Many EFL teachers use their skills to teach private classes.

I know a few teachers who have gotten very lucky, and were able to lock down enough private students to earn a descent amount.

The complicated thing about private students is that while teachers can earn almost twice as much money, the students (and income) are often extremely unreliable.

It’s easy to say you want to learn English, but scheduling weekly classes is apparently a struggle for some people.  Take Daniel for example, the one private student I had for a whopping ONE week.  He told me that after two classes he didnt see any improvement (might I add that this man spoke not a word of English), and therefore didnt think the class was worth it.  Or how about those students that cancel class because of a party they would rather go to, and never find the time to make it up.  Well after pretty much giving up on finding anymore private students, I finally hit the jackpot.

I had been having some apartment issues and needed a new place to live for my last month in Santiago, and wasn’t having any luck. Then one of my students, freshly divorced and living alone in a fabulous apartment, proposed to me that I could live with him free of charge, as long as we spoke in English to each other.

Not only does this arrangement reward my student with the opportunity to practice English in an authentic setting, but it allows me to save loads of money and finally leave an apartment my former landlord was illegally renting.

After living with my student for a week now, the decision to accept his offer has remained nothing but positive.

As some family members expressed concern about my new move, I wondered how normal it actually was.  To them it sounds sketchy, but to me it’s just another Chilean being his normal nice and caring self.

I’m glad I trusted him, because in the end it has all worked out better than I had planned.  But how often does this happen?

For me I saw an opportunity and went for it, which is how I like to live my life.  Sometimes you end up SOL at the end, but do you regret taking the plunge?

Especially in a foreign country,  I hope that others at least consider the possibilities when faced with any opportunity that might seem strange at first.  If it doesn’t work out, at least you have a story to tell!

Have you ever trusted the kindness of strangers and acquaintances while away from home? How has it panned out for you?

Transportation: MapRed and the Intendencia of Montevideo’s own map help fill in Google Maps gaps. Tres Cruces, Montevideo’s central bus station, has a website which contains timetables for routes to and from the city. Buquebus or Colonia Express will ferry you across to Buenos Aires, and Carrasco International Airport is the portal for destinations further afield.

In Montevideo, weekend plans are just a wall away.

Housing: Finding short-term housing, particularly furnished housing, can be tough, and real estate agent fees are high. BuscandoCasa and Gallito compensate for Craigslist’s Montevideo scarcity. Mercado Libre can contribute the tchotchkes.

Food: Salir a Comer helps mightily to locate that apocryphal sushi joint, or to try a new resto-pub that breaks away from the chivito-pizza-pasta mold.

Arts: Want access to 80+ film screenings a month for under USD$10? Join Cinemateca. Or check out other events on offer here or here. Or browse the vast expanses of poster-plastered walls around town.

News: Radio station and media outlet Espectador offers extensive online content. Of the newspaper dailies, El Pais trends conservative, La Republica tends to the left of the spectrum, and La Diaria falls somewhere in between.

And of course….

Volunteering: Uruguay as yet doesn’t attract the number of international volunteers that neighboring countries do, and consequently there aren’t many online mechanisms to connect potential volunteers with institutions. Organizations in the Montevideo area which accept volunteer inquiries include: Un Techo para mi País, El Abrojo, Gurises Unidos, DESEM, and the Fundación Niños con Alas.

Flora Lindsay-Herrera is currently a Fulbright Fellow in Montevideo, Uruguay. For more about her experiences, check out her blog.

Emily Anne Epstein is a photographer and writer who, after spending a year working in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is currently based in NYC. Her interest in the lives of those around her has led her to seek out work with Habitat for Humanity, Americorps, and other non-governmental organizations to support humanitarian efforts.

A couple of weeks ago, we posted one of Emily’s audio slideshows that highlights the work of Habitat for Humanity in Argentina. Today, Emily gives us an intimate look at Villa 31, one of the most well-known slums in Buenos Aires.

Villa 31 is a 1,525 hectare slum located in the business center of Argentina’s capital city. At least 40,000 people call it home, mostly illegal immigrants, where life and death obey different rules than the ones that maintain the city proper. The lands are the most expensive in Buenos Aires because of their location: right in the middle of downtown, close to the stock market and the highest valued neighborhood, not to mention the city’s central bus and train station.

Regardless of its surroundings, Villa 31 exists in a parallel world, almost self-sufficient and with its own values. It is a city within an Argentine bubble; it grows exponentially, composed of Paraguayans, Bolivians, Peruvians and other families struggling to make a living in Argentina. The government of Buenos Aires views the slum as a blight, often imposing laws and raids meant to break up the community. However, upon entering the Villa, you will find children roaming freely. There are several businesses and community centers within the villa, ranging from restaurants to dentists.

While the native countries of the inhabitants are different, many of them share traditional patriarchal or machismo values. Most often, men work as construction workers and women are homemakers and maids. Rather than explore misconceptions about crime and legality, I felt an investigation into the life of children would best explain the complexities of Villa 31 and the infrastructure that maintains it. Children, unpolluted by politics, are the best indicators of injustice.

“Last year I had the opportunity to make an audio slideshow for Habitat for Humanity, a NGO that works to provide housing solutions. I went on site to a “brigade” in Recreo, Argentina, where international volunteers constructed homes alongside families for two weeks. I photographed the buildings, the people, and the teamwork in order to make this video.”