Week II Semana del Colegio

So, Chile ended up tying the game with Venezuela and then lost to Brazil this Wednesday 2-4. On Saturday, Dave and I went to the Vega with Anthony, an Oblate who’s from England who lives at the house with us. The Vega is basically a giant farmer’s market in Santiago where a bunch of vendors set up shop. It’s very South American…people everywhere, buyers and sellers shouting prices back and forth, the smell of fresh fish, meat and fruits and vegetables. I wish we had one in Minnesota; everything’s fresh and reasonably priced. We bought a bunch or fruit, bread and fish for about $80. Not dirt cheap, but less than the supermarket.

On Sunday, Dave and I went for a walk up Cerro San Cristobal, a big hill just a few blocks behind our house, with two other Oblates, Anthony and Tote. The view of Santiago was spectacular, even though it was cloudy and a little rainy. It’s been rainy and cold this week, but it’s been sunny and warm the past couple of days. I actually got a little sun burnt.

Work at San Lorenzo is going fairly well. This week has been kind of screwy because it is the annual school celebration, so there were only classes on Mon and Tuesday. We helped in some of the English classes. I was surprised how many of the students have only a very basic understanding of English even though they are graduating soon. We have also been doing some monotonous work in the library. The Library just updated their computer system and all the books have to be recoded, so we’ve been spending a couple of long hours there every morning helping with that. We’ve also been doing Tutoria with the students…basically hanging out during the breaks between classes. I’ve been trying my best to remember the kids’ names, but it’s impossible and they like to taunt me by asking me what their names are in large groups all at once. There is one kindergarten girl, Valentina, who has taken a special liking to me and always finds me in between classes and follows me everywhere. The kids are great and very affectionate. Many of them come from very poor families. I didn’t quite realize how true this was until I went on a walk with one of the tutors from Tutoria and some other students to visit two homes of two San Lorenzo students in the neighborhood that needed their roofs repaired for rain. The purpose was to survey the houses in order to organize a group of volunteers to come and make the necessary repairs. Both houses were very small shacks with cardboard walls and bare bulbs hanging from the styrofoam ceilings. The one house was home to 4 kids and their mother and the other to a young girl and her grandparents. Students who attend San Lorenzo do not have to pay. The school is financed by donations and contributions from the Manquehue movement and the two other schools, San Benito and San Anselmo.

This week was San Lorenzo’s annual school celebration, so Wed thru Friday was all just fun and games and no classes. The students and staff were divided into three alliances, blue, yellow and red, and there were competitions between them ranging from everything from juggling to math to soccer, jump rope, singing songs in English, trivia and a bunch of other stuff. I was in the yellow alliance; Dave was in the red. I helped my group with the song in English (not singing, thank God) and I played soccer, reluctantly. I was the goalie and I spent the whole time playing in fear envisioning a 90 mph soccer ball blow to the face. Chileans, just like all South Americans and much of the rest of the world, are diehard soccer fans. Playing soccer seems to run in their blood. I’ve never been a soccer player and the last game I played was probably in middle school. Apparently I impressed them though, saving 3 goals and only allowing one to get by. It was all quite fun and seemed to promote good school spirit. The red alliance ended up winning, but yellow came in a close second.

Everyone gets this next week off for the Chilean Independence day celebration on the 18^th, so later today (Saturday) Dave and I and two or three Oblates are heading west to the coast for about 5 days for vacation. Sunday is my birthday, my second birthday spent in Chile. I’m excited to spend it near the ocean on vacation!

That’s all I got for now. ‘Till next time.