First Week of 13th Grade

  It is finally here! The blog post about Chilean high school. I know you were all waiting anxiously, so thank you for being patient because I've been trying really hard to just figure out how things work here and create a routine and not worry about anything else. 

Before I begin, I would just like to say that my primary discovery from this first week is that highschoolers are quite literally the same everywhere. It's actually kind of crazy. 

There are still jocks and popular girls. You've got your theater kids, band geeks, class clowns and slackers. Oh, and how could I forget about the nerds, artsy types, and overachievers. I recognize that was a lot of stereotyping, but the point I'm trying to make is that you can go to a completely new country, but people are still people no matter where you go. What a beautiful thing. 

Anyway, let me try to explain to you a little bit about how Chilean high school works. 

For starters, my school is called the Institute of Rafael Aritzia and is in affiliation with a group of high schools called "The Maristas". There are about a dozen of different Marista high schools in this region of Chile, but they are all in different cities.

For example, there is a Marista high school in Rancagua, Quillota (my city), Limache, and Los Andes, among many others. It is a Catholic, private school. Yes, I have to wear a uniform. And I did ask what "Maristas" meant, and it's apparently some abbreviation for the children of Mary, as is the mother of Jesus. So yeah. That's pretty neat. 

Furthermore, each day ends at a different time. It all depends on the electives you've chosen, the extracurriculars you participate in, and your grade. 

On Monday's I finish school at 6pm or later. This is because I am in 11th grade here and we all have a really packed schedule on Monday's. Tuesday's I leave at about the same time, but it is because I elected to take a history class that starts at 3:00 and goes until 4:20. After that I also have theater club which goes until 6pm. 

On Wednesday, I get to come home around 2 with my last class being an Economics elective. This may change though because I am fairly certain that theater meets on this day as well. On Thursday's I will have to stay late in the future because there is band rehearsal, but this week I had theater and that ended at 4:30. Friday's I have nothing after 1:45 so I get to be home by 2:00.

Sorry, that was a lot of information. For those of you who got lost, I am going to list my classes below and you can just know that the times my day ends varies from day to day. 

-Education of a Citizen (Don't ask me what this is because I have yet to figure it out.)

-Language and Literature

-Math (I thought I would be fine in this class because math is math everywhere, but they are learning geometry....I learned geometry 3 years ago during COVID....it's safe to say I am NOT fine in this class)

-Religion Class (Once again, don't ask because I really don't understand it, but the professor did give us a book today called "The Art of Love" which I almost feel is a little targeted, but I am excited to read it.)

-Philosophy (I actually hate this class because I never know what the professor is saying, but he always looks at me to see if I'm listening so I just have to nod along and pray it's not anything crazy. He gets so existential sometimes that I think even the Chilean students here don't know what he is talking about.)

-Science of Citizenship (This class has only been about natural disasters so far, so when I figure out what the point is I will make sure to let you know)

-Design and Architecture (an art class that keeps me sane. There is this girl Ornella who I sit next too and she is actually a riot)

-Economics 

-Another Language/Writing class that is abbreviated with the letters LEE but I can't remember the actual name

-English (my fave, besides lunch)

-History (pretty chill besides the fact that the teacher started quizzing me about Donald Trump. I just pretended like I didn't know what he was saying) 

I'm trying to join the band too, but we will see where that goes. Right now I am part of the theater club, which is fun even though it's really small and not the best. I like watching though and helping when I can so it's a good use of my time. Claudia thinks it would be good if I also checked out track too, so I'll see where that gets me. 

A little more explanation on how the day actually works, there are 45 minute blocks just like in the U.S. The classes are all on a six block rotation so it gets a little complicated.  Additionally, at 10:15 and 12:05 we have recreation time where we all hang out in the courtyard and talk or buy snacks from the little vendor cart. It's pretty cool, but the overachiever in me feels weird wasting time like that. I feel like I should be doing something more productive, but then I just remind myself that socializing is literally my job for a year. 

I can feel that mindset creep in during classes too. There is a lot of downtime during a Chilean class. The professor gives you an assignment, explains it a little bit, maybe does half a lesson, then tells you when the test is and sits down to leave you to your own devices. Normally, I wouldn't mind this. Except for in Chile, I rarely fully understand an assignment and feel so lost when I sit down to work. When I ask my classmates for help, they are very accomodating and kind, but I rarely see them doing their own work so it is hard to know what to emulate.

 Chilean students love to goof off and play games on their phone during class. It honestly shocks me how much they get away with, but I genuinely think that is just the culture here. The students aren't that concerned with school, but they try every now and then. The teachers don't really seem to mind, so long as no one is in danger. For example, today for English class we spent 30 minutes by ourselves because we didn't have a teacher. When one finally showed up, we did 10 minutes of English and just called it a day. No extra homework. No freak out about irresponsibility. No one really bat an eye. 

The last big thing that is different about Chilean high school is that lunch is at 1:45pm and lasts until 3pm. We have an hour and fifteen minutes to eat, or leave to go purchase food, or do whatever we please. Once again, I feel weird with all of the downtime in the middle of the day, but I am working to acclimate. 

A few random updates before I officially sign off:

I got in contact with my local Rotary club and should be going to a meeting within the next 2 weeks! I'll let you know how that goes. 

I also think that there may actually be hot water here. Somehow it came up in conversation with Claudia that I didn't have hot water in the shower and she said that's not right. She also said sometimes if you shower too soon after someone else there may be issues (this is the same as my house so I understood), but otherwise I should have plenty. She told me to try showering at a different time and to let her know how that goes. This probably isn't something that any of you care about, but for me it means I can finally enter the bathroom without feeling a gut punch of disdain for the shower. Major win. 

My Spanish is going well, I have a long way to go, but I can already feel myself getting better. It has only been a week, I can't imagine what 10 months is going to do for me. 

This is terrible, but I can feel myself wishing the time away a little bit. I want to go to college and be with my friends and my family. This is probably normal, but I still am a little upset with myself for doing it.  

Finally, thank you so much for checking in on my blog. I can't see specific names or anything, but there is a stats page I can open that tells me how many people have seen my writing day to day. It brings me so much joy to know that there is interest in what I am doing and that my messages are being received by someone out in the wild blue yonder. Muchas gracias :)

Stay tuned for weekend adventures of an 80's party and a rugby game.

Much love always,

Anna