Sixth Day

         I've been meaning to write about the landscape and flora here. I’ll try to set the scene. It’s cold here. It’s probably 45 degrees right now (I just checked- it’s 46). Today the high will be 66 degrees. This will probably be my warmest day here yet. I can almost always see my breath outside. It’s often very cloudy. There hasn't been much wind, but right now there’s a steady breeze.

         The area we live in is pretty flat, but we are surrounded by mountains. There are “little” mountains that branch off the Andes and are very, very close to us. They are steep and don’t have many trees, but grass can still grow on them. Then there are the big mountains, the Andes, which seem to never end. They extend further than I can see parallel to the coast. I could see their snow-capped tops sticking through the clouds as I flew into Santiago. They’re really something to see. The mountainous landscape reminds me of Pennsylvania, but on a much bigger scale.

Heading into Santiago- Andes up ahead

Now the plants. There are palm trees all over the place. I was not expecting this. I wasn't expecting the cacti, either. The palm trees and cacti stick out amongst other flora that, for the most part, would look right at home in the Northeast U.S. This makes the area feel less like home, which I kinda like.

Also, terracotta tiles seem to be the go-to option for roofing. Most of the houses I've seen use it.

Fifth Day

I had basketball practice today. It was fun and tough. Everyone keeps asking me which I would prefer to play, soccer or basketball. I like them both. I’m also so busy and tired all the time that it’s tempting to play neither. But if I’m going to play one, I think it will be basketball. I think.

            Today was kinda tough. Although my Spanish is improving, it’s not where it needs to be, and that’s getting frustrating. It’s harder to understand things when I’m tired. I remember sitting on the plane flying here and thinking “at least I know how to say ‘I need to sleep.’” As soon as I met my family, I couldn't remember it, and didn't remember until we got home. 

I’m starting to miss home, and seeing familiar faces, and talking with friends. It’s hard. The students have been very welcoming here, but it’s not the same.

On that note, now’s the time to write about the things that remind me of home.

1.      Home cooked meals. Both of my families like to cook and eat as a family. This is great for me, as I like to eat, but it also really helps with my Spanish. I listen to my family talk, and participate too. They also tell me what things on the table are called. Very helpful. The food is delicious.

2.      There is a couch here that looks like a couch we have in the United States.

3.      There is a table here that looks like a table we have in the United States

4.   There is a carpet here that looks like a carpet we have in the United States

5.      Fires in the fireplace

6.      There are pictures of my family/friends in my room.

7.      The dog. Those who know me might wonder why a dog would remind me of home, as we don’t have a dog in the United States. This dog is named Micah. My twin brother is also named Micah.

Micah likes to try to get in through my window.

        I have my first rotary meeting tonight. It starts at 9.

Day Three- The First Day of School

I am a yes man. Because I don’t understand a lot of what is being said around/to me, I often just respond with “yes” if I can tell that it’s an appropriate response. Yesterday, as I was writing, Benjamin came into my room and asked me something. “Yes,” I said, and he gestured for me to follow him. I then helped him and Rodrigo staple a tarp over the porch to protect the barbecue from the rain (It was cold and drizzly for most of the day, but no earthquakes). That led to me moving chairs, tables, and couches, and then cooking. Before I knew it, the whole family was here for a barbeque. Chilean barbeques are awesome. Everyone was gone by around 7, and I was asleep by 8. I slept until around 6 the next morning, when I got up and prepared for my first day of school.

The first day was fun, hard, tiring, and encouraging. I like the school, and my classmates were all very welcoming. The classes were pretty difficult, except for math, but overall it’s a laid back environment, which I appreciate. But it’s hard to hear nothing but a language that for the large part I don’t understand for hours and hours. Classes are an hour and a half each with 15 minute breaks in between. The breaks are great. We all go stand around outside, and today that was nice because it is especially warm. There is also a great view of the Andes, but the same can be said about almost anywhere on a clear day. They are breathtaking. I don’t know how anyone can look away from them.

Everyone affectionately calls me “Sed.” They struggle with the “th.” Interestingly, this means “thirst” in Spanish. I have already heard many times “Hola, Sed. Tienes sed?” which means, “Hi, Seth. Are you thirsty?”

My host sister is pretty good at English, so she helps me translate at home when necessary. But she only lives here on the weekend. When asked what I was going to do during the week, I told my family that I didn’t know, but it’s easier to write than to speak. Maca, my host mother, told me she’d buy a whiteboard that I could carry around.

When I sit in bed at night, I hear Spanish. It’s getting easier to understand and speak, but it’s still a big challenge. I’m not concerned about learning it, though. I know it will come. When people speak slowly, I can usually understand them. But that’s the issue. Chileans speak very quickly, use slang, and often blend words together or just drop the endings.

There are a lot of things around the house that remind me of home. I’m going to make a post about that soon. Possibly tonight or tomorrow.

First day of school picture with my host sister

First Day

My host family (or most of it) met me at the airport. They could not be nicer.

I could write pages and pages right now. But i'm going on 39 hours without sleep. It does't feel like I've only been here for a day. I've already experienced so much.

My flights were not very pleasant. The first one was very turbulent and the second one was very long. I couldn't sleep on either. I landed in Santiago around 8:10 this morning, and met my host family at about 9:10. They could not be nicer. Their house is about 15 minutes from the airport and downtown Santiago. It’s in a Nos, a subdivision of San Bernardo, which is part of Santiago.

Today was super busy. It’s hard to believe that I was on a plane 15 hours ago. It already feels like I’ve been here for days. After we arrived at the house, I got a quick tour and we had a late (late for me, normal time for them) breakfast. Then I unpacked all of my bags. My room feels very homey. Possibly partially because my host parents decorated it with pictures of my friends and family. I have a nice view of the back yard, which includes a pool and fruit trees.

Seems about right for a year

These aren't even all of them

The view from my room

Nice set up

After I unpacked, Rodrigo (my host father), Benjamin (my host brother) and I went to the supermarket. I followed them around and chatted as I could as they got what they needed. Today really reminded me of my first day in Ukraine, just over a year ago. On both first days, I went to the local supermarket (both of which are huge). The areas look similar, too. There are huge shopping centers or car dealerships and right next to them could be a lot full of trash or a semi-finished building. Other similarities: Graffiti-covered walls everywhere, concrete telephone poles, stray dogs, and aggressive driving. The walls are interesting. Many of them are made totally or partially out of mud or mud blocks.

Back to the day. It started raining while we were shopping, which is not a frequent occurrence in Santiago. That was around 12:00. It’s 10:00 now, and pouring. There hasn't been any break in the rain. My host family jokes that I brought the rain with me. It was tough to explain that my city is known for flooding. Probably should have saved that one for another day.

We had a little break after shopping, then a “late” lunch. It consisted of Thai chicken and rice and salad. Everything was delicious. For dessert we had something similar to yogurt, but it was slightly sour. It was made of some type of fruit and topped with seeds in a sour sauce. I liked it. Then Benjamin and I watched El Effecto Mariposa (The Butterfly Effect). That’s a weird movie to watch when you can’t quite figure out what’s going on.

Then we went to tour the school. It’s big and nice. I’m nervous. I met a lot of my classmates, and they seemed very excited to meet me. We left the school and headed towards a bakery, when we noticed the car shaking. Chile welcomed me by giving us a bit of an earthquake. That was interesting. The cake is for the family lunch tomorrow, which should be nice.

We then went to mass, which was actually really nice. It would have been nicer if I hadn’t been almost falling asleep. We hurried out of mass and got home at about 8:45, and began to prepare dinner. We had Chilean hotdogs, which are just like American hotdogs but with awesome toppings (ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, papas fritas, avocado, and tomatoes). I ate two. I don’t know if I can ever go back to American hotdogs. That sounds bad, but I will definitely lose weight here. I basically didn’t snack at all. And I think I’m going to play soccer. And mass is quite a leg workout.

I can see this being a problem

I saw 21 stray dogs today. I’m going to sleep so well tonight. More to follow.

Saying Goodbye

The last few days have been filled with goodbyes. It's always hard to say goodbye to family and friends, and it's even harder when you don't get a chance to say goodbye (with all my friends busy and heading to college, sometimes there just isn't an opportunity).

I will leave Johnstown at 11:00 and arrive in Pittsburgh at about 2:00. I will fly out of Pitt at 5:44 and arrive in Atlanta at 7:29. I'll leave Atlanta at 10:43 and arrive in Santiago at 8:15 on Saturday morning. It still feels like this isn't happening to me, like I've been planning all of this for months for someone else. I think I will feel that way until I get on the plane.

It's interesting how my thoughts on the exchange year have changed as I get closer to departure. For example, in the Fall, Winter, and Spring, I was thinking about big-picture things, like when I will fly, or what city I'll be in, or what my host family will be like. Now I'm thinking about details. Specific conversations I know i'm going to have, like meeting my host family at the airport or talking to the school principal. A large part of these imaginary conversations involves me not understanding what is being said to me.

My parents (Mom) are starting to get slightly emotional. A school bus drove by this morning, and that was a little too much for her to handle. Over all, they (she) are handling it very well. I'm very thankful for how supportive and helpful my parents have been through all of this (and through the past 18 years).

When I write next, I will be in Chile. More to follow.

Falling Into Place

Things are finally falling into place. After months of waiting, things are happening. I've heard from two of my host families. Three days ago, I had an appointment with the Chilean Consulate in Philadelphia, where I got my visa. Two days ago, on Friday the 8th, I received my flight itinerary. Today, we finalized and paid for the flight. I will be leaving on the 22nd, and will arrive in Santiago on the morning of the 23rd. In other words, I leave the country for nearly a year in less than two weeks. I couldn't be more excited.