Chile CliffsNotes -Kate A

Who wants to play ‘Where in Chile is Kate Abbott?’ Hint: a safe bet at any given time is the Santiago Airport. Here I sit awaiting my overnight flight to Dallas, and then New Orleans. I knew from the start these three weeks would fly by, but I feel like my mind hasn't quite caught up to my body yet. I'll call it "trip-lash". I will attempt to summarize some thoughts from my time in Concepcion, but it feels awfully like trying to explain a movie using only a few pixels. 

*Insert metaphors about journeys and reflection here*

Colegio Concepcion San Pedro, the high school we taught in, is a private school system run by Free Masons. Masons aren't unique to Chile, but for me they comprise an altogether unfamiliar, fascinating, and secretive organization. They have an affinity for not-so-subtle symbolism, and many of these symbols are prominently displayed on school grounds. Excuse the appropriation, but I took the liberty of applying my own interpretations to a few of these symbols. If they catch on, maybe I'll become the founder of a very specific secret society. Hazing rituals may include but are not limited to: chugging a liter of Nescafe and publicly dancing the Cueca without pisco-derived courage.

1: Compass- Through most of my life, the center of my compass was firmly stuck in Connecticut. All I saw of the world was filtered through the lens of a Yankee, and all I understood was in relation to my home center. I’ve since tried to loosen this mental compass and place down more centers to circle around, in an attempt to understand just a little bit more of the world. The longer I spend in a place, the more I'm able to understand the perspectives of the people who live there. My centers include Connecticut, Florida, Washington state, Louisiana, and now, Chile.

2: Rocks- Outside of the Colegio, there is a natural, wonky-shaped rock on one side of the driveway, and a perfectly carved cube of a rock on the other. They are meant to represent the children that enter the school unshaped and raw, to eventually graduate as educated and square little specimens. I happen to like the natural rock better. I maintain an expanding rock collection at home that my bookcase graciously supports, each rock hand-picked for it's unique and beautiful natural form. Though I've learned this lesson before, it's a good reminder that there are many shapes a life can take, but we're all still rocks. 

3: Checkerboard- On a particular tour of a particular Masonic Lodge, we entered a room with a checkerboard-tiled floor. Every footstep touched both white and black tiles, representing the good and bad in every experience. These contrasts are useful for knowing, really feeling, the range of possibilities. The air in Chillan felt colder after dipping into the volcanic-heated thermal pools. The sunshine was brighter after slinking through coal mines under the sea. Bread tastes better when you’re hungry, right? In many ways, everyday life here is no different than life in the US. All the amenities, available food, human personalities, and weather are familiar to me. Teenagers incessantly snapchat each other filtered selfies and pictures of Bieber no matter the hemisphere. Teachers rightfully complain about the pay:work ratio, and breathe tiny, inaudible sighs of relief when the class bell rings. There is a comfort in these commonalities that overrides any feelings of foreign awkwardness I felt.

The Teaching in Chile program was certainly different than I expected, mostly better, and I suspect I learned what I was meant to learn from it. When I figure out what that is I'll let you know. 

See ya when I see ya Chile!