In a nutshell....

So, where were we?
I pretty much feel like I left off after the earthquake. Spent some time with the other volunteers in a hostel in the center of Santiago. Was supposed to have wifi there but that never really happened. It was good to be able to hang out with the rest of the group though and bond a little more. We had some very brief but good training from the program and were then sent respectively to our areas. Our 18 hour drive to Antofagasta really drove home the fact that we are in the middle of the driest desert in the world. It might rain here ONCE a year and even then, they say for only a minute or two. Nothing for hours, save the coast at times. I can tell you that you have a different view of the ocean when you see everyone sitting outside their cars on the side of the road waiting for a tsunami. We pulled into Anto and were met cheerfully by Rio, our regional coordinator. She has been a saving grace ever since and a valuable link in our program. We stayed in a hostel the first night right across from the beach. I stayed up half the night wandering about the tsunami warning and trying to gauge the waves. The next day, after some orientation about the city, we were introduced to our new families and sent on our way.

My family was very sweet and welcoming. There were 6 people in the house aside from me. I am not going to lie that panic set in upon entering the house to learn that there was only one bathroom for the 7 of us and no internet. (Insert foreshadowing here). I am having a hard time now remembering the difference in the following 14 days because at this point, it all seems a blur of crazy students, tired teachers, stomach viruses, no internet, ringing bells, yelling, choas, stolen supplies and waiting for the bathroom. Needless to say, my school was an absolute mess. My classroom was equipped with computers, however, not a single person in the school had a password for even one of them so they were unusable. There was no room to teach them anywhere else. The English teacher was new this year and had no idea how to manage a volunteer. She tried to do her best but the students were getting the best of her and I was not able to acclimate to this environment. The program was very understanding and set about finding my a new school and host family. So yesterday I was moved to a new family and started in my new school this morning. My host family consists of a mom, dad, and three girls. They are all wonderful and live high on the hill overlooking the sea (must be noted that also well above tsunami "safe" line). So I have a little bedroom on the 4th floor with my own view. The sweetest words I have heard in 3 weeks are "3 bathrooms" and "we have wifi".

I met my new host teacher this morning and she is a seasoned veteran in the program and I think we will get along great. It is a hike to my new school but I will gladly sweat through that with a smile on my face.

I have also been fortunate enough to be introduced to a Chilean friend and he has been showing me the best of Anto for the last week. He is in a band here and seems to know everyone. We are going to a play in a shipping container on the docks tomorrow night. Right up my alley...

Here are a few photos from the first weeks.

The plaza in the center. One of the few photos of Antofagasta that should be used in brochures...
My new bedroom, complete with painted sun and moon and flowers!
View from my bedroom.
La Portada just a few miles outside of the city.
Gringas at La Portada...
Quiltro family photo at Juan Lopez beach. (Quiltro = street dogs)

Change is good....

So I fully intended on recapping the last 4 or 5 weeks tonight but now it is 11pm and I have to be up at 6.30 to get ready for my second "first" day of classes in my new school. For those who are unaware, I arrived in Antofagasta about 2.5 weeks ago and had a bit of a rough start, including no internet connection. I am only working a half day tomorrow so I will post a full update then. But for now, here is an abbreviated version of the birthday video that I had promised to post.... Disfruta! (Enjoy)

Aftershocks....

So I know it's been a while since I have been here but as most of you are aware, it has been a busy week in Chile. Last Saturday morning around 3.30am there was one of the biggest earthquakes ever recorded here in Chile. Although the epicenter was closer to Concepcion in the south, it was strong enough to have a deep impact here in Santiago. Having never experienced an earthquake, I suppose it was best at the time for me not to know that they are not normally that strong. I was shaken out of bed and instructed by my host mom to stand in the doorway of my bedroom. I tried as hard as I could but the house was so unstable that I could barely stand up. I just remember there being yelling and crying and trying to focus on looking out my bedroom window and seeing everything outside swaying back and forth. It truly felt like being in a boat during a bad storm. It lasted about 2-3 minutes but felt like much longer. After it was over, my family pulled all of the mattresses down into the living room and begun looking for flashlights, candles, radios and anything else to help comfort. No sleep came and I spent the better part of Saturday wandering around my neighborhood looking for a phone or internet so that I could call my parents and tell them I was ok before they saw it on the news. My host family was extremely supportive and understanding and I am very thankful to have them.

So as one can imagine, this has delayed everything in our program at this point. The offices of our program have been considerably damaged and the roads to most of our placements have been destroyed as well. We are all staying in a hostel in the city center right now, waiting for news of advancement with no avail. There was hope that the 6 people going to Antofagasta would still be leaving on time as there was no damage up there, but lo and behold, a small earthquake struck there while we were packing and now that is uncertain as well. We are all hopeful that the delay is just that and that we will be back on track soon but have not received any news this weekend.

We have been attending many asados (bbqs) and playing card games and trying to keep ourselves entertained in the hostel. We are also all very thankful that Santiago is so resilient and we all are safe.

Here are some pictures from the last week....

Not unlike the endless piles of snow in Chicago, the rubble from the toppled buildings in Santiago.
A little birthday celebration prepared by my family. My face was shoved in to the top. Video exists.
Asado hijinks.