In the nearly two weeks that I've been here in Antofagasta, I feel as though there have been many emotions coursing through me on my journey to find...what? To do what? I haven't quite figured that out yet, nor have I figured out whether this is a long-term destination for me. I have spent the better part of three days with tissues up my nostrils, and so if that's the worst that happens to me, I consider myself in good shape. I will now field questions from the crowd...
1) What's it like there? It's beautiful, weather-wise. High 70s by day, cool at night, little humidity, the sound of the waves crashing at the base of my apartment building, and a nice view of the city from my bedroom window. There have been more clouds than I was expecting, but with my Irish skin, I suppose that's a blessing in disguise. Nevertheless, the weather is gorgeous and dry enough for the main patio at work to be open-air, with a few majestic-looking blue tarps (and I hate to call them tarps, as it evokes raking leaves and setting up camp) hanging overhead to provide some relief from the Sun.
2) What are the kids like? The kids have been curious, affectionate, and adorable. They are 6 years old for the most part, and just wrapping up first grade. Because the AIS program calls for English-taught classes from Kindergarten-8th grade, these kids speak English as well as most of the first graders I've dealt with at home, either in school or camp. Their accents, by the way, are such that I wish I could bottle them up and bring them home with me. I prefer to not go by Mr. Swingle, particularly since with such young kids, I think a more personable approach calls for a more intimate (until I can find a more appropriate term) term by which to address the teacher. I have the kids call me Mr. Keith, though with the accents it's "Meestor Keet", with a few kids coming around on their "-th" sounds. I teach thirteen kids in all (the benefits of a private school), most of whom are really ahead of where I would expect students at that age to be with their English development. They are still young enough to take orders without arguing (though some, of course, take a little longer to get grounded than others), and from day one have been more than vocal about what they are used to in their pre-existing daily routines.
3) What's the school like? It's been an amazing learning process, as the daily goings-on of the school differ from those back home. The kids have certain required hours of specific subjects (Language Arts/English, Math, Social Studies, Art, Tech. Ed., PE....no science, which is a mixed bag that I'll touch upon shortly) and so out schedule varies day-to-day (on Tuesdays, we have no Language Arts at all, which contrasts with Monday, and W-F, where we have two hours each). The Social Studies curriculum is laughable at best, whereas there is zero science curriculum posted. At all. None. Now, I'm not a big science guy...I enjoyed Physics because of the math, and I enjoyed Biology because it seemed applicable, but that's about it. That said, these students do not learn a whole lot about sciences in this school, and so I have actually taken to trying to incorporate a little bit of science into their weekly learnings. This week it was climate types.
4) How's your Spanish? This has easily been the biggest challenge of the trip thus far, and I predict that it will continue to be so for the duration of my stay here in Chile. While I did fairly well in Spanish through high school and college, I can honestly say that my reading of the language is okay at best. Speaking, listening, and understanding the language has been a huge struggle. My shortcoming was a glaring hurdle that I could not hop over at the airport, and has been a sort of electric fence preventing me from fully embracing this city. I took a stroll around town today with my roommate, Kelly, and was overwhelmed by the language that surrounded me not just from peoples' mouths, but on signs, billboards, and buildings throughout Antofagasta. It's more than humbling to have that sort of handicap, and my hat goes off to anyone who at one point or another has made the attempt to acclimate themselves in a new place.
5) What's the food like? To be honest, I have been out to eat here just once, and it was sushi. Granted, with the fresh seafood market here in Antofagasta, and coastal location, the seafood was good...but I haven't sampled the rest of the cuisine that might be more emblematic of this fine city. I had one empanada (a favorite) at AIS's International Day, so I'm a little reluctant to call that a true experience of Chilean cuisine. Part of this has been budgetary: I've alloted myself about $100 a week, most of which goes to groceries (the rest to bus fare, which is a whole other comment). I have taken to making one big meal on Sunday and making the rest of the food last the week. It's a pretty good method, though once I get paid (monthly, at the end of each month...), I will be able to better-acquaint myself with something tasty that I didn't have to labor over ;).
6) What are the people like? The parents of my students have been more than helpful in offering any assistance to me during my stay here. Apparently, the kids' former teacher had become really close with a lot of the parents, something I found out at a meeting I had with parents last weekend. Other staff members at the school have taken to doing their best to meet me halfway with the language thing, and have otherwise been accomodating. Otherwise, I can't quite tell if other people in the city look at me strange because I speak so slowly, or whether they're legitimately angry that I don't know immediately what they are saying to me. It takes a seemingly outrageously long time to process a question, translate it, formulate a response, and articulate a proper response verbally. Oy.
7) Do you miss home? I miss my home and the people around it. Right now I miss grass (dirt and sand...it IS in the Atacama Desert, technically) and the Yankees on television. Other than that, it hasn't been long enough for me to really be wanting for much yet. I think once I get hold of a ficha (basically, a laundry token), I'll be breathing a bit easier (down to 3 pairs of underoos, 4 pairs of white socks, and 3 dress socks). Luckily, it's not worse, since we have a uniform at school. It's a blue button-down and a pair of permanently-pressed khakis, with loose threads numbering somewhere between one and two dozen (actual number lost track during staff meeting yesterday).
8) Best thing about Antofagasta? So far, the view is superb (red hills, glowing street lights at night, pretty sunsets, and the vast expanse of the Pacific all from my apartment), and I like walking everywhere...except school, that is. It's an 8km walk to school (just about 5 miles), and so I'm not up early enough to make the trek on my own two feet. As I catch up on my grading and will not have to rely on showing videos and pictures on my laptop, I plan on adjusting what I bring to school so that I may walk to and/or from AIS each day. Access to a shower at school is paramount in this plan, as I am a sweater (I blame the abundance of chest hair, which as soared past the half dozen mark since my arrival). This may also help to shed some of the excess baggage I've been wearing this entire year. The 103 bus takes me to and from school each day, though it is often less than comfortable. Frequent, sudden stops make it a pain in the neck, quite literally. Also, the leg room is minimal; I feel like a pale giant here.
The guy on the right is your average Chilean...sadly, I am not too far off with the hair.9) Do I need anything? Not really, but thanks. Look, I'm taking this opportunity to moderate my intake and lifestyle habits. Do I want anything? Nothing that can be sent through the mail, I'm afraid. They have Budweiser and soap, and so I am fairly certain that the rest will fall into place.
10) Do you think you'll stay the extra two years? It's impossible to say at this point. I told myself the day after I got here that I wouldn't worry about answering that question until after November 1, that the next couple of weeks will be spent living it up and enjoying my new surroundings. Going back on that now seems like a wasted opportunity to soak up what's around me and enjoying the moment, albeit a 2-month long moment.
Well there you have it. Tonight, I'm heading out to see the Harlem Globetrotters! I know I know...it took me this long and this many miles to see the Generals in person. Well, it should certainly be exciting yelling out "125th St! I take Metro-North from there!!". Anyway, more to come probably tomorrow....perhaps some World Series pre-talk?
Talk to each other.
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