Bitter Sweet Goodbyes

Well, it has finally come to an end. My last week in Coyhaique was really hard. I really didn't want to go but all good things must come to an end. I cried and said my good byes and now I am traveling again. I am traveling with my host family through basically all of Chile. Right now we are in Vina del Mar and I later this weekend Valparilaso and then back to Santigo until I leave on the 28th. I am ready to go now. I miss my family and my friends and the easiness of my life in Townsend. But I definitely will come back someday though.

Familia

learning Chileno

When I first arrived in Chile I became immediately aware of the fact that Chileans don't speak Spanish they speak Chileno. I realized that I knew NO Spanish, even though I had studied for 2 years in school, you really can't truly learn a language until you are immersed in it. Well over these passed few months I have learned bits and pieces of these different languages; Castellano, Chileno, Argentino, Flaite, and Weas (that is how the regular teenagers talk). Castellano is Spanish Spanish and they speak with kind of a lisp so there "s" are like "th". Chileano has so many different random words from other Spanish speaking countries.
Cachay- You know
Bacan- Cool
Jueee- Wow
Weon- could mean lots of different things and not always good. : )
There are countless slang words but those are my favorite. They also like to add -po to the end of their words. For example "si" is "sipo". Cachay? Good, now for the Argentinos. They tend to say their "ch" like "sh" and their "r" at the end of words are pronounced like "L". For example amor, which means love, is amol. 
 They also call each other "che" for us pronounced "chay."
Flaite... the equivalent to hood rat or "juvenile delinquent" for us in the U.S. Haha well there not all that bad but they definitely stand out. Walking down the street you can easily see who is Failte. From the way they dress, talk and the music that they listen to. My favorite favorite sayings of the Flaites are;
Shawww- is like yeah
Wena- Good
Ayi no ma- Good enough, or right on
And last but not least Weas. It is the slang of the average teenager and it involves frequently used curse words which I will not share because even though you won't understand they are still bad words.     

This is a some of the Chicas from my volleyball team playing around in Puerto Aysen during a volleyball tournament. I have a little over a month left and I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. If I could go back in time I definitely would choose a year program. I am going to miss my friends and host family so much I can't even describe. I will return one day that is for sure. Nos Vemos!

Puerto Montt

Last Thursday 15 exchange students from the south of Chile gathered for a reunion in Puerto Montt. We stayed in a Hostel like building. It was a church actually and I am still struggling to find a name for it in English. We all stayed until Sunday. The weekend consisted of eating lots of really good food, lots of chocolate, going to the newspaper editor, seeing the ocean, going to the oldest building in the city which was a church, going to the fish market and artisan market, and lots of laughing. My favorite part of the trip was being with the other exchange students. It is much different than being with students at home in Montana or in Coyhaique. For one thing, we all have the same struggles and we all understand the difficulties. And secondly exchange students are just a different breed of kids altogether. haha I say this because they have strength, independence,and intelligence like no teens i have ever meet before. And they are all a little "Loco".

Time For Change

Well this past week has been the hardest of my experience so far. I had complications with my host family and my family back home so we found that changing houses was the best solution to the problem. I have been living with my new family for three days now and they are some of the most kind, and generous I have ever meet. I feel very comfortable here. My new host sister and I were friends before and that is how i ended up here. We get along great and it feels like a sleep over every night! Next week I travel to Puerto Montt with the other exchange students that are living in the south, from Friday until Sunday. I am Excited to see more of Chile. I have been obsessed lately with my camera so there will be plenty of pictures. I am feeling very very optimistic now and I am sure that the remainder of my time here will be one of the greatest times of my teenage years.

Half way there

I am past the half way point and I think that time is going to go even faster now. I am learning a lot of Spanish and I am able to communicate  much easier. I have gained like 5 Lb. or more already. : ( but what the hay! this is a once in a life time experience and the don't have the same food back home. Last night i received some very sad, and difficult news. One of my mothers best friends and almost a second mother to me, past away this week. She had had breast cancer for 5 years. She is finally at peace. It is hard being away from my family in these times of tragedy but I know that in the end this will make me a stronger person. 

Half Wa There!

my third month is now almost coming to a close. This means I only have three months left. It´s crazy how the time flies. I feel like i just got here. My spanish is struggling, but it´s mainly because I speak Engilsh with my host brother. It is very dificult at times to adapt to the culture. now that the newnest is gone it is just living regular life and trying to get along like normal, except it is so far from my normal. I have awesome friends. I am playing volleyball and going to a dance class with my other exchange student friend from Switzerland. Well I got to go for now. We have a volleyball game in like 4 minutes sooooooo catch you later!