Wednesday, April 28, 2004
i´ve been stood up.
my potential english student agreed to meet me here at work not two hours ago, and then he doesn´t show. HE called ME. HE asked ME to do him the favor of translating his songs. how does that work? guess i´ll have to kiss his 6.000 a week goodbye, the shady sounding 6.000 though it was. musicians.... ;)
the one regular student i have likes to go out for our lessons to grab a drink. that´s fine- it does break up the monotony at least. but what is not fine is that i spend more than half my class money on beer, as he keeps insisting we stay and have another. beverage admittedly makes me like him more (or at least find him less boring) but at the same time dislike him because i´m having to spend my money with him when i´d rather be out with friends. but at least i am learning too. i am learning that i am a freaking pushover, that english is really hard to learn (why the hell do we have so many phrasal verbs?) and that stouts are my favorite beer. i´d rather if these lessons came free however.
my potential english student agreed to meet me here at work not two hours ago, and then he doesn´t show. HE called ME. HE asked ME to do him the favor of translating his songs. how does that work? guess i´ll have to kiss his 6.000 a week goodbye, the shady sounding 6.000 though it was. musicians.... ;)
the one regular student i have likes to go out for our lessons to grab a drink. that´s fine- it does break up the monotony at least. but what is not fine is that i spend more than half my class money on beer, as he keeps insisting we stay and have another. beverage admittedly makes me like him more (or at least find him less boring) but at the same time dislike him because i´m having to spend my money with him when i´d rather be out with friends. but at least i am learning too. i am learning that i am a freaking pushover, that english is really hard to learn (why the hell do we have so many phrasal verbs?) and that stouts are my favorite beer. i´d rather if these lessons came free however.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
so my gym stint lasted not quite a week. i was on a roll for 3 days. now i (by "accident") stay too long on the computer at work, or forget what time class starts. that was the only thing that got this homebody out past 5 and 6 Norte (the one block from english speaking apartment to english speaking school) all the way over to 3 Norte for a couple unintelligible spanish commands and a 45 minute farce of a workout.
i can´t make out any of the exact words, but i´m starting to understand what to do when the instructor makes a certain noise. yes, just like your favorite pet. oh yeah, these people are definitely not AFAA certified. there is no such thing as music too fast for step aerobics, nor does it matter if the instructor calls the steps or not, and it is like a rule that you are not on the right beat of the music. mary ann scott would definitely not last in a class here, because you do what your army-type instructor man says or you´re out. you don´t tell mr. drill sargeant that his posture is bad, or that the music is too loud. and you definitely don´t get to do your own moves. i made a slight adjustment once to my sit-up position to work my lower ab region (dominic, i am really going to need your help when i get home) and lieutenant loco is there in a flash putting my feet back where they were and HOLDING THEM THERE the whole time. once it was raining and my sneakers were squeaking a bit. he came over to everyone´s step to listen- then found his squeaky sneaker culprit and threw me out to wipe down my shoes. at least they´ve got 4 or 5 bikes from 1980 that i could ride if i didn´t prefer cleaning tile with a toothbrush to biking.
and i wonder why i´m finding excuses not to go back...
i can´t make out any of the exact words, but i´m starting to understand what to do when the instructor makes a certain noise. yes, just like your favorite pet. oh yeah, these people are definitely not AFAA certified. there is no such thing as music too fast for step aerobics, nor does it matter if the instructor calls the steps or not, and it is like a rule that you are not on the right beat of the music. mary ann scott would definitely not last in a class here, because you do what your army-type instructor man says or you´re out. you don´t tell mr. drill sargeant that his posture is bad, or that the music is too loud. and you definitely don´t get to do your own moves. i made a slight adjustment once to my sit-up position to work my lower ab region (dominic, i am really going to need your help when i get home) and lieutenant loco is there in a flash putting my feet back where they were and HOLDING THEM THERE the whole time. once it was raining and my sneakers were squeaking a bit. he came over to everyone´s step to listen- then found his squeaky sneaker culprit and threw me out to wipe down my shoes. at least they´ve got 4 or 5 bikes from 1980 that i could ride if i didn´t prefer cleaning tile with a toothbrush to biking.
and i wonder why i´m finding excuses not to go back...
Monday, April 26, 2004
Song and Fingerplay
(sung to the tune of twinkle twinkle little star)
child (clap hands in rhythm, or wave hands like crazy, or just sit down damn it):
nursery school is lots of fun,
look at all the things i´ve done:
sang and played and ate my snack,
i can´t wait ´til i go back.
making friends with everyone,
nursery school is so much fun.
teacher (place fingers at temple like a gun):
crazy kids you drive me mad,
what a fun-filled day you´ve had:
painting walls and eating clay,
never putting toys away.
dirty diapers make me sad,
crazy kids you drive me mad.
(sung to the tune of twinkle twinkle little star)
child (clap hands in rhythm, or wave hands like crazy, or just sit down damn it):
nursery school is lots of fun,
look at all the things i´ve done:
sang and played and ate my snack,
i can´t wait ´til i go back.
making friends with everyone,
nursery school is so much fun.
teacher (place fingers at temple like a gun):
crazy kids you drive me mad,
what a fun-filled day you´ve had:
painting walls and eating clay,
never putting toys away.
dirty diapers make me sad,
crazy kids you drive me mad.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
there are a lot of interesting bloggers out there. how come i don´t run across these people in everyday life? i just read a couple blogs off of the blogger.com home page and i got to find out about life as a strip club owner, that JT has disappeared off the radio (and i love that one because the author actually agreed with me this is a bad thing), and that carrie ends up with big in the SATC finale. yuck. but fun and entertaining information. so johnny, is it okay if i read blogs instead of washingtonpost.com? (not that i have read that once since i´ve been here anyway.)
sometimes i do read El Mercurio, el diario de Valparaíso. by read, i mean flip to the Viña page and read a headline, flip to the international page and read a headline, maybe read the movie listings, before settling down in the classifieds. first i search alternative housing, because living with the boss´family in a dirty house with no friends allowed over and comments made when i come home after midnight, is actually not as fun as it sounds. this is just to torment myself of course, because there is no way i´m moving out for a month and a half. next i look through the help wanted ads, basically also to torture myself- i don´t have a work visa, i´m only here for a month, and my spanish is severely lacking (unless they are cool with me having 4 copas de vino before work). four of us put an ad in the paper to tutor english, but we only got one call. why don´t you want to learn english? viña is rich and some kid around here has to be failing english class. some businessman must be looking to travel to/work in an english-speaking country. or translations or conversations or just watch your kids or something! what i do see a lot of in the help wanted section is: señoritas buena presencia, privado. so far i have not dared to find out what that means, but it would probably make for at least an interesting blog. i´m here for you JT! chao.
sometimes i do read El Mercurio, el diario de Valparaíso. by read, i mean flip to the Viña page and read a headline, flip to the international page and read a headline, maybe read the movie listings, before settling down in the classifieds. first i search alternative housing, because living with the boss´family in a dirty house with no friends allowed over and comments made when i come home after midnight, is actually not as fun as it sounds. this is just to torment myself of course, because there is no way i´m moving out for a month and a half. next i look through the help wanted ads, basically also to torture myself- i don´t have a work visa, i´m only here for a month, and my spanish is severely lacking (unless they are cool with me having 4 copas de vino before work). four of us put an ad in the paper to tutor english, but we only got one call. why don´t you want to learn english? viña is rich and some kid around here has to be failing english class. some businessman must be looking to travel to/work in an english-speaking country. or translations or conversations or just watch your kids or something! what i do see a lot of in the help wanted section is: señoritas buena presencia, privado. so far i have not dared to find out what that means, but it would probably make for at least an interesting blog. i´m here for you JT! chao.
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
we have a tv in casa! the directors bought a used one for the living room the other day, and now us volunteers are screwed.
jungle boy says, annie needs her diaper changed. i say, you can do it, i´m pretty occupied with the other 3 monsters wreaking havoc on the art room supplies. he says, you have a tv at home now, remember? so i changed her.
jungle boy says, you need to shut all of the computers down. i say, i shut down the one computer that i was using. he says, we are getting cable tomorrow, cachai? so i shut them down.
i was able to watch the series Hippie, a show that no one seems to watch according to ratings, but that everyone talks about. it is based in chile in the 70´s and everyone dresses the part, with 5 second clips of practically every 70´s song i´ve ever heard. i can´t really figure out what they are rebelling against, but duh, the point is the costume and music. who cares if there is a show. oh yeah, because i think the actors and actresses are supposed to be hot. actually, one girl is wicked hot, and one guy looks like micah coleman, but with a mustache, beard, long hair, and of course bandana. funny. and hot. :)
jungle boy says, annie needs her diaper changed. i say, you can do it, i´m pretty occupied with the other 3 monsters wreaking havoc on the art room supplies. he says, you have a tv at home now, remember? so i changed her.
jungle boy says, you need to shut all of the computers down. i say, i shut down the one computer that i was using. he says, we are getting cable tomorrow, cachai? so i shut them down.
i was able to watch the series Hippie, a show that no one seems to watch according to ratings, but that everyone talks about. it is based in chile in the 70´s and everyone dresses the part, with 5 second clips of practically every 70´s song i´ve ever heard. i can´t really figure out what they are rebelling against, but duh, the point is the costume and music. who cares if there is a show. oh yeah, because i think the actors and actresses are supposed to be hot. actually, one girl is wicked hot, and one guy looks like micah coleman, but with a mustache, beard, long hair, and of course bandana. funny. and hot. :)
Monday, April 19, 2004
friday´s anecdote:
some kids inhale their food, and others are very picky. friday is cereal day. some parents send their kids with a fistful, some kids get a whole box. so during snack time, we have a lot of time to fill while the ones who are finished wait for the others. maddie and i did a little song and dance routine (we love to eat snack, at snack time, we love to sing and we love to rhyme...whatever) and when we bowed at the end, the kids came up to us and gave us cornflakes, chocopics, smacks, etc. in thanks for our performance. all of them, unprompted. it was so cute. and maybe street performing would be a good idea- i´m broke man. but at least i got a little yummy in my tummy.
some kids inhale their food, and others are very picky. friday is cereal day. some parents send their kids with a fistful, some kids get a whole box. so during snack time, we have a lot of time to fill while the ones who are finished wait for the others. maddie and i did a little song and dance routine (we love to eat snack, at snack time, we love to sing and we love to rhyme...whatever) and when we bowed at the end, the kids came up to us and gave us cornflakes, chocopics, smacks, etc. in thanks for our performance. all of them, unprompted. it was so cute. and maybe street performing would be a good idea- i´m broke man. but at least i got a little yummy in my tummy.
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
more leftovers from patagonia:
border crossings- chile uses PCBs and other pesticides that are not allowed anywhere else. when you cross into the country, you can´t bring any food or animal products with you. you sign a document (which is also written in English) that says you understand and that you aren´t carrying anything. we heard a story that people were fined $200 for a bag of apples, so every time we came to a border crossing, we´d sit outside customs scarfing down raisins, carrots, apples, whatever we had. picture it. do i have to say we looked silly? lucky for us, the chocolate was a.o.k. so lots of alfajores, chocolates, and galletas for manda and me.
balls of steel- let me start by saying that back home i can hardly work up the nerve to call the at&t people and tell them they overcharged me, and if i do, i end up apologizing to them and practically offer to pay them for talking to me. i sometimes have trouble going out to lunch with my friends because the social situation makes me nervous. i sure as hell ain´t marchin in to no navy buildings asking admirals to take me on their navy boat to a remote island that researchers have to get official clearance to go to. but that´s what i do in chile. and manda made ME do the talking. went to 2 armada buildings and asked them if we could just hitch a ride. and they didn´t laugh in our faces! behind our backs, i´m sure.
celestine prophecy?- got on the plane in punta arenas with no idea how we were going to get home from the santiago airport (viña is 2 hours away by bus, but the bus stations were closed until morning.) my santiago friend was not in, so we couldn´t stay with her, the cabs to the centro were going to be expensive to stay in a hostel that we´d only be in for a few hours- i was stressing. i overhead the guy in back of me say he was going to viña. i tried to ask casually, but i think the fact that i sprang out of my seat like a toasty poptart might have given me away. viña? think i might be able to get a ride? basically told me yes, but was not up to conversation at that point. i confirmed with him again as we deboarded the plane, but we separated to get our luggage. trying to hide my desperation, i acted like this was all part of the plan, grabbed my bookbag, and went to find him. i don´t know what the hell scared him away, but that bird was nowhere to be seen. believe me, i searched all over for a good 30 minutes, refusing to believe that following my prophetic destiny had left me in such an unfortunate situation. but that was it kids- spent the night camped out in some corner chairs of the santiago airport. not as comfy as the flea-ridden mattress waiting for me in viña, but i live to tell the tale.
heat those up in the microwave!
border crossings- chile uses PCBs and other pesticides that are not allowed anywhere else. when you cross into the country, you can´t bring any food or animal products with you. you sign a document (which is also written in English) that says you understand and that you aren´t carrying anything. we heard a story that people were fined $200 for a bag of apples, so every time we came to a border crossing, we´d sit outside customs scarfing down raisins, carrots, apples, whatever we had. picture it. do i have to say we looked silly? lucky for us, the chocolate was a.o.k. so lots of alfajores, chocolates, and galletas for manda and me.
balls of steel- let me start by saying that back home i can hardly work up the nerve to call the at&t people and tell them they overcharged me, and if i do, i end up apologizing to them and practically offer to pay them for talking to me. i sometimes have trouble going out to lunch with my friends because the social situation makes me nervous. i sure as hell ain´t marchin in to no navy buildings asking admirals to take me on their navy boat to a remote island that researchers have to get official clearance to go to. but that´s what i do in chile. and manda made ME do the talking. went to 2 armada buildings and asked them if we could just hitch a ride. and they didn´t laugh in our faces! behind our backs, i´m sure.
celestine prophecy?- got on the plane in punta arenas with no idea how we were going to get home from the santiago airport (viña is 2 hours away by bus, but the bus stations were closed until morning.) my santiago friend was not in, so we couldn´t stay with her, the cabs to the centro were going to be expensive to stay in a hostel that we´d only be in for a few hours- i was stressing. i overhead the guy in back of me say he was going to viña. i tried to ask casually, but i think the fact that i sprang out of my seat like a toasty poptart might have given me away. viña? think i might be able to get a ride? basically told me yes, but was not up to conversation at that point. i confirmed with him again as we deboarded the plane, but we separated to get our luggage. trying to hide my desperation, i acted like this was all part of the plan, grabbed my bookbag, and went to find him. i don´t know what the hell scared him away, but that bird was nowhere to be seen. believe me, i searched all over for a good 30 minutes, refusing to believe that following my prophetic destiny had left me in such an unfortunate situation. but that was it kids- spent the night camped out in some corner chairs of the santiago airport. not as comfy as the flea-ridden mattress waiting for me in viña, but i live to tell the tale.
heat those up in the microwave!
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
i´ll throw a crumbs your way i guess, though they are stale, so only eat them if you are hungry:
march 30th- oh wait, is that my birthday? my travel buddy amanda told our bus driver, who bought me a piece of chocolate con poesía, and the only other person on the bus bought me a torta alfajor and even added a candle. sang feliz cumpleaños and everything. biggest birthday in years i think. and thanks for the wishes you all sent!
april 1st-ish- arrival in argentina by bus. so you can´t change money at the bus station, you can´t take out money at the bus station, and you sure as hell can´t pay the taxi driver or microbus with a credit card. that walk into town was about the only exercise i had in two weeks, so the chocolate road in the center of town did not disappoint. chocolaterías every 3rd store. that was the beginning of the end for vegetables that trip. not so much produce at the end of the world.
i ate true vegetables yesterday for the first time since then. i am slowly emerging from my sugar blues stupor. gotta hang out with my girl cristina- last day today so it´s off to concon for some tasty empanadas. more later!
march 30th- oh wait, is that my birthday? my travel buddy amanda told our bus driver, who bought me a piece of chocolate con poesía, and the only other person on the bus bought me a torta alfajor and even added a candle. sang feliz cumpleaños and everything. biggest birthday in years i think. and thanks for the wishes you all sent!
april 1st-ish- arrival in argentina by bus. so you can´t change money at the bus station, you can´t take out money at the bus station, and you sure as hell can´t pay the taxi driver or microbus with a credit card. that walk into town was about the only exercise i had in two weeks, so the chocolate road in the center of town did not disappoint. chocolaterías every 3rd store. that was the beginning of the end for vegetables that trip. not so much produce at the end of the world.
i ate true vegetables yesterday for the first time since then. i am slowly emerging from my sugar blues stupor. gotta hang out with my girl cristina- last day today so it´s off to concon for some tasty empanadas. more later!
Friday, April 09, 2004
i always start off so well. i have a budget and am determined to get the best deal. (or at least just not get screwed.) you tell me raviolis cost $3 at a restaurant and i go to the supermarket to buy them for $1. you tell me your damn wonderful navimag cruise through patagonian fjords costs $230 and instead i go down ruta 40 (an enchanting 3 days worth of scrub brush and vast nothingness) for a mere $206. oh wait, so i did get ripped off with that one. but anyway, i am not above sleeping on the floor in a room without heat- i can last for days on stale bread and piles of alfajores (cheap and great argentina chocolate covered cookie things)- and i can set my mental clock to wake up at 5 a.m. if it means the bus is $3 cheaper than at a normal hour. but my friends, that time has come to an end.
after only 16 days of traveling, i want a jacuzzi or at least an obscenely long hot shower. i want a room alone with carpeting and a big bed all to myself. i want for a nice meal with heaven forbid- vegetables (hard to come by here at the end of the earth). alas, it is not to be. instead i have spoiled myself with overpriced chocolate and an hour of internet. i´ll be heading back to santiago tomorrow (saturday) and will be back to vina for easter- which is only celebrated by the supermarket here apparently. i see the easter candy section, but some people don´t even know what Pascua is. no joke. i´ll throw a few travel anecdotes your way when i´m back at the school. feel free to write me too! un beso.
after only 16 days of traveling, i want a jacuzzi or at least an obscenely long hot shower. i want a room alone with carpeting and a big bed all to myself. i want for a nice meal with heaven forbid- vegetables (hard to come by here at the end of the earth). alas, it is not to be. instead i have spoiled myself with overpriced chocolate and an hour of internet. i´ll be heading back to santiago tomorrow (saturday) and will be back to vina for easter- which is only celebrated by the supermarket here apparently. i see the easter candy section, but some people don´t even know what Pascua is. no joke. i´ll throw a few travel anecdotes your way when i´m back at the school. feel free to write me too! un beso.
