If you’ve been tuned into international news or have family or friends in Chile, you have probably heard that there has been a lot of civil unrest in the past week.
There were mass evasions of people refusing to pay the subway fare that were planned as a form of protest against the rise in metro and bus fares. While 30 pesos (the equivalent of 4 cents) seems like a minuscule amount of money, this is the fourth increase in two years. This is in addition to years of unlivable minimum wages, drastic cuts to public healthcare, compulsory contributions to a privatized pension system that results in miserable pensions, collusion of big companies, and more.
Things really came to a head on Friday afternoon into the evening. I had gotten home around 3 PM from getting lunch with a friend, and I was resting at home when I noticed that the subway had been shut down due to mass evasions and damage to the lines. I was supposed to teach a class in Las Condes that evening, but after making a quick post to Facebook it became apparent that traveling out there from Ñuñoa would not be possible.
I contacted the student, and after taking a nap I decided to do some grocery shopping despite not feeling like it. I ordered a pizza as my reward for doing the shopping and picked it up on the way out of the supermarket.
Little did I know the chaos that was going to erupt that night and that the grocery stores were going to be closed essentially since that evening. The metro was closed for the weekend, and at one point bus service was also suspended. During the week now only one subway line is running, and bus service seems to be limited.
Metro stations have been destroyed. Buses and buildings have been burned. People have created barricades in the streets. There has been looting. Some videos have surfaced showing the police planning things to make protesters look bad, and there are a lot of people that are protesting peacefully. There has been a curfew instituted since Saturday night with police on the street. Anyone in violation of the curfew can be arrested.
Given all this, how have I been dealing with everything?
First of all, I should state that I’m human just like everyone else. While I don’t watch the news, I have felt the need to stay connected to Facebook to stay informed of what has been happening.
One of the hardest things for me has been seeing the images of violence and destruction and all the intense emotions. I really feel for people that are from the lower and middle class and can understand how they are upset. I’m also the moderator of a Facebook group, so needing to go through the posts and eliminate any that do not comply with the rules of the group.
Another challenging thing is the uncertainty and having so much that is out of my control. We were advised to stay inside on Saturday because of the situation, and I didn’t leave my apartment from Friday afternoon until Monday morning.
To deal with everything, I’ve been doing some things:
- I rescheduled classes to teach them online instead of in person (if possible).
- I gave my dad a call on Saturday morning and Sunday night to let him know what’s going on, and we are talking each night this week.
- I gave my apartment a good cleaning.
- I talked with my students about what has been happening (in English) to get their perspective on the situation.
- I also slept a lot, as I found it really drained my energy.
- I’ve reached out to others that I know to check on them, and I have been sharing relevant information in Facebook groups.
- I wrote in my journal about the intense feelings I have been having.
If you’re a freelance teacher in the midst of what’s happening, what can you do to cope?
Before I share these ideas, I have to acknowledge that I am coming from a place of relative economic security and privilege. I earn well above the minimum wage every month, live in a safe neighborhood, and can choose to cancel classes or not accept work if it does not fit with my needs or values. I am able to make choices that not everyone can, so my advice should be taken with a grain of salt and consider what is feasible for you.
Stay in touch with the people that are important to you.
Even just checking in with people every day or every other day to be sure that you’re ok gives you a sense of relief and connection. I have been fortunate that many people have taken the initiative to check in on me, and I have in turn done the same with others. This goes for people that are also in Chile as well as family and close friends (as you see fit).
Know alternate routes of transportation and stay informed of what is happening in any areas that you need to travel to for classes.
Having lived in Santiago for almost a decade, I am fortunate that I know multiple routes to get from one place to another. I’m not in the best shape, but if necessary I know I can walk from one place to another if needed.
I have stayed informed of planned protests through Facebook, but you can also stay informed through Instagram and Twitter.
If you’re not sure of the safety of an area, it’s best to either ask to teach the class online or cancel/reschedule it.
Avoid the rush hour whenever possible, and get home before the rush hour in the evening.
On Monday morning I had a class at 10:30 near Clinica Indisa, and I was fortunate that there were buses running up Pedro de Valdivia like normal. There were also extra buses running to compensate for the closed metro lines. I was getting on the bus at about 9:30, and it was not crowded at all. This was in stark contrast to trying to get onto a bus around the same time going up Americo Vespuccio to a class this morning, and in the end I cancelled the class due to overcrowded buses and not knowing how things would be to get home.
If you have the financial means, services like Uber and Beat can be a lifesaver. On Monday I finished in Las Condes at 4 PM, and after waiting for about 10 minutes I was able to get a ride directly home. Most ridesharing apps are waiving any type of increased fares given the circumstances, and given that I was traveling at a non rush-hour time I think it helped me to get a ride.
Given the circumstances, I have decided to arrive home by 5 PM at the latest every day and to only offer online classes in the evenings this week.
Teach classes online instead of in-person. If that’s not possible and you’re not sure if it’s safe, cancel or reschedule the class.
The dynamics of teaching online are different than teaching in person, but it can be a suitable substitute given the circumstances of the curfew and difficulty traveling around the city.
I use Zoom, which is a free videoconferencing service for one on one meetings. I have found that its video quality is better than Skype, and you can schedule meetings using a link. The advantages to that are that you do not need to worry about finding another person based on their username and you don’t have to worry about other people seeing you connected and sending you messages while you are teaching.
In addition to Zoom, I create a Google Doc which I share with my students. By sharing the document, we can see what each other is typing in real time. I prepare an agenda of what we are going to do and can type exercises or text into the document. If I have a Word document I would typically give them for an in-person class, I can just copy and paste it into the Google Doc. If it’s some type of PDF, I can either send it by email or take a photo to send by email or Whatsapp.
How have I made this work? This morning I had a class with an elementary student, and I was introducing the present simple. I wrote a variety of sentences about him and his family using the present simple in both the positive and negative forms. During the class, I asked him which one was true, and I put it in bold.
After going through about 15 sentences, I then showed him the structure of the present simple. I typed the information about the structure as well as an explanation and examples as we were talking. He then added sentences to the examples I provided in order to check his understanding.
I finished the lesson with introducing the structures “I’m going to” and “We’re going to” to ask him about his plans for the weekend. In the end, he told me about his plans based on if things calm down or if they are still chaotic in Santiago.
I don’t think that teaching online in this way is the perfect solution, but I have found that most students are happy to have the continuity of class when it isn’t possible to meet in person.
In the case of rescheduling classes, if you have an hour class to recuperate, you can simply add half an hour of class to two future classes. In that way you make your travel time worth it, and you and the student don’t have to try to find an additional time to recuperate the class. I have found that most students agree to this option.
Visit your local minimarkets to get food, ideally in the morning when they are more stocked.
The lines to get into supermarkets are currently long, and if things inside are anything like what they were like after the earthquake in 2010, they are chaotic and it’s very slow to get to check out.
This morning I walked along Irarrazaval between Plaza Ñuñoa and Pedro Torres/Santa Julia, and there I found a handful of minimarkets open. I was able to get cereal, juice, eggs, soda, lunchmeat, and milk. They also had bread at a minimarket and there was a bakery open with fresh bread, but I have enough bread in at the moment and know that I can go back tomorrow or Thursday morning to get fresh bread there.
Every person’s diet is different, but I tried to focus on being sure I have protein sources along with milk and a few varieties of drink. I already have frozen vegetables, quinoa, rice, tuna fish, and crackers in, so while it is not gourmet dining those foods will help me make meals that will last for a while.
I shared the information about minimarkets in some Facebook groups, and others have posted that they have also found some open in their area. While they don’t have all the variety of supermarkets, they have the basics to help for the short term.
Stay connected and informed however works best for you.
Some of the people that I am connected to on Facebook are showing constant updates of videos and the news, and it has been stressing me out. I have decided to unfollow them for the time being. Other people might feel better being informed about what is going on with each update, and so you need to decide who you want to follow and how much you want to stay informed.
I have chosen to stay in contact with friends checking in every day or two as well as checking in with my students to confirm classes given the circumstances. I have found that just hearing that my friends and students are ok and that they know I’m ok is a huge relief and gives me a sense of calm in the midst of chaos.
You can also find channels of social media that share relevant information about curfews, planned protests, and anything else that might impact your daily life. If you have a question and need help, don’t be afraid to ask.
I strongly believe in working together, sharing information, and helping each other out. This is a time that we need to come together. I hope everyone reading this stays safe and that this gives you some ideas to get through this difficult time.
