(full day)

What did I do today?

1. I learned about how to teach from two very experienced and engaging women who work for the Chilean Ministry of Education.

Being taught how to teach, even before getting into the classroom, makes a surprising difference in my confidence level and readiness to tackle the job almost at hand. It's not that what they say necessarily seems revolutionary, but nine months of existing in survival mode in the French classrooms makes me very appreciative of the strategies they're sharing with us. Hearing their suggestions, most things sound pretty straightforward and intuitive--but as I learned outnumbered and in the heat of many moments, that just isn't always the case. I feel like these cursory workshops could completely transform my experience as a teacher. Hurray!

2. I was kissed by the Chilean Ministra of Education at the Chilean Presidential Palace.

The program I'm here with is an initiative of the Chilean government, and all the participants are volunteers, so as part of our orientation day today, we all went to the Palacio de la Moneda (there's a picture of it in the last post) for a picture with the Ministra, who wanted to thank us for coming. After the picture, we were allowed to go into the courtyards, and while looking around, I was suddenly embraced and kissed on the cheek by the Ministra who smiled and looked very moved, patted my arm with a "Gracias" and moved away towards the exit. I was completely caught off-guard by her warmth and genuine emotion. Chile has generally been far more welcoming than France was, and this bodes well for my time in Rio Bueno (where I'll be going). It's nice to feel wanted.

3. I enjoyed a free admittance to the Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Culture museum at the end of afternoon Spanish classes (my teacher was a language assistant in France last year--small world!).

4. I came to an opinion about the perros callejeros of Santiago.

Perros callejeros is the term for the ownerless dogs that live on the streets of Santiago. I like them just fine. They are everywhere, but they are calm and don't bother people or bark too often. They just share the city with everyone--accompanying you for a stretch, perhaps, or napping in corners. They even respect the traffic patterns--it's strange to watch dogs crossing at crosswalks and at the appropriate time. Additionally, there seems to be about 90% fewer dog turds on the sidewalks here than in France, where almost all of the dogs are personal pets with "responsible" owners.

5. Lastly, and most pleasantly, I enjoyed a reunion long in coming with a good friend who arrived here this morning with her husband. The friend is the famous Amy from the infamous "Getting to Italy" story that so many of you have heard in all its gory glory. Despite the fact that all three of us graduated from Berry, we seem only to see each other in foreign countries. It was a bit surreal that we were just meeting up in Santiago like it was the most normal thing in the world...but at the same time, the general pattern of my life seems to be ensuring that unlikely international rendez-vous become just that-- the most normal things in the world.