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)
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