Monday, December 30

I woke up this morning around 7:30 after 2 hours of sleep. All 50 of the exchange students at the party were hungry, but we had eaten all the food in the house and there was nothing left for breakfast. So while some slept off their headaches, I and a few friends went outside to survey the damage of the night before. There were bottles everywhere in the grass, food spilled all over the counters and floor in the kitchen, and basically the house and backyard were a complete disaster. We tried to pick up all the bottles, wash the dishes, mop the floor, and put the house back in order as much as we could, but it was basically hopeless. So around 9:30, we said goodbye to Nikita (actually goodbye because we won’t see her again before she leaves for Australia) and a big group of us exchange students hopped on a micro into town. We stopped at the same grocery store we had been to the day before and bought some breakfast foods. Then we walked all the way back to the train station and got there just as the train to Rancagua was leaving the station.

So, we sat around in a big group on the floor and talked about how crazy last night had been. Then the Santiago train came and all the kids left, leaving me, Katie H, Sally, and Christine alone to wait another hour and a half for our train. We talked a little and listened to music and laughed about how insane everyone had been at the party. Then finally the train came and we got back to Rancagua. My mom picked me up immediately from the train station and took me to run some errands with her before we went home and ate lunch. After lunch, all I wanted to do was sleep, but she asked me to clean the bathrooms, so I did that and then just sat in my room and texted people on Whatsapp for a while because I was too exhausted to do anything else. Later, Nancy and I went shopping in the center of town for cheap clothes that I could take on this community service trip that I’m going on with Techo Para Chile.

It’s 10 days long and I can only bring 2 backpacks. We searched some used clothes stores and then ended up going to the Jumbo and buying stuff there. Then we went straight to the Techo trip meeting, where they explained all the specifics to us. I’m really excited about the trip, even if I won’t be allowed to shower for 10 days straight. When we got home, Nancy and I made dinner and then we all ate together.

Later, as I was getting ready to go to sleep, Nancy invited the whole family to eat Café Helados, and I couldn’t refuse although I was really too tired to be hungry, so I didn’t get to go to sleep until around midnight.