lots of people in the south love watching tectonic plates

The language barrier can be really frustrating at times but having already moved to two countries without knowing the languages first, I've generally learned to stay relaxed and shrug off inabilities to communicate. It's especially comical now because I'm in a stage where I can understand enough to get the gist of some conversations, but a lot of times it's not quite the right gist and I end up chiming in with some kind of awkwardly composed, remotely-related answer. The Spanish is coming, but 80% of the time, I still have no idea what's going on. It doesn't help that Chileans speak a million miles an hour, slur/cut short their words, and have an entire dictionary full of chilenismos, only-used-in-Chile idioms.

Ayun was working on some kind of project with Styrofoam after once last night and I asked Charo what it was about. Charo can't speak any English but she's pretty good at explaining things in simpler Spanish until I can understand it for the most part. So she told me what Ayun was doing, and I couldn't make out the meaning on the first couple of tries. My comprehension of simple Spanish has soared compared to what it was (nothing) before I moved in, but it was more specialized language about the topic of the project.

On another try, I caught the word "Nascar" and was a little bewildered that she would be doing a project on race car driving in the US but hey, this is Chile so who knows. In Spanish, I said, "Nascar?? Why is she doing that topic? That's interesting. Nascar is very popular in the south of the United States and many people love watching it. Not in the north though."

Charo just looked at me a little confused, then just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. And that was that.

Today, Ayun was working on it again in the kitchen and preparing a map of the world to stick onto the styrofoam, which Norman was helping her cut into the shapes of countries with a hot butter knife. At first I thought, how is this related to Nascar, but then just decided to sit back and watch. Finally I asked Ayun what she was actually working on and she told me a history project on placas tectonicas (tectonic plates).

Ohhhhhhhhh...ok. Then why did Charo tell me Nascar?

Then Norman started talking about the plates under Chile that caused the 8.8 earthquake a few months ago and mentioned the name Placa de Nazca very quickly. Having just read about these plates under Chile when I posted on the geography a little while ago, it clicked.

So I had told my host mom that tectonic plates, specifically the Nazca, were very popular in the south of the US and people love to watch them.

She must have thought I was out of my mind and in a way, I guess I was.

tienes un pololo?

My school is basica level which means it has grades K-8. Each grade is split in half and so has two classes of about 40 kids each. My co-teacher, Angela, sees each one once a week for 90 minute blocks. The last couple of weeks, I have been meeting all the classes which consisted of me standing up front and the kids asking the same questions over and over from class to class (in Spanish of course because why would you speak anything else in English class?)

"How old are you?"
"Where are you from?...USA?...Not China?"
"What's it like in the USA?"
"Do you have siblings?"
"Do you have pets?"

"Can you speak other languages?"
"What's your favorite color?"
"Who is your favorite singer?"
"How's the food in the USA?"
"Do you know other countries?"
"Were you here for the earthquake?"

And my personal favorites...

"Do you know Obama? In person??"
"Do you know Michael Jackson?" (always accompanied by a quick Jackson dance move)
"Do you know Jackie Chan?" (always accompanied by a karate chop)
"Do you know kung fu?" (also accompanied by karate chop)

School courtyard

I decided to have a little fun with a couple of classes and told them that I was actually friends with the Jonas Brothers and Selena Gomez (Disney Channel kids). I got a lot of jaw-drops and shrieks from the girls and even more questions about these people I know nothing about. Hey, if it means respect, why not?

"Do you have a boyfriend?" ("Tienes un pololo?")

This is usually asked by the boy who is most likely the big shot in class.

If you answer this question with "no," you're met with confused stares and, "well...why not?" because in Chile, it's just expected that you have a significant other. If you don't, there must be something wrong with you.

If you answer this question with "yes," said-boy gets the "too bad for you" punches in the arms by his buddies and he sheepishly smirks while all the girls giggle.

The English level is generally pretty low in all the classes, though some lower than others. For example:

Angela: "Good morning, children."

Class: "Good morning, Miss Angela."

Angela: "How are you?"

Class: "How are you...?" or "Good morning" or "...."

However, my segundo B (2nd grade, B) class welcomed me with this lovely greeting:

mi familia chilena

Mi padre, Norman

Mi madre, Charo, y mi hermana, Ayun

Mi hermano, Amaury (right), y su amigo, Cristobal (left)

Nuestra nana (our housekeeper), Lily

La familia (sin Amaury) eating once ("on-say"), the Chilean version of dinner

More pictures of my family, house, and town

my new life in quilpué

After our WorldTeach group split up to our new homes, we each wrote an update to everyone about our placements, families, towns, and schools. This is the email I sent:


Hola! to my wonderful posse,

I am writing from my lovely little house (yay wifi!) in the suburbia of Valpo. I have an awesome family that seems to be pretty influential in this town (the mayor is a close friend who gets drunk and crashes on their couch at their weekly Sunday asados):

-my dad, Norman, works for the Mineduc and also was a former prisoner of Pinochet
-my mom, Charo, is the sweetest woman, a great cook, and her last name is Allende...(relation maybe!?) Neither parent speaks a lick of English save for "beautiful" and "Oh my God!"
-my 17 year old brother, Amaury, has the intelligence and wisdom of someone way beyond his years, speaks really in-depth English, and is a talented musician
-my 12 year old sister, Ayun, also speaks some English and is just adorable
-our german shepard named Laica who is a very "special" dog. Just now I called out at her from my window and watched her get really excited, run in circles, and then proceed to lay down and gnaw on a piece of her own stale poo. Yes, "special."

We live in a little 1-story house about a 10-min walk from the centro of town and also near a metro stop on the Valparaiso line (I think it's 20 min from here to Vina and 30 min to Valpo?) The house reminds
me of Pablo Neruda's in that the rooms are each at different weird levels even though it essentially is just one floor. Some walls are painted in different bright colors, some have murals on them of Valpo that the family painted together and the house is covered in cool paintings, tapestries, and objects from all over the world. It doesn't hurt the Neruda association that they have pictures of him all over the place. The best part is the backyard which is full of fruit/nut trees, has a grape terrace, garden, hammock, BBQ pit and is surrounded by tall walls covered in ivy. I've happily discovered the wifi reaches the hammock. They whole place is decorated with what other people would deem trash but they have turned into works of art.

Quilpué itself is just kind of a big sprawl of homes and I've been warned to stay out of some areas. The centro is a small commercial area but the streets are small, the buildings are short, and there are lots of mom and pop shops and bakeries. The whole town is surrounded by hills. Just over the ones my house faces is Vina.

My school is about a 20-min walk from my house, shorter by bike which I'll have after Amaury fixes his up for me. It's grades 1-8 and I'll be seeing them all. My co-teacher and principal both speak some English, enough to communicate fine and I've met most of the kids already. Some are really sweet, some are terrors naturally, but all
of them are adorable. I'm mostly shocked by the lack of classroom management here and how it's just accepted as "Es lo que hay." My schedule after this week of observation will be M, T, W 8am-3pm and W, Th, F 8am-3pm on alternating weeks. Yes, this means every other weekend for me will be 6-day weekends so get ready to show me around your towns!

The only problem is that I currently don't have my own classroom.  I've been pushing for one this week and will be more firm at the end of it before I actually start teaching. The only prospect is the stage in the courtyard that can close up and is only used a few times a month. Everything else with the school is great, it has projectors and boards in every room and has wifi on the whole property for free.  It's a public school but I've been told that the kids who go there are really under-privileged with tough social backgrounds and so they get a lot of donations and funding from the government. But you wouldn't be able to tell this from their energy and enthusiasm.

Anyway, sorry my little update has turned into a 10-page paper. I loved reading about all your places and I will definitely be seeing you all soon! (The ones on the beach probably sooner :)

Muchos besitos,
Tang

¡hacer una gordita!

You may have heard that Chilenos eat a lot of meat and seafood. Well you heard right.

Not all snack foods are created equal. Seafood is a little more expensive and meat generally is not. If you're in between meals and craving something substantial and tasty but light on the wallet, here is a little introduction to just a few of the more popular snacks in Chile that you can find anywhere.

Completo
This is the glorified hot dog of Chile. It typically comes with avocado, diced tomato, and mayonnaise on top and can be further decorated with ketchup, mustard, relish, and chili peppers. You might have seen Anthony Bourdain eat a giant completo in Viña del Mar. If not, you can here. I like to order mine sin mayonesa.

Empanada
These are delicious pockets of golden baked dough filled with anything of your choice. The usuals you'll find in shops are the pino, queso (cheese), jamón y queso (ham and cheese), espinaca (spinach), and sometimes mariscos (shellfish). The pino is considered Chile's specialty and is filled with ground beef, onions, a piece of hardboiled egg, and a whole olive.

Choripán
The choripán is a delicious little chorizo sausage tucked in a bun sometimes with avocado or tomato. This is one of the Chilean people's most beloved foods. Funny thing is, you can't buy them ready-to-eat anywhere. This is because they are usually eaten at asados (BBQs) which are frequent here, where the choripán can be made to the tastes of people grilling them.

Chorrillana
This is the mother of all beastly junk/drunk foods. Imagine a plate about 15in long, piled high with papas fritas (french fries), queso, hot dog/sausage slices, cebollas (onions), and a couple of huevos fritos (fried eggs) on top and you've got the chorrillana. We as a group have decided that there is no way anyone in their right mind would order this, especially eating it solo, but with a group of friends after a night at the bars, nothing tastes better...or feels better in the morning. ;-)

a weekend at el puerto and la playa

Valparaíso (Valpo) is considered Chile's most important port and even though the entire country is coastline, it is the gateway to the Pacific.  As a World Heritage Site, the city is eclectic and cultural, characterized by its many hills and bright, colorful buildings lining the harbor.  To get up the steep hills more easily, pedestrians can take one of the 16 funiculars to the famous hilltops.

On our first weekend after splitting to our placements, a group of the WT volunteers met up in Valpo to see the tall ships festival and explore the winding cobblestone streets, undulating landscape, and sample the abundant seafood.  Even though it had been less than a week apart, we had already experienced the new ways of life we would each be adjusting to and hopefully thriving in for the rest of the year and had plenty of stories to share.

More Valpo Pics

We stayed overnight at a creaky little hostel up in Cerro Artillería and the next day, hung out on the beach in neighboring city, Viña del Mar, where we had a little fun with the cameras.

More Viña del Mar Pics

bienvenido a quilpué

Driving eastwards down the highway inland from Viña del Mar, you meander through some hills out of the city and past a few smaller pueblos before the road takes you directly into Chilean suburbia.  The steeper slopes of the outskirts are home to some of the more run-down neighborhoods with houses that look like scrap metal was pieced together by hand and the leftovers litter the rest of the yards.  Deeper into the town, the increase in level of privilege is apparent as the conditions improve, though graffiti still covers everything.  Each block is lined with small houses only a few feet apart and gated off for safety.  As you approach the town centro, more commercial buildings appear, none more than two or three stories tall.  These mom and pop shops are just one-room establishments with a counter separating customers from the ceiling to floor shelves of goods.  In the middle of the centro, a compact four-story mall towers out of place from the rest of the short buildings.

Welcome to Quilpué, the sprawling town of 120,000 in the hills east of the more popular coastal cities of Valparaiso and Viña.  This is my home for the next seven months.  I live in the nicer part of town, just a 10 minute walk from the centro and the metro station that takes you to the coast in one direction and Parque Nacional La Campana in the other.  My house is on a tree-lined street called Calle Patricio Lynch, named after an Admiral in the Chilean navy and the commander in chief during the occupation of Peru.  My area is generally safe during the day--there is a preschool one block over--but after dark, using a cab is advised if traveling alone.  Since it's a good-sized town, you can pretty much find anything you want--food, toiletries, clothes, cafes, bars, really anything if you look around.  It's not the most aesthetically pleasing town but the sun sets behind the shrub-covered hills off in the distance and you can see the tall peaks of La Campana lit up purple at dusk to the east.  Like the rest of Chile, a pack of stray dogs patrols our neighborhood and chases off any solo straggler that might wander its way into their territory.  Our German Shepard, Laica, sometimes barks from inside our gates, right under my window, wanting to join in the defense, but she's usually pretty good at shutting up when I get fed up and yell at her.  Luckily, this only happens about once a week.

Quilpué is a developed town for the most part with a governing mayor, paved streets, metro line, drinkable running water, and enforced laws.  The society functions smoothly and everyone pleasantly goes about their own lives.  But it is also a town that would bode well with some work.  The Rio Mapocho which runs through Santiago is a nasty brown color and unnavigable because the sewage from the city is dumped in it untreated.  In Quilpué, there are sections of streets that run over clearly-apparent open waste areas as the smells are definitely not of lavender fields.  A lot of the streets and hillsides are speckled with litter, rival transit workers hang out the open doors of moving buses and yell over each other to round up more passengers, and the schools here are no exception to the broken education system.  These are reminders that this is still Latin America and that Chile is a country in transition, a former third world trying to be a first world who hasn't quite worked out all the kinks yet.

And now, this is my home.

51 fantastic individuals

You get to know people pretty well when you spend an entire week training together, eating together, drinking together, exploring together, and just hanging out in a new country together.  So was the case with our group of Ministry volunteers staying in Hostelling International in the heart of Santiago.  Already we had a bit in common--we all speak English (important here!), we're all new to Chile, and we were all willing to leave our comfortable lives behind and come teach as volunteers in a foreign country.

Each person had their own experiences in life to bring to the mix.  Some have been teaching for years, some have some years teaching abroad already, and many have never taught at all.  Most of us are from all over the US:  California, Massachusetts, New York, Florida, Kentucky, Arizona, Washington, Georgia, Arkansas, Minnesota and more.  Annamarie is from South Africa, Paul and Nathanial are from Australia, and Peter is from Slovakia.  

A few more random tidbits of many about our group:
Nereida from New Jersey is on her 2nd stint for teaching in Chile.  
John is a filmmaker from Atlanta.
Carol owned an art gallery in Soho for years.
Mike is a surfer from Queens.
Samina was born in Germany and lives in Ohio.
Chris from San Fran practices Zen and Aikido.
Allison from Virginia worked in relief of New Orleans post-Katrina.
Kevin from Georgia taught in Japan for 7 years in the same city as I did.
Marie from Alabama just graduated from college last year along with many others.
Chris is a rock climber from Arkansas.
Leighann used to professionally dance for Disneyworld's Animal Kingdom.
Randall is a snowboarder from Crested Butte.
Vanessa from Long Island sings like an angel.
Stephen from Pittsburg is an English explosion.

Here in Chile, we are again going to be all over the map, in big cities, in small pueblitos, next to the ocean, in the mountains, and in the middle of the desert.  We will be living with different kinds of families in very different homes, working in environments from large schools of young children to small schools of technical study, but each one of us will be doing the same thing:  learning how to live and work in our new Chilean homes.

I'm really thankful that we all had our time together in Santiago because being able to talk to everyone now that we have split up and hear that I'm not the only one without a classroom or that other host mothers are scolding them for not wearing shoes has been essential to my own adjustment--knowing we're all together on the same big boat of English teachers in Chile.

we are on valparaiso tv!

The presentation of our group yesterday was documented by the press and shown on the evening news.  Check it out!

How goofy are we?

region V, may we present your volunteers...please excuse the grogginess

Our WorldTeach group (plus our newly adopted region V compañera, Annamarie) left Santiago at about 6:30am today on a bus and arrived around 8:30 in Viña del Mar, far from bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  Good thing too, because we were swept directly from the bus terminal to the Valparaiso region Ministry of Education office where our host families and school staff were waiting eagerly to meet us.  But our spectacle of 14 gringos + about 40 pieces of luggage parading down the sidewalks didn't stop there.  There was a podium, rows of seats, refreshments, and the press waiting in the atrium of the building when we arrived because we were to be presented one by one to each of our families.  I secretly congratulated myself for choosing to wear jeans that morning instead of sweatpants as I normally do when I travel long distances.

After the a few words from ministry workers and our presentations, we hung around for some tea and coffee with cake to chat say our goodbyes to each other.  Then, one by one, our group of 13 who had been spending pretty much everyday together for the last 3.5 weeks split up to leave with our host communities and go to our new homes for the next seven months.

Left to right:  Angela (my co-teacher), Patricia (my directora), me, and Norman (my host dad)

besitos a santiago

I got to know the city of Santiago pretty well during our three and a half weeks of training there.  The schedule allowed for a good amount of free time, and we took full advantage to explore different barrios.  Each neighborhood is distinct from the next and has its own energy that all together, besides the pollution, made Santiago a great place to spend the first weeks in Chile.

The Centro with its pedestrian commercial streets; Providencia, Las Condes, and Vitacura's swanky vistas; Barrio Brasil's indie rawness; Bellavista's artsy vibe and crawling vida nocturna; Cerro San Cristobal and Cerro Santa Lucia's peaceful escape skywards; Quinta Normal's feel of grittier Latin America; Parque Forestal's soft grass; even the race of crossing La Alameda before the pedestrian light turns red again.

Cartwheels in Providencia

Changing of the Guard at La Moneda

Sunset from the top of Cerro San Cristobal

A big group of volunteers left tonight for overnight buses to the far north and near south regions.  The rest of us leave for the near north and the far south early tomorrow morning.  There was a lot of hugging and contact exchanging, and I had a pretty heavy heart myself because we as a group had gotten remarkably close in just one week of time.  That, mixed with the feeling of the unknown in the coming days, made saying "See ya later" just a little more difficult for everyone.

There is a saying here that goes Santiago no es Chile.  Santiago may not be the real Chile but it is a great city itself.  I think I speak for everyone when I say it was muy divertido and I look forward to visiting again, especially for the reunion seven months from now.

Besitos Santiago!

a quick lesson on chile geography

I realized that so far, I've failed to actually talk about the physical country of Chile itself while still making references to it.  We all know it's that "really long one somewhere in South America" but here is a quick lowdown on what makes up this beautiful and diverse country.

Chile is long and thin and it takes probably less than three hours to drive across it at its widest point.  Its capital, Santiago, is in the central valley right in the middle of the country and is surrounded on all sides by mountains, the reason why the non-moving smog cloud sits over it all year.  This whole central area has a Mediterranean climate and is where Chile grows all of its grapes for its famous wine.  I will be living in this area.

Santiago de Chile

To the north:  The most arid landscape in the world is here in the Antofagasta and Atacama regions, the Atacama Desert, where there is virtually no rain.  Ever.  It's also home to the Chilean Recluse, one of the most poisonous spiders in the world.  Its name in Spanish is araña de rincón, or spider of the corner, since it usually keeps to itself in dry, dark places.  A few volunteers have been placed up in Antofagasta and they were advised to always shake out their clothing and check unused spaces before entering them.  

To the west:  The Pacific Ocean and the polynesian enigma, Rapa Nui, or Easter Island.  Located in the south Pacific, it's the most isolated inhabited island in the world with land that is mostly bare and covered in giant stone statues called the moai.  It used to be a plush, tropical paradise but tribal conflict and competition took over between the natives around 1300 AD and is the reason the island looks the way it does today.  I recommend doing some light reading on it as the history is pretty fascinating.

To the east:  Montañas de Los Andes, the world's longest continental mountain range, stretching from Venezuela all the way down the western side of South America to the tip of Patagonia.  Argentina is on the other side of these mountains.

To the south:  The Lake Region and Patagonia.  The latter is famous for its awe-inspiring natural landscapes which include mountains, valleys, glaciers, lakes, fjords, rivers, and sounds.  Torres del Paine is perhaps one of the most famous and beautiful national parks in the world.  Chile's Patagonia stretches over the strait of Magellan and onto the Antarctic peninsula.  Yes, it's very cold down there.

(Unfortunately, none of these pictures are mine, but hopefully someday soon!)
One more thing.  Chile is located on the junction of the Nazca and South American tectonic plates and so is prone to frequent earthquakes, as we all know now.  But since the 8.8 magnitude one hit, the chances of another one of that strength happening are slim, and the aftershocks now are less frequent and less strong.  I have apparently been here for four or five, though I've only actually felt two.

And if this post wasn't enough motivation to come visit me, I don't know what is.

sardines in ministry orientation

Teaching methodologies vary from person to person.  Each individual has their own opinion of what works and what doesn't.  And some things work for certain people that might not work for others.  With my own little bit of previous teaching experience and the 2.5 weeks of very effective WorldTeach training already under my belt, I was already feeling pretty comfortable with the whole teaching in Chile business by the time Ministry training started.  Good thing too because it made the week pretty tranquilo for me and I'm sure the other WT volunteers can agree.

WorldTeach training at the lovely and well-ventilated Instituto Norteamericano

Ministry training

The Ministry trainers were made up of a group of seasoned teachers turned supervisors, former volunteers turned ministry staff, and interns who crammed as much as they could into the 9-4:30 workshops.  They were very knowledgeable and had years of experience collectively but it was just a lot of information in a short, compact time, and all presented on less than attention-grabbing powerpoints.  I ended up just sitting in the back of the room with at least one wall to lean against and tuning in and out when I felt the information would be of use to me or confuse me, respectively.  It didn't help that all 51 volunteers, 3 trainers, and at one point, about 10 apoyos curriculares (curriculum coordinators for each region) were squeezed into a small classroom with no windows, desks for ants, and paint thinner fumes from renovation work in the building.  We were literally elbow to elbow and everyone, save for the few lucky ones who scored a wall seat, corrected any kind of slouch problem they might have had before.  However, these are the circumstances of post-terremoto Chile.  Some buildings, like the one the Ministry usually uses for training, are still not structurally sound.  Luckily, we were very understanding of this and were able to keep positive attitudes about it...most of the time.

First day of Ministry training

Last day of Ministry training

the million dollar answer: región V - quilpué!

When I was packing for this trip (and by packing I mean throw a bunch of stuff in a suitcase the night before my flight), I couldn't figure out exactly what kind of clothing to bring because I had no idea where my placement would be yet.  Chile, being the long country that it is, is home to incredible climate variations so the decision was to bring not much, but a little bit of everything.

Well, that decision worked out and I can finally answer all of you who have been asking me where I'm going to live and teach for the next 8 months.  My host town will be Quilpué in Region V (Valparaiso).  All 51 of our placements were unveiled today at training via a very neatly put-together powerpoint so that everyone knew where everyone else was going as well.  All of the WT crew is going to region V as well as one other Ingles Abres Puertas (IAP) volunteer, AnnaMarie from South Africa.  The rest are going to regions as far up as Antofagasta (II), as far south as Magallenes (XII) in Patagonia, and everywhere in between.  I'm hoping to get to visit a lot of them!

As for Quilpué, I don't know too much about it yet and Google hasn't really given too much to work with besides its population of about 120,000.  GoogleMaps also shows that it's a little inland, surrounded by hills and close to the coastal mountain range.  I do know that Valparaiso Region is just north of Santiago metropolitan and has the port city of Valparaiso and beach resort city of Viña del Mar.  I think my town is close to Viña and I'll be able to visit there easily by metro.  It's still in the central valley so the weather won't be too extreme in either direction--colder in the winter and warmer in the summer.

I'll report about it more when I get there!

the reason chile brought us here

After 2.5 weeks of WorldTeach training, our little cluster of 13 volunteers has been merged into the main program for more training.  We have also moved living quarters from quiet Londres into always-buzzing Hostelling International with the rest of the program volunteers.


There are many reasons why the people in our group, now of about 50 8-month volunteers, came to Chile--travel, curiosity, Spanish, teaching, self-discovery.  The reason Chile brought us here is for Inglés Abres Puertas, or English Opens Doors.  It's a program run by the Ministry of Education to place volunteer English teachers in the classrooms of public schools so that the children can learn how to speak and use the language, rather than have it explained to them in Spanish by Chilean English teachers, in hopes of creating opportunities for their futures.  The education system here is a broken mess thanks to bureaucracy, social class, and money.  There are three different kinds of school systems:  


Private - tuition is fully paid by the students' families and is very expensive (tuition per month is about $400 and the average middle class family makes about $800 a month)
Semi Private - part of the tuition is subsidized by the government but the rest is paid by the students' families
Public - everything is paid for by the government, but it's not very much


The best education comes from the private schools since they can afford the resources and the teachers.  The next two are pretty much on the same level and are exponentially worse in quality of edu.  The PSU's are exams similar to the SAT's and every student in Chile has to take these at the end of high school to get into a good university.  It's the only determining factor.  No such thing as "well-rounded" here.  Basically, the families with money get the best educations, score the highest on the PSU's, get into the best universities, get the most lucrative jobs, and their kids go to the best schools.  And so the cycle just continues like that.  Chile brought us volunteers here to teach the students in less fortunate social spheres and motivate them to want to learn.  Currently, there is no English language section on the test but perhaps success in one subject would transcend into other aspects of their lives.


As a volunteer teacher only here for seven months in a single school, I know that my influence will be relatively minor.  But if I could teach at least one student awkward turtle, then I would consider my job here done.

vitamins are good for you

Before I came to Chile, I had read and was warned that the cuisine wasn't anything to run home about and certainly not full of the wide range of nutrients that make up a well balanced diet.  You're going to find a lot of white bread, pasta, and meat.  Chris, another volunteer, made a good point when he pointed out that when you go looking for international cuisine at home, chances are you aren't going to find too many Chilean restaurants around.  I guess there is a reason for that.  And so, after about two weeks in the country, I found that I was in fact ingesting a whole lot of white bread, pasta, and meat.  This, added to my frugality and having not seen broccoli in the span that I've been here, lead to this wonderful plate of steamed goodness for lunch one day.

Yes, that is a whole head of broccoli for lunch.  And it was perfecto.