Sitting at work with nothing to do on a Friday afternoon...must be time for a blog post about Thanksgiving!
Time is winding down here. Only two weeks left in Chile! A couple weeks ago we all went out near our apartment. It was the first time in a while, and we had a blast.
I finally made it out to the Museo de Memorias which opened earlier this year. It's a museum devoted to the protection of human rights. You follow an audio tour taking you through the dictatorship from beginning to end noting the violations of human rights during Pinochet's reign. It's very powerful.
Pictures aren't allowed inside. Outside they have this display with all the dictatorships in the various Latin American countries along with NATO's declaration of human rights displayed artistically. I'm really glad I got to visit before leaving, and I'd recommend it to anyone in Santiago.
This is a video I showed my PK and Kindergarten classes last week. I think it nicely captures the spirit of Thanksgiving, and since there's hardly any audio it was easy for them to understand.
Thanksgiving Day was a lot of fun. I had the kids sit all together for snack time and we learned all about the holiday.
In the older groups we made these cool turkeys. The body is made of two footprints (mine and their head teacher) and each kid cut out their own hand print for the feathers. Obviously they all made hand turkeys of their own as well. Whoever says working on Thanksgiving is a drag hasn't worked with my kids, they're awesome!
In the evening we went to St. George's school for the Holy Cross Priests' annual Thanksgiving Dinner. This might be the last picture of all the ChACE 12s together. We've had some good times--thanks for everything, guys!
I made no-bake cookies for the event.
The usual pick-up game of football ensued. We had beautiful weather.
The exciting news this year was that we had real, complete turkeys for dinner. They were delicious. Apparently eating the dark meat is a Franske thing, and I'm fine with that because there was plenty of it for me!
Something always seems to get lost in translation for the meal prep. Cranberry sauce is impossible to come by (blueberry sauce is the substitute), and salad options consist of cold corn and tomato with palm hearts. It's always delicious!
On Friday, San Nicolás put on a great surprise lunch for me and Ciara as a thank you for our year of work here. We had paella and it was fantastic. Kevin, the new gringo in the ChACE program teaching at San Nicolás, is pictured here on the left. He put together a great video of our students and colleagues saying goodbye.
On Saturday I was invited to the end of the year party for Sala Cuna, my youngest students. We spent the day eating off the grill, enjoying the sun, and swimming in the pool.
The little kids were adorable all day. They're such little balls of energy!
The Christmas-when-it's-hot thing is still weird for me, but everyone in Chile is sure accustomed to it. Santa came to the party and brought toys for all the kids.
I've been wanting to cook for my host family all year, so on Tuesday it finally happened. My host dad has Celiac so it had to be an easy gluten-free meal, and unfortunately most things I love to cook involve gluten. Chicken Parmesan was the winner, and it was delicious.
We also had a Thanksgiving dinner with our gringo friends organized by the Bridge girls. It kind of doubled as a goodbye party for Ciara, who left last Sunday. It was great getting to know her this year and I wish her all the best with her upcoming wedding!
And now for my shameless plug. I entered a photo contest online and if I'm in the top 5 come Sunday night I think I have a good shot at winning. So if you have Facebook, click the link below, "Like" the page, and vote for my picture. Thanks so much for reading my blog and helping me out! http://bit.ly/19UD8DE
Hopefully I'll get one more post in before leaving on the 20th. What a great adventure!
With so few weekends left before returning to the states for Christmas, we're trying to aprovechar (take advantage of) all the free time we have. So the weekend after Pucón, Dan and I took an overnight bus to Mendoza, Argentina. This is a quick shot from the drive back--it was beautiful coming over the Andes.
Mendoza has an interesting history. A haven for the Jewish during the Nazi regime, there are examples of European and Jewish influence all over the place. In the 19th century the city was destroyed by an earthquake so as a preventative measure it was rebuilt with very wide streets and huge plazas leading to a very charming city.
We arrived around 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning, got some sleep, and walked around the plazas.
Then we headed a few miles South to Maipú, the main attraction of Mendoza. This place is stuffed with wineries, there must be fifty of them packed side-by-side. The thing to do is rent a bike and take a self-guided "tour de vino" checking out the famous Malbecs of the region. We started at the oldest in the area, Familia di Tommaso.
This place was so charming. Family-run since the mid-1800s, they still do many things the same way.
Like using brick-and-morter fermentation tanks. I have never seen these things at another winery. Everything is steel or wood casks these days. I don't know if it was due to these in particular, but the wine was fantastic.
Some rides between vineyards were longer than others, but all were beautiful. Tree-lined with rows and rows of grape vines and the sun poking through here and there. It was so relaxing. I guess that could have been the wine...
Speaking of which, you might think biking on a road while drinking could be dangerous. I was impressed with all the cops around riding bikes making sure everyone was ok. They escort groups from place to place, it's great! (you're welcome mom)
We stopped for lunch at an Italian place squeezed between two wineries. We had some fantastic lasagna and a great malbec. I'm not sure if I enjoyed the food or the wine more in Mendoza.
After lunch we went to a much more modern vineyard called Mevi. It reminded me of Lapostalle in Santa Cruz.
More delicious wine. Malbec, Cabernet, and Merlot.
Dan and I did a little off-roading through the rows of the Mevi vineyard. What a treat.
Our last spot was more of a museum than a vineyard, but they do have their own line. This is the only spot we bought a bottle because our admission price was put towards a purchase. Great marketing.
The tasting room was accessible through rows and rows of barrels. It was a cool atmosphere.
I think Dan would agree that the highlight of the weekend was dinner on Saturday. We made our reservation in the morning at Azafrán, a place his Mendocino family for whom he tutors had recommended.
Check out the wine selection! This room, complete with 2 floors stocked all with unique bottles of wine, surrounds a special table that we definitely didn't have the clout to occupy. It's always staffed by a sommelier who helps you match the perfect bottle to your meal.
He nailed it. This may have been the most enjoyable wine I've ever had, a red blend of some of the region's great flavors but ironically called 'Puro'.
We had a 5 course fixed menu but the main course was definitely the big winner. Dan and I agreed that it was the best filet mignon either of us had ever tasted. It was cooked so perfectly and everything from the blue cheese and spinach wrapped in philo on top to the sauce was great. Oh, and see those potatoes hiding behind my steak? I ate all of them. They were mixed with some sort of honey and brown sugar thing. Crazy delicious.
After sleeping off our food-and-wine coma, we got up to walk the city one more time. Everything in the plaza was blooming, a great final stroll back to the hostel.
We took the bus back Sunday afternoon and arrived 6 hours behind schedule due to snow in the pass. No worries, it was a great trip!
Things at San Nicolás have been as normal as can be for a preschool teacher. Right now we're celebrating the month of Mary so every morning we go outside to sing and see a short performance by one of the classes. I've gotten to hold a lot of little kids in the process. The sala cuna teachers decided I easily could have been Juan Martín's dad. Scary thought.
The students in Medio Menor (2-3 years old) and Medio Mayor (3-4 years old) have been learning the clothes so we've been having some fun playing dress-up. Easily the most entertaining is when they put on my clothes. I think they're a little big.
Solution: two-in-one.
Clothes for hot weather! They're learning opposites too. Hot/cold, happy/sad, big/small, in/out, open/close, up/down...all the classics.
Here's another "mes de maría" shot. You can see that the students on the right have beards and tunics. I think on this day they were the shepherds in Bethlehem. In case it isn't clear I've been having a lot of fun at school!
This past weekend we had our annual ChACE retreat. It's scheduled so that they can cater to those ending the program (like me) and those just starting (those that arrived in October). I decided to spend most of the time relaxing.
Not a bad view from the porch.
I've been doing a lot of decision making recently, and I have decided I will not be returning to Chile in the near future. It might happen down the road, but I'm ready for a new adventure. I have plans to travel in January and February, but March is still a mystery. Right now I'm exploring options in the states but I'm not tied to that idea.
But boy, this is going to be hard to leave.
On Saturday we had a photo scavenger hunt. It involved lots of random things with strangers and lots of funny poses in the group.
Can anyone tell what we're spelling?
A great retreat. The weather wasn't the most cooperative but we had great fellowship, reflection and an all-around good time.
The seniors have been winding down in the school setting and have been studying furiously for the PSU. Basically the PSU determines where you go to college, what you can study, and what your career options are.
There have been all kinds of ceremonies for them recently. I was most involved in the preschool farewell. It was emotional, especially for those seniors that have been at San Nicolás since they were born.
The kids put on a little show, it was really cute. Then they all gave gifts to the graduating seniors.
On Tuesday evening I went with my host fam back to school for the final ceremony and mass prior to the seniors staying overnight at school. It was very emotional.
Parents, students, and teachers were all involved. This is a great tradition.
My host brother all grown up! Best of luck in your future adventures, Cleme.
Releasing their dreams.
After their night at school, they have breakfast and the school forms one long tunnel from youngest to oldest to say goodbye. The students get very emotional as you can see with the girls here. Everyone cries without exception.
Here they are at the end of the line where things get real sappy. Lots of the seniors have pololos/pololas (boyfriends/girlfriends) in the junior class. Lots more crying, hugging, and kissing. I'm going to miss this class and everyone at San Nicolás. It's been such a great year!
Things are winding down. Three more weeks of class, one week of nearby travel and errands, then I'll be back in Minnesota on the 21st of December. Looking forward to seeing everyone!
