En exactamente dos semanas de hoy estaré en Santiago

I also found out my regional placement, which is Tarapacá. The Tarapacá region is located in the northern part of Chile. Although I don't know which specific town or city I'll be teaching in, I was able to do some research of the area. Part of it is along the Pacific Ocean, part in the Atacama Desert, and part is in the Andes. There are several national parks and outdoor activities in Tarapacá. No matter where I'll be assigned to, it'll be a short bus ride to Iquique, a coastal city with beautiful views.

It was a huge surprise when I found out I'm going to Tarapacá (Region I). All along I'd thought I'd be in Region III in either Copiapó, El Salvador, Caldera, or Vallenar. I read a lot about those four cities, and was hoping I'd be in Copiapó (large mining town) or Caldera (small port / fishing town). I didn't even know the program offered teaching jobs in Tarapacá, nonetheless that it even existed.

Upon finding out, I looked up information about it online, and when I saw where it was and pictures of places in the region, I got really excited. There are alpacas there! Although they're rather awkward-looking creatures, I think they're pretty cute. And the cacti!! I LOVE those spikey succulents!

I do hope that I get placed in a larger city instead of a small town (I've always loved being in large cities and someday plan on moving to a major city), but even if it is a small town, I can practice my Spanish and meet lots of people. Not to mention that we end up in certain places for a reason. I'm keeping an open mind to this experience, and I know I'll learn a tremendous amount of new things.

As for the practical details, I still need to try to fit everything from my list of clothes, books, shoes, etc.. into my suitcase to make sure it fits and I don't need to invest in a slightly larger suitcase. The thing is, I don't want to bring too much stuff and would prefer to travel on the lighter side. My green suitcase is large enough I think everything should fit okay, but small enough that it can be considered a carry-on bag according to American Airlines. Plus, it has wheels and an expandable zippered section so if I buy things in Chile I'll be able to have room for them in the suitcase to bring back home to the States.

During 3rd shift last night--technically this morning--I finished Unit 13 of my TEFL course, which I am determined to finish before departing for Chile. So far I've been enjoying the course a lot, but last night I couldn't really "get into" it. Not when the whole lesson focused on phonetics. Ugh. I couldn't even stand that stuff when I was a kid in school. I guess that speaking is one of those things you don't think about, and when you actually do think about it (which syllables are stressed, intonation patterns, etc) it just boggles your brain. At any rate, I am glad Unit 13 is over, and I hope that the following ones will not focus on phonetics. But even if they do, that's okay...because soon I'll be enjoying the warm Chilean sun, Andean peaks, and the brilliant blue Pacific.

written by  Sara Florecita on July 9, 2010 from Rock Island, United States
from the travel blog: año de dos inviernos (Chile 2010)
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