Hola People, Work is going fairly well, I've now got my full schedule sorted out now, It's really full on MON-WED-FRI with only one class in the morning on tuesday. So any T day is fairly freeish for other things (and preperation for the other classes- which will get smaller as I go) So that's all working out well. In my new classes I got yesterday one of the students looked like Ronaldo, and in the other he looked like a friend of mine back home (Just like Mat Hooper, I'm not kidding- Hola Mat if your reading this). I have about 19.5 teaching hours a week, which will provide me with more that enough money to survive. God is very good to me. This weekend was good times, starting with Friday nite I went to the new pirates of the caribbeen movie (With Becka's crew and some others too). It got abit random in the end but I won't spoil it for anyone who is planning on seeing it. I'll give it ***, I thought there was enough subject material in the carribean to not have to make up some random stuff, anyway...Saturday was full on, I went to a Youth thing with Omar, Valentina, Nadia, and Pedro from church (Ignacio and Leslie were there as well)in Maipu (on the western side of the city). It was good times, trying to sing along to the songs and stuff. Omar gave a talk as well. We then played this crazy game (I kind of got the rules when people around me tryed to explain- I think I might try this game in NZ some time) It involved having two circles of the same number of people, you having a partner in the other circle, and when the music played the circles would spin around and arond- And when the music stopped you had to sit down with your partner. After the talk everyone had lunch together- Some Asian cuisene. I let Pedro play around with my camera, he really liked to take videos. So I had an official cameraman. After that I played futból with the guys from church (Ignacio told me that by the time I go back i'll be like Maradonna (we'll see ha ha) And I stayed the night with the Ramos' family. Sunday was cool, Church as per usual, then a big lunch afterwards. The old couple from next door came for the second time which was cool. The Old man (He's like 93, but full of life) was telling these stories about something, going on and on. I could hardly understand him but he was getting afew laughs from the others, and I think not understanding him was even funnier. He also makes some mean Empanadas. Next week i'm visiting another family for lunch. Anyway that's my news for the last few days. Here's a few pics:
The random game on Saturday
One of the cooks in a brilliant outfit
I was going to put more photos in but blogspot has some issues right now.
Hola Amigos, well It's been close to a week since I out something up, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so slack.Anyway, What has happened lately? Well, to tell you the truth, it's been fairly chilled out lately, just work, work and other stuff.So here's a brief recap before getting onto details: Wednesday nite: went for a run in the rain in the dead of night- dodging spray from vehicules etc. (Ivé really been enjoying pretending i'm fit... it's a good way to familarise myself with the surroundings) Thursday: Chilled and prepared for work, and ate Pizza with Becka and some of her friends (I must have done more...) Friday: My student arrived for the early (7:30) class in the morning, and I taught my other class, after that I relaxed, visted Omar and his Mom who was visiting (and had a conversation with her for like an hour in spanish- yes!) went to a Ping-pong championship at Wooodward Language inst. (where I do exchanges) and went bowling at Gringolandia (a big mall in Las Condes, i'll tell you more later*) Saturday: Ventured to another muy grande mall in Las Condes (I went by Micro, you know, the yellow crazy buses) to hopefully buy some stuff to make a shelf and fix the gap on the edge of my window, see below for more**. So I did that and lesson preperation. Sunday: Church and lunch with one of the familys (the same family as two weeks ago, (I can't spell their last name) but in a different location- I'm not excatly clear which is their home but i'm leaning towords the later). Good times definitly. Next week it's gonna be a church luncheon or something i've heard (but when I say heard, don't take it for granted that I heard correct) And a little lesson preperation.And today I had one class in the morning and I'm getting ready for some new classes I have tommorow, both off site *GINGOLANIDA
Anyway, I was at Woodward Inst. for their every-so-often table tennis championship (for the record I got to the second round, but failed to beat a Chilean girl (whos coming to New Zealand) who was wearing high heels) and chilling with the people there, and then I got a call from Becka saying I should come bowling with some of the people frokm her apartment, and that they were going to a alley in Las Condes. So I got the name of the place and what time, thinking it should be all sweet. But after leaving woodward I started to wonder if I woluld even find the place (I didn't have my map on me and, ummm.... what was the mall called again?) so I started walking towards Kennedy Av. because I was pretty sure that was the big mall street. So I eventually found it, with prayer (I was kinda laughing at how mad I was- running off in the dark with only a clue where this pace was) and by guessing were the people with shopping bags came from (i'll back the former) I made it to a mall- but was it the right one?- so I found a security guy, and I asked him in perfect spanish "where is the (I did some brilliant charades)" Dude was helpful as and pointed the way. But lo and behold Becka and the crew wern't there yet. but I was just on time so I waited, got a drink, and amazingly didn't feel extremly out of place (I wasn't the only one in the room without dark hair/eyes, It seemed strangly surreal. I felt like I was in some big mall in New Zealand (actually, it was too big for new zealand, lets say America instead) so I was hopeing that no-one would asume that I was some rich kid from out there and start talking spanish to me and then I'd look kinda stupid) I also had a freaked out feeling that they were at another mall that had an alley as well. But they arrived, we eventullay got a lane, and had a good time. But I'm serious that place was gringolandia to the extreme! I wish I took my camera. Madness.
*GRINGOLANDIA IION saturday I had some home-handy-man ambitions for my room: a shelf, and some "no more gaps TM" to fill up the gap on the edge of the window. so after getting some micro numbers from Becka the night before,I headed off into the unknown... ALTO LAS CONDES! (a different mall) so that was pretty straight forward. I walked around the 4 story mall for awhile, stumbled across a massive jumbo were i found some hair wax (I looked all though the pharmacies in Provi and couln't find any) and a rubgy ball (for 4,000 pesos- about 12 bucks) which was cool. The home-depotish kinda store had shelves that were too expensive, no obvious place to buy just a little bit of wood, but they did have some kind of no more gap stuff. So, with a huge sense of pride in my homehandyman skills, I filled it up... and here's the proof: and the view up my nostrils.
Well at least the proof I bought the gear.
And a pick of the beautiful Andes (I still get a buzz looking at them)
And Saturday marked my 1 month anniversary of arriving here. 1 down 11 to go...
And here's a video tour of my apartment (very low tech, in the future videos will feature flashy effects and hitting soundtracks)
It has been brought to my attention that there is another site with a very similar name
nathan.sinclair.blogspot.com which isn't at all afillianted with this site.
And don't bother looking at it, unless you really weant to read about the stuggles of someone with a cool name.
P.S I was meaning to post a blog today, but the computer i'm on doesn't have a CD drive (I now write my blogs from the comfort of my own room, and hopefull I'll be able to put a viedo on the net sometime soon)
Hola Amigos,well, I’m a working man now, how about that. I started my employment at Bridge Linguitec on Monday with one class- Three guys from a technology company (yes i'm teaching business English- I can't wait till one of my students ask me what business background 'ummm... warehousing?')anyway so that’s going well. I've only taught three classes so far, and one of them was a no show by the student (I still get payed if they confirmed their lesson- but i had to be at work for his 7:30 lesson- and stay there the whole duration of the class) But I had a class after so I only lost sleep. The plan is to slowly pick up new classes as the weeks progress, until I get a full schedule. In weather news it has been pouring down for a few days now. Ever since it has been raining there has been a proliferation of umbrella sellers on the roads peddling their wares, shouting out something like "para agua! para agua!" (I think that’s what their saying (lit. for water). I love all the stuff people sell on the streets, it's kinda like your walking in a market in some places. I wonder if these same people will come out with something different when the rain stops.
On the fashion front I purchased some trousers, a shirt and a tie to expand my business wardrobe. It had been one of my fears that my students would quickly find out i'm a two shirt, two ties and one suit man. Now they will eventually find out i'm a three shirt, three ties, one suit and an extra pair of trousers man! I'll keep you posted on further developments.
In my free time I’ve been trying to learn abit of Spanish. Well for 'practice' I sometimes on the TV and soak up the language. The only problem is that we have cable in the apartment. So suprise suprise i'm inclined to watch friends with Spanish subtitles instead of one of one of the million chilean dramas they have on. I've found 'los Simpsons' pretty good value but I'm looking for a kiddies program that isn't just slapstick comedy with no dialogue. At least the rugby is in Spanish.
To finish here are some things that have made me feel almost at home:
Sitting in the e-cafe and hearing crowded house on the radio Watching the rugby, and seeing Fitzy give a preview of the tri-nations Watching touch on my first weekend here (To prepare for next season i've started to get fit-amazing!-by going for a run sometimes. Bring on September!) Playing football with the church, and thinking that one of the guys looks like Temerua Morrison
Well, not that busy, but it felt 'flat outish' to me. Thats my lame excuse for not putting up a post in the last few days. I've just finished training at Bridge Linguitec (blinguitec for short from now on) which was a relielf. They have quite a system, it's a very concrete curiculum, which isn't all bad- but i'm not sure how i'll find doing it day in day out. One quite funny thing from the training was working with the movie. In many of the classes you use this video with it's dialouge/images etc. to teach the class. Anyway this movie is kinda ancient (ancient may be to strong a word-It was made in the early '80's , yep, ancient fits) but I can see how it works. (Fourtunatly in the latter class they use 'real movies' for the dialogue- your've got mail, as good as it gets and some others) The school pretty much caters for buisness clients only- which could be interesting.
I started doing some swaps with Woodward inst. on tuesday. I really dig the vibe in that place, and they have a real simple, easy to prepare cirriculum which is real good. I thaught on both tue and thur, with a spanish class after each one.
anyway here's some photos- with a little commentary
This is my room in the apartment: Exciting aye. It's, um... small and its got a view of the andes (heaps of snow on them this morning, what a view)
Here's some skyscrapers in Las Condes, one of the flasher parts of town.
Felipe (from my apartment) with one of the kids from church- At a familys place for lunch on Sunday (on the 16th floor of an apartment- I was loving it)
The view from the west in the apartment: towards Santiago central
And with some of the Church.
Also yesterday I picked up my ID card which was brilliant. It has everything, including a fingerprint- Very official.
Go the All Blacks,
Chao Amigos
(PS no spell check/proof read was used in the making of this document)
Hola Amigos, Well where should I start... The last few days have been 'busyish' but chilled out as well. I've just started on my job search this week, with a few quite positive results, with prospects in many places;I'm going to some training sessions this week for one company, i'm not sure if I should commit to them, I think that there is better compaines/jobs out there and if I commit then I'm stuck with second best. But the boss is keen to have me on the team so I can't count them out.On thursday I visited a few language schools in one of the richer "comunas" Las Condes, which went pretty well. I've found that the list of schools I'm searching with is abit outdated- like some buildings have even been demolished, it seems like a 50% strike rate... anyway I went by a school owned by a Kiwi, so I had a chat to him about work, but unfourtunatly they don't have work for me right now but they have offered me lesson swaps: One english lesson for a spanish one. So i'm meeting up with him on monday (He aslo gave me pointers on what other school are good- his competitors- and that I may have work at an english expo coming up... i'll keep you all posted.But in one of the funnier 'job prospects' is this, One of the guys from the party last friday came for dinner on sunday night at my apartment. And when he heard that I needed worked he lined me up with an extras agency. So I wnet there, got my photo taken etc. So I might turn up on an advert or something in Chile maybe... hahahahaha, we'll see. As well I vivited the Charles family on wednesday night. Mike works with the anglican bible college over here and they´re origionally from Aussie. It was good times chatting about chilean stuff and more- a cool family. And after not so popular demand heres some more photos of people (i'm still trying to shake my 'don't take photos unless you want to look super gringo'mentality, so my choices were still limited)
Here's a beautiful picture of me eating a healthy "completo" hot dog style thing (so cheap to make, with so many calories)
Here I am playing a random game with some of the boys at youth group last night
Some others from youth group... And me all dressed up, extremely tried from walking all around Providencia yesterday handing out my C.V- in the lounge of my apartment.
