Typical
Beach in Pucon
My 3 favorites!
Con el Rafa
I will miss her!Well I can’t believe it. I’m sitting here surrounded by my empty room and half packed suitcases. It’s been 6 months and as of Thursday I will no longer be a Santiago resident. I don’t think I have ever felt such a strong combination of emotions. I am so sad to leave and will miss my friends turned family here more than I ever thought possible. At the same time the thought of traveling through South America for 2 whole months gives me butterflies in my stomach. And yes… I am so excited to return to Chicago. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about my friends and family at home. Most of all I feel so blessed to feel so conflicted. Reflecting back on these 6 months…they have been nothing short of amazing. I have three favorite parts of every big life event and my time here in Chile was no exception.
1) The beginning. I love the feeling of starting something new and knowing that for better or for worse I will never be the same. That feeling in my stomach that was 1% nerves and 99% excitement knowing that the next 8 months were mine to do with as I pleased.
2) The middle. There were so many times throughout my trip when I would just look around and think “Wow, I did this.” I remember being at Bicentenario with people who I had just barely met yet somehow considered close friends and having the absolute best time. Or having a conversation in Spanish and thinking “Wait…you just understood what I said?!” Or just having a bad night (or a bad haircut) and having friends to just sit with.
3) The end. I still have this to look forward to. But I absolutely love plane rides home. I love reflecting on people I’ve met and things I’ve learned. In this case I think I am coming back a little more confident, a little more Spanish speaking, a little more blogger friendly and with a handful of friendships that I hope will last a lifetime. I have so many people to thank. So for my last blog entry I am going to do exactly that.
Special thanks to....
Los Bravos- For hosting me for the first month. For feeding me and for not getting upset when I woke the entire family up at 4 am because I couldn’t get in your house with the stupid key.
Anna, Andrea, Josh, and Igor- For being my first friends down here and being a great time to go out with. Also a special thanks to Igor for being the sassiest and most out of control person I know.
My teachers at Escuela Bellavista (especially Marie-Christina)- For getting me started on my life long journey of learning Spanish. And for teaching me the difference between the words “butthole” and “age.”
David and Carlos (my bosses at Bridge)- David for being awesome. And Carlos, for moving to Argentina never to be seen again.
My students- Especially Carlos Mena for being so beyond inappropriate each and every class. And my KITek crew for constantly making me laugh. Also to Elizabeth for paying me to watch Modern Family with you.
Carly’s Student, Pablo- For treating me like a friend and for sharing your house and family with us for the New Year.
Ruben, Mariella, Kike, Luis, Rafa, Claudio, and Christian- For making Bicentenario the best weekend of all time. And also for making every other time we’ve hung out a close second. A special thanks to Rafa for being hilarious and fun to look at. I'm also gonna go ahead and thank Claudio on behalf of Jackie. Again..for being fun to look at.
The Governor of La Serena- For not kicking us out of your town after Jackie punched you.
Flaco, Rorro, Richi, and Eduardo – For being terrible at beerpong.
Jackie's "roommates" (Alia, Camillo, Kevin etc.)- For hosting "la previa" so often. Especially Alia for loving Suecia as much as Jackie.
Joe the British traveler- For letting me steal your money and being such a nice and goofy bloke.
Adrian- For treating me like a friend from the minute I met you. And for being the single coolest person ever.
My conversation buddies- For listening to me struggle without judgement. Also especially Nico for being a friend as well as a conversation buddy.
Caitlin, Casey, and Kate- For all of our dinners/ apples to apples tournaments. Especially Caitlin for being the best listener on this side of the Equator.
Random roommate- For not caring that I lived with you for 5 months and had NO idea what your name was. Also, for potentially stealing 200 dollars from me. In other words….thanks for NOTHING.
Dustin, Zach, and Joe- For letting me play poker with you guys and for supporting my need to hear “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” at least 10 times a week.
Katie and Derek- For hosting the best Chilean gringo Thanksgiving celebration possibly ever.
Elias- For being a great friend and letting us take pictures of you when you lost your tooth.
My wonderful friends from home- For visiting! And in advance for letting me sleep on your couches for several months after I get home.
My family- For being so supportive and interested in what I am doing. A special thanks to my dad for not freaking out when I told him I was going to Brazil and Bolivia....Oh wait....
Fro- For having this bright idea in the first place.
Jackie and Carly- For everything. I could not imagine my trip without you guys.
You- For reading this far into this blog post. Get a life.
So that’s all she wrote. Obviously, I will miss so much about Santiago…from its fresh fruit to being surrounded by the Andes everyday. But obviously, it’s the people I have met that have really made this trip what it is. I will not be blogging when I travel. I have to have something to tell you guys in person!!! See you suckas March 8th!
