26th August 2010

LANGUAGE
I feel good today. I got asked by two different sets of native Chileans (complete strangers to me) questions that I understood and could answer.
I think the first asked me if this train went to Vina del Mar. Yes it did.
The second definitely asked me if it was this train or that train that was going to Vina Del Mar and I was able to say this one! Yeah! I know that this is basic but I did it 

CULTURE / THINGS I AM GETTING USED TO
I am at the point now when I get on a train I sit on the passenger’s side without having to make a conscious effort to do this. I now also naturally walk on the right side of the pavement. Before I was an inconvience to everyone, it was a bit like a fish swimming upstream against the flow of traffic.

SAN IGNACIO / UNIFORM
When I first came to this school, in some classes I saw boys wearing blazers – I thought they were prefects. I just had a discussion with the students and they said they have the choice of what uniform they want to wear. 3 boys in the class have a blazer. Some have a PE uniform. They are not doing PE today, but they like it, so they wear it. Some have a red jacket, some blazers, some a grey jersey. Some have dress pants other sweatpants. Some have sneakers others black shoes.

SCHOOL / TEACHERS / TESTING
The teachers at schools here seem to be a lot more relaxed. However in terms of testing it is definitely more frequent than NZ. At San Ignacio it is school policy to test students every 15 days. This is a huge workload for the teachers and the students – especially if it is in every subject.

FOOD
I am told ConCon is well known for seafood.
Yesterday I had a meal that I would never have eaten before and it was great! Both my host parents are great cooks and very creative with food. We ate rolled pancakes and inside were spinach, garlic, onion and cream. Draped over the top was white sauce. As a side dish we had potatoes. It is making my mouth water just thinking of this.
I have also tried cheese empandas. The closest I could explain this is like a samosa. It is a pastry circle that has cheese inside. It is then folded in half and the edges folded over and pressed down. Most empanadas have meat but I am vegetarian so not willing to try this for myself. I have gone back and posted photos of a bread shop and amongst these slides you can see empanadas. (7th August)

Pancake with Spinach - create free slideshows