back in Salto

Some brief closing thoughts on Semana Santa vacation before getting into life in Salto...

My vacation in Chile (and, briefly, Buenos Aires) over Semana Santa served to emphasize the importance of the people in our lives--although Chile is a nice place to visit, the people I was able to see there made my trip especially memorable. Because I was in Santiago by myself for most of the time, I was able to reflect on a paradox that a friend, Evan, described while backpacking in Asia: although backpacking allows one to surround himself with new and interesting people, it is generally an incredibly lonely experience. I spent much of my time writing and reading in beautiful parks such as Cerro Santa Lucia:



As I was quickly reminded (having allowed my memories of doing research alone while in Mongolia to slightly fade), backpacking is more an opportunity for introspection than cultural immersion. Fortunately, my friends and "Chilean family" were there to take me in, and, for just a few days, I felt like a Chilean.

As soon as my bus arrived in Santiago, I walked a few blocks to my workplace, Fondo Esperanza, and visited my former boss, Patricio:



and my beautiful coworkers:



Later in the week, I visited Coté and his family, who hosted a friend, Glenda, while we were living and working in Santiago. Coté and his family treated our Harvard group to some very memorable asados (BBQ's) during the summer of 2005, so when they invited me to one during my visit, I immediately took them up on the invitation. The asado was at a beautiful apartment that overlooked Santiago, and featured some great steak and piscola. Here's a picture of Coté, his girlfriend, and me on our way back to my hostel:



I was also able to eventually get in touch with my Chilean host family. My mom, Pauline, and my younger brother, Luis Alberto, met me at their new apartment; unfortunately, my older brother, Pablo, was out of town:



My Chilean family treated me to a great traditional Chilean lunch consisting of eel soup and empanadas, then invited me to Starbucks (which, by the way, is located in a shopping center that also features an Apple store, and Crepes and Waffles, the restaurant that is so popular in Colombia). Needless to say, we had a great time.

And now I'm back in Salto, which, day by day, is feeling more and more like home.

That's largely because Liz, Holly, and I finally found a permanent residence, the Hostal del Jardín. As the name suggests, the hostel has a garden in the back, which, although small, is colorful and invites many hummingbirds during the warm hours of the day. I have a nice little room on the second floor, decorated with pictures of the Moulin Rouge and overlooking the garden, and am fortunate to have a refrigerator, a small desk, and a TV with around 50 channels (including HBO, MTV, and, of course, Cartoon Network). My favorite feature of the room is probably the large window, which is nice for inviting in the warm Salteño breeze. I enjoy living in a hostel, since the hostel setup and lifestyle allow me to meet travelers from different places, traveling to various destinations. In a way, it allows me to reach an equilibrium in the dilemma I described above; living in a hostel here allows me to find a sort of balance between cultural immersion and the adventure of backpacking.

Work at the public school is going very well. I am still considered an observer, but I am gradually developing lesson plans and projects for the five different grade levels. Specifically, I have been asked to teach the fifth graders about literature through fairy tales (an interesting coincidence since I am currently reading Nabokov, a teller of fairy tales in his own right). This project will likely take several weeks, and my hope is that it will culminate in a collection of illustrated stories written by the students, which future students will be able to read and base their own work on.

I have also been asked to give a presentation on Mongolia to the first through fifth graders in English, and to the sixth graders in Spanish (they have no training in English, unfortunately). I will probably give this presentation next week. The teachers at my school have fully embraced the importance of showing the children that they can create their own paths through life, based on their individual interests and passions. The hope is that introducing them to the Mongolians will exercise their imaginations and give them an idea of what possibilities are out there. And don't worry...I won't tell them about the mutton.

I am also toying with the idea of teaching several lessons on the diversity of US geography and culture, based on my very own motorcycle diaries. I haven't really shared this idea with my fellow teachers yet, but I'll let you know how that goes.

In addition to the public school, I have also begun work at the local university, aka the CERP. The CERP specifically trains its students to be teachers, and students can choose to study numerous disciplines. Of course, I work with the students who plan to teach English. I work with two of the leading English instructors, Ana Maria and Emita (oddly familial names), who both speak fluent English. In my opinion, they have more of a British accent than a Spanish one, even though both are native Uruguayans (Ana Maria has never studied English outside Uruguay).

My role in the CERP is basically two-fold. In the classroom, I act as a kind of assistant/classmate. I take part in the class activities with the students, but I also assist by answering any questions the teacher may have, and by serving as a second opinion on the ideas studied. Specifically, I have been attending classes on phonetics and "Language and Culture." The phonetics course consists of advanced students studying, to an impressive degree, the correct pronunciation of English words, and differences between British and American English. It isn't uncommon for me to get into a minor debate with a student over the correct pronunciation of a word (apparently their "pronunciation dictionaries" are British). In an attempt to make their English as proper as possible, I taught them the word "y'all," which may or may not have been a good idea. Anyway, in addition to debating and teaching Texanese, I have learned a lot in phonetics class. It is an interesting experience to be taught the technicalities behind the language one has always taken for granted. I have become conscious, for example, of the rhythm, flow, and cadence of the English language (and, as a counterpoint, to my lack of ability in recreating such qualities in Spanish). An interesting discussion last class centered on the "default vowels" in English and Spanish, which partially explains why English speakers "fill space" with "uh," and Spanish speakers with "eh."

In addition to attending classes, Liz, Holly, and I will be responsible for leading "Conversation Clubs," which are meant to allow both students and teachers to practice English while learning about US culture. I am hoping to use this opportunity to share such cultural treasures as "Sweet Home Alabama," Saturday Night Live, and Outkast. Yielding to the pressures of my conscience, I'm also planning to include lessons on Emerson, Allen Ginsberg, and Malcolm X.

I would really like to include some pictures of the CERP and public school, but I'm hesitant to bring the camera so early in the semester, before knowing the teachers and students well. I'll take some pictures eventually, though, and will be sure to post them here when I do.

I'd like to close by mentioning a friend who has been on my mind quite a bit lately. Evan, a classmate at Harvard and roommate in El Salvador (and, by the way, a different Evan than the one mentioned above), has spent the past few months in Officer Candidate School. His experiences have allowed me to reflect on the ideas of national pride and dedication, and have given me many opportunities to challenge myself. Evan recently graduated from OCS and is now a second lieutenant in the Marines. You can read more about his experiences, always colored by his characteristic humor, at his blog:
http://www.evanrjohnson.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading, everyone! Check back soon for another update.