¡Vamos! by Lindsay North

¡Vamos! (or Let's go!) is a phrase I heard a lot during my second week here in Chile: the land of great adventure and even greater people. As a testament to how much fun has been had this week, time has flown by so fast I haven't been able to process everything I've done since I was always onto the next activity. So, I'll be doing that here on this blog. 

To begin, this was a week of many firsts: first time being in a mine, first time going in a hot spring, and first time looking inside of dead bodies. No worries, that last one isn't what you think... read on to find out what I mean. 

The festivities began Tuesday morning when our group went downtown to visit the Universidad de Concepcion. This consisted of a bell tower, lots of beautiful architecture, and some brilliant pieces of art. The campus was influenced by Berkeley in the U.S. but still felt very different without dorms and with students selling sandwiches, juice, and truffles on the sidewalk. Also, like everywhere in Chile, there were a ton of stray dogs and I doubt that would last at LSU without someone adopting them or sending them to the pound.  

The days after this only get progressively more exciting! For example, on Wednesday we arrived in our athletic gear to take a bus to an inactive mine called Chiflon Del Diablo or "The Breath of the Devil". What I was expecting was to trek down into a cave filled with dirt accompanied by a single light from my hard hat. What I was not expecting was to have an emotional insight brought on by the tour guide, a miner with a lifetime of experience. 
I will try to recreate for you the same picture he painted for us. Imagine you're back in 1910, about 80 feet underground where you couldn't light a candle or a match because the air is flammable and you could set off an explosion. So, you are in pitch black darkness, basically like you are blind, and the only thing you can do is sit and wait for someone to find you. They were warriors, the tour guide said, and even though he was never able to go to professional schooling he's learned a lot about living and being happy where you are with what you have. I believe everything happens for a reason and that I heard this miner's life story to give me the perspective I needed while creating mine. 

The next day, I did some actual learning at a real-life bodies exhibit that recently came in town. At first, the idea of seeing dead bodies that have been plasticized for museum exhibits grossed me out a bit. However, seeing them in person was not so bad and was in fact an eye-opening experience in how complicated, strong, and fragile a body can be all at the same time. In my opinion, this was art. 

When I got back to school, I used my own beautiful and live brain to lead a professional discussion of addressing problem behaviors seen in the classroom. I would say it went pretty well and brought together the many different viewpoints from teachers, counselors, psychologists, and special educators. So, all in all, Thursday was a pretty cool day.

The last but definitely not least activity of the week was the hot springs and markets in Chillan. Being in the hot springs was amazing since they provided me with some much needed relaxation, as well as a beautiful view of nature in the Andes mountains. Also, I got to experience this with my favorite special ed teacher! 

So, for those of you that stayed with me until the end of this bless you and I hope you enjoyed reliving these memories with me :) Before coming here, I did not realize how many different and wonderful things I would be able to do and see. Also, I never thought I'd make such fast bonds with people who speak a different language than me and even with those that do. So far, I've met so many different personalities and to me they are all so special and serve their own purpose which is beautiful. What is also beautiful is this country and I encourage anyone who gets the chance to come here to do so and explore! My school and my host family have been so generous in giving me chances to experience as much as I can while I am here in this program and for that I will be eternally grateful. However, in the end it really isn't as much where you are as it is who you're with and I have been truly blessed to be accompanied by some amazing souls :)