As the visitors meandered down the back hall stairs to the room,  UA girls situated chairs around the long tables for their guests to sit.  “What is a typical day like at your school?” came the first question.

Fundamental to the Chileans answer, that their school, all girls pre-k though 12, lasted for nine hours was the girls’ unanimous endorsement of the three recesses during that time.

“We begin class at 8: a.m.  and spend 15 minutes with our head teacher to pray and talk, then class starts,” said Sofi.   She explained that each class is 40-45 minutes long, and that students could not have more than two class periods without a break.  Lunch is at 1:45 p.m., and classes are finished at 4 p.m.

The girls differed in reporting the amount of time spent on homework.  Answers ranged from one to three hours with 1 ½ hours being the favorite response.  “We are on summer break now,” said Maria, “so it is hard to even think about homework.”

A big plus for Ursuline Dallas in the eyes of Elisa is that students here change classes and classrooms, getting to move about the building and to have a diversity of students as classmates.  “In Chile, the teacher moves rooms instead of the students.  We have no frees, and we are pretty much with the same people all day,” she said.

For those several who had traveled to the United States before, the most common destinations were Miami and Orlando.  Maria, however, has been to New York and Nevada as well as Florida.

“I was ready to hear a lot of country music when coming here,” said Connie.  All readily agreed that they had heard plenty of that along with doing lots of shopping, (“same as you do,” laughed Maria)   Florencia noted that they had also seen the zoo, a rodeo, the Dallas World Aquarium, a Maverick’s game along with dining at such places as Dave and Busters, Cheesecake Factory and several Tex-Mex spots.

The majority of girls said that while they did not follow daily U.S. politics, they did know who the president was.    In other U. S. matters, however, music caught the group’s attention.    “I have more English music on my iPod than Spanish,” said Sofi.  “But,” she added, “Spanish is better to dance to.”

There are about 60 girls per grade at Ursuline Santiago, according to Florencia.  All indicated intent to go to college , and most thought it would be in Santiago, the home of many fine Chilean universities.  Maria explained that it is not uncommon for a student attending a university in Santiago to continue to live at home until graduation.

This group described a wide variety of vocational plans, from historian, to psychologist, to designer, to doctor.

The press conference ended with an impromptu rehearsal of Cristobal Fones, a Jesuit Priest in Chile’s, religious vocal which the group will sing at the AM Liturgy Feast of St. Angela Jan. 27