16 Oct 2010
TEACHERS DAY
Teacher’s day over here is celebrated in style. The senior students of the last year go to school, for the rest of the students it is a holiday. The teachers are sat in the front row of the assembly and the students make presentations and give awards. A rock band played, some students sang a song to their teacher. Apple awards were given for all sorts of things ranging from the teacher with the cutest ass (both female and male), the most knowledgeable, the kindest, the teacher with the students who had the most red marks (too many of these and the students will repeat the year level) etc. The teachers then choose teams, had a tug of war and rushed to sing Karaoke to the school for points. It was a real laugh and good fun. At the end the teachers were taken out of town to a house where we were served lunch and some dinner. We played on the trampoline, ping pong and danced the night away – It was great!!!!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
11th October 2010
Día de la Raza. (COLUMBUS DAY)
Didn’t do much today, although it is a national holiday. Only seems to be celebrated in style in Santiago by the Mapechu people. Included a few articles for you info here:
Holidays and Observances:
1 Jan New Year's Day
1 Apr Maundy Thursday
2 Apr Good Friday
4 Apr Easter Day
1 May Labor Day / May Day
21 May Navy Day
28 Jun Saint Peter and Saint Paul
16 Jul Our Lady of Mount Carmel
15 Aug Assumption of Mary
18 Sep National holiday
19 Sep Army Day
11 Oct Columbus Day
1 Nov All Saints
8 Dec Feast of the Immaculate Conception
25 Dec Christmas Day
31 Dec New Year's Eve
October 12 (or the nearest Monday to it) is traditionally celebrated throughout the Americas as the day Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. In English speaking countries, the day is celebrated as Columbus Day or Native American Day. In Spanish speaking countries and communities, is is known as Día de la Raza, the Day of the Race.
Día de la Raza is the celebration of the Hispanic heritage of Latin America and brings into it all the ethnic and cultural influences making it distinctive. It is celebrated on October 12 in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela.
A few historical facts behind the holiday:
• Cristóbal Colón, born Cristoforo Colombo, following the newly accepted theory that the world was round and not flat, sailed west from Spain to find a new route to China or the East Indies. He wanted also to prove his calculations of the earth's circumference.
• He was off on his calculations and he didn't find a new spice route. Instead, on October 12, 1492, he and his small fleet of three ships, the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, landed on one of the islands now known as the Bahamas. The exact island is a matter of debate and conjecture, but from there, he went on to Cuba and Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and went back to Spain to recount his adventures.
• With royal approval and funding, he set forth in 1493 with a fleet of 17 ships and retraced his earlier voyage. This time he explored Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands, founded a colony on Hispaniola. He did not find any spices, nor gold in great quantities, but returned again to Spain. He made his third journey to the New World in 1498, where he explored the coast of Venezuela and was awed by the sweet water of the Orinoco where it flowed into the Atlantic.
• For his efforts, Columbus was made admiral and Governor General of the new colonies until he was sent back to Spain in disgrace in 1500. He overcame that humiliation sufficiently to make a fourth and final voyage in 1502, landing in Costa Rica. When he died in 1506, Columbus was dishonored and all but forgotten. Whether he should be celebrated as the man who opened Central and South America to exploration and colonization, or excoriated for the same thing is a continuing debate.
• Christopher Columbus and Columbus Day are reviled in places because he is blamed for bringing the evils of slavery, the encomienda system and the diseases of Europe to Latin America. He was avaricious, cruel and paved the way for the conquista.
Now, 500 plus years later, we recall his deeds and celebrate not Columbus the man, but the actions and influences of all the people who came after him, who melded their European culture with the indigenous cultures and, with difficulty, blood and years of battle, misunderstandings and treachery, have created the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic society we now celebrate with the Día de la Raza.
http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/southamerica/a/CulDiaRaza.htm
Chile's Mapuche people parade through the streets of Santiago wearing colourful traditional dress on Columbus Day, El Dia de la Raza. The music and dance commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World on 12 October 1492.
The fiesta was first recognised in Chile in 1923, and is also a celebration of mestije, or the mingling of races, which gave birth to the population of today.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=158954
Día de la Raza. (COLUMBUS DAY)
Didn’t do much today, although it is a national holiday. Only seems to be celebrated in style in Santiago by the Mapechu people. Included a few articles for you info here:
Holidays and Observances:
1 Jan New Year's Day
1 Apr Maundy Thursday
2 Apr Good Friday
4 Apr Easter Day
1 May Labor Day / May Day
21 May Navy Day
28 Jun Saint Peter and Saint Paul
16 Jul Our Lady of Mount Carmel
15 Aug Assumption of Mary
18 Sep National holiday
19 Sep Army Day
11 Oct Columbus Day
1 Nov All Saints
8 Dec Feast of the Immaculate Conception
25 Dec Christmas Day
31 Dec New Year's Eve
October 12 (or the nearest Monday to it) is traditionally celebrated throughout the Americas as the day Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. In English speaking countries, the day is celebrated as Columbus Day or Native American Day. In Spanish speaking countries and communities, is is known as Día de la Raza, the Day of the Race.
Día de la Raza is the celebration of the Hispanic heritage of Latin America and brings into it all the ethnic and cultural influences making it distinctive. It is celebrated on October 12 in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela.
A few historical facts behind the holiday:
• Cristóbal Colón, born Cristoforo Colombo, following the newly accepted theory that the world was round and not flat, sailed west from Spain to find a new route to China or the East Indies. He wanted also to prove his calculations of the earth's circumference.
• He was off on his calculations and he didn't find a new spice route. Instead, on October 12, 1492, he and his small fleet of three ships, the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, landed on one of the islands now known as the Bahamas. The exact island is a matter of debate and conjecture, but from there, he went on to Cuba and Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and went back to Spain to recount his adventures.
• With royal approval and funding, he set forth in 1493 with a fleet of 17 ships and retraced his earlier voyage. This time he explored Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands, founded a colony on Hispaniola. He did not find any spices, nor gold in great quantities, but returned again to Spain. He made his third journey to the New World in 1498, where he explored the coast of Venezuela and was awed by the sweet water of the Orinoco where it flowed into the Atlantic.
• For his efforts, Columbus was made admiral and Governor General of the new colonies until he was sent back to Spain in disgrace in 1500. He overcame that humiliation sufficiently to make a fourth and final voyage in 1502, landing in Costa Rica. When he died in 1506, Columbus was dishonored and all but forgotten. Whether he should be celebrated as the man who opened Central and South America to exploration and colonization, or excoriated for the same thing is a continuing debate.
• Christopher Columbus and Columbus Day are reviled in places because he is blamed for bringing the evils of slavery, the encomienda system and the diseases of Europe to Latin America. He was avaricious, cruel and paved the way for the conquista.
Now, 500 plus years later, we recall his deeds and celebrate not Columbus the man, but the actions and influences of all the people who came after him, who melded their European culture with the indigenous cultures and, with difficulty, blood and years of battle, misunderstandings and treachery, have created the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic society we now celebrate with the Día de la Raza.
http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/southamerica/a/CulDiaRaza.htm
Chile's Mapuche people parade through the streets of Santiago wearing colourful traditional dress on Columbus Day, El Dia de la Raza. The music and dance commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World on 12 October 1492.
The fiesta was first recognised in Chile in 1923, and is also a celebration of mestije, or the mingling of races, which gave birth to the population of today.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=158954
Friday, October 8, 2010
6 October 2010
One of the flashest restaurants I have ever been to, they even had a Lucama sorbet between the entre and the main dish to change the palate! I would like to know the cost of the meal but Alejandro paid so I am not sure and I don’t know if it is rude to ask the price or not. I know that they were charging on average 10,000 pesos for the wine and 1,800 per raspberry juice. The mains cost anywhere between 9,800 pesos and 15,000 I think….
What an experience!
One of the flashest restaurants I have ever been to, they even had a Lucama sorbet between the entre and the main dish to change the palate! I would like to know the cost of the meal but Alejandro paid so I am not sure and I don’t know if it is rude to ask the price or not. I know that they were charging on average 10,000 pesos for the wine and 1,800 per raspberry juice. The mains cost anywhere between 9,800 pesos and 15,000 I think….
What an experience!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
3rd October 2010
MIL TAMBORES
This is a direct translation of a web page as translated by the web so don’t expect it to be completely correct, however you'll get the general idea:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.terra.cl/entretencion/index.cfm%3Fid_reg%3D1506652%26id_cat%3D1160%26titulo_url%3DCarnaval_%25B4Mil_Tambores%25B4_prendera_Valparaiso_los_primeros_dias_de_octubre&ei=UfqoTJi3FY-osAP16rmdDQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBcQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dorigen%2Bof%2Bmil%2Btambores%26hl%3Den%26site%3Dwebhp%26prmd%3Div
CARNIVAL 'MIL DRUM' VALPARAISO turn ON FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER
Ya está listo el programa oficial del carnaval Mil Tambores de Valparaíso. And ready is the official program of carnival drums Valparaiso Mil. El evento se realizará los días 1, 2 y 3 de octubre . The event will be held on days 1, 2 and 3 October. Por lo mismo destaca el lanzamiento de la campaña “Yo vivo Mil Tambores Yo cuido Valparaíso”, campaña que la misma organización del carnaval ha promocionado entre los participantes para evitar las malas prácticas de este tipo de eventos masivos. It also highlights the launch of the "I live a thousand drums I take care of Valparaiso" campaign that it has promoted the carnival organization among participants to avoid bad practices such massive events.
Esta es la undécima versión del carnaval ciudadano Mil Tambores, y se observan bastantes cambios en su parrilla programática 2010. This is the eleventh version of the carnival city Thousand Drums, and observed many changes in its program grid 2010. Todo parte en el cerro, el pasacalle inicial será por la Av. Alemania partiendo en la Plazuela San Luis (Cerro Alegre) y finalizando en el Auditorium Osmán Pérez Freire (Cerro Florida). Every part on the hill, the parade will start on Av Germany starting in the Plaza San Luis (Cerro Alegre) and ending at the Auditorium Osman Perez Freire (Cerro Florida). La tradicional actividad de los cuerpos pintados será realizada bajo la modalidad de concurso, así como también se premiará la mejor fotografía carnavalera, la mejor comparsa y la mejor alegoría. The traditional activity of painted bodies will be made in the form of competition, and also the best picture award carnival, the best carnival and the best allegory.
Jóvenes de todo Chile se reunirán en el velódromo de Playa Ancha lugar destinada a la acreditación de las delegaciones a partir del jueves 30 de septiembre. Youth from all over Chile will meet at the velodrome Playa Ancha place intended for the accreditation of delegations from Thursday 30 September. Un centenar agrupaciones carnavaleras ya están preparando su visita a Valparaíso de Arica a Puerto Montt incluso de Argentina han confirmado su asistencia al carnaval, cabe destacar la gestión propia de estos grupos, cientos de jóvenes, quienes han estado organizando diversas actividades para garantizar su participación en este importante evento nacional. One hundred Carnaval groups are already preparing a visit to Valparaiso Arica to Puerto Montt even Argentina have confirmed their attendance at the carnival include the actual management of these groups, hundreds of young people who have been organizing various activities to ensure their participation in this important national event.
A nivel internacional, Mil Tambores ha logrado posicionar a Valparaíso como una “ciudad de carnaval” dentro del circuito Iberoamericano de carnavales potenciando, de paso, la industria turística en la región. Internationally, Thousand Drums Valparaiso has positioned as a "city carnival" in the Latin American carnival circuit promoting, by the way, the tourism industry in the region. Prueba de ello es que la actividad inaugural del carnaval es la exposición fotográfica de Kiki Hernández “Tipos de Cuidao” que retrata las vestimentas y personajes del famoso carnaval de Cádiz, España esta actividad es auspiciada por el municipio de dicha ciudad. Proof of this is that the inaugural event of the carnival is a photographic exhibition by Kiki Hernandez "Types of Cuidao" which portrays the costumes and characters from the famous carnival of Cadiz, Spain this activity is sponsored by the municipality of that city. La exposición estará abierta desde el día 30 de septiembre en los pasillos del Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes y luego participar de una gira por la región en el Marco del Forum de las Culturas. The exhibition will run from September 30 in the corridors of the National Council for Culture and the Arts and then participate in a tour of the region in the framework of the Forum of Cultures.
Diálogos Ciudadanos Citizen Dialogues
En este carnaval existe una fuerte preocupación por abordar temáticas medioambientales por ser una instancia masiva donde la ciudadanía se encuentra en el espacio público, para ellos se han organizado 5 mesas de diálogos ciudadanos para incentivar la reflexión en los cerros del puerto, todo ello bajo el motivo de la defensa de los derechos de la Madre Tierra. In this carnival there is a strong concern to address environmental issues because it is a massive instance where citizenship is in the public space, for they have organized 5 tables citizen dialogues to encourage reflection on the port hills, all under the reason for the rights of Mother Earth.
En lo concreto existen 5 mesas que abordarán temáticas como: los conflictos medioambientales en chile, el derecho al agua, las resoluciones de la cumbre medioambiental de Cochabamba, uso de Energías Renovable, entre otros temas. In particular there are 5 tables on several subjects such as environmental conflicts in Chile, water rights, the resolutions of the environmental summit in Cochabamba, use of renewable energy, among other topics. Dentro de los invitados confirmados están los representantes diplomáticos de Bolivia, Ecuador y Venezuela, representantes de la cámara de diputados, organizaciones sociales, comunidades en conflictos y expertos en la materia. Among the confirmed guests are diplomatic representatives of Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, representatives of the Chamber of Deputies, social organizations, communities and conflict experts.
Mil Tambores vuelve a los cerros, a su lugar de origen. Thousand Drums back into the hills, to their place of origin. El carnaval tomará a Valparaíso por la cintura para seguir recuperando espacios públicos para el arte y promoviendo una cultura de paz, justicia y dignidad para los pueblos. The carnival will take on Valparaiso at the waist to continue recovering public spaces for art and promoting a culture of peace, justice and dignity for the people.
Más información, en el Facebook "Mil Tambores". More information on Facebook "Thousand Drums".
Derechos Reservados Terra Networks Chile SA Copyright Terra Networks Chile SA
Start of the parade
Dancers
Drummers and unicyclists
MIL TAMBORES
This is a direct translation of a web page as translated by the web so don’t expect it to be completely correct, however you'll get the general idea:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.terra.cl/entretencion/index.cfm%3Fid_reg%3D1506652%26id_cat%3D1160%26titulo_url%3DCarnaval_%25B4Mil_Tambores%25B4_prendera_Valparaiso_los_primeros_dias_de_octubre&ei=UfqoTJi3FY-osAP16rmdDQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBcQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dorigen%2Bof%2Bmil%2Btambores%26hl%3Den%26site%3Dwebhp%26prmd%3Div
CARNIVAL 'MIL DRUM' VALPARAISO turn ON FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER
Ya está listo el programa oficial del carnaval Mil Tambores de Valparaíso. And ready is the official program of carnival drums Valparaiso Mil. El evento se realizará los días 1, 2 y 3 de octubre . The event will be held on days 1, 2 and 3 October. Por lo mismo destaca el lanzamiento de la campaña “Yo vivo Mil Tambores Yo cuido Valparaíso”, campaña que la misma organización del carnaval ha promocionado entre los participantes para evitar las malas prácticas de este tipo de eventos masivos. It also highlights the launch of the "I live a thousand drums I take care of Valparaiso" campaign that it has promoted the carnival organization among participants to avoid bad practices such massive events.
Esta es la undécima versión del carnaval ciudadano Mil Tambores, y se observan bastantes cambios en su parrilla programática 2010. This is the eleventh version of the carnival city Thousand Drums, and observed many changes in its program grid 2010. Todo parte en el cerro, el pasacalle inicial será por la Av. Alemania partiendo en la Plazuela San Luis (Cerro Alegre) y finalizando en el Auditorium Osmán Pérez Freire (Cerro Florida). Every part on the hill, the parade will start on Av Germany starting in the Plaza San Luis (Cerro Alegre) and ending at the Auditorium Osman Perez Freire (Cerro Florida). La tradicional actividad de los cuerpos pintados será realizada bajo la modalidad de concurso, así como también se premiará la mejor fotografía carnavalera, la mejor comparsa y la mejor alegoría. The traditional activity of painted bodies will be made in the form of competition, and also the best picture award carnival, the best carnival and the best allegory.
Jóvenes de todo Chile se reunirán en el velódromo de Playa Ancha lugar destinada a la acreditación de las delegaciones a partir del jueves 30 de septiembre. Youth from all over Chile will meet at the velodrome Playa Ancha place intended for the accreditation of delegations from Thursday 30 September. Un centenar agrupaciones carnavaleras ya están preparando su visita a Valparaíso de Arica a Puerto Montt incluso de Argentina han confirmado su asistencia al carnaval, cabe destacar la gestión propia de estos grupos, cientos de jóvenes, quienes han estado organizando diversas actividades para garantizar su participación en este importante evento nacional. One hundred Carnaval groups are already preparing a visit to Valparaiso Arica to Puerto Montt even Argentina have confirmed their attendance at the carnival include the actual management of these groups, hundreds of young people who have been organizing various activities to ensure their participation in this important national event.
A nivel internacional, Mil Tambores ha logrado posicionar a Valparaíso como una “ciudad de carnaval” dentro del circuito Iberoamericano de carnavales potenciando, de paso, la industria turística en la región. Internationally, Thousand Drums Valparaiso has positioned as a "city carnival" in the Latin American carnival circuit promoting, by the way, the tourism industry in the region. Prueba de ello es que la actividad inaugural del carnaval es la exposición fotográfica de Kiki Hernández “Tipos de Cuidao” que retrata las vestimentas y personajes del famoso carnaval de Cádiz, España esta actividad es auspiciada por el municipio de dicha ciudad. Proof of this is that the inaugural event of the carnival is a photographic exhibition by Kiki Hernandez "Types of Cuidao" which portrays the costumes and characters from the famous carnival of Cadiz, Spain this activity is sponsored by the municipality of that city. La exposición estará abierta desde el día 30 de septiembre en los pasillos del Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes y luego participar de una gira por la región en el Marco del Forum de las Culturas. The exhibition will run from September 30 in the corridors of the National Council for Culture and the Arts and then participate in a tour of the region in the framework of the Forum of Cultures.
Diálogos Ciudadanos Citizen Dialogues
En este carnaval existe una fuerte preocupación por abordar temáticas medioambientales por ser una instancia masiva donde la ciudadanía se encuentra en el espacio público, para ellos se han organizado 5 mesas de diálogos ciudadanos para incentivar la reflexión en los cerros del puerto, todo ello bajo el motivo de la defensa de los derechos de la Madre Tierra. In this carnival there is a strong concern to address environmental issues because it is a massive instance where citizenship is in the public space, for they have organized 5 tables citizen dialogues to encourage reflection on the port hills, all under the reason for the rights of Mother Earth.
En lo concreto existen 5 mesas que abordarán temáticas como: los conflictos medioambientales en chile, el derecho al agua, las resoluciones de la cumbre medioambiental de Cochabamba, uso de Energías Renovable, entre otros temas. In particular there are 5 tables on several subjects such as environmental conflicts in Chile, water rights, the resolutions of the environmental summit in Cochabamba, use of renewable energy, among other topics. Dentro de los invitados confirmados están los representantes diplomáticos de Bolivia, Ecuador y Venezuela, representantes de la cámara de diputados, organizaciones sociales, comunidades en conflictos y expertos en la materia. Among the confirmed guests are diplomatic representatives of Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, representatives of the Chamber of Deputies, social organizations, communities and conflict experts.
Mil Tambores vuelve a los cerros, a su lugar de origen. Thousand Drums back into the hills, to their place of origin. El carnaval tomará a Valparaíso por la cintura para seguir recuperando espacios públicos para el arte y promoviendo una cultura de paz, justicia y dignidad para los pueblos. The carnival will take on Valparaiso at the waist to continue recovering public spaces for art and promoting a culture of peace, justice and dignity for the people.
Más información, en el Facebook "Mil Tambores". More information on Facebook "Thousand Drums".
Derechos Reservados Terra Networks Chile SA Copyright Terra Networks Chile SA
Start of the parade
Dancers
Drummers and unicyclists
Saturday, October 2, 2010
1st October 2010
CLOTHING / FASHION / SHOPPING
It is my host brother’s birthday on Monday so I went to the mall after classes. It is really huge! It starts on one side of the street and has a walkway that goes across to the other mall on the other side. Well I went a bit snap happy and took photos of clothes, fashion accessories and other shopping items. I tried to get photos with prices as much as I could – some are good others not. If you want to know the price of items in NZD then divide the price in pesos by 350 e.g. 10000 Pesos / 350 = $35NZD. The photo ‘Punto Urbano’ which shows a lot of coloured squares and prices is the cost of a haircut. I am not brave enough to get a hair cut in Chile – so my hair is getting longer, however it is only 3 months worth. I tried to get both men and women’s clothing, so you’ll see kids wear and night wear too. Over here they have a Zara shop especially for women and a separate especially for men. The attendant at the Zara mens store would not allow me to take photos of the models in the window. I’m told shoes over here a cheap but haven’t needed to buy any yet. I love the way they display jeans in the shop. Inside the store they sometimes have one pant leg hanging down and the other bunched up on one side – I’m sorry but I couldn’t get a photo of this either.
LANGUAGE ‘GIFT CARD’
I bought a ‘gift card’ for my host brother as I don’t know what kind of music he likes only that he likes music. This was real difficult because the previous day I had been chatting to Ana and she didn’t know what a voucher was. So I went into the music store armed with my dictionary and explained to the attendant that I wanted a voucher to buy music or a CD or DVD etc. He said ‘huh’ so I explained that I pay him money and get a piece of paper that I give to my host brother…. The attendant looked at me and said ‘Oh you mean a ‘gift card’’ It is so frustrating when you expect a word to be in Spanish and they use the English language to describe it! I got to say though that at least I can explain myself now – it may not be accurate but people generally get the idea.
30th September 2010
CAREER DAY
The last year of High School had a university careers day today. I really enjoyed it. Once we were out of the classroom the students would only speak Spanish to me which was really great for me but a little embarrassing because they now know what my true level is… but I have to practice sometime. The career day was held in the old passenger boat terminal so you will see the photos I took around the outside show sea lions, boats etc. The sea lions were really impressive because they had to jump so high up to get on the platform and they were such big creatures. I was surprised that they were there because I thought that it would be too hot for them. People keep telling me that the water is ice cold so they must be right. Inside the passenger boat terminal they had lots of displays of universities in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. One of the universities was for PE and medicine etc – they had the skeletons outside their display. Others varied and were universities for hospitality - they had made cakes. One university was for airplane pilots / aviation in general.
27th September 2010
CINEMA
Went to the Cinema on Sunday night, purely because I wanted to know what it was like. There were films mostly in English with subtitles. I watched the movie ‘Son como niños’ with Adam Sandler and Penelope Cruz. It was a real good laugh. The first lot of photos I took were out of focus so I have mixed my photos with the other cinema in the mall.
SALSA
I have been to four Salsa lessons now. I haven’t been for a few days though because my foot was sore from all the walking I did on the tour around Valparaiso. The style of teaching over here reminds me of the film Karate kid. I take lessons in Salsa Cubano and it is for two hours and we learn two movements per class. The theory I think is behind this is the teacher wants us to be able to ‘feel’ the music, let it come naturally rather than counting the music either in our heads or out loud. I have to say that most people over here seem to be able to really dance so this method of teaching is working well. It was really frustrating at first though because when I attend Salsa lessons in Whangarei we learn lots of moves in one lesson and all styles of the dance. Over here you have separate classes for different dances from other regions e.g. classes for Salsa Cubano, Salsa Los Angeles, Merengue, Bachacha etc. In NZ we class these as ‘Salsa’ an all encompassing umbrella of the dance form. I thought I had written about this previously but can’t find it so will rewrite. It took me awhile to get to Salsa classes. The reason for this is that the first day I went I had the day and the time wrong, the second time I went the teacher was sick. The third time I went I actually got it right so I was stoked The other thing that I find hard is the sense of time here. It is not unusual for the teacher to be late 10 – 30 minutes for the lesson. The teacher has been sick and went into hospital on Thursday so not sure when classes will be resuming.
CLOTHING / FASHION / SHOPPING
It is my host brother’s birthday on Monday so I went to the mall after classes. It is really huge! It starts on one side of the street and has a walkway that goes across to the other mall on the other side. Well I went a bit snap happy and took photos of clothes, fashion accessories and other shopping items. I tried to get photos with prices as much as I could – some are good others not. If you want to know the price of items in NZD then divide the price in pesos by 350 e.g. 10000 Pesos / 350 = $35NZD. The photo ‘Punto Urbano’ which shows a lot of coloured squares and prices is the cost of a haircut. I am not brave enough to get a hair cut in Chile – so my hair is getting longer, however it is only 3 months worth. I tried to get both men and women’s clothing, so you’ll see kids wear and night wear too. Over here they have a Zara shop especially for women and a separate especially for men. The attendant at the Zara mens store would not allow me to take photos of the models in the window. I’m told shoes over here a cheap but haven’t needed to buy any yet. I love the way they display jeans in the shop. Inside the store they sometimes have one pant leg hanging down and the other bunched up on one side – I’m sorry but I couldn’t get a photo of this either.
LANGUAGE ‘GIFT CARD’
I bought a ‘gift card’ for my host brother as I don’t know what kind of music he likes only that he likes music. This was real difficult because the previous day I had been chatting to Ana and she didn’t know what a voucher was. So I went into the music store armed with my dictionary and explained to the attendant that I wanted a voucher to buy music or a CD or DVD etc. He said ‘huh’ so I explained that I pay him money and get a piece of paper that I give to my host brother…. The attendant looked at me and said ‘Oh you mean a ‘gift card’’ It is so frustrating when you expect a word to be in Spanish and they use the English language to describe it! I got to say though that at least I can explain myself now – it may not be accurate but people generally get the idea.
30th September 2010
CAREER DAY
The last year of High School had a university careers day today. I really enjoyed it. Once we were out of the classroom the students would only speak Spanish to me which was really great for me but a little embarrassing because they now know what my true level is… but I have to practice sometime. The career day was held in the old passenger boat terminal so you will see the photos I took around the outside show sea lions, boats etc. The sea lions were really impressive because they had to jump so high up to get on the platform and they were such big creatures. I was surprised that they were there because I thought that it would be too hot for them. People keep telling me that the water is ice cold so they must be right. Inside the passenger boat terminal they had lots of displays of universities in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. One of the universities was for PE and medicine etc – they had the skeletons outside their display. Others varied and were universities for hospitality - they had made cakes. One university was for airplane pilots / aviation in general.
27th September 2010
CINEMA
Went to the Cinema on Sunday night, purely because I wanted to know what it was like. There were films mostly in English with subtitles. I watched the movie ‘Son como niños’ with Adam Sandler and Penelope Cruz. It was a real good laugh. The first lot of photos I took were out of focus so I have mixed my photos with the other cinema in the mall.
SALSA
I have been to four Salsa lessons now. I haven’t been for a few days though because my foot was sore from all the walking I did on the tour around Valparaiso. The style of teaching over here reminds me of the film Karate kid. I take lessons in Salsa Cubano and it is for two hours and we learn two movements per class. The theory I think is behind this is the teacher wants us to be able to ‘feel’ the music, let it come naturally rather than counting the music either in our heads or out loud. I have to say that most people over here seem to be able to really dance so this method of teaching is working well. It was really frustrating at first though because when I attend Salsa lessons in Whangarei we learn lots of moves in one lesson and all styles of the dance. Over here you have separate classes for different dances from other regions e.g. classes for Salsa Cubano, Salsa Los Angeles, Merengue, Bachacha etc. In NZ we class these as ‘Salsa’ an all encompassing umbrella of the dance form. I thought I had written about this previously but can’t find it so will rewrite. It took me awhile to get to Salsa classes. The reason for this is that the first day I went I had the day and the time wrong, the second time I went the teacher was sick. The third time I went I actually got it right so I was stoked The other thing that I find hard is the sense of time here. It is not unusual for the teacher to be late 10 – 30 minutes for the lesson. The teacher has been sick and went into hospital on Thursday so not sure when classes will be resuming.
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