Blogs from Coyhaique, Aisén, Chile, South America - page 3

In order to commemorate the end of Fiestas Patrias, Dana, Brad and I decided to do some hiking and walking around all the important spots of Coyhaique. We started at Carretera Bypass where you could admire the beautiful Valle Simpson. Then we continued on to the Mate Monument where I couldn't resist trying some for myself. After, we hiked our way down the valley so we could admire La Piedra del Indio. We continued our trip at the Rodeo de Coyhaique where we looked around the Bicentennial Fair but couldn't see any real rodeos. We ended the ended the day at La Plaza de Armas where we enjoyed some typical Chilean food. ... read more

Being from the Northern Hemisphere you always think of August as the hottest month of the year. Of course, here in Patagonia it's reversed. On Thursday, August 26 it started to snow and didn't stop until almost 48 hours later. By Saturday morning the snow had stopped, the clouds were gone, making it a beautiful day. You could see all the mountains around the city covered in snow. Patagonia truly is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I couldn't resist the temptation and went outside with my host brothers and spent the entire day playing in the snow, something I've never done coming from an island in the Caribbean. We made snow angels, had snow ball fights and build castles. I felt like a 5 year old going through my first snow experience. ... read more

Friday, the last day of the school's celebration, was a party day. I spent the whole day with the elementary school which had planned to ask the kids to come dressed up in costumes based on their class theme. The first thing we did in the morning was to eat cake, cake and more cake. After, we had the rest of the morning to do some activities and competitions. Because it was raining, we couldn't do most of them which meant that we had to improvise. We asked the kids to dance for an hour straight. Half an hour in, the kids were sweating, exhausted and with no energy and still had another half an hour to go. We teachers started dancing with them and finally made it to the end. By the end of the ... read more

Although one day after anticipated, I finally started working at Colegio Antoine de Saint-Exuperty. This first week is meant for me to observe all of my classes so that I can better asses the level of English of my students and my co-teacher's teaching style. Starting next week, I'll take the most talented students in each class and offer them more advanced and helpful lessons. These will hopefully improve their English which will ultimately open doors for them. The main problem is that school dynamics in Chile are really differently than in the United States and Puerto Rico. Kids have absolutely no discipline and or motivation. It will be a challenge. Today, I met almost all of the faculty and observed two of my classes, an eleventh grade and a twelve grade. I'll also be teaching ... read more

Today I met my host family. They live on the mountains in the outskirts of Coihayque. Let me just say, I already love them. Like I mentioned before my host dad, Claudio, is a member of the Chilean army. He's really nice and heart warming. My host mom is Jessica. She's always looking out for me, feeding me every second and treating me as one of her kids. I also have two host brothers, Joaquin (Joaco) y Felipe (Pipe). Joaco is eleven, full with questions and jokes. Pipe is nine and very shy. I'll eventually get him to be comfortable around me. They have pets too! A dog called Pelusa and a cat named Micho. At first, meeting them was very overwhelming. But as time went by, I began to feel as one of them. I ... read more