"To do a dull thing with style is preferable to doing a dangerous thing without style. To do a dangerous thing with style, is what I call art."- Charles Bukowski

Money and Robbie Williams

As I write this I’m breathing a big sigh of relief. I found new students to tutor on the side. I just had my first tutoring session today- it lasted an hour- and the cash feels pretty damn good in my pocket. My new student, Carolina, is 25 and works at a travel agency, so English is important for her to know. She is also willing to pay 16 Lucas (about $32) for two hours a week of classes. She has a very basic level of English but that’s a positive because the learning curve will be steep; she will start to see results immediately.

Nevertheless the best private students are the really advanced ones. Their English is really good- maybe even borderline fluent- and all they want to do is practice through conversation. You get paid to literally sit and talk to someone for an hour. You don’t have to prepare a lesson nor worksheets, nothing. Those students are very hard to come by though and they usually don’t last too long either . If I can find one more person to tutor I’ll be in a good position financially.

It’s officially spring in Santiago and its finally beginning to really warm up. Today you didn’t even need a jacket.

What do ‘has been’ British pop stars do instead of retiring? Apparently they play concerts in Chile. Last night Robbie Williams performed here. Anybody know who he is? If you’re reading this and you’re American (probably most of you) then most likely you have no idea. He’s a British pop star who tried to break into the US market about five or six years ago. He never made it in the US but he’s huge in the rest of the world (he has one song, Rock DJ, that’s okay, other than that I’m not a fan). Although it’s winding down now, the last month has been Robbie-mania. His face juts out at you from billboards all over Santiago and his concert was advertised all over TV and the radio. Such a fuss was made upon his arrival to Chile that you would have though he was a Head of State or something.

Last week I also moved into a new place, but that’s a story for another day (e.g. the next blog entry).

British vs American English

The first day of the semester many of my students are disappointed. They hope for a British teacher. Someone who speaks, “inglés inglés,” real English. But what they got was some guy from New Jersey.

On some level I sympathize with them and their preference for British English. I have to admit, most American accents are fairly bland and monotonous. But I don’t have just any old accent. I have a New York accent. I speak fast, and with an unmistakable rhythm. An English friend once told me that although she didn’t particularly care for American accents, mine was alright. Nevertheless this argument has never won the students over. The only students appreciative of my New York cadence are those who listen to hip hop.

But to be sure they are only superficially enamored with British English. Many are pretty unmotivated to learn English- or any foreign language for that matter- in the first place. The Chilean mindset is similar to the American one concerning foreign languages. “99 percent of the people I know speak Spanish. I’m probably never going to leave Chile, so why should I learn a foreign language?” Moreover, they have no strong appreciation for British culture, and besides; as much as I like British accents, other accents are much sweeter sounding. If you were learning English, wouldn’t you want to take on an Irish accent? Or how about that Australian outback accent? A British accent would probably be way down on your list.

So why do they want to learn British English? For starters they are under the (false) impression that British English is more “authentic.” Actually, the accent closest to Shakespeare’s is spoken south of the Mason-Dixon Line. They also feel that British English is easier to understand. Only a non-English speaker would ever argue this. The ‘BBC accent’ is wonderful and all, but not too many people really speak that way. You wanna hear a British accent? Watch Snatch.

I think there preference for British English is more about Anti-Americanism than anything else. My students didn’t choose to study English, it’s something being thrown at them. Over the past decade English has gained importance and become much more prevalent in Chilean society. English is all over the radio and television, and its influence is only growing. Many see this- whether rightfully or wrongfully- as American cultural imperialism. Couple this mindset with a very strong anti Bush sentiment and enmity over the US government’s numerous ‘military interventions’ in Latin America since the invasion of Cuba in 1898, and what you get is a strong anti-American sentiment (I’m not getting political, just calling it like I see it).

By learning British English, they are (albeit symbolically) rejecting American English and, by extension, perceived imperialism. However, this is a paradox. The British Empire- by definition imperialistic- lasted approximately 400 years. You cannot make a statement rejecting colonialism/ neo-colonialism/ imperialism by learning British English.

So what’s the solution? I propose Jamaican English. Go listen to Bob Marley. Everybody loves Jamaica, they have a beautiful accent, and their Bob-sled team is fuckin' nasty.

A Rant

One of my earliest memories is sitting at my grandparents’ kitchen table in their worn out Brooklyn apartment listening to my grandfather tell stories about Argentina, a country he had lived in for so long. After a while my brothers would grow disinterested but I was enthralled. I would sit there for hours listening to my grandfather and those stories had a profound effect on my life. It made me learn Spanish, and major in Latin American studies in college. Traveling to and potentially living in South America was always a dream of mine, and at 23 I'm fulfilling it. However, one thing my grandfather always commented on, and which I usually ignored, was the region’s pervasive anti-Semitism. This situation would have probably been very familiar to my grandfather:
The other day I told a Chilean friend I was Jewish. He just stared at me for a good 30 seconds. Literally, just stared. I understand that there are very few Jews in this country and I'm probably the first one he's (knowingly) met. But really, what the fuck? Don't stare at me like I have six heads, it's rude.
I have had a ton of very similar experiences, and there comes a point where you just get fed up, and that's me right now. So here it goes...

I hear this particular conspiracy theory a whole lot from people who know I’m American but not Jewish: "The Jews are an extremely powerful people in American society and are the driving force behind the decisions and actions of George Bush." This harks back to Jews being blamed for the Plague in Medieval Europe. Unequivocally, George Bush is responsible for George Bush's actions. Not the Jews. Bush is an evangelical Christian, not a Jew. How many senior administration officials are Jewish? Zero. How many oil execs are Jewish? Zero. Jews traditionally have highly valued education; hence we are disproportionately represented in white collar jobs. However, about two percent of Americans are Jewish . Because we are so few in number, most white collar workers are NOT Jewish, it’s a mathematical impossibility. Nor are most people in positions of power Jewish. Nevertheless, even if that were the case- that a majority of powerful people were Jewish- that alone would still be insufficient evidence of a conspiracy. I'm not saying that conspiracies do not exist. One need only look at the Iran Contra Affair or the rumor that McDonald's is a front for the CIA (okay, I just made that one up, but you never know, McDonald’s is everywhere), but come on.

What I also hear lot: "Why are you Jews treating the Palestinians so badly?" Don't get me wrong, I love to argue about politics and I probably do it too much (sorry... Dad especially). With that said, five jotes (a mix of coke and cheap wine) into the night, I'm not trying to have a heated debate concerning Israeli-Arab relations - playa's just tryin' to get his drink on. With that said, I don’t agree with a lot of Israel’s policies and actions, however the aforementioned statement is inherently anti-Semitic. Jews can be from anywhere, people who live in Israel are properly referred to as Israeli, just as people who live in Nigeria are Nigerian. It is far from a black and white issue, but get one thing straight: the Israeli government is the actor, not US JEWS.

Instance number three. On a trip last July to Mendoza (Argentine city about 7 hours from Santiago) a friend and I met some Argentine girls. We got to talking about the United States and how diverse it is. I mentioned that in New York, you could find just about any race/ethnic group in the world. Chinese… Dominicans… Irish… Jamaicans… Jews… Upon which one of the girls remarked, “Oh of course, there are a lot of Jews in New York. the Jews are a very capitalistic people (i.e. greedy) and New York is the center of world capitalism, so a lot of Jews immigrated there.” At the time I just brushed the remark aside. But really, read a history book, watch a documentary, or shut the fuck up.

To be sure, this is not the Third Reich, and the rest of the world is probably equally as anti-Semitic. I can only comment on my experiences in Chile, and to a lesser extent Argentina. I like Chile a lot and most of my experiences here have been quite agreeable. Sometimes you just gotta vent though.

This semester....

So, I spent yesterday posting fliers throughout my neighborhood advertising my services as an English tutor (I included my being from New York, they seem to be impressed by that here). I've been trying to find individual students to tutor for a while now, but so far I haven't had much luck. I'm going to be posting more fliers tomorrow as well, so we'll see what happens (I'm cautiously optimistic).

I really need more money though. I hate being broke and I hate asking my parents for money, it really makes me feel like shit. I need some private students. Fast.

We're about a month and a half into the new semester and, so far, things haven't been going well. Last semester I really had a great bunch of students, I just didn't realize it until now. This semester I am teaching five sections, three Basic II classes and two Advanced II classes. I get the feeling that my basic students don't like me too much. My basic students almost exclusively study gastronomy and are known throughout the institute for not being "the sharpest tools in the shed." Most of them are lazy, much lazier than last semester's students, who by no means could be labeled 'workaholics.' My current students have very little enthusiasm for learning a foreign language, most just don't see what's in it for them; accordingly their English level is very low, I'm not sure how some of them passed Basic I.

I've been trying to make class more interesting, but it's hard when the students show no enthusiasm for learning and on a personal level are down right dull. For instance, over half of my current students report that "watching TV" is their hobby... You're 20 years old and your hobby is to passively sit on a couch and absorb whatever crap the television set throws your way?!... I mean come on, you can't think of a remotely better way to spend your time?

With that said, a good teacher should be adaptable and able to inspire. So that's my job for this semester. I need to figure out a way to reach them.

about my life here

I’ve been in Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city (population 5.8 million) since February teaching in a post-secondary institute called DuocUC, which has some sort of relationship with Universidad Católica, one of Chile’s largest and most well known corporations (it controls one of Chile’s largest universities along with one of its most supported soccer teams, both going by the corporation’s moniker). There really is no American equivalent to Duoc. It’s a cross between a community college and a trade school.
There are several DuocUC sites dispersed throughout Chile, but most are located in Santiago. The site I teach at is located in San Carlos de Apoquindo, one of the city’s swankiest areas, in Las Condes (translation: the Countesses), in the northeastern edge of the city.
I like my co-workers and I love my boss. The only drawback to working in San Carlos de Apoquindo is the daily commute: it’s a good 45 minutes from any other place in the city. My students are a mixed bunch and study a large range of fields, anything from Hotel Management to Gastronomy to Industrial Design. Some of them are extremely smart, some are average, and –even though I hate to say it- a few are downright dumb. Many of them are also lazy. They hardly ever do homework or study outside of class, which is a problem if you are really trying to wrap your head around a foreign language.
The Chilean school year runs from March to December, so I’ce recently begun my second semester of teaching. My first semester was a blast. My students, although a little immature, were pretty nice (well, there were a few…). I taught all levels; basic, intermediate, and advanced; and it was both fun and satisfying to see my students improve their English as the semester bore on.

Favorite moments of my first semester:
Funniest: There's a type of hot dog here called "ass." (it's similar to a cheese steak). I was doing a lesson on food, and one of my students said "I like to eat ass." I didn't know about the hotdog, so I was speechless. Meanwhile the rest of the class was like, "oooh ass, that's really good!"
Most Touching: One of my basic students told me he had never been interested in learning English until he took my class.

So, he goes another semester…

Chile 101: They Speak Chilean Here

Perhaps the first thing to know about Chile is that it is a very isolated country. Geographically Chile is separated from the rest of South America by the Andes Mountains and most Chileans I have met have never traveled outside of their country. Of the few that have, many have solely been to Mendoza, Argentina, just over Chile’s eastern border. On a recent trip to Argentina, one Argentine I met told me that historically Chile has been a country apart from the rest of Latin America. Indeed, Chile has yet to join one of the two South American trading blocs, the CAN (La Comunidad Andina) or Mercosur (Mercado Común del Sur), neither has the Chilean government taken a firm stand pro or anti- Hugo Chavez. One more bit of evidence to Chilean uniqueness is the country’s version of Spanish. There are many words used here, chilenismos as they’re called, that are unique to Chile. In fact, I would venture to say, they don’t speak SPANISH here, they speak CHILEAN.

Exhibit A: the term “Huevón.”
Often times pronounced, “Gue-on,” this is an all encompassing term used by Chileans of all social strata. It has a plethora of meanings and can be good or bad. For instance, if you see a friend walking down the street, you might say “¿Cómo estai, huevón?” whatsup, man? But at the same time, if someone cuts you off in traffic you very well might shout “¡huevón!” in their direction. Alternately, you could also use it solely in reference to “that guy over there.” There’s also the slight variation “huevada” which is ascribed to objects; calling something a “huevada” us similar to labeling it a “whatchama-call-it.” Huevón refers to men, the feminine version is “huevona.” But be warned, do not ever call a female a “huevona,” it’s akin to saying bitch/slut. Because of its many shades of meaning, as a foreigner it’s best to only use this term among friends.

Exhibit B: the term “Po.”
The term comes from the Spanish “pues” (well…) and whether you are rich or poor; a day laborer, university professor, electrician, or a businessman; EVERYBODY says “po.” It doesn’t really mean much of anything; it’s just attached to the end of phrases to make what you are saying more emphatic. So, instead of the mundane “Sí” (yes), it’s common to hear sípo. There’s also “Nopo” rather than plain old “no,” and “no sépo” instead of “no sé” (Spanish for: I don’t know.)

Exhibit C: the verb Cachar.
The rest of the Spanish speaking world uses “entiendes” for “do you understand?” Not so in Chile, where “entiendes” is said about as often as snow falls in June. Instead, the say “¿cachai?” This word actually comes from the English verb “catch,” as in “catch my drift” and can mean “understand” or alternately “have sexual relations” (hence it’s another word for foreigners to be careful using).

Exhibit D: Other miscellaneous terms:
¡Qué lata! What a pain!
¡Qué fome! How boring!
¡Bacan! Cool!

Now hopefully you have a beginner’s grasp of Chilean Spanish. So if someone ever asks you, “¿Catchai, huevón?” You can affirmatively respond “¡Sípo!”

Intro

I'm 23 years old and am originally from New Jersey. However, since February, 2006 I've been teaching English at an institute in Santiago, Chile. This blog is intended to record my experiences living and teaching English in Latin America. I don't have time right now but don't worry, I'm just getting started, there will be more to come...