For those who missed my June 18th email (and trauma)

Let me start out the description of today's events by saying I think the redheaded guy who works at the front desk of the hostel thinks that I'm a complete disaster.

I started the morning trying to dry my hair using a converter. I blew a fuse in the bathroom, and the maid had to go downstairs to have the fuse reset. After I had finally and successfully dried my hair, I went back to my room to get something out of my locked closet, and the key broke in the lock. Down I went to talk to the guy at the front desk, who came up grumbling and spouting something about me having to pay $30.00 (15,000 pesos) to have it fixed. We met the maid in the hall who informed him that it was, in fact, me that had also blown the fuse. How do you say "snitch" in Spanish?

Four of us finally left the hostel, thinking that all our misadventures (read MY misadventures) were over. Jack, Sarah, Emily, Gayle and I went happily on our way to explore a little more of the city. We ambled towards el centro and saw a preacher in the middle of the street screaming that we all needed to recognize our need for God. We thought is was some kind of organized protest until we got closer. We went to el parque Santa María and climed a million stairs for a great view of the city and some photos. We walked back through the city center to go see the cathedral, stopping at all the booths that were set up in the Sunday mercado. Gayle and I bought shawls made out of alpaca wool because despite all our efforts we cannot get warm in this climate.

Just after we bought the shawls, I was waiting close to my friends who were looking at a booth when a man came up to me and then suddenly ripped my digital camera from around my neck. I still have a large and painful burn from the strap under my hair. He ran too fast to be caught. We went and found some police, and that's were our adventures really began.

First they took Gayle and I all around the market to see if we could spot the guy who stole the camera. We drove for a good half hour, all the while Chilenos staring at the two gringas in the back seat of the police car wondering what we had done to end up there. We were looking for possible suspects, but people stare so openly at foreigners here that we couldn't tell who was guilty and who wasn't. Then we filed a report with the two officers driving us around. Next they took us to the police station because they weren't sure if other reports needed to be filed since we were foreigners. We filled out more forms, and then they showed me a series of 400 photos to see if I recognized anyone. Of course I couldn't positively identify anyone 100%, which is what they needed to apprehend anyone. (Let me pause here to say that the two police officers were really great, so attentive and helpful, trying to prove to us--and I think the world, ultimately--that the Chilean police force works hard to help people feel safe and that they are nothing like what they were under Pinochet. For our two officers, anyway, they went on at length about how good the police force is here in Chile and how seriously they took their jobs.) Next, they took us to the American Embassy so that we could turn in the appropriate forms and get the help we needed from our own people. They showed us the sights of the different neighborhoods as we drove and gave us tips about how to navigate the city safely. The Embassy was closed, so they took us to the gate, talked to the guards and got us in. Of course, no one was there except the press secretary, who carefully took all my information and told me they would call me in the morning. Then the brought us home, where the readhead guy at the front desk was just coming in to the hostel at the same time the two police officers were letting Gayle and I out of their back seat. His mouth dropped in disbelief, the girl who had already made so much trouble for him was now making trouble for everyone else.

So those were my adventures today. Needless to say I don't think I have a hope of finding that camera, but at least I did everything I could in its pursuit. And the police are really, really good (as they themselves will tell you), so you can still come to Chile, have something stolen from you, and feel safe.

I hope this little "relato" was more amusing for you to read it than it was for me live it.

Saludos a todos.

PS: Gayle and I are going to the same town and working in the same school. I think today we may have cemented a friendship forever.

Welcome to my Chile blog!

Hello, all--

Instead of a mass email, I've decided to start a blog for all the happenings here in Chile. Please feel free to visit often and leave comments for me--I love comments.

This week in Santiago we volunteers are being trained on how to be effective language teachers. For me it's mostly review of all the pedagogy classes I had when I was an undergrad, but it's a good reminder of all the tools I have to work with. Today was the first day of classes, we have tomorrow and Thursday, then on Friday we're off to our placements.

Another volunteer Gayle (the one who was with me the whole day as we rode around in the back of the carabineros' car when my camera was stolen from around my neck) and I are going to a little town called Santa María. She's teaching in grades 1-8, and I'm teaching in the high school.

As volunteers we're only supposed to help out the regular ESL teacher. So I add listening comprehension and speaking activities to the material the teacher is teaching. I also help the teacher herself practice her English. Apparently on Thursday we'll get to meet our cooperating teachers and start planning a little bit here in Santiago before we each head to our placements.

I'm off for now. I will have my Chilean SIM card in my phone starting Friday, but I'm thinking that I'll put my U.S. SIM card in on Sundays. The rumor is that it's incredibly expensive to call a Chilean cell phone from outside of Chile, so it seems like it will be easier for everyone if I have that card in on that day when I'll want to talk to people from home. Just in case, though, this is my Chilean phone number:
01156 7 866 3710

Abrazos a todos,

Linz