So in the face of my renewed sense of ignorance, I think that there's a lot of good in still being wide eyed and bushy tailed. There's a lot of time left, a lot that I still don't know, and a lot that I still have yet to experience. So I want to take advantage of my beginner status and think about what it is exactly that I want to accomplish while I'm here. If I were leaving this country tomorrow, what regrets would I have? And since I'm not leaving tomorrow, what are some things that I want to be working towards?
In short, what are my Santiagoals? (*Patent pending)
I've decided on the following five as my initial non-negotiables. In the following months, I'm sure that this list will grow, and I think that having only five now will give it the room to do exactly that. But I don't take promises to myself lightly. When I was little, I wanted green hair, and last year, I dyed my hair green for a day just to honor that. Let that story be a testament to my determination: each word written here is written in stone. I will not leave this country until the following demands (of myself) have been fulfilled.
1. I will become a wine connoisseur. Chile has established itself as one of the wine capitals of the world, even going as far as being the sole producer of Carménère, a grape that was thought to have gone extinct before being rediscovered here. Gone are the days of wine coolers and slapping the bag. I am now (or will be) a man who can tell the difference between shiraz, malbec, and merlot. I can pair my wines with fine cheeses and detect subtle undertones of vanilla and blackberry. And if you don't finish your small tasting glasses or all of your brie on your cheeseboard, then I will happily take them off your hands. But in all seriousness, I think that traveling to different vineyards is a great way to see the country and become familiar with something that Chile is truly proud of. And yes, any hobby that involves eating, drinking, and traveling can't be a bad hobby to have.
2. I will explore this land of ice and fire. Chile is Westeros, from the deserts in the north to the glaciers in the south. And although we don't have dragons, we do have penguins. I think they're cute enough to justify the trade off. There is a lot of country beyond Santiago, and I want to make sure that I get out of the city enough to see it all. Part of living is complete immersion, and that means hitting the road every chance I get.
3. I will travel to at least two other countries in South America. I could spend years exploring Chile alone and find my time well spent. With the mountains in the east and the ocean is the west, Chile is effectively an island, cut off from the rest of South America. Regardless, this may very well be my only time to spend in this part of the world, let alone call it home. So I want to make sure that I'm not cut off also. Currently, Peru, Brazil, Easter Island, and Argentina are the top contenders. In an ideal world where teachers are the 1%, I would visit each country and linger in my luxury. I'm not opposed to the possibility, and I like to be optimistic.
4. I will speak Spanish with confidence. This may seem like a given, but I don't think it is. Learning another language is incredibly difficult, especially with all the monkey wrenches unique to Chilean Spanish. It is very possible to live here and not learn Spanish. This is my vow to not do that. As challenging as learning another language is, I can say first hand that it's harder living in a place surrounded by conversations, signs, music, etc. that I can't begin to understand. The language barrier is real, and part of living here is doing everything I can to break through it.
5. I will become a better teacher. I am a recent graduate spending a year traveling South America. I'm about a profile picture in nature and a copy of On the Road away from the ultimate twenty-something cliché. But I also am a teacher, and this is the career I have chosen. Don't get me wrong: I will absolutely spend nights under the stars, but I don't want my role as a traveler to completely eclipse my role as a teacher. I still have students, and I am still Mr. Joe ("Rogers" is impossible to pronounce in Spanish). That's too much a part of me to leave it behind.
This job is out of my comfort zone in about all ways possible. I'm used to high schoolers, filled with angst, wit, and sarcasm. But my last student was in preschool, and instead of wanting to learn English, he wanted to dress up as Bumblebee. True to his character, he stopped talking completely...in English or Spanish. Instead of a classroom, I teach in a living room. Instead of twenty students, I might have two. No tests, no homework, no white board. It is my job to engage students in activities, to bring English to life in a way that is intentionally unconventional. And as challenging as it is, I think that there is a lot for me to learn.
I don't know who I'll be or how I will change in the next year, but there are some things that I can control. Every journey has a direction, even if it's arbitrary. By writing these down, I'm recognizing that I have agency in what my life will be like here. For now, this is my direction. These are what will guide my experience.
These, ladies and gentlemen, are my Santiagoals.
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