My friend on the program wrote this great blog post about the things that she "will probably miss" It's great. artsy and you should read it
http://www.eschoenmakerphotography.com/blog/2015/5/20/bobbin-along
Now I'm not going to even try to replicate that work but I do want to write down some things I will miss and things I am looking forward to. So here goes;
At first I thought I was going to avoid the bread here. That's right- If I am being truly honest when I got here I was like dang- white bread is unhealthy and I should seek out alternatives if I can because I like to eat healthy and such. But now I am firm believer in the magic of fresh white fluffy bread that is still warm when you buy it at the store. At this point in my life I can say that if bread is not brought to my table at a restaurant you can bet your life that I will ask the waiter for some because it is usually the warm and magical variety.
Another thing I'll miss is Mama's constant adoration. Okay so maybe it's not all genuine (like when she asks me how my day was and when I start to tell her a story about something that happened she interrupts me and asks if I need to pack a lunch for tomorrow..she really has no intention in listening to me struggle through the decisions of telling the story with verbs in the past tense or the imperfect tense (THEY BOTH ARE ACTIONS IN THE PAST- Spanish is freakin complicated I tell you) she just really is fulling her daily quota of asking me questions- my favorites include, what did you eat for lunch, what time do you have class, did you go to the university today, are you hot, what did you eat for dinner, why? (this usually happens when I eat before she gets home because I'm starving and don't want to wait for her to get home just to sit down and watch me eat while she merely sips some tea because apparently she isn't hungry...even though it's 8:30 by then) and last but not least why aren't you wearing shoes!?- as you can see that one is usually directed at me in a horrified, disbelieving manner) Anywho- back to the part about her being all cute and such and pretending that she will miss me and remember me amongst the other 18 exchange students she will have...like when she says things like "ah pobrecita" because I say that I have a lot of HW or have to wake up early the next morning (yes dad- sometimes I do like some empathy every now and again instead of the standard- you can handle it) or when she laughs at my use of Chilean slang, or brings me home a chilean colored joker hat for the Copa America.
On the other hand- things I will not miss about living with a Chilean family are thus:
Constant questions that usually receive the same answers, repeating my plans over and over because she didn't understand or forgot that I said I would be leaving for the next four days, making me get off of my bed at 8:30pm because she hadn't made it for the day and my convincing argument that I would just be undoing the sheets and blankets in about 2 hours was insufficient against her impending desire to clean. Or how about the two gates and one front door (without a handle which makes it sooo much harder to open) that stand between me and the toilet when I have to pee upon arriving back at home (which is about 90% of the time due both to the lack of public bathrooms and the amount of time it takes to get home...). I will most certainly not miss Mama's habit of pouring sunflower oil on perfectly beautiful and tasty things like ripe tomatoes or avocado (they are perfectly delicious without your highly processed trans fatty oil thank you very much)- I'm being a princess here but really tomatoes don't need to be greasy to taste good.
I will not miss the people (ironically it is usually the women) that STARE at my on the metro, on the street, in the checkout line...even when I look back or smile they continue to crane their neck and look at me in awe. No I'm sorry I can't take this as a compliment...Chileans just don't have a sense of consideration or privacy. Although they are generally friendly and approachable one thing I can't stand is how nosy they are. Mama has no filter and asks me questions about every aspect of my life- do I have a boyfriend, do I get an allowance (back to the stupid assumptions that I am rich), how much did that cost, what do your parents do...ya no all the questions we were taught from a young age not to bring up. Ironically the other day I found out that Camila goes to one of the most expensive med schools in the country. Mama always complains about money and while I feel bad I know that they are making a decent living off of me...and the millions of Alfajors that Camila makes and sells. Literally half the time I walk into the house (gross exaggeration- it happens maybe once a month) She is piping dulce de leche in between two thin cookies and then covering them in chocolate and packaging them up. Alright- let's call it a day folks so I don't get all ranty (too late) and ramble on and on...
xoxo
http://www.eschoenmakerphotography.com/blog/2015/5/20/bobbin-along
Now I'm not going to even try to replicate that work but I do want to write down some things I will miss and things I am looking forward to. So here goes;
At first I thought I was going to avoid the bread here. That's right- If I am being truly honest when I got here I was like dang- white bread is unhealthy and I should seek out alternatives if I can because I like to eat healthy and such. But now I am firm believer in the magic of fresh white fluffy bread that is still warm when you buy it at the store. At this point in my life I can say that if bread is not brought to my table at a restaurant you can bet your life that I will ask the waiter for some because it is usually the warm and magical variety.
Another thing I'll miss is Mama's constant adoration. Okay so maybe it's not all genuine (like when she asks me how my day was and when I start to tell her a story about something that happened she interrupts me and asks if I need to pack a lunch for tomorrow..she really has no intention in listening to me struggle through the decisions of telling the story with verbs in the past tense or the imperfect tense (THEY BOTH ARE ACTIONS IN THE PAST- Spanish is freakin complicated I tell you) she just really is fulling her daily quota of asking me questions- my favorites include, what did you eat for lunch, what time do you have class, did you go to the university today, are you hot, what did you eat for dinner, why? (this usually happens when I eat before she gets home because I'm starving and don't want to wait for her to get home just to sit down and watch me eat while she merely sips some tea because apparently she isn't hungry...even though it's 8:30 by then) and last but not least why aren't you wearing shoes!?- as you can see that one is usually directed at me in a horrified, disbelieving manner) Anywho- back to the part about her being all cute and such and pretending that she will miss me and remember me amongst the other 18 exchange students she will have...like when she says things like "ah pobrecita" because I say that I have a lot of HW or have to wake up early the next morning (yes dad- sometimes I do like some empathy every now and again instead of the standard- you can handle it) or when she laughs at my use of Chilean slang, or brings me home a chilean colored joker hat for the Copa America.
On the other hand- things I will not miss about living with a Chilean family are thus:
Constant questions that usually receive the same answers, repeating my plans over and over because she didn't understand or forgot that I said I would be leaving for the next four days, making me get off of my bed at 8:30pm because she hadn't made it for the day and my convincing argument that I would just be undoing the sheets and blankets in about 2 hours was insufficient against her impending desire to clean. Or how about the two gates and one front door (without a handle which makes it sooo much harder to open) that stand between me and the toilet when I have to pee upon arriving back at home (which is about 90% of the time due both to the lack of public bathrooms and the amount of time it takes to get home...). I will most certainly not miss Mama's habit of pouring sunflower oil on perfectly beautiful and tasty things like ripe tomatoes or avocado (they are perfectly delicious without your highly processed trans fatty oil thank you very much)- I'm being a princess here but really tomatoes don't need to be greasy to taste good.
I will not miss the people (ironically it is usually the women) that STARE at my on the metro, on the street, in the checkout line...even when I look back or smile they continue to crane their neck and look at me in awe. No I'm sorry I can't take this as a compliment...Chileans just don't have a sense of consideration or privacy. Although they are generally friendly and approachable one thing I can't stand is how nosy they are. Mama has no filter and asks me questions about every aspect of my life- do I have a boyfriend, do I get an allowance (back to the stupid assumptions that I am rich), how much did that cost, what do your parents do...ya no all the questions we were taught from a young age not to bring up. Ironically the other day I found out that Camila goes to one of the most expensive med schools in the country. Mama always complains about money and while I feel bad I know that they are making a decent living off of me...and the millions of Alfajors that Camila makes and sells. Literally half the time I walk into the house (gross exaggeration- it happens maybe once a month) She is piping dulce de leche in between two thin cookies and then covering them in chocolate and packaging them up. Alright- let's call it a day folks so I don't get all ranty (too late) and ramble on and on...
xoxo
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