Mi Escuela

Wow! I feel so much better! I think the arsenic has worn out of my system enough that my headache has stopped. Actually, Jake and I walked home and he had some aspirin for me. Thanks for all your concern and offers of bottle water. I've learned my lesson and will take better care of myself.
I also did some research on the arsenic issue here in Antofagasta and found out that in 1971 they put in a water treatment plant that dropped the stillbirth and infant mortality rates to the same level as the rest of Chile. The arsenic rate is still above the 10 parts per billion that is suggested by the world relief agencies, but it seems to be much safer than was played out to me by some people. At the same time, I'm not planning on chugging gallons of tap water. I will still buy my bottle water. When I left the States I thought that I would be in a situation where I could save money because I wouldn't be spending it on coffee. However, my coffee habit has been replaced by a H2O habit. The large bottles of water here cost about 800 Pesos, which works out to about $1.40 or so U.S. Net gain to my pocket book, Nada. It's interesting to notice however, I'm not missing coffee here. I haven't even broken out the pound of coffee that I brought with me all eh way down here! Something may be wrong with me. Maybe it has to do with the 90+ degree heat, the fact that every liquid that I drink is for hydration, or the fact that if I get tired in the afternoon it's called a siesta and everyone else is already tired and resting. Either way, I'm sure my first cup of coffee will get me massively wired when I return home.
This is a picture of the school, lookin from the second floor where our classrooms are located. The school is build around the patio where we will be conducting our sports and group meetings.
This is a special school. El Escuela de Ecologica. A school that is focused around ecology and biology. Which is an interesting concept, considering that 1) The town owes its existence a mining company which destroys the land, pollutes the water and generally trashes the entire desert. And 2) there doesn't seem to be a single thing alive for miles around this entire city, except what's in the sea and within the city limits. Gina plans on teaching some environmental biology lessons and conduct a neighborhood cleanup walk as part of her lessons. I hope the kids that go on that walk have some strong backs!
This is me in my classroom. Notice how the desks are arranged and the number of desks that are stacked in the back. There were about 46 desks originally, all stacked in groups of two, in 3 tight little rows. According to Charlyn, the way that we are arranging the desks is really going to blow the students minds. For all the years that they have been attending school they have sat in rows.
It seems that the goal of the whole program is to immerse them in American culture as deeply as possible. This means that all the "cultural sensitivity" that we have been working on for the past 10-12 days needs to be tossed out the window. The same with the fact that we know any Spanish. Charlyn has encouraged us to not let the students know that we can speak a word of it. I think that it is going to be a bit of a challenge for the first day, considering that Jake and I are starting to mingle Spanish and English in our conversations with each other. Not good Spanish, but Spanish none the less.
When we got to the house after working at the school for a full 6+ hours setting up the rooms, Rosalinda was waiting for us with plates of fruit and encouraged us to go upstairs and relax, I think she could tell that we were hurting. We both laid on the bed and watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on my computer while we ate fruit. I don’t think I had come home from school and been sent upstairs to watch TV with a snack sense 4th grade. Right when we got to the part where the sword Green Destiny was being returned for the first time, Rosalinda called us downstairs. We were greeted with a bowl of soup that had a whole potato and chicken breast in a broth and a green salad. I really am going to have to watch what I eat. The fruit would have been fine for an entire lunch, the soup was almost overkill. Gina and Kati seem to be having a similar experience. Their host mother doesn’t let them leave the house until they are able to recite all the street names and bus numbers that they will be using to get to and from the house. I can only imagine them standing in line in front of the door, dutifully reciting the information in unison until their host family is satisfied. I think that all of us may find ourselves showing up at school with little letters to the teacher pined to our shirts. I’m just glad that it’s not cold here, or we would be forced to tie our mittens to our coats so that we wouldn’t loose them.
After the soup Charlyn showed up and we went over some preparation and information for the first day of school on Monday or “Lunes.” I really realized how much time we are going to be teaching. A total of 7+ hours. 7 hours of teaching people that don’t speak you own language. It’s a little daunting, especially considering that we don’t know what the skill level of our students will be. Couple that with the fact that these kids have a reputation for being a little “rougher” than the common American students and it’s a recipe for fun! When all is said and done, I’m actually looking forward to this whole thing and I am much more positive than I was earlier today. I think that has to do with the fact that I no longer believe that my head will explode when I cough. It’s amazing what not being sick will do for your attitude.
After we went over our class material, Charlyn and Rosalinda started talking in Spanish. They started talking fast. Really fast. It was at that moment that I realized that I was able to pick out different words and phrases from the conversation. For me, that was a huge accomplishment. Up until now, people speaking full speed conversational Spanish, especially Chilean Spanish, sounded like a slurred blur of sound. Now, I didn’t understand all the words, but I could at least identify the ones that I did know, and I was able to pick out key words that I didn’t know. I really wish I had more time to stay down here in South America, or be in a situation where I could hear Spanish constantly. I believe that my Spanish would continue to improve and I would become much more proficient in it. As it is now, I’m just happy with the opportunity that I have now.