Dieciocho

Chilean Independence Day has come and past. A week long celebration of asados (bbq's), ramadas (a lot like a county fair), cueca dancing (traditional dance of Chile), empanadas (empanadas), and drinking (terremoto's). 

Lots of activities, lots of sleep, and lots of fun. 

The students really were the best part of it, as per normal. They danced, they dressed up, they played sports games, they flew kites. 

Here are kids at Dario Salas, getting their cueca on. 

Students getting their cueca on at Dario Salas 

So cute in their traditional dress

The man in the tan jacket is my head teacher, the teacher I work with. He couldn't dance cueca, and all the kids were cracking up. Though I can't dance either, I definitely had a chuckle or two, he just looked so ridiculous.

At Liceo Forestal Pehuen, they had a field day instead of a traditional dancing assembly. Tug of war, three legged races, bag races, and a few traditional games. 

tug of war

The interesting thing was the whole field day was by classes, so each competition had point values attached to it.
At the end of the day, they announced that if someone from your class shaved his/her head, that class would receive 5,000 points. Well, how many kids do you think wanted to shave their head at my not participating school?

Surprisingly, the kids were pretty into the day and were just having a great time and three kids shaved their heads. It was crazy! 

Look at all that hair on the ground!! It's the hair from all three of them.


On Friday of that week, there was a big Padre Las Casas wide DESFILE! or Parade. Which wasn't really all that much of a parade, it was them waiting on the main street of Padre for 2 hours past the start time, when fianlly they started, only to walk two or three blocks. It was strange.

The strangeness aside, everyone was dressed up in traditional garb, or in their respective school's finest! Everyone was looking good. It was great fun, since both of my schools were there, so I got to hang out with both my students.  

So cute, can't handle it. 

All the kids in red sweaters with the plaid skirts and grey tights are my Dario Salas kids. In fact, that tan building in the background is actually Dario Salas! 

Here is my host sister! She's looking beautiful! 

God. Too cute. Couldn't handle how cute some of my students were. the kid who has his eyes closed is one of my favorites, he's kind of a troublemaker, but he loves playing games. 

Some of the girls! This group is the group that always bugs me about the Professor and I being together. hahaha. Oh 12 year old girls. 

Dario Salas also had a band section! I had no idea! 

Now on to the Liceo kids, not looking quite as cute, but still they were all in such a good mood! It was fun to just hang out outside of the class.

cute!

Some of them dressed up for the desfile, looking fly!

I've never seen them quite so organized! It was impressive! 

Hahaha. They were yelling, trying to get my attention. 

Overall, they really are good kids.



Now, I leave with you one final picture of adorableness. Look at how cute these kids are!

Fiestas Patrias turned out to be a lot of fun. Getting involved with all the festivities, seeing the kids get really excited about something, it put a huge smile on my face. =] 

Valdivia

A beautiful flower finding it's way through the sand and the rocks in Niebla, Chile 

After buying a new pair of pants (and a new iPhone charging cord, yet another story), I met up with a few other program members to explore, speak English, and hang out in Valdivia, a city in Los Ríos, about 2 and a half hours south and west of Temuco.

While not quite as old warm charm as related to me by various sources, Valdivia is a lovely city situated pleasantly in between several rivers, maintaining river front walking paths and large bunches of birds fluttering about (pelicans! Those beautiful big lugs).

The view from our river front coffee shop boat

While not too much different from temuco in terms of shops, and general look, Valdivia has a lovely waterfront market, lots of coffee shops with mediocre coffee (had espresso on a river front boat-which was pretttty sweet). And delicious beer, being the city with the largest German influence in chile.

The beach at Niebla, where a wave caught me off guard, salting my newly purchased pants (it wasn't my weekend). 

After wandering the city on Friday afternoon and finding some food, we woke up on Saturdayand made our way to the ocean and a town called Niebla, full of old German forts and small town vibe. After, exploring a bit, we made our way to the kuntsmann cervecería, where I had a lovely sampler.

This is one of the old forts, see the cannons in the bottom left? Defending the river entrance into Valdivia

Here I am with the sampler at the Cervecería! Had a really good double bock there that was delicious. Also, a great blueberry beer.

After a chill afternoon of wandering and walking the promenades with all the Chileans, we went out for a friend's birthday, only to end up at this "Mexican" restaurant, where the DJ used smoke and bubbles. It was too hilarious, so I of course had to take a picture. 

We did eventually find our way to a British style pub with a cover band playing Beatles songs, they were actually pretty good! 

The long weekend in Valdivia was a much needed break to get out of Temuco, explore somewhere new, speak a little English, and really just enjoy all that Chile has to offer. Walking the promenades in Valdivia, watching the sun set across the river, seeing actual other runners out and about. Ultimately, Valdivia, while not the most exciting city, would be a lovely place to live. The people are so friendly, so full of life, and just really taking advantage of all the natural beauty that surrounds their city of rivers. 

A sunset along the promenade 

Proud owner

Picture it, 8 am, the ground damp with last night's rain, the house dark with sleeping Chilean family members, and no one out in the crisp air on a Chilean holiday morning. It's Friday. I'm awake, I'm a bit bleary eyed. I step outside, carefully closing the self locking door to let the Chilean family members sleep peacefully. I go to open our protective always unlocked gate only to realize its not unlocked, like always.

If I wasn't awake already, I was now. Self-awareness flooded me, I was quite literally trapped between a sleeping family and a metal gate. Well, my first thought was oh shit.

Then the gears start turning. Priority one, let sleeping Chilean family sleep.

Path to achieve goal: climb fence.

I'm strong, I think to myself. I'm agile. I got this.

Step 1: Proceed to throw bags for my trip to Valdivia over fence.
Step 2: utilize awkward brick step to attempt the climb.
Step 3: realize that's not happening.
Step 4: check house door and gate again. Yep, both still locked.
Step 5: Psych myself up. I'm a badass I got this.
Step 6: Use the neighbors shared gate to get leverage. Stretching my left leg, up up. I hear a snag on the spiked fence. My jacket. I continue. I'm determined. Just a bittttt higher.

And bam. I hear a big tear, that's it. I'm done letting sleeping Chileans lie. I'm officially the proud owner of a large hole in my old worn out jeans.

Finally, after pounding on the door for a few minutes, host dad shows up, looks at me with the dirt on my pants and hands, and proceeds to ask me where I'm going. I get the keys, and happily make my way to the bus station.

After it all, I barely make my bus, the new proud owner of one snag in my jacket, one dirty bleeding cut on my left hand, and a big tear in my jeans.

The trip to Valdivia has officially began.