I'm blessed with sweet moments. Thank you :)

Sweet Moment #8- Helping Ignacia learn how to solve puzzles. It's nice to be reminded that for every puzzle there is a solution, and it's humbling to know that sometimes in our lives we just have to be taught how it is done. Thank you Igna

Sweet Moment #9- When you are feeling down and sad, that is when a friend will remember that you love Snoopy and a thoughtful pencil topper can change your day. x D

Sweet moment # 10- Being surprise with company for my ice cream and internet outing by one of my favorite families in the world.

Sweet moment #11- I had a great time being whisked off to Portillo to be an extra in a Norwegian version of "The Amazing Race." My tv boyfriend has a fabulous mustache, and I can't wait to see the strict but beautiful judge Valeska. 

Sweet moment #12- Daily Gangam style choreographed dance shows with approximately 80 of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders every recess. Everyone is welcome and everyone enjoys themselves. All because of Gangam Style and LMFAO, who would have thought? :P

Sweet moment #13- Learning only through goodbyes how strong some of the ties I've created are. I really have met some beautiful people who I will miss with all of my soul. I have met some of the most lovely kids. I've met creators, artists, and people with kind hearts. I will admit this moment to the internet (and thus the world) that I will be crying a lot in the coming days. 

Be like a tree- grow

The next post will be sweet moments, but even when the moments aren't sweet you can still grow.

“Whatever relationships you have attracted in your life at this moment, are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment. There is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning is serving your own evolution.” 

― Deepak Chopra

The first thing I've learned is to be kind. Always and always. I cannot change how others view me, but I want to always know that I'm kind.

The second thing I've learned is to bring closer those who bring joy to my life. Distance is minimal in the technological age. Love those who you love- wherever they are in the world.

I remain proud

I need to begin this with a disclaimer. I have met MANY open minded Chilenos. I have gotten to know and love many lovely people in this country. This story applies to only one person.

This man thinks it's ok to say that I have horns because I am Jewish. 

This man thinks it's ok to tell me that I killed Jesus if I so dare to say Merry Christmas. (which has now occurred multiple times considerig it's the christmas season)

This man thinks it's ok to tell me what I think about Palestine's countryhood because "i am Jewish and this is how Jews feel about Palestine." 

To this man: thank you for your generalizations. Thank you for your constant persecution and hatred. You remind me why I need to stand tall and be myself, all of myself at all times. Because people like this man are becoming less and less and less. The taller I stand the smaller he shrinks. 

Amen. 

New Words

Espantapajaros- scarecrow

el sauce- willow tree

Sweet Moments part 2

Sweet moment #5- Coming to school and having four kids immediately ask if we have el club de ingles (english club) this week becuase they enjoy it that much. I love what I do.

Sweet Moment: Having a student pull me over in class to see a picture of the pumpkin she carved. Halloween is still pretty new here so it was her first time. It looked great XD

Sweet Moment ·7- Having enough spanish to understand when one of my younger girls whispered to me that she had just gotten her first bra. Aw.

Meditate on it

Second hand clothing is called  ropa americana here because it comes from the states. There is also ropa europa, but everyone knows its less cool.

New Words

New spanish words for me at this point:

Mamut- Mammoth

Ornitorrinco-Platypus

Thank you to my intrepid fourth grader who forced me to learn them :)

Sweet Moments

I apologize for forgetting about this blog completely for two months. See my "living without internet" post for further explanation as to why. I have been posting sweet moments from my time in Chile on facebook though and I'd like to transfer them here.

Something sweet:
So I{ve been playing "deseos" with my three year old host sister. The game is the simple act of blowing dandelion seeds while making a wish. However, at some point we ran out of flowers. Don´t worry I told her, there are yellow ones over there, more yellow means more deseos to come. And its true. There will always be more deseos. 

Keep wishing :)

Sweet Moment Number 2: I regularly climb the local hill/mountain near my house. The entrance is at the library and often times the only other person there is a security guard at the library entrance. I always greet him and have thought for awhile that he has a kind smile. Low and behold he thought the same about me. Today he told me that I'm one of the nicest people that he sees climbing. I was so shocked and humbled that as I walked away I started to cry. Sweet moment number 2.

Sweet Moment #3: A student gave me a small stuffed lion today. In A LOT of my classes I use a small stuffed monkey. It is probably the most useful teaching aid since the invention of the whiteboard. He must have thought my monkey needed a friend. Tierno x D

Sweet Moment #4: I haven't seen my fourht graders in 3 weeks. THREE weeks. I spent two weeks being a substitute teacher in Pk, K and 1st grades, and then the third week they had state testing. I missed them, and apparently the feeling was mutual. When I left my hour with them the boys rallied together and blocked the door. They blocked the door because they didn't want me to leave. I almost cried I was so touched.

Bureacracy

I have so many compliments to give the schools and my experience in Chile. The students are so sweet. The teachers are so patient and take on very large loads. The administrators are very helpful and attentive. I have a lot of positive things to say. However, I am deeply frustrated by the bureaucracy here. Bureaucracy that has the teachers paying attention to the sacred black books rather than the students. Let me explain: each class has a black book that has attendance and a page for each student to mark behavioral comments. If a teacher marks anything incorrectly, apparently he/she will be fined an absurd amount by the government. However, they are expected to use pen and to mark it correctly the first time. My observation is that this leads to LARGE amounts of class time spent writing in these sacred books rather than teaching. What can a teacher do? It's not their fault and they do the best they can, but this system frustrates me so much. How can they give the students their best and how can the students receive the best when so much time is spent on such folly.

Funny

I just told Nina this and I need to post it. It's the type of funny thing that occurs from mixing languages...

The national liqueur in Chile is Pisco. It is mixed into Pisco Sour, Pisco Mango (my Favorite) and the utterly hilarious Pisscola.

Living without the internet

Even though I now have it! I have learned to:

-read a book
-prewrite emails
-use the telephone
-download any and everything I want to read when I do have it
-draw from time to time
-focus on learning things without wikipedia at my fingertips (although I did download the chile page)

Si se puede. (It can be done)

I feel like a child when I don't understand, or when I'm marveling at new things. I feel like a teenager when I am hanging with the host family, and an adult when teaching. It's a weird mix.

Colegio

• Todos le encantan el mono. El es famoso. Es un juego que tengo para varias juegos. 
• Perdi mi voz
• Todos las clases tienen a lo menos 30 estudiantes
• Tengo clases favoritas que son muy simpaticas
• Algunas hablan ingles buenisima, otras no pueden decir "My name is" Vamos a aprender
• Los Andes es un ciudad super chiquito. Siempre estoy en los mismos lugares donde hay alumnos. Pero muchas veces eso era linda. Todos son muy simpaticas.
• Yo hablo mucho de mi perro grande que se llama Queso, y mi favorito color: orange

Con Familia

Con la familia: 
- Juego Ajedrez
- Subi un cerro
- Comi pescado
- Miro los Olympicos
- Arreglar mi pelo en estilo Chileno
- Leo los chismes
- Pinto mis unas
- Hice gimnasia y yoga
- Aprendo mas

Translations to come but I need to practice thinking in Spanish

No hable mucho sobre el ambiente del ayer y hoy. Ayer llegue a las 8 de la manana y espere hasta 11 en fila despues de fila despues de fila. Segun Arthur Dent "I know how to queue." Hoy tenemos nuestra primer dia de orientation. Fue mas conversacion que reunion formal pero muy informativo y ayudable. Despue fuimos al mercado para almorzar. Comi una ensalada peruana? Rica rica rica. Y anduve muchisimo. Puedo sentirlo todo en mi derriere. Ahora estamos todos conectados en nuestra cuarto del Hostal: Mi amigo de Jersey, La Matilda de Wales, el braziliano que se encanta chocolate, y  el hombre de espana que esta buscando empleo porque la economia de Espana esta roto. Y seguire.....

Cuentas Pequeñas

• Compre un juego de ajedrez magnético en el aeropuerto
• Le di un hombre una propina de US 20
• Estoy con otras maestros y todos son contentos clickeando en compu sin chateando mucho
• Puedo identificar fácilmente el acento porteño. Hable con un hombre sobre el barrio bellavista de Santiago. Yo pienso que es parecido a Caballito con el arte de Palermo Soho, el cree que es mas como San Telmo.
• Las montanas tienen nieve!

Una mano

Five days
Cinco días
Macuilli tonatiuh
Wo'o q'ij