Hey There

Stardate Friday:

Hey all. I've been thinking of saying a word here for a while, just a note to say hello, so here goes....

Here I am at 10:30 on Friday night, at the end of my first full trimester of teaching in Chile: exhausted. And my friends are all waiting for me to come over and learn how to dance Cueca (Chilean national dance) with them. Oh man. Oh, how I want my bed.

This week was pretty crazy. I tutor a friend in English twice a week in the evenings and Tuesday he invited me to have once (tea) with him and his family, which of course meant that we didn't actually start our hour of instruction till about 11:30pm. Next day it was up at 7 o'clock as usual.

That night, after watching a beautifully played World Cup qualifying match between Chile and Colombia (Chile won 4-0: ¡Vamos Chile!), I had already fallen half-asleep when my buddy Max invited me to come have fried fish with his co-teacher's family. I wasn't about to miss an opportunity to eat real food at night (rather than the usual dinner of tea, white bread, and butter--with jelly and maybe some cheese if one is lucky), and also the opportunity to hang out with a really beautiful family, so I roused myself for another round. Suffice it to say that the food and company were wonderful enough to keep me out till almost 2am...on a Wednesday.

Yeah: welcome to Chile.

It was so good though, and also justified in being a going away party for Max, who left the next night for a planned 2 week ski-trip. No prob., I thought: I'll get the sleep back with a siesta tomorrow.

So I got the siesta Thursday (1 and 1/2 hours of midday goodness) which was fortunate, because that day was also the hieght of end-of-trimester grading craziness. 320 odd students; foreign grading system; a million homeworks to grade; a million more turned in at the last minute; wanting my grade to count and be logical--not wanting to mess up some kids high school carreer...It was so much fun (he said sarcastically). So much fun that I decided to stay up most of last night grading...spent most of today grading...and finally finished at about 6 pm, making the last last minute correction and signing out at the high school. Felt so good.

Anyway, now they are calling me: "are you coming to practice with us?" Oh bed, I love you. But I love my friends too...and I need to learn Cueca. Hopefully I won't let myself get persuaded into another late night. Whatever the case, I see before me a long stretch of weekend, filled with all kinds of sleeping in and lazing about and enjoying of folkloric entertainment in preparations for Fiestas Patrias next week. Ahh....

So. Here I am. At the end of 3 months(!!) in Chile: exhausted, but super-satisfied with my work here; more attached to my students every day--feeling like I have more of an impact every day; more engaged in my relationships (with gringos and Chilenos) everyday. Missing home and so excited at the thought of returning in December, but mourning slightly the oh-so-short time that I have left.

And here I go! "Once more into the breach!" I hope this finds you all doing well.

Much love,

Billy