintain discipline in a classroom? Regardless of my wor-ries, I knew what I wanted to do, and I assumed that if “my heart was in the right place,” everything else would work itself out.

Orientation came and went, and there I was on the way to my placement site for the first time. On the shuttle ride to my school, I remember being told by teachers from other schools, “just remember that if you are uncomfortable at this school, you can always switch to a different one.” The first time they said this, I didn‟t give it much thought and we continued bouncing down the road on the rickety bus. After the second and third time the host teachers restated that I could switch schools if necessary (without saying such to the other two volunteers in the car), I began to won-der why they might be saying this, and what exactly I had gotten myself into. As we got closer and closer to the school, my heart rate continued to rise, my thoughts racing anxiously. As we walked through the gates of the school, the shouts echoed, “Llegaron los gringos!!”

Over the next few days, I understood why I was told that I could switch schools. I teach at a high school that has the reputation of being the worst in the commune, and one of the worst in the entire fifth region. I was told by many peo-ple to take nothing of value to my school. It is supposedly where “the bad kids” are sent. While this description sounds like the preface to a teacher‟s horror-story, my ex-perience has been nothing short of “a blast.” Every time that I walked into a classroom during that first week, the room would explode in cheers, whistles and kisses. I still cannot walk through the corridor without flocks of students coming up to me and enthusiastically repeating phrases I taught them in English class. While there is definitely truth to the school‟s reputation, the real truth is that they are NOT bad kids, but rather good kids who have grown up in very destructive, poverty-stricken environments. Nearly all of my students have responded very well to my presence. My host-teacher tells me that my students love me and that she has never seen them like this before. As with any high school, there are students with behavior issues, but being a former “bad-kid,” I definitely have a soft spot for the trou-ble-makers. The reality is that most of them just want someone to believe in them, and laugh with them.

As far as my worries about being a teacher, I am no longer insecure, although there is still much to be learned of course. As far as my “bad school,” I couldn‟t feel more like I was in the right place. Overall, teaching at my school has already proven to be the most rewarding and fulfilling ex-perience I have ever had. I can only hope that my time here doesn‟t pass too fast and that the students will remember this as much as I will.

Students at Colegio Fernando Durán , Quilpué

Lauren Phillips with her students in Cachagua.

Heather Tang and her students in Quilpué .

Brandy Hearn’s students in Quilpué

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My Four-Legged Students

By Leighann Loesch

Before coming to Chile I received many different stories from past volunteers and numerous useful suggestions on how to best adapt to living and working in my new home. I was not told, however, of a very prominent part of the Chilean population: stray dogs. There are dogs living EVERYWHERE.

My town, which is a fishing pueblito just North of Valpa-raiso, often has more dogs than people out on a Friday night. The biggest surprise for me was arriving to my school the first day to find dogs walking around the courtyard and in and out of the bathrooms and cafeteria. Stray dogs in the school!

But I soon realized these dogs are smart. The smaller children feed them, they are blocked from the wind within the courtyard of the school, and one tiny dog,

who I have affectionately named Muffin, artfully slipped

into a classroom at the end of the day and came walking out when I opened the door the next morning. He must have had a feast from the trashcan not to mention how much warmer it was to sleep indoors.

There is a Rottweiler mix running around and a German Sheppard mix who I believe is the leader as he is wearing a tie. (Poor dog! No doubt some kid put that on him but it does make the scene humorous).

There are a few dogs that are so unwell just looking at them that it breaks my heart but it is a hard task to con-vince the people of this area that taking care of these dogs is important when many people are struggling to take care of themselves. I want to help in some way but the task seems daunting.

My first step is planting seeds in the minds of my stu-dents, how they can help with this problem, especially one who is planning to study veterinary medicine. This will be a long process for Chile and will need the help of many generous volunteers but I am determined to get the ball rolling.

For now I will say hola to my four legged students every-day and feed them bits of food when I have it. What seemed so funny when I first arrived has become a nor-mal part of my experience teaching in Chile.

Do Schools Have Anniversaries in the

United States? By Stephen Hildebrand

“Do schools have anniversaries in the United States?” one of my co-teachers asked. “Not like this,” I said. I knew things were going to get interesting when my co-teacher offered me Tylenol as a preventive measure against head-aches; she said that it was going to get loud. I teach at a vocational technical school, and the school was divided into teams based on what the students study: from building to electronics to auto repair, etc. The teams then compete in a variety of activities. First, all the students gathered in the courtyard chanting slogans, some of which were rather rude, beating on large drums. After enough animosity was built up, the other ac-tivities commenced including a dancing contest that relied heavily on the 20 girls in the school of 1000. This ended when one of the boys took off his shirt and wrapped it around his partner to pull them together. They started to make out—which is apparently the line that you do not cross. In the first football game I watched, everything was going well until one of the students from the orange team ran over to punch one of the students on the blue team—both of these students were spectators mind you. After that one student chased the perpetrator who then tripped over a large rock. In solidarity all of his team rushed the field. Not to be outdone, the other team also streamed on to the field. All of the teachers and I then ran into the middle of the fray. Alejandro, a math teacher, and I pulled the origi-nal perpetrators apart and then he dragged them by their shirt collars to the inspector. In the meantime the other teachers and I formed a line to separate the two teams. Then the students (both spectators and players) had to leave the field one at a time. Fear not, the fun was not over—the next day the school had more anniversary activities, including a singing com-petition. It was a lot fun to see how musically talented many of the students are; it was also fun to see them be-having so well. Back in the courtyard the students began to gather for a performance by a live band that played many interesting covers including “Play That Funky Music, White Boy". Although it is hard to top such a classic, the band played more songs for the delighted and tired students who were at last ready to go home. I think the staff was ready too—I knew I was!

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South Africa in the World Cup 2010

Worldteacher, Sharon,

celebrating the game.

La Roja en el mundial!

Our students showing their World Cup fever and

their support for LA ROJA!

“CHI CHI CHI!

LE LE LE! VIVA CHILE!”

Poto Grande

By Allison Hahn

Learning Spanish has proven to be difficult. I knew that would be the case and I was ready. But wow, they talk really fast here. They slur all their words. Oh yeah, they don‟t actually speak Spanish

here: they speak Chilean. Phew. I am IN for it!

Given this, my hope is that being exposed to the language as much as possible, regardless of whether or not I actually participate in the conversation or whether or not I am actu-ally following the conversation, I will eventually just know! Yes, with the language merely in the air, I will absorb the words like osmosis. I think it‟s a good plan.

Well about a month into my home stay, my theory really had not quite proven itself. So rarely did I actually under-stand the content of the conversation that happened in front of me. FORGET any sort of eavesdropping. Or so I thought…

Given my inappropriate packing to Chile (um it‟s cold here and I‟m coming from Louisiana), my family often lends me clothes. One day my host mom tried to lend me a pair of pants that could get dirty. Surprise, my 6‟1” body did not fit into my Chilean mom‟s clothes. That was when I heard my host brother explaining that I did not fit into them because of my „poto grande,‟ or big butt, to which I burst from my room exclaiming that “I understood that!” The entire family was completely caught off guard and erupted in a roar of laughter. And that was the first time I accidentally under-stood Spanish! I was making progress.

8 Meses

By Corrie Littlepage

When my family first signed up to have a volunteer

live with them they were told it would only be for one

month. A couple days before I arrived they were told

it was for six months. This update surprised them,

but they were still willing to open their home up to a

volunteer for six months. The day I arrived they were

told eight months, which is a little longer than 6

months and a whole lot longer than 1 month . When

they first told me I was super apologetic, not that I

had any control over it. But then right away it turned

into a huge joke in my house. Whenever I am intro-

duced to someone and they ask me how long I will be

here the whole family chimes in "OCHO meses" and

the story is retold. I am sure we will still be telling the

joke till the day I leave.

My family has done more than just open their home

up to me. They have made me a

part of their family. People in

Chile ask me if I will come back

and visit after I leave and every

time I am asked this, my mom

reminds me that I have a family

in Chile. I have a little sister who

is 17 and a little brother who is 13

and this is home. My family is a

huge blessing to me and I am

incredibly grateful for them. This is the beauty of im-

mersing yourself into a different culture. I remember

walking into the house that first day not knowing

anything about my family or my life to come in Chile,

but in the midst of that I had this peaceful feeling

that I was home.

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Corrie with her host family in La Calera.

Brandy, Jeremy, and Steve at Bennet’s host-

mother’s 50th birthday asado in Catapilco.

S S L C PAGE 13

...collectivos (inexpensive taxis on set

routes that you share with others going

the same direction) - Carol Eckman

In Chile, I can’t live without... In Chile, I can’t live without...

...paltas (avocados) and grapes EVERY

DAY! I also can't live without onces: I

now love hot tea, bread and honey at

7pm nightly. -Susan Vance

...a lot of small change to

take the micro (local bus).

-Stephen Hildebrand

...my fleece jacket. Yeah, I wear it

everyday… -Allison Hahn

...my Joe To Go one cup coffee brewer and care packages

of coffee from home. -Leighann Loesch

...tea, with an absurd amount of honey and palta, palta, palta (avocado, avocado, avocado) . -Lauren Phillips

...my camera, it’s my memory.

-Heather Tang

...a flexible sense of time and an understanding that the word "po" doesn't actually mean any-thing. -Chris Doherty

...my pantuflas (Slippers).

-Corrie Littlepage

Lots of People in the South Love Watching Tectonic Plates By Heather Tang The language barrier can be really frustrating at times but having already moved to two countries without knowing the languages first, I've generally learned to stay relaxed and shrug off inabilities to communicate when they come up. It's especially comical now because I'm in a stage where I can understand enough to get the gist of some conversations, but a lot of times it's not quite the right gist and I end up chiming in with some kind of awkwardly composed, remotely-related answer. The Spanish is coming, but 80% of the time, I still have no idea what's going on. It doesn't help that Chileans speak a million miles an hour, slur/cut short their words, and have an entire dictionary full of chilenismos, only-used-in-Chile idioms. My 12-year old host sister, Ayun was working on some kind of project with Styrofoam after once one night and I asked Charo, my host mom, what it was about. Charo can't speak any English but she's pretty good at explaining things in sim-pler Spanish until I can understand it for the most part. So she told me what Ayun was doing, and I couldn't make out the meaning on the first couple of tries. My comprehension of simple Spanish has soared compared to what it was (nothing) before I moved in, but this was more specialized language about the topic of the project, and I was lost. On another try, I caught the word "Nascar" and was pretty bewildered that she would be doing a project on race car driv-ing in the US but hey, this is Chile so who knows? In Spanish, I said, "Nascar?? Why is she doing that topic? That's in-teresting. Nascar is very popular in the south of the United States and many people love watching it. Not in the north though." Charo just looked at me a little confused, then just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. And that was that. The next day, Ayun was working on it again in the kitchen and preparing a map of the world to stick onto the Styrofoam, which host dad, Norman, was helping her cut into the shapes of countries with a hot butter knife. At first I thought, how is this related to Nascar, but then just decided to sit back and watch. Finally, I asked Ayun what she was actually working on, and she told me a history project on placas tectonicas (tectonic plates). Ohhhhhhhhh...okay. Then why did Charo tell me Nascar? At that moment, Norman started talking about the plates under Chile that caused the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Feb-ruary and mentioned the name Placa de Nazca very quickly. Having just read about these plates under the country when I was writing on the geography a little while ago, it clicked. So I had told my host mom that tectonic plates, specifically the Nazca, were very popular in the south of the US and peo-ple love to watch them. She must have thought I was out of my mind, and in a way, I guess I was.

Traveling, Or Not

By Lauren Phillips

Every day I claim that next week I am going to start recording how many minutes I average waiting for the micro each

week. The micro (which is a local bus, versus the giant buses that travel to more distant locations) is my main form of

transportation in Chile. My town is on the coast and consists of about 850 people. Apparently during the summer it is so

packed that the constant flow of micros cannot even pass through town. I have yet to witness this phenomenon.

On multiple occasions I‟ve spent more than two hours waiting for a micro to pass through. There‟s something comical

about bidding your Chilean family farewell only to have them stroll by the bus stop two hours later and you are still sit-

ting there, waiting for the bus that may or may not be coming.

Often I spend this time calculating the minutes I would save and the freedom I would have if I only had a car. Or I con-

template how much closer I could be to my destination if I had only started walking from the get-go. And yet, some of my

best times in Chile have been spent in the shelter of a bus stop.

This time is usually quality bonding time with friends. What else is there to do

but chat and people watch? And when I am without friends, there are al-

ways friendly people passing by. Or someone else who is waiting for the bus

who is interested the gringa and wants to chat. And if there‟s really no one

at all, then it‟s the perfect location for the fallback time-passer: life contem-

plation.

It‟s a very Chilean experience to be hanging out at the bus stop. There‟s no

rush, the bus just comes when it comes. There‟s no such thing as a sched-

ule—everyone is on Chilean time. And the people have accepted this system;

no one complains about the bus not coming and they just wait patiently. Some-

times four micros pass with the same destination before one arrives going in my

direction and there is no explanation for this apparent oddity—very Chilean.

Another Chilean characteristic that is brought out by waiting at a bus stop: offering rides to strangers. I have never actu-

ally hitch-hiked but I have been offered numerous rides while waiting at the bus stop and I have gratefully accepted all of

them. Here hitch-hiking is safer, more common, and accepted as a legitimate form of transportation. Not everyone has a

car and so the Chilean hospitality comes out in such instances. My experiences with accepting rides have been positive

and I‟ve even made some new friends in the process.

Ultimately I‟ve had my share of frustrations with relying on public transportation but at the end of the day, it‟s only en-

riched my Chilean experience and helped me gain a new perspective of the meaning of quality time.

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Travel In Chile On the Road (and Off)

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Waking Up On Mars By Heather Tang In the majority of the world, chances are that most of the people that you will meet have never seen a place com-pletely devoid of any visible signs of life; a place so barren that it is reminiscent of the photographs taken by the rov-ers that reach inhospitable planets. I was no different from them and my placement region of Valparaiso of-fered all kinds of plush surroundings. When I boarded the bus at eleven o‟clock at night in Viña del Mar bound for the desert seaside hamlet of Taltal, it was still fall in central Chile. The air was cool but full of moisture, and now and then a little rain would feed the thirsty vegeta-tion on the green hillsides. Riding that semi-cama Con-dor Bus fifteen hours north of my Chilean home, I was about to enter a world completely different from any I have seen before.

When the bus attendant whipped back the curtains at 7AM the next day, the light forced my eyes open and sud-denly I was seeing a vastness of terrain made solely of sand, dirt, and rocks--not a tree or a bush, but maybe a shriveled shrub once in awhile. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but miles and miles of open land. Welcome to the Atacama Desert, the world‟s dri-est. The locals say that if it rains here, dance in it, be-cause it could be once in a lifetime.

Although I had never seen a place so bare, driving along the never-ending stretch of road, passing small mining settlements once in awhile, there was a power energizing the surrounding land and its inhabitants. The meeting of the reddish earth to the vibrant azure sky was marked by the uninterrupted horizon where the two stood side by side as longtime friends in a place where they only had each other. First impressions aside, the desert was actu-ally full life. From the circling condors in the sky to the insects crawling over the low-lying shrubs to the pure energy of the blazing sun, the Atacama was as intriguing as it was invigorating and truly a place unlike any other.

La Campana PO

By Corrie Littlepage

The most important and profound places to experience in Chile are off the road. It is an understatement to call Chile a long country. Chile is 4300 km of breathtaking coastline to the west and then standing proud in the east are the awe-inspiring Andes Mountains. You cannot ex-perience Chile without experiencing this beauty. You have to get off the road to truly appreciate and understand Chile.

My first off road experience in the 5th region of Chile was to Parque la Campana. Parque La Campana is just a hop, skip and a jump (aka a micro, colectivo, and a walk) from my home in La Calera.

We set out for the summit of Cerro La Campana, not knowing if it was accessible because of the earthquake. It was a five-hour journey to the summit, but we made it! Getting to the summit was one of those „take your breath away‟ moments, though that expression hardly does it justice. At 1890 meters, from the summit of La Campana there is a 360-degree view of the precordillera, Aconcagua (the highest peak in the western and southern hemispheres) and the Pacific Ocean. I do not think I have ever been somewhere with such an astonishing view. It is hard to believe that I could look one way and see the ocean and then turn around and see Aconcagua, sitting on the border of Argentina.

On the top of La Campana I heard someone say (in Span-ish) while talking on their phone that they were on the summit of La Campana, and then they added “po” to the end, just for emphasis; this made me laugh so hard. Chileans throw in “po” wherever they would like. It is kind of a filler and really just something to make learning Spanish in Chile more entertaining. If I were to say in Chilean Spanish “ I am on the summit of La Campana” I would I have said “Estoy PO en PO la cumbre PO de la Campana PO.” That is how much emphasis is needed to properly express being on top of La Campana.

The journey left me physically tired, but spiritually reju-

venated. It was such a beautiful reminder to me of God's

creativity and presence. It was the first of many unforget-

table journeys in this long country.

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Pan y Palta

Musings About Chilean Cuisine

Adventures with the Spanish Menu

By Chris Doherty

With a temperate climate in the central region, Chile's year-round selection of fresh fruits and vegetables offers many opportunities for fresh, healthy cooking. And with avocado typically around fifty US cents per pound, one of the signature Chilean foods is a "completo," a cheap hot dog dwarfed by mounds of avocado and mayonnaise. It's a little mysterious: in fact, many of the typical Chilean foods form an intricate list of sandwich or sausage combi-nations. A churrasco is thin-sliced beef on a wide round roll; to get something "a lo pobre" is to have it on a bed of French fries, with a fried egg or two.

The other day a couple of us went to Fuente Bávara, in Viña del Mar. (The sign says, in Spanish, "German Tradi-tion," which is a little odd since there are precisely zero German items on the menu: from the food to the beer, it's 100% Chilean, unless you count the Heineken, which I don't.) I ordered an "As a lo pobre, con churrasco." I had no idea what that was. I suspected it involved churrasco meat and being "a lo pobre" there should be a fried egg and french fries involved somewhere. Even though I speak Spanish, I usually find it easier to just order something rather than trying to use Spanish to understand what I'm getting. I eat some suboptimal meals, but I do maintain my sense of adventure.

This particular shot in the dark redeemed the rest of them. The completely Chilean German-Tradition restaurant brought me a long roll, with churrasco (thin-sliced beef), a fried egg, gobs of melted cheese, and some stunning, beautiful, perfect, brown caramelized onions.

I'm still not exactly sure what an "As" is but clearly that's not as important as you might think. Next time you're faced with an incomprehensible menu, just pick something. It'll be fun!

Empty Fridge, Delicious Meals

By Carol Eckman

The Chilean supermarket: nowhere will you find a more abun-dant display of salt. Bags of it: enough to take care of the drive-way if it snows. You can afford as much as you'd like, but it's SALT. Cooking oil dominates an aisle. Sugar and sugar substi-tutes, saltines, rice, and mounds of UHT milk...I am particu-larly fond of the mayo in a bag. Ditto manjar. Imagine the havoc you could wreak on Halloween.

As if in counterpoint, the Chilean refrigerator is nearly empty, however, not to give the impression that tasty meals are not served with regularity. The cook must be especially skillful in putting together a meal. (Or should I say "the meal"? Because once a day it is for independent production of the culinary vari-ety. ) But back to the fridge. It is modestly filled and then emp-tied to the point that one might get a little nervous. A woman in her 90‟s told me that Chileans formerly ate 4 meals a day: onces and cena. Their frugality is a direct result of their his-tory.

By the way, don't expect cheese unless you are living with a big spender.

Completo

“A Lo Pobre”

Ensalada Chilena

Teaching and Learning...with Food

By: Lauren Phillips

As with every aspect of life as a volunteer in Chile, eating is just another learning experience. Whether you‟re be-ing served or doing the serving, confusion and adapta-tion are the name of the game.

For instance, I learned that improvisation is the key when you are looking to bake chocolate chip cookies as there are no chocolate chips and no brown sugar in Chile. I learned that it‟s perfectly acceptable to say you don‟t like something (politely) and you can be sure to never see it on your plate again. I learned that there‟s no such thing as “just a little mayonnaise”- if given the op-portunity to put mayonnaise on (any) food, Chileans will smother their food (and yours) in this condiment. I‟ve learned that in Chile, hotdogs have been liberated from the bun that has imprisoned them for so long in the U.S.- they seem to find their way into the most unexpected dishes: spaghetti, empanadas, with rice, etc.

Yet with all this learning, I‟ve still managed to teach a few things (that‟s why I‟m here!). As previously men-tioned, I‟ve shared the greatness that is a chocolate chip cookie (sans brown sugar). I‟ve also shared the greatest gift on earth, peanut butter, and its many uses.

My time thus far in Chile has taught me that improvisa-tion and a willingness to try new things is the key. I wish I could say that all Chileans eat delicious food all day long, but the fact remains that Chile‟s no Italy- I doubt anyone‟s ever come here for the food. Fortunately we didn‟t come here to dine on fine cuisine, we came here to teach and to learn, and as with every experience in Chile, that is exactly what we are doing.

The Chilean Asado - Undeniably the Most Fun Party You Will Attend By Brandy Hearn My favorite beyond favorite thing in Chile besides the obvious are the asados. A typical Chilean asado is more than just a cook-out, it's an invitation to overindulge in more food and drink than is generally socially accept-able. Therefore, if you ever get the wonderful chance to attend one of these fabulous events, this is what you should expect. An asado starts with some serious, sometimes all day, preparation and the end re-sult smells and tastes as colorful and delicious as it looks. Hors d'oeuvres typically consist of fresh bread, pebre, a seasoning of tomatoes with chopped onion, chili, coriander, and chives, and bowls of chips with homemade gua-camole aside. You will also sometimes find plates filled with a variety of cheeses, fresh sa-lami, and olives. To say the least you could fill up on hors d'oeuvres alone, however, you wouldn't want to as the main attraction is the meat on the grill. Therefore, pace yourself, have a glass of wine, or two, maybe even three, and wait for the host to finish cooking the choripan.

Choripan is to die for, period space space. From the looks of it you would think it's just your ordinary sausage in a roll but NO, it's so much more than that, I have heard one say that it is like taking a bite out of heaven, or hell for that matter. Once all the choripan is gone, and believe me, it will be in a matter of minutes, start filling your plate with Chilean Ensalada which consists of peeled tomatoes and white onions dowsed with an oil and vinegar based dressing, rice, chopped cabbage, lettuce, corn, and carrots, and head on over to the grill to get a "healthy" serving of chicken and steak. MmmmMmmmMmmm... With your plate filled to the brim don't forget to serve yourself an-other glass of Chilean Carmenere, a red wine that is only made in Chile or a Pisco Sour, a white brandy made from muscat grapes. Sit down, breathe, and gorge. Once finished, dance the night away...if you can still move.

S S L C PAGE 17 Choripan and pebre

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El Terremoto This issue of the SSLC is dedicated to all those affected by the

earthquake that occurred on February 27, 2010.

Did you know?...

On February 27th, Chile was struck by an 8.8 mega earthquake off the coast of the Maule region that has been followed by over 200 aftershocks (and counting...).

The earthquake lasted 90 seconds.

The quake that struck Chile on February 27th, 2010 was the 5th largest earthquake in recorded history.

The Chile earthquake was 500 times more powerful than the January 2010 Haiti earthquake.

In response to the Chile quake, tsunami warnings were issued in 53 countries

30 minutes after the first shock, consecutive tsunami waves measuring up to 15 feet hit coastal Chilean towns.

It moved the entire city of Concepción 3.04 metres (10 ft) to the west while Santiago, moved almost 24 centime-tres (10 in) west, and even Buenos Aires, shifted 3.9 centimetres (1.5 in).

Roughly 2 million Chileans have been seriously affected by the quake, which is 12% of the population, or 1 in 8 Chileans.

Current estimates are that the recovery process could take up to 7 years

Oxfam America (an important international relief organization) was only able to raise $3,499 for relief ef-forts in Chile while it raised $2.9 million in the same time period for Haiti.

*http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=400694

S S L C PAGE 19

Short Stories, Long Country

WorldTeach Chile

chilesslc@gmail.com

Next Issue: November 2010

www.worldteach.org

Photos Contributed By:

Lauren Phillips Brandy Hearn Susan Vance

Heather Tang Sharon Welch Corrie Littlepage

Leighann Loesch