Busy, happy

There's definitely a correlation. I've spent so much time out of the house lately, walking here and there, going to class, meeting people. I had my orientation meeting for the Inglés Abre Puertas program which was really exciting. You're paired with a Chilean English teacher in a local highschool and then you get to help in the class, have conversation sessions with small groups of kids, plan cultural activities, etc. In the orientation they said that having a native speaker in the classroom is really helpful for the teacher, who with the small salary they receive will probably never be able to go to an English-speaking country, and for the students, who are more motivated to learn if there's someone physically there to talk to them in English, answer their questions about the US, etc. In fact, the program was created by the Dept of Education EFL because Chilean students were doing poorly in English. In the orientation they gave us all sorts of ideas for lesson plans and tips for interacting with the kids (like don't ever speak to them in Spanish, don't correct their mistakes in English, just let them try). It sounds like a great program. I think I'll end up really liking it. You get a certificate from the Chilean Department of Education when you're done. Since I'm not completely sure which appeals to me more, interpreting or teaching, I want to keep my options open.

I keep thinking about one of the presentations in our Globalization class. It was on the theory that one Chilean sociologist put forth that all Chilean women are mothers and all Chilean men are sons, no matter what their age. This is disturbing for so many ways, but I see it around me every day. For example, Erika lets Christian wake her up when he comes home from partying (2 in the morning). The reason? He's HUNGRY. The food will be sitting in a tupperware on the counter (they don't refrigerate much here), so all he would have to do is put it in the microwave and grab some utensils. But instead, he wakes her up and then sits at the table like a little king while she microwaves the food and serves him. Sometimes I feel like I'm trapped in the 50's. Erika likes to give me advice on how to raise and serve a family, decorate the house, and cook for my man. I'm always polite--I love Erika and I appreciate how hard she works to make me feel welcome and cared for-- but I find it depressing and irritating. How to explain that my goals are to be independent, to travel, to learn, and never, ever, close myself into such a subservient role.

Last night after class I went out with Kristin and Carla to "Vitamin Service," an icecream shop that's been in Plaza Victoria for generations. At 7 we went to see "María llena eres de gracia." The Colombian embassy is sponsoring a Colombian Film Festival in Valparaíso, so every Thursday night from now until December they're going to show a free Colombian movie. This is perfect for me because I'm interested in Colombia, I like foreign films, and Colombian spanish is so much easier to understand than Chilean spanish (the movies aren't subtitled, obviously).

I usually like movies that make you think but not necessarily ones that make you want to cry/throw up/scream. I thought that this was going to be in the latter category from what I'd heard. But while it was depressing and a bit gruesome, it was more of just a really beautiful, compelling, and complicated thinking movie. Its about a 17 year old Colombian girl who, frustrated with life and the lack of opportunities in her small town, decides to become a "mula," a transporter of heroin, from Bogotá to New York. Its not a sob-story, though it is sad: María knows what she's doing and isn't forced into. She's isn't a typical victim--she's capable, smart, beautiful, and determined to do what it takes to get ahead. Her decision to work as a "mula" seems strangely understandable and her trip, though extremely tense, seems strangely ordinary.

We'll see if I can make it through "La virgen de los sicarios" (Our lady of the Asassins) next Thursday.