If I had one word to describe Chilean fans, it would be dedicated. The students and staff at Colegio Anakena are no exception.
Photo of celebration of World Cup game from Flickr user Kmilo
“Chi Chi Chi – Le Le Le Viva Chile!” is what I heard walking into Anakena on Friday. As the children arrived, the tias were painting the students faces in Chile’s colors of red, white and blue. They were blowing horns and shouting this famous cry of all Chileans during the World Cup. All the students and staff at Anakena had gathered to cheer on their team and eat completos for the game against Spain on this Friday. (Completos, in case you don’t know, are a very popular Chilean delicacy. It is simply a hot dog smothered in guacamole, mayo, diced tomato, and ketchup. It is enormously messy and all the kids were wearing their completos by the end of the game after sufficiently playing with them rather than consuming them.)
I’m not sure who was more excited after the game on Friday, the students or the tias. Even after a LOSS, they were brimming with anticipation for the upcoming game versus the famous Brazilians! It was so great to spend some time with them outside of classroom lessons, just having fun. I feel like I am getting to see more of who they are as people. I can tell the kids are feeling more comfortable with me and that is encouraging. I am also beginning to decipher the students specific speech impediments, despite my Spanish language incompetence, which is helpful for both them and me. As I continue to work on my Spanish, and learn the types of words and sounds the children struggle with, I will be able to help them so much more effectively. I will also be able to develop closer and more real relationships with them. The mere thought of that brings me so much joy.
Lindsey Chapman is currently a volunteer with VE Global, at Colegio Anakena. For more about her experiences, check out her blog.
Latest posts by Lindsey
- Planning a Fund Raiser - January 6th, 2011
- Book Review: The Road Less Traveled - December 14th, 2010
- Weekday Veg - December 6th, 2010
- A Perfect Circle - November 23rd, 2010
- Life is Good - November 16th, 2010
- Misión Cumplida Chile (Mission Accomplished Chile!) - November 3rd, 2010
- Life and Death - October 19th, 2010
- "Follow Your Bliss" - September 14th, 2010
- Day in the Life: Olympiadas At Anakena - September 3rd, 2010
- Recognizing Difference - August 27th, 2010
I guess I need to jump out of my lazy boy and cheer a little louder for the home team.