Allow me to begin this post with an apology--disculpas. It's been nearly a month since my last post, which is pretty weak. Looking on the bright side, I have tons of things to tell y'all about! So let's get to it!
Everything's going splendid with mi trabajo...with one exception: my salary barely pays the bills! I make the rough equivalent of $500 USD per month, which I thought would be able to support my relatively modest lifestyle out here. Then, to my dismay, expenses began stacking up faster than I could pull out my wallet, and then my debit card, until last week, finding myself in financial dire straits, I said, ¨¡Basta (enough)! It's time to start looking for another pega (that's a good Chilenismo--job).¨ And so, as soon as I returned from my trip to San Pedro de Atacama and Antofagasta (which I will talk about shortly), I contacted Señora Rosario V., the directora of Instituto Chileno Norteamericano, which is the largest English institute in the country with an impressive network of campuses and participating schools and businesses. I have just received confirmation of my employment with ¨Norte,¨ as many folks call it here, which begins in March of 2010. Not only will I be doubling my sueldo mensual, monthly wage, but these guys will also insure me and hook up three weeks vacaciones at the end of my gig, which will last around one year (I will now return around January-Februaryish 2011 instead of July). Pretty tip-top, I'd say!
Now that I've been confirmed as an employee for the 2010 school year, I must abandon my contract with Colegio San Francisco, which I am not looking forward to. When I broke the news to my boss about my desire to move on, she began scrambling to try and keep me there for the rest of my expected time, saying she would try to broker an additional 100.000 pesos per month from the school itself (I am payed by EducaUC, which is a part of Universidad Católica) and work to comp my transportation costs, which was validating, yet despite her, and many others, wanting to try and keep me there, I need to do what I want to do while I'm here so that I may accomplish my personal and professional goals. A wise woman, my sister Abby, recently told me, ¨Ben, you're going to find yourself in positions where people will be drawn to to you, and will want to be a part of your life, but it won't be right for you, and when that happens, and when people try with all their might to keep you in their life, you need to muster up the strength to say no to them.¨ I think this is one of those times, and I thank you, Abby, for having given me that advice this past July.
It will be a difficult time saying goodbye to the people at San Francisco at the end of the year. I have come to love the people there dearly, and I feel they love me, too. David Brull, one of my co-teachers, continues to be one of my closest friends in Chile, but I also have a close relationship with Guillermo, one of the gym teachers (that's right, one of four gym teachers--can you believe that?), as well as with several of my students. Guillermo, or Guille, is basically a Chilean Ben Westlund. We see eye to eye on a lot of things, from philosophy to politics to education. There's never a dull moment with him, either. He has a great sense of humor and never passes up an opportunity to joke around. En realidad, really, that's how it is with everyone I work with at CSFP. There's such a relaxed atmosphere, yet it's balanced with collegiality and professionalism, and I am so grateful to have been a part of it.
Some other noteables include Christian, the music teacher, and Etienne and Macarena, two other gym teachers. I really appreciate Christian's musical talents, and he's a great teacher, too. I enjoy sitting in on his classes when I have the chance. Before I left for the Dieciocho de Septiembre--Independence Day--vacations, I approached him with my desire to sing the Chilean National Hymn (not an anthem--look it up) to commence La Festival de La Chilenidad, the Chilean Heritage Festival, on September 26. I wanted to do this because at the Music Festival earlier that month, after singing some Beatles and Kansas jams to everyone's enjoyment, I was asked to sing one more song, and for some reason I sang the American National Anthem, which I now sort of regret. Therefore, learning and performing the Himno Nacional de Chile was my way to make up for that. Christian gave me all the guitar chords so I could practice over break, and helped me master the specific style in the days leading up to the festival, which was important because many older Chileans in particular are very sensitive about the song. Apparently, I did well; I was approached by a bunch of older people after the festival who told me how much they enjoyed my rendition. Many were touched to witness an extranjero (foreigner) singing their national song.
Etienne, or Eti, is very charismatic and funny, and to be honest I'm hopelessly in love with her, but it's never going to happen because she's married with kids. At least she likes to coquetear, flirt, so that's enough for me! Right now we're choreographing a group dance that we will be performing at this week's school spirit festival. We are Alianza 2: Los Hippies. There are three alliances, comprised of teachers, students, and staff, who will be going head-to-head in a series of competitions ranging from the dance-off to capture the flag (captura la bandera). Anyways, I always have a great time with Eti. Maca is also super legit, and also married with kids. She teaches a basketball taller (workshop) every Wednesday, which I of course crash on a regular basis. The woman can ball, too! She's not afraid to throw her weight around in the paint, and she knows how to share the rock, which I admire.
I'd like to highlight just a few students, lest I write for hours on end! In primero básico, first grade, I have a few faves: Benjamin, Lukas, Florencia, and Josefa. Benja and Lukas are some whippersnappers, but gosh are they clever little dudes. They crack me up daily. Florencia is a trip to talk to. She seems like she's already entered high school when you hear her; very confident in the way she carries herself. Josefa is the sweetest thing to exist since sugar, and she loves learning, so I can't complain there. There is another Florencia in segundo básico whose father is from Canada, so she speaks better English than me, and she amazes me constantly with what she is intellectually capable of. Fast forwarding to medio, high school, we have Javiera and Tomás (primero medio--freshmen), Enric and Camila (tercero medio), and Valentina and Diego (cuarto medio). (Segundo medio is sophomore.) All of these students are amazingly capable as learners and leaders. The gifts--dotes--that they contribute on a regular basis (and I can say this for many others as well) invigorate the life of the school. They all have incredible amounts of potential, particularly Camila and Valentina. Camila, according to David, has shot up from a beginner to arguably the best English speaker in her grade in less than three years. The way Valentina commands a given group of peers with her presence is unrivaled; very confident and intelligent. I think she'll either end up being a teacher, lawyer, or entrepreneur.
Recently, Chile celebrated its Bicentenario (Bicentennial), which falls on the 18th of September, but one date I really find interesting is the 1973 coup d'etat, which shares the 11th of September with the U.S. as one of the most tragic days in recent world history. I can't help but visualize a room full of [plural explitive] somewhere in Langley, VA discussing the best possible way to demoralize and defeat a people: ¨How about we orchestrate a coup and usher in an era of tyranny, injustice, and horror, and let's do it the week before they celebrate their independence. Brilliant!¨ Okay, my ranting is over. However, it should be mentioned that gringos are strongly encouraged to avoid any demonstrations on the 11th, and although I didn't see anything too crazy, I felt a little tension in the air that week without a doubt.
Getting back on track, Chile's Independence Day, El Dieciocho (the eighteenth), is widely touted as one of the largest and craziest carretes (another Chilenismo meaning ¨party¨) in South America, perhaps second to Carnaval in Brazil. ¨Even the President gets trashed!¨ is what some chilenos have told me. Although I can't say I witnessed any ragers over the holiday--probably because I was in the more rural town of Antofagasta--I will admit that Chileans, despite the aforementioned tragedies, are some of the proudest gente (people) I have ever known.
Let's rewind to the beginning of mis vacaciones, which I spent with four chicas! Melissa and Trish, along with Jenny and Brooke (our fellow compatriotas who live in Rancagua to the south), provided lovely company for a week full of adventures in the Atacama Desert, which by the way is the driest desert in the world. Fun, random facts are great, aren't they? Melissa, Trish and I began our sojourn al norte on a plane to Antofagasta, a rural but respectably-sized mining town and la capital del norte--copper mining is the region's primary industry. We immediately caught a bus to San Pedro de Atacama, but it wouldn't be our last experience in the city where the desert meets the ocean. After a long and hot trip, which I spent reading Allende's La Casa de Los Espíritus and watching reruns of Punk'd, the pop culture phenomenon of the early 2000s, we finally arrived in the dry, dusty pueblo.
Brooke and Jenny wouldn´t arrive until later that evening, so my roomies and I were on our own to find the hostal we booked--La Iquisa. The directions provided on their website weren't entirely clear, so we found ourselves ambulando (wandering) por San Pedro, asking locals where the place was. Their assistance was just about as confusing as our directions, but despite our troubles, after about 45 minutes lugging all our stuff around the desert, we finally arrived at La Iquisa with daylight to spare. We settled in, unpacked, cooked dinner, and made friends with a couple of uruguayos, old childhood budies who decided to rent a car in Argentina and drive it all the way to San Pedro for the weekend. That night, instead of spending 20 lukas (over forty bucks) on hors d'œuvre and over-priced drinks, Melissa and I joined Fabian and Rodrigo (Trish was uder the weather) drinking litros of Cristal (cerveza, not the champagne) in the streets, which was way cooler anyways.
The next day, having added Brooke and Jenny to our crew, we all went into town to check out tiendas artesenales (artisan shops), buy water, and book our adventures for the next two days. We ended up paying around $80 USD for two days of excursions to a sandboarding area, La Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), Los Geysers de Tatio, Las Lagunas Saladas, and Los Ojos de San Pedro (The Eyes of Saint Peter). Not too shabby. That same day we checked off sandboarding, which was cool, as well as La Valle de La Luna. I managed to master the sandboard and was cruisin' by the end of our session, but I think I prefer the snow. El puesto del sol (sunset) at La Valle de la Luna was magnificent; I've never seen such vibrant reds, pinks, oranges, or blues in my life! And the lines created by the shadowing on the reliefs and and other land formations contributed a moving aesthetic to the splendid panorama.
The next morning, we boarded a van at 4 a.m. to make it to Volcàn Tatio's crater by sunrise, where we enjoyed the serene sights and sulfuric scents of the geysers. Don't compare these wonders to Yellowstone, or to Iceland; they weren't immense. That didn't bother me, though. My experience that morning was very emotional. For over two months I had been isolated in Santiago's concrete jungle. Y bueno, I do work in rural Paine, but I hadn't been immersed en la naturaleza for so long, and when I finally had the opportunity to really look it straight in the eye--the sunlight hitting the landscape, rendered bright yellow by the paja brava, a native sedge, the sulfur vapors steaming from the bubbling agujeros (holes), the vibrant colors created by ancient subterranean minerals--something came over me. I can't explain why, but I started sobbing. It was powerful, refreshing, and healing; an experience that I'll never forget.
On our way back from Tatio, we enjoyed the native fauna of the Patuta and San Pedro river valleys por el camino (along the way), including small groups of vicuña (think hybrid between llama and deer), flamingos (strange to see what I had thought to be a tropical bird in such a cold and dry climate), and tagua cornuda, which is a type of pheasant. The paja brava dominated the mountain slopes, the river valleys were lush with a moss-like grass that I can't recall, and once in awhile we'd see a cactus that we learned was called cojín de suegra, which means ¨mother-in-law's cushion.¨ We made several stops along our way home to take pictures of the wildlife, check out an indigenous pueblo called Machaco, and sip agua dulce, which is fresh water from el yacimiento de la cordillera--the freshwater basin underneath the mountains. It was bakán! (Chilenismo meaning ¨awesome¨ or ¨cool.¨)
Our afternoons and evenings spent at La Iquisa were lovely. Our antifriones (hosts) were very accommodating and sociable. There were Silvia an Juan, the abuelos (grandparents), Roberto, their youngest son, Kati, his German girlfriend, and Estefani, the daughter or the eldest son. I particularly established a good rapport with Silvia and Estefani, as did the rest of the crew. During or final day in San Pedro, while the ladies went into town to shop, I stuck around and played music with Estefani. She was very intrigued by the guitar and enjoyed strumming while I played diferent chords. We also had brought Trish's tamborine and Estefani showed great zeal in playing it while she danced around--seriously, it was the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my life. We took turns singing songs, both rehearsed and ad-libbed, and then Estefani suggested making up a song together. Our creation process went about like this:
Ben: What should our song be about?
Estefani: Ummm...flowers!
B: And what are the flowers doing?
E: They're singing.
B: What are they singing about? ...We need three things.
E: About fruit...about plants...and about...bananas.
B: Hmm, well, bananas are a kind of fruit...I know; why don't they sing about people?
E: Yeah, I like that!
B: And why are they singing about all those things?
E: Because...they are beautiful!
We went on to sing a lovely song following that sequence. My experience with Estefani that afternoon was one of the most candid yet fulfilling things I have been a part of in my recent history, and like the geysers, it is forever etched in my memory.
Our visit to San Pedro culminated, we returned to the bus terminal in Roberto's van, bid him and Kati farewell, and were waiting for our bus when I heard a female voice say, ¨Hey, Colorado Rockies,¨ referring to my Rockies cap, and then, ¨wait a minute, Ben Westlund?¨ And to my surprise, there was Amelie Kastning, one of Kate's closest friends from Crested Butte, Colorado! Amelie is currently studying abroad in Valparaíso, which is on the coast, and we had been throwing around the idea of meeting up with each other, but neither of us had imagined it would happen in such a coincidental manner! Por casualidad (by coincidence), we both travelled to San Pedro around the same time and were now taking the same bus back to our respective destinations--myself going to Antofagasta, and she to Valpo. I was introduced to her friends Celine, Bailey, and Jeanie, and we ended up chatting and playing telephone pictionary, a sweet game by the way, to pass our time on the way back. It was too cool!
Antofagasta in no way compares to San Pedro, but it was enjoyable in its own way. We arrived on the 18th in the afternoon, which meant we had some time to rest and relax in preparation for La Ramada, which is a Dieciocho celebration chock full of carnival games and rides, música y baile Cueca (traditional Chilean style of music and dance that I love), anticuchos (shishkabobs), completos (hotdogs), chorripan (think polish sausage in a bun with guacamole, tomato, and mayo), cerveza...good, wholesome fun! We enjoyed ourselves heartily and returned home by medianoche (midnight) to crash.
Brooke and Jenny left the next morning. Trish, Melissa and I spent the 19th riding random buses through town, observing the hustle and bustle and making our way to La Portada, which is a natural landmark and Antofagasta's official calling card. It's basically a great big stone arch (I believe some sort of conglomerate of sandstone, gravel, and ancient seashells, but don't quote me) in the middle of the water just off the coast on the north side of town. We hiked around, searched for seashells, rocks, and other interesting artifacts, saw a dead dog, and took our picture in front of La Portada. Then we had to rush back, as Melissa and Trish needed to pack and head out to catch their flight. I chose to stay an extra few days, which I spent sleeping in late, eating empanadas and anticuchos, reading, and playing soccer down by the beach with the locals. It was a nice, low-key way to spend the dwindling moments of my vacation.
I returned to Santiago Tuesday morning the 22nd, bleached my whites and did my laundry, cleaned up around the house, began making plans to inerview with Norte, and got back in into my groove. Following my first week back, CSFP celebrated their annual and aforementioned Chilean Heritage Festival, which I enjoyed very much. It was so cool seeing all of the students to the traditional dances of Chile, singing the national hymn, eating more anticuchos, and getting in on some Cueca sessions with various teachers and students. It was a great display of Chilean pride, and I now feel I have a little Chilean inside of me. These last several months have been so amazing and fulfilling, I can't believe I still have so much time to continue that positive trend.
I leave you all with well-wishes, happiness and love, and would love to hear from all of you when you have the chance.
Que les vaya bonito (have a lovely day),
Ben
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