Three months!

Feliz Dia de Accion de Gracias! Yesterday was my first thanksgiving in Chile! They don't celebrate it here but I got to spend Thanksgiving with a fellow Estadounidensean! I haven't updated in a while so this will be another long post, It's easier for me this way because then I have lots to write about! So lets rewind a bit to the Andrea Bocelli concert, for those of you that might not know who he is he is an Italian opera singer and I absolutely love him! I had the privilege of seeing him in concert and got to share that with my chilean mom, Elba, we had such an amazing time it was one of those "you had to be there" it's not easy to explain how amazing he was! If you think he is amazing on CD seeing him live is like a million billion times better! It was just a fantastic evening! English class has been going swell! We are teaching prek-kinder with my host mom there is seven of us (including myself) and we go every thursday at 2:30 and we are there until 4:30 we have taught them greetings, colors, numbers up to ten, animals, and this coming thursday we will teach them the seasons, Its a blast! I really enjoy working with kids and we get to know each other (us intercambistas) We held a party for them for "Dia de los ninos" children's day, and we had a Halloween celebration as well.

I spent Halloween at the beach house with my family, I helped my mom pass out candy to all the little kids (only little kids dress up here!) It was a lot of fun it was a late night but fun.

On the 12th my club did Penatour, we toured the community in which my club is in we went to the Municipalidad, a park like place with really old buildings, we went to a garden, and to Villa Grimaldi, a memorial for all the men, women and children that were killed during the Dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. It was a sad end to our tour but it held some very factual and terrible history, the memorial is built on the same land that was used as a concentration camp to those opposing the Pinochet regime. They had some of the original buildings that they would keep the prisoners in, it was awful.

On a better note after visiting all the different places we had a barbeque with all the families of all the students and our rotarians and just had a nice afternoon, it was quite hot that day like high 80's maybe low 90's.

Novemeber:

On 11/9/13 I had a presentation on Artesanía Chilena, Chilean handcrafts, I presented it with my host family to my peers and their families along with the rotarians of my club. It was a successful day, it was to test us on our spanish, even though most of us in my club hadn't been here long (just a little over a month) so none of our spanish was great, some better than others, I was in the middle, not the best but not the worst, I have struggled, but now it's all starting to come together! The ninth was also the day we found out our second and final host family (they only do two in Chile) I got to meet my new host mom, she is so sweet! and we found out we are switching after christmas and before new years (We have like a week to switch) Date's won't be finalized until probably closer to Christmas time hopefully sooner. My mom's name is Lucia, she is Colombian and I am pretty sure her husband is Chilean, I didn't get to meet him (and still haven't met him yet) I have an older brother who is 20, named Estaban and he lives at home (that's very common here in Chile while they are attending Uni to stay at home, its cheaper!) and is studying Law. I have a younger sister named Alejandra, Ale is in Michigan on exchange and I haven't gotten to meet her yet either.

11/16/13 I celebrated my 18th birthday with my family and my exchange student friends! It was a long day but a fun one, a hot one too. (Which is weird because normally it's cold and rainy on my birthday) I got my face shoved in my cake! Thanks to Madison (Canada) and Annabel (Germany), I am thankful to get to spend my birthday here and my 18th, this was really the best birthday present I have ever received, and I am more than grateful for this amazing opportunity! 

Yesterday I spent Thanksgiving with a boy from Tennessee and my new family (They are his current family, his name is Aidan, we also do English class together) They invited me over so I went and I got to meet my brother and my new nanny who also lives with us, her name is Blanca she is peruvian! She is super sweet! My host mom made Pavo (turkey) it was super juicy! Turkey is super easy to dry out so I was pretty impressed, I normally don't eat turkey on thanksgiving because of that, the sides weren't traditional sides but at least their was turkey! lol. I helped her and Aidan set up their christmas tree it was fun and yesterday I really got the opportunity to talk in Spanish with my host mom and host brother! Estaban speaks English, so when I got stuck he would help me, but I was so proud of myself I was actually talking in Spanish! It's finally clicking and I am feeling more confident after yesterday, I have a hard time with my family now because they all speak English so they tend to talk to me in English and its so hard to practice if I don't get the chance too, or they speak waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to fast and I haven't a clue what they said, and usually out of frustration we all just give up, but it's gotten better after yesterday I feel better and more confident about speaking in Spanish, I even got complimented on my spanish by Estaban and Lucia, I was also translating for Aidan so that made me feel super awesome! It takes time and finally the language is starting to catch up with the understanding, it's no where near perfect but I knew eventually I would just burst out speaking in Spanish and everything would be fine. 

Now this weekend I am going to make my host family their first thanksgiving dinner by doing like a Turkey pot pie, (which is very american) Something they haven't had before with a dessert of Strawberry short cake, and for breakfast stuffed french toast! This is the first time I am getting to cook for them I am a bit nervous but I am super excited! I love cooking and I am hoping to cook even more for them. We are preparing for Christmas, Christmas eve will mark my fourth month!!! That is so crazy! And to think after Christmas the rest of this year is going to go by so fast! It makes me sad every time I think about the newbies that will be coming in January! (from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa) My family has talked about taking me to the South of Chile as well (snow!!!!!!!!! and they have penguins!) I get out of school for summer on December 13th and will return to school in March. Its going to be a very hot Christmas! Something I will be experiencing for the first time! Super neat-o. 

OH! I forgot about the earthquakes! So I have been in two since I've been here, the first one was like late September and I didn't feel it because it was so little, the second was in October it was a week or two before Halloween, I felt that one, we were at the beach house and I was by myself the rents were across the street and the doors started shaking violently I was kind of freaking out because its been a long time since I've experienced an earthquake, nothing fell or anything it was another little one but bigger than the first quake! Its super common here in Chile! 

Well I guess that's it for now!!

Warm regards,

India.

Update

Okay so I know its been forever since I updated about what's going with me here! But now I just have lots to write about haha! 

So I started school, mind you this was a month and a week ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. So my first day at school, my class had a test in Biology, this was first period when I arrived I was taken to my class by one of the administrators, and I met one of my classmates, he is from Honduras but has lived in chile for a long time, and he speaks a little bit of English. So he was able to talk to me for a bit, Marcos, introduced me to Paz who is like one of my best friends now, she speaks no English, she understands but doesn't speak any. My biology teacher introduced me to my class, and everyone received me pretty well. The first week of school there was a lot of questions flying around and a lot of staring and whispering and crowding me. o.O I didn't like the crowding part too much. But I was and am still the shiny new American toy. I've learned that if you walk around with friends or classmates, and they introduce you as the American exchange student you don't have to say much. Which was good for me at first because Chileans speak so fast, and they were asking so many questions and I was still just trying to comprehend the first question. I was passed around like a doll to different classmates, and they introduced me to their friends. It's really weird because like everyone knows me at school, EVERYONE. And its a pretty big school, I'm the "gringa" from Washington state, who speaks "no" spanish and understands nothing, mind you this is not true. I have had two years in Spanish and I can write it pretty well and understood a little bit before I got here. BUT. Chile is special, haha, so far my previous spanish has helped me none at all. And that is because of the dialect, relearning new words, yeah, basic words that I learned in school are completely different here! Car: Carro o Coche is Alto here. (Alto is usually meant to mean tall) And Avocado: Aguacate is Palta here. So I have had to relearn basic words that I figured would be the same. The new names come from the Mapuche, their native people here in Chile, so before I say anything I try to ask to make sure Its the right word so I don't offend. At school a lot of slang is thrown around so I've picked that up real quick. Haha. I've met so many people I don't remember hardly anyone's names except for the people I talk to all the time.

During my second week of school my Language teacher, (lenguage) was teaching and decided to call on me to answer a question, well she speaks super fast and my head was hurting just trying to understand what she was saying. But when she asked me she was talking so fast I know I looked like a deer in the head lights, I had that don't "yell at me" look. My class erupted in laughter after telling her that I didn't speak Spanish and I had no idea what she was saying. She continued to talk to me and then told me to just try and listen and I just wanted to hide away in a hole it was embarrassing but the funniest thing ever. There have been several instances like this and now after that I just laugh and try to understand what their asking me. At school normally you address your teacher as "professor o professora" but in Chile, the say "Profe" they shorten it, they like to shorten things like we do. Haha. More convenient. Any adult at school or in general is "Tio o Tia" I have a full schedule, they take a heavy load of classes during high school, I have a completely different schedule every day, (after a month I still haven't memorized it!) it so chaotic. I have about ten-twelve different courses during the week. And I have them once-three times a week, depending on the class. (math I have almost everyday) My school day is so long too, I am in school from 8am-4:30pm everyday except Wednesdays (8-1:15), Its like working a job, by the time I get home its 5:30! It feel so weird getting home that late from school, haha. Normally I am home from school by 3, its hard to do anything during the week because I get out so late. Now school is good, its still a struggle but it will be that way for a bit, I am understand a lot more and finally starting to speak in spanish! It is not perfect at all, I probably sound like a three year old but I am trying and that's all that matters.

What's cool about schools in chile is that you have the same classmates since first grade all through high school! So these kids have grown up together and shared some good and bad times! I think that's just awesome, you have built in friends and its like a family. Here in high school the grades are different (in the whole school), 1-4 (9-12) because the time of year I came, I am still a junior here in Chile so grade 3, in December grade 4 will graduate and we will be on summer break until March when school resumes. You stay with your class the whole time, all your classes you have the same classmates except for some elective classes are mixed classes, (also they have letters additional to the grade, A-C, I am 3C, and when I say mixed classes I mean by letter, so 3B&3C or 3B&3A etc.) I have to wear a uniform :O Nooooo! haha, at first it wasn't to bad now its just annoying, mainly the skirt, I hate skirts! :P My school is half public half private, but everyone wears the uniform, they aren't as strict as a  completely private school. We have a separate uniform for gym, my first day in gym they were practicing the national dances of Chile, because their independence day was coming up (September 18th) I had to learn how to Cueca, which is the national dance, It was fun but I have no coordination when it comes to dancing, I might as well have two left feet, it was horrible! I looked silly I know, these kids have been learning this dance since they were little I learned it in three days to do it for a grade.

September 10th, district orientation! I got to meet all the kids in my district, there is a lot of us, like 60+ (this is just us inbounds) we ate breakfast together and then had our orientation, then we went to like this mountain where we hiked up to have an early happy independence day celebration, with traditional chilean food, music, dances and drinks. Empanadas here have onions, mushrooms, hard boiled eggs, ground meat and olives, (mushrooms & onions are sauteed) its very yummy. There were horses and games and it was just a great time! we got to exchange pins, I already have a lot of pins :) 

September 18th, Chile's national independence day, lots of partying, food, family, music and dancing. We had a whole week off from school for the 18th, I spent most of that time at the beach, at my families beach house, it is so beautiful at the beach and just in Chile in general. We went to my tia's house (my chilean mom's sister) for the 18th, I got to meet my maternal family, and family friends, there were so many people there probably 60+ we were there all day, from Noon until 10:30 pm, and after that I went to a festival with my cousins, and we were there until 3:00 am x.x I didn't get to sleep until 3:30, and later that morning I went to the beach, I was so tired but it was a lot of fun! At the beach, Maitencillo, we partied some more with my Dad's side of the family this time and friends, we pretty much partied the whole week! haha, and at the beach I got to see my younger brother surf with his cousin. They are going to teach me how to surf! :D 

September 28th, I went out with my classmates/friends for the first time! It was so much fun we went to Cerro San Cristobal which is like a park on a mountain, we hiked up the mountain and then had a picnic when we got to the top. It was very beautiful! It was also my friends birthday so we celebrated with a yummy cake! And ate Japanese food. Then we went to the Japanese garden it was so pretty, you could see all of Santiago from the look out in the Japanese garden.

Yesterday I hung out with my friend and we went to Parque Arauco, which is a mall and a huge park with beautiful gardens and a bird sanctuary. We ate sushi and got yummy Frozen yogurt, and sat in the park and just talked it was nice.

Wednesday (9th) I am going to see Andrea Bocelli with my host mom! I am so excited I love him so much and I can't believe I am getting to see him live! and we have good seats too! I will update after the concert in my next update, along with the rotary activities and the start of teaching English  (Thursday 10th)

For now,

Chao!

India.

Bienvenida a Chile!

 Today's arrivals!

Hi everyone! Today I landed in Santiago, at 7:50 am (Chilean time) (4:50 PST) with a lot of the European students, I was the only American student that came in today, :( but it was so nice to meet some of the other students that I have been talking to via Facebook! All our Rotarians were waiting for us with open arms! They were all so nice, when we got together to take pictures I felt like I was being bombarded by paparazzi haha, but it was fun! My host parents are so sweet! and I feel at home, I have three host siblings, Catalina (19), Gabriella (16), and Raulito (Raul Jr.) (11), Gabi is in Australia and will be back in Jan, for 2-3 week before she heads to France for a whole year! two exchanges! that is crazy! but awesome, good for her! Cata and Raulito are super sweet too, Cata has made me feel apart of the family, she had a friend over and her boyfriend over when I arrived and they both made me feel welcome as well, Raulito is a bit more shy than Cata, but I am sure with time we will be the best of friends! Everyone I have met in Chile is so sweet and very welcoming! I love it here already and I've only been here barely a day! I won't start school until the second of September, because we have some things to get done before I go to school, (get my uniform, Chilean ID card etc etc) I've already spoke to Gaby, (Gabriella Gerter) we are already planning to hang out as soon as possible! which is so exciting, Oh and I have my own room! how neat it's my sister gabi's and it's perfect! We have a pool! and a beautiful view of the city from the balcony! I know this year will be a fantastic year!

atentamente,

India.

Are we there yet?

So! I have finally made it to finding out who my first host family is, I have three siblings and a wonderful mom! she is so sweet! and they are just as anxious to meet me as I am to meet them! two former students that went before me had my first family as one of their host families and that is comforting to know that they enjoy hosting kids! I have already met and made some incredible young men and women and I cannot wait to meet them in person this coming up month! I didn't realize how emotional exchange was! Your leaving all your friends and family behind to go experience the world and become a better and more humble human being. I am so blessed for this opportunity and I know that I will learn so much from it as we say goodbye to July and hello to August the days are dwindling down to when I leave, no official date yet, (Visa is still in the works about 3 weeks in) but to think that I soon will be on a plane heading for La Reina, Santiago is still so surreal. I still can't believe that I am going to such an amazing and beautiful place on my own for a year. Even though I am safe guarded by the rotary and the families its on my own and that in itself is empowering. There is so much to say but not many words can describe this upcoming experience, the friends I will make, the adults I will grow close too, the places and things I will get to see and do. Its overwhelming! But it serves such a great purpose and this program is truly amazing. I got the opportunity to meet some of this years kids just briefly but they were all rather extraordinary, I am lucky to have one of them living not to far from me during my exchange! I know that we will become great friends, she is so sweet and rather extraordinary herself. I was just telling my friends that I didn't really realize how emotional exchange is and how many people are involved in Rotary Youth Exchange, all the great adults I have gotten to meet, I am so lucky and I know this now. I didn't know what to expect coming into this program, I wasn't sure if I would even be able to go and to know that I was one of the lucky 30 or so kids getting to go abroad this year with our district was just surreal in itself. The days seem slow as I wait for my visa to be done processing and as I begin to prepare for my departure. I know it will be here before I know it, sometimes it just feels like its never coming, because this can't be real right? People don't actually let the 17 year olds go to a foreign country without them for a year right? That is crazy talk, pinch me now because it seems like a cruel cruel dream! haha. I already am making plans to return to Chile in a year or so to bring my mom and brother to where I stayed and then in college return to do a year again in Chile. I have dreams to travel to Italy, (and really learn about my mom's side of the family) and to go back to Germany the birth place of my younger brother, and to Japan to eat real sushi and experience full on comiccon! There are so many places I wish to see and experience, so many people to meet and learn from! I think this is a great start before college, it truly prepares you for the real world. It is a year off but a year on in a sense that you are learning and striving outside of your home country, building new relationships with new and different people, making new aspirations and gaining new passions. It is an extraordinary thing in itself. It's RYE.

A new adventure...

This summer I will be traveling to Santiago, Chile (around that area) where I will meet new people, experience a new culture and learn a new language. I am excited about my up coming trip, I know there are bound to be challenges, and frustrating points but I know it all will be worth while! Everyone that I tell is so excited for me, and tells my mom "I am vicariously living through your daughter" but I am excited to tell everyone about my travels and what I see and who I meet. This opportunity is a once in a life time, no matter what happens it is going to be one of the best things I have ever done in my life. Yes, I still have about two and a half to three months before I leave but I want to break this blog in and just express how this experience will change my life. I have been abroad before, but never on my own. I have been to Germany, and France and Canada! But unfortunately I was to young (Germany & France) to remember the beautiful place. This coming up year will give me a chance to get settled into my own skin before I head off to college, to get to know myself and to grow and to thrive. I still can't believe that me of all people, is getting to go to another country to study abroad! I have always dreamed about studying abroad but never did I think this experience would come true. I always was told that "You can do anything you set your mind too." and "Hard work pays off." well it is most certainly paying off! I can't imagine how much fun and what great friendships and relationships I will develop while away, all I know is that trying to dream about this year is impossible. I try to imagine how the country would look, the smells, the language and personally nothing that my imagination comes up with can match what is to come. "Life is a canvas you paint what you will nothing is erased, just blended in to make something new." That is so true! Yes I have had hard times and I have had ups and downs and fights with my friends and my family, but everything happens for a reason. So much good will come from this trip, believe it or not I am shy, when I don't know someone I tend to be reserved, I don't say much unless spoken too and I try to be as polite as I can, once you get to know me I am crazy, loud and I love to laugh! I can be weird sometimes, but I always tell my friends "This is why we are friends, were both crazy, loud, weird and love to laugh" I do hope you all can read this blog and enjoy the journey with me. I know there are hard times to come but with a little perseverance I will make it through this year coming back having successfully learned about another culture, country and language. If you don't know already I strive to be a Criminal Investigator (FBI or CSI) and I want to minor in Language study (I want to learn at least six languages) and this trip just lines up with my plans for after High school. 

It is amazing at how things work out and how you are given these amazing opportunities, and if you just take a leap of faith they can lead you to places you would have never imagined in your wildest dreams. I am so excited that I've already planned my next trip (during college) which in I want to go to Denmark, I hear they have one of the biggest Forensics programs in the world! I would love to study there for a few months, and what a great opportunity to learn Danish (Some German & French)! Chile here I come! 

India. 

When can I leave?!?!?!

AHHHH I haven't even left yet and I am already planning out where I wanna go and what I want to see is that bad? Haha.

Easter Island heads <3 (Night at the Museum)