Kelly's Chile Year: Teacher Strike

The teachers in Chile have been on strike since last Monday, May 18, which means I have had the last week and a half free. The teachers are striking because they haven’t been paid their annual bonuses in the past couple years and are fed up with empty promises from the government. While pretty common here, strikes are also more complicated because the teachers aren’t part of a union and are instead led and protected by the teacher colleges in the regions. Unlike in the U.S., where scabs are sent in to replace striking workers, all public education is currently at a standstill. It’s frustrating to think that the students have spent the last week and a half sitting at home by themselves, and I’m definitely anxious to know how much of what I’ve taught them they’ll remember after such a long and unanticipated break. There’s nothing I can do about it, though, except wait each day to hear whether or not the strike continues.

In the meantime, I’m taking full advantage of my free days. Last week my fellow volunteers and I were able to travel to Southern Chile, where Patagonia technically begins, and visit some amazing cities. We started the trip off in Valdivia, a German settlement town best known for its brewery (go figure!). We visited the famous Kunstmann Brewery and had ourselves a few samples of some delicious beer. For anyone interested, their beer goes by the name Patagonia in the states. After Valdivia, fellow volunteer Hal’s wonderful family picked us up in their van and took us down to Chiloé, Chile’s largest island. We went to all kinds of wonderful little towns rich with indigenous history and folklore, old Spanish forts, artesanías, or crafts, and wool everything. Plus, the seafood was fantastic and cheap! I had an amazing salmon dish for about six bucks in one town – not too shabby. To top it off, we went to Chiloé expecting heavy rain every day, as is usual for the island at this time of year. Instead, we were blessed with sunshine and rainbows! The colors of the land, sea, and sky were breathtaking at times – here are some pictures: