¿No español? ~ Kali Rogers

I arrived in Concepcion, Chile, on May 13, 2017, at 2:20 pm after 3 flights totaling in 4,791 miles south of my home in Baton Rouge. I am the first of my family to travel outside of the United States. I’ve always wanted to travel and see the world, but I never imagined I would be doing it with strangers. Before I knew it, it was time for me to journey into the unknown. My parents were nervous about me leaving the country, but I was nervous about my host family liking me. Thinking about it, choosing to live with complete strangers whom I have never met and only conversed with via text a handful of times is crazy. But, I’m doing it, and it is the best experience I’ve ever had.

Ivania, my host sister, at the airport for pickup!

My host family are some of the sweetest people I know. When I arrived, a lunch was prepared are waiting which included pork ribs and potatoes (aka taters). In my profile description, I made sure to include that I love potatoes. In fact, I said “I love potatoes” 4 times. I was thrilled when I saw the potatoes. I literally said, “Oh my gosh, potatoes!” This was the first clue that I was going have a great host family. By now, my family understands my love for potatoes, and they accept it. Haha Ian, 24, Pablo, 19, and Ivania, 14, all have busy schedules, so I fit right in. My host father, Mr. Lohen, always asks me about my day and experiences as if I am one of his own. So far, they have used half of the Tony Chachere’s that I brought. Everyone in the family loves it! I have taught them to use it on everything, as do I. The food here is delicious. I have had Chilean versions of beef stew, chicken noodle soup, pork ribs, fish patties, fried bananas, potatoes and mayonnaise, tomatoes and onions, and sopaipillas. Apparently it is not common to eat honey with sopaipillas? I asked for honey and everyone looked at me like I was crazy. I made them try it, and of course, they liked it. 😊 Lunch is not served at school here in Concepcion. Typically, students have a snack during the school day and eat lunch around 3 o’clock at their home or in the school ‘casino’ (lunchroom) if they have after school activities. At night, it is common to have ‘once’ which consists of having bread with coffee or tea for supper around 9 o’clock. However, I was starving by this time and needed extra bread to tide me over. Ha

I went on a field trip with my 5th grade class to the University of Concepcion.
Their  tower reminded me of LSU's tower.

"Let's live in the art."

Pop-up Farmer's Market

Chilean Chicken Noodle Soup (I think)      

After several blank stares and long silent pauses from students, the common question of the week has been “¿no español?” as I reply with, “¡Inglés!” I never understood how difficult it is to communicate with others that speak a different language. I always thought that I could somewhat decipher what was being said... umm that is not the case. A wave and ‘sí’ is my go-to word because I have absolutely no idea what is being said most of the time. My favorite class is 5^th grade history, geography, ethics, organization, and art with Professor Mora. Here, students in grade 7 and below stay in the same classroom while teachers rotate. In 8th grade, students begin to change classes as teachers stay put. Professor Mora does a great job of trying to communicating with me whether that is through simple words or google translate. Professor Mora does not know English, and I do not know Spanish. This causes for lots of laughs and google translate conversations. Next Thursday I will be teaching a lesson on American Pop Artists. I will create the lesson in English, and Prof. Mora will translate the material before class for the students. Many of the students understand English and can hold a small conversation. There is typically one student in the class who is proficient in English. He/she usually becomes the translator. I am impressed with the amount of hands on activities and technology that is incorporated into the instruction. In 5th grade these students are already giving 10 minute presentations on a topic of their choosing. The students here are given a lot of freedom. This is one of my favorite aspects about school in Concepcion. They are allowed to be unique, explore, create, and discuss freely.
  

On the right is a photo of Professor Mora and I. I am checking students homework as he helps me read the answers in Spanish. 

On the left is a picture of an after school activity held for parents and students. It is similar to embroidery except with yarn.