So, I just got back from my final orientation in Iquique, in the north of Chile. It was only really a day and a half, way to short, and it went by so fast. It was also the district conference of District 4320, which meant we had to go to a meeting and say a few words in front of the presidents of each club of the district, which covers everything north of Santiago in Chile. We only went to the one meeting, and because there are 19 of us, we did not speak long, just where we were from and where we live in Chile, and the meeting we went to was only 2 hours or so. The rest of the time, we just basically got to spend time with the other exchange students, because it was the last time we would see each other.
We also got to go to the Zofri, or the Zona Franca, which is the mall of entirely tax-free shopping. We were there for about 3 hours, a long time, but it also gave us time to hang out all together. I think the weirdest part about the Zofri that I noticed was the fact that it really didn't have a roof. It basically just had a tarp overtop to make shade. Then I remembered where we were. Iquique is in the middle of the Atacama desert, the driest desert in the world, and it NEVER rains. So, obviously they don't really need a roof. Besides the Zofri, we didn't really have time to do a lot of other sight seeing. We all arrived Saturday morning around 1 am and had to leave to the airport or bus station around 4:30 on Sunday. It was a short trip, but I'm glad we had time to spend together one last time.
A few people went home in plane, but we (all the people living in Ovalle, La Serena, Copiapó and Vallenar) had to go in bus. That was because Rotary could not find us flights home. We were travelling on the 18th of May, and the 21st is Battle of Iquique Day, one of the biggest, maybe THE biggest national holidays in Chile. It is the day when Chile won the Pacific war with Peru and took all the land north of Iquique from them. Everyone travels on or around that day, so there were no empty flights for us. That meant we went home on bus, a looooong 21 hour bus ride through the desert, which really, is nothing. Just a lot of sand and really flat land. We left at 6:30 pm on Sunday afternoon and Nikolaj and I arrived at Ovalle, the last stop, around 3:30 pm on Monday. Luckily a lot of it was durin the night, so I slept a lot of the way, but not confortably. I remember waking up once and looking outside, and it was just flat and sand everywhere. I could actually see a lot, because that night also happened to be a full moon. I felt kind of like I was in Aladdin :P
I posted a few pictures of the trip on Facebook and you can view them here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=115790&l=8ef59&id=841485230
So, that was my trip. Definitely short, but well worth it. And since this may be my last entry here in Chile, I thought I'd just say a few things about my exchange year.
I was not sure at all what to expect when I got here. It was a especially hard for me, because at the Spring Orientation in Canada, there were no returning students from Chile, so I really didn't know a lot about what I was getting myself into. Even though Chile is probably the most well-off country in South America, it is a completely different life-style, and one that I got used to almost immediately. Everyone is so kind and open, and the daily pace of life is so calm. Although it still annoys me, I have gotten used to the fact that when someone tells you to meet them somewhere at 5, it really means between 5 and 6. And, even though I have missed spicy food, I looooove the food here. These are just a few of the MANY differences I have experienced this year. And, although there have been hard times, and even harder times, this year has definitely been the best year of my life. I was sad at first when I realized the choice was do this exchange or graduate with my friends back home, since I would be too old to do the exchange next year, and as hard as that decision was for me, it was well worth it and I would not change it for the world. I have met such amazing people this year, both my Chilean friends and family and other exchange students, and although it will be one of the hardest things I have to do to say goodbye to them all, I know I will keep in touch with everyone. This sounds really cliché, but this year really has changed my life and I will never ever forget the places I went and the people I met here. And for that, I want to thank both my host families here in Chile, all my friends, Chilean and exchange, but mostly I want to thank Rotary in Canada and my real family for giving me a chance to do something as amazing as this. Muchas Gracias!!
¡¡¡VIVA CHILE!!!
