Monthly Update October 2015 - Please remember the views expressed in this blog are entirely those of Andrew Dobie and not Project Trust

Andrew´s Year in Chile with Project Trust: 2 months into my Chilean adventure

30/10/2015

Greetings all,

It´s hard to believe that two months have already passed since I packed my bags and travelled half the way round the world to Chile, to spend a year living and working in Valparaiso. Things are going really well out here and I am really enjoying being busier and more involved in the school. The extra classes and co-curricular activities are all finally up and running and we had our first proper travel experience up north to La Sarena and the surrounding area.

The Scottish Culture and English language class is into its fifth week and on Tuesday we had a record 16 pupils attending for a test on all the content covered to date including traditional dances, festivals and national days. I am now able to deliver the 45 minute culture section almost entirely in Spanish which is great and the challenge for the coming weeks is to make this section more interactive and engaging (any ideas most welcome).  The plan is for the pupils to present all that they have learnt about Scotland on the 30^th November when we hold the school´s first St Andrews Day ceilidh.

We are also making good progress in the teacher´s class, working through the tenses, which although tedious and slightly confusing to teach at times, will provide the basis upon which considerable progress can be made over the course of the year. We have now done the Gay Gordons and Canadian Barn Dance, and despite a severe lack of timing the kids seem to really enjoy the ceilidh classes and getting involved in the dancing is good fun!

I haven´t got round to giving the guitar a proper shot yet, but the music teacher has agreed to give us guitar lessons in return for teaching him English, which is great. I am still running and now cycling a bit too, and as the days get longer and hotter I am going to try to run every day.  We are still exploring the city by foot too and one of my favorite spots is Paseo Atkinson, from which the port, city, Pacific Ocean, nearby hills and the snow capped Andes combine to make one very special view.

I really enjoyed my Chilean birthday; we visited the nearby coastal village of Quintay, an ex whaling centre which stopped operating in 1947 and in the evening had a ´asado´ (bbq) with the family and some other volunteers. After having a cake thrown in my face (family tradition), we headed out and enjoyed traditional South American music and dancing, mainly Cumbia, although Regaetton and Salsa, among others, are very popular out here too! We also went to the niece´s graduation party, an enjoyable night of music, dancing and meeting new people and caught up with some of the other volunteers in Santiago.

Football is massive out here, and we have enjoyed the excitement of watching Chile play on TV. However, I will never agree with the family’s view that Alexis Sanchez is better than Messi!! I am hoping to find a group to play some 5 a side football with, as meeting and chatting to Chileans is arguably the best way to improve my Spanish.

The Chilean calendar has many ´dias feriados´ (public holidays) and so far we have had two to celebrate ´el dia del profesor´ and the founding of South America by Christopher Columbus in 1498. We used this opportunity of a long weekend to explore a different part of Chile and were kindly invited to go north to La Serena by one of our fellow English teachers. First stop was the Elqui Valley, and the beautiful Ruta de Las Estrellas, which wound through the surrounding hills towards the Andes. They certainly provided a picturesque backdrop to the reservoir near Vicuna, and I particularly enjoyed having lunch at a solar restaurant which used only the sun to cook delicious food! We also tried the famous local pisco (traditional Chilean spirit) and fresh fruit juice of the locally produced copado fruit.

The stunning Elqui Valley

The next day we visted Coquimbo and Tongoy, some of the places affected most by last month´s earthquake. Also had a lovely walk along the beach at Guanaquero, and it was interesting to see the effects of last month’s events upon the landscape as much of the beach at La Serena and Coquimbo had been destroyed by the tsunami. In Tongoy we witnessed some of the rebuilding process taking place, which was a strong reminder of the need for national and community unity in times of hardship.

As a future law student; I was particularly interested in the new law introduced in Chile last week which principally recognizes the unions of same sex couples. Given that the Catholic Church prohibits gay marriage, I am happy that this new law will go some way to improving the lives and statuses of gay couples within Chile.

Time is flying by and it´s now just over 5 weeks until the summer holidays! These weeks will no doubt be very busy but I´m looking forward to them and to the summers travelling. The plan is to head south with my family when they come out before New Year and then in the new year to do Northern Chile, Peru and Bolivia with the other volunteers.

Eso es todo amigos.  Muchas gracias por leer mi blog!

Best wishes,

Andrew

                                                                                                                                      

This is a personal blog and as such the views expressed are my own and not those of Project Trust.

Update on my first month in Chile:

Greetings all,

Over a month has passed since Kyle (my Project partner) and I arrived here in Valparaiso on the Pacific Coast, and it has certainly been very enjoyable, albeit eventful too!

This month Chile marked its independence from Spain with four days of celebrations, and through this vivid display of culture and national pride, I learnt the true value of national identity, as well as having a great time.

In the week leading up to Independence Day, school was centered around the celebrations, and we attended an impressive whole school display of traditional Chilean dances. Dressed in traditional outfits, each class performed a dance ranging from La Cueca to a Roman Catholic dance, reflecting the prominent position of the Catholic Church here. Chileans are very patriotic, and when the whole stadium rose to sing the national anthem we realised how special and important this occasion was.

Kids performing La Cueca: the boys are dressed in the national costume of the huaso (traditional horse and countrymen) and the girls in typical Chilean dresses.

For Independence Day itself (18^th of September) we travelled south to the small countryside village of Comalle, a beautiful and tranquil getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. During the day we spent time with the extended family, enjoyed typical traditional food such as empanadas de pino , continued the family tradition of barbecuing a sheep killed just that morning, and danced La Cueca. That evening we went to ´las fondas´, which despite initially resembling a fun fair turned out to be tents full of traditional food, drink, dancing and music.

 Stunning view of the area surrounding Comalle

 Chile is one of the most seismically active countries on earth, and just as the celebrations were beginning, the country was hit by a massive earthquake. Whilst the damage principally occurred in the north, Valparaiso was hit by strong shaking and a tsunami evacuation. It was heartbreaking to see so much damage so nearby, and the experience certainly strengthened my perception of nature as a destructive force as well as a spectacle of beauty.

In addition to exploring the city, I have started running along a route that provides spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and the occasional pelican or two! We also get to visit beautiful places with our family when they are travelling with their small curtain company. I hope to join a sports club soon and am going to attempt to teach myself the guitar in my free time. In addition to embracing the language and culture, I have started following the national news, which not only helps my Spanish but also provides interesting topics of conversation at the dinner table such as the current legal debate between Chile and Bolivia over a land dispute dating back to the War of the Pacific in 1883.

We have also been working at the school, teaching and assisting in English classes of roughly 30 primary school kids. I am really enjoying the challenge of coming up with fun and interesting ways to teach the content, and being an assistant too allows us to also work on a more individual basis with the kids. Ceilidh classes are due to start next Thursday which is exciting and we are also arranging some additional classes and the English/culture class.

Spring is now upon us and I can´t wait to explore more of this amazing country and get more involved in the school. Thank you for reading and please keep an eye out for my next post!

Best wishes to all,

Andrew