I spent the last week in Vina del Mar about two hours away from Santiago conducting an English winter camp sponsored by the EOD program. Vina was really nice although it did rain a couple of days and it got really cold sometimes because the classrooms weren’t heated. But other than that Vina is a beautiful beach town with great floral landscaping. There’s a lot of money in this town because it’s a popular summer vacation spot for those Santiagoans who can afford it.
The camp went pretty smoothly, for Chilean standards. Students here don’t get as high a quality education as back in the States and it’s because they don’t hold academic standards as high. For instance, it’s common for students to answer their phones in class, or step outside to take a call. Even teachers answer their phones while teaching! One difference I did notice that was kinda cool is that they were all very artistic. Many of them played guitar and they played really well! The only problem was that some students would bring their guitars and play during class. It was nice to have some music when everyone was working in groups but it got a little annoying when we had to constantly ask them to stop playing when we were trying to give instructions. Where they lack in the traditional academics they make up in the arts which in the United States is falling behind as art classes are the first to be cut during a budget crisis. But all in all the camps were a very positive experience, because for the most part, they all spoke English very well and had to apply to do this program. They gave up one week of their winter vacation to participate and one of the application requirements was a certain level of English.
At the camp we did various activities with them, we had them produce skits, posters and poems in English. I was surprised at how great some of the posters came out because again, they really do excel in the arts. One of the volunteers brought a football and they were all super excited to learn “American Football” even the girls! Towards the end of the camp we did more fun stuff, like Karaoke and a talent show. I’d be lying if I said Karaoke was easy to sit through…it wasn’t. They were all into rock and heavy metal that was popular 5 to 10 years ago and none of the songs were great Karaoke songs… The talent show was pretty good a lot of people got up and sang some of their favorite English songs, I kept wondering if they knew what they were singing about and I gasped when they sang the curse word in Alanis Morissettes’ “You Oughta Know.”
So even though the students were a little reluctant at first, they really did warm up to us by the end of the program. I must of posed for at least 50 pictures with them all! And they all immediately friended me on facebook. On the last day a big group wanted to get lunch with us, and two others decided they wanted to walk us to the bus station to see us off to Santiago where we would be catching our flights home to our regions in the north. It was actually really helpful that they were there with us because we needed to switch our bus tickets and they were able to communicate with the bus company to help us out (EOD once again didn’t plan very well because our bus ticket for Santiago was the next morning, yet we were booked to spend our last night in a hostel in Santiago). It was so sweet; they ran after our bus even as it was pulling out holding signs that said “don’t forget we love you!” I couldn’t believe how much they had warmed up to us after one week! I wonder what it’s going to be like when I have to say goodbye to my full time students.
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