¡Adios!
1. Wait, what are you doing?
I am volunteering with The English Opens Doors Program (Programa Inglés Abre Puertas). I will be an English as a Second Language teacher (ESL). I will train for 2 weeks, one week in Santiago, and one week at my location, and then take on 4 sections of 20 students.
2. What’s this program about?
The program was created in 2003 by the Chilean Ministry of Education. Supported by the United Nations Development Programme – Chile, English Opens Doors works to improve English-language education throughout the Chilean public school system.
3. Where am I going to be located?
I will be in Region II, Antofagasta, located in the Great North. Chile is divided into 15 regions. The regions are grouped into zones including the Great North, the Small North, the Central Valley, the South, and Patagonia. The North is dry and home to the driest desert in the world, the Atacama. The Central Valley is fertile and home to the many vineyards of Chile. The South and Patagonia are wet and cold year round.
4. What’s the weather going to be like?
In the North the weather will vary little during the year and range between 50 at night and 75 during the day. Chile stretches over 2,880 miles north to south. If it were superimposed on the US, it would span between San Francisco and NYC. THERE IS NOT ONE CLIMATE OF CHILE.
5. Who are you living with?
I will be living with a Chilean family. I don’t know who they are yet.
6. What’s the government and infrastructure like?
Chile is a Democratic Republic with a president and bicameral Congress. Chile has the highest per capita GDP of all the South American countries. Infrastructure is solid, busses show up, roads exist, the country holds up very well during Earthquakes.
7. What are Chileans like?
They are very European. Chileans are generally conservative and most are Roman Catholic. They did not mix with the natives as much as other South American countries.
8. Do you need a visa?
I will have a temporary residence visa for 1 year.
9. When do you get back?
My return flight is scheduled for December 22, 2010.
Check out the website! Pass on the information to anyone interested!
http://www.puntonorte.cl/voluntarios/
