Rotary Youth Exchange Chile 2019-2020: First Day of School, Disco, and Campo!

Before I could go to colegio, I had to get an identification card. On Monday, my host mom took me to the Chillán police office to present my documents. However, there was some problem at that specific office, so we had to leave Chillán and drive to Concepcion (1 ½ hours from Yungay and on the ocean). Of course I didn’t understand what the problem was because my Spanish es tan horrible haha! But regardless, I didn’t mind driving much of the day because I got to see two new cities. Chillán is tiny, but bigger than Yungay. There are many restaurants and a gorgeous church that takes on an oval like form. You can also see the snowy mountain peaks from the streets just like in Yungay. Concepcion was more like a city, minus the skyscrapers. Lots more people and lots more to do. There are also various universities. My primos live right next to one of them.

Where we parked in Chillán

Church in Chillán

Concepcion...I forgot to take pictures of the city haha!

The next day, Tuesday, August 13^th, I had my first day of school at Colegio Cholguan! Most colegios in Chile require a uniform, so I had to buy my “catholic girl” plad skirt, blouse, tie, stockings, and sweater. I think I’m the only one around here that was excited to wear a uniform that day.

Colegio Cholguan looked very different than I imagined it. It is a one-story building with several outdoor play areas and foosball tables. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by several teachers and students who are friends of Joaquin, my host brother in Switzerland right now. They took me to my classroom which houses my entire grade, tresero medio (second highest). There were about 30 students, and they all greeted me clapping and cheering. The entire room was decorated with Chilean flags and there was a big sign on the wall saying, “Bienvenido a Chile Allie!” People were taking videos of my reaction! I didn’t really know what to say (in English or Spanish haha) so I told them I was excited for this year and can’t wait to get to know everyone.

I sat through about two hours of Chemistry, which was especially difficult because I hadn’t had a Chemistry class in two years and I couldn’t understand anything the teacher was saying. After a short break, my Physical Education teacher and classmates threw me a party with typical Chilean foods, dancing, and music. We took a ton of photos at a photo booth they made, and I got a chance to talk to some of my new classmates. However, I have to say, this was probably the hardest part of the day. I was extremely anxious the whole time I was attempting to talk to people because I had to keep asking them to repeat sentences more slowly and I was having trouble thinking of things to say. However, everyone seemed super sympathetic and understanding.

Right before entering Colegio Cholguan for the first time!

My surprise welcome party:))

In the patio outside the school

Photobooth

My new friends:))

I am so grateful for ending up in this specific school because everyone is extremely kind and enthusiastic about my presence; I felt welcomed. I just wish I could speak more than broken up sentences! I want to get to know my classmates more and be able to connect with them at a deeper level than “hi, what’s your name? Favorite movie? Favorite song?” I want to be able to make jokes and speak without having to constantly translate everything in my head. I know fluency will come with time, so for now, I’ll just keep smiling and “jajaja-ing.”

I only ended up having to go to school two times this week thanks to some Catholic holiday on Thursday and Friday. So on Thursday, my family took me to Los Angeles, a nearby town, to eat at a fancy restaurant and watch el Rey Lion (Lion King) in the cinema. I ate more meat than I had ever eaten in all my years combined! I wish I could say which types of meat, but the retired vegetarian within me can’t identify the difference between pork and beef or chicken and turkey😉

About to feast!

In the cinema

La Plaza of Los Angeles

The view from outside the mall

Fancy restaurant;)))

Eating candyyyy

River running right through Los Angeles...very polluted y sucio

On Friday, I went to my first Zumba class with some of my compañeros and my sister. Zumba classes in Yungay are free, and the studio is someone’s house. Although I was by far the worst one there, I surprised myself and had a blast. I’m going to attend Zumba as much as I can so I can come home and impress everyone😉 After Zumba, my cousins from Concepcion arrived to celebrate my host papá’s birthday and my twin cousins’ birthdays. The next day, my family met up with them in the family’s campo (campo = large farm area with a bigger house, a pool, and animals). We ate a big lunch with all sorts of Chilean foods (in other words, LOTS of carne!!)

In the night, my cousin Amanda and I left the campo for the Discoteca to meet up with some of my classmates from school. In Chile, there people party every weekend, whether it be at the Discotecha or at someone’s house. This was my first time at a Disco, as you have to be 21 or older to enter the Disco in the States. The Disco in Yungay was small according to my cousin (she lives in Concepcion, a city), but incredibly fun. It kind of reminded me of Homecoming at Henderson because the music was loud, the room was filled with colorful lights, and everyone was constantly jumping. However, unlike Homecoming, everyone wasn’t in a sweaty clump, the music was good, and it lasted the entire night. My cousin and I ended up leaving at around 4am, but many of my classmates stayed even later. The Disco was a really fun experience, and I hope I get to go again next week😊

On the way to Discoooo

My classmates and I at Disco

My cousin and I at Disco

The next day, everyone in the campo woke up at 1pm because we had all stayed up until 6:00am the night before. After “breakfast”, all of my cousins, siblings, and I left to explore my papá’s campo. For three hours, we walked through acres and acres of farmland all belonging to mi abuela and papá. The views are incredible; there are towering mountains lingering in the distance, a river meandering gently through the rolling hills, and a dense forest surrounding it all. I love the Campo and can’t wait to be there all the time this summer!