Lately!

Well it's been a while since I've blogged! So I'm back to catch up! I am usually too tired at night and I am today too, but I'll try my best.

After my Iloca trip, we took the next few days to relax and just be around the house.

On Sunday I got ready for church and ate breakfast. At 10 (the time church starts) my host mom said that my dad couldn't give me a ride that morning. And that I would need to take a collectivo there. So I walked a block and stood on the street waiting for a collectivo. I stood there for a good 10 minutes and the right one never came, so I just decided to walk. By the time I got there it was almost 11. I stood outside the meeting waiting for it to be over, and the second one to start. I ended up waiting for 30 minutes before I realized that it was stake conference (a special meeting with all of the members in the surrounding cities that lasts for an hour and a half). So I ended up never actually going into the meeting. Instead, I had a lovely conversation with a four year old and was pleased that I could sort of make out what she was saying and respond. Being with her made me miss the kiddos so much! I would have left earlier, but I needed to wait for Rodrigo for lunch! He and I walked to the mall and got some pizza. Then we walked to the plaza (yes Michael, the one with the benches and fish). He is my best friend here. We talk ALL the time and it's great.

My week (semana!) of school this week was packed full of tests and homework! I got my first graded test back. Remember that math test that I said that I thought I did pretty decently on? Yeah, that one. I got a solid C- on it. Huh. This year will be a change from my straight A's that I'm used to. The rest of my classmates got the chemistry test back, but I didn't. I don't think my teacher (profesor(-a) or as students usually say it 'profeeeee') bothered grading it...

On Thursday in biology class, the teacher was explaining a group project that was being assigned. I raised my hand and asked in Spanish how many people could be in a group (¿cuántas personas en un grupo?) and the class erupted in cheers. Hahaha. I'm pretty awesome.

On Monday and Thursday I had basketball after school. I like having something to do after school and it exercising makes me feel like it's okay that I eat so much.. I think this thought process might be flawed. After dinner on Tuesday, my host dad and I drove downtown and to some indoor basketball courts. One of his friends is the coach of the city women's team. I was in for a long hard (difícil!) practice! But it was great; we did a lot of technique drills. The courts are different than in the U.S.. They are slippery and I am close to falling a lot. I didn't bring my fancy basketball shoes (zapatos!) and my running shoes aren't cutting it. My legs get tired really fast since they don't have as much support for all of the quick turns. The floor is also dirty and by the end of practice, my hands are black from touching the ball and wiping my shoes. 

Anyways; on to Friday. On Wednesday I was told that on Friday in English class groups had to present dissertations. I joined a group of friends and read over some things I would have to say about cyber bullying. Before class started, a lot of people (gente! o personas!) were asking me how to pronounce all these big words in English. I give them all a lot of props because they had to research in a different language and then talk in front of the class while trying to pronounce words they don't know! (And now that I think about it, that's what I do every day...) Watching the different presentations was pretty entertaining. Most of the time, I couldn't help but smile and laugh a little. A lot of people would look at me to see how the pronunciation of the speaker was. Hahaha. My group (grupo!) is number 10 and on Friday we only got to group 5, so I'll present next week. Oh and I can already tell that English class is going to be hard for me. You're probably laughing but I'm not kidding! There was a girl from the U.S. in the school last year and she ended up with a D in the class. We had to respond to a few questions in class. They were all about modal verbs. Do you know what those are? Without google? Because I sure didn't! Apparently they are words like should, may, might, would, etc.. And knowing when to use may or might. 'I might go to the store.' or 'I may go to the store.'? They both sound right to me! It's going to be an embarrassing year, not knowing the rules of my own language and all.

Classes on Friday get over at 1:15. I had basketball at 1:45 and so didn't have time to go to my grandma's house for lunch. Instead, I went with Carolina, Nico, Natalia, and Rodrigo to the mall for lunch. There, we bought juice, bread, ham, and cheese to have a little picnic. I love these people so much! :)

Trying to take a good group picture...

We needed to be back at the school at 1:45 for basketball practice, but ended up talking and eating for too long. Instead we just skipped practice for the day. When we walked back to the school, we saw some classmates playing tennis in the courtyard and I almost died. I MISS TENNIS SO MUCH! I played for a while and it was amazing. After that it was time for me to go home. When I got home, I went to a meeting (for some reason...) with my mom for planning some kind of party for her business. I sat there at the table playing my Ipod and literally fell asleep. I didn't know that was possible while playing Temple Run. We rushed home and I changed as fast as I could and took a taxi to basketball practice (the city practice). Surprise, surprise, I was late. Time is so different here in Chile, it's a whole different world. It doesn't matter if you are 5 minutes late or 50. I was 45 minutes late to practice and there were only three other people there. I have a game on Thursday that I'm pretty scared for. I think it'll be a pretty rough game since it seems like the rules are more like street basketball. After practice, I went outside because I thought my dad was there waiting. It turns out he wasn't but the doors had locked behind me. At 9 at night in downtown Curicó I was a little worried. So I hid in the doorway until he came. Haha. Then we went out for some really good pizza together as a family.

Saturday was a nice relaxed day. I meant to get up and run, but was too tired and sore from basketball. Nothing too exciting happened... Oh, wait! I felt my first earthquake tremor (temblor!)! (Notice the 'felt' ; the first one I was in Chile for, I slept through) It was a 4 or 5 on the Richter scale and my room shook for a few seconds.

On Sunday I didn't go to church because I had to go to a fundraiser that my Rotary club was having. The adults sold drinks and sandwiches while the two Germans, one South African, and I did a fundraiser for poor school kids. We sorted through pencils, separated them into different colors, and put them into groups in rubber bands to be given away in a school nearby. So we sat there talking (ENGLISH!) and sorting pencils for 5 hours in the hot, hot sun.

Such a beautiful day:

 So. many. pencils.

We eventually ran out of rubber bands and HAD to stop. So we laid there and talked some more.

Enjoying the sun

Vivien, me, Charlotte, and Nicholas:

Okay. Well now it is way too late for me to be up. I need to rest up for another awesome week in Chile!

Oh and one last thing. For the Rotary conference back in the States, I needed to write one piece of advice for the incoming outbounds in my district. Here's mine:

"Remember that smiling and laughing are international! Laugh at your mistakes and smile to show your happiness. Always be enthusiastic and say yes to every opportunity."

I've been basically living by this quote in my time in Chile.

Chao!

Iloca!!

Hazard: picture overload on this post! In two days I took at least 150 pictures that I kept and my mom took another 100. It's been hard narrowing it down.

The first of many!: 

Caroline: I think you'll appreciate this one.

On Wednesday my family and I packed up and left for Iloca! Which is a city a little over 2 hours from Curicó. We stopped one time to take pictures on a bridge (puente!). 

The family minus Felipe

My mom and I!

We got into town at about 6 and I got my first view of the sea (el mar!)! It was so beautiful! The sun was at a perfect place and I got a ton pretty pictures. A lot of people say that this part is not very pretty because there was a tsunami, but I

agree to disagree! We stopped and went to fly kites on the beach and it was perfect. I haven't flown a kite since I was like 6 and I've been missing out. I felt so incredibly happy with the gorgeous view and the feeling of carelessness. I can't even explain it. Oh and I don't think I've written about Chilean people's obsession with kites yet. There are always people in the streets flying them. Everywhere. And there are a lot of street vendors selling them. It's great!

 Things were going great! And then this happened. hahaha

 Hmmmm...

 After a while, some relatives and friends came to the beach. Then, we left together to go the the house. My family's close friends own a big house there. So that night, we ate, laughed, talked, and played cards and bingo. I didn't really think that bingo would be hard, but it was when they read off the numbers (numeros!) really fast! We played until one or two and then I was finally able to go to bed. That night, I got my first big wave of major frustration with my Spanish skills. When a bunch of people are trying to talk to you at once at one in the morning things can get pretty frustrating. I kind of wanted to cry, honestly.

This is what happens when your bored with a pile of rice in front of you

 Things were better in the morning when I woke up and had this:

 With this as my view out the window:

After everyone was ready, most of the people went to play fútbol on the beach and a few of us went to the market. There were so many things that I wanted to get for presents (regalos!)! But my mom said that there were even more in Santiago. She did buy me a little coin purse that says Iloca, Chile on it.

 Later, when we were driving around, we stopped to take some pictures:

 Me and my cousins!

We headed back to the house again (de nuevo) for empanadas and soup. We went down to the beach and collected some sea shells. :)

 Then at about 6, everyone left. We stayed in Iloca and walked around the beach some more.

I still need to take pictures of these parks that they have everywhere. All over the place, there are these outdoor gyms. They have a bunch of regular gym equipment, but it is made out of playground material. Soon, I'll go and take pictures of more machines. This was the only kind they had at the beach. I really like the idea of these and wish they had them in the U.S.. This one is for your waist.

We couldn't help but stop and ride these little 4-wheelers! It was a lot of fun and I think I was laughing for all 4 laps.

After that, we went back to the house to grab our bags and then had some tea (té!) and hot chocolate with the family friends. At 8:30 or 9 we were finally on the way home. I slept in the car (el auto!) most of the drive home.

Oh and one more thing. When people ask you 'do you know the sea?' (¿Conoces el mar?) they mean 'have you been to the sea.' At first I was confused and I'd say yes and then they'd ask which one, and then I'd have to back track. Haha. It's the same things with cities and other similar questions. ¿Conoces Valparaiso?

Anyways. I had such a fun time in Iloca! I love the sea! It was a great time with my lovely family and we made so many memories!

Básquetbol y una Fiesta!

That's right, two posts in one day! This one will be a short one. Ahhh how is it Friday already?? Today's post will be about Tuesday. :) On Tuesday (martes!), I slept in a little, and then got ready for the day. I ate lunch at my grandma's house and then at 3 I headed off to play basketball with some friends.

It was a lot of fun! We played basketball and a little fútbol. We played until 6ish. When I said I had to go and that I would walk home, everyone came with me. I kept telling them that they didn't have to walk the 35 minutes with me, but they did. Awww. <3

When I got home, I showered and got ready. Then (entonces!), I helped my mom get ready for the party that night! I was pretty exhausted already and then was informed that we'd leave at 10 p.m. or so and then party until the next morning. EEk! I definitely did not plan very well for that (eso!)... I hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night. Nevertheless, I went out to the place in the country (al campo) for a party with a bunch of relatives.

I danced (yo bailé!) with some of my 'cousins (primos!)'. We danced, talked, and ate until about 3:30 and then at 4 we went home.
Me dancing cueca at one in the morning:

When we got home, I fell right asleep. And then I slept until 11 the next day. Needless to say, I didn't make it out for a run...

And that's it for now! Tonight (anoche!) I'll start writing about my fabulous trip to the beach!

It's That Time!

*I really, really wanted to publish this yesterday (on the 19th) but I was too tired. Please pretend that i did so. I did a TON of fun things in the last few days that I'll write about soon, along with a ridiculous amount of pictures. :)

But now, it's time for the post you all knew was coming! Prepare yourselves for a gushy 1-month-mark post!

Exactly one month ago I arrived in this beautiful country called Chile. I was sad to leave my family and friends and didn't know what to expect. I was worried that my host family and I wouldn't connect and that it would be hard to make a whole new group of friends. I shouldn't have worried at all because this month has been one of the best and fastest of my life! I am in love with the people, culture, and language!

Here are a few (or more than a few...) of my thoughts about my time in Chile thus far.

Family: I LOVE my family, they are so great.
My mom is one of the sweetest people I know. She helps me with everything and always checks up on me. I am her daughter. No one can replace my mom, but my mom here in Chile is such a good second mom for me. She and I talk a lot and it helps with my Spanish a ton. She is ever so patient with me. If she ever gets frustrated with me, which I'm sure she does, she doesn't show it. We go shopping together sometimes and it is so fun. She'll ask me 'hey do you need new clothes?' to which I'll respond that I do not need anything. 'Okay good, me either, but let's go shopping anyways!'. And then we go out and buy cute outfits.
My dad is great too. He is very nice and helpful. He makes a lot of jokes and I laugh a lot. Sometimes he makes fun of my Spanish grammar. At first I would get slightly upset and frustrated, but I've learned just to laugh and try to improve.
It is hard for me to talk to my brothers because I can't speak a ton of Spanish yet and they are both sort of shy. But I think they like me. Haha. As a family, we laugh a lot and I am always so happy around them. I love them. :)

My friends!: I feel like I say this a lot, but my friends are so awesome. On my first day of school, I was quite nervous. Before this, I had been in the same town, in the same school, with the same kids for all my life. I've never had to be the new kid. Again, I shouldn't have worried. I feel so loved and have so many good friends. I always feel included and feel like they genuinely want to talk to me and get to know me. I love going to school because that means that I get to spend the whole day laughing, talking, and making memories with 40 amazing Chileans.

Español!: I am loving Spanish and I cannot wait until I can speak it better. There are a lot of moments of confusion and frustration, usually followed by me laughing hysterically. Some days I feel like I'm totally on track to being a Spanish pro and other days I feel like a 2 year old. Well actually, scratch that, pretty much everyday I feel like a little kid. People have to speak slowly and repeat themselves to get me to understand. A few of my friends said that they caught themselves talking super slowly at home. Hahahaha. But all in all, I think (I hope!) that my Spanish is improving.

Food!: I love the food. I've liked everything I've eaten so far. I haven't had anything too different. One thing that I eat a ton of (besides empanadas and hot dogs) is bread. Everyday I eat at least one pan amasado. It is so good! I can't even describe it...

Fyi: not my picture

I drink a lot of nectar de durazno too. Oh and the milk is different here. It comes in boxes like this:

 It is stored at room temperature and then when you open it, it goes in the fridge. Anyways, enough about the food. I'm hungry...

The culture!: I love the Chilean culture! (Are you noticing how much I use the word love? I must be enjoying myself here...) Chilean people are very warm and welcoming people. They want to know about my life and family and how I am doing. Cueca dancing is everywhere, especially because it's September. Tiki tiki ti!

It started to hit me today that I'm here for 11 months. I won't be in Ironwood for a year! I won't see my Dad or any of my family in person. I'll miss James and Miranda's wedding. All of my nieces and nephews will by giants when I get back. I won't see my friends or go to school at good ol' Luther L. Wright. I'm missing my whole Junior year. No homecoming or football games or pep bands. My friends will go to prom without me. I won't see REAL snow for a year! Woah. It's pretty crazy!

But I'm going to have so many cool experiences here in Chile! I am grateful for this amazing opportunity!

So yeah, to sum everything up, I love Chile and I'm happy to be here. :)

I feel like I'm forgetting about a lot... But I should get going now. Sorry for the lack of pictures. Tonight I'll try to write about what I've been up to lately.