Is this the bus to Argentina?

Dineros are starting to enter the Chilean Harper household.  I’ve started teaching with an emerging institute.  Class numbers are lower than what I’m used to working with but adaption is the nature of the game when teaching.

I’m the native speaker for the institute and my favourite part so far has been telling each class that I won’t answer any questions that they ask me in Spanish.  Slowly through the lesson I can see the change in their attitude as they realise how beneficial it is for them to be thinking, speaking and listening to English.   There was one student who missed my first class and the look on her face as the rest of the class told her (in Spanish) that I wouldn’t speak Spanish with them was priceless.  ¿Él no entiende español? 

We haven’t stayed out past sunset yet.  We’ve found that it’s too long of a day for the girls if we do.  The other night I taught a night class and came out at 10:00.  It’s the first time I’ve seen the city after hours.  I walked the long way home to avoid a set of stairs we’ve been told to only use during daylight hours but the city is so well lit up with street lights I saw the same activities at ten o’clock at night as I do in the day time.  People were sticking ‘rooms for rent’ posters on poles, dogs roamed around and artists were even sitting in doorways sketching streetscapes.

There are different reactions when people know you’re not fluent in Spanish.  Some shopkeepers will show you the price on a calculator instead of repeating the amount while others will correct your mistakes at a speed easy to comprehend.  We’re slowly breaking into the circle of mums who wait at the school.  They’re all happy to smile at Indiana and Truce but are unsure what to say to us.

Truce is learning more Spanish than she realizes.  She’s been singing a song in Spanish.  We have no idea what it means but she’s happy to sing it.  When the teacher says her name she has to answer, “Estoy aqui.”  I am here. 

When old powerlines are finished with they’re usually left hanging on the pole.  We assume they’re no longer live but it’s better to be safe than sorry.  We’ve had many conversations about the dangers of electiricty.  This must have filtered through to Truce’s train of thought because as we were walking upstairs to our apartment we passed the internet router.  Truce saw the flashing lights and asked what it was and I told her it’s for the internet.  She asked if she could touch it and I said it’s best not to.  She then said, “Because we might get internet in us.”