Cut in Two

Okay so I'm officially really really sad today.

I have a week left and I have most of my stuff packed up. I'm not sure if I'll need another bag or not. I'm a good packer and things are fitting quite nicely. I know what I'm going to wear to fly in already. In fact, I knew when I got the clothes for Christmas that I was going to wear them to fly in because they are sooooooooooooo comfortable.

I cried when I had a dream about waking up in my own bed in my own room in Michigan. It kinda scared me to think about it like that, just suddenly being there with no good byes, no I'll miss you so much. I don't know how I'm going to handle that when the time comes. In a way it's worse than coming here because I'm attached to both ends and stuck in the middle.

Okay so enough with the dramatic sad stuff.

I spent the night at a friends house this past Saturday (the 26th and 27th). We were soooo crazy. It was a ton of fun. We stayed up until like 4 in the morning watching movies and being silly and talking. It was a ton of fun.

The family and I went to La Serena yesterday (monday 28) and hung out on the beach after a lunch in the mall. I couldn't help but think that that was probably the last time I will go there.

For new year I'm getting together with friends. We're thinking about going dancing but no one is for sure yet because it's more expensive to get in and it's going to be packed every where.

Maybe we'll go the day after... just for the fun of it.

I'll try to get at least one more post in before leaving Chile. After New Year I think.

Merry Chistmas!!

Merry Merry Chirstmas! I hope you got everything you asked for.

I made out like a bandit. El Viejito Pascuero brought me a pair of Converse to go with the clothes that Cristian Janet and Cristians parents bought me.

Christmas is a little different here as you may have guessed. There is obviously no snow but besides laying by the pool and getting a tan on Christmas Eve...
We started with a family dinner with Christmas music. Pizza and tons of deserts... I made smores as a contribution.
After that we opened and exchanged gifts.
CARMEN YOU ARE THE BEST!!!
Then we went to Cristian's parents for more gifts and after that there was a surprise at the house. Santa had come! So we opened gifts from Santa and went to Janet's parents after.

We got home at about one in the morning and everyone but Janet and I went to sleep. Janet and I were up until four just talking and being silly like we've been best friends forever and days. We were dancing in the living room to MTV just for the fun of it and eating leftover desert stuffs from the dinner. It was great.

Today I woke up at about eleven and just after I ate something Mom called and I got to talk to my family in the states as they set up the Wii. Zeke nearly made me cry but it's only because he told me that the only thing he didn't get that was on his list for Santa was me. That little mush ball.

I got gifts from my Grandparents Welly, Heather and Ed that I saved and opened yesterday as well. Grandma made me cry with her note. The gifts were great.
Heather- way to make me have to explain my way out of the whole garlic salt thing... kidding.
Ed- perfect for the plane ride home

I hope all my friends liked the little something I sent their way for Christmas...I couldn't do much but I wanted you all to know that I was thinking about you.
Hattie the purse you sent me is amazing! I'm going to use it from now on.

I can't think of anything else.
No plans for New Years yet. I have to call a friend of mine who invited me to go out with her that night and figure out if she still wants to do it.

Hope you all are having or had a great Christmas and a happy new year!

School's Out For Summer!

It’s been a while I know. The end of school meant exams which meant studying and then finally the party with all my friends. We had a ton of fun.

I’ve been in the pool almost every day though. It’s so perfect because it’s just cold enough to get you cooled down from the heat but not too warm like bathwater to make you sleepy.

I’m really not feeling the Christmas season. I mean sure there are decorations and buying presents and all that jazz but there’s no snow, there’s no hot chocolate after playing outside, there’s no smell of pine and there’s no “Becca water the tree before you go to school!”

I miss those things and yet I’m loving the sun. It feels like it should be July and we’re getting ready for fireworks or something. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get back. I set foot in the States at about 5 in the morning via the Miami airport. That’s crazy time but I should live and hopefully sleep on the plane.

I’m working on a presentation for you guys…I’ll see what I can do about putting it online for those of you who want to see it and won’t be able to attend. It’s going to be very strange seeing the pictures that I have taken and trying to explain the crazy that is my life. (Not that I would change it for anything.)

So only a few weeks left. I see things from home and they make me cry again. Then again I see things that I won’t see again that are here and I cry for them too. I am torn in two pieces and those pieces are both an emotional thin ice. I don’t know what I’m going to do with these feelings. I hope my family can keep me busy when I get back. I’m sure Zeke alone will be able to keep me busy.

Oh! That makes me think of something else. I was e-mailing with mom the other day and I told her I was (because of my tan) a toasted marshmallow done by daddy and therefore perfect. I thought that had to be the best analogy I’ve come up with in a long time.

If the box I’m waiting for, ever gets here I’m going to teach the kids what smores are. If not I’m going to be eating marshmallows on the airplane. Ha Ha Ha!

I hope the stuff I sent with Scott made it to everybody okay. If not it’s his fault so you can yell at him. (Just kidding)
I hope Tony and Deb enjoy the wine. I was told it’s one of the better ones in Chile. Not from my region but the region just to the south of where I am now. The wine I sent Scot is, however, from this region and it was double the cost of the two that I got for Tony and Deb just to demonstrate how good of a wine it is. Therefore, he only got the one.


Hope everyone is having a great Christmas season. I can’t wait to come and see you all when I get back.

UNCLE SCOT!!!!

Uncle Scot was here today!
It wasn't very long but the guy is on a tight schedule so I forgive him.
I was so happy to see him. I mean REALLY happy to see him.

We ate lunch at the hotel Turismo which is the best place in all of Ovalle to eat and plus we had everything specially done because the chef is a friend of the family. It was delicious... minus the crawdad. I didn't like that. The ribs however were to die for and for desert a blueberry moose with cherry and papya. DELICIOUS!

Tony and Deb sent an amazing basket of goodies for the family for Christmas. Complete with wine sardines pineapple, chocolates... etc.
He also sent me a SD card full of music! I'm listening to it right now. I REALLY love it!!!!

What esle?

This weekend is a long one. Tomorrow I'm going to the mall with friends and we'll see New Moon because I waited so paciently for it to come here.

On Sunday I will go with my class to the coast and camp out on the beach over night. It will be soo much fun. It's like an end of the year tradition as I understand and thankfully we come back on Monday which we don't have school for. That leaves me Tuesday with nothing to do but prepare for exams which start on Wednesday when we go back to school.

Today marks 32 days left of Chile.
I can't tell you if I'm sad or really happy.
I'm kind of being ripped in two by the thought of it and my family constantly tells me how much they are going to miss having me around. I will figure something out though. I want to see my family in the states pretty bad.

I have three dual enrollment classes scheduled for when I get back.
English 111
Spanish 102 (I think that's the right number)
International Relations
I there fore have three high school classes to finish out my year but don't worry I can juggle pretty well.

Excited and nervous for graduation and it's only December.... What am I going to do when May rolls around?

I think that about rounds out my day.
Better get some sleep before tomorrow...