Day in the Life
We asked our Chile volunteers to describe the communities in which they live and schools in which they teach. We hope these samples will give you a picture of life as a WorldTeach volunteer in Chile, but please keep in mind as you read these that every site is unique. Your experience will be what you make of it!
Futaleufu
Community
Futaleufu is a small town of only 1,800 people, nestled between mountains, along the powerful Futaleufu River. During the summer months (December - March) the town is a mecca for whitewater rafters and kayakers from around the world. The rest of the year the town is quiet and relaxed. The temperatures can drop pretty low but the beautiful scenery is a great distraction.
School
This placement includes teaching at a few different public schools. There are 4 rural schools and one urban school in the town. This mix of rural and urban schools keeps things exciting and different. The rural classes are smaller and usually consist of mixed levels, which can seem challenging, but with careful lesson planning the students have the opportunity to learn much more. Classes in the urban school can be very large, sometimes reaching over 40 students.
Teaching Assignment
The volunteer will teach with a Ministry of Education teacher at all of the schools expect for the rural school in Espolon.
Living Arrangements
The living situation in Futa could not be better. The volunteer will stay in a pension house run by a member of the school’s administration. Along with her family, you will live with other teachers from the school. Everyone has the same schedule and loves to hang out and enjoy Patagonia in their free time!
Language Issues
Chileans love their Spanish and make little effort to slow down when speaking. However they are more than willing to explain and teach you one of the millions of chileanismos they use. Since Futa is a tourist destination in the summer, the townspeople are used to people practicing Spanish and are very patient.
Greatest Challenge
Isolation and living in a small town can be challenging. There are times when you will want to escape and have a bit of normality in your life. Luckily Esquel, Argentina is really close and relatively easy to visit. There you can buy almost anything you need, have a nice meal and if you are a winter sports enthusiast, there is a ski resort just outside of town.
Greatest Rewards
Living in Patagonia! This placement gives you the opportunity to live and work in an amazing location where many people only see pictures. You have the chance to get to know a completely different culture.
Palena
Community
Palena is a town of 1,500, where passerby always exchange an “Hola” even if they do not know each other—though that’s very rare! The class lists are dominated by a few last names of the first founding families of the area in the early 20th century, and yet there are also lots of young professionals from other parts of Chile who have come to live in Palena and enjoy the elevated rural salaries. Palena is full of contrasts: for example, students and teachers check their Facebook in a school where classrooms are heated by wood stoves, and hallways are unheated, and icy in the winter. 
Teaching Assignment
The Palena teaching assignment is fundamentally about collaboration. For English, I work with the Chilean English teacher, and we have negotiated a mutually beneficial arrangement, where I take charge of the younger classes, and we co-teach high school workshops. For Environmental Education, the task is more open-ended, so I have collaborated primary with elementary teachers within their science curriculum, as well as organizing school-wide recycling campaigns. Teaching, like most jobs here, is all about relationships, which means a lot is up to the choices and relationships you build. Other highlights are weekly visits to rural schools for English, and an evening adult English class.
Living Arrangements
Living in the Foundation’s office is perfect for someone who likes to relax with quiet time and cooking, though living alone in Patagonia is not without its challenges, especially the never-ending task of building a fire! The office has good internet service, and is generally comfortable even in winter once a big fire is going. At times it is a challenge to navigate sharing my personal space with the professional function of the office, but the arrangement also has its benefits—for example, company during the work-week for meals and conversation. Other members of the Foundation team stay in the house when they are in Palena, about one week every month. 
Language Issues
Chile has a very unique dialect, highlighted by a heavy accent and the use of a large amount of colloquial expressions collectively called Chileanismos. Paleneces have also incorporated a large amount of Argentinian vocabulary into their speech, and like to play with the Argentinian accent when they are having a good time or joking around. Only in Palena can you hear po and che in the same sentence. If you know Spanish, it might take a bit to adjust to the language here, but you will get into the groove pretty quickly if you make an effort.
Greatest Challenges
I think my biggest challenge here is determining what is and what is not within my reach to change, so that I don’t get unnecessarily frustrated. There are endemic, systematic problems in the town and in the school which are maddening, far too much for one young American to tackle in one year. And yet, I have been able to find ways and places to do good work, but accepting what is beyond my control remains a constant challenge.
The other challenge is the isolation. Palena is about three hours from Esquel, the nearest reasonably sized town in Argentina. Even this journey, however, is complicated by the lack of public transportation, hundreds of miles of dirt roads, and the paperwork at the border crossing. Twelve hours to the south is Coyhaique, Chile. A four hour bus ride coupled with a twelve hour boat ride will put you in Puerto Montt, Chile. Those are pretty much your options if you’re looking for a mall, movie theater, restaurant, or night out on the town.
Greatest Rewards
Walking down the street and hearing, “Tía ingles!” “Hola Tía Margaret!” is my greatest reward. It feels so good to realize I know such a high proportion of the town in a relatively short time, even if at times the smallness is suffocating. Also, the natural beauty is staggering. There are miles of dirt roads in every direction that wind through valleys, across rivers, and one never tires from exploring the countryside. Though they are sometimes easy to forget about, the mountains are always there to inspire and soothe me when I remember to look up.
