This past Thursday marked my 7th week in Chile.
I'm still torn up between the fact that 7 weeks feels like so much time, but also it feels like it's gone by so fast. I am still having very mixed feelings about the fact that I have 7.5 months here, and if you're interested in hearing more about that particular topic, scroll back a little bit to my homesickness post where I really get into my feels. If you're not into emotional fluff, maybe skip it and just keep reading this post instead :)
This week was a little bizarre but we're still kicking so let me tell you all about it.
First of all, I finally went to the doctor to get my weird Chilean rash that's been developing on my arm and stomach checked out! We are still waiting to get test results back, but I am taking some medicine and have a cream that I put on twice daily which has been making it itch less so that's super good.
My understanding of what the doctor said is that it could be a few different things, none of which will kill me, and with some time the rash should go away on its own. Because I am in a new country, with lots of new things, and a LOT of new people (I'm still very unaccustomed to living in an urban environment), it makes sense that I catch some kind of something, but that doesn't mean I'm not freaking out a little bit.
I'm also just a bit frustrated because I know I have a good immune system, having literally grown up in mud puddles filled with cow poop (there is photo evidence, just ask my mom). But I also know that the environment here is very different from home, especially because it is so urban. So yeah, it makes sense that I had to go to the doctor. Am I still a little bitter about it? For sure.
However, the silver lining of this situation is that I did get to miss a little bit of school on Wednesday and Thursday, and I'll miss a little more this week when I have to go back for my follow-up appointment. Don't get me wrong, school is super great here, but I am still just a teenager. Skipping school is skipping school, whether you're in the U.S. or in Chile.
Now of the topic of missing school, I had a three day weekend this week but not because of Indigenous People's/Columbus Day. Here in Chile they very widely celebrate National Teacher's Day, meaning that I didn't have school on Friday to honor all of the Chilean educators across the country. We also had a lovely ceremony on Thursday afternoon with some snacks and a few presents for our teachers. Overall, super fun.
Side note, but as the daughter of a teacher I think this day is well deserved and that the U.S. should take notes...
Although I had a three day weekend, it has been relatively uneventful. In a way though, I think that's important for me. I can't remember the last time I had a weekend where I had absolutely nothing to do and just had to sit with myself. Probably sometime during my infancy, but we'd have to check the calendar. (Joking, joking, but you get the point)
In all seriousness though, I can't recall. I feel a little bad because I've slept in a bit and just done my own thing, unless my host family is doing something all together. I just don't want them to think I'm lazy or antisocial, but the truth is I'm kind of just a pain in the butt if I go over to the restaurant all of the time.
My host family is always super busy with working, which I don't mind, but I do try to make their life easier by staying out of the way. Don't get me wrong, I go over every now and then and help with little chores and ask questions and witness the process, because that's my job as a foreign exchange student. I just know that if I did that all of the time, it would be super annoying. I'm just crossing my fingers that my host family doesn't see any of that as me being bratty, lazy, or a bad exchange student. If anyone has any insight on this situation, please let me know because I am overthinking it to the max.
That being said though, I did go with my host family to the beach in a city called Maintencillo which was super cool. The weather wasn't sunny at all, but it was still warm which gave the entire experience this weird movie vibe, but I loved it. I got a few neat photos of the beach too, and got to eat this delicious apple cake that my host mom, Claudia, made. 10/10, will be trying to recreate when I come home.
Oh I almost forgot, I did have a Rotary meeting this week and I gave a presentation about my home and all of my people. It wasn't my best work, but I tried my best. I'd just like to put it out there though that I am so proud of where I grew up and of all of the people who have contributed to my life.
I did almost the same presentation in my History class this week too because my professor asked me to do a "history of my town" type of situation. At the end of it he said something that stuck with me and I wanna put it in here because it's so so true.
Addressing my Chilean classmates, he said something along the lines of "when we think of the United States, our minds jump to urban centers, with modern technology, rich people, all moving at a million miles an hour. Now let's take a look at Anna and where she grew up. She's talkative, knowledgeable, and engaged with the world around her. And she grew up in a small rural town, rooted in agriculture, where she works a summer job, goes to the public library, and is very connected with her community. Anna's town is the REAL foundation of the United States"
Obviously that is not a direct quote due to translation difficulties, but you get the idea. And holy smokes was my history teacher right.
Salem is a prime example of a town that makes up the framework of our country in thousands of tiny ways.
I can't imagine a life in which I didn't grow up learning how to work hard, have integrity, and care for the people and earth around me. What a privilege it is to call Salem my home. I'm thrilled that I was able to convey the significance of our lovely town and that it was received correctly by people in Chile, because Salem absolutely is an example of the foundation of the United States.
I'm going to try to hang onto that idea when I come home.
That's all I have for now, and as always I hope that life is treating my New York people well.
Much love,
Anna
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