Hola Amigos!
Time is flying. I have had so much to do, and still continue to have a lot to accomplish and prepare for before I leave on exchange! With the amazing help of my mom I finished my Visa paperwork and turned everything into my travel agent about 2 weeks ago. Now, I have to go to San Francisco to the Chilean Consulate to confirm and hopefully pick up my Visa. So that process has been somewhat stressful! Once I have my passport and my visa back and finished I will be a very, very, happy girl. Another dilemma is that I have to have my visa before I can purchase my plane ticket. When I finally have my plane ticket I will probably be the happiest person on the planet! Besides the Visa process, I have been busy learning more Spanish. I am trying to learn as much Spanish as I can before I arrive in Chile! I have found some helpful apps and websites along with CD's and books that have taught me a lot. I hope that I will be able to communicate well when I arrive! I am just a little worried about understanding the dialect, but I know (and hope) that I will be able to understand everyone soon enough!
Another eventful outing happened on Friday, July 25th. I attended my sponsoring Rotary Club's (The Gig Harbor Morning Club) meeting! We arrived at the meeting at around 7 in the morning and the meeting started at around 7:30! There was so much energy, who knew people could be so lively at that time of day! Various Rotarians spoke, and I briefly told everyone about my soon-to-be life in Chile including where I will live, my first host family, and the school that I will be attending there! I expressed my thanks to everyone because without my club none of this would be possible! Gig Harbor Morning Club-you rock! Shout-out to Mary Grubbs and Mary Gorman (in Mid-day) for being so brilliant, helpful, and thoughtful!
As Rotary Exchange Students, we all wear navy blue blazers to identify ourselves (for example, when we are in airports, people will understand why we look so confused). On these blazers we all put on pins and trade pins with each other to represent who we are, where we are from, or something that represents our host country and memories! As I leave for Chile and am at the SeaTac airport near mid-August, I will have minimal pins! But when I return one year later and one year older, my blazer will be big, beautiful, and bedazzled baby! At least, that is what I am hoping it will look like! I had been hand-making ribbons pins, with a total of about 40 in 4 hours. That was...difficult. I also learned that your fingernail is not hot-glue proof and if you try to prove someone that it doesn't hurt you will be wrong (and in pain). My mom and I went online to an amazing website that makes the pins for you, and you get to design what it will look like! I will post the pictures once my pins arrived! But I made 2 different designs: one has the image of the United States flag in an apple shape, the apple representing my state, with lettering around it saying where I am from. The second design I created was a photo of the iconic Gig Harbor fisherman with the harbor and boats behind him. Ah, the Gig Harbor Waterfront. I love downtown Gig Harbor. Altogether, I ordered 200 of those which make 240 pins plus 10 others I bought at Outbound Orientation. I will post pictures of all of these once they have all arrived. If you are a normal person, you are probably wondering why I would need 250 pins, right? That amount is highly recommended, and I will have to be trading these all with my fellow exchange students!
I am so excited about this news! I found out that a girl from Lyon, France will be going to the same town as I am! She has been really sweet, we met through Facebook! We will hopefully be going to the same school, but we are not sure yet! I have also been messaging a girl from San Diego, who will be living in the same town as me, but going to a different school! We have been practicing Spanish together which has been really helpful!
That sums up all that has recently happened regarding my exchange. I will be posting pictures very soon! Thank you for reading! I am now off to buy a camera that will accompany me during my year in Chile. Yay!
Adios!
Monday, July 28, 2014
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Common Questions Answered
Hola Amigos!
Since I will be leaving Gig Harbor and arriving in Chile in about a month (I know! Crazy!) I have been asked a lot of questions about my exchange and preparations. So I decided to make a blog post completely dedicated to answering these frequently asked questions! Hope you find this interesting!
What drew you to choosing Chile?
Since I am a Rotary Youth Exchange Student, it works a little differently! At district interviews, we were asked to prepare a list of our top country choices. So we group our preferred country choices in groups and then listed them alphabetically. When we went into interviews, which where in Victoria, BC, a panel of about 4 Rotarians and a previous exchange student interviewed me, getting a grasp of my personality, ideas, activities, and so on! Then later that night they used my alphabetized list of countries and met with all of the other Rotarians who interviewed the soon-to-be exchange students with me and matched us with the country that would best suit us personally and tried to keep in mind our country preferences! After the long weekend of interviews, I was so relieved and beyond excited to recieve a call the night I got home saying I was going to Chile and started crying tears of joy! I felt so lucky. Chile was in my top 5 choices including Spain, Italy, Austria, France. Chile was my top choice and i cannot believe how lucky I am. But to directly answer the question what drew me to Chile was the culture which intrigued me. Since the language spoken is Spanish and that is the language I am learning, I hope to reach fluency on or asoon after exchange. Finally, Chile has a variety of landscapes including desert, temperate, glaciers, and Easter Island which will be amazing for travel.
When do you leave?
I leave in about one month and should arrive in Chile on August 23rd
Where are you living in Chile?
I will be leaving in a town called "Talagante" which is about 45 minutes south of Santiago, the capital of Chile:)
Will your school be in English of Spanish?
It will be in Spanish! This exchange is all about immersion and becoming apart of the culture so go big or go home of course!
Will you be staying with a host family?
Yes! I will actually be staying with 2 different families! But my first family is so kind and we have been communicating often! The parents are name Marcelo and Marcia, and they have 4 children: Diego, 24, Daniela, 18, Paula, 16 (who will be on exchange to Washington while I am there) and last but not least Ignacia who is 15!
Are you excited?
YES! OF COURSE! No need to ask, I have been preparing for this for nearly a year and have dedicated so much of myself and my time to Rotary Youth Exchange and am so thankful for that. I am so excited!
Are you ready?
As ready as one could be preparing to live in another country for a year!
Hopefully that answers all of the commonly asked questions!
Adios!
Since I will be leaving Gig Harbor and arriving in Chile in about a month (I know! Crazy!) I have been asked a lot of questions about my exchange and preparations. So I decided to make a blog post completely dedicated to answering these frequently asked questions! Hope you find this interesting!
What drew you to choosing Chile?
Since I am a Rotary Youth Exchange Student, it works a little differently! At district interviews, we were asked to prepare a list of our top country choices. So we group our preferred country choices in groups and then listed them alphabetically. When we went into interviews, which where in Victoria, BC, a panel of about 4 Rotarians and a previous exchange student interviewed me, getting a grasp of my personality, ideas, activities, and so on! Then later that night they used my alphabetized list of countries and met with all of the other Rotarians who interviewed the soon-to-be exchange students with me and matched us with the country that would best suit us personally and tried to keep in mind our country preferences! After the long weekend of interviews, I was so relieved and beyond excited to recieve a call the night I got home saying I was going to Chile and started crying tears of joy! I felt so lucky. Chile was in my top 5 choices including Spain, Italy, Austria, France. Chile was my top choice and i cannot believe how lucky I am. But to directly answer the question what drew me to Chile was the culture which intrigued me. Since the language spoken is Spanish and that is the language I am learning, I hope to reach fluency on or asoon after exchange. Finally, Chile has a variety of landscapes including desert, temperate, glaciers, and Easter Island which will be amazing for travel.
When do you leave?
I leave in about one month and should arrive in Chile on August 23rd
Where are you living in Chile?
I will be leaving in a town called "Talagante" which is about 45 minutes south of Santiago, the capital of Chile:)
Will your school be in English of Spanish?
It will be in Spanish! This exchange is all about immersion and becoming apart of the culture so go big or go home of course!
Will you be staying with a host family?
Yes! I will actually be staying with 2 different families! But my first family is so kind and we have been communicating often! The parents are name Marcelo and Marcia, and they have 4 children: Diego, 24, Daniela, 18, Paula, 16 (who will be on exchange to Washington while I am there) and last but not least Ignacia who is 15!
Are you excited?
YES! OF COURSE! No need to ask, I have been preparing for this for nearly a year and have dedicated so much of myself and my time to Rotary Youth Exchange and am so thankful for that. I am so excited!
Are you ready?
As ready as one could be preparing to live in another country for a year!
Hopefully that answers all of the commonly asked questions!
Adios!
Friday, July 18, 2014
First and Foremost: Thank you
Hola Amigos!
My name is Fiona Macdonald, I am from the Pacific Northwest area in the state of Washington and I will soon be traveling to Chile to live for a year as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student. I cannot describe how excited I am for the journey ahead of me. While I know it will not always be easy, I am determined to learn and become apart of the Chilean culture while learning and improving my fluency of my host language: Spanish. Along with that, I look forward to creating meaningful relationships with families and friends in Chile that will last a lifetime. Everyday at almost all times of the day I think of all the possibilities that are soon to come and the unforgettable year that I will graciously experience. I cannot express the sincere gratitude I have towards the organizations and people that have made my dreams of traveling come true. I would like to give an absolutely huge 'Thank you!' to the following organizations/people:
1) Rotary. Without this organization, none of this would be happening! I absolutely cannot express how lucky I feel to be part of such a beautiful, kind, globally-minded organization. Not to mention that all of the individuals in Rotary are volunteers (Yes, they are all volunteers! Isn't that amazing?). They have given me so much of their time to make my experience successful and for that I will never be able to repay them, but I know that I will continue to be an active, globally-minded individual my entire life.
2) The Lee Belas Scholarship Foundation. The Lee Belas Foundation was formed in memory of Lee Belas, who was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student to Belgium in 1985 to 1986. Upon this exchange, his perspective of the world changed entirely. He believed that peace could be achieved once we have accepted each others differences. As I first researched more about Lees unforgettable life, I was greatly impacted by his outlook towards life. Following his death in 1991, Port Orchard Rotarians decided to create a foundation "to fulfill Lee's wish by helping outbound students with travel costs" along with sharing his intelligent, optimistic views on life. I of course plan on elaborating more on the foundation in a later blog post, but I truly want to give my utmost respect and gratitude towards Lee and the absolutely amazing board of individuals who change lives. I hope every member on the board knows that they have made a profound impact on myself and the countless other students. Thank you.
3) My family and friends. Last but definitely not least. I love you all SO much. I really do. You have all been such an incredible support system with this process. Thank you especially to my parents and sister! Mom, Dad, Erin, I love you so (x10000) much. Thank you for letting your 16 year old daughter/sister go live in entirely different country for a year. You are truly the brave ones.You have always supported me in everything I do, whether that might be playing a sport, making a decision, or traveling the world. I know with the way you have taught me and raised me that I am ready to become an exchange student and be on my own this year. You have made me the responsible individual I am today. You have taught me to chase after what I want in life. You have made me laugh, cry, and have loved me unconditionally. You have taught me the importance of giving back and being kind to everyone no matter what. You have made me who I am today: the tired girl blogging in her bedroom at midnight. Just kidding! Well... anyway, because of you all, I know I will be able to successfully live abroad and truly enjoy every moment of it. Thank you a million times. Don't worry Mom and Dad- you will make it through the year fine! If you ever need some support, I am right here for you ;). And to my friends- each of you are so beautiful, kind, and absolutely fun to be around. Thank you for all of your interest in my exchange to Chile and making me laugh no matter what! My love for you all is like the stars that I can't fathom into constellations (TFIOS reference, I had to!) I don't think these words have been used enough in this blog post (you sure about that...) so I want to say it again...Thank you to everyone! All of my teachers, travel agents, Rotarians, volunteers, family, friends, pets (who have no idea I am leaving. Sorry guys.) Thank you for the inspiration.
Adios!
My name is Fiona Macdonald, I am from the Pacific Northwest area in the state of Washington and I will soon be traveling to Chile to live for a year as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student. I cannot describe how excited I am for the journey ahead of me. While I know it will not always be easy, I am determined to learn and become apart of the Chilean culture while learning and improving my fluency of my host language: Spanish. Along with that, I look forward to creating meaningful relationships with families and friends in Chile that will last a lifetime. Everyday at almost all times of the day I think of all the possibilities that are soon to come and the unforgettable year that I will graciously experience. I cannot express the sincere gratitude I have towards the organizations and people that have made my dreams of traveling come true. I would like to give an absolutely huge 'Thank you!' to the following organizations/people:
1) Rotary. Without this organization, none of this would be happening! I absolutely cannot express how lucky I feel to be part of such a beautiful, kind, globally-minded organization. Not to mention that all of the individuals in Rotary are volunteers (Yes, they are all volunteers! Isn't that amazing?). They have given me so much of their time to make my experience successful and for that I will never be able to repay them, but I know that I will continue to be an active, globally-minded individual my entire life.
2) The Lee Belas Scholarship Foundation. The Lee Belas Foundation was formed in memory of Lee Belas, who was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student to Belgium in 1985 to 1986. Upon this exchange, his perspective of the world changed entirely. He believed that peace could be achieved once we have accepted each others differences. As I first researched more about Lees unforgettable life, I was greatly impacted by his outlook towards life. Following his death in 1991, Port Orchard Rotarians decided to create a foundation "to fulfill Lee's wish by helping outbound students with travel costs" along with sharing his intelligent, optimistic views on life. I of course plan on elaborating more on the foundation in a later blog post, but I truly want to give my utmost respect and gratitude towards Lee and the absolutely amazing board of individuals who change lives. I hope every member on the board knows that they have made a profound impact on myself and the countless other students. Thank you.
3) My family and friends. Last but definitely not least. I love you all SO much. I really do. You have all been such an incredible support system with this process. Thank you especially to my parents and sister! Mom, Dad, Erin, I love you so (x10000) much. Thank you for letting your 16 year old daughter/sister go live in entirely different country for a year. You are truly the brave ones.You have always supported me in everything I do, whether that might be playing a sport, making a decision, or traveling the world. I know with the way you have taught me and raised me that I am ready to become an exchange student and be on my own this year. You have made me the responsible individual I am today. You have taught me to chase after what I want in life. You have made me laugh, cry, and have loved me unconditionally. You have taught me the importance of giving back and being kind to everyone no matter what. You have made me who I am today: the tired girl blogging in her bedroom at midnight. Just kidding! Well... anyway, because of you all, I know I will be able to successfully live abroad and truly enjoy every moment of it. Thank you a million times. Don't worry Mom and Dad- you will make it through the year fine! If you ever need some support, I am right here for you ;). And to my friends- each of you are so beautiful, kind, and absolutely fun to be around. Thank you for all of your interest in my exchange to Chile and making me laugh no matter what! My love for you all is like the stars that I can't fathom into constellations (TFIOS reference, I had to!) I don't think these words have been used enough in this blog post (you sure about that...) so I want to say it again...Thank you to everyone! All of my teachers, travel agents, Rotarians, volunteers, family, friends, pets (who have no idea I am leaving. Sorry guys.) Thank you for the inspiration.
Adios!
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