I cannot believe it has been a week since I last wrote (and like I swear I say this every time I write here) but what the heck?!?!?! Like I went onto my blog to see what I last wrote about and what I needed to update you guys on and I can't believe I updated it this time last week... I swear it can't have been more than 3 days max.. Anyway here we have my blog for the week:
Firstly I’m going to tell you a little bit about each of my classmates so that in the future, if you don’t know who I am talking about, you can refer back to here haha. I have also included a photo so you can know what they look like (to visualise them if you want ahah).
Starting from the left in the back:
Agostina Alignani - She is really really lovely and gorgeous and is always willing to explain things to me and help me with things which I honestly appreciate so much. I'm not with her a lot of the time outside of school as she doesn't really hang out with this group so much as she has loads of other friends outside of school (and a bf to occupy her time) but she sits in front of me in school and so she is someone who I spend quite a bit of time with in class.
To the right:
Flor Bacci - Flor is a very bubbly and happy person. She is a dancer and is someone who I really want to get to know more as I haven't spent too much time with her as we don't sit together in class. She is super involved in everything and she is someone who I know will go very far in life as she is an all rounder.
To the right:
Lara Simian - Lara went on an exchange to America with Rotary for 3 months over the summer and every time she talks about America and her experiences it’s so cool to see how they relate with mine. She is so lovely and also someone who I am really appreciative to have in my class as she understands what I am going through and is always around to include me or make me smile. She is also just in general a really really lovely person.
To the right:
Guadalupe Polo (sometimes I might refer to her as Lupe) - Lupe is the person who I share a desk with and she is quite a mature person. She is very funny and I love her laugh haha. She always voices what she thinks and doesn’t care what other people think of her which is so cool. She also doesn’t work too much in class and so often we are quite far behind everyone else as often I don’t understand and she doesn’t listen haha but I love her.
Directly in front of me:
Kimberly Pepicelli - Kimberly is someone who I haven’t really gotten to know too well as she doesn't sit very near to me at school and yet from what I know she is very very nice. She is someone who is always engaged and willing to help people. She is studious and very good at volleyball. She also is someone who I'd like to get to know better.
To the right:
Milena Garro - Milena is someone who is very very sporty. I honestly really like her. She always tries to include me and make sure that I am okay. She is also very studious (more so than a lot of the others haha) and is one of the first people that I remember meeting from my course. She is in all honesty just a great person.
To the right and back a little bit:
Huerti Zegatti - Huerti lives quite close to me and so often we end up walking and talking together after school. I really love her personality, she is bubbly and has an infectious smile. She is someone who also has made an effort to get to know me and talk to me which I really appreciate as I know for a lot of people, talking to a person who doesn't speak the language too well is a lot of effort. She is also very gorgeous.
In front of Huerti and a little bit to the right leaning in:
Lucila Domizi - Lucila is so cool, she’s like a little ball of energy haha. She is always laughing and smiling. She is also a dancer and someone who has also made an effort with me, to get to know me. She is someone who is always in the middle of everything, often right at the heart of it and she reminds me a lot of my friends back home and the type of people who I love. She is also very funny when she is drinking ahah.
Now to the left of Lucila and squatting down (basically bottom right hand corner):
Gimena Tejada - Gimena is someone who I adore. She never seems phased that I don't speak perfect Spanish and treats me as if I am just some normal Argentinian which I like. She is also quite mature and is the oldest out of all of us (as she is already 18). She always makes me laugh and I get on really well with her. She has a big personality and doesn't really care what people think of her which is so great. She's also someone who, if for example there's a circle and due to some reason I end up a bit out of it, she will call people out and like bring me into the circle.
To the left:
Candela Tobaldi - Candela is a bit more quiet than the others and lives very near to me. She is so kind and is always someone who I walk home with and so have gotten to know on a more personal level. She's also a dancer and is very caring and an honest to goodness great person! She's hardworking and yet knows how to have a good time and yeah I like her a lot.
To the left:
Gina Antonini - Gina is such an amazing person, she’s a dancer (an incredible one from what I gather as she wants to do it for a career) and is honestly so so crazy and big and out there in the best way possible. She has a big heart and is also really compassionate. She never fails to make me smile and she is also so funny when she drinks hahahaha (very much like Lucila). I have lots of time for her.
To the left:
Ana Morales - Ana is the funniest person in the group hahahaha. She is also someone who is so out there like she is always doing crazy things (for example she marched into the boys bathroom the other day to try and find someone who she wanted to introduce me too) hahaha. She is always someone who will go out of there was to explain things to me if I don’t understand and is so much fun to party with because she is always doing crazy things and making me laugh.
Others that aren't in this photo and a part of a different group are:
Priscilla Perez (sometimes I might refer to her as Pri) - Priscilla is someone who always thinks of others first and is the person who probably most goes out of her way to make sure that I am okay. She is super accepting of everyone and very studious. She has a gorgeous smile and I often will chat with her in class. I really like her.
Mica Bona - Mica is very very quiet from my experiences with her. She is one of the first people that I had a long conversation with as just two people. She is very nice and
Karen Mondino - I really like Karen. She is so lovely and is someone who is very selfless and very helpful. She also goes out of her way to help me without me even asking which is a trait that I really appreciate as an exchange student. She is honestly just a really really great overall person.
Angelica Loza (sometimes I might refer to her as Ange) - I didn't really know Ange until Friday and she is someone who has quite a big personality haha. She is very loud and isn't afraid to voice her opinions. She is very sweet and also very studious.
Agustina Quiroga - Agustina is someone who is quite quiet in class but one time I went home on the back of her motorbike (nearly everyone uses motos to get around here) and she is someone who is very selfless. She will always offer me lifts or speak with me when I am around. I really like her and want to get to know her better.
Lucia Urcia - I don't really know Lucia too well, but from what I know, she is very studious and a really nice person.
I don’t really know the guys too well yet and in truth the class is quite segregated majority of the time (although not in the boliches haha) and with time maybe I will do another character profile type thing on them but yeah for now just the girls of my course.
So yeah in summary those are the girls of my course and I honestly love them all so so much. I am so lucky to be blessed with such amazing friends and I cannot wait for this year to bring many memories together.
Now for the normal kind of stuff:
So yeah in summary those are the girls of my course and I honestly love them all so so much. I am so lucky to be blessed with such amazing friends and I cannot wait for this year to bring many memories together.
Now for the normal kind of stuff:
Something I think is a sign of major improvement in terms of my language skills and my confidence in them, is that now I don't get nervous at the idea of having to have a conversation with people one on one. I think this shows improvement and confidence in my ability to hold a normal conversation with someone without the distraction of other people. I remember the first time I had to walk somewhere with someone one on one and hold a conversation, my heart was in my throat and I swear I was physically shaking I was so nervous.
The weather here is honestly loco (crazy). The day before yesterday we had temperatures of 30-37 degrees and then suddenly yesterday the weather decided that it wanted a change, and suddenly we now have temperatures of 13 degrees. For me the weather feels numbingly cold and I think this is because of the sudden shift in the weather. Hopefully it settles down soon, preferably somewhere in the middle
On Thursday it was the birthday of Juli (one of the girls in quinto año (year 12) at Al Huerto) and so I went over to her house after school with loads of the other girls who I first made friends with (Sara's group). It was so so nice to see them all again, as I hadn't seen them all since school started. It was really cool as I understood so much more and spoke a lot more with them and was basically more me. We also played uno (the card game) which was really fun (ofcourse I won the first game haha) and it was honestly just so great to see them all and catch up.
The weather here is honestly loco (crazy). The day before yesterday we had temperatures of 30-37 degrees and then suddenly yesterday the weather decided that it wanted a change, and suddenly we now have temperatures of 13 degrees. For me the weather feels numbingly cold and I think this is because of the sudden shift in the weather. Hopefully it settles down soon, preferably somewhere in the middle
On Thursday it was the birthday of Juli (one of the girls in quinto año (year 12) at Al Huerto) and so I went over to her house after school with loads of the other girls who I first made friends with (Sara's group). It was so so nice to see them all again, as I hadn't seen them all since school started. It was really cool as I understood so much more and spoke a lot more with them and was basically more me. We also played uno (the card game) which was really fun (ofcourse I won the first game haha) and it was honestly just so great to see them all and catch up.
Last night I went out (despite the freezing weather and rain) with the girls of my course. I honestly had such a great night! We went to the opening of Templo (a boliche here that is only open in winter) and it was so so cool. It is really really big and all indoors. It has stairs up to a platform on one side and numerous bars (on the sides and at the front and back). I'm not too sure why I had such a great time last night in particular, but I think it's just because I was really really included and I danced and just let loose and was more myself.
Something that is coming up is that next week my family are going out of the country for the birthday of my host dad and so I am going to stay with my second host family for a week and I am really nervous at the prospect of it. This is because I have had the same family the whole time I've been here and I just can't imagine living with another family and starting again from scratch to build a family type of relationship. Like I've just started to feel 100% comfortable and feel like this house is my home and I know it's only for a week that I'm going to stay there, but it is going to be a taster of what's to come. The good news is though, is that my second host family are so so nice.
Another new thing that I was introduced to this week is a group called Interact. Interact is a group that is apart of Rotary and its aim is basically to get teenagers involved in projects to help people. I really love the whole idea of it and can't wait to get involved in it all. We had a meeting yesterday to talk about upcoming projects and now I have numerous things to look forward to. For example on Thursday we are going to make Easter eggs and then sell and/or donate them. There aren't that many of us in Interact and the majority are quite young but they are all really great people.
On Friday I had to stay after school for an extra hour and a half because I didn't get something signed (that I didn't know I had to get signed) and so me and about 6 others all stayed behind at school while everyone got to leave early. At first I was quite disgruntled about it, but in truth it was actually quite fun! I got the opportunity to get to know the people that stayed behind on a much more personal level and in a casual setting. It was fun as we didn't have a teacher so just played music and chatted.
Another thing that was a bit of a mess last week was that I found out that we had a test for Geography this coming week and as I don't really understand everything in class, I wasn't sure what I had to do to study for it and if I had to do the test at all. So I went and I talked to a teacher in the school who in turn then went and spoke with the principal. A couple of days later Roxy (a teacher from the school) came up to me and told me that I would have to sit a test but it would be about something else, like how does NZ differ from Argentina geographically (for example) and it would be something much simpler so that I could understand, as the content my course is doing in geo is ridiculously hard.
After this however, on Thursday my Geography teacher told me that I have to do the test after all as I can't be treated as something special just because I am an exchange student and so I have to do as the class does (which I understand) but now I have a test tomorrow and I am so so so screwed. I'm not too sure what I'm going to do because I have tried studying but basically, it all just went in one ear and out the other. I think this is mainly because I am super tired and I don't really have the motivation of needing to do really well. This is because my grades here don't matter so much as I already have the points for uni and it is more just for the culture and the people, so hopefully if I fail badly I won't get into trouble.
I have also been blessed with a nickname by the girls in my course now haha. Ana made a comment about how "molly" is such a soft name and that here they use a lot of swear words in normal conversations and molly (according to Ana) just doesn't really sound right with these words. So we decided that I needed a nickname and Lucila immediately suggested "moledad". Everyone agreed on it and now it is my new nickname haha. I love having a nickname as it just makes me feel even more apart of the group.
Something else I've found quite interesting is being an outsider. I don't mean this as feeling left out, but it's very interesting to watch a course that has been together for many years and the relationships formed, when you come in as a new person. Normally I would be in the thick of it all and so watching from an outsiders perspective is very different for me. It's very intriguing to watch how certain people work to get attention or who's feeling left out or who has a crush on who.
That's it for now, thanks for reading about my thoughts and feelings. To finish here a few photos from my week:
Something that is coming up is that next week my family are going out of the country for the birthday of my host dad and so I am going to stay with my second host family for a week and I am really nervous at the prospect of it. This is because I have had the same family the whole time I've been here and I just can't imagine living with another family and starting again from scratch to build a family type of relationship. Like I've just started to feel 100% comfortable and feel like this house is my home and I know it's only for a week that I'm going to stay there, but it is going to be a taster of what's to come. The good news is though, is that my second host family are so so nice.
Another new thing that I was introduced to this week is a group called Interact. Interact is a group that is apart of Rotary and its aim is basically to get teenagers involved in projects to help people. I really love the whole idea of it and can't wait to get involved in it all. We had a meeting yesterday to talk about upcoming projects and now I have numerous things to look forward to. For example on Thursday we are going to make Easter eggs and then sell and/or donate them. There aren't that many of us in Interact and the majority are quite young but they are all really great people.
On Friday I had to stay after school for an extra hour and a half because I didn't get something signed (that I didn't know I had to get signed) and so me and about 6 others all stayed behind at school while everyone got to leave early. At first I was quite disgruntled about it, but in truth it was actually quite fun! I got the opportunity to get to know the people that stayed behind on a much more personal level and in a casual setting. It was fun as we didn't have a teacher so just played music and chatted.
Another thing that was a bit of a mess last week was that I found out that we had a test for Geography this coming week and as I don't really understand everything in class, I wasn't sure what I had to do to study for it and if I had to do the test at all. So I went and I talked to a teacher in the school who in turn then went and spoke with the principal. A couple of days later Roxy (a teacher from the school) came up to me and told me that I would have to sit a test but it would be about something else, like how does NZ differ from Argentina geographically (for example) and it would be something much simpler so that I could understand, as the content my course is doing in geo is ridiculously hard.
After this however, on Thursday my Geography teacher told me that I have to do the test after all as I can't be treated as something special just because I am an exchange student and so I have to do as the class does (which I understand) but now I have a test tomorrow and I am so so so screwed. I'm not too sure what I'm going to do because I have tried studying but basically, it all just went in one ear and out the other. I think this is mainly because I am super tired and I don't really have the motivation of needing to do really well. This is because my grades here don't matter so much as I already have the points for uni and it is more just for the culture and the people, so hopefully if I fail badly I won't get into trouble.
I have also been blessed with a nickname by the girls in my course now haha. Ana made a comment about how "molly" is such a soft name and that here they use a lot of swear words in normal conversations and molly (according to Ana) just doesn't really sound right with these words. So we decided that I needed a nickname and Lucila immediately suggested "moledad". Everyone agreed on it and now it is my new nickname haha. I love having a nickname as it just makes me feel even more apart of the group.
Something else I've found quite interesting is being an outsider. I don't mean this as feeling left out, but it's very interesting to watch a course that has been together for many years and the relationships formed, when you come in as a new person. Normally I would be in the thick of it all and so watching from an outsiders perspective is very different for me. It's very intriguing to watch how certain people work to get attention or who's feeling left out or who has a crush on who.
That's it for now, thanks for reading about my thoughts and feelings. To finish here a few photos from my week:
This is a photo of me and the girls of my course at school.
This is a photo of my whole year group at my school, with both courses; ciencias naturales y ciencias sociales.
Here we have a really quality photo from last night.
And another photo from last night with Lara.
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