Chile Chile CHILE! y Jobs Jobs JOBS!

Dia 3: On Thursday I went with Xime, Pato and Pato’s mother (Abuelita/Grandma) to the kids’ school for a celebration. Bea was dressed as a Chinita (Little Chinese girl aka: Chilean girl from the countryside). Max was dressed as a fisherman from southern Chile. All the different grade levels in the kids’ school dressed in traditional Chilean outfits from different regions of Chile. They were SO CUTE! They performed the national Chilean dance the Cueca, as well as other traditional regional dances.

The show opened with a prayer (public school too!) and then the Chilean national anthem, which I don’t think I’ve ever heard. Everyone stood and faced the flag which was slowly slowly raised. Just as the anthem reached its crescendo, the flag went up its last half meter and the wind caught it so it was soaring in the breeze. ¡Como una pelicula! Just like in a movie! I got goose bumps and felt happy all over that I came to Chile for this month and am able to spend it with the Catalan Jeria family. It’s the most fortunate coincidence that I should arrive in the month that Chile is celebrating 150 years of independence and great festivals and explosions of Chilean culture abound.

First a class performed a dance from Easter Island. The kids were dressed in Polynesian style outfits and were cute as can be! Then Max’s class, the boys dressed as fishermen from the south and the girls dressed like peasants, danced to El gorro de lana (The Wool Hat). This was appropriate as it is the hat all the little fishermen were wearing! I’m Google translating and yes I know that goes against everything I’ve been taught as a Translation Industry Professional… still here’s the gist: A lady weaves a man a wool hat during the harsh winter. Then there is something about shearing seven white sheep and I think the wool gets lost in the current when the lady is washing it, which seems to symbolize the love being taken away too. The third verse didn’t make much sense – but there’s mention of the man asking for a jar and an accordion and going to Quellón (town at the south end of a southern Island) to find a new love. So I guess it ends in sorrow? After the Wool Hat, the Easter Islanders joined the Fishermen and their women for a song which they sang and played instruments to. Max was a tambourine. He was very professional throughout the whole show, knowing all the steps and when to tambourine versus when to clap. We were all rather impressed!

Bea’s class was next. They were dressed as people from the Central region of Chile. They performed a Cueca about a rooster and a chicken courting. I can’t find the lyrics for that one, but I think the pictures will be enough to make you fall in love with these kids. The boys all had little cutout hats that were like a rooster crest and the girls wore their flower and lace dresses with feathers in their hair. I emailed Laurie a picture of Bea and some of her dancing partners and she said with perfect conviction that she’d like to steal any of those children when she comes to visit. Bea was just as knowledgeable as Max – even instructing some of her partners when they didn’t know where to go next. She wore these really cute bright pink clogs with butterflies on them and I’m telling you – they made the outfit!

The older kids followed… colorful hats from northern Chile (the area by Calama – a potential job for me) where the driest desert in the world is located, cowboy-style fellas with their fancy land owning ladies, the colors and fabrics were swirling and twirling. You can see pictures from the event here.

Dia 4: Today I had a meeting with one school about jobs. I have some really interesting opportunities! There is one in Calama – a small town in the north in the Atacama Desert, a slim chance that I’m crossing my fingers about is in Vina working with people who are in the Tourism Industry and training them so that they can communicate in English with visitors. Another opportunity, which won’t start until January is working for the Chilean Navy! We drove to the town just north of Viña today to visit some family and on our way we passed the Navy base and saw lots of sailors. Xime said “It’s the weekend. School is over for them so they are going home to their mothers.” Hmmm…

I walked all over Viña today after my meeting this morning and handed my resume out at two other language schools. The Chilenos seem to like it when you come in face to face to talk to them about jobs. On my first walk-in I whispered a timid “Hola” and walked in towards the reception desk. The lady behind the counter said “Hello!” brightly, so I countered with “Hello! I’m a TEFL Certified English teacher and I just moved to Viña. I was wondering if I could speak with someone about job opportunities or at least leave my resume.” The lady was chipper as she handed me an application form and took my papers with a friendly “Thank you! Bye!” WOW. I couldn’t help but think, as I exited the building, what most people in the US would do if someone just walked into their office all peppy and wanting to talk about getting a job there. I’m pretty sure there would be some conversation about resumes needing to be emailed and someone from HR would contact you by phone or email if you were needed. Maybe I’m wrong though… North Americans, what say you?