Escuela (2 semanas!)

So this week was great, but the biggest and most exciting thing that happened was me starting school! Please note that while I'm mentioning differences between West De Pere and Sophia Bunge, in no way do I prefer one over the other. As an exchange student we're taught to say that things are different, not better or worse. Please don't get offended if it sounds like I'm degrading either school, as I'm only picking out differences to explain what school is like for me here in comparison to how it is in the United States. Please also know that this is just my experience, and my view on things.

I'm attending a large (large for Ituzaingo, small for WI standards) Catholic school in my town called Instituto Madre Sophia Bunge. I'm the only exchange student in my school, despite what I originally thought. I have a uniform, which I'll add a picture of eventually.The uniform is a plaid skirt, white polo, blue socks/tights and black shoes. For gym I have jogging pants, a red shirt, white tennis shoes and a track jacket. I actually enjoy it; it allows me to fit in a little bit more. However, everyone still knows me as the girl from the United States. All of the younger kids love saying hello and goodbye to me in English and sometimes they wave and blush if I look at them, which is super cute.

At school we have 2 different tracks- Sociales and Economía. I'm in the economics track, which means my classes are more business related. Currently I'm taking chemistry, English, micro and macro-economics, math, Spanish literature, politics and city, organizational management, history, law, accounting, a religion class, geography and gym. There are 19 other kids in my class, I think, with only 3 boys. I really like everyone, and they're super helpful with Spanish and translating/explaining what's going on. My Spanish skills are still very minimal, but I'm learning. I brought my yearbook from freshman year to show them, and they thought it was the coolest thing. They really enjoyed the Senior pictures and pictures from homecoming and prom. They thought it was hilarious when I told them I rode the school bus to school, and they kept saying 'this is just like in the movies!'. They were also jealous of the fact that we have school sports and lockers.

In the morning at my school we have a flag-raising ceremony, and a morning prayer. We all line up by grade level, I'm in the second to last grade. They say what I believe to be the Hail Mary and Our Father in Spanish. They also say something while the flag is being raised, but I don't know if it's religious or not. Then, one of the teachers or the headmaster says another prayer. I was included in the prayer on my second day at school and almost every person in the room turned and looked at me, it was so embarassing. My first day there, kids were super excited. I was kind of scared at some points, people were just flocking towards me. They handed me their phones to listen to various types of music, and asked whether or not I liked it. They also asked tons of questions, which was a little difficult because of the language barrier. I may have accidently told a girl I was personal friends with Justin Bieber. Oops. She freaked out, and I later had to explain to her that I thought she had asked if I knew who he was, not if I actually knew him. I think at first some of the younger kids kind of assumed I was famous because I was from the United States.

School is a lot different here. Security is higher.. in the morning to enter school grounds we have to be buzzed in, as the entire school is surrounded with gates and walls, and then we have to be buzzed in again to enter the actual school. The way class is taught is also different. We don't have electronics in the classroom that aid in teaching (other than lights, our cellphones and calculators, if you count that). But no iPads or netbooks or SmartBoards, like in WDP. If we want a copy of something, we have to pay for it. Textbooks are also the student's responsibility.. we can either buy one new or take another student's and make a copy of every page, but either way we have to pay. Teachers use the chalkboards and textbooks to teach, so many of the classes are lecture based. Classes also seem to be more relaxed, as we haven't gone over as much information in one week as we do in West De Pere. Teachers and students in general have closer relationships here than in the US. Because the kids sit in the same spot everyday, all day long (as teachers move rooms, not students), teachers expect the class to look the same way everyday. It was funny to see their faces as they scanned the classroom to see if everyone was present, when they noticed that I was there. Some teachers assumed I was just a transfer from another school so they would start speaking to me in rapid Spanish and all I could do is give a blank stare, say 'uhhhhh' and desperately look around the room for help. The language barrier is still the hardest part about being here. In stores, on the street, etc. people don't question whether I know Castellano because there definitely aren't any tourists in Ituzaingo, and foreigners are just about as rare as they are in De Pere.

My favorite class is math, as it's pretty universal and I've always just liked math. If I don't understand something my math teacher just shows me how to do it and I watch, we don't really ever have to talk. So far it's also kind of a repeat of what I learned last year, so it's nice to refresh and have something familiar. My least favorite class is English. I'm not a fan of the way it's taught, and if I'm going to participate, I feel like it should be to help the class, not because I need to prove to my English teacher I know English. If you need me to prove to you that I know English, I can definitely write a paragraph about my favorite movie like the rest of the class, but I find it a little over the top to make me buy/make copies of an English book so I can do the exercises and show to you I do know the difference between 'I walk to school' and 'I sleep to school'. Oh well. It is nice though as it's a break for my mind and I use it as a time to practice my Spanish, when I can.

Overall, I really like school here. I get bored, but that's only because I get sick of trying to understand what's going on. I know that once my language skills get better, school will be a lot more enjoyable as I'll be able to talk to the teachers and students more. I'm making friends (I think? haha), but as I'm still trying to get used to the language and my surroundings, I'm still not comfortable (and I don't think my host parents are either) with going out with only friends quite yet.

It's been a wonderful two weeks. There's been a few small ups and downs, but overall it's been pretty great. I still have many weeks left, and I'm sure the ups and downs will become more drastic, but I'm so excited that I'm in Argentina. Originally I thought it would hit me when I got on the plane or when I got here, but I still laugh at myself sometimes and have to tell myself that I'm in another country and that I'm here for an entire year. I don't think it's going to hit me until I leave Argentina, when I'll be sad to leave.

I love all of you, but homesickness still hasn't hit.

(But a shout out to Kaylee Beck in Africa! I definitely miss you, hermana.)

Until next week, maybe!

Micah

Una Semana

I'm in Argentina, and it's already been a week. I apologize if there are any spelling errors, my laptop broke, so I'm using my host family's, and their language setting is set in Spanish, so almost everything I write is shown as an error.

Life here so far is very great and super low-key. I haven't started school yet, so I sleep in, hang out with my host family, learn Spanish, and occasionally go places with my host family. Friends and family seem to be very important here, and we're almost always accompanied by them. Hopefully I'll start school next week.

This will be a very short post, I apologize, but I didn't journal much in the beginning of the week, and I honestly don't remember a lot of what has happened. It's all kind of smushing together and becoming a blur; I can't believe it's already been a week. I've been starting to write things down though, so next week I'll have more to post.

I wish I could say I missed all of you, but to be honest, I haven't had any feelings of homesickness yet. This is, however, already the longest I've ever been away from home, so we'll see. I do love all of you though, and this year will fly by fast if it's anything like the last week has been.

besos,

Micah

2 days!

This is insane. I'm leaving in 2 days. It's definitely sinking in and saying goodbye is a combination of sorrow and joy, tears and laughter. I'm so happy to be given this opportunity, but at the same time, how do you say good bye to the life you've always known? Everything from here on out will be completely different. Different food and toilets and people and language and school and culture. I would like to say I'm ready and excited to take on this experience, but part of me is holding back. I've never completely been a free-spirited and adventurous girl. I stay pretty safe when it comes to trying new foods and doing new things, but I need to find a happy medium between being safe and living on the edge. I can skim the edge, but continue wearing a helmet and harness, and I'll be perfectly content. TWO DAYS. It's weird. I'm on a complete emotional roller coaster, as you could probably guess. Saying goodbye to friends, I'll be ecstatic that I'm leaving and excitedly talking about my coming adventures one moment, but the tears are streaming down my face the next. It's all so crazy, and I still have moments of disbelief. This has been what I have wanted for nearly two years. I'm going to be living with a host family in Argentina! I'll be going to school and learning Spanish and I'll see and try so many different things and meet so many new people.

I still have stuff to do. I have to work tomorrow, the day before I leave, which is a little insane, but it will help keep my mind occupied. I'm almost done packing, it's just the things I'm using like my laptop, purse, journal, toiletries, some clothes, etc. that I haven't been able to pack. I've already had to say good-bye to some friends and family, and that's been hard, but everything is slowly coming together as my departure date is rapidly approaching.

I leave at 11:45 am from Green Bay. From there I fly to Chicago, Miami and finally arrive in Buenos Aires at 6:15 am Friday, Argentine time, where I will be met by some members of my host family as well as possibly some friends and Rotarians.

My host family has told me repeatedly how excited they are to meet me, and I can definitely say the same to them. This will be such an amazing year, and although I have my doubts, I really can't wait for it to start.

I will miss everyone very much, and I want to thank everyone who has helped me get this far. Continue reading, I'll try to keep updating at least once a week while I'm in Argentina, but I'm not making any promises. I'll at least try once a month, it depends on how many crazy, fun experiences and things I'll have going on.

Nos vemos,

Micah

August already?!

I can't believe it's August. Time has been so strange this past year- slow when I wanted it to go faster and fast when I wanted it to go slower. My exchange used to seem so far away, and it still hasn't hit me, completely. I'm leaving this month. THIS MONTH. At this point I think I will be leaving somewhere around the 24th, but I don't know anything for sure. My vaccinations are mostly complete, I just have to take some pills that vaccinate against Typhoid. I ordered a new camera and an adapter, I have my suitcases and most of the gifts that I'm going to bring. These next couple of weeks are just going to be saying good bye, packing and making sure everything is in order. It's weird that I'm getting ready to leave but I don't know when it is exactly that I'm leaving. I've started a packing list that I add to whenever I think of something else I should bring with me. I have no idea how I'll be able to fit everything in the luggage I'm allowed to bring, although I don't know what airline I'm flying with yet, so I don't know luggage restrictions.

At this point, I'm practicing my Spanish more and more (it still kinda really sucks) and I just can't wait to leave. It's so strange to think that in 3 weeks I will be in Argentina and won't be coming home for a year. I'm not going to be going to WDPHS, I'll be going to Instituto Madre Sofía Bunge. I won't have classes in English, I'll have classes in Spanish. I won't be living with my family, I'll be living with the Gonzalezes. I won't be hanging out with the friends I've known forever, I'll meet new ones. Instead of a boring, familiar and cold year in Wisconsin, I'll have a year of experiences and memories and sights and sounds and smells that aren't even remotely close to any of the ones my family or friends have had.

I just can't wait for this year to start. I'll keep everyone posted on my departure info.

Nos vemos!
Micah

Grand Rapids

This past weekend I went to the Central States Rotary Youth Exchange conference in Grand Rapids. There were about 1300 people overall- volunteers, parents, rebounds, inbounds, outbounds, and Rotarians. I met so many wonderful people and became a lot closer to the people I already did know. Here's an incomplete breakdown of what we did at this conference:

Thursday July 11th
We had a long bus ride- left Green Bay at 7, arrived in Grand Rapids at 6 (Michigan time). Registered, ate dinner, checked into our rooms, missed our first meeting because we were late, and hung out with tons of exchange students. We were all out on the lawn in the middle of the campus and pretty much just running around looking for people who were from, going to, or back from our host country. It was nice to have conversations with people from all over the world; so many of these exchange students were such great ambassadors for their countries, and I learned about countries I didn't know much about before. Over the course of the weekend I met 1 girl from Argentina (besides Flor and Paz, the wonderful inbounds that I roomed with at the previous conference), 1 rebound back from Argentina, and 3 other girls going to Argentina. Out of the 3 other outbounds, 1 is leaving in August, and the other 2 are leaving in January and don't know where they're going yet. That night we also had a dance, which was so amazing. Exchange students are great dancers, it's a fact.

Friday July 12th
I woke up early and because none of my roomates were up yet I decided to go to breakfast alone. I love that at this conference you can just sit down at a table and people will fill you into the conversation and you're instantly friends, there's no awkwardness about it. Throughout the course of the day we had various meetings, which were really helpful, but probably the highlight of the day was the opening ceremonies. This was the first time everyone was all in the same room (all 1300 of us filed into the auditorium), the outbounds carried in the flags, everyone was cheering, and the energy from this point to the end of the conference was just fantastic. We had some wonderful speakers throughout the conference, and they were great. On Friday night we had another dance which was so much fun, high energy, and there was great music. I'm not sad that I'm going to miss prom at all- dancing with exchange students is a thousand times better, plus we got to eat pizza and there was not nearly as much drama as there would be at prom.

Saturday/Sunday
These days were by far the best, and I'm grouping them together because we didn't get any sleep and they really just blend together. We had meetings which were fun, but we also had a Brazil vs. the World soccer game- Brazil won, pin trading (where I completely ran out of pins, but got some really cool ones), a "Welcome Home to the Rebounds" ceremony, a variety show with some SERIOUS talent, a great dance, and then curfew was one on Saturday, but we all went to the basement and talked all night. At 5 Sunday morning we all came upstairs, watched the sunrise together and then played a game of beach volleyball, which was definitely hilarious. It was 6:30 in the morning, and literally none of us had slept in 24 hours, plus we're not really athletic to begin with, so it started out as volleyball but ended with 'let's just chuck the ball over the net and see how long we can hit it back and forth'. We had breakfast, packed the bus up and left. One of my favorite outbounds, Christy, couldn't ride the bus, so I was kind of a mess during breakfast, and it was hard saying goodbye. We all slept the first half, but after we stopped for lunch in St. Ignace, MI, the bus was a lot more awake. We realized that this would be the last time we see each other until Grand Rapids next year, or even after that. It's so weird to think that exactly a year from today not only will my exchange year be done, but so will next year's Grand Rapids conference. We'll all be near fluent in another language, have tons of new friends and memories, and have changed for the better.

I'll be leaving somewhere around a month. That means I have less than 5 weeks in the United States to finish getting ready. I feel like I'm in between right now- Grand Rapids is over and now I'm just anxiously waiting for Argentina. I'm so confused; my emotions are being pulled in all different directions- I love the people I've met, as I feel like I've known them all my life, and I can't wait to meet more, but there are people I've actually known all my life who I'm going to miss. There's a world of unknowns, which is why I'm scared and excited and nervous and anxious and happy and sad and confused. It's only a year, but so much will change. I feel like it's all starting to feel real. The emotion that continues to overpower everything is excitement!

I'm just SO EXCITED.

Here's a picture from the conference with some of the most amazing people ever. I really wish I had a picture of all of the outbounds, as they're all so great, but here's 5 of the 24. Photo credit to the wonderful Sarah Bauer.

Hopefully the next time I'm writing it will be to tell you when I'm leaving!

I love you all, 

Micah

Another Update

I can't believe I'll be leaving in less than one and a half months. It's so surreal, but at the same time I'm so excited, and I can't wait for this summer to be over.

I've added a girl on facebook from Switzerland who will be in the next town over in Argentina. We've been talking a lot and both can't wait to arrive! We'll only be a few miles away from each other, and there are some other students that will be in the area, and my town, as well. The girl from Switzerland is arriving in Buenos Aires on the 16th, so I think I'll leave somewhere around that time, too.

To be honest, having a tourist visa is so much easier at this point. I didn't have to fill out a million things and have them notarized or have an Apostille attached. I only needed to send in a copy of my passport, a permission form, and then Rotary will send in my host guarantee form. When this is approved by the government, I will be able to plan my flight and eventually leave! Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that everything is smooth-sailing from here on out.

On July 8th I have to give a presentation to my local Rotary club as a practice for the one that I have to give in Argentina. The only difference with this one is that it will be in English and I'll be getting advice from the Rotarians to help make it better for the real one that I will eventually have to give in Spanish. Because the purpose of Rotary exchange is partly to be an 'ambassador' of your country, the presentation is just about the United States, Wisconsin, and De Pere, as well as life in it. It'll mostly be pictures, and I'll (hopefully!) be able to block the misconceptions that many people from around the world have about the United States. When I get back from Argentina, I'll do the opposite- I'll give the De Pere Rotary club a presentation about life in Argentina.

Also coming up is the wonderful and much-anticipated Central States Rotary conference in Grand Rapids! It will be the last time to see all of the Outbounds from Wisconsin before we're dispersed off all around the globe. We'll also have the chance to meet many other kids going to or from our host countries. Overall there will be around 1500 past, present and future exchange students. I promise I'll take lots of pictures!

Another major thing that happened recently was saying goodbye to my sister, Kaylee. She is in Malawi, Africa now with the Peace Corps doing some wonderful things. It was really hard because my exchange year will be sandwiched right in between her two years, and it will be strange not having her there when I leave or there when I get back. I miss her so much, but I hope she's having the time of her life and learning a lot.

I don't know if you've noticed, but the title of my blog is "Exchange isn't a year in your life, but your life in a year". This is the (unofficial?) Rotary Youth Exchange motto. So many great things will happen this year, and I can't wait to experience them. Yes, I'm scared. Yes, it will be hard. But I know that I have loving friends and family back home who will be there to help support me and send me letters. I've only been on a plane twice (to Washington D.C. and back), I've never left the country, I've never been away for more than a week, I don't know Spanish, I'm going to be living with people I'm never met, in a country that I didn't know much about until a few months ago, and I'm not the most outgoing person ever. This sounds crazy, and yes, I might be a little insane, but this next year will be one of the absolutely best years of my life. Everything that is normal and familiar will be stripped away from me, and I'll learn so much about myself and the world. And while I will be back in De Pere in about a year's time, I will have very limited opportunities to travel back to Argentina, let alone get up and leave for a year to travel somewhere new. While I do hope this year begins a lifetime of travel and new things, there are so many unknowns. I hate to be morbid and cliche, but nobody knows how long they're going to live. All of those overused quotes are right: we have to live like we're dying, living everyday to the fullest. While I know some people are perfectly happy staying where they are, I don't like that there are about 196 countries I've never been to, or that there are more than 7 billion people I've never met. De Pere is great, it really is, but sometimes I think it's holding me back. This year, it won't.

Update

They had some trouble getting my visa, so I won't be getting a student visa, instead I'll have to get a tourist's visa and travel out of the country every 90 days to get it renewed. I'll have to pay a fee each time, but the Rotary in Argentina helps plan the trips. While this is a little inconvenient, at least I'll be able to travel out of the country! 

I've been in contact more with my host family, and I can't wait to actually meet them. We're planning on skyping soon, but before that I need to work on my Spanish. My goal is to practice Spanish for an hour a day everyday this summer. My host sister does speak English really well, but obviously the point is for me to learn Spanish. 

Here's a picture of my host family: 

My host father, Amadeo, my host sister, Camila, my host brother, Thiago, and my host mother, Claudia. 

The only person I haven't had contact with is Thiago. He's my friend on facebook, but apparently he's too shy to talk to me. 

Everything is slowly coming together!

¡Adiós!