The one month mark

A month has come and gone. Hard to believe. In some ways, it feels much longer and in other ways, it feels like I just got here.

The one month mark is an important time to reflect on the expectations I set for myself and my experience in Santiago. I attempted to leave the States sans expectations because I didn't want to dissapoint myself or have false hopes. This resulted in an incredible month full of surprises, adventures and fun. However, there are goals that I'd like to accomplish while I'm here. After all, this is the first time I'm truly "on my own".

My goals:

• Become fluent in Spanish
• Enrich myself culturally, i.e. going to museums, theatre, festivals, etc.
• Make Chilean friends
• Play a positive role and influence in/on my students' lives
• Learn how to live on my own
• Live with no regrets (!!)
• Grow as a person through unfamiliar situations and meeting new people
• Travel to Peru and Ecuador at some point in this journey

Check, check and check.

I'm working towards these goals BUT as I'm reviewing them, I realize that it's very easy to acknowledge them and accept that over the course of this year, they will somehow accomplish themselves but an entirely different thing to actually pursue them on a daily basis. Haha, not that I'm going to go up to Chileans on the street and ask, "Will you be my friend??". I think everything boils down to enjoying each and every moment that life presents me cada día. This year is an extremely blessed opportunity and I am so grateful.

My students fill me up with joy. As I was leaving work on Friday, I got rushed by 30 sixth graders clamoring to give me a hug. And remember, sixth grade is the beginning of middle school - when it's not necessarily cool to show unabashed emotions anymore. They chose to spend their recess inside the classroom talking with me instead of playing "Who has cooties?" outside. Little things like that make me realize why I am here. Yes, I'm here to teach English but it's much more than that. It's a cultural exchange. I am equally interested in learning about each and every student as they are about me.

Those tenth graders though ... they are in some aspects one of my favorite grades. I'm equally terrified. When I walked up the stairs to the classroom on Thursday, they were all waiting outside and as soon as they saw me, burst into riotous applause. That lasted about ten minutes - long after we'd all made our way into the classroom. The boys then quickly got to work looking up words in their English dictionaries to complete their pick-up lines. I don't quite know yet who is in charge of who.

I'm interviewing on Wednesday with a language institute five blocks from my house. They need someone to teach Tuesday/Thursday classes from 7 - 9 pm. They are adult-only and would provide a nice balance to those middle and high-schoolers. Not to mention a nice boost to my meager paycheck! I hopefully then would be able to sock away some money each month to make my goal of traveling to Peru and Ecuador a reality.

On that note, I'm off to watch a movie with my landlords and roommates before bed. Buenas noches!