One week to go...

So I have one week left of teaching at the copper mine, I have really enjoyed alot about this experience, it was something that I never envisioned when I arrived in Chile. It has opened my eyes to another world, I have met some interesting characters, people I never would have encountered if I were only working in Santiago. I got access to places that most people don't, many of the people who work for the mining company, some for more than ten years, haven't seen the mine itsself. I made better money, which allows me to do some exciting stuff over the summer, like travel to Torres del Paine and hike for days on end!

Of course, there were the downfalls, the massive amount of travel that arriving to the mine required, getting up at 5:30 am one day, arriving at 3 am to Santiago the next, my sleeping cycle hasn't been regualar since it started. There was also a bit of a culture shock going back and forth from what amounts to an isolated outpost high in the Andes to the speed, impersonlity, and noise of a city of five million people. My personal life was effected, especially my relationship with my girlfriend,we were left with little time to spend together, which is made worse by other commitments to places like the Santiago Times, and other classes in Santiago.

It was worth it, before I was feeling like I hadn't been pushed enough in Santiago, that I needed a bit more intensity, and it allowed that. Plus, it gave me time alone in a silent room that has been good for reflection, every week that I went back to Santiago felt a bit like a brand new start, every time I went back to the mine, the end of something. That cycle, as disorientating as it was, really made me think about what I am doing, and why I am doing it. I came to Chile to learn, recently teaching English has seemed like a burden, but I think that I lost perspective a bit, it was never the sole purpose for my trip, just a way of making it possible and giving me a structure, and a connection to a foreign land. It serves that purpose well, I think I need to be better at creating my own creative life outside of it, the two really go hand in hand very well.

So next week I move into a new stage of my Chile experience, and I am sooooo looking forward to the change!

Strawberries...

One of the best things about being in Chile is that there is a plentitude of cheap and fresh fruit for sale, this morning on my way to class I bought half a kilo of fresh strawberries for 500 pesos, or a little under one US dollar. Vegetables are equally as cheap, it makes for some good eatin...

I'm back...

Thats right, I know it has been a very long time since I wrote anything on the blog, I seem to do that, gain momentum, lose steam,

I have been trying to continue with my outdoor focus during the weekend in Santiago, riding the bike, going for a hike, BBQing outside. The natural wonders that Chile has to offer are second to none, it only takes 30-40 minutes and your out of the city and into a rugged mountain region.

I also got to see Infocap University, where Carolina works, it is for the poorest people in Chile, offers classes on various topics, from cooking, carpentry, plumbing, basic interview skills, art and resources like internet. The campus is beautiful, lots of trees, an observatory in the middle of a grassy field where lambs and peacocks roam. The classes are taught almost entirely by volunteers. The campus is also home to Tetcho Para Chile, whose office is filled with computers, posters and the feeling of activity.

Only two more weeks left after this week at the mine. I will be terminating my contract, so I have to leave the country and come back on a tourist visa, so I think that I am picking up some discount air tickets to Buenas Aires, Argentina, we have been talking about going for a few days, and I think that it is going to happen.

I am also excited to have some time to focus more on my writing for the Santiago Times, and on video and biking, plus, the weather is very nice now, lots of things going on outside like live music in the plaza across from my apartment.

Bring on summer!