I successfully finished my first week of Chilean summer. I've done a few things, so let's chat about them.
After my school meeting with my professor, the only other thing I had going on last week was an event on Wednesday that I got invited to by my theater professor. She said that there were going to be free completos (Chilean hotdog with tomato and avocado, don't knock it till you try it) so I was sold.
Unfortunately, not a lot of my theater friends came because as I realized once I got there, it really was more of an event for the younger students. Everyone could come if they wanted, but the intention behind it was to come and play some games and eat completos to kind of commemorate the end of the year. I'm reaching a point where I feel like everything we have done in the past month or so has been to commemorate the end of the year, but oh well. I'm just along for the ride.
What ended up happening at this particular event though was I asked my theater professor if she wanted any help in the kitchen assembling the completos, because I felt a little awkward joining in on some of the games when the kids were clearly 5+ years younger than me. She's a younger professor and super chill, so she didn't mind at all that I hung out in the kitchen and helped.
One of my other professors was there too, she's a sub for our English class sometimes and also pretty young, but she and I have had a decent amount of conversations about all kinds of things. Between the two of them, I just hung out in the kitchen and chatted with the teachers, just like I would have if I was in Salem because mom normally ropes me into that kind of thing (I don't mean to make it sound like an obligation, I very much enjoy the teacher time I get. It makes me feel cool). We talked about normal stuff like food, stuffed animals, how my exchange year is going, getting ready for summer vacation, etc. I'm glad I went because I got to practice my Spanish and literally got paid in two free completos to do it.
That was on Thursday, and after that the weekend was very mellow. I helped a decent amount in the restaurant I would like to think because a big group from a business came on Saturday, so I helped check people in and on Friday afternoon I helped put the meal tickets together. Maybe not the most fun, but I am trying to find the value in every moment and I'm glad that I could help out my host family in some way.
Yesterday I actually went with my host dad Gonzalo to drop off the inside dogs, Augusto and Violeta, to get their hair cut. Basically I just rode in the back and made sure that Augusto didn't run away or puke anywhere because he doesn't always do so hot in vehicles. But hey, at least I got out of the house.
Oh, also some good news. One of my friends from school is actually going to New York for Christmas with her family, so I asked her if she would be willing to take a few letters home for my family and mail them and she was more than willing to help me out. I met with her yesterday to give her the envelope. Let's all pray and cross our fingers that it makes it to Salem NY without a problem.
Now for the internal monologue battle. It's much of the same things I mentioned in previous posts, but I just worry that I am not doing enough to be honest.
My host dad and I were eating lunch the other day and he told me that I should try to get a hold of some of my friends so I'm not sitting in the house all of the time, or at the restaurant.
I feel all twisted up about it because of course I want to go out and experience Chile. But I also don't want to be a pain in the butt for my host family because I know they are so busy with the summer season. I also don't wanna be begging to hang out with my friends from school because I know they have their own lives and I'm not exactly the easiest person to hang out with because of the language barrier.
I swear I am trying to make things happen. My host family must think I've lied to them and I actually have no friends at school because no one has asked to hang out with me or do something. Maybe they're right, but I swear I worked hard to build connections with people while I was in school, so I don't know exactly what to do.
I've texted a few foreign exchange student friends to see if they want to get together, and one or two of my school friends too, nothing has worked out yet though
In my defense, it has been a little difficult to make anything happen because most of my friends went on an end of the year trip to Argentina or Brazil that I couldn't go on because I arrived too late to Chile to turn in the paperwork. It's also difficult to coordinate everything because of the language barrier and obviously I can't drive here so I have to figure out transportation. To be honest it exhausts me having to do all that, but I'm trying.
I've resolved that I need to respectfully get in the way and inconvenience people by asking for help, or to hang out, or to take me places, because that's kind of my job as a foreign exchange student. I can't just be a wallflower all the time, that's not what this experience is about. Even though I hate the idea of inconveniencing people who are already doing so much for me. Sorry not sorry, it's my eldest daughter syndrome coming out.
I think tomorrow I am going to Viña del Mar which is a city nearby with a boy who I met through Rotary who went to Colorado for an exchange last year. He has an older sister who also went on her own exchange and is studying Animal Science here in Chile too, so I might even stay the night at their house to hang out with the both of them. Seriously hoping that comes together so that way my host family thinks I'm less of a loser. Seriously, my Chilean grandma asked me why no one has asked me to hang out yet and all I could do was shrug my shoulders.
That's really all I've got for now. I hope everyone back home is taking some time to rest, bake Christmas cookies, and enjoy the family because as I realized today Christmas is literally next week.
I love you all and miss you all dearly.
Yours truly,
Anna
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