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It’s hard to believe we’re closing out our second week here in Chile. On Tuesday, Pixita and I had a very productive and interesting meeting with the leadership of Universidad Mayor. One of the (many) wonderful things about this program is the opportunity to exchange ideas, to not only find our commonalities but also learn from each other about how we can “borrow” ideas and best practices and incorporate them into our structures. A great example is the concept of “Umbral”, or what is also known as “Threshold Theory”, which ties into our long standing knowledge of theories such as Lev Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development and Steve Krashen’s Critical Input theory. Check out this amazing video for Umbral in daily classroom practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4buD-w9cj4 When I was a senior in high school my parents sent me to visit my Aunt Marion (dad’s sister) & Uncle Dick in Anaheim, California, home of the original Disneyland theme park. Of course they took me there for the day during my visit and I somehow got trapped on the ride "It's a Small World After All" for about 30 minutes. The ride malfunctioned and I was stuck listening to an endless creepily cheerful loop of the song "It's a Small World". If my recollections are accurate, I was one more chorus of It’s a Small World away from being wheeled out of that ride in a straight jacket. I'm happy to inform you that the song now only has positive associations for me (the title of this blog entry) as I think of how much we have shared and experienced since 2011 when Pixita first came to live in Chile with her family and work at U Mayor as a Fulbright fellow. How many lives have been changed and positively impacted over the past 8 years... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9YqCP_B7EU On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to meet with 1st year students enrolled in the English teacher program at U Mayor. They were bubbling with youthful energy and enthusiasm, if a little shy about their level of fluent English-speaking proficiency (which was excellent). We moved around small groups and from one very giggly group of young ladies I learned about the legend of the “Trauco” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trauco My Oh My. May the heavens save us all from the Trauco. Then again, I really want to meet this charming and seductive little sprite. The legendary Chilean hospitality was definitely on display today in our warm welcome to the home of Universidad Mayor student Valentina and her beautiful family. The food her family made was both plentiful and delicious. I tried Pastel del Choco for the first time, which is a type of corn cake with meat and other flavors. It is very time intensive to make and it was so flavorful https://www.nomadicchica.com/es/receta-pastel-de-choclo-cocina-chilena/ The desserts were also off the chain!!! A Tres Leches type-cake and a lemon meringue torte with a full on swiss meringue crust—that is very hard core and lets someone who knows that someone who really knows was doing the cooking. It was so nice for all of us to be welcomed into a Chilean home and eat so many traditional homemade dishes. Gracias Valentina and your beautiful mom and sisters. We are all very blessed in our small, small world.
6 Comments
Angela Patti
6/14/2019 12:51:26 pm
Thanks for another wonderful blog post, Raquel! The community/relationships of Buff State and UMayor teacher candidates and faculty are truly a beautiful thing. I wish I was there to share in that meal with you all - yum! By the way, when I was a little girl, I had a book of "It's a Small World" that played the song when you opened it up. It was one of my favorites and I played/read it over, and over, and over again! On a trip to California to visit family at the time of my 5th birthday, I got to go to Disneyland and was enchanted by that ride! We'll have to swap stories sometime. :)
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Raquel
6/14/2019 09:45:58 pm
Ange, you win the IPDS blog supporter of the year award. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment on ALL of our blogs. As you know, it is greatly appreciated, especially as the trip goes on and followers dwindle. We have had way too many weird song interactions recently for them to all be a coincidence. Hmmm, let's table this discussion for Terrace Time coming up soon :-)
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Kathy Doody
6/16/2019 09:56:37 am
I am mesmerized by the food photos. I love to cook and bake so I'm green with envy that you are privy to all of these cherished and multi-generational recipes. The food photos are so clear and vivid. It sounds like the trip has been wonderful. I can't wait to hear all about it upon your return. Glad it's all gone so well. We miss you and the group back home but are happy you are having these experiences!
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Raquel
6/16/2019 10:58:16 am
You would be in heaven here Kathy (as a cook and baker). Even in the restaurants, it's obvious much time and care goes into food prep and presentation. And we've met a lot of vegetarians (native Chileans), it seems to be a thing here. Pixita has had no problem finding numerous gluten and dairy-free options, the Universidad Mayor even has gluten-free vending machines scattered around campus (definitely want to steal that idea and bring it back to Buffalo). Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Valentina
6/18/2019 06:26:52 pm
I'm so glad you've enjoyed all the meals that my mother prepared, whenever you come to Chile and if you want to get some comfort food this is the place. Thank you for everything!
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Sharon Raimondi
6/18/2019 11:03:51 pm
Looks like you are having a wonderful time. Food, wine, friends, what more can one ask - memories forever!
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