Well, I knew it would happen. Last semester I was loving life in Chile (not without my bad days, but for the most part loving it), but I figured that once I came back from my visit to the U.S. in December, I´d hit a low. And so I have. It´s part of culture shock that everyone goes through, and is magnified a little bit for me just because I´m so very close to my family. But either way, I´ve been feeling quite homesick lately. Not only that, but also kind of directionless... the thing is, I have really enjoyed my teaching job so far, but I know that´s not what I want to do for the rest of my life. The question is, what DO I want to do? I have no idea. I´m also not sure how long I want to be in Chile, although I still really do love the country and people. I´ve really been getting the itch lately to go back to school... my DREAM would be to return to UNC-Chapel Hill, the place where I spent the best 4 years of my life. Of course, it´s pretty hard to get in there, so I don´t know that grad school there could be a reality. Who knows.
Another thing that really made me miss home, and even miss high school (shocking, I know) happened the other day. A guy I´d had one class with in 9th grade (and hadn´t really seen since) messaged me on Facebook, saying, ¨Do I know you?¨ ... he quickly realized I´d been in that class with him, and we started talking. It was seriously great to talk to him, because I realized what a nice person he was. And this is something I had no idea of back in 9th grade. Because in 9th grade, I was incredibly shy. I´m still a pretty quiet person now, but I´ve come out of my shell a lot more. But back then when he was in my class, I was too scared to talk to him. For one, because I was shy, but also because he had this bad boy image that was completely the opposite of the people I hung out with. So basically, I judged him based on his appearance. Looking back, I kick myself for doing that. That´s someone I never want to be, someone who judges on appearances and consequently misses out on some really great friendships. And that´s exactly what happened back in 9th grade - I missed out on knowing a really great person because of my prejudices. Luckily, 11 years later, I have another chance to be his friend, and it´s great. Anyway, this whole episode has just made me miss high school, old friends, and home even more. I miss my parents, my brother and sis-in-law, my nephew, my Boston Terrier dog, North Carolina BBQ and people and weather... the list could go on. But here´s to hoping that I find direction soon!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
El Techo
Has anyone else noticed that in the metro station Pedro de Valdivia, down where the metro actually is (not up near the boleterìa or anything), the ceiling is filled with what looks like scattered pieces of stained glass? Either they just put that in, or I´m REALLY not observant (I´m betting on the latter) - but either way, I love it. It looks like a planetarium ceiling almost, except with stained glass tiles instead of stars. I love noticing little things like that around the city, things with character. Even things as boring as the metro can surprise you sometimes. :)
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
All Over the Place
Let´s see, I´ve been in ... 4 different comunas today. I honestly feel like I´ve been running all over Santiago since 8:30 this morning. I started out the morning in Ñuñoa, where I live. From there I took the micro and then metro to La Florida, specifically Mirador station, for a class. Then at 12:00 I took the metro to La Moneda to go pick up some mess I needed for another class. Then at 1:00 I took the metro to Tobalaba, technically Las Condes, for another class. Then at 3:00 I took the metro and then micro again to get back home to Ñuñoa. Maybe it won´t be so bad in the fall, but running around like this right now, in the heat of the Santiago summer = craziness. I´m now exhausted.
Monday, February 2, 2009
25 Things
I know you´re all just dying to know 25 random things about me (note the sarcasm), so I won´t keep you in suspense any longer. I´m sure you´ve seen this floating around on the internet, so here´s my own contribution:
1. I used to HATE my middle name (it´s a family name), but now I absolutely love it because I think it´s unique.
2. I started working when I was 14 years old (I did babysit before that, but I´m not counting that) at the concert pavilion in Raleigh, as a parking attendant. My favorite question posed to me by drunk people at the end of the night, ¨Can you tell me what parking lot my car is in?¨ ... (then, after asking them to describe it some more, location, etc.), ¨Ummm, it was in a big parking lot with gravel.¨ That was when I just started shaking my head.
3. I (like Abby) saved up money all on my own to buy my own horse. I even had a name picked out (Sierra), but when it came down to it, my parents said I could get a car or a horse, but not both. It was a tough decision, seriously, but I opted for the car.
4. I took English riding lessons for 5 years, and tap lessons for 5.
5. I took piano lessons for 10 years - my best moment was when one of my piano teachers told my dad he´d only had one other student like me, and that student was now at Juilliard. (did I make it to Juilliard? no way haha)
6. When I was a sophomore in high school, I saw The Silence of the Lambs for the 1st time and wanted to be an FBI Special Agent after that. Seriously.
7. For 2 years in college, I worked as a volunteer at John Umstead Psychiatric Hospital, working with schizophrenic patients. Amazing experience that I truly miss.
8. I took 2 semesters of German in college, but hardly remember anything now.
9. My secret (or not-so-secret now) dream right now is to learn Portugese.
10. When I was 10 years old, I chipped my tooth on the side of a swimming pool, and then later that same day, broke my arm falling off a horse. A day hereafter referred to as ¨Black Wednesday.¨
11. My favorite food is macaroni and cheese, and I think I could eat it every day.
12. After graduating college, I spent a summer in Salamanca, Spain.
13. That summer changed my life - before I went, I was enrolled in law school and had an apartment lease and everything. After I came back, I decided I didn´t want to go to law school anymore.
14. The one country I´ve really really wanted to visit for as long as I can remember is Italy. Specifically, Tuscany.
15. My dream job would be to write for Rolling Stone magazine.
16. I once dated a guy who was 11 years older than me. For like, 2 months.
17. I´ve also dated a couple of my brother´s best friends. Not a good idea.
18. My favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry.
19. I have a Boston Terrier named Maggie, the sweetest dog on earth. Before that, I had a BT named Buster, also the sweetest dog ever.
20. I only have one living grandparent left, and she is unbelievably crazy and mean, unfortunately.
21. The first time I went anywhere with D (just me and him) was to buy strings for my guitar. That was over a year and a half ago!
22. I´ve always been very close to my parents and my brother - when we were in college, we used to go on road trips together to Tar Heels basketball games.
23. While at UNC, I met Ben Stein one night when he came to give a speech, and he told me I was pretty (probably told ALL the girls that!) ;)
24. While I can be flexible on many issues, one I won´t ever compromise on is abortion. I think it is absolutely wrong.
25. I really do love reading comments left on my blog, I can just be incredibly lazy when it comes to responding to them. But keep leaving them, I love em!
1. I used to HATE my middle name (it´s a family name), but now I absolutely love it because I think it´s unique.
2. I started working when I was 14 years old (I did babysit before that, but I´m not counting that) at the concert pavilion in Raleigh, as a parking attendant. My favorite question posed to me by drunk people at the end of the night, ¨Can you tell me what parking lot my car is in?¨ ... (then, after asking them to describe it some more, location, etc.), ¨Ummm, it was in a big parking lot with gravel.¨ That was when I just started shaking my head.
3. I (like Abby) saved up money all on my own to buy my own horse. I even had a name picked out (Sierra), but when it came down to it, my parents said I could get a car or a horse, but not both. It was a tough decision, seriously, but I opted for the car.
4. I took English riding lessons for 5 years, and tap lessons for 5.
5. I took piano lessons for 10 years - my best moment was when one of my piano teachers told my dad he´d only had one other student like me, and that student was now at Juilliard. (did I make it to Juilliard? no way haha)
6. When I was a sophomore in high school, I saw The Silence of the Lambs for the 1st time and wanted to be an FBI Special Agent after that. Seriously.
7. For 2 years in college, I worked as a volunteer at John Umstead Psychiatric Hospital, working with schizophrenic patients. Amazing experience that I truly miss.
8. I took 2 semesters of German in college, but hardly remember anything now.
9. My secret (or not-so-secret now) dream right now is to learn Portugese.
10. When I was 10 years old, I chipped my tooth on the side of a swimming pool, and then later that same day, broke my arm falling off a horse. A day hereafter referred to as ¨Black Wednesday.¨
11. My favorite food is macaroni and cheese, and I think I could eat it every day.
12. After graduating college, I spent a summer in Salamanca, Spain.
13. That summer changed my life - before I went, I was enrolled in law school and had an apartment lease and everything. After I came back, I decided I didn´t want to go to law school anymore.
14. The one country I´ve really really wanted to visit for as long as I can remember is Italy. Specifically, Tuscany.
15. My dream job would be to write for Rolling Stone magazine.
16. I once dated a guy who was 11 years older than me. For like, 2 months.
17. I´ve also dated a couple of my brother´s best friends. Not a good idea.
18. My favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry.
19. I have a Boston Terrier named Maggie, the sweetest dog on earth. Before that, I had a BT named Buster, also the sweetest dog ever.
20. I only have one living grandparent left, and she is unbelievably crazy and mean, unfortunately.
21. The first time I went anywhere with D (just me and him) was to buy strings for my guitar. That was over a year and a half ago!
22. I´ve always been very close to my parents and my brother - when we were in college, we used to go on road trips together to Tar Heels basketball games.
23. While at UNC, I met Ben Stein one night when he came to give a speech, and he told me I was pretty (probably told ALL the girls that!) ;)
24. While I can be flexible on many issues, one I won´t ever compromise on is abortion. I think it is absolutely wrong.
25. I really do love reading comments left on my blog, I can just be incredibly lazy when it comes to responding to them. But keep leaving them, I love em!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
¨Squealing Teenagers¨ or ¨Hot Teacher Mania¨
As it happens, there is a certain teacher at my institute who shall remain nameless, from a certain Southern state that shall also remain nameless. Said teacher and I currently share a class. This means that he teaches the class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I teach the class on the other days of the week. I was a bit apprehensive about this arrangement at first, but as it turns out, it´s not such a big deal after all. Anyway, because of sharing the class, we often talk a lot when we see each other at the institute. We kind of did before, too, just because he´s actually pretty fun to talk to. Not my cup of tea, but good to have as a friend. Well, I also happen to have a 2nd class (that I don´t share with him) that is composed of 6 teenagers - 5 girls and 1 boy. They range in age from 13 to 16, and they are indeed typical teenage girls. One other detail I might mention - the teacher from the Southern state that shall still remain nameless just happens to be pretty good-looking.
...You might be able to see where I´m going with this. Teenage girls + hot older teacher = trouble. I almost lost my patience today. They seriously SQUEAL whenever they see him. And somehow, they think I have the inside track just because I talk to him a lot. Today when we were in the cafeteria during our 15-minute break from class, they demanded that I introduce them to him. With a look on my face like ¨I just ran over a puppy¨, I turned to him and said under my breath, ¨I´m soooooo sorry about them... but they want me to introduce them to you.¨ Poor guy. But he took it all in stride. I´m thinking he´s probably used to this by now, teenage girls fawning all over him. And honestly, I´m trying to rein in my impatience because the thing is, I remember what it was like to be a teenage girl. I remember what it was like to have crushes on cute older guys. I remember what it was like to feel my heartbeat speed up when I saw that guy, and to turn to my girlfriends and excitedly whisper, ¨There he is!¨. God love ´em. I really do love this class - which is saying something, because before the summer term started, I was praying that I could avoid classes with teenagers. Now, I love them. I´m not saying it´s always wonderful, but I really am grateful to have been challenged with this group of students. Now if I could only get them to stop screaming when they see this one teacher...
...You might be able to see where I´m going with this. Teenage girls + hot older teacher = trouble. I almost lost my patience today. They seriously SQUEAL whenever they see him. And somehow, they think I have the inside track just because I talk to him a lot. Today when we were in the cafeteria during our 15-minute break from class, they demanded that I introduce them to him. With a look on my face like ¨I just ran over a puppy¨, I turned to him and said under my breath, ¨I´m soooooo sorry about them... but they want me to introduce them to you.¨ Poor guy. But he took it all in stride. I´m thinking he´s probably used to this by now, teenage girls fawning all over him. And honestly, I´m trying to rein in my impatience because the thing is, I remember what it was like to be a teenage girl. I remember what it was like to have crushes on cute older guys. I remember what it was like to feel my heartbeat speed up when I saw that guy, and to turn to my girlfriends and excitedly whisper, ¨There he is!¨. God love ´em. I really do love this class - which is saying something, because before the summer term started, I was praying that I could avoid classes with teenagers. Now, I love them. I´m not saying it´s always wonderful, but I really am grateful to have been challenged with this group of students. Now if I could only get them to stop screaming when they see this one teacher...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Pink-Haired Punks (and other things)
Here I am on the metro, minding my own business, enjoying the extreme greatness that is the red line (or something like that). Out of the corner of my eye, I see a splash of color. Turning my head slightly to investigate further, I am greeted by the sight of 3 teenage girls walking right behind the linea amarilla (they are outside of the metro car, I am inside). ALL THREE have pink hair. All three appear to be friends. I ask myself, what could possibly motivate all three of them to dye their hair pink? Don´t most people do that thinking that they´re being non-conformist, swimming against the current if you will? So why dye your hair the same color as your other two friends? Magically, all of these thoughts must have infused themselves into my gaze, because the next thing I know, one of the girls is giving me the finger. I narrow my eyes, resist the urge to lower myself to her level, and silently stew, thinking to myself, ¨Those little punks! Why I oughta...¨ Am I getting old or something? Will my next thoughts be, ¨These kids with their loud music... why, back in my day...¨ Anyway, then I find myself thinking that perhaps I shouldn´t get so mad. They´re just being punk kids, after all. So I smooth my hand over my own hair as my mouth turns up at the corners, and relax for the rest of the ride.
Edit: I´m mostly calling them ¨punks¨because of their behavior (i.e. giving me the finger), not so much because of their style. Although maybe that´s how they´d describe their style, who knows.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
And now, for something completely different... yesterday morning before class, I was in the bathroom downstairs at the Institute. What was I doing, you might ask? Using the bathroom, fixing my hair, checking to make sure I hadn´t mysteriously gotten dirt on my black pants? Ohhhhhhhhh no. I was washing a plastic hamburger. Yes, that´s right. Don´t judge, lest you find yourself in the same position some day. Actually, it was just a prop I was going to use for one of my classes, but it appeared quite strange to the girl who walked into the bathroom just then. She didn´t really even say anything, but I could read it all in her gaze... I knew she was thinking something like, ¨Isn´t there a screening process for people to work here at the Institute? Shouldn´t we make sure they´re not complete weirdos before hiring them?¨ My face turning a bit red, I muttered, ¨It´s for my class¨, and continued on with my task of cleaning the plastic hamburger. Next time, I don´t think I´ll explain myself. Maybe it´s more fun just to let people invent their own explanations. ;)
Edit: I´m mostly calling them ¨punks¨because of their behavior (i.e. giving me the finger), not so much because of their style. Although maybe that´s how they´d describe their style, who knows.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
And now, for something completely different... yesterday morning before class, I was in the bathroom downstairs at the Institute. What was I doing, you might ask? Using the bathroom, fixing my hair, checking to make sure I hadn´t mysteriously gotten dirt on my black pants? Ohhhhhhhhh no. I was washing a plastic hamburger. Yes, that´s right. Don´t judge, lest you find yourself in the same position some day. Actually, it was just a prop I was going to use for one of my classes, but it appeared quite strange to the girl who walked into the bathroom just then. She didn´t really even say anything, but I could read it all in her gaze... I knew she was thinking something like, ¨Isn´t there a screening process for people to work here at the Institute? Shouldn´t we make sure they´re not complete weirdos before hiring them?¨ My face turning a bit red, I muttered, ¨It´s for my class¨, and continued on with my task of cleaning the plastic hamburger. Next time, I don´t think I´ll explain myself. Maybe it´s more fun just to let people invent their own explanations. ;)
Monday, January 5, 2009
New Year´s Resolutions
Well, better late than never, right? I don´t usually make New Year´s resolutions, mainly because when I have in the past, I´ve, well... FAILED. But this year (and I don´t really know why), I had an urge to make some. It´s just that there are a few changes I want to make in my life, so why not start with the new year? I may add to these over time, but these are the main ones I´ve been thinking of:
1. SAVE MONEY. This is one of the more important ones, especially now that I´ve found out that my parents have more debt than I thought. I knew they had some (like most Americans), but I didn´t know how much. I also have a bit, and I´d like to get out of it, as well as try to actually save some money. And if there is any way I can, I´d like to try to help my parents a bit (yeah, probably not on my English teacher´s salary, but at some point down the line).
2. Quit spending so much money on puras weas. This goes along with # 1 - my thinking is that if I can stop spending so much money on stupid (or maybe it would be better to say ¨unnecessary¨) things, I can actually save some money, right? And when I think about puras weas, the first thing that comes to mind is Coca-Cola. Sweet nectar of the gods it is. And 600 pesos doesn´t seem like that much when I´m spending it on a Coke, but when I add it all up and realize how much money I spend in a month on Coke, I shudder. That, and real coffee. I´m sorry, but having a Starbucks just a few short blocks from where I work is ridiculously tempting. Although I have to say, I haven´t been there that much lately (go me!). Still, good grief... it´s like the Chilean universe is conspiring against me and my budget.
3. Stop taking the easy way out when speaking Spanish. Or, in other words, stop being lazy. The thing is, when I´m talking to D (who understands almost 100% of what I say in English), it´s so tempting to just finish a sentence in English that I start in Spanish, if I can´t think of the right words to say. This is fine as far as his comprehension goes. But NOT fine as far as me getting over that hurdle and becoming fluent in Spanish. My Spanish is pretty good, and I do know a lot of chilenismos, but I´m not quite fluent yet, and I want to get there. So one thing I need to do is quit being lazy, and force myself to complete the thought in Spanish, no matter how challenging.
4. EXERCISE. If there existed a Top Ten list of New Year´s resolutions that Americans make, this one would probably top the list. That, or quitting smoking. It´s almost cliche, it´s so common. But I don´t care - call me cliche if you will, I really do need to start exercising. No one´s said I look fat or anything, but I just FEEL a lot better when I exercise, physically and mentally. I long for the days when I ran on my high school´s cross country team. That was the best shape I´ve been in in my life, and I want at least a semblance of that back.
5. Read as much as I can. I love reading, and it really helps me with writing, and even gives me ideas for my English classes sometimes. I´m stoked because I got 2 Barnes & Noble gift cards for Christmas, so I brought back a nice stash of books with me to Chile (I am indeed a nerd, have I mentioned that on this blog already?).
6. Travel to the south of Chile. I´ve wanted to do this for so long, and have never really had the opportunity or the money. I want to make it happen sometime in 2009 - if not in February, maybe in September during the week of dieciocho, when I´ll actually have some vacation time.
That´s it for now... I think 6 is plenty. Now all I need is someone to help me stick with these resolutions!
1. SAVE MONEY. This is one of the more important ones, especially now that I´ve found out that my parents have more debt than I thought. I knew they had some (like most Americans), but I didn´t know how much. I also have a bit, and I´d like to get out of it, as well as try to actually save some money. And if there is any way I can, I´d like to try to help my parents a bit (yeah, probably not on my English teacher´s salary, but at some point down the line).
2. Quit spending so much money on puras weas. This goes along with # 1 - my thinking is that if I can stop spending so much money on stupid (or maybe it would be better to say ¨unnecessary¨) things, I can actually save some money, right? And when I think about puras weas, the first thing that comes to mind is Coca-Cola. Sweet nectar of the gods it is. And 600 pesos doesn´t seem like that much when I´m spending it on a Coke, but when I add it all up and realize how much money I spend in a month on Coke, I shudder. That, and real coffee. I´m sorry, but having a Starbucks just a few short blocks from where I work is ridiculously tempting. Although I have to say, I haven´t been there that much lately (go me!). Still, good grief... it´s like the Chilean universe is conspiring against me and my budget.
3. Stop taking the easy way out when speaking Spanish. Or, in other words, stop being lazy. The thing is, when I´m talking to D (who understands almost 100% of what I say in English), it´s so tempting to just finish a sentence in English that I start in Spanish, if I can´t think of the right words to say. This is fine as far as his comprehension goes. But NOT fine as far as me getting over that hurdle and becoming fluent in Spanish. My Spanish is pretty good, and I do know a lot of chilenismos, but I´m not quite fluent yet, and I want to get there. So one thing I need to do is quit being lazy, and force myself to complete the thought in Spanish, no matter how challenging.
4. EXERCISE. If there existed a Top Ten list of New Year´s resolutions that Americans make, this one would probably top the list. That, or quitting smoking. It´s almost cliche, it´s so common. But I don´t care - call me cliche if you will, I really do need to start exercising. No one´s said I look fat or anything, but I just FEEL a lot better when I exercise, physically and mentally. I long for the days when I ran on my high school´s cross country team. That was the best shape I´ve been in in my life, and I want at least a semblance of that back.
5. Read as much as I can. I love reading, and it really helps me with writing, and even gives me ideas for my English classes sometimes. I´m stoked because I got 2 Barnes & Noble gift cards for Christmas, so I brought back a nice stash of books with me to Chile (I am indeed a nerd, have I mentioned that on this blog already?).
6. Travel to the south of Chile. I´ve wanted to do this for so long, and have never really had the opportunity or the money. I want to make it happen sometime in 2009 - if not in February, maybe in September during the week of dieciocho, when I´ll actually have some vacation time.
That´s it for now... I think 6 is plenty. Now all I need is someone to help me stick with these resolutions!
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