My first week of teaching...or trying

Well let me back track to this weekend...so great! Much of the extended family came in town so they were all interested in talking with me so I got to practice listening and attempting to speak. I am understanding so much more of what is being said so Im excited about that. The family is quite large, but I love having the little kids around. We spent all day inside on Saturday just eating and talking, eating and talking. It was nice to get to know everyone better. We are now more comfortable with each other than when I first got here.
Sunday was my first holiday experience here, apparently there are a lot of them, so it was fun. It´s called Dia del Ninos, which is the day for the children. There was a festival or little fair in the plaza that I went to with some of the family and their children. I had a great time with the little ones and taking photos.

Yesterday was supposed to be my first day of teaching, but of course nothing was ready. A common saying in Chile is just to leave it for tomorrow (and their attitude towards work applies here). I have to push to get anything done. Initially they wanted to put me in the computer room which I did not find appropriate to teach, so they looked for another room. It is also stated in my volunteer contract I have to have my own classroom but it seems rules are flexible here as well. Yesterday morning I was shown my new classroom, which was also full of computers, but I was told I could make the decision on how the room looks and what I needed taken out and brought in. So I did! I said to take out most of the computers, I needed different desks and chairs, and I needed a white board. Ha Ha. I had about 6 different people working in that room throughout the day. I went home and changed so I could help, which they didnt really understand. Apparently as a teacher I let others do the dirty work. Hell no. I started moving stuff around. Once the computers were out and new tables were brought in, I noticed how much cleaning really needed to be done. The janitor, Senora Irma, was trying to clean with dirty rags from an old bucket with Clorox and water. I said I needed a mop. That took about 30 min. and many people to translate and discuss how I needed a mop and cleaning supplies. They thought I was crazy. I mentioned my asthma and they finally understood. Marcos, a young guy who works on the computers here, volunteered to take me to the store. We finally found a mop, rags, cleaning solution, and a bucket. Just guess how much that all cost. 25 dollars US! no wonder Irma cleans the floors with rags and a pole. ugh. so now im waiting to be reimbursed....
When I came back Irma was already cleaning the floor but I said I needed do to it again later. She didnt want me to clean. It was her job. Her and I are going to need to have a discussion...

Anyway, last night Marcos walked with me around town and showed me different places in Vallenar. It was really fun! I would have never found them on my own or known what they were for. His English is about at the same level as my Spanish, so we go back and forth. Jorge is another computer guy at school and they both want to make sure Im safe and know where to go.
Oh! Im getting lessons in Spanish from one of the Spanish profesores at my school so Im so excited. He is young, 28 years old, so its cool. I am going to help him with his English in return. And it doesn´t hurt that he is cute. Ha ha.

So as you probably could have guessed, I am talked about all over school. So when I showed up this morning and got my bucket and mop ready with the cleaning solution people looked at me like I was crazy. Irma gave me a lecture and took my bucket! I kept saying "But I want to clean!" and she keeps emphasizing it is her job. So we compromised, I mopped the floor, she cleaned the desks and computers. I have the nicest classroom in the school!
(And apparently now everyone knows I went walking around with Marcos last night. Man people know everything! They just talk!)

Well, they are probably a trillion little things I could discuss, but I should probably end it here. Thanks for reading!