We landed in Dallas at 6 something in the morning. Surprise, I hardly slept at all, we flew through a storm over the Gulf and it made for a bumpy ride. We made it through customs with no problems despite all the hype. As soon as I had the chance I made a call on my cell phone and I talked to a stranger just because I could. Our flight is not canceled so we should be in Columbus Ohio in about 4 hours and the trip will officially be over. It is amazing how fast four weeks can go by, I feel like it was just yesterday that we arrived in Santiago. I cannot wait to see Aimee’s smiling face when she picks me up at the airport, only a few more hours now, I think I can make it.
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Departure day. We have been asked to come to the school with all our luggage so that we will all make it to the airport together. The teachers and everybody that we have been working with have also planned a little party for us at the school to say our goodbyes. When we got to school we piled all of our stuff together and gathered in the computer lab, some people wanted to send some last minute emails and make some last phone calls. At 9:30 we all gathered in the room where it all started for breakfast and coffee. All of the teachers were there along with Mr. Greg, Mr. Kasey, and Ms. Magda. Mr. Greg presented us with certificates and a small gift to thank us for all of our great work. My teacher also gave me a gift to thank me for everything that I did while there. Everyone’s teachers said a little something and then we said our goodbyes. Contact information was also exchanged so that we could all keep in touch. Now it was just a matter of loading the luggage in a truck and going to the airport.
Once we were at the airport somehow I became the leader and made sure that everyone got checked in correctly and were ready to go. I am also in charge of an extra bag that is being taken home to Lindsay. Some of the host families showed up at the airport to bid farewell, and I’m sure that all of them would have been there if our flight time had not changed. We were lucky that we even realized that the flight time had changed, good thing Marshall’s host Dad checked the departure times. For those of us whose families made it in time it was a teary goodbye, because of that I’m actually kind of glad that my family didn’t make it in time, I wouldn’t want anyone to see me cry, I’m a man (and anyone who knows me, knows that is crap, I’m a crier and no audience can stop that). The next thing you know we were in the air, the long journey home had started.
We had a long layover in Santiago. Luckily there was a lot to do in the terminal, shops, restaurants, and Starbucks!!! I was really excited when I saw this because I was going to get a good brewed cup of coffee. I think that a lot of people had the same idea because I waited in line for a good thirty minutes. Once I finally got up to the register I was shocked at how expensive it was, but I did not care cause I really wanted some good coffee, it was going to be worth it. I placed my order and moved to the side to wait for them to make my perfect cup of coffee. As I waited, I watched, and I watched the guy behind the counter scoop powder into a cup, and pour hot water in that same cup, and then stir it, and then he turned to me an asked me if I would like cream. I almost cried. The long wait and expensive perfect cup of coffee turned out to be instant again. I was extremely disappointed. Crushed, I returned to our base camp and waited for our flight to board. Once on the plane I found my head phones and tried to get comfortable for our overnight flight. The on board movie will be August Rush. Hopefully when I wake we will be in Dallas. Fat chance though, have you ever tried to sleep on an American Airlines Flight? There is nothing comfortable about their planes.
Last Full Day
Today I did all I could to help in the classroom but I did not teach. I made sure that I had pictures of every class and helped with the day’s activities. After lunch, during our planning time, I talked to my teacher about my evaluation and my experience here in Chile. This was the first sign that tomorrows departure would be difficult because Ms. Mylene told me that she was going to miss me and we both wiped a tear from our cheeks. It felt good to here how much she enjoyed having me in her classroom and it is amazing how much came from just four weeks. I learned so much about the Chilean culture, about working with diverse populations, and about myself, and she learned a lot about the smart board and different resources to use for teaching math. Overall we both learned a lot from each other.
After school it was the same as always, Pancho had practice, I went to the mall with a couple of the other Gringos, and I returned to Thomas Jefferson in time to get a ride home with Pancho. When we got home we all did whatever for about an hour, there is a possibility that our flight from Dallas to Columbus may be canceled, and at about 8:00 my host family said, “let’s go”. I had no idea where we were going but we all hopped in the truck, Martita included, and we were on our way. I asked several times where we were headed but they would not tell me. We pulled up on this rough looking building and parked. When we opened the door I realized that it was a restaurant, and a very nice one at that. We were seated and ordered our drinks (Ivan and I had a Pisco Sour, and we ordered a bottle of wine to share with the family). Ivan toasted to my stay and my safe trip home and the celebration began. We ordered the Traditional Bar-B-Q and I was absolutely amazed by the massive amount of food they brought out on portable burners. We all ate and drank for about two hours. Once the food and drink was gone I asked if it would be ok for me to take the paper place mat to put in a scrapbook, and of course they said yes. Little did I know that this was going to become my best souvenir. Odaly took the place mat and pulled out a pen, on the back of the place mat she wrote a little message for me and then passed it on. In the end I had a place mat from our celebration with a note from each of the family members. It is probably the one thing from the trip that I could not part with. It really meant a lot to me and I hope that I have it forever.
The place mat was the first thing that I packed when we got home. The rest of the evening was spent getting everything together and making sure that I had it all. I got everything packed and ready for tomorrow and called Aimee (Who is kind of freaking out over our possible flight cancellation). Then next time that I talk to her I will be in the States and using my cell phone, Yeah! I had no idea how much I would miss that stupid cell phone. There is so much that I look forward to about getting home but I now feel that I am not ready to leave. I need to get some sleep but I know that it is going to be impossible.
Chilean Public Schools
Today we caught a bus at 8:30 to make our way to the public school. After three different buses we arrived at our destination, Colegio Particular Manquimavida. As soon as we got of the last bus I realized that something was missing. Somewhere along the way I had dropped my wallet. While I was a little worried, I had also taken all the necessary precautions before the trip just in case something like this did happen. I talked to a couple of people to see of they could make some phone calls for me and try to find the wallet and I went on with the visit, and I now know what it is like to be famous.
As we entered the school we were greeted by, I’m pretty sure every student and teacher there. They were all yelling and screaming and taking all kinds of pictures. A couple of teachers escorted us back to a small court yard area and then went to hold the students in a hallway so that they would not attack us. I took quite a few pictures as well but they did not come close to capturing the excitement that we were experiencing. We then went to the library to meet all the administrators and get the plan for the day. The plan was this: first we would observer a class, then we would have a short coffee break followed by a meet and greet with some of the students, and then we would end the visit with our presentation and hopefully make it back to Thomas Jefferson the catch our rides (Its Wednesday so we have to be back at 1:45).
Stephanie and I were taken to a 7th grade science class, right up my alley. To make it even better they were doing a volume experiment, I love science. A little note about technology. I was very surprised by the lack of laboratory technologies they had. They were using pipettes but they had no bulbs to suck up the liquid and they were using plastic cup for measuring volume. At first I was curious about how they were going to get the liquid into the pipettes but it did not take long at all to realize that safety was not a great concern as well because they just sucked the liquid into the pipette with their mouths. This wasn’t too bad today because they were working with juice and pop, but what do they do when they are working with chemicals. I would have asked the teacher but I did not speak her language. The next thing I noticed was the lack of any computer technologies. There were no computers in this classroom, no overhead, just a classroom with a chalkboard, some desks and a storage area. Although there was an obvious lack of tools for the classroom the teacher made do with what she had and the students seemed to be really enjoying the experiment.
Next up, coffee break. Yes!!! Instant again, I am really ready for a good cup of coffee. We all sat down with the administrators and talked about their school and how American schools are different for quite some time. We all had some coffee and joked with each other as if we were all good friends. It was kind of a good feeling, I was very comfortable and really enjoying myself. I was also very happy because they informed me that they had found my wallet and it was waiting for me at Thomas Jefferson. At the end of our coffee break the music teacher played a couple songs for us on his guitar (Que Sera Sera and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon) and then we signed their guest book. The songs were great and brought a tear to a couple of our group members eyes. We then chatted with the news paper students and they asked us all kinds of questions and we took a bunch of pictures. Everything took a lot longer than expected so we thought we weren’t going to be able to do our presentation, but they really wanted to see it so we decided that we would risk missing our rides to do the presentation, and they really liked it. The students that saw the presentation also had some great question (From truancy to driving laws). We said our goodbyes and thank you and we were headed back, it was going to be close.
We arrived at Thomas Jefferson at exactly 1:45, and I saw Pancho just in time to keep them from leaving so that I could run in and grab my wallet. To my surprise everything was there, the person that turned it in didn’t even take the cash, there really are good people in this world. I ran out, jumped in the truck, and it was home for lunch. Today Martita made homemade ravioli, it was amazing. When lunch was over Pancho and I went for a walk around the neighborhood because it was so beautiful out, plus he wanted to get some Dragon Ball cards. We returned home and at about 7:00, Pancho, Ivan and I made a trip to the store so that I could buy some wine and some Pisco Sour. I was officially done, all my souvenirs were purchases and all I needed to do was pack, but that will wait till tomorrow. We returned home, ate dinner, talked and headed to bed. Tomorrow is my last full day in Chile. While I am excited to see Aimee and family and friends, I am beginning to be a little sad about leaving.
A Sad Day At TJS
Last night, Lindsay, took and early flight home. On Saturday night Lindsay’s, now fiance, and his brother when out for a night on the town. They ended up getting into a little scuffle over a beer. His brother took a punch and fell back hitting his head. Unfortunately it caused some pretty serious brain damage and he was going in to surgery this morning and the outlook is not very good. The doctors are pretty sure that he will not make it and Lindsay went home to be with her fiance and to hopefully make it in time to say goodbye. The rest of the day was pretty much routine but it was hard to really do much with out thinking about Lindsay. It is really amazing how strange it feels without her here. We have formed quite the niche and when one of us isn’t there it feels like something is missing. I will end this entry with my thoughts and prayers going out to Lindsay, her family, Nick Foss, and his family.
Extra Work, No Extra Time
Last week, on April 1st, Mr. Kasey said that we would have to put together a presentation on a day in an American school for our visit to the public school and we all got the impression that it was an April Fools joke. We all thought wrong. Today as we walked into the school Mr. Kasey reminded us that we had to get that presentation together. We have two days. To add to the work that needs to be done before we leave, we have now been asked to do an evaluation of our experience for our teachers. Some of us talked to our teachers and took the initiative to the this presentation thing started. We decided what needed to be in the presentation and broke it up so that everyone had a little part in the overall presentation. We also started the power point so that once everyone got their part done all we had to do was enter the information. We made a lot of progress on the presentation and while I could not do anything for the presentation, I worked on the evaluation for my teacher. I made some great progress. I got all of my part of the presentation done and the evaluation all in about an hour and a half. I was even able to return to the classroom and teach a whole class before lunch.
After lunch it was the same as every Monday, Ms. Mylene has academia and I go to the computer lab until school is out. After school Pancho had practice and some us went to the mall to kill some time, like always. I returned to the school at about 5 o’clock and watch the rest of Pancho’s practice. After practice we were headed home. Again Ivan and Odaly went to the office to work on some things. This left Pancho and I home alone until dinner. I worked on some of my journals and practiced my presentation for the public school visit. Dinner was great as usual and I talked to Ivan about helping me get a couple of good bottles of wine to take home with me. We made plans to go on Wednesday evening.
After dinner I took a cup of tea to my room and made a couple of phone calls. Aimee seems excited for my return home as am I but I can already tell that the departure on Friday is going to be bittersweet. I have really grown close to my host family and while I am excited to go home leaving the family here in Chile is going to be tough. While I am ready to be home I am starting to feel like I am not ready to leave.
Last Day For Pucon
We got up this morning and wee were on our own. We didn’t plan anything so that we would be able to get some shopping in and maybe some other small adventure before we had to leave and return to reality. Unfortunately it was still raining so we decided to just tough it out and see what was open. We started by getting some breakfast and coffee a little coffee shop down the street. After a wake up coffee it was off to see what we could find. The first thing I found was a little market that had all kinds of great crafts and souvenirs. The next thing I found was the perfect purse for Aimee. I had seen one in Chiloe and decided not to get it because I wanted to shop around, that was a mistake because I haven’t seen one like it yet. This one is close and I really think she will like it, so I bought it. After a little more perusing we headed back to the hostel to finish packing and check out. Once everyone was ready we went for lunch, and just like the last time we all got lunch together and had somewhere to be, the entire restaurant decided to take their sweet time. Just like before one of the members of our group did not get their lunch and we had to leave or we were going to miss our bus home. We rushed back to the hostel, grabbed our bags and then rushed to the bus station. Like every hurried situation personality differences began to emerge and it took everything in my power to bit my lip. We finally got our bags checked and on the bus and we were on our way. Just being out of the rushed situation was enough to let me get over it. The bus ride back was just the same as the bus ride there only backwards. Luckily this time they played a movie but again it was in Spanish. This time we made our own words for the movie and it was hilarious. A little further down the road when the movie was over, I turned on my iPod and took a nap.
I was woken up by the arrival at the next station. we arrived there a little early and we had some time to kill so I bought a sandwich and took a bathroom break. The rest of the group franticly tried to figure out when and where we were supposed to be to catch our bus back to Concepcion. It was only a matter of time and we were back on a bus. I called my host father, Ivan, and informed him of what time we would be arriving at the station in Concepcion. After a little while of joking around with him he agreed to pick me up there at 8:30. This was perfect because this meant that I would be home just in time for dinner. Just as I thought there was quite a bit of food waiting for me when I got home. I had some dinner and a cup of tea, and then it was upstairs to make some phone calls and brag about my trip to family and friends back home. It was a great trip but tomorrow it is back to school. The last week in Chile.
Comparably Slow
Compared to yesterday we don’t have nearly as many activities planned. The day started with the same amazing breakfast as yesterday. As soon as breakfast was over some of us decided to go horseback riding. We had left the day open for the chance to climb the volcano, but for the second day in a row the weather was too bad to make the trip. The companies that guided the hike ended up canceling the hike for the entire weekend. This meant that we had the day to do whatever so some of us went horseback riding. A van picked us up right after breakfast and took us to a farm. They gave us the rundown of all we needed to know and then our guide paired us with our horses. I got treinta y ocho (38). She said that we were paired with horses with similar personalities. She said that my horse was a calm, controlled and in charge individual, and he was stubborn as a brick as she put it. At least I did not get pair with the horse that likes to eat, Marshall got that horse. Now I have been horseback riding before but never like this. The guide led us down a road and taught us everything we needed to know about our horses and then we pretty much had the freedom to do whatever we were comfortable with. This was great, we were running all over the place and playing all kinds of riding games, racing, and what they called sandwich. I started having some troubles with my horse because he was starting to be very stubborn. The guide said that I just needed to be rough with him and let him know who was boss. Once I did that I really had a lot of fun. Marshall and I were trying really hard to sandwich our guides but they are really good riders so we were never really able to get them. The most embarrassing part was the fact that one of our guides was an 8 year old girl. About half way through our 4 hour ride we stopped to take a break and have some sandwiches. After lunch we made our way back to the farm and took a path along the Trancura River. The sights along the Trancura were absolutely beautiful. With the river in the foreground and the volcano in the background, unfortunately it was a little hard to take a picture on a moving horse. Just before we got back to the farm it began to rain and that rain would continue for the rest of the weekend.
The journey from the farm to the hostel takes us across the Trancura River. The bridge that crosses the river is one that I would barely trust to walk across let alone drive across, and my concern was justified. We pull up to the bridge and the driver of the bus asks us to get out an walk across. She said that it was not safe to cross with us in the van. It was quite the interesting structure. It kind of looked like the villagers got together one day and tied some wood to a couple of cables. We made it across and were able to enjoy the rest of the day.
Unfortunately we were cursed by rain for the rest of the day. We had originally planned to go shopping at all the little shops on the strip when we got back from horseback riding but many of the shops were closed down because of the rain, so we just kind of hung out around the hostel. Later that evening we had a traditional Chillean Bar-B-Q. Again since it was raining we were forced to move the Bar-B-Q to a covered area behind the hostel’s main building. The food was delicious, the wine was great and the company was even better. We ate all kinds of great food and then we just hung out. Somebody brought out a guitar and some how it ended up in my hands. I love to play the guitar but I don’t think I am all that good, the people at the Bar-B-Q on the other hand thought I was great. They would not let me put the guitar down, and surprisingly they knew and sang along with whatever I played. The next thing you know the food was gone, the wine was gone, and it was well after 1:00 AM. I returned to my cabana and hung out with the few people who were still up. We had a fire going and I ended up falling asleep by the fire for a little while. When I woke up the rest of the group had gone to bed so I did so as well. Another great day in Pucon, I am almost sad we are leaving tomorrow, and I am definitely sad that I will not be able to climb the volcano. I wish we had just one more day.
So Little Time And So Much To Do
Today’s itinerary
8:30 – Breakfast
9:30 – Pick up for canopying
10:00-12:00 – Canopying
12:30 – Lunch
1:45 – Pick up for Rafting
2:00-6:00 Rafting
6:30-10:00 Thermal Spas
10:30 – Pizza Dinner
Holy crap did that day go fast. I didn’t even have time to think about the abuse I was doing to my body. The breakfast was awesome, fresh fruit and actually brewed coffee, bread and homemade jam. Just what I needed to get the day started. The first major activity of the day was the one thing that I really wanted to do on this trip, canopying, and it was absolutely everything that I had expected. It was awesome. We were in harnesses and sliding down steel cables from tree top to tree top. The set up was quite amazing. There were platforms built in the trees and the cables were just amazing. Not only were we zipping from tree to tree but we were climbing all over these things. We did 12 different zips covering, I think, over 2 miles. Some of the slides were long, some were short, some were fast, some were slow, some were tight, and some were wide open. I was able to get all kinds of great pictures of everyone and the last cable was awesome. We went out over a river and the view was beautiful. And just like that we were on to the next activity.
Lunch: I have never felt so rushed to eat lunch. As I have mentioned before the Chileans eat their lunch at about 2:00 and we were trying to eat at about 12:30. The first challenge was to find a place that was ready to serve lunch. The next issue was the fact that no one in Chile is at all in a hurry about anything, which includes serving our lunch. We had an hour to eat and get back to the hostel to catch our ride and lunch took an hour and 15 minutes, and with that one of the members of our group did not even get their lunch. Luckily the bus and the rafting guides waited for us. We were off to a little bit of a late start but it was time to raft.
Rafting the Trancura River: Rafts inflated and wet suites on, it’s time to brave the rapids. The water was freezing and the sun was hot, while the wet suites helped the water was still freezing. This did not stop us from splashing and throwing each other into the water. The river was quite a challenge. We experienced several class 3 rapids, several class 4 rapids and a couple class fives. We had the chance to jump off a 20 foot cliff and marveled at a 20 foot waterfall. There were several times that we got hung up on rocks because the water was a little low. At one point we got so hung up we had to have help from one of the other boats to get us off the rock. Once we were freed there were a couple more rapids and then it was over. I am really shocked by how fast it went. Our guides were a lot of fun and they spoke a little English. Some of them were going to go to the Thermal Spas with us and they offered to take us out later that evening. When we got off the river there was hot coffee and dry towels and a slid show of all the pictures they took of us. We had some fun checking those out and enjoying a cup of coffee and then it was off to our next activity.
Thermal Spas: This was great for the muscles that we just abused on the river. The water was about 100 degrees F and absolutely relaxing. One of the guides told us that the water was starting to feel cold so we needed to jump in the river. We were a little confused but we went along. We climbed over some rocks and there was the river. He said it was good for your skin and jumped in. The water was very shallow and crystal clear. It was also ice cold. All you do is dunk yourself and then rush back to the thermal and jump right in. It made the hot spring a whole lot hotter, and it felt great. After about 2 hours of relaxation it was time to head back for pizza. It has already been a long day and I was starving. Pizza will be great. Sure enough it was and we had a lot of fun all sitting around the pizza shop and wrapping up the day. It is now 11:30 and the days activities are starting to catch up to all of us. Back to the hostel and we all crashed!!! Another full day tomorrow, I hope my body can handle it.
Pucon Here We Come
The school day went well but very fast. I read numbers to the students in English and they were required to write the number in standard form. I was surprised at how difficult they found the activity. Once the students wrote the standard form Ms. Mylene and I checked the answers and then the students wrote the answers on the board. They struggled quite a bit so we launched into a lesson on place value. We used a chart that helped them know how to say the larger numbers. Once the students understood the chart it was quite helpful to them. We did another activity where I read the number and they wrote it using the chart. This time they did much better. We repeated the activity with all four classes. We plan on using the chart in future lessons and hope to slowly fade the use of the chart. I feel that it will work well as long as the students understand the chart. They are doing very well so far so I think the tool will be effective.
As I mentioned before the day went very fast. I am pretty sure that this is because I was so excited about our trip. After lunch the rest of the school day was kind of a blur. This really is not a problem because we don’t have any classes after lunch, but all I can remember is my excitement to get to Pucon. At three o’clock our rides were parked out front of the school and ready to rush us to our 3:30 bus. My family is always willing to help so they made sure that their truck was there with a ride to the station. The only problem was that they sent one of Ivan’s employees and he did not know where he was taking us and he did not speak English. We were freaking out because he just sat there trying to get a hold of Pancho to figure out where he was going when all he really needed to do was follow the other trucks. We really thought we were going to miss our bus and then we would have been very upset. Luckily we made it to the station just in time. We loaded our luggage on the the bus and we boarded. We had a long ride ahead of us so we all got comfortable and we were off. The first bus we were on was about a 2 hour ride from Concepcion to Los Angles. At that station we transfered to another bus which took us from Los Angles to Pucon, about 4 hours long. The first bus we were forced to entertain ourselves because it was too short of a trip to show a movie, I did a couple Sudoku. The next bus showed a movie the only problem was that we are in Chile so it was in Spanish. I kept doing Sudoku.
Once we finally made it to Pucon it was about 10:30 and we still needed to check into our hostel and find something to eat, to make things even more interesting we did not really know where our hostel was. We began walking and we looked ridiculous, ten gringos walking in a line with all kinds of luggage and obviously lost. After a little walking and asking of directions we were able to find our weekend home and got all checked in. The girls took some time to get ready and we were off to find some food. We found this great burger joint just a couple of blocks away that was still open and reasonably priced. I could see how tired everyone was at dinner and as soon as the bill was paid we were back at the hostel and everyone was in bed. It had been a long day and we had not even had time to think about how tired we were until we sat down for our late dinner. We have all kinds of things planned for tomorrow so no one had any problem going to sleep quick. Big day tomorrow, I am out.
