Week 6

Week Six
Kelsey Lewis:
This week we had our first group vacation in Chile. We all met at the school and got on the bus for the short scenic ride to Vina del Mar. We were all so happy to be back by the beach! It had been six weeks since we had seen the ocean and it was so nice. The familiar smell of seaweed and salt lingered in the air and there were seagulls everywhere. We stayed in a nice hotel very near the ocean and all had lunch together that first day. We then took the scenic route around town, walking along the waters edge. We also got to see a clock made entirely of fresh flowers! The weather was a little cold, but it was still a great day.

After our walk around town, we returned to the hotel and got ready for dinner. We all went to a Chinese buffet, which was good but a little rough on the stomach. After dinner, some of us trekked to the local casino for a little gambling. Only a few people got lucky and the rest of us just watched. The next day, we awoke early and had breakfast at the hotel; the ham, cheese and butter sandwiches were very interesting. We took a bus to the next town over called Valparaíso. We got to ride an ascensor (elevator) that was different from any elevator we had ever seen! It was like walking into a small room made entirely of dark wood. The ascensor rises up the side of a small hill. There was a great view of Valparaíso and Vina del Mar from the top of the hill. We explored a little art fair and then took the stairs back down to the town plaza. The descent down the hill exposed us to walls covered in all sorts of graffiti art.

While in Valpo we were able to tour Pablo Neruda’s home. We had visited his home in Santiago that week too. His houses are very unique and interesting. The drive to the house and back down gave us a very good view of the streets of Valparaíso. The houses are varieties of bright colors and very beautiful. We ended the trip with a group lunch at a seaside restaurant. On our way home, some people got dropped back off in Vina del Mar to start of the week of spring break. Everyone else returned to Santiago. For the break, some people are going to Peru, some to Uruguay, some to Argentina, and others are traveling throughout Chile. It will be weird not seeing everyone for a week, but it will be wonderful when we are reunited and can share the stories of our adventures!
October 27, 2009 3:03 PM
anaisinelconosur said...

Week Six
By Jamie Cisar:
Thursday we had a day of service learning at el Jardin de Ninos. It is a daycare for children from low income families. The entire experience was extremely fulfilling. We left the school at 9 a.m. We were all full of anticipation, as we did not know what we were going to be doing as volunteers. As Carlos led us to the outskirts of Santiago, we were able to see our first glimpse of the landscape of Chile. It is quite similar to the agriculture and landscape of California, as there are vineyards and common landscape—such as poppies, prickly pear cacti, and eucalyptus trees—throughout the countryside. The ride passed quickly and soon enough we arrived at el Jardin de Ninos.

Personally, I was extremely nervous before interacting with the kids because I do not have much experience around younger children, but I surprised myself as I had a really meaningful experience. Even though I fell in love with a few children—and honestly wanted to adopt this one particular four year-old girl—I also had a rare encounter with a seemingly distressed young girl. As I tried to cheer her up by placing her on my lap and giving her a horse jiggle, I felt something warm spread across my entire femur on my right leg. I continued to try to speak to her in Spanish and make her smile until I realized I should get up and play with another, more willing, child, which would hopefully motivate her to play with us. As I took her off of my lap, I looked down to see that my pants were soaked with a familiar smelling liquid. At first, I could not believe she would just go around peeing on people, until I realized I probably caused her to pee by giving her a horse lap ride by jiggling my leg. One of the women who worked at el Jardin de Ninos changed her clothes and told her not to pee on anyone again, but that instead she should ask to use the bathroom. After she did what she needed to do, her mood improved considerably as she was laughing and playing the rest of the day. I found other children to play with and became increasingly exhausted as the day progressed. Because of the children’s high energy, the group seemed to take shifts with play time. Half of us played with the kids until we became tired, while the other half prepared food. This routine continued for most of the day.

We played an organized balloon food eating contest with the children, prepared food for them and ate with them, and played individually with them. The day went by quickly and before we knew it, they were giving us a hand-signed thank you card before we had to leave. All of us were happy to spend the day with these balls of energy and found it extremely rewarding to interact with such innocent and lively children.
October 27, 2009 3:04 PM