Over and Out

I've been back in NZ for just over a week now and am finally over the jet-lag. Saying goodbye to my host family was extremely hard and I hope that we will see each other again. Pedro was very insistent that I stay or take him with me and Sammi was so angry about me leaving that he wouldn't say goodbye! The flight was long and boring but survivable and I was very happy to see my family at Dunedin airport.

Being home has actually been a bit odd and I keep looking around for a 2 year old or expecting to hear the street dogs barking. It is definitely a strange experience to have culture shock in your own country. In some ways Chile is starting to feel like a dream but I know that those memories will stay with me forever. I have also had some time to reflect and my overall feeling is positive. Yes, it was challenging and at times very stressful but I am really glad I went and stuck it out. I have grown so much as a person and feel blessed to have seen another part of God's world. It's awesome to see Him working somewhere different and helps me to see that we are part of a global church. I miss my kids from kindergarten and will continue to pray for their futures - the way forward for them is not easy.

Now I have about 5 weeks to get myself ready for the next adventure! Right now Germany doesn't seem appealing but I'm sure I will be ready when the time comes. I would like to thank you all for reading these blogs, for sending emails, praying for me and supporting me financially. I could not have done the last 6 months without you. God bless you all!

Final Adventures

Valparaiso port

It is hard to believe that my last day has actually arrived. My stomach certainly knows so I am trying to stay busy! I had a very good last week with lots of shopping, catching up with people and relaxing. On Saturday we drove out to the coast and the beautiful cities of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. It was about an hour and a half in the car and it was amazing to see the sea after 6 months! We drove up to a lookout point and let the boys out to run around for a bit. One of the attractions in Valparaíso are the houses. There is a section of the city where the houses are all brightly painted, very cool. The sad thing is that this is also one of the poorer areas of the city and they are all crammed together and perched on cliffs and in general disrepair. Certainly interesting to drive around. In the afternoon we continued up the coast to Viña which was full of high-rise apartments and also where you find the beach! One of the really cool things was the pelicans; hilarious looking birds and they make a terrible noise but awesome to see them not in a zoo. All in all a great day with the family.

with Pedro at the Naval Memorial

Waving hello to NZ

Armada of Chile

Pelican!!

On Sunday I played flute in church with the music group. Absolutely no written music in sight which was petrifying for me but I ended up having a lot of fun. It was definitely sad to say goodbye to people at church but I'm looking forward to seeing my own church family soon!

with Pati and Carolina

Last night we had a goodbye party for me with about 25 people that I've become close to. We bbqed HEAPS of meat and I made pavlova and everyone danced until 1:30am and we had a super good time. There was also a time for people to share stories about me and also for me to thank everyone for their support and friendship over the last 6 months. They also prayed for me which was really special.





Now, I have the final packing to do and final goodbye to my wonderful Chilean family before getting on the plane home. While I'm excited to see my family and friends I'm also sad to be leaving the people here. It hasn't been an easy 6 months but it has been a good experience and I am really glad that I came.

School's Out!!

Having fun with Pre-Kinder

English class "up" with Kinder

Yesterday was my last day at Un Rincón de Alegría and part of me is super sad and the other part feels like I need a T-shirt that says "I survived Renca". I had my last evaluation of English on Tuesday and only had a couple of kids who have learnt nothing. I feel that if one child learnt one word then I fulfilled my job and it was definitely better than that! On Wednesday we had a goodbye lunch for me which was really awesome. As a special treat they roasted pork for me and made sure I got the best part i.e. fattiest part. They are still of the opinion that I am way too thin, I even got the nick-name "skinny" though in the endearing way that only Chileans can manage. The kids then sang me two songs, one in

English class with Pre-Kinder

English, and gave me a card with their thumbprints inside. I also received the school polar-fleece and hat which was very cool. Thursday was hard saying goodbye to all the kids especially since it's 'flu season and many were missing. I feel really blessed to have been part of their lives and am touched by the love they show to me. I hope that they also felt the love I feel for them.

Group hug!!!!

Now I have a week to deal with a nervous and excited stomach and to go shopping! Nah, I'm hopefully going to get a day in the mountains and a trip out to the coast as well. It certainly feels like home time is running towards me at an ever-increasing pace and I can't believe it's actually been 5 and half months since I arrived!

Surprise!

Got back this morning from an awesome trip down south with the family. We left on the night bus on Thursday evening. Thankfully Pedro and Sammi slept most of the way down - the same can't be said for the rest of us. I think I got about 2 hours sleep! We arrived in the tiny village of Lican Ray at 9am in the pouring rain and were met by some of Emy's cousins. Breakfast at their place while we waited for updates from the rest of the family. You see, it was Emy's grandmother's 80th birthday and the whole family were turning up to celebrate - but she had no idea. So another cousin was luring her out of the house for a couple of days while everyone arrived. When we got the call to say the coast was clear we packed ourselves into cars and drove up to their farm. Sadly, there weren't enough seats so Felipe and I ended up on the back of a truck which was fun but very wet!

Meat for the weekend

Emy putting up balloons

The farm was a wonderful place to visit. Emy's family have owned the hill for many generations now and they have superb views of the lake and volcanoes. Although we only saw some of it because the weather was average most of the weekend! When we arrived Felipe suggested we go and check out how the meat was coming along which I naively agreed to. Coming into a barn and being confronted with a partly butchered cow was a bit of a shock! Thankfully the meat is a strictly boy place and I didn't see it again until it was cooked. On Saturday morning we were busy with balloons and streamers and cooking while the boys were bbqing and doing jobs around the farm. More and more family turned up until there was about 50 people I think. At 1pm we got the call to say Grandma was coming back and we all hid so when she came we all jumped out saying "surprise!" She cried. (in a good way!) And then we ate. I don't think I've eaten quite so much meat in one sitting as I did this weekend. We had meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2 days. Emy is threatening to have only lettuce for the rest of the week!

In the evening they began to dance lots of traditional Chilean dances which was really cool until a slightly drunk uncle decided that the gringa needed to join in rather than just watch. So I was pulled protesting vehemently into a Chilean walz much to the hilarity of everyone else. Fun but I was thankfully rescued by Emy before he could make me dance another one! On Sunday morning the weather had cleared up a lot and so we went for a big walk which was fantastic for me. It was nice to be out in the mountains with fresh air and greenery all around. In the afternoon I caught a bus to Temuco to visit Nia before joining the rest of the family on the bus back to Santiago. Again, not much sleep happened but I was able to sleep once we got home. Overall, a wonderful get away for the weekend and a really awesome celebration to be part of.

Pedro chasing the sheep

Felipe and Pedro out for a walk

From the top of the property

Exploring the river

Concert and Chilean Culture

The stage is set....

Things have mostly been plodding along as normal with the exception of last Thursday and Sunday. On Thursday morning there were several large explosions as we were teaching and by midday we were evacuating the kindergarten. An illegal furniture factory has blown up and they were unsure if the smoke was toxic. So that was pretty exciting and I got a half day! On Sunday Felipe and I went to see Andre Rieu in concert. For me this was incredibly exciting as Nana and I had watched many DVDs of his concerts and it was amazing to finally see him live. There was only minor stress getting to the concert on time and I can only thank the Lord for giving us a park. People were parking on the footpath, in the park, on the roundabout, basically any flat spot near the stadium! Pretty funny but also a little stressful. Police out in force directing traffic but they didn't seem overly concerned with the abnormal parking. We had great seats with a perfect view plus there were big screens so I was completely content. I was even allowed to take pictures! They aren't very good I'm afraid but you can hopefully get some idea. There were about 10,000 people there and I loved every second of it. Fantastic music with plenty of humour and audience participation. Totally hilarious was 15 minutes of "snow" (feathers) being rained down on the very posh people seated in the middle during one walz. Typically Chilean, people were still arriving nearly an hour after the concert started!

Me and Felipe

The Blue Danube Walz

Which brings me onto the next topic. Dad suggested I write a little bit about Chilean culture/people now that I've been here awhile. Please note that I am probably going to massively stereotype but with only 4 months of observation I guess that's inevitable. Let's start with the things that annoy me first so that I can end positively. Personally, their sense of time is very frustrating. If I say, "meet at 4" I mean at 4. Not 4:30 or 5. It generally means a lot of waiting around and wondering if I understood correctly. Also, the subjunctive tense. This gives people a whole tense to avoid committing to anything. In fact, I suspect many NZers would appreciate a subjunctive. It does mean having to listen very carefully when arranging things. Moving on, many Chileans have no concept of a rubbish bin. I frequently see people simply dropping their lolly wrapper, ice-cream stick, coffee cup etc on the street. Or out a bus window. Being a rubbish collector here is a full-time job.

Things I like about Chilean culture. People are super friendly and open up their lives far more readily than we do. Some people I've met here tell me more about their lives in 10 minutes than people I've known for years at home ever have. I like that they hug each other as part of their greeting. The kissing is ok except that it gives strange men the right to kiss you on the cheek and that's uncomfortable! Chileans have a lot of respect for elderly people and will stand up for them on the bus/train. This also extends to people with disabilities, parents with children or pregnant women. Children are highly valued and are looked after by everyone. Including the guys. It's wonderful to see guys so comfortable and involved with the kids instead of seeing them as some other kind of species. Not that I'm interested in Chilean guys! Can't cook, clean etc. However, they are far more gentlemanly than at home. They open doors, let you on the bus first, serve your food first etc. It's lovely!! Right, I think that will about do for now, I've got to get up for school tomorrow and it's late.

Thieves and Rain

As many of you will know, I had a rather frightening week this past week. On Monday I was waiting at the bus stop in Renca and was quietly warned by a local that I was the target of a group of thieves. He recommended that someone accompany me from now on because it simply wasn't safe for me alone. I thank God that I had a very basic acquaintance with this man beforehand so that he felt that he should warn me. My host family were all for me quitting Renca but I wasn't keen this far into my time here. Thankfully our cook offered to walk me to the bus and wait till I was on-board so this is my new routine. While it is a little frustrating to be reliant on someone else to leave school, it is the only way to guarantee my safety. Needless to say, I was a little shaken up by this experience but am thankful that nothing has actually happened to me!

My parents have just emailed to say they are snowbound and I can proudly announce that we are rainbound here in Santiago! It's been raining all day and I got home to news that schools are shut tomorrow. It rains so little here that the city just isn't able to cope. The streets turn into rivers, house and businesses flood, the buses leak, the bus 'shelters' (roof, no walls) are almost completely ineffective and the number of car accidents has gone through the roof. I stupidly left my raincoat at home so was very glad for my layers of wool getting home. The whole family is now huddled in the living room around our 1 heater trying to stay warm. My electric blanket and bed are calling...

I learnt a Chilean idiom that I thought was so funny it needed to be shared. When two people are flirting they say that "there is the smell of feet in the air"! I have no idea why but perhaps we could introduce it into English? Thoughts?

This was also pretty funny. An escaped pig in the street just down the road from my kindergarten. Pork anyone??

Not much happening

Sunset 

It's been a largely uneventful 2 weeks back at school. It was definitely lovely to be welcomed back with cries of "Tia Anna!!" and then being swamped by kids wanting to hug me! It was very easy to slip back into my normal routine and am feeling a bit like I never had a holiday now... it's a little scary to realise that there is only two months left here. Last Tuesday someone attempted to pick my iPod out of my pocket which was a rather frightening experience. Probably the first time I've felt unsafe out at Renca and served as a reminder that I'm working somewhere dangerous. I think perhaps I had got a little complaisant. But they didn't succeed and I can add it to my list of life experiences.

English lessons continue to go well with origami penguins, whales and fish making an appearance this month. I also demonstrated my lack of drawing skills by attempting to illustrate the story of Jonah and the whale but the kids understood what I was trying to draw! Trying to teach linked handwriting to the 4-year-olds has definitely been one of the more frustrating classes this week. I mean, the lower-case 'e' in link doesn't even look like an 'e' so no wonder the poor kids are confused!

I made Pavlova for Mother's Day

The weather has changed rather abruptly and my sandals have been put away and my puffer jacket taken out. Generally in the mornings now it's about 5 or 6 degrees although yesterday was a grand 1 degree. However it can still get up to 20 during the day so layers of clothing is the way to go. The kindergarten has no heating nor do many houses so it feels a little like being in a student flat again. At school we stay in our woolies until at least midday when the sun finally has an impact. I hate to think how it is going to be next month as we really hit winter! I suspect I will be excessively fond of my new alpaca jersey...

A while ago I was asked for some not so nice photos so I surreptitiously took some in Renca the other day. I took them on my iPod so the quality isn't great but I hope they give you some idea of what the suburb is like.

Opposite the kindergarten

Apartments (their equivalent of state housing)

Stray dog (alive!)

Rubbish dumped on the side of the road

And this is the scrum I fight every morning to get on the train! Mind you this was relatively quiet day...