Updates on the Homefront:
At home I absolutely love the fall. Needless to day I was feeling a bit of nostalgia as everyone's facebook statuses mentioned NFL Sunday football, pictures of the leaves changing colors, the constant department store emails of the new fall fashion, and of course pumpkin spice lattes (probably the biggest loss, let's be honest). We were in the desert for Halloween as well, so it was strange that November even rolled around without celebrating that holiday. In the name of fall, Sam, Anna and I went on a hunt for some fall tastes: We wanted pumpkin spice muffins. We searched high and low for our ingredients but we were at a loss. However, we still spent the afternoon baking two spice cakes that turned out to be just fine.
Time is so rushed here, It's the 7th of November already-marking a month until departure from Vina. I cannot wrap my head around it. So in the meantime, I've had some great weekends with friends. I am so lucky to have clicked with everyone in my group and have made great friends from Chile and Bolivia as well. Some of the greatest people I know who have helped me find myself on this journey. Surely they will always have a place in my life.
The week before Atacama our friends, "Las Frans" made us an incredible "once" (aka tea time). We had a great time enjoying their treats and having some quality Spanglish boy talk. One of the Frans had been to Atacama as well so she was giving us tips and showing us pictures. We were at her house which is located in the Naval neighborhoods and the view at sunset was absolutely incredible. They are so good to us and I will miss them (and their baking) so much!
Las Annas and I went to Copa Bolivia this weekend where our friends organized a soccer tournament against different teams put together of Bolivians around Chile. They rented out fields, made food, had drinks, and had an after party at a club. It was a great time to be with our friends and to partake in something they're so proud of. Plus, it was our friend Inga's birthday so we got to celebrate with her that night as well.
Besides all the "fun stuff" school is proving to be much more difficult than expected. I spent all week and weekend doing homework, writing essays and lesson plans, reading novels, and preparing for presentations. Whoever said the semester abroad is the easiest of your college career was lying. It's difficult because it's all happening in the last month here, at a time you want to be enjoying with your friends and family because time is winding down. Only one more month to get a solid tan! It's crunch time all around. Tomorrow I teach my first lesson at St. Peter's to my second graders. I'm excited for that, I can't wait to pass my observations and experience on to my profs back at home. I definitely chose the right profession.
On top of everything, my mom arrives on Wednesday. I feel so unprepared. But after literal months of planning, she's finally coming and the rest of the chaos will follow. I'm excited to show her my new life, I think she'll be proud of me. I have planned a trip to Pucon, Chile which is 13 hours south of Santiago. We're going to stay in a quaint hostel while there and make plans for different tours when we get there. Stay tuned for how it goes... Also, my mama and I booked a hotel for her in Vina for the following week. She's a block from the ocean, I think she'll love it :]
This weekend I also received a surprise Halloween package in the mail from my Aunt Peggy, Uncle Kevin, and cousins Paul and Sean. It was just what I needed while I was bumming about missing Halloween-A package full of candy. It was so sweet of them!
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