prepared.

i've spent that last couple of days preparing to facilitate my first cono sur conference. i'll be in the newie track teaching all the new aiesecers here about what ogx is, how we do it, and hopefully foster some discussion on how we can do it better. i'm really nervous, especially since i'm thinking i might have to try to do my sessions in spanish, but really excited too. doing the work for the conference has prepared me in ways that transition couldn't to do my job, and with each presentation completed i become more confident :)

i was lucky that the aiesecer i stayed with here in concepción liked to go out :) though not a big city, concepción has its own unique style of "nightlife," almost more like a college town. the city is charming, the people are nice, and though calm in the streets, i suspect that the aiesecers that all arrived here for the conference today are crazy, ha ha ;)

so in a couple of hours i'll be trying my best to remember people's names, learn some new dances, and explain myself effectively in some sort of language, whether it be english, spanish, or spanglish.

as i was told once when i sneezed here by a guy that speaks very good english but didn't know the difference between salud for sneezing and salud for drinks in english...cheers :)

familiar

this all seems familiar, somehow. i have so much to learn, lots of people to meet, a huge and wonderful adventure ahead of me, fear, shyness, and just me to carry myself through. i haven't been expected to depend on anyone else here, and i like that. and i haven't felt like i needed to, really.

but i do have some holes in my heart from home. i guess that's to be expected.

though chileans are more like americans in some ways than i ever would've imagined. and i'm like them in some ways that makes this feel familiar.

the first person of my team (besides me and the mcp) arrives tomorrow - the apartment is slowly becoming home. i know where to do laundry, buy groceries, have a cell phone, and have been able to have fun in parties speaking only spanish :) i'm excited and scared to death, but i guess that's normal.

here's to the city graceful in its cleanliness and pensive in its personality. and here's to the year ahead.

estoy aquí

it still hasn't sunk in that i'm really here and this is really happening.

i arrived this morning in santiago, chile with little drama (much less than getting to brazil). well, it would've been perfect except for the fact that i realized as i went through customs that i had left my winter coat on the plane. this was quickly remedied, however, and i was soon able to be on my way. javi, the current mc vp er, met me at the airport and guided me through the trek through bus and metro to the "flat," as they've been calling it (yay for british english, ha ha).

it turns out that though he's mexican, he lived in the u.s. for 3 years during college so he's been able to relate the differences that i might notice, which is interesting. turns out they love french fries with meat and onions here, mayonnaise is different and plentiful (though i still don't intend to eat it), and avacado is a staple. they don't eat beans at all though, it seems, which is really sad :( the metro was eerily quiet, a far cry from the echoing conversations of marta.

i'm already missing some people from home, but i think (and hope) i'll adapt quickly to this impeccably clean city, surrounded by mountains clouded in smog. i'll do my best at least :)

pictures will be coming soon. and as i sit here in the café (yay starbucks), trying to figure out what the rest of the day will bring, i know that my adventure has already begun.

tomorrow...

...is the first day of the next phase of my life
...i get on a plane that leaves for santiago, chile
...has come quickly
...is exciting
...is terrifying
...i will still be me
...will be full of goodbyes
...awaits the hellos on the other side

...i will, once again, begin a new adventure
...a new dream will be born
...i will go forward not forgetting for a second what's behind

bring on tomorrow.

...the final countdown

so i leave a week from today for my year-long adventure in chile. just wrote a 13-page analysis of current exchange trends and proposals for the next year today.

it all got me thinking more and more about it and how real and fast it's becoming.

i need to pack to unpack, practice my spanish a little, spend quality time with my friends, boyfriend, and family, take care of some logistical and errand-ish things, and just enjoy being here at home.

i'm not scared though, which is a different sensation than the 2 times i went abroad for much shorter periods of time than this before...that's one of the first things that everyone assumes, too. that i must be terrified of going alone to a country thousands of miles away.

maybe i will be as the day gets closer...but is it weird that i'm not?

mother's day

i have the best parents in the world. seriously.

maybe i'm biased, but you know, it can't be a bad thing to love your parents and think they're awesome, right? and since today is mother's day, i want to talk about my mom :)

i've been a crazy (but good, of course) kid over the years. in middle school i came home upset that "boys didn't like me" - in high school i was the artsy, introspective, and slightly emo kid that came home upset when my first boyfriend broke my heart - in college, i went from the crew girl to the aiesec kid with everything in between and came home upset when i felt like i was going to fail out of georgia tech and had no idea what i wanted to do with my life. and all these times, and more (including all of the good times), my mom has been there for me. i don't think she's seen eye-to-eye with me always on my ways of dealing with or approaching things (like going to chile for a year, for example), but she's always understood on some deeper level and allowed me to do and be what i felt i needed at the time. she's taken care of me and her worries, i know, are there because she cares for me. she's fun, funny, smart, talented, and has taught me a lot about lots of things, even just by listening.

i am a better person because of her, and i love her very much.

thanks for everything, mom :) and happy mother's day!

the deed has been done...

...i graduated! hard to believe, but the moment came in went in a frenzy of gold and white hoods, swinging tassels of the same color, and seas of black, flowing robes. after sitting amidst this sea for 1.5 hrs, the walk across the stage took only a few seconds, the only thoughts occupying my mind being "yes!" and "don't trip!"

yesterday, thought not the day of my graduation, held family, food, memories, and gifts, as well as the graduation of many good friends :) everything went by so fast to the point that by the end of the day, i could barely keep my eyes open or my head clear.

and now, it's already sunday. packing my life (once again) looms on the horizon and emails have already arrived provoking thought for strategies and ideas for the next year.

it's been an amazing weekend, but very fast. and i don't feel like this will be the only one. only 2.5 weeks until chile, and in that time, there's so much to be done, so many people to see.

overwhelming but exciting. let's get started!