Mi Vida!

My first two weeks in Tacna are almost up! It's weird to realize that I've been here two weeks - the time has flown by. Everyone is really nice here. I'm constantly amazed my the genuine friendliness everyone shows. In America, this kind of friendliness would only be shown for your good friends. But here, people I've just been introduced to for the first time are shaking my hand, kissing me on the cheek, asking me how I am and how I like Peru, telling me how happy they are that I am here and how they hope I will love the food/performance/movie/city/whatever. It's incredible, and it definitely makes me feel a lot more comfortable when I (try to) speak Spanish. I'm sure I sound horrible, but everyone is helpful and patient, which I really appreciate. 

My family is amazing too. They're all really kind and loving, and have accepted me immediately, which was definitely one of my biggest worries coming into this exchange. But they are honestly incredible, and I couldn't have ever dreamt of a greater family. I've been pretty sick the past few days, because of all of the sudden changes in food and lifestyle, and they have been caring and loving in every way. Luckily I'm feeling better now, but they were so helpful when I was sick. 

But anyways, what have I been up to these past (almost) two weeks? See for yourself: 

I've been exploring the city of Tacna: 

This is the cathedral in the city square. Also, see that gorgeous blue sky? That's winter in Tacna. 

I've been eating delicious food: 

We have soup before every meal. This bowl of sunshine was awesome, as has been every single meal I've had. 

And I've been experiencing local traditions:

This is a giant flag (it fills the entire street, and that's the biggest street in town) that's being paraded around to celebrate the 83rd anniversary of Tacna's reincorporation into Peru.

I've gone to 3 days of school also, but they weren't really school days. We just worked on the school float for the parades and for the first two days most of the girls in my class were still on the class trip (promocion) to Machu Picchu. But everyone is really nice, and they all want to hear about One Direction, Katy Perry, and the Jonas Brothers. Also, they checked to make sure that I don't like Justin Bieber, because none of them do either. I've lost count of how many times I've described Oregon as "arriba de California y bajo de Washington", and of how many times I've explained Presbyterianism as Catholicism without rules, but I really enjoyed my first three unofficial days of school. 

I also met the other exchange student who is in Tacna, Annalena. She's from Germany and is very nice. We work on our Spanish together, and I'm learning (and promptly forgetting) various German words. I imagine our conversations sound very strange, being cobbled together in Spanish and English, but we understand each other for the most part, and are able to laugh at ourselves as well. 

That's just about it, and my computer is about to die, so chau for now!

Emily

In Tacna!

After spending practically a day in the air, I arrived in Tacna on the 20th! It's very different from Oregon - it's kind of like a really really dry California.  I was met at the airport by my host mom and a group of Rotarians. After going home and resting a bit, I went to my very first Rotary meeting. Here the men meet on Monday and the women meet on Friday. The meetings are somehow the same as they are in America what with the feeling of friendship and the cracking of jokes. They were all really nice to me and even sang happy birthday to me and gave me presents. It was very unexpected and very kind of them. Today I worked on unpacking, and then I visited the market and my future school. The market is an open air market and is comprised of various small stalls stuck together. It was very fun to visit, as was my school. It's an all girls Catholic school, and right now all the girls my age are away on their class trip to Machu Picchu. The school is very pretty, and there are all ages of girls who go there. My mother and I went to the school to pick up my sister Micaela, who is 7, and I met two of the teachers. I've had a great first two days, and I really like my family. They are very kind and funny, and are really patient and help me with my Spanish. Speaking of Spanish, I'm definitely picking it up with every passing second. I can understand most everything as long as it's not really fast, and while I usually slaughter the various tenses, for the most part I think I get my meaning across. I'm having a great time so far, and I'm looking forward to learning more and more everyday.
So chau (that's the informal way of saying adios) for now, mis amigos!
Emily

On the Way (Sort of)

Today a plane took off from Portland with my friend Zoe and me on board. And it took us to Peru! Not really. That plane took us to the next step of our journey, L.A. We landed at about 1:00 pm, and it is now around 6:45 pm. And we haven't left L.A. Nope, this is simply the fun that comes with a NINE HOUR layover. We fly out for Lima at 10 tonight. So with some time on our hands, I figured I would share a little bit more of my story.
This morning I said goodbye to my family and a few of my closest friends at the Portland airport. I've never been away from my family and friends for longer than a few weeks. But go big or go home I guess, and so from a few weeks of separation, I decide to go a whole year. Yay. But despite how much I'll miss everyone back home, I know I am going into a really kind and welcoming host family down in Tacna. My two parents both seem really nice and loving, as do my host siblings. I have an older brother (30) who still lives at home, an older sister (27) who goes to university in Brazil. I have a 16 year old sister, and I am so excited to go to school with her. Also, I have a 7 year old sister, and I am so excited to live with all ages of siblings in my family. I'll meet them all tomorrow, and I can't wait.

Adios for now,
Emily

Zoe and I about to get our tickets and fly out from Portland! 

Less Than a Week to Go

I have less than a week until I board a plane at the Portland Airport that will take me off to the next year of my life, in Peru.  If you had asked me a year ago, I would have told you my plans for the rest of my high school career. My junior and senior years would be spent taking IB classes, playing soccer, hanging out with friends, and preparing for college. All of this would happen in Salem, Oregon, the town I’ve lived in all my life. Predictable. That would have been the best word to describe my life up to my sophomore year, and then beyond, if I hadn’t gotten a letter in the mail, inviting me to an informational meeting about Rotary Youth Exchange. That letter, and the interviews, paperwork, weekend training retreats and meetings that followed it, led up to something that I hadn’t planned for at all. I never expected to be spending my junior year in a foreign country. I had never  even considered going to a foreign country for more than vacation. But that letter led to this, the next step of my life, and the only acceptable reason for saying ‘yolo’ seriously: going on exchange.

I’m going to be spending the next year of my life in Tacna, Peru. Tacna is a city about twice the size of Salem, located at the very southernmost tip of Peru. I’ll be living with a local family (or probably 2 or 3), going to school, and making new friends and memories that will last me the rest of my life. But that one sentence is as much as I can predict for the next year of my life. It’s as much as I can plan for. This next year is going to be awesomely unpredictable. I’ll be posting pictures and updates on here, and if you’re curious, feel free to follow along. The next post will include a picture of me, probably surrounded by my luggage, ready to go. But that’s as much as I can predict about what my life, and this blog, is going to be like from now on.  

So adios for now,

Emily