Life has been pretty wild since the last time I posted here! First off, I've moved out of my first apartment and am currently sleeping on a fold-out in the living room of my friends Jess, Paul, and Chris's apartment. Though my apartment in Ñuñoa was beautiful, the situation grew increasingly uncomfortable with the couple who lives there. I wasn't allowed to have more than one friend over at a time, and didn't feel welcome to be in the living room when they were home. Also, it can't go unsaid that when my friend Julia and I both lived there, we got reprimanded for having a holiday cookie party. I simply can't live with anti-cookie types.
So even though I'm living out of a suitcase, I'm much happier and more relaxed living with Jess, Paul and Chris. I can sing in the shower, sprawl in the living room, plus the apartment is as central as one could hope for, right in Plaza Italia, about a three minute walk from the VE office. Now that I'm full-time there, I couldn't ask for a better location.
My move came at a bit of a crazy time: I told the couple I would move out on March 1, the day before Orientation began for the new class of volunteers. They told me to be out before noon, so I ended up moving on February 28th as I needed to pick up one of the new volunteers at the airport at 6:45 a.m. on the 1st. February 28th also happened to be VE Palooza, a traditional VE event where good-bye speeches are given for volunteers leaving in the next three months. Palooza also includes silly prizes, such as "Best Fanny Pack" (fanny packs are cool in Chile, I promise). Though the day was hectic, Palooza was thoroughly enjoyable. The Director of Volunteer Relations traditionally hosts the event, so Daniel and I co-hosted. Here we are presenting Paul (left) the prize for Best Dance Moves:
The next day, whether we were ready or not, Orientation Week took off, starting with the traditional welcome dinner at Hostal de Sammy. The six new volunteers, hailing from England, Austria, Hungary and the United States, are pretty much fantastic. I loved getting to know them over the course of the week and felt even more fortunate to have the opportunity to closely watch the Orientation Program knowing I'll be running it the next time around. Over the course of the week I accompanied Daniel and the newbies to the majority of the presentations, being introduced to the speakers as the next Director of Volunteer Relations. After the days' official activities would end, Daniel and I would work on tasks for the next day, revising our own presentations while attempting to keep up on other work, such as the March budget. It was a happy marathon--by the end of the week we were giddy and delirious, hovering ravenously around the coffee pot. Ann, our Director of Programs and Operations, laughed at my naive excitement as I gushed about working in the Office after midnight and spending three hours in a public health clinic with one of the new volunteers. "Oh, the honeymoon stage," she said.
The week assured me further that this is where I want to be. Despite the sleep deprivation I felt thrilled to be doing such important work. And halfway through the next week I took off for a ten-day trip to the southern tip of Chile to take a trek in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. But that's a topic for my next post!
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