For the first time ever, this summer a group of 6 “Gringos“ from Glenalmond went on an inaugural exchange visit to Chile, travelling the length of this 5000km long country for one week, then spending another 4 weeks of their summer holidays going to Southern Oxford School in Villarrica a small ski resort town in the Chilean Lake District.
From what we had heard from Kristian and Maca who come to Coll on the exchange last year we knew that Chile was going to be different from anything we had seen before. However reality was totally unexpected. Going to sleep on a bus that was driving through scrubby fields and waking up in the middle of the dry rocky Atacama Desert on a ruler straight road which disappeared over the horizon was a surreal experience. In our week travelling we saw Mapuche markets, cycled through the desert, crawled through a tiny cave which the Mapuche Indians used to hide from the Inca and Spanish invaders, watched the sunset over the sand dunes in ‘ Valle de la Luna ’ and rise over the Geysers of Tatio.
School was another experience again. Southern Oxford School was only founded 16 years ago and in its final year there are only eight people in the class. The main subjects studied are: Chilean history, Spanish literature and sciences. There is a much more relaxed attitude with learning including more personal interests; the entire community is much closer and at the beginning of each class teachers and pupils kiss in greeting – sounds like a great way of making the staff feel appreciated!
Villarrica is located on the second most active volcano in Chile along the Andes mountain ridge (it gives off smoke during the day and at night it glows). The volcano gives geothermal energy for hot springs and provides a charming skiing resort with an astonishing view.
The weekends were always the highlights: house gatherings, discos, visits to Argentina, which were incredible fun and where we made great friends. At first this ‘new’ culture seemed awkward but quickly we learned to respect and enjoy all aspects of it.
All of us ‘Gringos’ from Scotland would seriously recommend this amazing opportunity to everyone: astonishing sites, wonderful food and incredible hospitality.
