First Day

So later turned into much later! Basically crashed yesterday evening so a full download is now necessary. The flight over was pretty straight-forward really. Had to stand in a line in Auckland for over an hour just to get my tickets. Wee bit of a panic when they raised questions about my departure date. My visa is only for three months so I will have to pop in and out again to renew it but the flight people wanted me to have a ticket out then and there. However, they decided to be nice and let me through anyway. Thanks heaps to Nigel (SIM director NZ) who stuck around to make sure I made it onto the plane all right!Struggled to sleep on the plane, just WAY too uncomfortable. I was also panicking because there was some Spanish being spoken around me that I had no idea what was being said. I was sure they must be the Chileans and I was going to be completely lost but it turned out to be Portuguese. No worries, different language so totally okay that I couldn't understand!

My host family are lovely and incredibly gracious and helpful with my language. The two adults are Filipe and Emy with their two boys Sammi and Pedro. Pedro hasn't managed "Anna" and seems stuck with "Nana" so I guess that will do! I slept for close on 14 hours and even managed to sleep through the constant barking of dogs and sunlight streaming through my curtains. The language is going okay, I'm making myself understood although much hand-waving and the occasional (or not so occasional) English word. People in shops however are so far impossible to understand!

This a drink/snack you can buy real cheap from street vendors. I think it is called mata and it is apricot nectar with an apricot and the grain at the bottom. The grain is kind of like barley I think. It tastes great, although a little sweet!

My guide and crash-course to Santiago was Fiona who is from Tasmania so today was explained to me in English - so that I knew exactly what was happening. She walked me to the train station and we bought a train and bus card then we caught the train into the centre of town; took about half an hour. We then followed my route to language school and got me enrolled there starting in two weeks. The rest of the day we walked around the centre of town and bought some stuff I needed and had lunch at a cafe so I knew how to order etc. Quite tiring and very overwhelming, plus quite intimidating. I stand out like a fish out of water. It wasn't so bad in the centre but in the suburbs and the public transport, people just stare at me. It's very disconcerting and frightening as it makes me a prime target for theft. Only the rich are white here and even they aren't as white as me! Perhaps a fake tan is in order...

Safe Arrival

Just a quick one to let everyone know I've arrived safely. My computer is yelling at me about battery and my adapter plug is way in my bag! Later this evening there will be more...

Countdown!

Hello Everyone!

So, it is less than 2 weeks before my big adventure begins. I thought a good way to start this post would be to explain exactly what's going on for anyone who isn't totally sure.

About the middle of 2012 I started thinking about what I was going to do once I'd finished my degree. I want to eventually end up teaching languages and felt that my Spanish was nowhere near good enough. So I started exploring options for spending an extended time in a Spanish-speaking country. I rapidly decided that going as a tourist wasn't great so decided to look for a mission. Some people at my home church are involved with SIM (Serving In Mission) and they found the perfect place for me.

I am going to Santiago, Chile, a city with over 5 million people. This freaks me out quite a bit but hopefully I'll get used to it! Initially I will be at language school for about month until my Chilean Spanish is deemed adequate enough to take me out into the real world. SIM works alongside a school called Un Rincón de Alegría meaning A Corner of Joy. This school was set up in 2001 by a group of Christian women to provide a place of education, love, good food and hope for impoverished kids. They work with kids up to 15 years old to help them break the poverty cycle. In 2009 they increased the number of children from 45 to 60 with most kids being primary age. They are currently hoping to acquire land that will allow them to build a school for older kids. I will be teacher-aiding in this school for about 5 months. At the moment I'm not entirely sure what that will involve but I'm sure I will find out soon enough!

So far I have fund-raised over half the amount needed to go and will fund the rest of the trip myself. Thanks to everyone who bought recipe books, came to the concert and donated money. The generosity of people has been truly amazing. I can see how much God provides for me and I know that He will continue to look after me throughout the next six months.

It's going to be a big adventure, but I'm not expecting it to be easy. Chilean culture is quite different to ours and I have never really be exposed to extreme poverty before. I hope it will be a time of challenges overcome, relationships developed and rewarding time with kids in God's kingdom. I hope you all come along for the ride and enjoying supporting me over the next wee while!