9 months later...and I'm here

So it turns out, I'm a bad blogger. Maybe it says something about the quality of my life. Something to mull over. (Note to self: find something interesting to do). What have I been up to? The usual. I work, have fun, and repeat. One of the joys, though, has been visiting my nephew and niece, Conner and Kylee. I will have to get pics up of them, especially of Kylee, who will be turning a year old in a couple of months. At first Kylee was very wary of me (read: she screamed every time she saw me). I really think she's warming up to me now. I think. We'll see if she openly cries when she sees me.

Chile - Check!

I was fortunate this summer to be the recipient of a teacher-in-residence program grant. I spent three weeks in Chile, traveling to three different cities: Valparaiso, Concepcion, and Santiago. I enjoyed Chilean hospitality through home stay families, wonderful families, who taught me much about Chilean culture, food, and generosity. My main job while I was there was to teach English classes, conduct workshops, and carry out teacher observations. I was a busy girl, but this was truly a trip that I won't soon forget.

The jewel of Valparaiso

My only request before I got to Chile was to visit the home of Pablo Neruda and I did it. You'll see below that I had an excellent tour guide, but the home was fantastic. The home was fairly 'narrow' but it was 5 stories tall. It wasn't possible to take photos in the home, but this is a shot of the exterior.

My host family in Valparaiso

I started off my Chile adventures in Valparaiso with this warm and happy family. Hernan Sr, Hernan Jr, Javiera, and Carmen were so accommodating and made every effort to have me try new things. This was the perfect way to begin my 3 week stay. What I didn't count on was how cold this part of the country was. Unbelievably cold. Carmen even lent me a jacket while I was there - so nice. I stayed in Valparaiso 6 days and had some wonderful events. The highlights: the people, definitely, the people. I learned so much about the city and the country. THe teachers at the Catholic university were so hospitable and welcomed me to the department for such a short stay.

The Completo

One of the things I was told I had to try was a completo - a gourmet hot dog. The completo is a hot dog with tomatoes, avocados and mayonnaise. It was a tasty dog, and I heard that Chileans have a myriad of toppings for their beloved hot dog. When people hear about how I eat my hot dogs in the US, I get this pitying look of 'that's just too bad.' Here's a snapshot of the completo.