Saturday, November 30

Today I woke up around 11 to the harsh reality that a few of my college apps are due December 1 and I’m still not done. I ate breakfast quickly with Monse, and then went to my room and worked for like 4 hours straight on the common app. Then I ate lunch with Maxi, Monse, and Nancy, and we talked for a while before I went to my room and started packing for the trip I’m leaving on tonight. After a while, Monse, Nancy, and I went in bicycle to the hair salon because I desperately needed a haircut and Eric had the car. We had to wait like an hour before it was our turn, and then they washed my hair, cut it, and straightened it. I was really happy to finally have healthy hair again. After that  I was feeling kind of pressured to pack my stuff and finished university applications, so I rode my bike home alone instead of waiting for the rest of them. I worked hard for a while, and then Nancy called me and told me they were on their way to the Jumbo and that I should meet them there. I rode my bike over and waited for them outside the bike check. Then we went in and I bought some last minute necessities for the trip. We got home late and I finished packing quickly. Then Maxi and I made Oreo bonbons for our aunt Alicia who is sick with cancer and whom the rest of the family was going to visit on Sunday. While we were making them, Nigel (an exchange student from Germany) and Katie Ward came over. We chilled and talked for a little while, and then loaded up our suitcases and drove to the bus stop. We met up with the rest of the exchange students from Rancagua who were going on the trip—Pierre, Julius, Katie Hagemeier, Sally, and us three—and then we got in the private bus that our parents had hired to take us to the airport in Santiago. We talked all throughout the trip because we were so excited to meet up with all the exchange students that we hadn’t seen for like 2 months. We got to the airport around 11:30 at night and met up with all the other exchange students. It was so crazy because we had only met once before but we all greeted each other like best friends. It was pretty cool to be around a bunch of other people who spoke English. The excitement was palpable. We all chilled in the airport while the 3 Rotarian counselors passed out our tickets and got us through security, and then we took the first picture all together with our flags and got on the plane. I sat with Katie Ward and Alexis. They are both pretty different from me (really into boys and partying) but I still had a great time with them and I don’t think we stopped laughing the entire trip. I’ll stop this entry now although we didn’t sleep at all during the whole 3 hour flight to Punta Arenas.

College Essay :)

So this isn't a certain day, but I always talk about this great college essay I'm working on, and I figured I would share it would you all here because I'm actually really proud of how it turned out! Enjoy!

Studying abroad in another country is like stepping into a cold shower. It is shocking, uncomfortable, and incredibly different, but it forces you to adapt. During my year in Chile, I am maturing, learning more than I ever thought possible in one year, and becoming independent. I don’t know if I’ve reached adulthood yet, but this year is pushing me a lot closer.

I was first introduced to the idea of study abroad through a book called The Global Student, which is a collection of testimonies from former exchange students about how the experience completely transformed the course of their lives. The idea immediately consumed me. I am bold, and am constantly searching for ways to take advantage of every opportunity I am presented with. I was ready to get out of my perfect bubble of suburbia, to get off the beaten track, and to spend my senior year learning things that I could never learn in a classroom, or even in the US. I’ve never been comfortable with sitting back and doing what everyone else is doing. My resolve was tested time and time again during the process of planning my trip. My friends doubted that I would follow through with such a drastic decision, and they failed to support me, but I pushed through on my own. My school counselors said it would be nearly impossible to handle all the classes I would need to graduate a year early on top of my already busy schedule, but I stayed cool under pressure and finished high school in three years with straight As. I also faced inner challenges. I had to come to terms with the fact that I would be alone and isolated. Sure people would care about me, but I would be leaving everyone who truly loves me behind in California. I knew that an abundance of embarrassing moments awaited me. My confidence would have to be intrinsic instead of being verified by my achievements, because it was inevitable that there would be many more failures than successes living in a foreign country with foreign customs and language. I would have to prepare myself to watch my friends grow closer to each other and close the gap where I used to be. After the initial excitement wore off, the magnitude of what I was planning to do really set in, but I never looked back.

                I have been in Chile now for a little over two months, and I have never been so sure that I made the right decision about anything before. Obviously there have been failures, tears, and a never ending supply of embarrassing and hilarious stories to write in my blog, but I have already been permanently changed for the better. I’ve learned how to be my own person, and am now comfortable even when I am outside my comfort zone. I know that I can choose whichever path I want, and I will be successful even if I have to walk it alone. I have developed a more well-rounded vision of the world, and also of how the world views the United States. Absorbing the political and cultural perspectives of my family and friends here has completely opened my mind to new ways of thinking and new ideas of what’s acceptable in a society and what isn’t. I have also become an ambassador to the people here, teaching them more about US culture and doing my best to break the ugly stereotypes. I know I still have a lot more learning to do in the eight months of my exchange that remain. By the time I return to the US, the person I am now will be unrecognizable to me. My dad once told me that through studying books, a person can only expand their knowledge in two dimensions. To learn and grow three dimensionally, a person has only one option—travel. 

Friday, November 29

Although I had gone to bed around 1 the night before (which is early for here), I was really tired in the morning, and I was actually still sleeping when my friends Chichi and Ale burst into my room and woke me up to teach them how to make American style pancakes. I

took a quick shower to wake me up, and then we talked for a while before we started cooking. We grilled pancakes for like 3 hours because each time one was ready, someone from my family would ask for it, or we would eat it, and there seemed to never be enough chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup to go around.

After a while, we just sat down at the table and ate and talked for a while. I really like these girls, and I think they’re a lot like I am (or like  I was in the US because honestly  I don’t know how  I am now), which I can’t say about too many people here. After they left, I walked to the Jumbo and shopped for some necessities for my trip to the south tomorrow (like jeans and a warm scarf). Then I came home and helped Sra Adela get all the Christmas decorations out of the attic. Later, I took a micro over to the movie theater and saw Catching Fire with my friend Camilla.

Being with Camilla is kind of stressful because she definitely doesn’t try to talk slower or use easier words to make me understand. I always have to be on my toes to understand her, but I kind of like it because I know it makes my Spanish better. She’s also super sweet (she doesn’t go to my school but she’s like best friends with my friend Lila), and I hope I can see a lot more of her this summer. After the movie, we walked outside and I saw a girl I knew. We talked for a while, and then I saw a couple that I know walk by and we talked for a while too. It was kind of cool to see all these people who are so familiar to me now whom I didn’t even know existed 4 months ago. Camilla dropped me off at home, and nobody else was in the house, the gate was locked, and my cell had run out of battery, so I had no choice but to climb over the pointy and dangerous gate to get into the house. Once I did that without killing myself, I sat in my room and listened to music for a while before talking to Jose over Skype for like 2 hours. Then I went to sleep after a day well spent.

Thursday, November 28

We woke up around 11 today after having gotten a horrible sleep the night before. We ate breakfast slowly and then I went and talked to Maxi and Maria Jesus for a while because I felt bad for leaving them and only talking to my friends in English. After a while, we started cooking, and everyone worked really hard for a while. It was a little difficult to plan everything and to dance around Sra Adela who was also cooking in the kitchen and wasn’t very accommodating to our needs. After a few hours, we walked over to the jumbo to buy chicken and a few other last minute necessities. Then we came home and continued cooking. Later on, our friends Mery and Pitu came over to help. We all finished up the cooking and then while the cornbread and sweet potato soufflé were cooking, we went outside and put our feet in the pool and talked for a while. Then we decided everything was ready and we put all the great food we had cooked out on the table and ate a Thanksgiving dinner.

We had chicken, cornbread, sweet potato soufflé, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (in the Lider there were like 2 cans of Wal-Mart cranberry sauce and I’m pretty sure these were the only 2 cans that existed in all of Chile), salad with Ranch dressing, stir fried vegetables, apple pie (we looked for pumpkin for like an hour and came the definite conclusion that it doesn’t exist here), pumpkin spice cookies with homemade cheesecake frosting (Katie’s mom sent her the mix from the US), M&M cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, Doritos, and coca cola. Overall it was a very American meal. Before we ate, we each went around the table and said what we were Thankful for. We ate until we couldn’t eat anymore and then Katie and I cleared the plates and brought out colorful paper and taught everyone how to make hand turkeys.

Sure we kinda felt like 5 year olds, but we all spent a good hour laughing and talking and making the most perfect hand turkeys ever created. After a while, everyone left, and I went to Skype with my family. My parents are in Pennsylvania right now visiting with my aunt and grandma, and so for the first time in a long time, I got to talk to my extended family. I’ve explained before about how whenever we go anywhere in Chile, all Cristobal’s family asks about is him and how he’s doing and when can they talk to him on Skype. I always felt very jealous and very forgotten because I don’t have a tight and loving family like he does and I didn’t feel like anyone was missing me the way the people here were missing him. However, talking to my family today was a special treat. It made me feel connected to them, and if made me feel like they care about me. Never before have  I thought family was super important, but coming to Chile has taught me how great a close family can be, and when I get back to the states I am going to work to foment that bond in my own family. After we hung up, I went and hung out a little while with Maria Jesus. We had a super deep conversation, and I really felt nice having someone like her that I could tell anything to without fear of judgment, she’s a great cousin and I’m lucky to be a part of her family. Around 11, my dad came home from work, and I heated up the food again and served Thanksgiving #2 to my family (plus my grandparents and Jesus).

Before we started eating, I told them all what Thanksgiving was about, and I tried to impart to them how important a part of my culture it was. They have family get together every weekend, but for us, Thanksgiving is one of the few times where we all get together to share time as a family. Then we all went around the table and said what we were thankful for. They all were thankful for having me in their lives, and seeing a bunch of Chileans celebrating an American holiday together just because I was there almost made me cry it was such a cool feeling. Then we all dug in, and they got to try some good old American food. I’m not sure they liked it very much, but they tried everything and were super polite about it. At first when I told them about Thanksgiving and they told me they were busy all day and would have to have dinner at 11 I felt sort of like they didn’t care or even want to learn about my culture, and I think that was partly true, but they did end up coming together for me in the end, and for that I feel truly blessed.

Wednesday, November 27

Today was my official last day of school and it was an absolutely perfect end. During first period, I got called out of class and into the principal’s office. My mom had complained yesterday that I am not on the roll sheet, I don’t get grades, and even if  I do take tests (which I am not obligated to) I don’t get grades. The principal told me that starting next year he would make sure  I got grades on all my tests and that  I was treated more like a normal student. He also told me how shocked he was by how dedicated I was to working and learning Spanish. Although I’m not completely sure it’s a good thing to no longer have the opportunity to ditch class or not take a test, I was really pleased that he recognized my hard work and that I really am here to learn and not just to goof off and not speak Spanish. During PE, we had this giant party with a ton of food and two people actually brought portable grills to make hamburgers. I knew the Chileans were crazy about their asados but making them during class was just a little crazy. I admire their dedication though. 

During the rest of school we basically just talked the whole time. I talked to all my friends and listened to their conversations and couldn’t help thinking about how far I’ve come in the last 4 months! After school, I went home and worked on college apps for a while, and then hung out with Maxi and Maria Jesus until Katie and Antonia came over. We walked to the Lider and started buying the long list of food we needed to cook a genuine Thanksgiving dinner. We dropped off our purchases at home and then walked to the Jumbo to finish the shopping. When we got home, Katie cooked us mac and cheese for dinner, and then Daniel came over. We sat around the kitchen table and talked (in Spanish when my family was with us and English when they weren’t) and make Oreo bonbons, and ate ice cream. Around 1, Cristobal called the family and needed my help to fill out the forms for his Rotary trip because they were in English and I was the only one who understood enough.  I also got to talk to his second host family (he switched on Tuesday), and they are the sweetest people ever. After we hung up, I found Daniel, Antonia, and Katie talking in my room. We all sat on the bed and ate chips and talked about everything under the sun.

They are probably my best friends here and I love them because even though we haven’t known each other very long and we all come from such different places, we can talk about everything and we always have fun together.

Daniel and Antonia are both leaving in a few months, so we made an awesome bucket list of stuff we have to do together before they leave. I think we are going to make the next few months absolutely unforgettable. Around 4:30 Daniel went out into the living room to go to sleep and Katie, Antonia, and I slept sandwiched together in my bed. I was in the middle and it was pretty hard to get a good night’s sleep there.

Tuesday, November 26

Today at school was a good day. Now they’re just doing review which basically means they’re doing nothing so we just talk the whole class period. After school, I walked over to Instituto O’Higgins and met up with Katie. We sat outside and drank soda and talked for like an hour and a half and then went into the school to teach an English class. There was awkwardly no one waiting for the class and Katie was really confused until she realized that the class was supposed to start at 4 and not 4:30 and that everyone had already left. There was only one girl left, and so we apologized and then taught the class to just her and her friend. We basically just had a conversation with them in a mix of English and Spanish, but it was still fun. Then a few of Katie’s friends came over and sat with us and eventually my friend Jose came over too. We all just ended up switching to Spanish and talking and joking around for a while. I love Katie’s friends and they are really hilarious! Around 5:30, I walked into the center and took a micro home. It was actually the first time I’d taken a micro alone, even though I’ve been in them about a million times. When I got home, my cousin Maria Jesus was there, and so I talked to her and Maxi for a really long time. Then we sat down to dinner with my grandparents who had been staying with us like a week, and we had a super long conversation about the trip to the South that I’m leaving for on Saturday. I really liked talking to Maxi and it was one of those conversations where I actually feel close to him. Then Maria Jesus and I walked to the Jumbo to buy peanut butter because I wanted to make peanut butter cookies for my class because tomorrow is my last day of school. We got the peanut butter and walked back and then made the cookies. After completely burning the first batch to a blackened crisp that stunk up the whole house because I was in the shower, I became more vigilant and made the two other batches really well. Then my grandma taught us how to make apple pie. By that time it was really late, and so I quickly dried my hair and went to sleep.

Monday, November 25

Today I basically felt like death when I had to wake up for school. I really need to get more sleep. Anyway, last Friday was basically the last day of classes and this week is just review for the tests (which I’m not going to take), so Katie, Daniel, and Antonia aren’t coming to school anymore. I decided to just go to hang out with friends. It was an ok day at school but I was so tired that I didn’t have to energy I wanted to. After school, I worked on my blog for a little while and talked to the people who were still in my house from the night before. Then Daniel came over around 5 and we hung out for a while before walking over to the Jumbo and meeting up with Antonia. We tried to take a collectivo to the movie theater, but we accidentally got in one going me the exact opposite direction so we had to get out and take another one. We finally got there and met up with Katie and then went to Papa John’s to eat a large pizza and garlic sticks. Then we went and saw Catching Fire. It was an absolutely fantastic movie! I absolutely loved it and I want to see it again! During the movie my mom sent me a text saying that Eric had the car and so she wouldn’t be able to pick me up. After the movie when we went outside, Antonia found out she would have to take a micro to the Jumbo to get home, Daniel would have to walk like 15 minutes to another grocery store to get picked up, and Katie would have to wait at the movies like 20 more minutes. This all happened at like 10 on a school night. We just had to laugh at the irresponsibility of our Chilean parents. Antonia and I went together because we were both going to the Jumbo. We waited on the side of the street trying to hail a collectivo in the dark, but when we asked a micro driver which collectivo to take, he said collectivo that go to the jumbo don’t run by the theater at that time of night. He was super nice though and he told us we could get in the micro without paying and he would tell us where to get off the get a collectivo. We did that and finally ended up making it to the Jumbo. When I got back to the house around 10:30, my mom apologized and I just said it was fine and it actually pretty cool that I was able to completely find my way back through the city using public transportation in Spanish. I took a quick shower and went to sleep as soon as possible.