Mi Vida en la calle 23 de Enero

When I finally got around to finishing this one I realized it was a bit long and boring. It is my attempt to describe my life so far in Chile. So let me sum it up for you if you do not wish to read the entire entry:

Sleep - with 5 blankets, it is 40 degrees at night
Eat - más pan? Pan (bread) is eaten in copious amounts
Plan (for class) - this takes me forever for some reason
Teach - gives me headaches, but can be quite fun at times
Surf - with the gym teacher, a 5 minute drive to a nice left rock reef break
Study – Spanish and how to be more Chilean, and less gringo
Talk – this is extremely difficult in another language, for example, trying to explain why I want to prepare (pour milk) my own cereal or why I won’t attend mass

And if you're feeling ambitious:


Vivo en la calle 23 de Enero. I am still trying to figure out the significance of this date. I actually just asked the entire family, ¨Que significa, Veintitres de enero?¨ Each gave me a shrug of the shoulders and a “No sé por qué”. I live in the North of Taltal, about a half-kilometer (according Sebastian, oldest host brother) from the town center. It is a ten minute walk south over “the hill” to the town center. I have easy access to a few stores around the corner on my side of town, and rarely need to walk to the town center. Well, I rarely need to buy anything anyway so it really does not matter.

Hers is my attempt to paint you a picture of where I come and go from everyday:

I can see the mountains from my house and the ocean horizon from the street.
The home is protected by a ten foot sheet of metal held up by wooden posts. The gate is obnoxiously large, and a pain to swing open and closed. When you pass through the gate there is about ten feet of dirt, just enough space to pull the car in at night. The ground is then concrete for about another ten feet, plenty of space to shuck clams, mussels, filet and hang fish, and hang out and drink a few beers.

The house is longer than it is wide for the first two-thirds. The first twenty-five feet or so consists of the living room, dining room, and kitchen together. The room then narrows off into a hallway of about twenty feet long, with two rooms off to the right. Ignacio, the middle son, sleeps in the first room. I sleep in the second. The bathroom is at the end of hallway and is actually quite large. The house widens at the end of the hallway and evens out. To the left is the “game room” with the computer, washer, and bed to sit on. The master bedroom is back here, along with Nicanor’s room, the youngest son. I currently occupy Sebastian’s room, the oldest son who is studying in Antofagasta city and staying with a relative. The backyard is used to hang clothes. There is an unfinished part of land for the first two-thirds of the home to left and is currently under construction. To my understanding they are adding another bathroom and bedroom.

My room is about 10’x15’, plenty of space. I even have a 12” TV. The house is cleaned everyday by Marta, the mother. My room is cleaned everyday and my bed is made. Something I am very capable of, but after doing it myself day 1, and having it redone later that day, I have since stopped trying. However, I am pretty sure my host mom peruses through my things out of curiosity and boredom (we were warned about this). Marta does not have a job outside the home. She cooks, cleans, drives, does laundry (mine too), and maintains order. She is also a master with the iron. I could not stop laughing the first time I was given a pile of my underwear ironed and folded. I have two windows in my room, but neither face outside. One is boarded up because of an extension that was done to the house. The other is a window to the hallway. When was the last time you saw a bedroom with a window to a hallway? Apparently these are very popular in Chile.

During the week I get up around 7:00 am, for class at 8:00 am. It is still pretty dark and cold at 8 because the sun doesn’t reach the mountain crests until about 9. Breakfast usually consists of cold or hot cereal, an apple, maybe some yoghurt. Breakfasts are never big in Chile. Also, Chile is not a coffee drinking country, so you can scratch that from the menu unless you buy some instant coffee made by Nestlé. Lunch is the largest meal of the home, and of all of Chile. It spans from 1:00 to 3:00 and is equivalent to dinner in the States. Once, or Té, is eaten around 6:00 or 7:00pm at my house and usually consists of leftovers, bread and butter, and some sort of salad, and of course tea. Also, usually something too sweet like powdered donuts and a large glass of coca cola. The Chileans love sugar. Nothing can get done during lunch hours in Taltal. This is not the case in larger cities.

Meals can get awkwardly silent sometimes, but as a friend once said, it’s only awkward if you make it awkward. But nothing is as awkward as an upside turtle…Anyway, Nacho and Nicanor always want to watch TV so that helps. Yes, the family calls Ignaccio, Nacho, I chuckle every time Marta screams “Nacho!!!” from across the home. Also, when Alejandro, the father, is home for the week (he works 7 on and 7 off at a mine) he always finds a way to communicate. He is great and could probably find a way to explain Calculus to me in Spanish. He used to work in a mine in Brazil and he told me he would have to speak very clear and slow in order for the Brazilians to understand him. He does the same for me. He is also extremely outgoing and feels the need to tell me everything at every moment. I do not think he would be able to handle silence, this has worked out for improving my Spanish.

Things are slightly better when the father is around. I am able to communicate better and learn more Spanish. Also, the food is better and there is more seafood. He is the man about town, whenever I am in the car with him he is constantly beeping and waving at people, pulling over to have a conversation, or occasionally popping into a house to say a hello. Picking up bread can take a long time sometimes. He is a native Taltalino, unlike my host-mom Marta who is from the South.

Weekends are spent sleeping, surfing, studying Spanish, and hanging out with my new Chilean friends. Parties last until 5 or 6 in the morning. But this is not because beer is being guzzled. Chileans just love to talk and they don’t ever seem to get tired. The great thing about this is I am able to practice my Spanish. However, as every volunteer can relate to, there comes a point in the day when you are physically and mentally exhausted from translating Spanish in your head all day, and sleep is the only remedy.

Teaching has been quite difficult. English is the students’ most difficult class and it shows. Trying to plan an activity that is interesting, fun, appropriate, and effective is difficult, especially when you don’t speak the students’ language. I´ll try and elaborate on teaching in another post.

So eh, that's all for now. I should be throwing up another post about the family soon.

Here is a photo of Taltal from a distance, yeah, it´s small...