Hello all!
I don’t have anything too exciting to report, but I am sure that I will manage to write plenty regardless.
Reflecting on my week, I really can’t complain. There are times when I feel bored here, but then I think of what my typical day during the college semester is like. The college day I am accustomed to: four papers to write by Friday, two tests to study for by tomorrow, a desk shift I have to work in three minutes, but first I need to grab lunch because I haven’t had time to eat yet today (woke up late because I was up until 3 a.m. finishing a project, so I didn’t hear my alarm and woke up at 9:15 and class starts at 9:00… thank goodness that I have a bike, oh wait, it got stolen, guess I will have to run to class), the day continues in this same manner. I know that everyone reading this can relate! In Chile this lifestyle doesn’t exist, and I have come to realize that ample time really isn’t all that bad. I get to go on a lot of walks and runs and do whatever I feel like doing. It’s actually a pretty nice vacation!
I love my aerobics class! I am not saying that it’s a great workout, but it is so Chilean, and plus, it’s free for students. I am the only student that goes (possibly because it’s at 8 a.m. and that’s considered very early), and then there are about 30 adults in the class. We spend the hour doing random exercises to the beat of a CD that is usually skipping. One class we spent the entire time holding hands in a circle doing exercises such as “Can-Can” movements. The instructor doesn’t have a very rhythmic count, but I can’t blame him with the CD skipping, so the “uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis” continually gets faster. It provides me with great entertainment every morning and wakes me up for the day. Today I woke up a little late and considered rushing and getting to the class on time, but I decided to take my time instead. I arrived 10 minutes late and there were about five more people who gradually wandered in after me. Sometimes the punctuality policy works in my favor!
Living here opens my eyes to how impatient I am, and I know that this impatience comes as no shock to my family, but it surprises me. J Yesterday, the group of volunteers was meeting at 3:00 to catch the bus to the children’s home for our volunteer time. I arrived at exactly 3:00, and of course, there was no one there. I should start arriving late, but I just can't do it, so I waited and waited, continually checking my watch and looking to see if anyone from the group was walking in my direction. Finally at 3:20 the second person came sauntering over (no one walks fast here), and then the rest arrived at 3:30. The point of this is that I was so focused on how my time was getting wasted just waiting, but in reality, what else did I need to do? It’s not like I have a jam-packed schedule. I have not met a single person here who has complained about having to wait on someone… when the professor arrives 15 minutes late, no big deal… when we waited in the McDonald’s drive-through for an 1 ½, everyone just chatted in the car without complaining. It’s a great lesson for me! Rather than focusing on the fact that I am waiting, I need to make the best of the wait!
On a totally different note, one of my friends, Ale, that I met here is bilingual in English and Spanish. Her parents are from Australia, so they usually speak English in the house, but she was born here in Antofagasta. Anyway, her mom was invited to a get-together for foreigners on Thursday. She asked Ale and I if we would like to accompany her, so the three of us went together. We drove south, which is a part of the city that I have not been to, and the houses started looking more like mansions. When we pulled up to the house where the gathering was being held, I decided that I was very glad that I came. The house was beautiful!! We climbed up three flights of stairs that circled around the house and arrived on the balcony. What a view of the ocean!!! I felt as if I was in Beverly Hills. The women were all dressed extremely fashionably (I just came from my sports class). Their husbands have corporate jobs for the mine and that is why they are currently living in Antofagasta. One woman had actually lived in both Missoula and Bozeman… What a small world! I don’t think that they were expecting college students, but that didn’t bother me in the least! Everyone spoke English, there was incredibly delicious food, AND fresh squeezed mango juice… I was in heaven for the hour! It is a weekly event, and I would be more than happy to continue to attend each week, but I don’t think that is going to happen. As we were leaving everyone said how nice it was to meet me and that they hoped I had a great time in Antofagasta. If they enjoyed my company so much, I would love to continue to come each week J
I had my first test today, and I think that it went well. It was an essay test and I was just proud that I could understand the questions well enough to answer all of them. The only problem that I had was that I ran out of time, but that is nothing new. I am almost always the last one to finish my tests thanks to my perfectionism.
I am looking forward to Easter because my understanding is that we are going to have a big get together with all of the relatives of my host family. It should be fun!
Happy Easter to everyone!!
