Adventures in Patagonia

The last two days have been beyond fabulous! Yesterday, we slept in, had a delicious breakfast at the hotel, then eventually made our way into town. We booked a Glacier Tour for the next day, then headed out to a local hiking spot recommended by our taxi driver. It was super goofy.

It took a lot of honking from the taxi driver for the owner of the sheep ranch to come out and greet us and explain the trail. He was a tiny, elderly farmer with two teeth. Grant said we got our real Chilean Spanish practice with him! After many, many tries and lots of pointing, I finally understood enough to know we had to pass through a narrow gate, a wide gate, and a third gate of some sort to get to the trail head. 

Grant and I proceeded to walk in the middle of his fifty or so sheep, where we did in fact pass through the first narrow gate. We hiked up a very steep accent, filled with interesting trees and great views. At the top, we had 70 mile per hour winds! It was the windiest area I've ever been in. We laughed and crawled over to see the view, take pictures, then head back to the protection of the trees.

On our way down, it started snowing! Weather changes frequently here without warning. Fortunately, we were only about 20 minutes from our sheep farmer friend's house, where he had tea and cookies waiting for us beside his fire. It was a cozy, perfect place to sit and wait for our taxi driver to return.

Today we went on a glacier navigation tour. We woke up to snow on the ground outside our room, and while we were eating breakfast, it started to snow some more. We were a bit nervous about the trip. Fortunately, the day cleared up halfway through and we were able to see spectacular views. We started out sailing past Puerto Bories industrial refrigeration complex, which was the shipping port for farm produce in the early 1900s. Next, we passed the mouth of Fjord Eberhard, where cattle ranching started in the area. We then saw a Cormorant Colony (looked like a ton of flying penguins), followed by a sea lion colony. Condor Cliff didn't have any condors, but we did see an incredible waterfall. Finally, we visited Glacier and Monte Balmaceda and Glacier Serrano, before stopping for a delicious lunch of fresh lamb at a local farm.

We were happy to return to the hotel at the end of the tour, where we warmed up in the sauna and then got lattes by the fire.

Braving the strong wind at the top of yesterday's hike

Chilly, chilly, chilly on the boat. At this moment, it was raining.

Rain stopped, and we enjoyed a beautiful view.

Huge waterfall! 

At the foot of Serrano Glacier

Happy to be out adventuring with my best friend!

Lots of dogs at the farm where we ate lunch. 

After lunch, walking around enjoying the views as the sun came out.

Grant took this one.

Yesterday's lunch at the Crepe Shop included yummy drinks to keep us warm.

The sheep we walked past on our hike yesterday. 

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Where we are right now, beside the fire in the hotel.

That is our boat in the background.

Where we ate lunch.

Grant, hard at work.

Waddle on!

Grant and I are LOVING our time in Chile!!! 

We are currently sitting in a huge, spectacular lounge just off the side of our hotel's restaurant. It is unusual in the best way possible. Huge windows look out on Canal Senoret, which is surrounded by fjords and filled with unique swans with black heads and necks and white bodies. The staircases, wine cellar, and balcony railings are all made of glass. There is an enormous brick fireplace and giant leather couches to enjoy the view. A bit of a change from my normal life in Santiago, where my criteria for a good reading spot is based on whether they have toilet paper and soap in the bathroom. 

Our hotel is... "set on 100 acres lining the Fjord of Last Hope in the town of Puerto Natales." It is about two hours outside of Torres del Paine Park in Patagonia. Oddly enough, the building used to be a slaughterhouse and meat / hide storage building for the sheep farming industry, and still has many of the century old machines along the passageways. One wall of each room is actually a single, huge window facing the water.

One of my favorite parts is the little pool in the hotel's spa. It is in the shape of an L, with one portion outside, reached by swimming under the glass wall of the building. It is almost as warm as a jacuzzi, so you can enjoy the view and the wind while still staying warm.

I asked Grant what I should write for today's blog. "Windy and bleak and beautiful," he said. Sounds about right! It is pretty incredible to be in Patagonia. After seven weeks of city life for me, and a lot of insane work weeks for Grant this fall, we are both in heaven. 

Monday night, we flew into Punta Arenas. We arrived at our hotel a little before one am, then woke up for a very early morning boat tour to Magdalena Island. It was super cool! We were able to walk around for an hour as hundreds of penguins waddled to and fro, swam in the water, or watched the world and protected their eggs from their little holes. We also saw a lot of noisy sea lions at a different island before returning to town. It was very cold and windy. 

We took a three hour bus to Puerto Natales in the afternoon, and haven't yet left the hotel. It is too relaxing! Yesterday's dinner was delicious, especially since breakfast consisted of a quick piece of toast before the tour, and lunch was a brownie and hot chocolate before the bus, so we were really hungry. I had delicious salmon with lentils cooked in red wine, and Grant had lamb. We are soon headed into town, which is a few kilometers away to explore and set up some tours for our remaining days in Patagonia. Life is good.

I was so cold that I left my life jacket on the whole time we were walking around the island.

The penguins were so fun to see up close!

Penguin crossing! There was a group of about twenty that decided to cross as we were walking back from the lighthouse.

The tour had hot coffee and cookies waiting for us at the end of our hour walking around the island. I was so happy for something to warm me up.

This is a picture from Sunday afternoon's walk in Santiago.

Another Santiago picture from Cerro Cristobal on Sunday.

Grant and I stumbled upon this Sunday evening. We aren't sure what was going on, but there were a lot of people outside of the Catholic church. Grant looked up the saint of the day, and it was Saint Bean.
We decided this was in honor of Bean Day :)

Many, many street dogs. I wanted to adopt this one.

On Monday, Grant and I had lunch at the huge seafood market in Santiago Centro. 

We took a funicular to get from the hotel check in to our room.

Grant took this to show the view from our room.

The view I woke up to this morning.

Husband time!

Life is very, very happy at the moment. Friday morning, I hoped on the bus to the airport to meet Grant after his long flight from Portland, to Seattle, to Dallas, to Santiago. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep the previous night, and got there way too early. Fortunately, I found lots of bored airport employees to practice my Spanish with while I waited for Grant's flight to arrive.

It has been GREAT having Grant here! Friday we caught up on sleep, then walked over to Patio Bellavista for a delicious pizza and chicken quesadilla and margarita dinner. Saturday, we headed over to Valparaiso for the day. After telling Grant about all of the bad, violent movies that South American buses seem to choose every trip I take, he was prepared for the worst. We were both quite surprised when Dolphin Tale started playing!

 It was my third time visiting, but so different because we weren't on a tour of any kind. We had a map of the city, and Grant (who is already better at directions here than I) navigated us through a terrific 45 minute walk from the bus terminal to the city center. Our favorite part was in the very beginning, when we walked through a huge fruit and vegetable market for the first few blocks. It was so busy and loud and messy! Our guinea pigs would have been in heaven with all of the vegetable scraps on the streets. There were cats sitting on top of piles of lemons, and street dogs curled up everywhere.

Thanks to Grant's GPS watch, we calculated that we walked ten miles during the day. We loved watching the boats in the harbor, and enjoyed the spectacular views of the city from the tops of the hills. Weather was perfect- just sunny enough to wear t-shirts without feeling chilly, but not too hot. We headed back in time for a late (or normal, by Chile standards) dinner, then chose a really nice wine restaurant to split a berry cheesecake. We were the only ones at the third floor terrace, with beautiful views of the surrounding area. Such an incredible spot for a date with my husband :)

Today was Starbucks Day. Also another ten or more miles of walking. We started out meeting my friends Kacey and DJ (super fun couple about our age from the US who have lived in Santiago for the past year) for breakfast. Since everything is closed on Sundays, the only option was Starbucks. We had a great time chatting, then Grant and I headed over to walk along the river where the streets are closed to traffic on Sundays until 2pm. We walked through markets, free zumba in the park, and free water stations. Everyone was out with their families biking and running and enjoying the great weather. After stopping at Starbucks for cookies, we continued on to Metropolitan Park, where we hiked up Cerro Cristobal. We enjoyed the views from the top, then took the funicular back down, which was its own adventure. After a stop at Starbucks to use their bathroom, we walked over to Bellas Artes, where we found a cute little cafe to eat grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and brownies. Grant needed to get some editing done for work, so we set out to find a cafe with internet and tables, since my 200 square foot apartment isn't too conducive for working. Once again, Starbucks was the only choice available, so we are visiting for the fourth time. Quite a lot, even by Mott standards!

*Another huge sunshine moment from the weekend was seeing a picture that my friend Stephanie sent. Stephanie is watching Enzo while we are away. She brought him to our friend Rachel's house, where he got to spend time playing in the yard with her kids. He looked like such a happy puppy! Safe to say, he is not pining away for us.

*Also happy to receive delicious homemade cookies from Karina, who dropped them off with Grant before he left Washington so that he could bring them to Chile for me. So thoughtful!!!

*Last note: while we are working, there are two drummers outside making tons of noise as they dance around in circles. Never a dull moment here!

Grant and I loved watching all of the busy workers at the harbor.

We LOVED wandering around the colorful streets.

We made it our mission to find the cafe where my strange tour guide, Bernardo,
caused such a scene last time I visited.

Hard to see, but at the top of the hill there is a sign that says,
"We're not hippies, we're happies!"

Yummy dinner on our first night together!
Did I mention HOW much I love my husband?
I am happy, happy, happy to have Grant here with me.
He is my favorite person in the world.

Walking around taking it all in.

Reminded us of our problems getting a "real" coffee in Europe.

Santiago College

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to spend the day at Santiago College, a private pre-K through 12th grade school founded in 1880. The school is internationally recognized as having one of the very best bilingual programs, and is the most expensive of all the school choices in Santiago. The school uses the International Baccalaureate Programs Primary Years Program (PYP) for their elementary school students, 90% of whom are Chilean. Almost all start in the pre-K program, so they are well set up for success in English from a young age. 

When I tell teachers about my research program, many mention this school as an essential campus to visit. I have to agree. It definitely lived up to its reputation! The campus is very new, with a modern, spacious feel. Everyone is friendly, and very organized. Monica, the PYP coordinator, greeted me warming when I showed up in the morning and handed me a printed schedule of my morning visitations.

 My first stop was to visit Jenny's third grade classroom. I could have stayed all day and learned a lot just observing the one room. Jenny had about 25 adorable students hanging on her every word; she was so engaging that at times I forgot to type my notes because I was so interested in her lesson. The kids were studying ancient Rome, so for the application portion, she had stations set up all around the room for groups to rotate through, making observations about different artifacts. Everyone was excited about the task! There was so much freedom- the students had a voice in every aspect, but yet everything went exactly according to the lesson's objectives. Completely opposite from my experiences in the public schools.

The other classrooms had much the same feel- excellent teaching and very engaged students. At the end of my visit, I spent an hour talking with Monica, who has previously coordinated PYP programs in Columbia and the US. She kept emphasizing that the goal of the program was to help students become part of the bigger world. The school is a community of learners building on one another's ideas and constantly applying learning on a global scale. When I asked about the school's relationship with the local community, Monica told me that each classroom has six units a year, and the culmination of each results in an action component. This authentic learning assessment varies from creating initiatives to raise money for community needs, to visiting local kindergarten classrooms, to projects with the elderly. The fifth graders end their elementary experience with a final inquiry project of their own. This past year, for example, the students settled on evolution, then broke up into small groups to develop their action component from different lenses such as evolution of music, medicine, and social media. I love the idea!

I also love the amount of planning time teachers get- Two hours a week, each grade level meets with Monica. Monica shares a few strategies related to the team's goals, then works with them to talk through units. The team has an additional two hours to meet on their own each week. Beyond that, each teacher has seven other planning periods throughout the week. 

I forgot to take a picture of the campus, so here is one from their website.

PYP stands for Primary Years Program, which is the elementary school version of an IB program.

Fifth graders working on a group history project on Colonial Chile.
Lots to get done before their Colonial Fair on Friday!

Nido

Today I had the privilege of meeting with the director of Nido de Aguila, one of the top pre-K through 12th grade international schools in South America. The campus itself is located on 130 acres of land in the foothills of the Andes mountains. Each program (elementary being grades 2-5) has its own buildings and its own principal, counselors, etc. The library is spectacular, (in comparison to most schools that have almost no books and very little access) they have a beautiful swimming pool, and a theater that seats 800. It is impressive! See more school information at the end of this blog if interested.

Getting there was a bit of effort: metro across town, followed by a 45 minute bus ride, followed by a long walk uphill to get to the campus- all while carrying heavy textbooks to return to the university and my heavy laptop for afternoon research at the library. It was more than worth the commute when I met Stephan, the elementary school principal. 

I remember very clearly the first time I met Karen and Debra, my own principals from VPS. I instantly loved them, and felt even more driven to excel at my job because I believed in their vision and wanted to be apart of the great things they were working toward. That is how I felt when I met Stephan. He is friendly and approachable, but also very focused and efficient. He is the kind of principal you would be honored to work with. Stephan lived in Oregon before choosing to "take his family on an adventure," where he was charged with turning around one of the worst performing schools in the state. Since it already had a 90% Hispanic population, he changed the focus into creating a dual language program and helping students reach standard first in their native language. He established nine hour work days with help from an extra grant, and changed the culture of the school so that kids began to value learning. One of the most effective things Stephan did was to reach out to the community. At first, he had ten parents show up to meetings, talking about fundraisers. He stopped any kind of fund raising for the remainder of his time in leadership (excellent!) and instead turned the monthly meetings into practical forums for families. He would meet with a smaller group for weekly "cafecitos," then have that group lead the larger group on the monthly meetings. Attendance grew to over 100 each meeting! He brought in attorneys to answer legal questions regarding immigration, had parents share stories about life in Mexico and their dreams for their children's future in America, and helped parents understand how to best help their child. Unsurprisingly, the school is doing quite well these days. I'd love to visit when I get back to Washington.

Stephan's new position is very different. He is working with a very elite group of children with every resource imaginable. The school does not accept students with significant learning disabilities. Class sizes are capped at 22 all the way through high school. Teaching aids are fully licensed teachers. There are four ELL support teachers just for elementary. Most parents speak at least two languages at home, and have attended college. One-fourth of the students that graduate started in the same school when they were three years old. He certainly is not struggling with the same issues that he worked so hard to overcome in Oregon. Yet he still sees this as a different, equally challenging calling. It is about more than just academics for him. Stephan said he wants the kids to develop empathy for their neighbors, and has organized many programs so that students at the school understand the reality of many people's lives in Chile. "I don't want them to just give money," he told me. "That doesn't create a lasting impact. I want them to go out into the world and interact with people as they stretch themselves past their comfort zones to help." 

Stephan invited me back on the tenth of November to visit classrooms and talk with more administrative staff, teachers, and counselors. I am very excited!

Meanwhile, the public transportation day continued. I hoped on the C01 bus after walking down the long Nido hill, which I remembered as being the bus I take from the University to the Metro. Unfortunately, that is the bus number from the Jewish school to the Metro. More unfortunately, the bus drove out to the middle of nowhere and then got a flat tire. We all hopped off and waited a long time for another bus to rescue us. When we got back into town, I changed to the C09 bus and was back on track to return my library books and spend the afternoon working at the university library. I will not miss public transportation when I get back to Vancouver :)

*Silver lining- on the metro home, I sat next to a really nice girl who is spending the year in Santiago to get to know her birth family. Her adoptive father worked for the US Embassy, so she had a lot of interesting stories about her childhood and the time flew by.

Lots to read at the Universidad de los Andes.

A picture of the Nido campus.

Nido de Aguilas (Eagle’s Nest) was founded in 1934 as a private, co-educational, non-sectarian day school. Today, Nido serves over 1,700 students from more than 50 countries and offers a comprehensive college preparatory educational program from Early Childhood (age three) through grade 12. Nido serves the international business and diplomatic community of Santiago, as well as, local students seeking an English language, US style education. Current enrollment is composed of 50% U.S. and international students and 50% host country students.

All classes are taught in English except Spanish language classes, which are required at all grade levels from kindergarten to grade 12. Nido offers special classes to support non-native English speakers. However, entrance to upper elementary, middle and high school grades require prerequisite levels of English proficiency. Given the academic nature of the program, the school offers limited assistance at the elementary and middle school levels for children with basic remediation needs. Nido does not offer programs for students who have more serious learning disabilities or who have special physical or emotional needs.

You are important.

Friday was a busy, terrific day. A neurology professor, Rossana, from University de los Andes invited me to visit a project that she has been a part of since March. It is a home for children whose family members are unable to care for them. Originally, the area housed nearly 100 children. It was run in a military style fashion, guaranteeing that the kids had food and shelter, but not much else. A few years ago, the goals of the shelter changed, and the leaders limited it to twenty. Still, they had terrible problems with violence, and had to erect bars all around the school for a very prison-like feel.

A year ago, the current director applied for the position. He has little background in social work or education, but chose this demanding job because he loves God and knew he could be of assistance in giving His children a better chance at succeeding in life. He was humble, kind, and deeply and personally concerned about the welfare of every one of the 18 kids presently at the shelter. He told me that he doesn't start by telling the children that he loves them. He tells them that they are important. They see his love in his actions when they know that they are valuable to him. He said that it is important for him to take five or ten minutes with each child each week to check in with them and show them that they are not "just a part of the group." They matter. The majority of these kids, between 7 and 16 years old, have significant developmental delays and mental health issues. Most will live their lives under the consequences of their mothers' alcohol and drug use during pregnancy. One child recently entered the shelter after watching his mother kill his father. Many had very poor nutrition, living on the streets for the first years of their lives. It is common for the children to have missed years of school prior to entering. 

The director told us that he and Rossana serve as advocates for their children in the schools. The teachers want nothing to do with the "prison students," as they are referred to, so the two make sure to check in regularly and work to explain the specific needs of each learner so that they don't end up being sent out of the room each day at the first problem. As most of the kids begin their time at the shelter hating school, they work hard to help them understand the personal relevance that school has for their futures. The kids are often unable to dream past "being a drug dealer like my dad," so it takes a lot to get them to understand that education is their ticket to a better life. They focus on teaching values indirectly through afternoon activities, setting up personal tutoring each afternoon, and creating plans for the kids to enter the school system slowly so that they are not overwhelmed and tempted to quit. Both leaders told us that it is incredibly challenging to work with the municipal schools, because the teachers don't want them in their classrooms, and the typical way of running a classroom does not support the learning needs of children from highly disadvantaged backgrounds. The kids are expected to sit and listen to a teacher dictate a lesson for two hours when they haven't been to a classroom in years. I am so grateful that they have someone to speak up for their needs.

Another important thing that the director does is connect with the children's family members. "It is always best if the child can remain with his parents, even in humble circumstances," he said. He described working with moms and grandmothers and older siblings to equip them to resume care of the children. Often they are angry and callous, and many have their own mental health issues. Still, he works patiently with them because he wants the best for his kids, and he knows that they should have a home. Hearing him talk about this was very convicting to me, because as a teacher, I love my students, but avoid unpleasant parents at all costs. 

Spending the morning with these precious eighteen children was difficult, but helpful for me to remember why education is so important. Certainly not just to see kids pass tests. Schools have the power to change the future of children when we give them a voice, tell them that they are individually important, advocate for their needs, help them see the broader context of the world around them, form their own opinions, and demonstrate the personal relevance that learning has in their lives in ways that connect with their natural curiosity and interests. 

We finished in time for me to join an InterNations group for a delicious, long lunch at a Thai restaurant. I loved getting to use my Spanish, and enjoyed every minute of the conversation. 

I had a few hours between lunch and my Friday night bible study, so I found a "local coffee shop," as my father-in-law jokingly refers to Starbucks, and enjoyed a hot chocolate and a good book. The bible study was the best ending to my day. All seven of us were in a particularly goofy mood, so we spent the bulk of the time eating sushi and laughing with a few minutes of bible study thrown in. What else can you expect when the opening question is to choose between a pirate and ninja? (I, of course, was loyal to the Roger's Park Elementary Pirates, and went with my school mascot).

This is where the twelve of us ate lunch.

Delicious chicken curry- especially tasty since we ate at two.

Christmas season is approaching! Chile starts early. This is a front display in
one of the major grocery store chains.

I spent a few hours reading in Starbucks (which, by the way, are way nicer here
than in the US)...  I was a bit distracted thinking about Grant's upcoming visit.

Cerro Carbon

Today I joined a hiking group from InterNations for a wonderful day at Cerro Carbon. There were ten of us from Sweden, Romania, Spain, Chile, Japan, China, Argentina and the US (me). It was a really fun, diverse group of people! We had a great time chatting about one another's home countries, and the various reasons each person was in Chile. I loved it. The hike itself was pretty challenging, mostly because there were several steep portions with really loose soil and rocks, so it was hard to hike down without falling. We had great weather- sunny and warm- and great views of the city.

The rest of the weekend was great as well. Friday's highlight was attending a wonderful bible study with seven really fun Chileans. Five of them were women, so we had fun laughing about the different Mexican soap operas that we have enjoyed over the years. Saturday's highlights include going for a sunny, long run in the hills, hanging out with some church friends, and discovering a really cute new coffee shop.

Busy Week

Highlights from the week:

• I spent Tuesday morning at the Catholic school observing second grade. Then I got a massage and went to Pilates. It was a great afternoon!
• I spent the whole day on Wednesday at the Hebrew Institute. It was just as wonderful as Friday's visit. I got to see lots of fabulous teaching and took lots of pictures to remember. I stayed for lunch, which was a highlight in itself. In Chilean schools, all of the teachers are served a delicious free lunch every day. I had salmon, veggies, rice, and fruit and sat with some really nice teachers. I could get used to this system! Afterward, I was able to accompany all of the English teachers to their weekly professional development course. The instructors talked about leading effective reading group rotations, and then teachers had time to work on creating a lesson with teammates. I asked about the different Wednesday topics, and was told that they really varied depending on the needs of the students. Earlier in the year, for example, the school brought in an expert from Israel to discuss current events with the staff so that they could better relate to their Jewish students, many of whom have relatives in the Middle East. 
• Wednesday evening I met a friend and walked over to my church's First Principles course. I continue to love how friendly everyone is. One woman even handed me a hand written note telling me how happy she is that I am a part of the group.
• Thursday I had a slow morning. After a long run, I headed into Los Condes to spend the day at the University de los Andes. I had planned to meet with my adviser, then spend a few hours working in the library until my evening class. However, when I walked into the main floor, I saw that an interesting seminar on educational reform was just about to start. I hoped to be able to just slip into the back and listen. Unfortunately, the professor eagerly presented me as the American visitor to the other forty or so people in attendance, which was not ideal because they were all wearing suits and nice dresses and I was in my library work day (otherwise known as Walmart reversible pants) clothing. I did not represent our country very well, I am sorry to say. It was an interesting presentation, though!
• I had the whole bus to myself on my way to the university. Most bus experiences are very crowded- sometimes I never make it out of the foot well. This afternoon, I accidentally waited at the wrong bus stop, and the driver took pity on me and said, "Hop on!" and gave me the express route.
• I finally got access to the library! It is beautiful inside, with lots of nice areas to work. I even got to check out a few books to read before my next visit to campus. Admittedly, it was a bit challenging to carry four big education books home with me on the bus and metro at ten o'clock at night (in addition to my computer, class supplies, and purse), but I made it without any problems.

• 

  I loved this idea. Parents at the Hebrew Institute can add their own messages
  to advertise work, etc.

  
  

  

  Delicious school lunch for all of the teachers.