here i go...

so i'm still not sure about this whole blog thing, but i'm giving it a shot for two reasons: 1: so you, my family and amigos can keep up with my new life over here in chile, and 2: so when i'm an old gramma i can easily show my grandkiddos all my crazy wild adventures "back in the day." so here i go...

to begin my blogging adventure, i'm going to give the mic over to someone much better with words, c.s. lewis: "experience: that most brutal of teachers. but you learn, my god do you learn."

what a smart guy ey? experience. i needed it. i wanted it. i've been living in a very nicely decorated, well groomed, sheltered bubble my entire life. now please dont get me wrong, i thank my amazing parents for giving me the opportunity to feel nothing but comfortable my entire life... i came to chile to get some dirt under my fingernails... i wanted to travel, help where help is needed, and most importantly to learn that what i had in phoenix is not the norm. aka: granite countertops, hudson jeans, and random delicious gadgets from anthropologie are not necessary to live. yes, i love them, but they are not what i want to fulfill me as a person. quite a grandiose lesson to learn in one year, but i'm on a mission. and as lewis states, experience is the best way to learn.

so as you all know, i've actually been in chile for about 2 months now. santiago was my first stop... we (my fellow volunteers and myself) had training for one month. the first two weeks we learned from what i think are two of the best teachers in the world... meghan and thomas. they work for the program i was recruited by, worldteach. they are, to say the least, amazing at what they do. we learned a lot about chile (history, educational system, culture, food, everything!)... but most importantly, we learned how to teach english (that is afterall what we're here to do!). we are using whats called the communicative method to teach these young brains. our classes are conducted in english, with much acting, props, music, etc to help these kids learn our amazing language. the idea is that the kids will be excited to learn english from the alien teacher who makes a lot of weird faces and dances around class like a complete idiot. well.... since i have arrived in los angeles (my new home), i found that this method works. the kids love it. i've been teaching for about 4 weeks now, and the kids have responded gloriously. they are active, playing games, singing songs, shouting fun english words/phrases (AWESOME!), and most importantly, internalizing the language that will carry them so far in their careers later on in life. i'm so excited to be taking on this challenge... the chilean educational system (from the administration to the discipline (or lack thereof) in the classroom) is super disorganized, but the kids are so awesome. they have so much energy and such big brains... and i'm going to fill their little cabezas with useful english that they can use as a tool to become something great.

homelife is good... although i did bonk my head on my shower knob yesterday which left me with a little ping pong/scratch on my forehead. gotta love my 2' by 2' shower! but overall, my family has been so generous and welcoming. they've showed me more love and kindness than i ever would have ever expected strangers to offer. what a lucky girl i am.. leaving the best family ever in the US only to be spoiled with another great one in chile.

so there you have it. my first blog. i hope it was enjoyable and i hope you continue to follow me throughout the year. i miss you all so much and hope this letter finds you having amazing adventures and experiences of your own.