The Chilean Bicentennial was quite the celebration. At school, each grade performed a dance from a region of Chile as well as prepared local foods. They set-up stands in the middle of the school and sold their foods and beverages during the show's intermission. There was also a light show in downtown Santiago , but warded by the crowds, my host sister and I opted for a relaxing trip to the mall instead for manicures and Starbucks. I decided on black as a confidence booster and the manicurist's face was priceless. We got a little show of our own though, from a musician with a wind-up box and two boys dancing and playing drums.
I also went to a community celebration with some other program volunteers. It reminded me a lot of a fair. There were food stands everywhere with cotton candy, chocolate covered fruit, popcorn, and of course empanadas. There were shops selling all sorts of things, and also performers dancing typical Chilean dances.
After five days of celebration, we headed back to school where the bicentennial still lingers in the deflating balloons and half-strung streamers. Guess we're not quite ready to leave it behind :)
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Makin banana pancakes now...
School
Lessons at school this week went pretty well, some better than others, but that's to be expected. One of the activities had a lot of steps, but I wrote simple directions on the board, explained and demonstrated, and the students were able to understand. It's these small accomplishments that make me happy! I also explained America's favorite pastime, baseball, to three teachers at school this week. Now, many people from home may not think I'm qualified to do such a thing and I would probably one of the last people you would ask, but I was able to answer their questions, complete with demonstrations, and it's qualified as one of my favorite moments here so far.
Weekend Getaway
The organization I came with planned a day downtown for us, and it was so nice to be together with our little family again! We learned to dance cueca, Chile's national dance. It was a lot of fun, but my calves our killing me today! We stayed the night in a beautiful hostel! Our room had a gigantic window that overlooked the hustle and bustle of the city and I had a Miracle on 34th Street flashback.
Family Rule #1: We make dinner together as a family.
We decided to make breakfast for dinner and had quite the feast including banana pancakes, eggs, ham, cheese, vegetables, and fruit salad. Everything was delicious, especially the banana pancakes, which came from a mix that made "18 Chilean pancakes or 8 American pancakes." haha! This morning some of us had to leave right away to go back to our regions and the rest of us walked around downtown for a while. The weather was beautiful today, and has given me hope that spring is actually coming!
Thanks for your continued prayers and support!
Lessons at school this week went pretty well, some better than others, but that's to be expected. One of the activities had a lot of steps, but I wrote simple directions on the board, explained and demonstrated, and the students were able to understand. It's these small accomplishments that make me happy! I also explained America's favorite pastime, baseball, to three teachers at school this week. Now, many people from home may not think I'm qualified to do such a thing and I would probably one of the last people you would ask, but I was able to answer their questions, complete with demonstrations, and it's qualified as one of my favorite moments here so far.
Weekend Getaway
The organization I came with planned a day downtown for us, and it was so nice to be together with our little family again! We learned to dance cueca, Chile's national dance. It was a lot of fun, but my calves our killing me today! We stayed the night in a beautiful hostel! Our room had a gigantic window that overlooked the hustle and bustle of the city and I had a Miracle on 34th Street flashback.
Family Rule #1: We make dinner together as a family.
We decided to make breakfast for dinner and had quite the feast including banana pancakes, eggs, ham, cheese, vegetables, and fruit salad. Everything was delicious, especially the banana pancakes, which came from a mix that made "18 Chilean pancakes or 8 American pancakes." haha! This morning some of us had to leave right away to go back to our regions and the rest of us walked around downtown for a while. The weather was beautiful today, and has given me hope that spring is actually coming!
Thanks for your continued prayers and support!
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