(no subject)
I am sitting in a cafe, drinking coke and soaking in the wifi;) lol, I am so starved for it, a half our ago I was in the lush grounds surrounding the home of the founder of Viña. It is absolutely beautiful and I need to go there and picnic before it gets too cold. I wanted to take pictures but my camera is on the fritz. I am going to Santiago this weekend, so I'm going to see if the Nikon store there can fix it. If not, I'm going to have to buy one. I can't stand it anymore! Anyway, the park was gorgeous and I tried to use the wifi there but it's such a clear day, that it was so bright I could barely see my screen.
So, here I am. It's been a crazy month and a half so far. This weekend was the first weekend that I didn't leave Viña. It's been good just to be low-key. I love it here and all the culture shock is gone, although I still can't communicate very well. When I'm in class, I feel like I understand more, but of course I have the context, meaning that we always deal with a particular theme or area. When I'm out in the real world, it's much more difficult. lol, the story of my life. I miss school. I'm good at learning, gathering knowledge and information, not so keen on application. But as usual, I just need to stop expecting it to be immediate. It takes time. I still have a little over 4 months.
The situation itself with the volunteer program has been weird. I love the kids, they are really cute, very sweet for the most part. There are a few with some behavior issues, but really, overall, with the children it's just as I figured it would be. However, there has been drama galore with my bosses and fellow volunteers, one in particular. She has a very negative view of everything. Where we're living, who we're volunteering for, the fact she's not making money, which is just ridiculous. She knew that it was a volunteer position. But some of her other points are not totally invalid. There is a feeling of deception or manipulation with our boss, Roni-Sue. She never told me ahead of time that I'd be living with her and her husband and child and she doesn't feel very genuine... I get the feeling that she only reveals whatever she thinks will work to her advantage. And now that I am here in Viña volunteering to work for them and with wealthier children, I understand what my Uncle John meant when he asked me if I really wanted to volunteer my time for wealthy people. There are moments when it feels like my boss and her husband are taking advantage of us... they are wealthy themselves and we know that they don't pay their teacher's very well, Señora Anita who cooks and cleans the school, or Paola who cleans at the apartment... There are lots of things about them that feels dodgy. But unlike this said peer, I will not let them ruin my experience here. Things are perfect otherwise:)
So, here I am. It's been a crazy month and a half so far. This weekend was the first weekend that I didn't leave Viña. It's been good just to be low-key. I love it here and all the culture shock is gone, although I still can't communicate very well. When I'm in class, I feel like I understand more, but of course I have the context, meaning that we always deal with a particular theme or area. When I'm out in the real world, it's much more difficult. lol, the story of my life. I miss school. I'm good at learning, gathering knowledge and information, not so keen on application. But as usual, I just need to stop expecting it to be immediate. It takes time. I still have a little over 4 months.
The situation itself with the volunteer program has been weird. I love the kids, they are really cute, very sweet for the most part. There are a few with some behavior issues, but really, overall, with the children it's just as I figured it would be. However, there has been drama galore with my bosses and fellow volunteers, one in particular. She has a very negative view of everything. Where we're living, who we're volunteering for, the fact she's not making money, which is just ridiculous. She knew that it was a volunteer position. But some of her other points are not totally invalid. There is a feeling of deception or manipulation with our boss, Roni-Sue. She never told me ahead of time that I'd be living with her and her husband and child and she doesn't feel very genuine... I get the feeling that she only reveals whatever she thinks will work to her advantage. And now that I am here in Viña volunteering to work for them and with wealthier children, I understand what my Uncle John meant when he asked me if I really wanted to volunteer my time for wealthy people. There are moments when it feels like my boss and her husband are taking advantage of us... they are wealthy themselves and we know that they don't pay their teacher's very well, Señora Anita who cooks and cleans the school, or Paola who cleans at the apartment... There are lots of things about them that feels dodgy. But unlike this said peer, I will not let them ruin my experience here. Things are perfect otherwise:)