17 days in, and a glimpse at the future

Miscellany:

Here's all of Allison's Picasa photos, and Heather's. We've been together for most things and we all go to the same places, and they're much better photographers than I am, so maybe this is better than my photos.

My phone is broken. The lady who sold it to me warned me that if you put an old SIM in a new phone, sometimes it stops working, which it did after a couple days, and I've been sick and it's Easter weekend and I haven't gone to bother people about it. Not that you were trying to call, but FYI.

Tomorrow at 11 we're moving from Hotel Plaza Londres to Hostelling International Santiago, for a week of Ministry training. I don't think anyone's looking forward to it, because (a) HI is likely to be noisier and more party-oriented, with new volunteers just reaching the country, (b) we've already had a lot of intense training and we'd like to get on with teaching, (c) HI is in a dodgier neighborhood that requires yet more attention to not getting robbed (the cops are incorruptible, but petty theft is huge here), and (d) we're all ready to get out of Santiago.

The Ministry training agenda is a lot like the WorldTeach training agenda: Health & Safety, Lesson Planning, Multiple Intelligences, etc. But apparently, instead of a small tight group doing a lot of interactive learning and practicing, it's 51 of us and a lot of PowerPoint decks. Bright sides: last year it was over 100 volunteers. And they feed us dinner as well as breakfast.

On Thursday night, I went to Zen Montañas y Mar, a local sitting group. It wasn't quite as exciting as visiting the dojo, because there were fewer people and I just don't get as exuberant about Zen stuff...possibly because I can (and usually do) sit zazen by myself, but for aikido I have to share and work and connect with other people in a very immediate and obvious way, while sangha is a more subtle thing, that takes a bit more time for me. But I spent some time chatting afterward with a new pal, Pedro, who I will hopefully get to see before I leave Santiago.

Finally, cross my fingers, but I think I'm almost well. Lots of Coke at the group asado (barbecue) last night, which didn't help anything, but today was digestive cookies and lots of vegetables, and I'm feeling much better. At least I managed to get sick when I didn't actually have to do anything.