My Last Days in Paradise By: Madison Liggio

My weekend was wonderful. The details about my Friday adventures are on my last blog(I also have pictures from this day on my second blog). On Saturday, the family and I went into Talachano to have lunch. I also saw the Pacific Ocean; it was beautiful!!! The restaurant was seafood and the crab dish I got and shrimp empanadas were amazing. After lunch, the family and I looked around at the souvenir shops. The host family got me my favorite souvenir, which is a puff ball keychain because I like to pretend I am a cat by swatting it (I know this is really weird). That night the family cooked me BBQ and Valee invited over some of her friends. I also tried a drink called the earthquake, which had pineapple ice cream in it; it was surprisingly really good. I gave my host family their last gift(a book about New Orleans and I translated each page), which they really enjoyed!!! On Sunday, my host dad had to work :(. The rest of the family and I went to the Huascar ship, but first, we went to get lunch because the road was closed. We decided on Johny Rockets, an old-time diner/ hamburger joint. The food was amazing and I had a Vanilla diet coke. For dessert, I got a mint chip popsicle covered in chocolate at Palettas. The Huascar was very cool. I loved looking at the inside of the ship, but more importantly, the many funny and serious pictures that the family took on the boat. Overall, this weekend was one for the books.

My delicious dinner- shrimp risotto

A picture of myself and the Pacific

My host family and I

Johny Rockets, a hamburger joint

My host family, minus the dad, on the Huascar

I insisted on taking a dramtic photo-here it is

City of Talcahuano

On Monday, the majority of the group, including myself, went to a juvenile prison. I had never been inside of any type of jail or correction center, so the opportunity to go inside one was amazing. The talk that my group and I had with a group of seven boys was also fun and interesting. They were mainly interested with hurricanes. At one point, one of the boys asked, "Do you feel the ground shaking?" For one thing, the words ground and shaking should never be in the same sentence. Immediately after the boy said this, I did feel the ground shaking and knew that I was experiencing my first tremor(in Chile, anything that is below a 5 is called a tremor). My first reaction was to stay calm and stay in one position, but everyone was shouting "get out of the house," so I obeyed. It ended really quickly though, and we were soon back to continuing our conversation. We weren't allowed to bring our phones, so I have no photos of the place or experience. For dinner, we had sushi again, as well as champagne.

On Tuesday, the group went to a school near Concepcion to plant trees as part of the coastal roots project. The city had recently been devastated by forest fires that occurred in January. The school itself was very small, with only one classroom that housed grades kindergarten to sixth for eleven students. The planting itself was wonderful, and I am so grateful that we were able to give back to a city that had recently sustained damage. The kids were fun to interact with, and I could tell that everyone who participated was having fun. After school, Valee and I went downtown to look for souvenirs for my family. Here in Chile, they have galleries, which has shop after shop. I had fun with Valee exploring more of downtown and shopping until we dropped. At dinner, I tried sopapilla, which is a type of sweet bread. The family gave me a keychain. This was so sweet of them and, once again, I am reminded of how grateful I am for them and their willingness to host me.

Tree planning 

Erika and I with our ninas for tree planting 

Just some girls and their plant

Impromptu stop to see a river

Myself at the square in downtown Concepción 

On Wednesday, I was back at the Huertos school all day. I was happy to be back with my teacher and to interact with the students again. It was also bittersweet because I was happy to be back at the school, but I also knew that it was my last full day there. At the end of the school day, the teacher played the see you later alligator song. At this moment, I realized how close Friday was and how much I wanted the days to slow down so I could have more time with them. For dinner, all of the teachers and student participants, as well as the directors and principle of the school, got together to honor each other. It was so much fun to spend the night laughing and making great memories with the many amazing people I have meet on this trip. My teacher gave me a gift, which was chilean coasters. In return, I gave her a thank you letter and a certificate(the certificate was made by Kenny). I am so thankful that I got paired up with Carolina Mella, and I know I will be a better teacher and person due to this program

Two students presenting the chicos and chicas they colored

The teacher I paired with, Carolina Mella, and I

Thursday was a very busy day. I first started in the classroom like normal. Next, the group and I attended a barbecue. This event was so much fun and included karaoke and dancing till my feet hurt. The group also got the pleasure of witnessing two traditional Chilean dances; one was a dance from Easter Island and the other one was the Quaker (really hope I spelled this right). The principle then surprised the group with a gift for each of us, which I thought was very sweet of him. The next event was the school's fifth annual English song festival. This event included students from the school and neighboring schools singing songs in English; most were quite good. The last event of the night was a cocktail party for the families and the student participants put on by the PTA. At the cocktail party, I gave my host family another gift, which was a photo and a letter. The school also gave us a gift, which was a picture frame. The family waited to read my letter at dinner and followed with a bunch of hugs and kisses. The family then gave me their final two gifts, A mug with a picture of us on it and a framed picture of us. The waterworks flowed when I saw the mug, and I knew that finally saying goodbye tomorrow would be so hard. 

Karaoke fun-singing song Boogie Shoes

Easter Island dance

The Quaker

5th Annual English Songfest

My host family and I  at the cocktail party

It is truly crazy to think that my time in Concepción has come to a close. The trip went by way to fast, and I find myself wanting to stay for a few more weeks(sorry Mom, Dad, and Kelsey). The people I meet on this trip and the experiences that I have made with them and my family will forever be remembered and cherished. It is also crazy to think that most of the people on the trip started off as strangers but quickly become my friends and are people that I hope to keep in contact with. The same goes for my host family. They have been so gracious toward me and have become a part of my family. I know the tears will come when I have to say my final goodbyes, but I also know that I will make a conscious effort to come back.  I want to also thank Kenny, Ken, Carla, Lindsey, the principle of the school, and all of the LSU's Teaching in Chile 2017 participants for making my trip amazing and one that I will remember forever.