Postulación

I don't have the energy to form a cohesive post, so bear with me this time.

I have to start off by saying that the greatest part of my time recently has been dedicated to applying to college. That's called postulación in Spanish, and I am constantly explaining why I need the computer for another five hours --- "tengo que postular a universidades." I then have to explain why I have to do so much for what (for Chileans) is an incredibly easy task. Number one, here they don't apply to twelve colleges. Number two, they don't write 750 word essays for sholarships. And number three, they don't have to fill out incredibly long questionnaires with short essays. In Chile, students are classified based on family income. The poorest go to college for free, thanks to the government. The next levels get help, and once you get to my family (middle class, American standards), there's no help at all. Pedro goes free, mis hermanos don't.

In Etica (ethics) class yesterday we had a discussion about homosexuality. I was completely unique in my views. That is, homosexuality is a trait from birth, it doesn't ruin a child to have homosexual parents, it's existed since the beginning of time but only recently are we allowed to show it, etc.

Today I went at 8:30 to a public school nearby. I was accompanying two Thai professors as a translator. How, you may ask, did I happen to learn Thai? Well...
They're English teachers. I didn't learn Thai, although now I wish I could. They are here with AFS, as they're volunteers in Thailand. They, in a group of six, are visiting various cities in Chile in order to broaden their cultural views... Their English is excellent. At five thirty I've been invited to Onces with them and several other teachers.
In Thailand, things are... different. The school uniform consists of a well-below-the-knee skirt. Skirts like ours (not to mention shorts or even, God forbid, tank tops) are worn only by prostitutes. I might mention that they are both very nicely dressed, obviously conservatively, but fashionably so. Picture Ni if you know who that is. As for bathing suits... Long shorts, long sleeves, etc. (If only they could watch a couple of TV programs here. They might pass out.) They take off their shoes in homes as well as in school, where classes consist of up to 60 students and are taught with a microphone (how they control the students? Respect!)
Their trip to Chile was the first time they had ever kissed the cheek of a man who wasn't their husband. They were very funny, going around kissing all the little kids and giggling. When they greet new people, leave a room, or accept something (a pencil, a gift, anything handed to them), they make a small bow (just the head) with their hands together as if in prayer. Apparently, boyfriends do this too with girlfriends. Hand holding, kissing, and anything in between are strictly forbidden.
The Thai language consists not only of different sounds, but a different pronunciation. It's hard to explain, but some words end as though they are asked as questions and some words end ...down. I can't explain it too well, but it adds up to the language sounding like a song. Which reminds me. Bankok is the capital, but that's only the name given to it by foreigners. In Thai, it's the longest word in the world. Literally. It's so long that they've had to make it into a song to teach it to the kids. Look it up on YouTube... It's a beautiful really-long-word.
Anyhow, I spent all day translating for students and teachers alike. I'm exhausted. What I've learned: I can't speak in English. I don't understand why I'm able to write fluently, because when I speak it is literally like listening to a Chilean but with a really good accent. I get my grammer mixed up, can't stop saying Spanish words, and have to think think think before I can say anything. It's painful...

I'm going to have a Halloween party. With peanut butter brownies, chocolate chip cookies (if I can get chocolate chips...), and candy candy candy. I'm excited. I can't say excited with a straight face... here it means something else. Hahaha.

I've gone for the past two Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 to a government funded house which hosts free activities like yoga, painting, orchestra, etc. I've been going with a schoolmate to the orchestra rehearsals... It's a unique experience. If people here have a skill, they've pretty much figured it out themselves. Lessons are just too expensive. There are, in the "orchestra," about fifteen people from 12 to 25 and who play everything from violin to flute. The boy who's been taking me plays the viola, and has won numerous national competitions and quite a piece of money in the process. He's going to give me his old viola to practice... I'm scared.

If you go on Google Earth, you can see my school fairly easily. If you search San Fernando Chile, it's very close to the name on the map. The name is over the Plaza, and we're a block away from there.

I'm going on my feildtrip to the South in two weeks! And Saturday I'm going to a famous wine orchard, run by an infamous, filthy rich, and banned-from-the-USA arms dealer. I go for free since I'm with AFS. I get to go because I'm going to help out the Thai teachers...

I am dying of the athsmatic cough given so generously to me by the Primavera (Springtime).

This morning I was waiting for my brother and sister to get into the furgon with me (bus to school). Mamá asked me why I was waiting, and I told her I was delaying since the furgon has to be the least comfortable place in the world to sit. The seats are child sized and my back literally weeps for an hour in the morning and an hour at night. She suggested that I go to school by micro (big bus). I've been thinking about it all day. One one hand, she pays for the furgon and I don't want to seem ungrateful. On the other hand, I REALLY want to ride in the micro. Hrmm.

I took out my cartilage earring, Daddy. It was for an x-ray of my back (when I learned that I'm dying of scoliosis!!) and I forgot to put it back in and now the hole is closed. Smile!

I'm writing an English textbook. I do not understand for the life of me what the writers of Chilean English textbooks have in place of brains. The textbooks are not organized in a way that will ever get anyone anywhere.
I have learned Spanish by having on hand a list of conjugated verbs with their explanations and a dictionary. I don't understand why these kids are learning to put sentences in passive form when they don't even understand how verbs are conjugated.

I went to a movie theatre last weekend in Rancagua. That's about 45 minutes away in train (we went by train, came back by bus). We left in the morning, spent about five hours doing very little (street fair, mall, fast food, arcade, supermarket, card games). We saw Final Destination IV and it sucked.... What a dumb movie. But it was entertaining in that sometimes English jokes (it had Spanish subs) don't translate at all. So I understood all of the stupid things and was pretty much alone when I laughed at a reference to MILFs. It was gorey, action-ey, and horribly acted. But hey, I enjoyed getting out.

I am going to Onces now...
Much love to all
Take care,
Emily