It is finally warming up here! The past two
weeks I have enjoyed many beautiful, sunny days. It is weird to see the pictures of snow and
sweaters back home, while it gets hot here. Last weekend was relaxing. Friday night was a
big Chilean soccer game against Columbia, so my roommates and I went with some
friends to a fun bar and restaurant to watch the game. After, we explored a new
street by our apartment named Manuel Montt. It has a lot of cute little bars
with great atmospheres. We went to a bar called Teclados, or “keyboard” in
Spanish. Erin and I both tried new drinks and ordered a “Teclado” which was
close to a heart attack on a plate-it included French fries, cheese, meat and
sour cream. Needless to say, it was delicious!
Saturday after an early morning workout,
Erin and I tried out a new running group. It is called Hash House Harriers and they have
the club all over the world in various different countries. Their motto is “A
drinking club with a running problem.” Every other Saturday they set up a new route
for us to run on and then they usually end up at one bar where they have a beer
and then run back to someone´s apartment
or house to have an asado or bbq. There are new hosts every other week
and new people who lead the runners on different trails through the city. It is
only 3 luca ($6) and that includes a beer and the asado after (everyone is
supposed to bring something to share). Erin and I decided to take part
yesterday and it was quite the experience.
We showed up at around 2pm with some
supplies for the asado after and met the group. There were about 30 people,
some new and some old. We got in a circle said our names and were then told
about the route. The theme of this run was Texas themed since the two leading
were from Texas. At different corners along the running route we had to do
things like the two step across the Mapocho bridge, a type of line dance across
a street, and say “howdy” to people along the way. The leaders put flour and
chalk on the ground along the way as a type of bread crumb to tell us where to
go next. Whenever we saw flour we had to yell “on on.” The run was about 4-5
miles and there were also people who walked a shorter route. We all met back up
at the apartment and had a big asado. There was even a pool at this one so it was
nice to lay out for a bit. Once everyone had arrived back at the apartment
complex, we all got in a circle and different groups of people were brought to
the middle of the circle and were told to do things, mainly drink a small cup
of beer. On your second “hash” you don’t have to pay the 3 luca, and on your
fifth hash you get a nickname. At the asado we had a lot of meet, chips, pebre,
and beer. We stayed for a few hours and then headed home at about 7pm. We plan
to join the next one in a few weeks!
Sunday we met some of our friends at Zumba
at the park, and I did some grocery shopping and preparing for new week.
The next week was a big week at my school.
It was English Week! Each day, different grade levels presented a play, skit,
song, or poem, etc. in English that my fellow English teachers and I had taught
them. I taught the Kindergarteners about different countries that spoke
English, and they recited them as poems with cute actions. The preschoolers
sang songs like “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, The Wheels on the Bus,” and
more. All the parents came as well. Throughout the week, even though I teach Second
grade and lower, I helped out the other grades during the week. I was the
presenter, and also judged the 5th-8th grade spelling
bee. Overall, it was a busy week, but very fun to see the kids show off their
English skills.
This past weekend seemed to fly by, but it
was nice and relaxing. Friday night, our Gringo group of friends invited us
over to watch my favorite Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus. Saturday, Erin and I went to downtown
Santiago and shopped around Plaza de Armas, and Patronato. We finally checked
out La Vega, a huge indoor fruit and vegetable market. It was full of smells,
people and fresh food galore! Saturday night we went to our friend Dave´s
Halloween party and enjoyed catching up. We didn´t stay out too late, because Erin
and I woke up early on Sunday for our 5K McDonald´s Mujeres race. I didn´t
formally register to run, because my shins and ankle are still giving me some
issues, but it was a lot of fun. It was a women´s only race to raise awareness about
Breast cancer. A sea of pink shirts warmed up to Zumba dancing, then we started
the race! I walked most of it on a beautiful course in a neighborhood to the
north of Santiago. After the race, Erin and I signed up for another 5K run in
November, the Color Run! In this run, you wear a white shirt and get colors
thrown on you.
One more week until Mom is here! I can´t
wait to see her and show her where I have lived for the past 5 months.
Until next time!
Ciara
