Teaching English!

This week has seen a slight drop in temperature here in Santiago, which is both welcome and sad. It really got hot during the days, to where it was uncomfortable. But with the decreasing temps comes the warning that winter is coming! And who likes winter? Only polar bears!

This morning was the earthquake in Japan, and we are waiting to see what the ocean will bring about 11pm tonight. The schools and businesses all closed on the coast this morning. So many massive earthquakes in recent years. My cousin and her family live in Tokyo, but they are all okay, which is a relief.  Hopefully there won't be much loss of life from the quake or the tsunamis.

I found a few classes this week, and Jesse picked up some more. I had my first class last night at 8pm in a suburban neighborhood of Santiago. It took me an hour to get there because the Metro trains were so packed that I waited and let them pass because I couldn't bear to be squished in like a sardine. When you try to get off the train people are pushing their way in and it's chaotic and impractical. The problem is that the trains don't hold their doors open very long because they want to get a move on so the next train can pull in. And there are a lot of trains, which is very convenient. But in rush hour it's so packed that people are in a state of hysteria almost and just push and never give way. NOT fun. Chileans can be very pushy and blatantly butt in front of you in lines at stores and to get on buses. It's really baffling how rude they can be in this regard. Luckily I can just tell them off in English to vent my frustrations. Lol.

We are settled in the apartment and have bought some of the extra kitchen stuff we needed that wasn't here. We got Jesse some work shirts, and I need to get myself some too. We packed really lightly so that when we go backpacking around South America we won't have much to mail back. Also, Jesse told me it would be cheaper to buy things in Santiago - which immediately proved untrue as soon as we got here! I keep thinking of all the stuff I could have brought and not have to go out and buy them now! We haven't got internet or TV in the apartment, and I have read the 4 books we have, some twice. So it's pretty boring. We have free wi-fi in the lobby of our building, but we are on the 20^th floor, so it's kind of a hassle to go down every time we think of something we need to email or check. Our apartment came with a TV but it's a piece of junk and doesn't pick up any stations. We'll be calling the landlady to see if we can get a new one. Even if it's all in Spanish, I need something to stare at catonically now and then, especially after battling the streets and Metro of Santiago! We've asked the downstairs neighbors, who have a strong wifi signal if we could pay them to use it, but they have not responded, which is so frustrating and weird!

Last Saturday we went to an “asado” which is the Spanish word for “grill.” It's like our BBQ's. It was held by a friend of Joanna and Jorge's (who we were introduced to through a friend in San Francisco) and who we had met at Joanna's asado a month before. We were the only gringo's there and everyone seemed enchanted with us and sat around practicing their English on us. And now we have an invite this weekend to another asado from someone we met at that asado! The problem with evening asado's in Chile is that they start at 10pm, but no one really shows up until 11 or 12 because that's how Chilean's do things, and it lasts until 5am. I am not kidding. We were there until 5am. I was completely lifeless and exhausted! I don't know how these people live like this!

The smog here is unbelievable. LA really hasn't got that much compared to this. There are days when I can't see the mountains from my balcony it's so smoggy! My student told me last night that sometimes there are air pollution emergency days when industrial production is stopped and people aren't allowed to drive their cars. Can you imagine the Metro on those days!!? Terrifying! Luckily, this state of emergency hasn't happened for 3 years.

Today I had to go to the Department of Interior to get a new tourist visa. When we entered the country, customs stamped the form we filled on the plane and gave it back to us, without stapling it in our passports or even letting us know it was our tourist visa and we needed it to get out of the country. This, to me, is by far the most retarded thing Chile does so far. So of course I lost it. I went to one building, was sent to another, and for some reason, got a copy of my visa in about ten minutes. The one thing that you would think would take forever to do, doesn't. But try to do anything else that requires waiting in line in Chile, and you'll be there for an unnecessary about of time!

Missing you all, thinking of you often, hoping all is well and good and happy in your lives.

Hasta Luego!