That was me on Monday night and part of Tuesday. I think I had the same thing that D had a couple of weeks ago, but man was it rough. I had a class at 1:30 on Monday and was fine then. But afterward, I had a class from 5:30 to 7:30 and actually had to end a few minutes early because I had started feeling pretty bad during the class. So I left and got on the metro, where I had to go 8 stops to get to the Institute. About 4 stops into the ride, I started thinking... crap, I´m not going to make it. I got off at U Catolica and sat down for a few minutes, hoping that would help. Yeahhhh, not so much. I got back on and made it to the Institute, thankfully... but barely made it to the bathroom before I lost it. Vomitando ALL over the place. Poor janitors. I was supposed to have a class at 8:20 that night, but I had to cancel that, because I knew there was no way I´d make it through an hour and a half of class. And it´s a good thing I cancelled too, because I ended up throwing up 5 more times that night and into Tuesday morning. Wonderful. Thankfully, I am feeling better now, but I´m still sick as a dog of something else...
NOT being told important things by the Institute. I know I´ve opined on the lack of organization here, but SERIOUSLY, this is ridiculous. It´s not like these are things you could intuit, things that should be obvious to any new employee at any random company. No no... these are things nobody would know unless they were told. And I haven´t been told jack squat. And I´m tired of it. What also sucks is the suckiness (lovely writing, I know) of the Institute reflecting poorly on me. Case in point, the class I had to cancel on Monday night... when I took over this class, they had already had 2 professors, just temporary teachers until the Institute finally found someone (me) willing to take the class. So the students were already fed up with the Institute constantly switching professors on them. So today while at the Institute, I talk to one of the ladies in charge of these classes and she tells me that the students were very ¨molestados¨ by having to have a substitute teacher on Monday night. She said that they understood the situation, that I was sick and everything, but they are still upset with having had so many different teachers for this course. So, to the Institute, I would just like to say a big, sarcastic THANK YOU. Thank you for screwing me over. Now I am actually dreading going to this class tonight and having to face my students. Hopefully they won´t be too pissed off... but seriously, I was throwing up like once every hour, what was I supposed to do?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
A Brief Explanation...
Here I go again with 2 posts in one day. But I finally came up with a new title for my blog, so I wanted to explain just a bit... ¨Jet¨ is my nickname. Actually, I don´t think any of my new gringa friends here know that yet, so... now you do. It´s what all of my Chilean friends call me, and even D´s parents. I got that nickname about 2 and a half years ago. Sometime I´ll explain more. Anyway, I´m sort of the ¨jet-setter¨ of my family, since I´m the only one who really travels much. But now I feel more like I´m settling in Santiago, at least for a couple of years. Hence ¨jet-settling.¨ I actually felt proud of myself for about a half-second, thinking I was being innovative... then I did a Google search and realized I´m not as creative as I thought. Turns out someone had already coined the term ¨jet-settler¨, probably a long time ago. Oh well, whatever. So, welcome to my newly named blog!
Ain´t Too Proud to Beg
I suspect that what I´m about to say is probably a characteristic of the majority of people around the world...
I HATE to ask anyone for money. In general, I just hate to feel in debt to anyone. But this particularly applies to asking strangers for money, something that I actually can´t recall ever doing... until last night, that is. And now, to reveal the very unfortunate side of having a somewhat lopsided weekly class schedule. Here´s the thing... on MWF, I have 3 classes, so I lug around my huge bookbag those days, to fit all of my books, papers, and various other ¨necessities.¨ However, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I only have one class, so I switch the books for that class from my insanely large bookbag to my much more comfortable messenger bag. In the process, I also have to switch things like pens, markers, my BIP card, etc etc... and my wallet. Well, wouldn´t you know it... in my hurry to get out the door yesterday, I neglected to take my wallet from my bookbag and put it in my other bag.
Awesome. Particularly awesome because I only had enough money on my BIP card to get TO work, not home again. I was planning on charging it in the metro after class, with the money that was in my WALLET. Obviously, it´s kind of hard to use money from a wallet that you don´t have. Righto. So here I am after class, scrounging for change in my bag. I find 620 pesos, and carry this to the BIP counter, trying to pick the most sympathetic looking cashier I can, praying they´ll have mercy on me and forego the 800 peso minimum. No dice. Even after I explain that I literally have NO more than 620 pesos, I still get a bored look and a declaration that ¨You can´t put this amount on your card.¨ Greeeeeat. So now I have no way to get on the metro, I´m not about to get on the micro that would take me to a sketchy micro stop, and I have no money on my cell phone. What to do, what to do... I really wanted to find ANY other way to get myself out of this situation, because I knew the last resort would be to use a pay phone and call D to come pick me up. Where I work isn´t exactly the closest place to his house, so I didn´t want him to have to do that. So, I humbled myself and did what I was dreading the most... I asked a stranger for money.
It was hard, I admit. I stood there for at least 5 minutes in the metro, letting people pass me by, scrutinizing each one in a pathetic attempt to determine if they looked like they would help me out. Finally, I looked at my watch and decided I was tired of standing there, and just wanted to get home. I saw a pleasant looking man in a suit coming toward me, and thought, ¨here´s my chance.¨ I stopped him and politely asked if he had 200 pesos he might be willing to give me, explaining that I only had 600 and that this wasn´t enough to charge my BIP. He looked at me with a friendly glance, and pulled 200 pesos out of his pocket, saying, ¨200 pesos? No problem, here you go.¨ I thanked him profusely, and went on my way. When I finally got home and told the story to D, he looked surprised that I´d asked a stranger for money, but thought it was cool that I had. And my suegra´s reaction? ¨That was a very Chilean thing to do!¨
I HATE to ask anyone for money. In general, I just hate to feel in debt to anyone. But this particularly applies to asking strangers for money, something that I actually can´t recall ever doing... until last night, that is. And now, to reveal the very unfortunate side of having a somewhat lopsided weekly class schedule. Here´s the thing... on MWF, I have 3 classes, so I lug around my huge bookbag those days, to fit all of my books, papers, and various other ¨necessities.¨ However, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I only have one class, so I switch the books for that class from my insanely large bookbag to my much more comfortable messenger bag. In the process, I also have to switch things like pens, markers, my BIP card, etc etc... and my wallet. Well, wouldn´t you know it... in my hurry to get out the door yesterday, I neglected to take my wallet from my bookbag and put it in my other bag.
Awesome. Particularly awesome because I only had enough money on my BIP card to get TO work, not home again. I was planning on charging it in the metro after class, with the money that was in my WALLET. Obviously, it´s kind of hard to use money from a wallet that you don´t have. Righto. So here I am after class, scrounging for change in my bag. I find 620 pesos, and carry this to the BIP counter, trying to pick the most sympathetic looking cashier I can, praying they´ll have mercy on me and forego the 800 peso minimum. No dice. Even after I explain that I literally have NO more than 620 pesos, I still get a bored look and a declaration that ¨You can´t put this amount on your card.¨ Greeeeeat. So now I have no way to get on the metro, I´m not about to get on the micro that would take me to a sketchy micro stop, and I have no money on my cell phone. What to do, what to do... I really wanted to find ANY other way to get myself out of this situation, because I knew the last resort would be to use a pay phone and call D to come pick me up. Where I work isn´t exactly the closest place to his house, so I didn´t want him to have to do that. So, I humbled myself and did what I was dreading the most... I asked a stranger for money.
It was hard, I admit. I stood there for at least 5 minutes in the metro, letting people pass me by, scrutinizing each one in a pathetic attempt to determine if they looked like they would help me out. Finally, I looked at my watch and decided I was tired of standing there, and just wanted to get home. I saw a pleasant looking man in a suit coming toward me, and thought, ¨here´s my chance.¨ I stopped him and politely asked if he had 200 pesos he might be willing to give me, explaining that I only had 600 and that this wasn´t enough to charge my BIP. He looked at me with a friendly glance, and pulled 200 pesos out of his pocket, saying, ¨200 pesos? No problem, here you go.¨ I thanked him profusely, and went on my way. When I finally got home and told the story to D, he looked surprised that I´d asked a stranger for money, but thought it was cool that I had. And my suegra´s reaction? ¨That was a very Chilean thing to do!¨
Monday, October 20, 2008
One Step Down...
Half a million more to go. BUT, the good news is, I sent in my visa papers a week and a half ago and got the lovely brown envelope in the mail! So now I´ve got my ¨temporary¨ work visa type thing... and now I wait for another lovely envelope, which I have to take to Policia Internacional, and 5 million years later I finally get my carnet! So what does it mean at this point? It means that I don´t have to deal with going to Mendoza every 3 months. I mean, I really do like Mendoza and everything, but I don´t have the money to be leaving every 3 months.
And, not to count my chickens before they hatch, but it seems the Institute is going to approve my vacation request. Which is great news, because I really didnt want to have to quit. AND, even better, they are willing to give me a few extra days. So if everything works out, I will be leaving here on Saturday, December 20 and not coming back until January 4. :) Thank the Lord for some good news!!
And, not to count my chickens before they hatch, but it seems the Institute is going to approve my vacation request. Which is great news, because I really didnt want to have to quit. AND, even better, they are willing to give me a few extra days. So if everything works out, I will be leaving here on Saturday, December 20 and not coming back until January 4. :) Thank the Lord for some good news!!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Time for a Change
2 posts in one day, I know, I know. It´s actually not annoying to me, though, when someone else posts more than once in a day. I enjoy reading everyone´s blogs, so 2 posts in a day just means more for me to read. :)
Anyway, I was inspired by Abby´s change in color scheme on her blog, and I was getting sick of my own. I decided a change was in order, and this is what I came up with. I like it, it´s brighter and sunnier, and since we´re in springtime now, I think it fits. Now I just need to change the title - after all, I started this blog when I was in the States, but now I´m back in Santiago, and so is my heart (insert cheesy ¨awww¨sound here). So, any ideas? I need some inspiration, people!
Anyway, I was inspired by Abby´s change in color scheme on her blog, and I was getting sick of my own. I decided a change was in order, and this is what I came up with. I like it, it´s brighter and sunnier, and since we´re in springtime now, I think it fits. Now I just need to change the title - after all, I started this blog when I was in the States, but now I´m back in Santiago, and so is my heart (insert cheesy ¨awww¨sound here). So, any ideas? I need some inspiration, people!
Oh, Gmail
If you have Gmail like I do, you´ve probably noticed the slightly-creepy tendency of this email program to take words from your emails and try to read your mind, offering you ¨related¨links. I put related in quotation marks because, really, 9 times out of 10 the links have nothing to do with your original thoughts. I mean, thanks Gmail, but no thanks. I don´t really need you pulling random words from the subject line or content of my emails and attempting to dazzle me with some amazing link.
Case in point: today, after checking my Inbox, I decided to click on the ¨Spam¨folder and delete all of its contents (what reaches that folder could be a whole post in itself). After doing so, the oh-so-helpful ¨related¨link caught my eye. But did it have to do with a random word from one of the spam messages? The subject line from one of said messages? Oh, no. It had to do with the word ¨spam¨itself. The link? A recipe for none other than ¨Spam Veggie Pita Pockets.¨ Mmmmmmm, nothing says delicious lunch quite like Spam. Heck, if it had just said ¨Veggie Pita Pockets¨, I may have been tempted to click on the link. But they had to go and ruin a perfectly good recipe with Spam. Figures.
The point of this post? It´s the small things in life that entertain me, folks.
Case in point: today, after checking my Inbox, I decided to click on the ¨Spam¨folder and delete all of its contents (what reaches that folder could be a whole post in itself). After doing so, the oh-so-helpful ¨related¨link caught my eye. But did it have to do with a random word from one of the spam messages? The subject line from one of said messages? Oh, no. It had to do with the word ¨spam¨itself. The link? A recipe for none other than ¨Spam Veggie Pita Pockets.¨ Mmmmmmm, nothing says delicious lunch quite like Spam. Heck, if it had just said ¨Veggie Pita Pockets¨, I may have been tempted to click on the link. But they had to go and ruin a perfectly good recipe with Spam. Figures.
The point of this post? It´s the small things in life that entertain me, folks.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
If You´re the Praying Type...
Please pray that the Institute will approve my request for vacation days to go home for Christmas. I love Chile and everything, but I have never spent a Christmas away from my family, and I don´t want to start now. ESPECIALLY as this will be my nephew´s first Christmas. He´ll be 6 months old... I don´t even have enough time or space here to tell you how much he and the rest of my family mean to me. It kills me that I´m missing watching him grow up. I just went to the personnel lady´s office to turn in my vacation time request, and she told me to wait a few minutes as she talked to the director. During that time, I just about teared up even thinking of the possibility of them telling me no. When she came back, she told me to return again on Monday and she would have an answer for me. So if you´re the praying type like me, please pray that I´ll be able to spend Christmas at home with my family. If not, well wishes or positive thoughts would also be appreciated!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Group Blog: Hardest Custom to Adjust to in Chile
There are actually several customs that I have found a bit difficult to adjust to, but I´ll just focus on one: SOCCER. That is, the custom of watching soccer until your eyes bleed.
Good grief, even my pololo pointed this out to me last night after watching Chile lose once again in soccer, this time to Ecuador. He asked me a rhetorical question, and quite a good one at that: Why, in a country with such bad soccer teams, is soccer such an incredibly popular sport?
The answer? Heck if I know. I mean, we have Colo Colo, la U, Catolica, the national team, etc etc... and which team is actually good? Sorry if it sounds like I´m completely trashing Chile´s soccer program, but I happen to be having one of those everything-about-living-here-sucks days, so I´m feeling a little edgier than usual. Now, the real problem for me is not that the teams are so bad. That´s not the reason I detest watching soccer. The real reason is that I find it incredibly boring. Fact numero 1 about me: I am a HUGE sports fan. But that does not include soccer. The sports I really really love watching with a passion are college basketball, college and NFL football, and the NHL. Short story about my obsession with college basketball: I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill (hereafter referred to as Carolina). At Carolina, basketball isn´t just another sport, it´s a passion. People eat, sleep, dream basketball. And not just the players, but the students too, myself included. So in March of my senior year at Carolina (2005), we were set to play dook (Duke) as usual, as the last game of the regular season. If you´ve ever even heard the words college basketball, you´ve heard of the Carolina-Duke rivalry. It´s always a huge game, and it´s always an amazingly fun time (unless we lose). So my senior year, I had the fortune of getting riser tickets for the game - risers are the platforms right beneath the basket where students with those tickets stand. Those are the most coveted tickets, because they´re literally right on the court. The thing is, if you´re in the back rows, it´s pretty hard to see. So, to make sure I was in one of the front rows, I camped out (along with a ton of other students) at the Dean Dome for 3 days before the game. Believe me, I would have camped out longer if I´d needed to. It worked out too - I got on the second row, and watched us beat Duke in thrilling fashion. :) Carolina went on to win the championship, my senior year!
Ok sorry, I got nostalgic for a moment. But seriously, I LOVE sports. This is why it´s frustrating for me to live in a country where I can´t just turn on ESPN or WRAL (local channel in Raleigh) and watch a Carolina basketball or football game. I´m resigned to watching soccer. And bad soccer at that. You might say, but Jessica, nobody is FORCING you to watch a soccer game. Sort of true. But where I´m living right now, my boyfriend´s brother watches literally EVERY soccer game that´s ever shown on tv. It could be Señora Rodriguez`s cuarto basico class vs. Señor Bravo´s class and he´d watch it. So it´s hard to escape.
Anyway, it seems my choices are limited here - either cultivate a love of soccer (not looking likely), or buy a slingbox so I can still watch Carolina games. I love Chile, but man... I need my college sports!
Good grief, even my pololo pointed this out to me last night after watching Chile lose once again in soccer, this time to Ecuador. He asked me a rhetorical question, and quite a good one at that: Why, in a country with such bad soccer teams, is soccer such an incredibly popular sport?
The answer? Heck if I know. I mean, we have Colo Colo, la U, Catolica, the national team, etc etc... and which team is actually good? Sorry if it sounds like I´m completely trashing Chile´s soccer program, but I happen to be having one of those everything-about-living-here-sucks days, so I´m feeling a little edgier than usual. Now, the real problem for me is not that the teams are so bad. That´s not the reason I detest watching soccer. The real reason is that I find it incredibly boring. Fact numero 1 about me: I am a HUGE sports fan. But that does not include soccer. The sports I really really love watching with a passion are college basketball, college and NFL football, and the NHL. Short story about my obsession with college basketball: I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill (hereafter referred to as Carolina). At Carolina, basketball isn´t just another sport, it´s a passion. People eat, sleep, dream basketball. And not just the players, but the students too, myself included. So in March of my senior year at Carolina (2005), we were set to play dook (Duke) as usual, as the last game of the regular season. If you´ve ever even heard the words college basketball, you´ve heard of the Carolina-Duke rivalry. It´s always a huge game, and it´s always an amazingly fun time (unless we lose). So my senior year, I had the fortune of getting riser tickets for the game - risers are the platforms right beneath the basket where students with those tickets stand. Those are the most coveted tickets, because they´re literally right on the court. The thing is, if you´re in the back rows, it´s pretty hard to see. So, to make sure I was in one of the front rows, I camped out (along with a ton of other students) at the Dean Dome for 3 days before the game. Believe me, I would have camped out longer if I´d needed to. It worked out too - I got on the second row, and watched us beat Duke in thrilling fashion. :) Carolina went on to win the championship, my senior year!
Ok sorry, I got nostalgic for a moment. But seriously, I LOVE sports. This is why it´s frustrating for me to live in a country where I can´t just turn on ESPN or WRAL (local channel in Raleigh) and watch a Carolina basketball or football game. I´m resigned to watching soccer. And bad soccer at that. You might say, but Jessica, nobody is FORCING you to watch a soccer game. Sort of true. But where I´m living right now, my boyfriend´s brother watches literally EVERY soccer game that´s ever shown on tv. It could be Señora Rodriguez`s cuarto basico class vs. Señor Bravo´s class and he´d watch it. So it´s hard to escape.
Anyway, it seems my choices are limited here - either cultivate a love of soccer (not looking likely), or buy a slingbox so I can still watch Carolina games. I love Chile, but man... I need my college sports!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
An Open Letter to the Lady at the Notaria
Dear Lady Who Cut in Front of Me in Line,
I had been waiting for 20 minutes for the Notaria to open so that I could finally sign this contract for work. Oh, and by the way, those heels I was wearing? NOT very comfortable. In other words, I was excited to be 2nd in line, so that I could get the heck out of there and into more comfortable shoes. Meanwhile, here you come... you wait 5 minutes, compared to my 20, and then you proceed to cut in front of me when the Notaria finally opens. Thanks for ignoring my attempts to bring this to your attention. Also, thanks for wasting my time by discussing your personal hygiene habits as they related to fingernails as I waited in line. Clearly, that´s a good idea when there are 70 million people waiting in line behind you. You know, to make small talk with the Notaria worker about which nail polish color is currently in fashion. After all, it´s not like I had anywhere else to be. Wait, that´s right... I DID have somewhere else to be. Silly me. I hadn´t had time to eat lunch yet, so I was starving, and I also had to drop off this contract and get to my next class. But let´s forget about that... because after all, this is your world and we´re all just living in it, right?
Sincerely,
Chata de personas asì
I had been waiting for 20 minutes for the Notaria to open so that I could finally sign this contract for work. Oh, and by the way, those heels I was wearing? NOT very comfortable. In other words, I was excited to be 2nd in line, so that I could get the heck out of there and into more comfortable shoes. Meanwhile, here you come... you wait 5 minutes, compared to my 20, and then you proceed to cut in front of me when the Notaria finally opens. Thanks for ignoring my attempts to bring this to your attention. Also, thanks for wasting my time by discussing your personal hygiene habits as they related to fingernails as I waited in line. Clearly, that´s a good idea when there are 70 million people waiting in line behind you. You know, to make small talk with the Notaria worker about which nail polish color is currently in fashion. After all, it´s not like I had anywhere else to be. Wait, that´s right... I DID have somewhere else to be. Silly me. I hadn´t had time to eat lunch yet, so I was starving, and I also had to drop off this contract and get to my next class. But let´s forget about that... because after all, this is your world and we´re all just living in it, right?
Sincerely,
Chata de personas asì
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Changing Lives for the Better
I´m betting if you´re reading this right now, you are also an avid reader of Kyle´s blog, Just Married Chilean Style. And if not, there´s never been a better time to start reading, because Kyle and her husband are doing something that will literally change someone´s life for the better. It actually makes me look at myself and wonder - what have I done lately to change someone´s life? Anyway, here´s the deal: Kyle and her husband, S., are good friends with a young man named Marcelo who works in construction. M. busts his butt everyday at his job and is quite talented at it. The only problem is, his level of education is holding him back from earning a more decent living and being able to adequately provide for a family. This is where Kyle and S. come in - they have pledged to pay for Marcelo to attend a great technical school and earn his degree, so that he DOES have the opportunity to earn a decent living. I honestly can´t think of many ideas that are better than that. Now for the part where YOU (and I) come in - Kyle is quite a talented photographer, and all of the proceeds from her photography business will go to paying for Marcelo´s education. I´m putting the link below to her blog post explaining all of this, but just know - every little bit you can give, every print you can buy, is contributing to the education of a young man that many people believe in.
http://ohquepasa.blogspot.com/2008/10/art-for-good.html
http://ohquepasa.blogspot.com/2008/10/art-for-good.html
Friday, October 3, 2008
I May Rise, But I Refuse to Shine
That was the saying printed on a pajama top I used to have a long time ago - it rung true then and it still does today, sometimes. I have not ever been a morning person, and I´m not sure I ever will be. So this morning, I groaned when my alarm went off at 6:45 - knowing that I had to get up for an early morning class in Providencia. I had tried to go to bed early-ish last night, because of my class this morning and because I´d had a headache practically all day yesterday (side note: I had a great time at Basic last night watching the debates! I finally got to meet Sara, and hung out with Isabel and Shannon whom I already knew - wish I could´ve stayed longer!).
Anyway, I took the micro on Pedro de Valdivia and actually ended up getting to the company about 10 minutes early. Luckily, I had a good book with me (one I borrowed from Shannon, actually), so I sat and waited.
8:00 - I say hi to the front-desk receptionist. Me cae bien, he greets all the guys who come in to work there as ¨caballero¨, and always has a smile for everyone.
8:05 - My student is always late, so I decide to look over today´s lesson one more time.
8:17 - No more of that, I want to read my book.
8:25 - Some woman who works at the company comes in, looks at me in amusement and says, ´You´re still here, in the same spot as last night!¨.... yes, that´s true, but I did actually go home to sleep before coming back this morning, thanks.
8:30 - Receptionist: Do you want to walk around the office and see if your student is here somewhere? The cafeteria is right around there.
Me: Sure, why the heck not.
(I know you´re on the edge of your seat... I´ll give you one guess as to whether I found my student or not)
8:40 - Receptionist: Do you want to keep waiting?
Me (bleary-eyed, sans morning coffee): Eh, I might as well... not like I have anywhere else to be right now.
8:55 - The receptionist tries to call my student´s cell phone. No answer. This is about the 4th time he´s tried to reach him by now. By this time, me and the receptionist are good pals. He pulls out a camera and tells me to smile, saying he´ll show this as proof to my student that I was actually here this morning.
8:57 - I leave, kind of feeling like a loser when My Friend the Receptionist gives me a sympathetic smile and shrug.
9:00 - I get back on the same bus and head home to relax before my 1:30 class.
And, ladies and gentlemen, such is the life of an English teacher in Chile.
Anyway, I took the micro on Pedro de Valdivia and actually ended up getting to the company about 10 minutes early. Luckily, I had a good book with me (one I borrowed from Shannon, actually), so I sat and waited.
8:00 - I say hi to the front-desk receptionist. Me cae bien, he greets all the guys who come in to work there as ¨caballero¨, and always has a smile for everyone.
8:05 - My student is always late, so I decide to look over today´s lesson one more time.
8:17 - No more of that, I want to read my book.
8:25 - Some woman who works at the company comes in, looks at me in amusement and says, ´You´re still here, in the same spot as last night!¨.... yes, that´s true, but I did actually go home to sleep before coming back this morning, thanks.
8:30 - Receptionist: Do you want to walk around the office and see if your student is here somewhere? The cafeteria is right around there.
Me: Sure, why the heck not.
(I know you´re on the edge of your seat... I´ll give you one guess as to whether I found my student or not)
8:40 - Receptionist: Do you want to keep waiting?
Me (bleary-eyed, sans morning coffee): Eh, I might as well... not like I have anywhere else to be right now.
8:55 - The receptionist tries to call my student´s cell phone. No answer. This is about the 4th time he´s tried to reach him by now. By this time, me and the receptionist are good pals. He pulls out a camera and tells me to smile, saying he´ll show this as proof to my student that I was actually here this morning.
8:57 - I leave, kind of feeling like a loser when My Friend the Receptionist gives me a sympathetic smile and shrug.
9:00 - I get back on the same bus and head home to relax before my 1:30 class.
And, ladies and gentlemen, such is the life of an English teacher in Chile.
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