it wasnt so funny at the time continued...

i remembered other anecdotes...

*i was bitten by fleas...yes you read correctly-FLEAS. apparently they can latch on from the dogs on the streets. i ended up with several bites on my legs. they itched so badly!

*i went to get a massage when i first came here since my back was really hurting. this was not really what i would consider a massage. it was like she was rubbing my skin, nothing else. so my skin was very relaxed. she applied no pressure, just a TON of oil...not a good combination.

*every time i took a shower in my new house, the water drained all over the floor. i had to sweep it into the drain every time and that took forever. then my floor would be wet for hours and many times left with puddles. this drove me crazy since muddy shoe prints were always left when the bathroom was used, and the bottoms of pants got wet. i finally stopped taking many showers during the week cause i didnt have time in the morning to deal with water disaster! sometimes i would even wash my hair in the sink just to avoid it. haha. (dont worry, its fixed now)

*one weekend i went to visit my friend mackenzie in La Serena. We went out with her boyfriend Cristian and my friend Luis. We took his car, which had issues starting. We had to push it to get it going and then get in. Well when we went to the bar that night and came back to the car, it just wouldnt start. We pushed forever but the engine would not turn over (is that correct??) Finally, we stopped some more guys and had them help push...nothing. Finally Luis and I were just left to push the car, which we did for quite awhile (even on the busy street). Some guys in a truck stopped and got it started. I guess Cristian wasnt so prepared to drive as we thought. Just imagine me pushing a car at about 1 or 2 in the morning. Laughing? good.

*today one of my teacher aides told me that i looked much thinner. then she proceeded to ask if i was throwing up. ummm i was not sure how to respond to that. so just because im thinner i must be taking drastic measures? haha but thanks for the compliment....i think.

*during one of our crazy rainstorms here, the electricity went out for the day. when my friend and i were walking in the dark to go to a corner store for some food, of course i was the one to step in a big pile of dog poo. oh yes, so great.

*speaking of dog poo, i now have adopted a puppy. (long story, will explain in next blog) and she must sleep inside in my room at night. well potty training if a little difficult, and she is just over a month old, so i get the pleasure of waking up several times a night to clean up after her. this morning i accidently stepped right in her pee. i love her, i love her, i love her...ugh.

It wasn´t so funny at the time..

...but now, at least I can laugh at several mishaps, circumstances, or some of the bad luck that has followed me around in Chile! This is definitely an experience! I wish there was even a better word than "experience." Sometimes it just doesnt seem to sum it up properly. Well, just to name a few of the incidents...

*to start off, let me remind you of the fact that I returned to Chile the same day as the earthquake here...

*which followed me to my region in the North where another earthquake hit less than 100 kilometers away! This time I was nervous!

*I have already been sick...twice

*it rarely rains here, especially once you go further into the Atacama Desert, but it has already rained 4 times and even hailed in my town! People over the age of 50 are saying that has never happened in Vallenar! So apparently at least not in the last fifty years! To top it off, I found out my new room has a roof issue....it leaks!

*in one of my schools, I have broken up fist fights in my classroom between third graders! Oh, and even when I try to break them up or get in between them they dont stop punching (on purpose??)....happened again today as a matter of fact.

*When I was talking to my students about how they need to use their brains, or how they have room in their brains, or just anything about their brains or minds, I was consistently using the wrong word in Spanish! brain/mind=mente mint=menta....oh just guess which one I was using until my friend corrected me! ¨You all have mints right? Well use them please!¨ No wonder they were confused....

*I am constantly, I mean constantly, tripping on the uneven sidewalks here. I wear my danskin clogs all the time, and let me tell you, they do not work well unless the ground is level! I swear Im going to twist my ankle next.

there are many more... ill think of them and add them later.

Even though some crap has happened (just the best word for some of it), I wouldnt trade my time here for anything. Yes, my kids might very well be the death of me, but Im enjoying them. Even as much as they fight and disrrupt my class every 5 seconds, they are still just kids. Some of which have already had some hard times and situations come about in their lives. Im here to help where I can, and in any way that I can.

I have learned patience here; to work within a system I dont always understand. For example, even when the line is going out the door, and they cant seem to have one otherdarn cashier, Vallenar is quaint in its simplicity. Im learning to find enjoyment and laugh at some of the things that drive me crazy. People here are always willing to help, and when they notice you are sad, they dont ignore it. There are so many great lessons to learn here, in a culture that is so foreign, yet with some outstanding qualities.