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.
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.
