SCL-SLC. Heading Home

The day is here to leave SCL and go home to SLC.  It seems like not that long along ago that I was sitting in business class next to a Chilean business man with Brandan behind me and Murphy in the other cabin. Wasn’t I just taking my first pictures in Santiago, eating hamburgers with no buns, and singing karaoke at Louisiana? Wasn’t I just getting off the bus in Viña meeting my host mom, all of us nervous wondering who our new families would be? Wasn’t I just going through orientation at school taking that introduction Spanish exam sitting next to Logan laughing?  Those things seem like not that long ago, but in fact it was 140 days ago when I first arrived in Santiago full of questions about what my next 4+months would be like, but with a big smile ready for an adventure.

I just re-read the essays I wrote for my study abroad application from back in January when I referred to study abroad as “an opportunity to meet people and share stories, an opportunity for young people such as myself to find their passions and become more aware of who they are as a person.” Wow good job Erin, because I think that’s exactly what happened within the past 4.5 months. And to quote my journal entry from the plane ride to Santiago July 27 “I want to meet as many people as I can, speak Spanish, travel, and have a smile on my face. I really am so excited.”

While I'm so happy to be back home for a few weeks, I'll miss Chile and it's chaos. I'm nervous to go home where people are constantly on their cell phones and consumerism runs rampant. What adventure it has been every single day. Thank you to everyone who made it so much fun. Thanks to those of you who have read my longgggg blog posts and been interested in my life. I share what I do to maybe help future travelers, but also as a sort of journal for myself. 

What I didn’t do while abroad:

-eat a completo (hot dog with mayo, tomato and avocado)

-become fluent in Spanish

-meet a Chilean boyfriend

What I did do while abroad:

-hike a volcano

-backpack through Patagonia

-ski in a 18inches of fresh powder on the Argentina/Chile border

-play 50+rounds of liars dice

-surf

-climb Machu Picchu

-bike the deadliest road in the world

-sail on the highest navigable lake in the world

Abroad by the numbers:

-350+clementines eaten

-over 135 hours spent traveling via tour type buses (not including our time spent the beloved white vans)

-no more than 40 hours spent doing homework

-12 taxi rides

-11 hostels

-10 flights

-6 boat rides

-4 currencies used

-3 nights spent sleeping in airports

-2 visas needed

-about $2700USD spent

·      *Attached is a rough budget for my spending the past 140 days. I think people are often reluctant to share what they spent abroad and scared to acknowledge it. I don’t regret any ice cream or peanut butter I bought. I don’t regret any trip I took or any excursion I went on. I don’t regret the nights buying pizza.  I could’ve spent a whole lot more money (especially if I drank alcohol) or I could’ve spent less and not traveled as much.  But like I said there’s nothing I regret or would change.   

budget

 

Things I am looking forward to in the states:

-throwing toilet paper in the toilet

- drinkable tap water and not having to pay for it

-safe roads and driving my own car

-understanding what everyone is saying

-hot water consistently

-American sports

-food with flavor and meat that isn’t a mystery

-skiing the greatest snow on earth

-a big bed

-a house with heat

-Christmas time during winter

"I've learned one thing, and that's to quit worrying about stupid things. You have four years to be irresponsible here, relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember the time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So stay out late. Go out with your friends on a Tuesday when you have a paper due on Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does..."-Tom Petty