Tanto Tiempo

I haven't been writing in this! That is a problem. Everything is great, though. I really love everything here. That is, except the food. And how strict Luis has suddenly become. It's weird how fast my ideas of normalcy have changed since I've been here. In the US, a midnight curfew was cool and thankfully accepted. Here, a 2am curfew gives me reason to complain to all my friends with their silly 5am curfews... And, I can only go out once on the weekends. But you'd be amazed at how ridiculous I find that. These are just things I have to get used to! It's just hard because the funnest times are when I'm with my friends. That's when I learn Spanish and don't feel at all lonely. It's not like I'm just gung-ho, let's-go-get-trashed-and-be-crazy-teenagers-living-in-Chile...It's not like that at all! It just sounds like it when I say I'm going to parties every weekend. But, it's part of the culture here. It's harmless. 

I've also decided I don't like the idea of exchanges. Not in general, but just the fact that when one kid leaves, another one comes to take their place. I think that is a very stupid idea. For someone to enter into a family as a replacement child is a very difficult thing to do. It's hard enough entering in a new family. But this way, the family has expectations. They know their own child so well and obviously love them quite a bit more than they like you. So, when you try and fit in, you are always being held up and compared to the other. The things you do differently make them not like you because it makes them want their own child. It's like you have to try your hardest to fill in the gap they left. Unfortunately, I'm not a champion swimmer and tennis player, nor do I have a desire to do homework during my exchange. I'm not learning Spanish the same way that someone else is learning English. I'm completely different. Which, yes, is part of the point of the exchange. But it could much more easily be done if you were WITH your opposite, instead of replacing your opposite. I'm more of a family-friends kind of person. But this is not my family. And this family won't let me hang out with my friends (as much as I'd like to). Sooo, what then?

On Saturday night I am going to a "Quince Años" birthday party. That's the Chilean equivalent to a Sweet Sixteen. This one is formal. Like Homecoming formal, almost. I'm excited!

On Sunday, I'm taking a train to Curico to spend the night at another exchange kid's house because Monday we're all going to Viña Del Mar for three days. There will be eleven of us and 1 adult! It's going to be nice to be with other exchange kids. There is a girl I met (Elizabeth) that lives in Curico and we were talking on Facebook and then Chloe joined in. Somehow, Chloe found out that Elizabeth knew Bo, an exchange student from Thailand, who Chloe knows because she is the daughter of one of the families that Chloe stayed with in Thailand. But Elizabeth knows her because Bo stayed with her family when she came to the US. And I know Bo because I slept in her bed when I went to visit Chloe. It was so weird to find that out, though. SMALL WORLD. Anyways, we're going to Viña Monday through Wednesday. I get to skip school! :)


And on November 11, Feliz Cumpleaños, Chloe Anna Cook! I LOVE YOU SOOOO MUCH AND MISS YOU JUST AS MUCH.