On the move

Great news. I don’t know how, or why, but the cards have really fallen my way in the last week. On Wednesday, Hector, one of the CIEE program coordinators sent out an email asking if anyone who is teaching in Plaza Oeste wanted to switch sites to one in Providencia. The difference between the two are night and day. Plaza Oeste is about an hour and fifteen minute commute from the nice part of town, and the other site, Antonio Varas is in a nice neighborhood, and close to the subway, cafes, and restaurants. Antonio Varas(the campus name) is also where we have been having our orientation, so I kind of know the neighborhood and the area. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity to switch and hoped my email was sent before everyone else. The next day, I got a confirmation email from Hector saying I was switched! That afternoon I went to three different places and found a place to live, three blocks from campus with a sweet mother and her daughter. Her son just moved out, I think, and her daughter works at a bank in town. My “madre,” Elizabeth has some basic English knowledge, which is basic nouns and verbs. That day was fun because I had to use and comprehend Spanish at all three places, and by the third visit I was able to speak fairy confidently. It also didn’t hurt that by the third visit I could anticipate what questions they would ask me, and I had been corrected two previous times on my pronunciation, and word choice. I felt really comfortable with the mom and the daughter, we were able to joke around a little and they seemed like great people. The daughter, Maria Jose, who I think is about my age, is excited to practice, and learn English. It is such a weight off my shoulders to know that on Monday I’ll have a home to move into, and finally settle in, start cooking, and get situated with a family.
Also, I emailed Juan Pablo to tell him the good news of my site change, and he replied with encouraging things to say about my neighborhood and asked if I wanted to go with him and Stephanie to visit his grandparents about a half hour outside of Santiago. Of course I couldn’t turn that down, so on Sunday I’m going to meet los abuelos (the grandparents). Why not?
And last night I got my teaching schedule, and it is pretty good. I teach Tue/Thur at 4:00-5:30, and 7:00-8:30, and Wed/Fri 4:00-5:30,5:31-7:00, 7:01-8:30. Yeah my Friday runs a little late, but I don’t teach on Monday, and don’t start again on Tuesday until 4:00, which leaves me with a lot of traveling time, especially holidays, when we have a Friday off. Some of my friends teach 8:00am-2:00pm on Saturdays, or until 10:45pm on the weeknights. One girl has one class at 9:30 on Monday, and then the next is Tuesday night. All in all I’m happy with my schedule. I keep forgetting that people go out to eat around 9:00, 10:00, so teaching until 8:30 isn’t that late. And my school is a five-minute walk from my apartment. I think that just about covers this week. We have to go back for one more class this afternoon, then CIEE is taking us out for a “farewell dinner.” Tomorrow the guys who work on the coast, about half of our group take off.
Then on Tuesday I start teaching after our “intensive” four day training period. It should be interesting.