Travel, Cook, Teach

I'm packing up my life and moving to Chile to teach. Some days it's exciting. Other days I feel like I have no clue what I have gotten myself into. Here we go.

[lazysweetawkward]

Real Housewives of Antofagasta

At meet the teacher night, the moms were all arguing about who should have to be class parent.  Things got catty quickly, and I couldn't keep up with all the Spanish, but here is some of what I heard:

"I can't do it, you all know how hard I work on top of having THREE children."

"I can't believe you guys would even ask me.  You all KNOW I have a sick father.  I told you."

"I've done it for two years.  There can't be an expectation for me to do it again.  There just can't."

"I bet all the parents that aren't here tonight are just trying to avoid having to be class parent.  Let's just force on of them to do it."

Oh my.  Let the cattiness begin.

[lazysweetawkward]

Chile Chatter

So, I have been in Chile for coming up on two weeks.  The people are lovely, the city I live in is less so, but will grow on me.  My work and colleagues seem like they will be good.  Fingers crossed.  I am setting up my classroom and trying to learn what PYP actually means.  But, I think I am getting there.

Here are some things I learned this week:

1. I need to be patient here. Everything takes forever. I have been here for over a week and still have no WiFi despite asking every day.  Also when I went to get my SIM card on Sunday they told me they don't sell them on weekends. Random. So patience and going with the flow are key.

2. The buses are hilarious. They will pick you up anywhere as long as you flag them down. They will also drop you off anywhere you ask. And they drive really fast! I have to take the bus to go anywhere except work. There are no bus routes or maps or anything like that so it will take me a while to figure out the city.

3. There are stray dogs everywhere. Every.where.  If you go for a run they follow you.   I have heard that they are all really friendly but it does make me a bit nervous.  They howl all night long, so I need to get used to that.  Hopefully there will come a point where I can sleep through it.  For now, it wakes me up and reminds me of the movie 101 Dalmations.

4. My school ends at a different time every day which is a bit odd but apparently that is common in Chile.

5. Knowing Spanish is SO SO HELPFUL.  Very few people here speak English which is strange since there are a ton of expats.

6. Carbonated water is really popular here. So is soda. Some restaurants don't even serve water so I need to carry water with me because I think I am getting dehydrated lol.

7. Don't drink the tap water.

8. There is no Starbucks or good Asian food. There is Domino's pizza and Scotiabank.

9. Pisco sours are a national drink here and they are deliciously dangerous...which explains how my Friday night of 'a couple drinks' turned into dancing until 4 a.m.

[longlivethebat-universe]

Spoiler Alert - this pretty ,much sums up Game of Thrones.  At least the Joker would have lightened the mood.

[lazysweetawkward]

My Trinidadian father's commentary on the weather today:

"It is cold no ass and it is snowing no ass."

Translation: 

"There is a lot of snow and it is very cold."

[lazysweetawkward]

conversations with my brothers...

brother1: did you know there is this company that will take your cremated ashes and put them in an urn, along with a baby tree, and then your ashes will grow into a tree?

me: that's cool.  I'd do that over being buried for sure.

brother1: if you do that, I'll make sure to be reincarnated as some sort of invasive insect species that lives in only your tree.

brother2: and I'll come back as some sort of strangling, clinging ivy that grows all over your tree.  that way, we can annoy you into eternity.

me: but I'll be dead.

brothers (in unison): even death can't save you..

[longlivethebat-universe]

[lazysweetawkward]

I love the Joker so much.  I sometimes wonder what this says about my personality...

[lazysweetawkward]

Geronimo

In less than a month, I am quitting my current job and moving to Chile to teach.

Some days I feel like this:

Other days I feel like this:

Basically I go from, "Yay new adventure!" to "Oh dear god, change is terrifying."

I figure it might help me make sense of things/stay sane though this change if I write about it and keep track of the places I go, the teaching I do, and the cooking I do in Chile.

Stay posted for at the very least more Doctor Who related gifs to express my emotions.