Sparkles and Stitches

December 5th was a busy day for me. After witnessing a car accident in the morning and continuing on to Fantasilandia, an amusement park, I then went to my school's gala for cuartos, Chile's version of seniors, a dance and dinner for the kids graduating for my school, Institute Chacabucco.
My best friend Francisco, Pancho for short, and my date for the night picked me up with his parents at 6. The week prior I went shopping with Amanda in Santiago for a dress and shoes. His mom was super cute and started crying when she saw us together.

The gala was held at my school under huge white tents with more flowers I had seen in my entire life. It was in a sense similar to prom in the US, except that it was a lot more fancy and more family orientated. There was a 4 course sit down meal with the family then followed by the dance floor opening up.

Another thing about different is that parties in Chile don't wrap up at the same time parties do in the US. They go all night, and I mean all night, till 5am, but my night, or should I say, morning didn't end that way. At around 4am, I was on the dance floor, without shoes, like all the other girls at this hour, when a kind fellow behind me shattered a glass on the ground. Now when that glass shattered, a piece flew off and cut the heel of my foot, badly. He stumbled behind me, grabbed my shoulder saying "todo bein" which means "all is good" and when I looked down at my foot, all was not good. There was a ton of blood! I was dancing with my friend Joaquin, and when he saw what happened he quickly picked me up and carried me outside to a bench, with Pancho close behind him. Lying down on the bench, people huddled around trying to figure out what happened. I am honestly not a super big fan of blood, so when I saw how much was pouring out, I couldn't keep looking. Javier, another friend of mine in cuarto, who is awesome, ran over and held my head in his lap and kept me distracted. I was once again picked up, this time by Pancho, who then carried me over to the hospital, which was luckily across the street from my school(benefits of a small town).

I was taken into a room where Pancho and I sat waiting for a doctor. The doctor came in and took one look at my heel, and said stitches. Now, I should mention, I like needles even less than I like blood. I reallyyyyyy hate needles, like a hyperventilating, "excuse me miss, but you need to calm down" type of hate. So, I was not excited for this. The doctor sits down to start, when all of a sudden his named is called and he looks to me and says, "Sorry, you are going to have to wait a little longer a patient just came in with an allergic reaction and I need to see to her". Fine with me, more time without a needle entering my skin. The girl with the allergic reaction rolls past in one of those hospital beds, but wait, I know her. It's Claudia! My Chilean friend that went to on exchange to Hood River, Oregon last year that lives in Los Andes also. We have hung out a lot and she was also at the gala. I throw up a peace sign and we share a moment of "well this sucks" and then she rolls away.

Pancho and I waited for a few more moments and a man came into the room and said, "well, lets get started". This man did not look anything like a doctor, no white jacket, but you know what, it was 5am, I rolled with it. And then the doctor and the nurse dove in. Numbing shots, I found out hurt real bad, and have a very very long needle. Pancho was great and supplied me with hands to strangle. Proud to say that I did not cry, but a few "Jesus Christ and Oh my God" slipped out and a certain point the doctor mocked me with a Chilean accented "Jesus Christ". I mean, come on, really, you are sewing into my skin and now your are going to make fun of me, ...thanks.

In the end, I received 7 stitches. When I rolled out of the room and into the lobby, my friend Joaquin and his date were sitting waiting. They came over and said hi and checked in on me, but I was confused as why they were still there, it was 5:30 in the morning! My doctor came up behind me and then say goodbye and my friends walked out, following him. Poncho later told me that my doctor was Joaquin's father and that he stitched me up pro bono. Poncho and I took a taxi back to my house and watched the sun rise over the Andes mountains. I arrived home promptly at 6 am and fell asleep till noon.

The past weeks have been multiple doctors visits, again to Joaquin's dad, then to one doctor in Rotary ( my counselor Denis), and then on from there to Waldo Rodriguez, a plastic surgeon, a friend of Rotary and as I found out while talking to him the cousin of Joaquin's dad ( another benefit of living in a small town). There was a slight scare about a week in because the skin on the lower half of the wound was dying and it was looking like that I was going to need to have surgery and get a skin graft. The doctor decided to give it another week and see if the healing progressed, but if not, again under the needle I would go. Luckily, I did start to heal, but sadly very slowly. This caused me to miss the school trip with my entire grade to Bariloche, Argentina for a week, but seeing as I couldn't walk, there wasn't much I could do.

I must say that this whole stitches situation has been a learning experience in independence. First of all, I went to all of the doctor appointments alone, got lost once, and fumbled my way around in spanish trying to explain exactly what happened. I has also been a lot of alone and down time where I watched more movies and TV shows than I have in all of my life. But, life is still great. Christmas is right around the corner and so is the New Year. I head on vacation with my host family to Iquique, a beach town in the far north of Chile. I hope who ever reads this that your Christmas is lovely and filled with joy, and hopefully a little colder than my high 90 degree weather that has been killing me. Merry Christmas!

Love Every Moment

People say that when something traumatic happens that it is good to talk about it. It hurts people to hold it in.

So, this is me talking.

On December 5th at 7:50 am I saw a man die.

I was sitting down on the sidewalk next to Liam and Amanda, two other exchange students, waiting for a bus, full of my host mom's coworkers to pick all of us up and take us to Fantaslandia, an amusement park in Santiago. My host mom, Alia had told me earlier in the week that around this time of year the park closes down and lets companies rent it out for events. Each year my host mom's bank rents the park for a day. She had 3 free tickets that she generously gifted to me. I happily invited Amanda and Liam to join me.

As were we sitting there, taking goofy selfies to post on Snapchat and complaining about how early it was, a man on a bike pedaled out in front of us. This was normal. I live on one of the busiest streets in my town. What wasn't normal was a black Dodge Ram flying down my street at unprecedented speeds and swerving. Swerving, and hitting a man 10 feet in front of me. The sound was scarring. The high pitched squeal of breaks being slammed on. The sound of metal crunching but also metal crunching into a man.

Everything slowed down. I do not know how, but I just know that it did. I remember the small things, the shiny silver of the car's grill as it came closer and closer and the bright purple of the driver's shirt. I kept thinking, why isn't it stopping? And then I realized, we had to move, because, if we didn't we were the next to be hit. I raced away, tearing down the sidewalk. I didn't look back. I didn't want to see if the truck was still coming, if it was still right behind me.

When I finally stopped running, I was halfway down the block. Amanda and Liam parallel to me. Looking over at Amanda, she had blood dripping down her face, from her forehead and into her eye socket. Three cuts ran across her forehead caused by, we later learned, the glass from the car's headlights. We were all in shock, I ran over to Amanda and grabbed her face, seeing that cuts weren't too deep, I then checked in with Liam to see if he was also okay. He and Amanda both had scratches scattered over there legs from running through the bushes to get away.

Seeing that they were fine, I went back. I went back to see if there was anything I could do for this man. But when I was roughly five feet away, I knew that there wasn't. He was under the front wheels of the car, his bike stuck in between. I couldn't go closer. I couldn't bring myself to look at his face. He was dead. There was no way that he could have survived.  

As I backed away, I saw that is was good that we all ran, and it was good that we all ran as fast as we did. Where that car and that man finally came to stop was on top of the sidewalk, partially in the bushes covering the exact spot I and my friends had sat two minutes prior.

Everything else happened pretty quickly from there. Police, firemen, and ambulances showed up. Neighbors from my condo's poured outside. Cars stopped to see the commotion. Amanda got cleaned up and bandaged. We did end up going to the amusement park. We all thought it could be a good distraction from what we had experienced. We came back from having a good time at the amusement park, to head over to the police station to give out statements to the police. There we found out that the man was driving extremely drunk and had taken full responsibility of all charges.

What we experienced, I will never forget. It lingers when I close my eyes and sometimes haunts me in my dreams. But at the same time, I know that I am blessed, that I have God watching out for me and keeping me safe. I am grateful that it was me and my friends sitting on that sidewalk, not a child or an elderly person that could not move as fast as us. I am grateful for the love and support shown to me by my family and friends here in Chile that made my day easier. I am also grateful for every moment I spend on this Earth, living the beautiful and wonderful like I have been given. I endeavor to love every moment.

Patagonia

On November 13th at 2 am, 32 exchange students boarded a flight from Santiago, Chile to Punta Arenas, Patagonia, Chile. From there, I spent one of the best weeks of my life with a group of kids who have become my family. I saw incredible natural wonders that pictures cannot capture in words and I also slept less in that week that I do normally in one night.
After landing in Punta Arenas Saturday at 6 am, we began the long bus trip to Calafate, Argentina, the first stop on our trip. Crossing the border proved uneventful and I am now I am proud to say that I have traveled to 2 foreign countries.  We arrived in Calafate Sunday at 1am. That is a lot of time in a bus, listening to the same music on repeat. However, I was just happy to havehad  a shower. I fell asleep instantly because in the past 2 days I had slept around 5 hours.
In Argentina, I  had the pleasure of being able to visit Parque Nacional de los Glaciares. This was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. The ice rose so high and had the most beautiful colors, ranging from sparkling white to crystalline blue. It was not as cold as I would thought it would be but when the wind picked up you could really feel the chill. The park has winding wooden bridges that served as a path throughout the park's forest. It has multiple view points where countless photos were taken. When we were all finished on the bridges, Rotary treated us to a boat ride to get even closer to the glacier.

After spending many hours at the glacier, we made the trip back on the bus to go back to the hotel in Calafate. In Calafate, I was able to have some free time to wonder around the town and pick up souvenirs.
The next day we hopped back on the bus and went to Parque Nacional de los Glaciares for a second time and went on a few short hikes in the park. One lead to a waterfall and the other to the top of a bluff for amazing mountain viewing.

After a day full of hiking, I slept like a rock and the bus ride back to Chile the next day passed quickly because I did was sleep. Before the hotel, we stopped at probably my favorite place I have been so far this year in Chile. Torres del Paine. At the park we ate lunch in a beautiful restaurant looking over a lake with he mountains in the sitting behind a lake of the bluest water I have ever seen. After lunch, we hiked up a hill to get an ever better view. I felt so blessed in this moment standing at the top of this hill looking at the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and a place that even my photos can not fully describe.

The trip soon wrapped up after this. Two more days of travel time with stops of the way to stretch our legs. One of those stops was a surprise and so much fun! All of crammed on to a boat and rode 45 minutes out the sea to end up on an island of penguins!!! There were so many of them and it was nesting season so I got to see some mated pairs with their egg.

When this trip ended I was more tired that I had ever been in my entire life but I am more grateful to everyone who made it possible. I know my exchange e family better thank ever a every single one of them. I owe big thanks to my family, I wish you could have seen all of this with me, and to rotary both here in Chile and back in Oregon.

Until next time.

  

From the fast lane to the slow lane

Life has slowed down in Los Andes, Chile. I have learned the patterns of daily life, like setting six alarms at night to make sure that I get up on time or how to take a colectivo everywhere in my city. School is wrapping up here soon and soon the daily 75 degrees outside will rise into the hundreds. I have traveled a little bit in Chile already, visiting Santiago, Viña del Mar, Valparasio, La Ligua, Papudo, and Olmue. This friday, I leave for the first Rotary trip for a week in Patagonia. I am very excited for this and being able to be all together with all the exchange students again. After Patagonia, I will be going to Vina del Mar for three days to help the Chilean future outbound exchange students decide what country they would like to go to. I will sure to post an indepth blog post on that trip when I return. Time is flying here and I can not wrap my mind around how quickly the days pass.

Today marks my two months here and Chile and I could not be happier with who I am and where I am today. I have made amazing Chilean friends and an exchange family that I will carry with me for my entire life. I have shivered in the freezing mornings and boiled in the hot afternoons in Los Andes, danced Pascuense, the traditional dance of Easter Island, in front of my entire school when an 8.3 earthquake hit, and am mastering a form of Spanish that has more slang than actual words. I have accidently screamed touchdown when my school's "futbol" team scored a goal and gotten hit in the head with a volleyball more times than I can count. I went skiing at one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the world, and while at Portillo had the amazing opportunity to meet USA Olympic gold medalist in ski racing Mikaela Shiffrin, one of my idols. I have rode horses and practiced cattle crowding while being yelled at in rapid fire spanish. I found a new favorite type of music, Reggaeton, and wondering where it has been all my life. I have already had so many amazing experiences, and have so many more on the horizon. At two months, Chile has treated me just fine.

Homesickness

It happens, it's unavoidable. Whether it’s missing your mom’s hugs or a true Oregon downpour of rain, it hurts. It sits like a snake in your chest. Sometimes coiled up so tightly that you can barely feel it, but when it expands, it seems to crush you. It also hits at really the most unfortunate times. Like sitting in a restaurant with your host family, and the song “New York”  by Alicia Keys comes on over the speakers and you start crying. I’ve never had any previous connection to that song, but apparently at that time and that moment that was the final domino. What I have been blessed with is a host family that loves me. As soon as the first tears fell, both my parents grabbed each of my hands and just sat there with me. We didn’t talk because we didn’t need to. I heard the words and I had my moment and with the help of Alia and Gonzalo, I was able to move on (and eat really good Chilean food). It has hit in school, and with one look at me, I am quickly smashed in a Chilean friend super sandwich by at least 15 people. Chileans love and care so deeply and so strongly, that showing sadness isn’t a source of shame, but a show of strength to have the courage to say, “ I’m having a hard day”.  I have found that this pain of separation, from my family, my friends, my city, my home, has not limited me, but has enlightened me to my inner strength. It has told me that it is okay to be sad, but also be happy. Feel every emotion fully and enjoy the rollercoaster of life

The power of BS

The power of bullshit.

I made friends through cards. I'm school for the first two weeks, I, along with many of the other students, found ourselves with much free time. One day, I remembered that I had a deck of cards stashed in my bag since the plane ride over to Chile and decided that it was high time that I put it to good use. So, during one of theses extended periods of emptiness, I pulled out my deck. What started out as a game of cards between Alex, an exchange student from Switzerland and I grew to encompass almost the entire class. It didn't matter that our spanish was poor or that they could barely say hello in English we were all able to build friendship over laughter.  I have played more games of bullshit and spoons in the past month than I have in my entire life. This I found to be the perfect bridge over all problems. It was extremely funny to watch kids win and lose and reactions caused by this. I now have amazing friends, both chilean and other exchangers and I have cards to thank for that.

What to expect, that you are not expecting

For future exchange students hoping to travel to Chile, I write this for you.

10 Things you should know about Chile:

1. Dogs: There are so many stray dogs here that wonder around the streets. Some are nice, and some are not so be careful!
2. Bread: Chileans eat an incredible amount of bread, so now you will too. (and the bread tastes really good)
3. Hellos and Goodbyes: They take an extremely long time because you have to beso and abrazo EVERYONE, so plan accordingly.
4. Bring markers and a coloring book to school, this will save your life, or at least your sanity.
5. Milk is kept in a box on the shelf, not in the fridge, do not freak out, it will not kill you.
6. BRING SLIPPERS!!! Because if you do not wear shoes in the house your host mom will think you are going to die from getting a cold, same goes for having wet hair.
7. Chileans are late to everything, by at least a half an hour, so the notion of being early is ridiculous.
8. Avocado cures everything. You will eat it everyday at every meal, with bread of course.
9. Chilean Spanish is an entirely different language. There is so much slang and almost every word ends in "ito".
10. Once you arrive, you will never want to leave.

Sensations

My first few days in chile is difficult to explain in words, but I will say that this is a place of sensations. Touch being the most major one. Every time you see someone, no matter if you have known them your entire life or as a passing acquaintance of your friend’s friends you hug and kiss them on the cheek. A concept at first seems off to a teenage girl that has resided in the open yet simultaneously close minded world of the USA, where touch is a bond formed after an extended period of time. But as the hours and days passed, I began to yearn for this touch. This reestablishment of physical communication. Not a vague hello, or a hand shaken from multiple feet away, but close enough to feel the heat of someone else's body and the exhale of their breaths as the word “Hola” falls from their lips. It sounds romantic and in some ways it is, but as aforementioned, chile is a place of sensations and a place of kindness. 
On the second day I was in school, I found myself at a park slacklining with a new friend, but of course, he spoke no English and my spanish was horrible, so I wandered off to explore the park. It was like being a little kid again, I swung on a swing and climbed a tree, but struck me while I was laying in bed that night was that, I loved the sensations. The wind in my hair as my body surged toward the sky on the swing and the rough bark beneath my fingers while I grappled in the tree. In the states, I take all theses small things for granted, but here I try to treasure every single one of them, because I have a time limit. I have a limit on how many chilean breaths I take, a limit on school days, a limit on how many new friends I can make. And that is what scares me the most. The fact that I must leave because even now I know how hard it will be.

Dinner with Exchange Students
During the orientation in Vina del Mar with Rotary during my first days here, all the exchange students had the pleasure of eating lunch, which is Chile's main meal, together. On the last day, all of us ate in the hotel restaurant. As I had learned at the previous meals, it that teenagers from the United States lack proper table manners. I mean, we have the basics down, (hopefully) like not chew with your mouth open and use a napkin, but when it comes to the difference between a salad fork and a regular fork, if it is even called that, I have no idea. Luckily, I found my self sitting next to Sampo, a student from Finland, that was able to guide me while simultaneously rolling his eyes. My table consisted of Alexander from Switzereland, Sampo from Finland, Peik from Finland, Berengere from Belgium, Daniel from the USA, Amanda from the USA, and Caitlin from the USA. Now apart all of are interesting people, but together it was a ticking time bomb of humor. It all started with the salad.
With the meal being multiple courses, the salad was first to arrive. When it was put in front of us, Amanda, Berengere, Caitlin, Alex and I happily dug in. However,  Sampo and Peik were a little put out and I quote them with,
"This is rabbit food. We need man food. Where is the meat?"
This had Amanda, Caitlin, Berengere and I in stiches. To further our laughter, Daniel just had to add a riveting tidbit to the conversation of
"You, know guys, there are somethings I want in my throat, and lettuce isn't one of them."
And from there it continued to get worse. Alex and I got into an altercation over whose bread he was eating, whether it was mine or his. When the discovery was made that it was indeed his bread, he then asked me,
"Do you even want to eat your bread?", which I in turn responded with,
"Not really"
That so wonderfully earned me a mutter of "Women" from under Alex's breath.
Things continued to deteriorate when the main course was served, Peik and Sampo received there man food, and Daniel contributed the golden line of conversation, completely out of the blue with,
"Remember, beauty on the inside doesn't buy you free drinks".
And any shred of control that we had over our laughter at the table was demolished. Tears streamed down faces and bodies shook from silent laughter. I can't help but wonder, if this was only the first orientation, what will come next.

Writing this blog is much harder than I thought it would be. Not because things here are bad or that I am unhappy, but because things are too good. Everyday so far I have woken up, a bit groggy, but overjoyed. I love Chile. I love Los Andes. I love every person I have met here whether through Rotary, school, or family.  I won't make this a blog about brushing my teeth or concentrating on keeping my eyes open, sometimes  with my hands in attempt not to fall asleep. However, I will create moments. I will recount experiences or people that I found interesting or have impacted me in a way that I am so blessed to be able to share with you.