Scholar Reports to Rotary

My ambassadorial scholar year preparation began over two years ago when I submitted my application to the Salem Downtown club in Salem, Oregon. Upon receiving the scholarship after various practice interviews with my sponsor Rotarians, essays and forms, I chose to study in Chile. Having previously studied abroad in Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in Latin America, I thought experiencing a Latin American country with a very different level of economic development would further compliment my understanding of Latin American political, social and economic issues. Two added benefits are Chile’s extensive natural diversity of mountain lakes and deserts, and the tasty seafood near the port cities.
To prepare for my year in Chile I immediately incorporated studying its history and culture into my final year of university coursework. For my Spanish major thesis I investigated public opinion surrounding the response of the Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet, to a major public transportation initiative and student strikes in 2006. The following semester I completed my Politics major thesis tracing the development of nongovernmental organizations in Chile. I also read various recounts by travel journalists and novels by Chilean authors, such as Isabel Allende.
To gain a better understanding of Rotary, I attended various meetings and events throughout the year prior to my departure for Chile. I attended club meetings, the district conference and an international project fair in my sponsor district. While I was working in Alaska during the summer of 2008 I attended a meeting and made a brief presentation at a club in Anchorage, Alaska. The following fall I when I was interning in Washington DC I connected with a club and attended some of their meetings. I also became involved with a local Rotaract club participating in their meetings and service activities. By the time I left for Chile I left very confident in my understanding both of Chile and of Rotary and what my role would be as an Ambassadorial Scholar.
In Chile I am studying in the department of political science at the Universidad de Concepción in Concepción, Chile. Concepción is located south of the capital of Santiago about six hours and has a temperate climate near a port city. It is the second largest city in Chile with a population of about 300,000 in the city center, but close to double that in if the surrounding communities are also included.
Walking to campus the first day of classes with very little information about the registration process was a little unnerving, but I connected with at student host, organized my classes and was even invited out for lunch with some of the other international students that afternoon. I am taking courses on political economy, public and social policy, international public law and a special elective course on the public and social policy management in Chile. My Spanish language comprehension is progressing and I am able to understand just about everything the professors discuss in class. I am only at a loss when they, or the other students, make jokes! But I am told that is the most difficult element of a foreign language to learn.
The Rotarians in my host district have been very welcoming, especially my host counselor who has helped me immensely. She hosted me for a few days while I looked for housing options and has invited me for many weekend barbeques with her family and friends. Shortly after I first arrived I attended a district leadership conference and a district Rotaract conference. I also joined the Rotaract club of Concepción and have participated in two daylong service projects with them. They have a partnership with a local low-income community about twenty minutes outside of town. Our first project was a cultural day at the community center where we entertained the kids, painted faces and played games throughout the afternoon. In the evening the parents and Rotarians came to share Chilean ‘onces’ or the evening meal of tea, coffee and bread. During ‘onces’ the president of the Rotaract club presented a new joint project with the Universidad de Concepción’s dentistry department and Rotary to offer low-cost dental care to the children of the community. The following weekend the Rotaract club organized an excursion to a local park for the community children. There we spent the day playing soccer, touring a museum and exploring the beach.
I have also presented at two Rotary meetings, each unique from my experience at Rotary meetings in the States. One of the first differences I realized is that most all of clubs in my host district are either all men or all women. I believe my host club is the only one in the district that is mixed. All meetings here are also evening meetings, normally beginning at seven or eight.
The first meeting where I presented took place in the home of one of the Rotarians. The club has seven members, all but one of who have been members of the club for over fifteen years. It was a great experience to share a dinner with the Rotarians during their meeting. They are very active in the community, especially in organizing different fundraising events to support local schools. Their most recent donation as a result of these efforts was a new ping-pong table for a high school in their community. As we finished our dessert, I placed my laptop on the table and gave my PowerPoint presentation. I also had a photo album of the same pictures on the PowerPoint that I passed around. The Rotarians were very curious about what Rotary is like in the States. I felt very prepared to answer their questions having participating in many Rotary activities in different clubs and districts.
My second presentation was for my host Rotary club, Talcahuano Sur. The meeting was much more formal than the previous. It was held in a beautiful dining room on the naval base. The purpose of the meeting was to honor the visiting Group Study Exchange team. Also on the agenda was the presentation of a youth exchange student from Germany, as well as my presentation. The meeting started with drinks and appetizers at about eight p.m. After a three-course dinner, three presentations and tea, my host counselor and I did not leave until after midnight. This was a very different experience than the well-organized, strict one-hour or hour and half breakfast and lunch meetings I attended in the States.
My last presentation was at the welcome ceremony for the international students at the Universidad de Concepción. I am not sure exactly why this event was held more than two months after the start of the semester, but there are frequently things that happen here that I do not completely understand. The international student affairs director invited me to share a bit about my experience in Chile and the Ambassadorial scholarship. I gave a modified version of my presentation, and focusing on Rotary and my activities with Rotaract in Concepción.
Next week I start volunteering to teach English at a rural school outside of Concepción. The Ambassadorial Scholar that was here the year before volunteered at the school and highly recommended it to me. Last week I went out to the school and met with the school director and the English teacher I will be assisting. They are very excited to have me and believe the children will be benefit from having a native English speaker.
My experience in Chile has been wonderful and I have been welcomed by Chileans everywhere I go. Prior to coming to Concepción, I spent a month in a city about eight hours north, Viña del Mar, for intensive language classes. There I stayed with a host mom who was absolutely wonderful. We had lengthy lunch conversations about Chilean history, the education system, her travels to Russia and Ecuador, her children and all of the places she had lived in Chile. She also had lived for two years in Texas because of her husband’s job with the Chilean navy. We discussed her impressions of the United States and the difference between the Pacific Northwest, where I am from, and Texas. Frequently her recently married daughter and son-in-law visited for lunch or went with us on day trips to near by beaches. They went above and beyond anything I could have hoped for in my first month in Chile.
Outside of my Rotary and Rotaract connections I have become good friends with a few of the other exchange students from Mexico, Canada and the United States. It has been such a great intercultural experience spending time with them. I am working on building relationships with some of my Chilean classmates, but as friends who previously studied in Chile have told me, it is very difficult to break into social circles. I’ve spent some with my classmates outside of class, but find that it is easier to befriend the international students because we sharing a similar experience adjusting to Chile and a shared desire to travel. With my other international friends we have explored near by national parks, planned trips to Argentina and toured local museums.
To conclude this report, I would love to thank all of the Rotarians that have supported me throughout the past two years. My year in Chile is the culmination of more than a year and a half of preparation from the application process to my departure date. I am having an incredible time here sharing my culture through daily conversations and service activities, and learning about this fascinating and distinct country. I am very aware of the time and money Rotary has invested in me and I am doing my very best to be an effective and gracious Ambassadorial scholar. Thank you for your support!

Read more at Lindsay's personal blog: http://lindsayathomeandabroad.blogspot.com/

First reflections: District Training Conference, Concepcion

On Saturday I attended a Rotary district training conference here in Concepcion. The meeting was attended by about 40 Rotarians, including my host counselor, Cecilia and her husband, Gonzalo. Cecilia is an assistant governor this year. The governor-elect made some opening remarks and covered this year´s Rotary theme, The Future of Rotary is in your Hands. After introductions of various new leadership posts, I was also introduced. I had the opportunity to say a few words about myself, my studies and my sponsor district.

Afterwards, we broke into small groups with the assignment to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the district and what strategies Rotarians could use to better the district. The Rotarians listed their strengths as geographic proximity of the district (easy to travel to different cities within the district), strong female membership, established clubs with experience and contacts, and diversity of professions reflected in the membership. For weaknesses, the Rotarians stated they have many members who are leaders in the workplace but do not take on leadership roles within Rotary, lack of youth outreach and programming (Interact-for high school students/Rotaract-for young professional 18-30), and lack of significant community awareness of Rotary projects and goals.

It was fascinating to learn about what this Rotary district is facing and within that hoping to find ways I can be of assistance in their efforts. Next week I am going to an inauguration of a Rotaract club in Los Angeles, a city about an hour from Concepcion. I´m excited to meet the Rotaracters and see what their goals are for the near future

The journey Begins....

The journey begins! I made it yesterday morning to Santiago after about 24 hours of traveling. Surprisingly I didn’t feel that out of it! My connections from Seattle to LA to New York and finally to Santiago went well. On the flight from LA to New York I chatted with a guy who is from the US but lives and works in Argentina. He had been to Chile many times and passed along some cultural quirks and places to go. The flight from New York to Santiago was pretty comfortable considering that I’ve never been on a flight that long before. I watched a few movies, had a tasty chicken and mashed potato dinner with Chilean wine and a breakfast sandwich of turkey and cheese with a side of fruit. I arrived in Santiago a little after 8am local time. Sadly, only one of my two checked bags made it and I had to file a claim with the airlines. Outside I quickly found my ride, Nelson, holding a piece of paper with my name: “Lindsay Munn.” We waited briefly for another guy from the program and then headed out.The ride from the airport in Santiago to Viña del Mar, where I’m taking language classes for the next month at the International Center, is about a hour and a half. Upon arrival in Viña Nelson showed us the International Center and stopped by a place for us to change some money to Chilean pesos. I’m now operating in millions of pesos. It’s about 500 pesos to the dollar. Then Nelson dropped me off at my host house with Cecilia, a middle aged lady who lives by herself in an adorable little apartment 2 blocks from the language school. She was so welcoming and quickly helped me get a hold of the airlines to tell them her address to deliver the bag. The airlines said they would deliver my bag between 5 and 10pm, and at 9:45pm there was a knock on the door and there was my bag! I signed and dated a form and that was that. I was very impressed. Part of me thought that I would never see that bag once I left the airport.Cecilia invited her daughter and son-in-law over lunch with the idea that they could help her understand me. She was pleasantly surprised when that I spoke such good Spanish! What a compliment! I enjoyed chatting with her daughter, Fran and son-in-law, Christian over lunch of a small flank steak, mashed potatoes and pisco sour-the traditional drink of Chile made with pisco (an alcohol that I think tastes like tequila, but I think it’s actually closer to rum), lemon juice, sugar and egg whites. In the afternoon I took a nap. When I woke up Cecilia’s sister and brother-in-law were over. We had a light dinner of bread, jam, cake and tea together and watched some TV.This morning I walked the easy 2 blocks to the language center and met 3 other students from the US who are taking classes this month. We spent about an hour and a half with a teacher who evaluated our Spanish. Tomorrow I start classes officially with one of the girls, Alice, and the professor. We have class 3 hours a day Monday through Thursday and trips on Fridays. This Friday we are going on a winery tour! After going for an empanada and un café con leche (coffee with milk) with the other students, I returned to the apartment and Cecilia and I had lunch. We then went for a walk around Viña and she showed me the some beautiful overlooks of the ocean near by.So far my impressions of Chile are very positive and they don’t talk as fast as I thought they would…but maybe they are just slowing it down for me. Cecilia, my host mom, is awesome. She’s really easy to talk to and makes me feel right at home. Viña is beautiful with mostly clean streets and a gorgeous central plaza. People seem friendly and accommodating to foreigners. I can’t help but compared it to my semester abroad in Nicaragua, which is so incredibly different from what I see now. More on those differences in the next entry!

Chilenismos

So I’ve been here four days now and I have to write again. Chile is both the same and different than I expected. It’s developed, yes. At least it appears developed, according to my good friend Dana’s Chilean boyfriend, Alexis. On Monday night the three of us went out for a walk by the beach. When I commented to Alexis that Viña del Mar seems very developed, organized and clean he said “Yeah, that’s what they want you to think.” In reality Chile still has much more developing to do. I think this is the image that I had of Chile before coming here. I knew it was developed but still has underlining problems of poverty, women’s rights and education. I’m sure I will be more aware of this reality once I get connected with service projects with Rotary in Concepción.Dana is a friend of mine from high school on Bainbridge Island and after meeting Alexis a year and a half ago while studying abroad here she came back last November to be with him. She is now teaching English. Alexis has two years left in his architecture degree program and is currently on summer vacation and working at a clothing store in the mall.Yesterday, Dana and Alexis kindly helped me navigate purchasing a cell phone. Basically all I know is that I really shouldn’t talk at all on my new cell phone because it’s really expensive. So what I should do is call someone and hang up, thus making them call me back and pay for the call. I don’t think this is best way to make friends!Other observations: 1. You have to say hello and goodbye to everyone individually where arriving or leaving. This involves one air kiss to the cheek. On Monday night I went to Mass with my host mom, Cecilia and her family. After the Mass a group of us were standing outside talking. One of Cecilia’s nephews and his girlfriend said they were leaving and went around the circle (probably 10-12 people) and kissed everyone goodbye. Well, they didn’t end up leaving right way and about ten minutes later they went around the entire circle again to actually say goodbye.2. You keep your hands on the table. Apparently is rude to have your hands in your lap while eating a meal. Dana explained it to me as you could be doing something fishy with your hands under table.3. I have to re-learn Spanish. Not completely, but Chileans have a ton of words that only they use. They say “cachai” after everything, which means “Understand?” But they don’t normally wait for your response. It’s more like a filler in between sentences or questions.And the word I knew for boyfriend/girlfriend (novio/novia) means fiancé here. If you are just dating, you and your significant other are each other’s “pololo” or “están poloeando.” And of course everyone wants to know if I have a pololo! 4. Men don’t catcall as much here (in comparison to Nicaragua). I’ve gotten like one or two under your breath “Hermosa” (beautiful), but I’m pleasantly surprised that this doesn’t happen much. In Nicaragua, I once was so frustrated at one guy’s catcall that I turned around and yelled, “I’m not your woman!” at him. I don’t think it fazed him at all. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that here…so far.6.Viña is beautiful!! The ocean is like a fifteen walk from Cecilia’s apartment. They are lots of beaches, even though the water is really cold. There is a gorgeous, lush park a block away with tall orange flowers and an old house that is now a museum and art school. (Pictures to come!)7. Chilean food is delicious. For breakfast I normally have yogurt, cereal (they call all cereal Corn Flakes-same as Nicaragua), tea and maybe some bread with jam. For lunch I’ve had a lentil and ham soup. Today a corn, milk, onion and meat casserole (I wish I could describe it better, but it was really good!), a salad of lettuce and tomato with olive oil and a small glass of wine. I’m making myself eat tomatoes and drink red wine, even though I don’t really like them! For dinner, which is a smaller meal, I’ve had bread, cheese, salami and a semi-sweet cake. It’s simple, but tasty. And of course there are like a million different kinds of empanadas. Empanadas are baked or fried bread with cheese, meat, eggs, olives-basically whatever inside. They one I had the other day had ground meat, onions, olives and a half of a hard-boiled egg.So far, I’m doing wonderfully and so happy to be here. Cecilia’s daughter, Fran and son-in-law, Christian, come over to her house all the time and they are great. They are in their late 20s, recently married. On Sunday they invited me to go on a hike with them and then to a friend’s house outside of the city to pick fruit from the trees. ¡Qué divertido!

Cerro de la Campana

I was super excited last week when Fran, my host mom’s daughter and Christian, her husband, invited me to go for a hike. On Sunday we woke up early and caught a bus out to a town about an hour away, Limache. At the trailhead we paid our 1500 mil pesos ($2.50) entrance fee and headed up. The sign said our trail was rated the most difficult and that it should take 5 hours. It was about 9:30am.I was impressed how well maintained the trail was, clearly marked signs with path changes and distances. The first section was in a beautiful forest with a stream paralleling our path. It was sunny and warm, but not uncomfortable. The trail got steeper as we ascended. After about three hours we reached a plateau where there used to be a mine. We splashed water on our faces from a fresh water fountain and ate our lunches. At this point I was thinking, “Wow, that was a good hike. A solid three hours, a good workout, nice scenery. I’m ready to hike back down and call it a perfect day hike.” Oh I wish!After lunch Christian (who, by the way, had done this hike 3 or 4 times in the past) told Fran and I that he estimated from here it would take two more hours to get to the top. Okay, I’ve had a little break. I can do this. After two and a half hours Fran and I asked how much long Christian thought it would be. His reply: “Oh, we are almost there. Half hour more.” A half hour later: “Seriously, fifteen more minutes. I’m sure.” It continues like this for a while. Finally about three and half hours later (maybe 4, I wasn’t wearing my watch…probably for the best), we finally reached the top of the damn mountain. I won’t lie the view was marvelous. We could see in all directions, even though it was a little hazy.So, going down actually scared me more than going up the mountain. As some of you may know, I have some issues with my ankles. I’m not positive, but I think I’ve rolled/twisted/sprained both of my ankles like four or five times in my life. One of which caused me to leave my summer job in Alaska for two months to recover, much to the delight of my friends who were excited to have me home for a bit. As we headed down I was thinking, “I’ve only been in this country a week and I really don’t want my experience to start/end with an ankle-related issue on a mountain.” So, we went really slowly and carefully down. We reached the plateau where we ate lunch at about 6:30pm. Fran and I were tried of taking our steps so patiently down the steep path, so when we saw a sign for the road for cars we decided to take it despite the fact that it was twice as long.As we enjoyed the much more pleasant road Fran and Christian taught me Chilean children’s songs. We talked about our favorite foods, places we’ve traveled and our families. As we made our way down the sun begun to set. When we finally reached the trailhead at just about 9:30pm. Luckily, we caught a ride into town from some other hikers. And luckily again, we caught the last train out. The bus at that hour apparently would have taken much longer. At 10:30pm I sat down to dinner, barely made it through it, politely refused dessert, considered not showering, then did and went to bed.Christian estimated we hiked 25-30 kilometers (16-18 miles). So there you go. Scaled a mountain, didn’t break an ankle and have had trouble walking for the last 3 days.

Parting thoughts as scholars departs for Chile

Prior to departing for Chile, Lindsay Mumm spent 3 months as an intern with Sen. Smith in Washington DC. While there she continued to stay involved with Rotary....here are her comments and observations..

I attended about four meetings at the Capitol Hill Rotary club located a few blocks from where I was living in DC. They were very welcoming. I enjoyed the diversity of their speakers, especially an author who wrote about the importance of our national monuments and a businesswoman who spoke about the trainings she offered on gender awareness and diversity. The Capitol Hill Rotary club also invited me to attend an Rotary Foundation scholarship alumni event. There I met former Ambassadorial Scholars and World Peace fellows. I loved the opportunity to chat briefly with these alumni, their experiences abroad and what they are now doing professionally in the DC area.

Another highlight of my time in DC was becoming involved with a Rotaract club in the area. I attended three of their bi-weekly meetings and one holiday social event. The Rotaract club was very active and had both domestic and international service projects. One of their area service projects was delivering hot meals to homeless people in downtown DC. Donations came from the Salvation Army and churches and funds for a van were provided by Rotary clubs to distribute the food each evening. Twice a month the Rotaract club organized the volunteers.

The club also volunteered at Bingo family night at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and collected food for low-income elderly prior to the holidays. Their international project was collecting used limb replacements for Iraqi civilians injured in the war.

Being able to stay connected with Rotary prior to my scholar period abroad was absolutely wonderful. Each time I attended an event or meeting I was re-energized for my year abroad. I came away with more ideas for potential projects and a better understanding of all of the ways Rotary impacts local and international communities.

Departure Update

I am happy to report that I now have both a student visa and a plane ticket for Chile! After getting finger prints, then an FBI background check, various medical certificates stating I have no diseases, buying additional health insurance, and receiving a letter of admission from the Universidad de Concepcion I headed to the Chilean consulate with all of the original documents needed for the student visa. It was a lovely consulate a short Metro ride from where I work on Capitol Hill. I enjoyed watching a little Chilean television and reading the newspaper (attempting to read rather-but I think I got most of it). I even picked up a brochure for a Chilean restaurant in DC that I'm hoping to check out before I leave the city. I chatted briefly in Spanish with the consulate receptionist about my trip. She was very welcoming and encouraging. Then I faxed everything off to my Rotary Foundation scholarship coordinator who in turn sent it to the Rotary travel agency who by the end of the week issued me a plane ticket!So, I fly on the morning of Saturday, January 31st, 2009 to Santiago.

I will then be spending a month in Vina del Mar (about 2 hours north) during intensive language classes. I'll definitely need to brush up on my Spanish having been out of formal study for a year. I've tried to read the Chilean newspaper-El Mercurio-online and speak Spanish whenever I can with friends but I am preparing myself for a rough re-introduction to the language. Not to mention that from what I've gathered Chilean Spanish is quite unique and often more difficult to learn. But hey, this is supposed to be a learning experience, right?!So after a month of language study, I'll head south to Concepcion, the second largest city in Chile, where I will spend the rest of my Ambassadorial Scholar year. You may be asking about housing I suppose-will at this point it's a little up in the air. For my month in Vina del Mar I will stay with a host family organized through the language school where I'll be taking classes. Then the plan is mid-February to go to Concepcion and look at different housing options with my host Rotary counselor. I've heard from a variety of sources that students typically do not finalize their housing until right before school starts in March. So, do as the Chileans do is my plan. A little disconcerning but I've already been in contact with my host Rotary counselor and she is set to help.

Also, I sadly it is my last week in Washington DC. It has been an incredible fall here. While my internship has not been as substantive as I would have liked because Congress was out of session much of this fall and the Senator I work for did not get re-elected, outside of work I've loved exploring DC and the east coast. I've met some amazing people who are energized about politics and international relations , as well as just enjoy having a good time. I've enjoyed connecting with Rotary and Rotaract here as well. I've toured just about every museum in the city and tried all of sorts of different restaurants. My co-intern Andrew was always impressed when I told him Monday mornings about my weekend adventures-"Did you really do all of that just this weekend?!" My response: "Of course, only have so much time in DC and there is so much to see and do here!"