I'm home!!

I'm home!! Man it was so nice to shed all my layers in the DFW airport, and man did I need to!  I forgot what it feels like to wear shorts and a t shirt outside and still be sweating.  I LOVE TEXAS. Simple as that!

I cannot believe that I have spent 10 weeks here.  I can remember my first day here as if it were yesterday, but at the same time it seems like it was ages ago that I landed in the smoggy city of Santiago, Chile, clueless of how my summer was going to pan out, yet hopeful for an amazing experience.  An experience it was.

Coming into the summer, I was almost expectant of a "life changing experience," one similar to that of South Africa.  I knew it was going to be different, but when thinking about my plans for the summer, I knew I wanted it to be exciting.  I didn't want a boring internship geared towards my career quite yet.  I figured I had one more summer of doing what I wanted rather than really thinking about how it was going to affect me once I graduated.  And man, I am so glad I did.  In the past two years (basically since I've come to MIT), I have:

-Survived.  I had a rocky freshman year, rough sophomore Fall, and awesome sophomore Spring.  I had trouble finding joy in the midst of my trials (James 1:2), but man did I find peace once I did.

-Gone/visited/lived/loved South Africa, enough to make it a priority in my life to return.  I intend to go back to South Africa, either to live there for an extended period or simply visit, but either way, I may as well book the ticket!  I just don't know when.  Who would've thought that God had such awesome plans for my life? ;)

-Traveled to Mexico, Honduras, Belize, Indianapolis, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Argentina, and probably more that I can't even think of right now.  How cool is that? 

I can't say that I've had tbe "life-changing experience" I was envisioning back in May, but I can say that I've learned so much!

1. Independence is difficult.  While I enjoy cooking, booking plane tickets by myself, spending time by myself, and traveling, I miss home cooking, having my mom email me a flight confirmation, and laughing by the pool with my best friends.  I've learned how to actually live on my own - not in a dorm with a dining hall and neighbors my age - and been able to appreciate it, but also appreciating being surrounded by people I know and love.

2. Working is not the funnest either.  I loved my job this summer, but it definitely solidified my dislike for 9-5 desk jobs.  Many of my days weren't like this, but some of them were, and I wasn't the biggest fan.  So now the question is grad school or job? Who knows?! Another decision I'll have to make in the next couple of years.

A few things I will miss about Chile:

1. The fruit. Fruit is so. cheap. here. I live nearby a farmer's market type place where I get most of my groceries, and man can I get my bang for my buck there: 1 kilo apples for $1 usd, 6 kiwis for $1 usd, 10 clementines for $1 usd. Man it's going to be hard paying "normal" prices for fruit when I get back.

2. The churro truck outside my apartment.  Oh man, I was able to resist the churro truck most of the time, but every so often, I would give in and pay one dollar for a churro filled with dulce de leche.  Oh my, so delicious!

3. Avocado ("palta"). Here, people eat avocados with everything!  Sandwiches, hot dogs, rice, etc and it is normal.  I love having a "churrasco italiano," a flank steak sandwich with tons of guacamole.  Mmmm

4. Having the beautiful Andes mountains in sight almost everywhere I go.  Granted, some days, I could barely see them, if at all, due to the insane pollution and smog, but it was so beautiful to look outside my window and see the snow covered mountains in the mornings.

5.  Cooking for myself.  I started taking pictures of a lot of my meals that I cooked just so I could look back and see how far I've come (hopefully) when I'm doing fancy things in the kitchen.  One of my favorite meals is salmon, spinach, and rice/lentils.  I also love roasting broccoli in the toaster oven and baking sweet potato fries.  I'm going to miss having a kitchen when I go back to living in a dorm.

"Huevos Rancheros"

Salmon and broccoli

Things I won't miss about Chile:

1. Getting on the train every morning.  Everyone is so squished like sardines.  Not to mention, it's a perfect time for someone to steal your wallet.  Exhibit A, aka me.  I was so stupid and didn't zip my jacket pocket before getting on the metro.  Someone snatched right into my pocket and snagged my wallet, on my LAST day in Chile!  I guess I couldn't get a complete "Chilean experience" without getting pickpocketed.  Granted, I let my guard down, but I just can't believe I let it happen and didn't even notice until an hour later when I needed my wallet again!

2. The smog.  Sometimes I couldn't even see the mountains because the smog was so bad!  I feel so much better now that I can see out in the distance and breathe clean air.

3. Everyone staring at me.  I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating, but it's like I am walking around with a giant target on my forehead!  I feel so uncomfortable and violated, like people are scanning me with x ray vision!

More thoughts later, but for now I'm going to enjoy my 10 days in Dallas before I head back up to school to start my JUNIOR year of college.  Wow, does time fly!

Thanks for reading and following my journey. :)