Hey there, I'm back again with my weekly check in. As the title suggests, I have officially been in Chile for two months which is a bit daunting to think about. Let me give you a bit of a summary of what I've been up to these past few days and then we can unpack how I am feeling about that in a little while.
I know I did touch base on Tuesday so I will pick up from there.
Wednesday was a pretty regular day, I ended up having no after school activities so I came home early that day which was nice. Gonzalo, my host brother, actually picked me up and we went and got completos (those are a traditional Chilean hotdog with tomato, avocado, mayo, ketchup, and sometimes sauerkraut) so that was super good.
He gave me a bit of a rundown on how the summer season works at the restaurant and water park, basically saying that everyone is about to get even busier and it's normal for me to be spending time by myself because that is what Almendra would normally do. He said there are small things here and there that I can help with and to just keep my eyes and ears peeled for those opportunities.
I really appreciated him letting me know that it was okay to be spending time by myself because I didn't want my host family to think I was being antisocial but Gonzy gave me some assurance that I'm not doing anything wrong, which always feels nice whether you're in an English speaking country or a Spanish speaking one.
Thursday was Claudia's birthday! And after taking a doozy of an economics quiz in the afternoon, we all went to Concon (a city about 45 minutes away) to eat a birthday dinner. It was super fun and even though we got back at 1am, it was nice to spend time with the family.
I should clarify, this is totally normal in Chile to go out to dinner and get back at this hour. I'm just a wimpy American who thought she was a night owl but turns out she's only a night owl if she is in her house, not out on the town.
Gonzalo, my host brother, even helped me pick out a small gift for Claudia and I wrote her a little card which made her smile so that was a win. I also had my siblings send me a silly video of them saying "Happy Birthday" in Spanish, which she got a real kick out of.
On Friday, I didn't have school, but it was the first day that the water park was open! In case you missed it, yes, my host family owns a water park and a restaurant and it's pretty epic. I got up a little earlier on Friday to see if I could be helpful in any way, but they didn't need me for anything so I just worked on some homework until Isaac and Sara showed up.
Isaac had this grand idea to make a rustic sign post thing that would point to all of the different places you could go to in the park, so I helped him and Sara cut the wood, paint it, and add the lettering. It was something to do at least, and if I do say so myself I think it turned out pretty cool.
I was definitely dragging on Friday because National FFA Convention was still happening and when I tell you I was just aching to be there, I mean it. This whole week was tough because of that same reason. It was just really hard to watch all of my people participate in this thing that holds so much of my heart, and the only thing I could do was watch.
FFA has given me so much purpose in life over the years, and I'm disoriented without it on a normal day. Now that I'm in Chile, sometimes I feel really far away from that purpose.
But enough of the sappy stuff.
Friday night I went with Sara and Isaac to the Quillota Expo, which is essentially a big Halloween music festival that happens in the city stadium with all kinds of food vendors and little booths and games. It was super fun and definitely took my mind off of missing FFA for a few hours. I'm super grateful they invited me.
While I was there I got to try this sandwich called "churasco" for the first time and oh my goodness it was divine. It was basically this seasoned and buttered shredded beef on a bun, topped with avocado, tomato, and a little bit of mayo. So so delicious.
Saturday and Sunday have both been really chill. I've been working on some homework, I watched some of National Convention, and I've been journaling a lot.
Speaking of journaling, I have almost filled an entire journal during my time in Chile!
It was always a goal of mine before my trip to be better about writing things down, and I'd like to think I've accomplished that goal. Journaling honestly just helps keep me sane and makes me feel productive, but either way it counts because I've been writing. Shoutout to Ms. Amanda Waite because I'm going to have to start using the journal she gifted me soon :)
Circling back to how I'm feeling about having been in Chile for 2 months, it honestly doesn't feel real. I think I'm still in a similar spot as I was at the 1 month mark. Time has been going by so fast, which is scary because I know I'm going to miss these moments when I'm back home. That being said though, I can't wait to come home. I have so many good things waiting for me that bring me so much joy and I can't wait to get back to them. So yeah. That's where I'm at.
Continuing on, this upcoming week looks to be pretty normal as well, I do have my first district Rotary event this upcoming weekend though. It is overnight from Friday - Sunday in a city about 40 minutes away called Olmue (Ulm-way) so I am excited for that. Check back in a week from now to see how it went.
In the meantime, please take care and enjoy the fall weather. Eat something pumpkin spice in my honor please and thank you.
Much love always,
Anna
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