Bye-byes.

This past December I started work at one of the most notorious language institutes in Santiago. I’d heard of its reputation as the fast food version of English Language Teaching, but I was desperate for a job that would offer me a work visa. Well, no, that’s not entirely true. I could have just left the country every 3 months. But I’d just upheaved my life from Singapore to the US and then from the US to Chile. I hardly had the energy to take a bus ride into Argentina when my tourist visa ran out. I came to Chile in the summer – not a good time to look for English teaching jobs. Everyone is on vacation, nobody takes classes. No institute wants to commit to sponsoring a foreigner during the summer months. I was lucky to get an offer.

To put it lightly, I didn’t have high hopes for the place. But, at the end of the day, boy was I impressed! Oh, don’t get me wrong. We were proverbially deep-frying the past perfect and present continuous 4 classes a night, 5 days a week. Whoever told me about the fast food English teaching was spot-on.

I digress.

The reason I was so taken aback was the people I met - teachers and students, but teachers especially. I said it to some of you before and I’ll say it again. I have never been surrounded by such a large concentration of sweet, creative, intelligent, entertaining people in a work environment. Never in my entire life! At first I thought it’d be such a drag teaching the night shift 5 days a week. You guys made me look forward to going to work every day!

Good luck, take care, and please keep in touch.