Meet Field Director Heather Tang!

Recently a WorldTeach volunteer in our Chile Ministry program who completed her service, Heather Tang is now joining us as Chile Field Director, and will be welcoming a new group of volunteers in Santiago in July. As we welcome her to the WorldTeach family in this new capacity, Heather shares with us the journey that led her to this adventure!

"I got bitten by the travel bug very early in life as my family took trips all over North America since before I could remember.  But it wasn’t until I studied abroad in New Zealand my senior year at Boston University that I realized how much I wanted not just to stand behind the ropes viewing a culture from the outside, but be a part of people and places I visited.   I went on a home-stay trip with the program to the tiny, remote island of Mangaia in the Cook Islands, working with the island’s children at their school, learning about their daily life, and teaching them about ours.  The exchange set me on a path that has taken me through the South Pacific, Asia, and Africa over the past several years, learning and teaching along the way and quenching my thirst for foreign cultures and languages.

When I stepped off the plane in Santiago back on March 17, 2010, I truly had no idea what to expect.  I, along with my fellow volunteers, had arrived in a country literally shaken to the core by the historic 8.8 magnitude earthquake with much of the area just south of capital devastated.  Everyone and everything was still in recovery mode, although Santiago seemed to be recovering a little more quickly.  In the wake of the quake, my family and friends asked whether I would still take on the task of teaching in Chile, with the threat of strong aftershocks still very constant.  But for me, it was never really a question.

From the beginning, I saw the strength of Chilean people, pulling together after such a life-altering incident and showing so much national pride that most of the aid for the quake came from the people within the country than out.  Over the next eight months, I lived and taught in the country’s fifth region of Valparaíso.  My public elementary school students were on the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder and many came from difficult family situations.   Yet that didn’t keep them from being the kids they were, and it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with their spirit and cariño.  They deserved as much of a chance at a bright future as their companions in the private schools did.  With my host family, I found my center in Chile.  In their home, I learned about the family life, food, history, music, customs, language, and much more.  They became my support, entertainment, and a part of me as much as my own family. 

My year in Chile saw the destruction from the earthquake, the first conservative government sworn into office in 20 years, the fútbol fever of the World Cup, the internationally-covered miracle of the 33 trapped miners, the country’s 200-year Bicentenario of independence from Spain, and some of the most spectacular natural geography in with world.  It also saw me establish myself in the country’s vivacity, no longer just a gringa looking in from the outside, but becoming a part of its core."

We are still recruiting volunteers for the Chile Ministry Semester program, departing in July 2011. Learn more here about how you can join the WorldTeach Chile familia!

Beans & Rice... and more!

Our year-long volunteers for the Costa Rica 2011 program have now completed orientation and are all out at their sites, learning more about their surroundings each day. WorldTeach volunteer Casie Czapski reflects on her first weeks, her beautiful surroundings, and the delicious food!

After almost three weeks in Costa Rica, I still don’t know quite what to say or exactly where to begin. There’s so much going on and so much to take in, and I can guarantee you that my words will not even come close to what I’ve actually experienced so far.

I’ll start with something not surprising at all – it’s absolutely gorgeous here. So far, I’ve traveled through San Jose, Orosi, Puerto Viejo, and my site, Palmital Sur (where I’ll be living for the remainder of the year). San Jose, Orosi, and my site look pretty similar. There are rich, green mountains everywhere and they’re all located in the center of the country. Oh, and there’s a volcano in the background of Orosi….and it’s always smoking. Not to worry though, it only had a small eruption last year.

As for the beach in Puerto Viejo that I visited this past weekend, it is also nothing less than beautiful. The whole town sits right on the beach and has a much different feel to it than the rest of the country due to its closeness to the Caribbean islands. It’s got more of a “Rastafarian” atmosphere to it. Just picture a bunch of black and brown surfers with blond dreads chillin on the beach and a street filled with tables and tables of unique, handmade jewelry, sarongs, head wraps, purses and anything else any tourist could ever want from a beach town. It’s also not unusual to find a restaurant roasting a whole pig on the street….

Now for something that I’ve found surprising – eating rice and beans, everyday, for every meal, is actually pretty delicious. And it’s not just  rice and beans. Here’s a basic taste of one day filled with rice and beans:

Desayuno (breakfast) – “gallo pinto” (guy-oh peen-toh) with brown rice and brown beans mixed together (rice and beans are not served together at lunch and dinner) and usually huevos picados, or scrambled eggs. There’s also some sort of sauce that they mix in that’s different from lunch and dinner that changes the overall flavor. Delicious.

Almuerzo (lunch) – the biggest meal of the day with orange/yellowish rice, black or brown beans, ensalada (salad) with tomatoes, cucumbers and some sort of light dressing, and then some form of fried fish, chicken, and if I’m lucky, chorizo picante. Every now and then we get fried plantains, nice and sweet. I love to mix everything all together and it actually tastes quite similar to a Chipotle burrito bowl. Love it.

Cena (dinner) – almost the exact same as lunch, but a diverse addition to the rice and beans, usually a different type of meat or fish. Again, I mix it all together and it’s great.

Now with just those simple descriptions, it can still sound quite boring to eat. You’ll just have to come visit to see how the flavor is so rich and tasty that it’s not dull and monotonous to eat rice and beans every day!

Valentine's Day in a Faraway Land

In addition to learning about foreign holidays and traditions, our WorldTeach volunteers have the opportunity to bring American holidays into their classrooms abroad! Below, volunteer Kerry Tanney in Thailand and Olivia Bull in Ecuador share their experiences celebrating Valentine's day with their students.

:: Wan Valentine!

Seeing as Thai people love relationships and love so much, I obviously decided to teach my students about Valentine's Day in English. We learned that Valentine's Day is on February 14th and the vocabulary words "boyfriend, girlfriend, love, give, flowers, chocolate, heart, hug, kiss, cupid, bow and arrow".

I began teaching this material on Friday, planning to have the students make cards on Monday and Tuesday. Much to my surprise, a number of students bombarded me on Monday morning with roses yelling "HAPPY VALENTINE DAY TEACHEEERRRR". IT WAS SOOOO CUTE!!!

:: Feliz Dia!

On Sunday Jill and I made nearly 100 heart-shaped cookies for our classes. During class we had the students write their own love poems and it was EPIC. One of Jill's older students even sang an original love song, and, needless to say, his group was the winner. One of my favorites was from a student of mine and it went a little something like this.

"When I open my eyes you are there
I think you are my angel of the morning
There is no doubt you are my love."

They totally tried to channel Latin love into English and it was amazing. A great Valentine's day overall, and it won't be forgotten soon, especially due to all the reminders I now have in my house! Students brought us roses and candy and my night time class got me a teacup, teapot, and saucer set! When I got to class at night they had put Valentine's pictures on the wall and set up a food table full of Ecua-snacks. So cute.

 

Jill, Nia and I were talking about how different Valentine's day is in Ecuador when compared to the United States. For one, visibly. When we went shopping the days before to get things to make cookies, there were absolutely no signs that a holiday was approaching-- no heart-shaped doodads, pink candies, or flowers on display. The day of, however, the Valentine's vendors came out of the woodwork, with flowers and trinkets every few blocks. Mentality wise, I find I much prefer it here as well. Valentine's day isn't so focused on a significant other as much as it is on friendship. Many of my students wrote poems about being good friends and what that means, which I find really refreshing. Everyone you love is your Valentine here. So yeah, chalk a point up for Ecuador!