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