Trompo (Top) - A favorite Chilean Toy

One of Chile's most popular toys are called Trompos or Tops (in English). Many students in the country make their own trompos by hand. They take a thick stick of wood, a knife, and a piece of rope. When I visited Temuco, a city in the country, some children taught me how to make them by hand. I even caught them playing with the trompo on video. Check out the video here:

My visit to Punta Arenas - the End of the Earth

In July, I took the most exciting trip yet. I traveled to the very tip of South America (right above Antartica). Punta Arenas is very similar to the state of Alaska because of the severe cold tempretures in winter and the amount of daylight depending on the seasons. During the winter in Punta Arenas and in Alaska it is no sunlight for nearly the entire day, and in summer it sunny and bright for almost the 24 hours! I went to Punta Arenas in winter, so it was dark outside for most of the day. Did I mention it was also freeeeeezing cold too?? During my stay I had a chance to visit Torres del Paine, Chile's National Park. It was a breathtaking park, filled with natural beauty. I saw blue glaciers which means they could be hundreds or thousands of years old. They are blue because they are made up of mostly ice and hardly any water. The only color that the glacier can absorb is the color blue! I also got to know a Punta Arenas blizzard. It was amazing, windy, powerful, beautiful and of course very white. I even got to see a snowman making competetion. But these were no ordinary snowmen - one family constructed a life-size horse made of good-old-fashioned-100%-genuine snow.

Visiting Home - And Seeing my CSS Students!!!!

In June, I traveled home for 2 weeks to the USA to visit my family and students. I had a lovely trip, although it was a short one! I loved to see everyone and couldn't believe how big my students had grown in just 6 months. It was also nice to enjoy a little bit of summer sun, since it is winter in Chile during the month of June. It was great trip!! Now, back to Chile.........

Leading a Women's Groups in the South of Chile

In May, I traveled to two cities, Osorno and Puerto Montt, in the South Of Chile to lead religion and sexual education workshops with groups of women. The work was really wonderful because I had the opportunity to meet women from differents parts of Chile and to hear their stories and opinions about women's rights and their country. I was also able to open their eyes to new points of view and possibilities. I initiated group discussions about controverisal topics, thus allowing the women to openly debate and challenge each other's ideas. Even though Chile has a female president, Chile is still a very "macho" country - meaning the men tend to rule. For the majority of the women I worked with, this workshop was virtually the only space that they ever had to freely express their ideas - without being afraid of judgement or controversy. I also helped them to redefine the idea of what it means to be to be a good woman - not just someone who serves dinner and cleans the house, but can also be someone who is independent and extroverted. The women were so grateful for participating in the workshops. My time with them was the highlight of my trip. I hope to lead more workshops in the future.