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For our final week in Chile we visited the elementary schools again. I went back to República de Siria with Ben and Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna with Daniela. Our last field placement was cancelled because the teachers in that school were on strike. When the teachers are on strike they send a notice home to the parents to let them know ahead of time that there will be no school that day and to make other arrangements. This happens fairly often because teachers are unhappy with the working conditions and changes to the curriculum. One hot topic right now is that history and physical education are being taken out of the high school curriculum and made electives. In addition our friend Fernanda calculated that in USD teachers in Chilean public schools make about $13,000 per year. The teachers also have to work much longer hours because the school days may not end until 4:30 or 5. The teachers in Chile earn less than you could earn working full time at McDonalds here in the States!
On Thursday we had a farewell gathering at U Mayor. Many of the students who went to Buffalo were there as well as some students we met over the course of the trip. Some U Mayor faculty were also there. It was a full room and there weren’t enough seats for everyone. We talked about our experiences in Chile and what we will miss the most. Then the students who helped with our visit were given a gift from the English Pedagogy program and everyone in our cohort received a poster of the different regions of Chile. I am going to get it framed! As a surprise the U Mayor students made a PowerPoint presentation to music with pictures from our trip. I was tearing up watching it. I am so incredibly thankful for the partnership we have with U Mayor. The relationships we created with the students there was the greatest part of the trip. I look forward to being friends for many years to come and hopefully seeing them again soon! A few of the U Mayor students were talking about coming to the states for NAPDS in February. I hope that works out because I would love a reunion! After the meeting we went to Tiare’s house. It took us an hour and a half to get there by public transportation, but it was well worth it because she has a beautiful home and her mother made us a lot of different food. Her mother was so sweet and kind to us! It was also great to get together for one last hoorah! On Friday we had our last day at ECELA where we received our certificates. Then Abby, Karly, Krista, Krista’s daughter Lianne, and I went horseback riding in the Andes. I had never ridden a horse alone before but it was a lot of fun. When we got to the top of the mountain there was a barbeque waiting for us. They had choripan (Chilean sausage), chicken wings, steak, grilled veggies, corn, and rice. The food was amazing and the views were spectacular. We rode our horses down the hill in the pitch black. The guides said that we had to trust our horses. The horse was literally my ride or die! ;-) Horseback riding was definitely my favorite excursion on the whole trip. On Saturday, our last day in Chile, we went to San Cristobal Hill with Ben, Fernanda, and Paul. At the top of the hill is a giant statue of the Virgin Mary and a view of the whole city. We took a cable car up and down. Unfortunately the air was a bit hazy because of the smog, but it was a must do while we were still in Santiago! We got picked up from our apartment at 7 PM and headed to the airport. We had three flights again. The first to Lima, Peru, the second to Panama City, Panama, and the last to Toronto. Our layover in Panama City was ten hours long so Dr. del Prado found someone to give us a driving tour of the city. We were able to see different places and it was a relaxing thing to do because we were all very tired! I can’t believe these incredible three weeks in Chile are over! In my next blog post I will reflect on my experiences as a whole now that I am home in Buffalo.
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1/23/2024 03:19:31 pm
Buenos días señor / señora,
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Author¡Hola! My name is Kelly and I am an undergraduate student studying elementary education at Buffalo State. This is the first time I will be traveling outside the United States and Canada. I am very excited about the opportunity to learn more about Chilean culture, work with English language learners, improve my Spanish skills, and conduct research! I hope you’ll enjoy reading about my Chilean adventures! ArchivesCategories |