English Opens Doors

My name is Christine, Jamaican American, originally from Los Angeles, California. I received my Bachelors degree in History from the University of California Santa Cruz and my Masters degree in Women’s Health from Suffolk University in Boston. I had been working as a Training Specialist in the area of Women’s Health and recently left my 5 year stay in Boston to live in Chile. I have been teaching English here, along with learning Spanish and exploring the country. I have many passions and food, fitness and travel are at the top of the list.

I’ve always been a free spirit and dreamed of traveling to different parts of the world, and that interest was peaked after I studied Spanish in High School. The excitement of learning a new language and visiting places beyond what I was used to seeing everyday, helped me confirm that I wanted to see and explore everything. I had an opportunity while I was in graduate school to study in Spain, and I opted-out for silly reasons. Finally, another opportunity came around and I jumped at the chance to move to South America. I still have many places I would love to see, with Thailand maybe being my next stop. But, as of now, I’ve traveled to Jamaica, Japan, Chile, Peru, and Argentina.

I always say that fear holds us back from doing the things we so desire to do. But in essence, fear in this context is unnecessary. If you approach life without fear, you will realize that possibilities present themselves to you and then options are limitless. What am I really saying? Im saying that, in life some things may seem unattainable, impossible, scary. Why? Maybe you feel things won’t work out the way you want them to, or you don’t have the money. If you understand that somethings in life will work out the way you want, and sometimes they won’t, then the times they do not work out, you’ll have already been prepared. You then initiate plan B, C, D, etc until the goal is reached. Never lose sight of what it is you want to do. If you want to travel, keep your eye on the prize and try again until you get what you want. A positive outlook is also important to achieving your goal. My advice is, make a bucket list of sorts. What is it you want to do in life? I have a very long and diverse list of things I want to do (aside from my career) and I never lose sight of that list. Everyday, I work toward checking things off. Ill share a few things on my long list…

1. Run a Marathon (completed, October 6, 2013)

2. Move abroad (completed, July 2014)

3. Become fluent in Spanish (work in progress)

4. Become a professional Salsa dancer (work in progress)

5. Learn how to drive a Manual (stick shift) car (work in progress)

6. Write a cook book (work in progress)

My #4, “become a professional salsa dancer.” Some might say this is a reach, but for me, THINKING BIG is important. I may not become a “professional” Salsa dancer, but when its all said and done, Ill be a damn good one!

I moved to Chile in 2014 to teach English with the EODP or the English Opens Doors Program which is an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme. Native and near native English speakers are selected from a wide pool of applicants from around the world to teach English in the colegios or schools here in Chile. Since being in the program, I have met volunteers from India, Poland, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Canada, the United States, and many other places.

As volunteers, we have the opportunity to live with a host family, take an online Spanish course sponsored by the Ministerio de Educacion de Chile, and receive a stipend to reimburse small costs.

What I like most about the program is that there are no initial costs to apply, except for purchasing a plane ticket to get to Chile. Many programs you find online will require deposits and/or program fees. The English Opens Doors Program does not require any fees, and in fact, most visa fees are waived if an applicant is accepted into the program. The staff of the program are all very helpful and attentive, which also is a huge plus, especially for someone who might be afraid to take that first step. They really do walk you through the process of it all. Here is a link to the programs page https://www.centrodevoluntarios.cl/

Chile for me has been a wonderful experience. There are a few things here and there that I haven’t enjoyed, but Ill mention those later. For the most part, I am having a good time working in colegios and interacting with students as well as having a second family that I can practice Spanish with. Since Chile is such a long country, there is lots to see from North to South and everything in-between. So in my spare time, I like to travel to places I haven’t yet been. This summer I traveled to the South, to Patagonia. I got to see glaciers in Torres del Paine National Park, native animals on Chiloe island and beautiful landscapes in Chile Chico and Puerto Varas.

The only few down sides to my experience here I would have to say is being surrounded by cigarette smokers and my hair being damaged and my skin being dried out by the water. Side note: There is a lot of mining in the country, so if you live in Santiago all the way up to the North, in my personal opinion, the water isn’t as pure as it is in the South of the country. Keep in mind though that my experience may not be yours. I have friends who have been living in Chile for years and do not have trouble with their hair and skin because of the water.

The last downside Ill mention about living in Chile (even though there are a few more on my list), is constant stares and people frequently putting their hands in my hair without permission. I’ve had people grab my hair, while confessing they needed to touch it for “buena suerte” or “good-luck” While these situations arise and are uncomfortable and annoying, I try to receive the culture of any place I visit and to enjoy the good parts.

As far as the allowance, volunteers receive a stipend of 70,000CLP/monthly which is about 114 USD. The stipend is meant to reimburse for small costs such as taking a bus to school and maybe having a drink on weekends with friends. One of the ways to minimize additional costs would be staying with a host family. The host family is paid to provide you with a private room, and 3 meals a day. With that being said, if you opt to live with a host family, the stipend is sufficient for basic needs.

One of the many things I want to accomplish is being fluent in Spanish. I am very committed to that goal, and since being in Chile, my Spanish has definitely improved. Do take note, that Chilean Spanish is different and some say really hard to understand. I find that Chileans speak extremely fast, and use many idioms or modismos, what Chileans call Chilenismos, so I get a little lost in conversation sometimes. But, I think Chile is a fun and interesting place to learn Spanish. Being immersed in the environment is the best learning tool for me, and in addition the program offers volunteers an online Spanish course to supplement that learning.

My first semester I was in the North of Chile in the city of Iquique. I worked with 7th – 12th grade students. I spent a lot of time lesson planning, and participating in events at the school. This semester, I am living in Chiguayante, a small city twenty minutes outside of Concepción. The semester for me just began, so my schedule isn’t quite set, but I will be working with 10th-12th graders. I am at school during the mornings, maybe head home for lunch, head back to school then have tea time or “once”, as they call it here, in the evenings. On the weekends, I have time to hang out with my host family and newly made friends. One of my favorite things is going to asados. An asado for the novice is the same as a Barbecue (BBQ). Que Riiiico!

My email address is  canttalk.mouthfull@gmail.com

Follow me on twitter at @SinclaChristine

I am in the process of launching my blog about food, fitness and travel, which will have the same name as my email address along with youtube posts of healthy and delicious food recipes.