Husband and I love Halloween. We decorate the front porch by wrapping yards and yards of black fabric everywhere. Next is a layer of spider webbing, then the decorations-Bats, spiders, and rats. Someone took a photo of the house tonight. Several Trick-0r-Treaters told me ‘Cool house’, ‘Spooky house’, and ‘This is the best house!’ A father said he little princess was talking about our porch before they got out of the car. The beasts did their part by occasionally barking like hell-hounds through the screen door.
Husband had to work tonight, he missed scaring the kids. It’s a highlight of his year. He dresses as The Grim Reaper, and sits very still in a corner of the porch. I usually stand nearby to pass out candy. The candy is on a table next to the Reaper. He doesn’t move if little kids come up, but will wait until middle-schoolers get close and pretend to grab them. Nothing better than a smart-ass 13 year old boasting to his friends that ‘I’m not scared, it’s just a mannequin’, and then squealing like a little girl as he runs from the porch. Friends sometimes drop by to get a Halloween beer, and they’ll helpfully tell the kids ‘Sure, it’s a dummy, go ahead and kick it. It won’t move.’ when he’s trying to hold still so as not to scare the hell out of a toddler.
It’s a damned lie that I kept all the Bottlecaps for myself! 
The lab snatched a Milky Way, and he’s been carrying it around for an hour. He likes the feeling of plastic crinkling in his mouth.
I’m going to Bolivia. It’s unexpected, I’ve been planning on going to Chile next month. My counterpart in Bolivia has been promising to ‘send me a ticket’ for 3 years. This time, she meant it. They use frequent flyer miles to bring 2 volunteers a year to Santa Cruz to show them how they run their program. (I felt better about accepting the ticket when I found out it was frequent flyer miles, not money.) Not many US students want to go to Bolivia, so they want to show the adults their country is safe, modern, and a great place to live. The country interests me. I’ve taken an extra Bolivian or 2 each year for the last 4 years. (Extras are fine as long as you can place all the regular exchanges first.) In 5 years, we’ve only sent 4 kids to Bolivia. The kids have been great exchange students.
I’ll stay with 2 of my former students. One is turning 21, and the other is going to turn 18 and graduate from high school while I’m there. I miss the 18 year old tremendously, and will be happy to see him. It’s so cool, he’s sending me advice. you´ve been advicing kids what to teke t usa for like 20 years ow is your turn… bring a light coat for when ever get rainy a sweet shirt and a lot o tshirts tank tops and shorts,…. im taking y to the place i promisse so its gonna be very humid and warrm.
Earlier this month, American Airlines suspended operations in Bolivia. From UK’s Guardian website: Bolivia’s busiest airport became the scene of protest last night after a local governor urged residents to demonstrate against a military takeover.
Santa Cruz governor Ruben Costas urged residents of the province to hold an overnight vigil at Viru Viru airport in protest against its military occupation, which began on Thursday following a dispute over landing fees.
Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz – Bolivia’s wealthiest province – was seized by armed forces in an operation that left two soldiers injured. Several hundred Santa Cruz residents then responded by attempting to crash through the facility’s gates with cries of “The airport belongs to Santa Cruz!”
The military was called to the airport after workers detained a Miami-bound American Airlines plane, carrying 140 passengers, on the runway on Tuesday. The workers were demanding the airline pay landing fees of up to US$2,000 in cash locally, rather than deposit the fees with the federal airport authority.
I love South America. I’ve never been to Bolivia before. I’m excited.
Do you know what are ‘black Amish nachos?’ If you speak Exchangish, you know they’re blue corn tortilla chips. Husband and I guessed correctly. One of the Bolivian students wants me to bring some down to Bolivia with me, ‘even if they get all smushed.’ I’m also taking Pixie stix, Cowtails, candy corn, sour gummy worms, vinegar potato chips, Goldfish crackers, Oreos, and a whole bunch of scented crap from Victoria’s Secret. Junk food in one suitcase, cologne, bath gel, body lotion, and candles in the other.
Did you know there are Amish and Mennonites in Bolivia? When we first hosted Bolivians, we’d point out the Amish and Mennonite families. The kids would say ‘Ho-hum, we see them at home.’
Please Welcome Tiffany Pierce’s Blog to my blogroll. Tiffany is living near Cordoba, Argentina this year. Life in Argentina!
Filed under: Culture, Exchange Students, hosting | Tags: Advice, FES, Hygiene, Inbounds
~Sigh~ I gave the hygiene speech last weekend to one of our students.
I spoke to the man who should’ve given FES the speech back in August at Orientation, and at the September meeting. (Didn’t want to overstep.) The guy said he held up deodorant, and told the kids ‘You must used this daily.’ Um, yeah, that worked well. No one thinks he or she smells. Everyone thinks it’s someone else.
I really like this kid, and pulled FES aside to quickly and quietly say that the deodorant isn’t working, perhaps you need something stronger. I apologized for bringing it up, but said “I’ve been able to smell you each time I’ve seen you. Even when I’m not walking too close, I can smell you.’ The poor FES probably wanted to hide, but someone had to tell the student.
If you have to give the speech, do it quietly and privately. Keep it brief, because the student is going to want to escape before s/he dies of embarrassment. Be blunt, this isn’t a chat you want to repeat. You have to tell the student, otherwise the other students won’t want to be friends, or will tease, and your house will start to smell.
See also: Stinky Exchange Students, Eau d’Exchange Student
“Hey, is Bolivia safe?” That’s the question 2 girls from my small Appalachian town were asked in the Summer of 2006. By someone calling from the US Department of State. Go ahead, read that again. Our government is asking for advice from 2 teen girls. The girls went to visit a former student from Bolivia 7 months after President Evo Morales took office. They received the phone calls after returning home. They were asked their opinions and feelings about Bolivia, Santa Cruz, safety, stability, etc.
I think I’m going to Bolivia next month. I’ll let you know if Condi calls….
It’s much cuter on the original website than here.
I volunteered for a Cattle Baron’s Ball fundraiser. Dress codes like ‘Denim and Diamonds’ or ‘Fabulous Western’ are tricky. This is what I saw, and my suggestions for the midwest.
Denim & Diamonds
Denim & Diamonds, Western Style-
Living Differences Between USA and Chile-In the Community
Time-Time is money, we say in the states. We expect people to be on time, not waste time, and respect other people’s time. Time in Chile is more relaxed. In the states, ‘a few minutes’ means less than 5 minutes. I think in Chile ‘a few minutes’ is anything less than an hour. In my state ‘after lunch’ means after you’re done eating, we’ll leave. In Chile ‘after lunch’ can be anytime before dinner. In the states, morning is until noon, afternoon is between 12:00 and 6:00, and evening is after 6:00pm. be on time for school, work, and dr. appointments. The being late thing is for friends and casual plans. Chileans are on time for appointments. It is a formal society. Be respectful.
School-You’ll all attend public school in the states. Most communities have one high school, and all local teens attend. In Chile, most of you will attend a private school. School is a privilege in Chile, and it is up to you to take advantage of the teacher’s lessons and attend daily. In Chile, you’ll have a uniform. In America, you wear casual clothing. You may not wear whatever you wish, there is a dress code. You might go to a school in chile and the school won’t be closed. like its open. kind of like a motel set up. and its very very cold in the morning, and bring a few extra layers wouldn’t be a bad idea at all. (In Chile, the teachers change classrooms, not the students. You’ll be with the same kids all day, all year.) also lunch in Chile during the school year is usually eaten after school when you get home.
Sports- The schools in the US sponsor sports. Sports are an important part of high school in the US Sports participation in Chile is done on your own time, usually with a club or group.
Evening activities -In the states, you’ll have a curfew of between 10:00pm-1:00am depending on if it’s a school night or not. Families are free to set the curfews for you. In Chile, teens stay out much later, you may not leave your house until 9 or 10 at night.
Greeting/good-byes -When you walk into a room in Chile, you greet each person individually with a hug or cheek kiss. You do the same when you leave. In America, a group ‘Hi’ and ‘Bye’ is sufficient. I don’t think we Americans are colder than Chileans, we are more reserved. It’s uncomfortable for us to touch people we don’t know well.
Transportation-American teens rely on cars for transportation. Many students have their own cars. You can’t drive, so you’ll need friends with cars, or ask your host parents for a ride. Don’t hesitate to ask for a ride, host parents are used to driving kids around, it’s not a problem. In Chile, students rely on public transportation. Most of our communities in this area do not have public transportation.
Grocery stores-In Chile, Jumbo is the best! Everyone makes fun of me about my love for Jumbo. I love Jumbo the way other people love Wal-Mart. The Jumbo chain carries just about everything you’d find in a grocery store here. They even carry items from small companies from Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. I couldn’t find Rice Krispies, but they had Cocoa Krispies. You will find Mountain Dew in a few grocery stores finally. The produce selection is huge, they have fruits and veggies we don’t have. In the US, the Chileans will just die at the price of fruits and vegetables. If your hostmom asks what you prefer, please tell her. We are used to these prices. Most of us don’t realize that you can buy a kilo of avocados for less than we pay for one avocado/palta.
Ice creamIce Cream in Chile is almost always gelato. (Jumbo carries Breyer’s.) Gelato is low-fat and tastes better than ice cream from Ben & Jerry. You’ll fall in love with it. In my area, gelato is 2 or 3 times as expensive as ice cream. It’s not easy to locate, and we don’t have nearly the selection of flavors as in Chile
Other Stores -When you purchase something in the states, you pick it up, take it to the clerk at the register, the clerk rings it up, you pay the clerk, they put it in a bag, and you leave. Or you tell the clerk what kind of ice cream cone you want, the clerk makes it, hands it to you, then you pay. In Chile, you go to the clerk at the register, pay that person, take the receipt to the ice cream counter, give it to the clerk there who will make your cone and hand it to you. Chilean stores seem to have more people working in them than in America stores.
Money-Many US students work, and have their own money to spend as they wish. You all will have program stipends and money from your parents this year. In Chile, going to school is a student’s job and high school students don’t have much spending money. This affects manners as well as other aspects of life. For example, in my area, if you are out with friends and are thirsty, you buy a bottle of Coke and drink it. You assume if anyone else wanted a drink, they’d also purchase a bottle. Many people in the states don’t like to drink after other people. In Chile, when you buy ‘una bebida’ you individually ask each person in the group if they’d like a drink before you drink. You share the entire bottle.
Dogs-It’s rare in my state to see stray dogs. There are ‘street dogs’ all over Chile. Talk to your host families about how to treat the pets-if they’re permitted in your room or bed, if you can feed them people food, etc.
Parking -In Chile, you often give a few coins to a man or boy to help guide you into a parking place and to watch your car while you are gone. We don’t have that in our country.
“American”-We live in The United States of America. We call ourselves ‘Americans’. We call the people who live in Estados Unidos Mexicanos, Mexicans. Chileans live in the Republic of Chile. People from the states don’t mean North America when we say ‘Americans.’ We know Chileans are Americans, the same as people living in Europe are Europeans. We are using the word ‘American’ in a different way. We mean no disrespect to the people of other American countries.
Filed under: Culture, Home, hosting | Tags: CHILE, Culture, Culture Shock, FES, Home, hosting
The differences between living in Chile and living in the USA-In the Home
Heating/Cooling-in the states, all homes have furnaces with whole house heating. Many homes have whole-house air conditioning or room air conditioners for the hot, humid summer weather. In central Chile, homes will have a space heater or 2 to burn off the chill. It rarely goes below 32/0 degrees. Houses are kept ‘room temperature’ year round in the In Chile, you keep warm, not the house. Wear warm socks and sweaters. a warm robe is a wonderful thing to have, especially south of Santiago. It’s bad manners to walk around in your bare feet in the house. In the states, some people prefer that everyone take shoes off before entering. Ask
Plumbing-In Chile, make sure the califont is on before you get in the shower. A califont is a tankless water heater. Cold water goes through it and is instantly heated. In the states, all sinks, showers, and bathtubs have hot water almost all the time from a hot water tank. Almost’ because if you’re the last person in the house to take a shower, the tank may be emptied and have to re-fill. Be considerate. Your host family will show you the furnace and water tank.
Toilet-In the states, the toilet paper always goes in the toilet. Never place it in the garbage can in the bathroom. Do not flush feminine products in the toilet. In Chile, almost all tp goes in the little garbage can next to the toilet. If you aren’t sure, ask.
Towels-Chileans, please do NOT bring bath towels with you. We don’t think it’s polite, we think it’s odd that you wasted packing space on towels. We don’t have our own towels here. We use any clean one. Ohioans, bring a few bath towels with you. Polite people bring their own towels. If your hostmom thinks you’re strange, give them as a gift ‘por la casa.’ If they’re new, and they match. Chileans don’t use washcloths, if you use them, please take several with you. Yep, they’ll make fun of your ‘little towels’.
Water-It’s perfectly fine to drink the water in both countries. Both countries also have lots of bottled water. In Chile, bottled water comes either ‘con gas’ or ‘sin gas’. In the states, it’s either ‘still’ or regular water or carbonated water. Seltzer water is a good substitute for con gas, as is Perrier. Ask about drinking the water too. Occasionally I’d go to a restaurant close to the coast and my host parents would tell me to get bottled water instead. If people drink water, which will look really strange to Chileans, the waiter may even say whether it’s potable or not.
Kitchen-Some USA kitchens have a garbage disposal in the sink. It’s a way of getting rid of food, ask your host family about how and when to use it. You’ll find a lot of frozen food in US refrigerators/freezers. Chileans go to the grocery store more often for fresh food and bread. The bread in Chile is very good, and Wonder bread will be an unhappy surprise. The food in Chile is fresher and much less processed. Chileans eat a lot more seafood than we do in the States.
Bedroom/Living room-In the states, the family watches TV together in the living room or family room. The living room is used for sitting and talking in Chile. Families will watch TV in the bedroom, it’s OK to lie on the bed with other family members. Chilean students generally take naps after lunch. In the states,ask your host parents if they mind if you take a nap. Many people here think naps are just laziness, and you aren’t getting enough sleep at night.
Doors-There are more doors in Chilean homes. Doors may be between the kitchen and the rest of the house. The dining room may have doors. A door may be in the hallway to the bedrooms (private part of the home vs. public part.) Most US homes have wide doorways and no doors except for bedrooms and bathrooms.
Dining room/Meals-Polite behavior in the US requires you to pass the servings of food around the table before you begin eating so everyone’s plate is full. In Chile, the food is placed in the center of the table, and you reach to serve yourself. In Chile, you keep your hands above the table in sight, in the US, you are supposed to keep your elbows off the table, and one hand in your lap. In the states, you place your napkin in your lap when you sit down. Napkins in Chile are smaller, so this isn’t done. In Chile, the salt is saltier, and the sugar is sweeter. In Chile, you sit at the table after meals, chatting with the others. You don’t leave the table as soon as you are finished eating. Don’t ask to be excused. In Chile it’s rude to pass the salt into someone’s hand. They’re very superstitious about it and it’s a table manner’s no-no.
Breakfastin the US is what you make for yourself-nothing, cold cereal, cold leftover pizza, orange juice, etc. The big American breakfast you see in movies is on the weekends, if at all. In Chile, the family eats together. Breakfast is tea, juice, drinkable yogurt, or Nescafe, bread with either jelly or palta (smushed avocado) and perhaps a slice of ham or cheese. Cereal is popular now, too.
Lunchis the biggest meal of the day in Chile. Typically, the entire family eats lunch together. In the US, you’ll eat lunch in school. On the weekends, usually you just find something in the refrigerator to eat for lunch. You’ll be on your own in the US for many meals. Ask your hostmom what you can and can’t eat in the ‘fridge.
Dinner/Once-In the US, many times families eat in shifts. People work different hours, and kids have after school activities. You’ll learn how to feed yourself this year. ‘Once’ in Chile is about 7:00pm. It’s a lighter meal than lunch, sometimes you’ll have also dinner later at 9:00, and sometimes not.
Coffeein Chile is typically Nescafe. If you want Nescafe in the US, please ask for ‘instant.’ Coffee in the US is usually brewed with the coffee grounds strained out. You host family will show you the coffe-maker. Most homes have a Mr. Coffee coffee maker. Tea is much more popular in Chile as a daily beverage. Most US homes won’t have a tea boiler. Just heat up water in the microwave.
No free refills in Chile! At most US restaurants, your Coke or coffee will be refilled at no charge as often as you wish. Restaurants in the US use a lot more ice in the drinks. In Chile, you sometimes don’t get ice, or you get one cube. (soda will taste different for you in the other country. Each country mixes their product to suit local tastes-sugar, flavoring syrup, carbonation
Basement/Attic-most homes in the Northeast and Midwest have basements and attics. Please ask your family before exploring these floors. Some basements and attics are used for storage, laundry, and utilities, while others are ‘finished’ and used as bedrooms or game rooms. Chilean homes don’t have basements.
Computers-the same in both countries.
Cell phones-get one in your hosting country. Don’t bother trying to change the chip. Both countries, ask your hostparents how the billing works-incoming/outgoing calls to cell phones and to landlines.
Answering machines-not popular in Chile.In the states, everyone has them. Do NOT hang up without leaving a message. I know you don’t like to leave a message. Just say “this is ____, call me.”
Housekeepers -In Chile, it’s common to have a lady help with the housework several times a week for several hours a day, and she may be called a ‘nanny.’ In the US, if someone has help, it’s usually a cleaning lady who comes for 3-4 hours every 2 weeks
Gardens/Back Yards-Homes in Chile are surrounded by a high fence, usually with an iron gate. In the US, the front and sides of the houses aren’t fenced. If a house has the back yard fenced in, it’s for swimming pool privacy, or to keep pets and small children in the yard.
