It's been Six months!!

And that's that. Today was my last day in the classroom and I cannot believe how incredibly fast the time has flown by. As I was sitting my my classroom today, I tried to recall everything that had been done there and that now I hav to leave. This trip has done exactly what I wanted it to do and more. It gave me the opportunity to realize how great a life I live, how great of family and friends I have, that I can actually speak Spanish and get a point across, that my beard in indeed a Ron Weasley orange, that 'liztaylor' means 'ready' in Chile, futbol can be a game for the USA, Phase Ten is just as cool in Chile, and finally I have a refreshed viewpoint on the world around us. Especially after seeing the 33 miners come out of the mine in Copiapo, anything is possible.

I have become so comfortable in this country, not only in my school with my colleagues and students, but with transportation , communication, and just being myself. Chile is a unique country that has much social, political, and economical development and it's national pride swells from the far northern tip in the San Pedro de Atacama Desert all the way south to Punta Arenas and Tierra Del Fuego. It has been great to be apart of such pride in this country and 2010 has been year to remember here in Chile.

I feel quite fortunate to have found my program via the internet. Ingles Abre Puertas truly is a worthwhile program trying to educate every Chilean with the English language in hopes that within in generation everyone in the country (16.7 million), will know and speak the language. While the task sounds entirely too far-fetched, the program is still in existence after 7 years and into it's third presidency. If anyone knows the importance of English, it's President Pinera, who speaks English and studied at Harvard. In a world where English dominates the business scene and one can skype from one end of the world to the other, the language has never been more important.

My host family has been an even better experience than my school's. Never did I imagine I would enjoy a host family as much as my familia Jara. They welcomed me with open arms and now they send me off not wanting to let go. The feeling is mutual. I will never forget their hospitality, love, and the conversations we had over meals, BBQ's, and other activities. I am truly grateful to the Ministry of Education and Rocio (my regional boss) who interviewed and placed me with this family. I absolutely had the best luck of my entire group, I feel, and will share stories of this family for a long, long time.

Andres, Diego, and Daniella were the greatest host siblings I could have asked for. Diego even came home (a 12 hour bus ride from Santiago) this past weekend for my going away party. Andres showed me his hospitality when I visited him in Valdivia one weekend. When he was in Osorno, he always invited me over to his friends house for drinks and cook-outs and to play futbol. Dani showed me Osorno, how to get about and always entertained me during lunch. Her English made me laugh and since she did not attend school during these six months, we hung out frequently.

For the parents, I cannot say enough. Their open arms, willingness to do nearly anything for me, and kind hearts only made my time here more enjoyable. Ivan and I would watch Colo-Colo, the best futbol team in Chile, during the weekend's, and drink Escudo's. He took me to a pro futbol game here in Osorno one Saturday, and introduced me to his military friends. Veronica was an angel in every sense of the word. Not only is she an excellent cook (pretty sure I have gained 7-10 pounds), but her ability to put others first made me feel like a part of the family. It is true that hospitality in the Latino culture is incomparable and Veronica demonstrated that every day. I can and never will forget how the accepted me into their family. Presents, words, nothing can let them know I appreciative I am for how they have made me feel over the past six months.

With all that said, now I get to see my FAMILY. My dad arrives this weekend in Santiago and we are going on a two week trip throughout South America. The highlight of our trip is a fly-fishing trip for three days. Thank you all for reading my blog and I will have a few most posts before I wrap it up. Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless Chile.

Bariloche, Argentina

This past weekend we enjoyed the Monday off and traveled to Bariloche, Argentina. It's the second Monday day-off Chile has had in the last month. Holidays here rock and happen as frequently as the Cowboys lose football games nowadays. Too soon?

Friday afternoon myself and some volunteers in my program boarded a bus to take the 5 hour trip to Bariloche. The bus drive included incredible scenery as we passed through Puyehue National Park. Thank goodness because the bus showed 'Titanic II' as its feature video. Didn't know what was going to happen...Anyways, with snow of both sides of the rode, the bus drove quite slow until we got to the border. Once I got my passport stamped and was asked what I was doing in Chile and coming to Argentina for, we re-boarded and drove in darkness until we arrived in Bariloche a little after 10pm. Our hostal was a solid recommendation from a previous volunteer as we had a penthouse hostal for only $10 USD a night. The view, which I saw for the first time when I woke up Saturday morning was a panoramic view of all of Bariloche and Lago Nahuel Huapi. There were mountains, mountains, and more mountains.

Also since the town is a very tourist driven city, English is as common as Spanish. It is always a treat to talk English with Latin Americans and I even managed to get a business card from a 35 year-old international marketing manager from Buenos Aires. Email her or no? On Saturday we walked around the city, visiting many chocolate stores which Bariloche is known for, saw St. Bernard dogs who pose for pictures with people for a small fee, ate delicious pizza, and celebrated Halloween at a local Irish pub.

On Sunday myself and Laura, a fellow volunteer went on a 15 mile bike ride through the mountains. The views for absolutely incredible, as southern South American always provides, and until my camera died I managed to snap some great shots. I ate a pancho, which is simply a hot dog and at this particular place, a hot dog with potato chips on top, then resumed my bike ride. Great energizer. For every downhill we cruised down, and cruised down fast I tell you, there was a nice-sized uphill waiting after. Along the trail we met students who were studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Israeli's who had just gotten out of the army (and in a conversation with each-other I heard them called me Ging-Ging. I asked them if I was Ging-Ging and they confirmed it. The beard doesn't disguise anything..), a South African, and many Europeans. Aside from losing my Nalgene of three years, all went great. Argentina is a beautiful place, and Bariloche is equivalent to the Aspen of South America with all it's tourist attractions, high-priced hotels, and skiing attractions.

I thoroughly enjoyed Argentina, its people, and the distinct accent (much easier to understand them than Chileans or maybe that's my five months on this continent talking), and the beautiful scenery it provided. I now enter my last month in South America with trips lined up for Cochamo, Chile, called by many the Yosemite of Chile because of its huge stone walls famous for climbing, a hike up Volcan Villarica in two weeks with a volunteer, and then off to Santiago for the closing ceremonies and to meet my dad at the airport as we embark on the fly-fishing trip of a lifetime in Southern Chile. He also gets to meet my host family and students!

Some quick notes:
1) My host family has put pictures of me up on their family wall. There is a picture of me solo and also with the family. This will no doubt be a difficult good-bye.
2) I gave one of my students a Twizzler last week courtesy of a package sent by my mom, and as soon as he put it in his mouth his loose tooth fell out. He told me he was going to get $15,000 CHP (roughly $30 USD)
3) I showed a Man vs. Food episode to my students. Not a good idea when you miss American cuisine.
4) Host family said I look like Shaggy from Scooby Doo. Not the first time (Dad...)
5) The dog is peeing in the picture with the church.

La Isla de Chiloe

r
i
e
After a week in which a 5.6 earthquake struck smack dab in Osorno (I was in a car and didn't feel a thing somehow), I traveled to Chiloe, an island a five hour bus and a ferry away from my city. I was eager to check out the famous curanto dish, which combines clams with meat with potatoes with many other things and is cooked in a hole in the ground for many, many hours.

The method for cooking it goes something like this: First, extremely hot rocks are placed at the bottom of a pit in the earth. Shellfish is then added, then meat, then chicken, then sausage, potatoes, and some herbal leaf. As the shellfish cook, their shells naturally open, pouring out their juices and steaming the ingredients. I am getting all this out of my guidebook FYI, I couldn't remember the whole process so I took to the book I have held closest to me the past four months. Sound delicious or a bit primitive? If the latter, these pictures above should change your mind. Anyways, after a day or two (woah, didn't realize it was this long), you take it all out and serve it up with some cilantro. Or you can just have it oven-baked which I am pretty sure is how mine was prepared. Chilenos flojos (lazy). Also served with the curanto is the shellfish juice on the side. As not only the book tells me but several other volunteers, the shellfish juice is commonly referred to as 'Liquid Viagra'. It was good but can't exactly make a comparison...

Now as to how we got there to this island of myths and 19th century wooden churches. After taking a ferry across the Canal de Chacao, we sat in a bus for 2.5 hours passing through the island's countryside to the main city of Castro. When looking at pictures that describe Chiloe, normally the curanto ranks high on the list, but also among the regulars are houses called palafitos. Palafitos are timber houses that sit on stilts and we had the privilege to stay in one on Friday night! Overlooking a part of the Gulfo de Ancud, we had all the proper amenities and even an included breakfast where I met my first group of New Zealanders and first group of Spaniards while in Chile. Oh how different the spanish accents are. All this came after a night of singing karaoke with ten other volunteers. The top song of the night had to go to Kim and her performance to Pat Benetar's 'Heartbreaker'. The Chileans loved it.

Finally, we went to Conchi, a city further south where a volunteer, Laura, lives. I thought I had a good situation with my host family. This family has a tennis court, trampoline, and are currently building a swimming pool in their backyard! Later in Conchi, we drank beer on the beach as the sun went down, and then headed back to Castro for the night. While the time in Chiloe was short-lived (although I am going back next month), to experience the curanto, the palafitos, and see the beaches was a great weekend away from the classroom. Check back for more next week as I head to Lago Todos Los Santos for the long three day weekend. Backpacking and fishing, what more could one ask for!

Oh and the picture of the hot dog is a 30 centimeter completo nicknamed the 'Trauco Gigante'. Trauco are deformed and ugly trolls that dwell in the forests of Chiloe as the myth goes. They wear ragged clothes, carry a stone axe, and their breath apparently is irresistible to women. An ugly man with an impeccable breath. Sounds like Sayid from Lost after he found a tube of Crest. I promise I didn't make that business up. Only in Chiloe would an ugly troll-man have such fortunes.

Happy 200th Birthday Chile!

As one of my earlier post's said, continuity is the key to any good blog. With that said, I have failed miserably with any kind of consistency. Therefore, here is my unofficial pledge to provide you with all the updates, all the time. -I will do my best to write much and write often.- There I said it, just don't hold me to it please, I am having too much fun here in the El Sur de Chile to think about obligations.

If this year in Chile hasn't already been filled with enough news including the 8.8 earthquake in February, the national soccer teams first win in the World Cup in 48 years, and the entrapment of 33 miners in a northern Chile mine, then the fact that this year represents the 200th birthday (September 18), the bicentennial of the Republic of Chile should come as no surprise. (Picked a good year, I have to say!) Activities began all over the country at the beginning of the month and culminated with a four-day weekend of celebrations just two days ago.

Friday and Monday were national holidays, Chilean wine and beef was in overhaul, fireworks lit up the skies all over the country, and military parades took place in many of the major cities. In Osorno on Saturday a huge military parade took place and was unlike anything I have ever seen. People came from all over the south to watch the parade that included United Nations soldiers like my Chilean dad, to tanks, to Hummers, to trucks full of soldiers pointing their rifles towards the sky as if an enemy was near, to a military band. The whole thing was incredible, eye-opening, and one couldn't help but fell a sense of pride for the country, even me the foreigner.

The rest of the weekend was spent dancing the Chilean national dance, the cueca, grilling outside with friends and family, and stuffing my face with anti-chucho (think shish ka bob), choripan, empanadas, and drinking chicha, a spritzer-type Chilean beverage that comes in grape and apple flavors. It's safe to say nobody was left hungry or thirsty. Here are some pictures to show what really went down, and I promise to be back real soon.

Chi-Chi-Chi-Le-Le-Le! Viva Chi-Le!

33: The Entrapped Miners in Northern Chile

Yesterday, Sunday, was a very memorable day throughout Chile. For the past 18 days, 33 miners have been trapped in a mine in Copiapo, Chile (northern Chile). Along the pathway to reach the mine, rocks fell preventing anyone from entering and exiting the mine. The miners were left nearly half a mile below the surface in a refugio where they fortunately had some supply of water, beds, and plenty of space to move around.

No word had been reported of their health and even if they were alive. Until yesterday. Yesterday afternoon President Pinera and the rescue crew announced to the entire country that the 33 miners are alive and in reasonable health, 700 meters below the surface. They dug a space wide enough to send a camera down to the refugio and yesterday we saw the first signs of communication with the miners. They wrote a note saying, "Estamos bien en el refugio, los 33." "We are fine in the refuge, the 33 of us." It is truly incredible and I had had many doubts that they were still alive.

Now the real rescue process is set to begin. The rescue team says the operation may take four months to reach the refugio where the miners are. With that said, camera crews are reporting the latest 24/7, famous people are donating money to the families of the miners, and plans are being set to change the way mining operates in Chile. Yesterday I felt proud of the Chileans, their strength, and the unity that this country has. While it is ridiculously long and different regions offer completely different lifestyles, everyone was glued to their televisions to see that the miners were alive. Cars throughout the country were honking their horns, people were waving Chilean flags in the streets, and today schoolchildren were welcoming the machinery that is to guide the team to the refugio where the miners await.

Stay tuned for more news! Los Mineros volveran!!

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/23/chile.miners/index.html#fbid=yX7Dqie1z7o&wom=false

Fear the Gringo

Each day I take the micro (bus) to school. I come home for lunch and go back in the afternoons. I tend to listen to my iPod and mind my own business until several of my students board the bus and sit next to me. We talk about music, mix Spanish and English, and revel in how they sat on the sofa all weekend watching TV. Nothing exciting. However, it is during the lunch-time travels where Chileans avoid sitting next to me at all costs. It's as if a force around me prevents them from 'popping a squat'. If their is a seat open next to me, they would rather stand than do so. I don't know what it is. I shower, use deodorant, the whole nine yards. But last week I couldn't help but laugh at how far two kids would go to avoid sitting next to me on the micro.

The day was Wednesday, August 11, 2010. I was listening to the likes of Robert Earl Keen, 'I'm Coming Home'. Nothing compares to some Texas country in southern Chile. And no I am not coming home for several months. Anyways, two boys probably in third grade, were arguing over which one was going to sit next to me. They pushed and shoved, until finally settling on a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide their fate. At this point, I wanted to say something but couldn't stop laughing. Ultimately one of the kids sat next to me after much emotion from his loss. I think we have even progressed in our bus-riding relations as he sat next to me again later that week.

With all the hoopla about Chilean children, I am going to share some more stories about my Fifth graders. It's common knowledge that I have quite a techni-colored beard growing. It's mostly burnt orange, but I recently discovered a gray hair mixed in the bunch. One of my younger students, Sebastian, full of curiousity, asked me after class last Thursday, "Profe, why is your beard a different color than your hair?" Classic. He then grabbed at my beard and ripped some hairs from my beard. After confirming that he had in fact taken some of my hairs, he scampered out of my classroom smiling and laughing. Kids do the dangest things. This is also the same student that responds to everything I ask with, "Yes, I do!" ....What is today's date? "Yes, I do" How are you today class? "Yes, I do!" You get the picture.

Sticking with the same group of students, Jose, recently decided to watch several episodes of Simpson's. I can't blame him. I watch Simpson's everyday during onces with my family. However, Homer typically udders a few foul words in there. Thus Jose came into my class Monday morning full of new ideas, and when he forgot what 'skinny' meant in English, he said, "maldita sea" or damn it. He kept saying it over and over until I finally told him I understood him. I love my students so very much. They are hilarious.

In other news, our English Day at school is next Friday. The students are performing everything from Jeff Buckley's 'Hallejulah' to a Backstreet Boys song to a Mad TV skit, 'The Interview' to the Titantic theme song between Rose and that other guy Leo played. I plan on recording it for all to view.

Finally, here's an article the newspaper in Osorno published about me. Page 9, July 19, 2010. http://www.australosorno.cl/prontus4_nots/site/extra/pdp/pdp.html

Vacation: Part II

The difference between our hostel in Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales was night and day. At Erratic Rock we had heat, lots of it, a constant flux of people coming and going which made it seem like a hot spot of sorts for travelers, a nice kitchen (where they make breakfast for clients every morning), eating area, and a TV with hundreds of movies beneath it. The people that ran the place also double as guides to Torres Del Paine, Tierra Del Fuego, and pretty much anywhere you want to go in the Southern parts of Chile and Argentina. There is little wonder why after such demand they made an Erratic Rock II in Puerto Natales and even one in Punta Arenas!

Everyday they hold meetings at 3 pm, providing insight on what you can do in the park and how long everything takes to accomplish. We had thought about a day-trip or something where we could get our feet wet but not put our whole body in. Then we changed to a two-night-three-day trip. Then Tyler, a fellow volunteer, asked us, "Why don't we just do the whole thing?" The whole thing as in the W Circuit that carves itself into the famous Towers of Torres Del Paine. Woah. We thought, thought some more, and then said why not, we have time and it's relatively cheap. So that was that. After we bought groceries for the trip including pasta, oatmeal, hot dogs, mashed potatoes, more pasta, quesadilla supplies, lots of chocolate, gummy bears, and fruit, we packed our bags and went to bed, ready to head out at 8 am the next morning.

The drive to Torres Del Paine Parque takes roughly 40 minutes and the scenery only gets better. We saw the sun rise over the mountains, and then finally, the shape of the Torres Towers that steals front covers of many adventure magazines and also is the Patagonia clothing logo. After registering at the sign-in, confirming our pick-up with the driver, and finalizing the comfort of our backpacks we took off...in the wrong direction. For 45 minutes, we walked completely in the wrong way after a misunderstanding with the park ranger who said to turn in front of the house. There were two houses and we went in the wrong direction from the wrong house.

Thus our five-hour hike took us nearly seven hours through rolling countryside, heavy winds, streaming rivers, all of which had the giant Paine Grande mountain casting a bigger and bigger shadow over our group. We stopped along the trail, munched on our trail mix (thanks Alex), and took photos of the magnificent views. As the sun set we finally arrived at camp one. There is a hostel, which has a kitchen, and also bathrooms with running water, so the first two nights were rather luxurious. While we slept in our tents, we prepared our food inside and were able to do the simple things like wash our hands and take showers.

Day two we day-hiked to Glacier Gray, a monstrous glacier that reaches heights of 119 meters high at places. It is truly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen and we were able to enjoy lunch with the glacier as our backdrop. Day three we went to the middle part of the W and witnessed two avalanches high up in the mountains. Sighting an avalanche is no easy task. First you hear something rumbling in the distance. Then you look and look until you see white stuff moving fast down the mountains. After seeing the rapidity of the avalanche you realize how massive it actually is. One of our Dutch friends was able to capture nearly a minutes worth of footage on his video camera.

Day four was the hardest day. We had a mostly uphill hike and the final haul had quite a steep fall to the right. The river down below reminded you how far the drop really was. But we did it. The nights were incredible, as we ate delicious dinners, conversed, and passed a Sprite bottle with some hard stuff in it. The third and fourth nights we had fires, nature's tv, and of course we played many a game of Phase Ten. It is safe to say that much of Southern Chile is familiar with this card game now. Finally, after a rain storm on the last day held us back an hour or so, we managed to get out of the park having accomplished the W. 50 miles, four nights, five days, and just enough food to keep us all happy. It was the trip of a lifetime and future backpacking trips will have a tough time beating this one. The weather was hiker-friendly (43 degrees would be a good average), the five of us got along splendidly, and aside from getting lost on Day One, we knew what we were doing. We even made friends along the trail which was hard to do seeing as we only saw maybe 10 people for five days.

That night back in Puerto Natales we all slept the best night's sleep in a long time and stuffed our mouths with pizza. Two days later, after spending the night in a Chilean couple's apartment that we had meet on the trail in Torres, we flew back from Punta Arenas to Puerto Montt, having experienced the best spent ten days in the Southern Patagonia that I could ever imagine.

Travel Chile 2010: Part I

While my trip with four other volunteers to Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, and Torres Del Paine Parque occurred over a week ago, I remember it like it was yesterday and am certain that I will never forget it. And in all honesty we had little idea what we were going to do once in the southern tip of Chile, home to Tierra Del Fuego, otherwise known as Land of Fire. We thought that since we were in Punta Arenas, a city central to Puerto Natales, Torres Del Paine, and Tierra Del Fuego that we could see it all. Little did we know that we were going to hike The W Circuit of Torres Del Paine that provides you with views of monstrous, granite towers, avalanches in Valley Frances, creamy opal colored lakes, and llamas and condors. But first here's Part I of III on how we got to this inspiring trail.

After a night in the matrimony suite of a hostel in Puerto Montt (they had nothing else available), we all arose early, took quick hot showers, and boarded a bus to the regional airport. We were told to get there an hour early. When we got there, their were lines longer than fans waiting for a Daddy Yankee concert in Santiago (think Chile's P-Diddy). We each tried repeatedly to confront the woman at the front desk with our problems. If you think it's difficult reasoning with an airline representative, imagine doing so in another language. Fortunately, many other travelers made the same mistake as us and all happily boarded LAN Chile's plane bound for Punta Arenas 20 minutes after the scheduled time.

Fast forward through the flight that presented me with pictures of vast glaciers and snow-drenched mountains and even a delicious box of crackers (I found out after that the first beer or wine is complimentary) and we are eating lunch in the Punta Arenas square at La Taza, a spanish food restaurant. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Chile and schools and businesses take off at least 1.5 hours of work to eat and relax. I ordered merluza, which is hake fish, an item that is close to the top of my favorite Chileans dishes, and took in the views. Unfortunately the views didn't include the Strait of Magellan but one can't expect all the Happy Meal toys in one trip to McDonald's either right?

We conversed about possible trips to take and then Alex said she was buying a ticket to Puerto Natales for the next morning. Sounded like a great idea as Puerto Natales is the stepping stone for reaching Torres Del Paine and one day there, I thought, would be incredible. Thus we left for Puerto Natales the next morning at 8:30 on a three-hour bus-ride. I have to give Buses Pacheco credit as it was the most enjoyable bus trip yet. I slept and then awoke to Avatar on TV all while passing by snowy Patagonian fields with ancient trees bent over from the strength of the southern winds. An amazing sight to see. After passing the Milodon (ancient creatures believed to have been founded in the Patagonia) that welcomes people to Puerto Natales, we walked to our hostel Erratic Rock. More on this incredible hostel and our preparations coming!

http://www.erraticrock.com/

Quick Notes:
1) My family called me Robert Costner because my last name sounds like the actor's
2) Reading Harry Potter in Spanish
3) Tomorrow is my host mother's birthday. I think she's 44.
4) Chile's version of Good Morning America is called Pollo Conserva and today's episode included news about a flea plague in New York. Cierto o Falso?
5) Almost a month of no shaving

Winter Vacation 2010 coming...

It has been several weeks since my last post about Pucon (which seems like forever ago), and I have seen so much of this country since then. I was gifted with a three week winter vacation and had the opportunity to travel, travel, and travel some more. I took roughly 15 bus/taxi rides, two flights, and two ferries to accomplish it all. I will briefly fill y'all in on my travels before explaining in much more detail after I eat almuerzo.

First, my adventures took me to Lago Rupanco, a lake surrounded by five volcanoes in the Chilean Andes. We (two Americans and two Chileans) hiked to remote lakes, dug our own hot springs, fished for salmon, and visited waterfalls. We spent our nights in a hut made of bamboo listening to Chilean music, eating homemade sopapillas, drinking mate and Ron, and dancing around.

After four days there and a brief stint back home in Osorno, a group of volunteers and I flew from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas to take in the sights from the end of the world. After a day in Punta Arenas we headed to Puerto Natales on a three hour bus ride. The landscape was full of snow, ice, and strong southern winds. We stayed in the impeccable Erratic Rock hostal/guide service who outfitted us for our last minute decision to hike the W Circuit of Torres Del Paine National Park. It is one of the gems of the world and I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity. The hike is 50 miles long taking four nights and five days to accomplish. Here are some pictures to keep the interest high! I'll be back.

Pucon; Enjoying the small things

I realized a few days back that the key to a successful blog is continuity and thus I feel that every travel or noteworthy subject should be addressed to my 'anxious' readers. With that said, last weekend in Pucon was truly noteworthy and a highlight of my South American tour six weeks in. Not only was it my longest bus-ride since traveling from Santiago but the travel came during the day so I soaked in all the sights. This included seeing the preparations for a dark beer festival in Valdivia and the rolling countryside with cows and wineries all shadowed by the distant yet intimate snow-capped Andes which magically form the backbone for this monkey arm of a country. After draining the battery of my iTouch we finally arrived in Pucon, a touristy city four hours northeast of Osorno. The town's population is much smaller than Oxford, MS and in the night you have no idea that the town is smack dab in the middle of the mountains.

After an evening of exchanging classroom stories with eight other volunteers, dancing to the Black Eyed Peas, eating Churrasco sandwiches, and drinking cheap Chilean box wine (El Gato), we roamed the town and took pictures of the mountains before heading to a hot springs 45 minutes away. We ate fried empanadas stuffed with poached egg, beef, and onions...I forgot what they are called but they are my favorite.

The drive was beautiful and when we arrived at the national park the clouds sympathetically parted ways and showed us a sunny, cool afternoon. We took pictures at the top of the hill and kicked the Jabulani ball around before I clumsily knocked it off the trail and into a steep ravine. While we managed to recover it we also found a different trail that took us straight to a fierce flowing river. This river continued on past our hot springs providing a natural chime as we sat in the hot tubs and stared at the mountains. Since I forgot to pack a swim suit in Dallas (who would have thought) I relegated myself to boxer briefs and nothing more. The elderly Chilean women probably didn't appreciate it but boy was I comfortable.

That night we celebrated July 4th by first finding a hamburger place (see above) and then having a party at our hostel with just as many natives as Americans. The Chileans watched comically as we drank a beer and sang the Pledge of Allegiance. It is these weekends that I feel like I am studying abroad. A bunch of Americans hanging out and talking about the food we wish could have (McDonalds breakfast No. 2, Marco's pizza, Mi-Cocina, Burger House, Gordita crunch, Dr. Pepper, etc.), Chilean customs, and the ridiculous Chilean-like haircut one volunteer gave to another. But then during the weeks I am teaching early on in the mornings and relaxing in the afternoons.

I have discovered how happy the small things make me when living abroad. The other day I found a soccer field very close to my house and I plan on improving my game for the next six months. I appreciate the wool scarf I just bought that keeps my neck from the never ceasing wind. I listen to the Rangers baseball games several times a week with the same announcers that I grew up with (CLIFF LEE!). I watch my own movies with Spanish sub-titles because I want to learn more words. I smile every time my Chilean mom puts mustard and pepper in front of me at meals because she knows how much I like them. She also puts them out with meals that one would dread putting those things on. I even appreciate the ATM giving me the English language button option. All of this is part of my South American experience and this month is only going to get better as I leave for a back-packing trip in three days and for Punta Arenas (Google maps that I dare you) the following Wednesday!

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the Texas heat as much as I am the continuous rainfall and needling wind. Ciao!

Las Termas

In Chile lay more hot springs or termas than I could possibly imagine. And when there are termas, there are also volcanoes. Fortunately none of these magma-tossing phenomenons has erupted since the 80's or so I am forcing myself to believe. Therefore the past two weekends I decided to visit two different national parks, their trails, and the hot springs that they have to offer hoping for clear skies and a readable map. Since school was out of session last Monday for some holiday, I arranged to go spend all day Sunday at Puyuhue National Park located about an hour east of Osorno. It's one of the most popular parks in all of Chile and has some amazing trails. I went with a fellow volunteer and for lack of better words, I plan on going back there many, many times.

In Osorno, we boarded the Lago Puyuhue Express, which for less than $4 will take you all the way to the Aguas Calientes, and spent slightly more than an hour watching the passing scenery of cows, more cows, miniature soccer fields, cows again, and finally the mountains and Lago Puyuhue. The lake sneaks up on you especially on a cloudy day. After passing the prestigious Chilean hotel, Hotel Termas de Puyuhue we finally arrived at rainy Aguas Calientes. Unfortuntely my best purchase thus far in 2010, my REI-waterproof-like-a-pair-of-dockers-pants-rain jacket was dirty and smelling like smoke due to the permitting of cigarettes in city bars and hangouts, so I was relegated to my vintage 2001 Helly Hansen rain gear. Nothing against this jacket-it has been through it all-but when it rains constantly for four hours, you're gonna get wet!

So in the nagging, steady rain we hiked a two hour trail called El Pionero. We hiked up through giant trees, crazy flora that Alex recognized, and a soothing river, before reaching a rest area overlooking the entire national park, the termas, and Lago Puyuhue. It was fantastic. We took pictures, met a teacher from Osorno who teaches...English, and ate some of my pizza-flavored Pringles to reward ourselves. You could even see the heat rising from the hot springs! It felt great to get out of Osorno and visit a place so close yet with such different natural features than anything you would ever see in the 'Milwaukee' of Chile. While we didn't go for a dip in the hotsprings (the idea of swimming in an unfiltered hot pool with 100 half-dressed Chileans, mostly overweight men, just didn't appeal to me), we both felt relaxed, re-focused and grateful for the proximity of this park. You all will hear much more about this park as the weather gets warm and skies clear!

I have much more to tell but must finish a worksheet containing questions about The Sandlot. In light of the 4th of July, I decided to show a movie containing America's favorite past-time!

On a emotional note, being in Chile has made me love my country even more and we are all truly blessed to call America home. I think about family and friends, Tex-Mex, and all things American many times a day and this experience has been everything I wanted it to be so far in my first five weeks.

Coming up next I will talk about my weekend in Pucon, my upcoming backpacking trip, as well as my winter vacation to Punta Arenas, Torres del Paine (weather pending), and Tierra Del Fuego. Oh, and this week is anniversary week for my school and I have been asked to dance and play sports with the high school freshmen! Can't wait.

Puerto Varas and Team USA

First and foremost- VIVA USA EN LA COPA MUNDIAL! What a game and finish by Landon Donovan. Add that one to his most goals ever scored in a USA uniform! The fact that I had to watch the game and most important goal in USA soccer history on a scratchy internet signal in Southern Chile truly tops the mark. Okay, it wasn't the internet signal's fault as much as it was the website I found to watch the game on. I kept battling with two different computers for a steady stream and ideally wanted to listen to it in anything but the previously chosen language of Arabic. And which Chilean producer chose England-Slovenia as the better match to show on TV? In any event, I didn't know how to celebrate the goal except to yell Spanglish at my host family and then start texting exclamation points with brief comments to friends back home. (Family, forward my phone bill to Team USA HQ in Chicago).

The reason for this post is not to ooze on the recent successes of Team USA because I told you we had the tools to be successful. Check my Facebook status before the World Cup began for proof. Last week the Chilean Ministry of Education decided it would benefit my program, English Open Doors, if the entirety of my region' volunteers (Los Lagos) met in Puerto Varas for a collection of meetings about English debates, etc., for the weekend. Thus a fellow volunteer, Luisa and I took an hour or so long bus-ride to Puerto Varas in the pouring rain. I counted 11 straight days of rain yesterday when I finally saw brilliant, sizzling sunlight. And then it rained in broad daylight..

We arrived at the Puerto Varas bus station on the outskirts of the town. After walking down a hill we soon came across Orvis stores, a huge casino, and a North Face store. Then we walked along the regionally famous Lago Llanquihue. Even the rain couldn't dampen our spirits because seeing and hearing water was simply refreshing. We had hoped to see Volcan Osorno on the other side but that never happened. I guess the postcards took all the good shots. Our hotel was also phenomenal offering great views, several antiques, and some real cool artwork. Our room keys were paintbrushes with keys attached to them. The city is most definitely a tourist hub offering outdoor adventures to the mountains, rivers, and of course Volcan Osorno. After a fun night at a bar called Barometre that offered a DJ, pool table, the fine Chilean beer Austral, and fun with other volunteers and regional coordinators we sat through meetings all the next morning.

Later that afternoon after we left the hotel and found a new hostel, several other volunteers from the area joined us at a cool, Jimi Hendrix-hippiesque, French hostel. When we first rang the doorbell to see if they had room, the owner opened the door and said, "Que Tal?" As in what's up and what do you need? He said they are very slow in the winter so this was a surprise to him. They offered us a great bunk room for very cheap and it was in the heart of the town so how could we turn it down!

Bottom line is that the weekend gave me the opportunity to get out, see a different city, hang with friends I made from my time in Santiago, and hear their stories with school and their host families. One of my personnel favorites is that a buddy had nearly 200 girls Facebook him wanting to be friends. Hence the reason all of my privacy settings are up. Here are some Chile by the numbers/facts for you all:

17: Days I went attempting to grow the beard until it became unbearable.
1: Comment from a random guy who said, "Mira, un gringo naranja!" Look, an orange gringo...
4: Times a day I take the micro or bus to and from school.
4: Days I have seen the sun. That will change or hopefully will change when winter vacation comes. Its not as bad as it seems though
3: Number of weeks off I have for winter vacation!
Profe: The name the students call me. Its an abbreviation of Prefesor.
10: Roughly the number of times I have thought about Mi Cocina. UPS??
1: Times I have been in a car full of Chileans and listened to an Rick Ansley/Michael Jackson remix.
Senor de los Anillos: The Lord of The Rings in Spanish. Going to watch it now.

Hope everyone is well. Things are great here! I want to hear your stories also so spill for me.

Come se dice "oops" in english?

After attending teacher training sessions for seven days in Santiago, completing an online teaching course, and one week of classroom observations in Osorno, I finally stepped in front of the classroom for the first time this past week and it could not have gone any better. Well maybe if the student in the back of the classroom took his headphones out, but don't worry he'll be reprimanded. Somethings about my classes: four classes of 9th and 10th graders, one class of 5th graders, just under 20 hours a week and Wednesday-Friday I only work in the mornings! I teach roughly 18 students for 45 minutes then they go back to their Chilean English teacher who sends me the next 16-18 students. They all enjoy soccer and listening to music particularly Metallica, Pantera, and Justin Bieber. One student when I asked her what she likes to do responded with, "I like to smoke, drink, and go dancing." She is 15 years old.

To paint a picture of where I work, imagine the upper part of a church. The roof angles in towards the top of the building. My classroom is the same. The walls carve in so nearly every time a student sitting along the wall stands up they hit their heads. However small it may be and smaller it may seem with 18 students in the room with me, it is my own and they even bought a califant (heater) for me. Great because my first day it was -5 Celsius in Osorno.

The first day of class after I presented a PowerPoint about my life in the USA ("Your family and friends are so pretty," said one student), I had the students make posters for their class to help decorate my room. One group of girls drew a heart, wrote my name in it and after putting lipstick on, kissed the poster leaving sets of red lips all over the poster. Oh, and another wrote, "I love you Robert". Madness I tell you. In addition to the student-made posters in my room is the beautiful state flag of Texas. Google image search 'Chile flag' and you will see the crazy resemblance between the two flags. All the students said "Casi iguales!" or "almost the same" about the two flags. I even taught the class the phrase, "Everything is bigger in Texas," and we listened to "My Hometown" by Charlie Robison, a country favorite of mine.

My first real lessons were vocabulary words to use when traveling. Sleeping bag, sunscreen, watch, guidebook, and the sentence structure 'We are going ______' and 'We are bringing ________.' With the 5th grade students, I taught them classroom instructions such as sit down, raise your hand, be quiet please, and stand up. We played a game of Simon Says with these instructions and they loved the game so much that they were playing it when they went back to their homeroom.

Wednesday we started class late as Chile was playing in the World Cup for the first time in 12 years and they WON (1-0) to give them their first World Cup win in 48 years. Cars were driving down the street honking their horns and all the kids were singing, "Chi-Chi-Chi-Le-Le-Le, Viva Chile!" and blowing their vuvuzuelas (sp?). The teachers even set up a projector screen to watch the game and made coffee and sandwiches for us. Then also served beer..at 7 am before class!

Finally, the title of this entry comes from a seven-year old girl named Camilla who kept sneaking into my classroom wanting to play tag, hide-and-seek, or some combination of the two. When she dropped a marker, I said 'oops' and she then asked, "como se dice 'oops' in ingles?" I kept saying 'oops' and she kept asking the question not understanding that the word 'oops' is a universal term spoken by many different languages. Or so I assume. It was a classic exchange between two people who know un poco sobre otras lenguas.

Later today I'll post an entry about my weekend in the wonderful, touristy city of Puerto Varas. Happy Father's Day to the best dad. I love you Pops! Hasta Luego

Pictured:
1) On a puente (bridge) with my Chilean sister. The bridge shakes like something you would see in an Indiana Jones movie.
2) Pictures taken last Sunday on a hill at the top of Osorno. It's an hour from Puerto Varas, the beach, and the Andes.

Sidenote: We are thinking about making t-shirts that say 'BROsorno' and 'gringo naranja' tambien. More coming on the gringo naranja part!

Bienvenido a Osorno, Part Uno

My first week in Osorno has been incredible. My host family is amazing, helping me out whenever I need it. The daughter, Dani was a lifesaver in more than one situation this week. While speaking with a local police officer so I could receive my Chilean ID, I thought he said, "Eres Casner?" or something of that sort. Well he actually said, "Eres casado?" or "are you married?" I said yes and Dani quickly corrected me. I mean come on, would my wife, if I had one, let me leave the country for six months without her? Food for thought.

My school, Colegio San Alberto Hurtado has got some cool students as well as professors. I have been invited to play with the professors soccer team and they play in the semi-finals this Tuesday. One day, my teacher did not arrive at the school until 10 am (miscommunication), so I sat in on the 5th grade History class. For an hour and 15 minutes I answered questions from, "Have you ever met anyone famous?" to "Why do you have so many pecas (freckles) on your face?" to "Are you a fan of NASA?" to my personal fav "Do you personally know Barack Obama?" I wish I could teach the 5th graders everyday but only have them twice a week. Otherwise I am solely teaching freshman and sophomores. They seem eager but I will really find everything out tomorrow- my first day of teaching!

I think my students will enjoy some of the angles I take and many of my ideas stream from past teachers whom I really enjoyed. I want to be helpful like Mr. Burgess, do the student biography on the wall like Mrs. O'Rear, and have incentives for learning like Mrs. Fuch.

Anyways, this weekend we had a huge asado, BBQ, welcoming party for me at my house. For four hours, we grilled, well they grilled while I watched the USA game (!!!), drank beer and red wine, and talked. Chileans are very nosy, in a funny way, and want to know everything about you. What is your longest relationship? Why don't you want more food? Is everything ok? What does America know about Chile? They are very touchy also and show love all the time. My mom says, "goodnight precious" to me and even that throws me off but it's how they act. One of our family friends, Christian knows some English but his favorite phrase is, "I'll be back baby." And his favorite beer is Budweiser!

Teaching begins tomorrow so I have to get to bed but more stories to come and hope everyone is enjoying the world cup. Oh and I have a feeling the quote from Forrest Gump, "And it rained somemore" will be used much. Day three of rain here in Osorno. Buenas Noches!

Oh some quick notes:
1) I sleep with five blankets covering me every night.
2) The pic with the family is showing their tributes to the Longhorns!
3) Someone asked me if I was Chilean the other day. Points for me
4) If you can see it, the students in the picture drew pictures of the Texas flag for class. Even more amazing.
5) One student told the Chilean English teacher the following, verbatuum: "Miss Andrea don't be jealous that all of us want to be in Senor Robert's class and not yours or Carlos'. We just want to hang out with Senor Robert and learn from him."
6) Wal-mart bought the grocery store right next to our house. Talk about expansion..