paisajes de la panamericana (viernes, 27 agosto)

I read for a little bit and then started working on my Spanish homework for my online class through EOD. My Spanish course is going well. This week I had to read a newspaper in Spanish, choose any article, and write a one page summary. I chose an article about the Mapuche people in Chile and the current hunger strike. They feel they are discriminated against by the government and not treated fairly because the government arrested 31 people for nonviolent protesting. My students saw me working on it and offered to help. When I was done writing, I let them proofread what I´d written. They were really good about correcting the mistakes I made and explaining the correct way to say things. It´s funny in some ways because I´m the English teacher and am helping them improve their English. Most are eager to learn English but lacked confidence to speak to me at first, but once they realized I won´t laugh at them for trying, they have been speaking English a lot more. They don´t realize that they´re teaching me a lot too. As a teacher, I´ve found that it helps a lot if the students know you can laugh at y our own mistakes and that I know I don´t know everything.

After I finished my Spanish homework I read more of ¨The House of Spirits,¨ which I am definitely enjoying. Then I talked to some of my students and got to know them better, and I talked to a choir student´s mom who had come with to chaperone. I moved to the back of the bus where Cristián, Juan, and some of the freshmen / sophomore students were playing the guitar and singing. They wanted to hear me sing something, but it was really hard to sing on the bus because it was pretty bumpy. It was fun anyway. After that I talked to some more students but then people started falling asleep. I was the last one up and read until about 2am before trying to sleep on the bus. I slept pretty well but woke up feeling a little sore because of sleeping in weird angles.

Earlier today we woke up and stopped in Vallenar at a truck stop to freshen up, change clothes, and buy snacks for the bus. The bathrooms at the truck stop had freezing cold water, but I was able to deal with it long enough to wash my face and wash my hair in the sink. Vallenar seemed like a pleasant enough town, nestled in-between green hills and a clear sky. Originally EOD had thought I´d be in either Caldera, Copiapó, or Vallenar. Although I only got a glimpse of the town as the bus drove past, I really feel like I could have been happy there as well. However I like Iquique and I´m here for a reason, and am definitely enjoying it.

The landscapes were gorgeous as we drove along. Near the Vallenar area, the landscape started getting more green as the Panamericana wove in and out of hills. Closer to Coquimbo, I was able to enjoy sparkling views of the Pacific. We drove through La Serena where I somehow managed to take some scenic pictures through the windows of the bus.

We arrived in Coquimbo, which is very hilly and reminded me in some ways of San Francisco, with its steep streets and views of the Pacific. The houses there are all bright colors, and there is a cheerful ambience to the town. The very center of Coquimbo is the peak of the hill, where a large cross is built.

As we drove towards the Methodist school where we were going to perform, the bus hit a car as it tried to make a right turn. That was kind of a hassle because the bus drivers had to get out and exchange information with the owner of the parked car it hit. Fortunately there was no damage to the bus and only a small scrape on the car. Our bus was huge and I can only imagine how difficult it must be trying to drive it.

We arrived at the Methodist school where we unloaded the instruments and set up for the concert. The school only had about 50 students of all ages. During the jazz band part of the program, the principal was dancing around which was entertaining to watch. The kids seemed to enjoy the music. The choir didn´t sing its best today, but we have lots of time to rehearse before the interscolar presentations later this week. Plus, everyone was tired and hadn´t slept especially well on the bus.

We ate lunch in the cafeteria (for me this consisted of rice and an orange). After that we took some pictures on the stairs of the college, loaded everything back onto the bus, and continued driving towards where we would stay at the campamento in El Tabo, which is an hour and a half south-east of the city.

We were all tired when we finally arrived in El Tabo around midnight. It reminded me a lot of church camp when I was in middle school. The campamento was in the middle of the woods, and there were different cabins with different rooms with bunk beds. I ended up in a room with three sophomore girls, all of whom are very nice. The bathrooms and showers were in a different building, and apparently it only has hot water in the mornings. I´d been craving a hot shower upon arriving since I´d spent two days on the bus, but I was thankful enough to collapse into bed, pull the warm covers over my head, and fall fast asleep.

written by  Sara Florecita on August 27, 2010 from Coquimbo, Chile
from the travel blog: año de dos inviernos (Chile 2010)
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