In VE-Land, we had our traditional VEPalooza celebration at the beginning of the month, which Lindsay and I co-hosted. To open the event, Lindsay and I led a sing-along of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" with new lyrics we wrote, entitled "Don't Stop VE-ing." The new lyrics pertained to various aspects of volunteer life here in Santiago. To give you a sample of the caliber of the lyrics, we changed "Some will win, some will lose, some were born to sing the blues," to "Some will pee, some will poo, some will make you look like fools." Obviously, it was a smash hit. At Palooza volunteers give good-bye speeches for other volunteers who will be leaving in the next few months, and we give out superlative-type prizes, such as "Most skilled on the dance floor," and "Most adventurous." Somehow I tied for "Most mysterious," although the uproar in the crowd when Lindsay announced this result speaks for itself. Here's a group photo from the event:
After Palooza, Orientation Week began and although I was a nervous wreck at the beginning of the week, everything went incredible smoothly. There are only four newbies in the June class, and two of them had been in Santiago for at least a month when the week started, so they were an easy-going bunch. It didn't feel like an actual Orientation Week because there weren't a million airport pick-ups to make and there were no crises, which I found a bit unsettling. At least now I can be confident that I know how to get to all the various places around the city where we take the newbies over the course of the week. We already have a staggering TEN volunteers confirmed for the September class, so I'm glad I got to go through the motions of an Orientation with such a tranquil group because I have a feeling September will be anything but tranquil. And I will love it.The week started with a welcome dinner at the office on Sunday night and I was quite taken aback by the effort all the current volunteers put into the meal. It was, I think, the most elaborate dinner ever held by VE. At one point I ran over to my apartment to grab a pot (for mulled cider, egad) and I got a bit emotional thinking about all the people working away in the office making soup and pizza and gluhwein to welcome the new class of volunteers. I felt and continue to feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so many committed, good-natured, hard-working people. Despite the fact that the honeymoon has in some ways ended, I still feel overwhelmed by the VE community. I thought for some reason that I wouldn't be able to generate the VE "onda" or vibe during Orientation, but the VE onda just happens.
Speaking of the VE onda, on the Friday of Orientation Week, we had Café, our traditional closing dinner and skits at the volunteer house out in the suburbs, but this Café was unique in that it would be the last in the volunteer house. We decided, for multiple reasons, that it was time for a change regarding volunteer housing, and will be renting two apartments for our volunteers right in the city center rather than the house an hour outside the center. A lot of volunteers, although no one likes the commute to the house, have high levels of attachment to the house, so we held a toast circle for the house after Café. We sat in the living room and went around the circle sharing memories of the house. It was hilarious and sad and wonderful and, like everything else with VE, ended with a dance party. The rest of the weekend was spent, unfortunately, cleaning out the years of accumulated crap in the house and selling it in what may have been Chile's first yard sale. It wasn't always fun, but it needed to be done, and we managed to make a bit of money for VE in the process.
Outside the VE bubble, I've seen a couple of really great Chilean bands this past weekend. On Thursday we went to a little salsa club and saw Banda Conmoción, who were incredible. There were eighteen members of the band crammed onto a tiny stage and way too many people in the audience crammed together and jumping as a single entity. So fun. Last night we saw Teleradio Donoso at a theater in an upscale part of town. They were also incredibly fun, in a more alternative-rock, funk-y sort of way. It had been a long time since I'd seen live music, so it was good to get a fix this weekend.
And finally, my roommates and I witnessed a fascinating display of Chilean culture last week after the Chilean fútbol team beat Bolivia. Fans always gather in Plaza Italia after games, win or lose, and make a huge scene. This most recent time was the most extreme I've seen, and ended with the police spraying water and eventually teargas. There were probably a few thousand people in the Plaza who moved themselves into the street, filling the entire enormous intersection right outside our apartment. They were ecstatic, chanting and singing and using huge Chilean flags as trampolines, flinging people into the air and catching them. The police started by asking them to leave through the PA systems in the riot vans, then started inching the vans toward the intersection. This caused a few people to run, but the majority stayed. Fans started getting angry, breaking bottles and ripping street signs out of the ground to hit the riot vans. Once the police started with the water and tear gas the people cleared out quickly. We watched this all from the safety of our 15th floor balcony, but rushed inside as soon as we started feeling the effects of the tear gas. It was absolutely wild.
Well, that's all for now. Hope you're all doing well and enjoying the beginning of summer up there in the Northern Hemisphere! Off I go to snuggle into my down comforter. Brrrr.
