Honestly, my life has changed so much and so little since I’ve been here. I’ve become more and more busy, so when I finally make it to bed after talking to my host family, I now rarely blog or write in my dictionary. I’ve also learned through this experience that I really value my family from back home a lot more, and this is making me realize what is really important.
Of course I have had problems, I honestly don’t think that one person can go through a whole exchange year without problems. They’re not important enough to write about actually, but they have made me really value the people from here too. For example, there was one day where in school we talked about family a lot and that was really hard. I was talk to Xavier, probably my best friend here (from Belgium) and I told him I was feeling a little bit down, so he SCOOTERED twenty minutes from his house to mine to talk. Those kind of friends are really difficult to find, and I’m so glad that I have him. There was another time when I talked with an aunt that I had rarely ever talked to for over an hour, and that was amazing. My cousin told me he’s willing to talk salsa dance classes with me (and all the other exchange students) and my parents from here are paying for at least the first month.
Christmas is coming up soon, which I’m so excited for but this is definitely the hardest time of year to go through as an exchange student. All of us here in Ambato picked names for “Amigo Secreto” (Secret Santa) and a few of us made calendars for each other with little gifts for each day. My classmates are doing “Amiga Secreta” (that ends in “a” since I go to an all girls school) and we’re having dinners and days of, well, happiness. New Years is coming, and I’m SO excited for that because they burn straw replicas of people or something and there’s a bunch of fireworks and parties and time with family. It seems like how New Years here is done better, than in the USA where we watch the ball drop on TV.
How is Rotary? Rotary is awesome, and I’m so thankful to everyone. My counselor I completely adore, and she helps me out in everything possible. Honestly, she’s a lot like my mom here and I have so much respect for her. She has helped me meet people, told me that maybe she can take me to Peru, and whenever she wants to leave the city she checks if I want to go. I honestly believe that I have the best possible counselor in the world, and for that I am so grateful. Also, I love the bond that happens when you meet another exchange student. I’ve met people that went on exchange ten, twenty, thirty years ago and it’s just amazing.
My Spanish, not to toot my own horn or anything, but it is almost literally perfect. There are a few things that are still difficult to conjugate, for example the words like “would” and “will”, but other than that it’s awesome. I literally understand everything, and everyone tells me my Spanish is amazing, especially for it not being my first language.
What else? Someone stole my cell phone after I walked in this parade for the Independence Day of Ambato, and then my classmates helped me get it back. Then, a week later, someone from my OWN CLASS stole it, but oh well because I’ve learned that for every one person that wants to steal from you there are a hundred people that want to help you.
I’m pretty nervous about universities because I still have yet to figure out exactly what I want to do, or if I want to go to Europe or the U.S. or maybe a Spanish university in Argentina. I’m thinking about taking a year off to think about it, to earn money, maybe to travel, maybe to live with my aunt on the East Coast. This year has really made me realize what I like, what my passion is, and what I want to do. The only problem is that sometimes that’s pretty hard to figure out where it’s possible. Honestly, I’m just waiting for the Travel Channel to discover me and give me my own show in touring around the world.
So let me think if there is anything else going on… I really love my cousins, and I love almost all of us live on the same street. We went to the city Banos again, and wow, I had forgotten how much I loved it. It’s so pretty, everyone is happy to live there, there are a lot of tourists so not everyone is looking at you when you walk down the street, and there is so much to do. There is every kind of food, every kind of person, and every activity possible. I’m honestly considering living there maybe for retirement, because it is such a relaxed and carefree city.
Well, to sum this up, this exchange year is forever opening my eyes to the world of possibilities, however cheesy that sounds. If you want any more specific information or any questions, just let me know!
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