Wednesday, August 27, 2014
First Days: Airplane power outtage, Earthquakes, Once
I am in Chile! I arrived 23 de Sabado and my life has been a whirl since then. On my first day there was a some-what large earthquake, but I didn't feel lit at all because we were driving on a bumpy road! My journey here started on Friday the 22nd, where I had to say good-bye to my family for the year. That was difficult because I love them so much, but we know we will be seeing each other again in only a year! Thankfully, I had TSA pre-check which was a breeze. Then I met up with my good friend from Alaska who was heading to Santiago with me! On the flight to Dallas, I had a window seat next to a mother and a son from Mexico City. They were very friendly and somewhat impressed by my minimal Spanish skills. The son kept showing me pictures he thought were hilarious and wanted me to play a game with Zombies in it. So that flight basically consisted of Zombie games, Ifunny pictures, sleep and sunsets. When we arrived in the Dallas airport, Kyla (my friend from Alaska) and I headed straight for our next gate which was boarding in 10 minutes and leaving in 1 hour. Luckily my Dad text me the directions of how to reach our the gate the quickest possible way (Thanks Dad!). We hopped on the Skytrain and arrived at our gate in about 5ish minutes and when we arrived and the got we saw about 5 other exchange students (all girls) in a group. They were all sweet and would also be coming to the same Rotary District as me! We boarded our plane and I found my window seat next to an Older man from Chile but living in Canada. We talked for a few minutes but for the rest of the plane ride we really didn't talk at all. I was extremely cramped and only had about 6 inches of leg room. Not fun. While we were sitting in the plane at the airport, the main Auxiliary power in the plane went out. It was pitch dark. And then they got it to come back on. And then it went out. And then they were able to dimly turn on the lights but could not restore all of power including the air-conditioning. So here we are: a couple hundred people or so stuck in the main cabin of an airplane before take off in roughly an 80+ degree plane. After about 45 minutes all of the power finally came back on and we were ready for take-off! From here, the next 9 hours on the plane were fine: no turbulence, no more power-outtages, microwaved airplane food, grumpy flight attendants. It was such a cramped flight and I had trouble sleeping because I was so uncomfortable and squished. So I barely got a few hours of sleep. In the morning, I was able to see the sun rise over the mountains in Chile, which was extremely breathtaking. The next thing I knew was that we were only 1 hour away from landing! Even though my body clock was programmed to be 5 AM, I was so awake and excited. I looked out and saw the hills and then as we descended I saw a few small towns, grassy fields, so on. Once the plane landed, I got off the plane and headed towards customs. At the bottom of the escalator my oldest host sister and my host dad were at the bottom to meet me and help me with customs. They had a special pass and also helped the exchange student they will be hosting next (she arrived at the airport before me). After customs all of the exchange students went to baggage claim and looked for our bags, but we couldn't find them. Turns out we were waiting at the wrong baggage claim. But everything turned out perfect, we found all of our baggage and then headed through another security area. Once we were out, we walked a bit down a hall and then turned right to out side where a huge crowd of people, and there was my family and my host counselors a total of about 8 people. It was so loud and the greetings in Chile are so different from in the US. You kiss the person on their right cheek, say, hola, etc. I prefer it to the American greeting of awkwardly waving/sometimes hugging/shaking hands/I don't know. From there we drove straight to the house! And since then, I have been to Santiago, walked around Talagante, and much more. I will make another BlogSpot later to update you on the past few days and events! Chao!
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Visa, Plane Ticket, Party Galore
Exactly 5 days until I leave, catch my first flight to Dallas, and from there travel directly to Santiago; leaving the USA behind for a year. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by! It feels like just yesterday I was thinking, "In 5 months from now I will be leaving on a plane to Chile". And now it is really happening! I have so many emotions and excitement within me about this coming year! In one week from now, I will have nearly finished my first Sunday in my new country!
The last few weeks have been very hectic, but extremely fun! On Thursday, August 7th, I went to San Francisco to get my Visa at the Chilean Consulate (Finally!!). I woke up at 4 AM left my house at 4:30 and from there drove straight to the airport to catch my flight at 6:15. Driving so early in the morning taught me two lessons about life 1) There are some very aggressive drivers. They make stupid decisions and are rude. 2) 103.7 plays awesome 90's music at 4 AM. I highly recommend waking up at 4 AM just to listen to that station. Not really. But if you are up and it's convenient take my advice! When my Dad and I finally arrived at the airport he got his gate pass and we went straight through security thanks to TSA Pre-check and went straight to the gate! It was the best timing. I was the last one to board, yet I wasn't rushed. Maybe a little. But on that early flight I was able to see the sunrise through the clouds, and the 3 most beautiful mountains in Washington. Mt. Rainier looked breathtaking with the sunrise shining and the snowy peaks looked unreal. About 2 or so hours later I landed and went to baggage claim to meet my Travel Agent who would be accompanying me to the Consulate. While I waited I met another girl going to Santiago, Chile! She was really nice and we had a great time the entire day! From there, all 3 of us took the B.A.R.T to the beautiful building that held the Chilean Consulate of San Francisco! Here is a summary of everything that happened in that tiny, tiny, TINY white room while we got our Visa's: They would call us up, ask us some questions, we would sort through the paper work, make a lot of signatures, fingerprint and in the end finally obtain the beautiful, wonderful, glorious stamp on a page in our Passport to prove we have a Student Visa for the year. That took about 4 and a half hours....of mostly sitting and waiting! Once we were finally out, we went to a huge shopping mall across from the building and ate Panda Express, then shopped for about 30 minutes. From there we had to catch our flight back and went straight to the airport. But it was great seeing San Francisco for all of the 10 minutes I actually went outside! On the way back I got to see Crater Lake from my window which looked beautiful!
After about 4 days later, my travel agent booked my flight! I will be travelling through American Airlines, leaving SeaTac at 2:10 PM on August 22nd, arriving at Dallas FT Worth for my connecting flight later that night and from there flying straight to Santiago to arrive at 8:05 AM on Saturday August 23rd. I feel like time is seriously flying by. In a matter of days I will be hugging my first family "Hello" for the first time!
Yesterday my INCREDIBLE Mom, along with the help of my Sister and Dad, threw me an amazing going away party! All of my family and close family friends were there and that was really special to me! Everyone was SO beyond kind, generous, supportive, and caring. You are all the best people, and I am way too lucky to have each of you in my life. I said many Good-byes, which felt to strange, and had many laughs. The food was so delicious. The hard work and preparation really paid off, because it was the best time! Thanks to everyone who generously came to support me!
Today my family went up to SeaTac airport along with the first host family, and many amazing Rotary Youth Exchange Counselors, leaders, and the Midday president to welcome Marie, the Gig Harbor Exchange student from Germany! She will be here the year that I am gone and my family will be her second host family during the year, having her from early December to March! She was really sweet and seemed very happy to see us all waiting for her! From there we all went our separate ways. And my family went out for a delicious good ole' lunch at Red Robin! I am counting down the days...and continue to be feeling disbelief! I am so excited!
The last few weeks have been very hectic, but extremely fun! On Thursday, August 7th, I went to San Francisco to get my Visa at the Chilean Consulate (Finally!!). I woke up at 4 AM left my house at 4:30 and from there drove straight to the airport to catch my flight at 6:15. Driving so early in the morning taught me two lessons about life 1) There are some very aggressive drivers. They make stupid decisions and are rude. 2) 103.7 plays awesome 90's music at 4 AM. I highly recommend waking up at 4 AM just to listen to that station. Not really. But if you are up and it's convenient take my advice! When my Dad and I finally arrived at the airport he got his gate pass and we went straight through security thanks to TSA Pre-check and went straight to the gate! It was the best timing. I was the last one to board, yet I wasn't rushed. Maybe a little. But on that early flight I was able to see the sunrise through the clouds, and the 3 most beautiful mountains in Washington. Mt. Rainier looked breathtaking with the sunrise shining and the snowy peaks looked unreal. About 2 or so hours later I landed and went to baggage claim to meet my Travel Agent who would be accompanying me to the Consulate. While I waited I met another girl going to Santiago, Chile! She was really nice and we had a great time the entire day! From there, all 3 of us took the B.A.R.T to the beautiful building that held the Chilean Consulate of San Francisco! Here is a summary of everything that happened in that tiny, tiny, TINY white room while we got our Visa's: They would call us up, ask us some questions, we would sort through the paper work, make a lot of signatures, fingerprint and in the end finally obtain the beautiful, wonderful, glorious stamp on a page in our Passport to prove we have a Student Visa for the year. That took about 4 and a half hours....of mostly sitting and waiting! Once we were finally out, we went to a huge shopping mall across from the building and ate Panda Express, then shopped for about 30 minutes. From there we had to catch our flight back and went straight to the airport. But it was great seeing San Francisco for all of the 10 minutes I actually went outside! On the way back I got to see Crater Lake from my window which looked beautiful!
After about 4 days later, my travel agent booked my flight! I will be travelling through American Airlines, leaving SeaTac at 2:10 PM on August 22nd, arriving at Dallas FT Worth for my connecting flight later that night and from there flying straight to Santiago to arrive at 8:05 AM on Saturday August 23rd. I feel like time is seriously flying by. In a matter of days I will be hugging my first family "Hello" for the first time!
Yesterday my INCREDIBLE Mom, along with the help of my Sister and Dad, threw me an amazing going away party! All of my family and close family friends were there and that was really special to me! Everyone was SO beyond kind, generous, supportive, and caring. You are all the best people, and I am way too lucky to have each of you in my life. I said many Good-byes, which felt to strange, and had many laughs. The food was so delicious. The hard work and preparation really paid off, because it was the best time! Thanks to everyone who generously came to support me!
Today my family went up to SeaTac airport along with the first host family, and many amazing Rotary Youth Exchange Counselors, leaders, and the Midday president to welcome Marie, the Gig Harbor Exchange student from Germany! She will be here the year that I am gone and my family will be her second host family during the year, having her from early December to March! She was really sweet and seemed very happy to see us all waiting for her! From there we all went our separate ways. And my family went out for a delicious good ole' lunch at Red Robin! I am counting down the days...and continue to be feeling disbelief! I am so excited!
Monday, July 28, 2014
Updates & Prep
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!
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!
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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