Hola! Well, I arrived in Chile and it turns out I was
supposed to meet up with the Rotarex (past Rotary exchange students) during my
layover in Santiago, but I guess the other Rotary Exchange student I met in
Atlanta and I missed the sign☹ However, everything ended up working out, as we
arrived in Concepcion with all the other exchange students. Honestly the whole
airport experience was super overwhelming: I was anxious thinking about the
fact that I’ll be spending a year in a different country and I was constantly
meeting new people. Its extremely hard to stay enthusiastic and happy when you
are so nervous and scared! However, the bus ride to the Orientation site, Salto
de Laja, was more tranquil and provided me with some time to take a deep breath
and feel more excited than nervous. At Salto de Laja, we stayed in a hotel that
had a gorgeous view of the waterfall from the window of every bedroom. The town
was peaceful and the food at the hotel was PHENOMENAL! I had a lot of fun
getting to know the other exchange students and exploring the area. On
Saturday, a couple of the other exchange students and I got close to the waterfall
and got super wet! It was extremely cold and I was stuck walking back to the
hotel with wet clothes in sub 40 degrees (F).
As for the orientation, everything was in English. All of
the exchange students could speak English because it’s kind of universal. The
Rotarex people were extremely entertaining and welcoming. They shared a lot of
their stories and were the source of much of the comedy throughout the weekend.
The Rotarex also taught all of us the traditional Chilean dance: The Cueca! It
was very interesting to learn, as it tells the story of a man trying to win the
love of a woman. In the end, they end up together, of course😊
All of the Rotarex were phenomenal dancers. On the last
night before we left to go to our new homes, we had a little karaoke party, and
all of the Chileans out-danced those of us from other countries. Apparently
dancing is very popular in Chile, so everyone can move their hips haha. I am an
absolutely TERRIBLE dancer, so hopefully my skills will improve and I’ll be
able to impress everyone in the States😉
On the last day of orientation, we met our host families.
They arrived at Salto de Laja at 12 pm to pick us up and drive us home. Some of
the exchange students had to take a bus for 6 hours farther south to meet up
with their families. As for me, my family picked me up at Salto de Laja, as my
town was only an hour away. When I woke in up Salto the morning of my departure,
I was feeling very confident and excited. For one, I was one of the only
exchange students who could remotely speak Spanish. I felt confident in my
abilities to get to know the family. I also had been texting my host mom for
two months before, and she seemed very warm, compassionate, and welcoming. I
was excited to get to know her and the rest of the family. However, about
thirty minutes before 12, I started to panic. I think it finally hit me that I’m
in Chile and I’m about to live with people I had never seen in person in a
foreign country! I felt more nervous than the times I’ve had a cross country
race and had to throw up because of the nerves. When they finally arrived, they
greeted me with a Chile hat, a sign, and lots of hugs and kisses. I understood
less Spanish than I originally anticipated, but I was super grateful that I at
least could get by. Some of my exchange student friends that couldn’t speak Spanish
were put in families that spoke no English.
After drinking some chocolate caliente with another family,
my new mama drove me to my new house. To be completely honest, I went into this
experience not expecting anything. Although I knew I was going to Chile, a
beautiful country with tons of volcanoes, mountains, beaches, and deserts, I didn’t
expect to be in the center of any of that. I signed up to be an exchange
student so I could learn the language, experience the culture, meet new people,
and challenge my adaptability. However, Yungay surprised me: the ride to Yungay
was very tranquil and pretty: I passed countless dense forests and many views
of the towering, snow-capped Andes in the distance. You could see them even
from the town and my house! Yungay in itself is also very different. The people
are so friendly, the houses are right in the center of town with all of the shops,
and there are a ton of “wild” dogs. In fact, my house is on the main street of
Yungay. Many families also have something called a campo, which is a place
where they have a bigger house, a pool, and lots of land. My family’s campo
belongs to my Papá’s mother, and is gorgeous. My family also has a maid (or a nana)
that comes every day to clean the house, make food, and watch the kids. Maids
are expensive, so many people don’t have maids or only have them for a short
period of time when they need extra help. It is very strange for me to come
home every day with a bed perfectly made and an organized room.
As for my family, I couldn’t have been luckier. Mis padres have a
son my age living in Switzerland on the exchange, so they are treating me like one
of their own children. For example, my papá is paying for my sim card, my mom
has helped me dry my hair after showering with a dryer (I had never used one
before haha) and lent me a lot of clothes, and I’ve had pajama parties with my
sister. Even though its been such a short amount of time, I really feel like a
part of the family.
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| My new family:) |
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| Volcán Chillán erupting (un poco;) |
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| La Plaza of Yungay |
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| Yungay:))) My town |
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| More of Yungay...mountains all over the place! |
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| Breakfast in bed! |
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