What an incredible rollercoaster ride the last month and a half have been. I think it started with my trip to Chicago to pick up my visa. Lisa and I decided to make a 3 day trip of it and go see some sites...and explore some awesome food, of course! After our short but fun stint in the big city, I now know it's one of my top cities and I absolutely have to go back!!
The next 2 events were my going away parties. I am so lucky to have an abundance of great friends! First was my dinner party at my house were about 15-20 of my closest and bestest stopped by for one last chance at my tasty food! We had a blast and I'm going to miss cooking and throwing parties and bbqs over the summer. I think that's going to be the first thing on my list when I get back...a big 'I've missed you' party!!
The following weekend was set to be my final weekend at 806 and that Saturday was my going away bash with all my fellow Tremont friends and regulars! So I went to work Friday night, finished up and went to bed, excited for my going away party the next night...or so I thought. I was woken at 9am by a text message telling me that 'now' I definitely was not allowed to go to Chile. Well up to that point I had heard almost every excuse in the book from my friends on why I shouldn't/couldn't go. So after seeing that text, I was thinking 'great, what this time?!'. The response was to tell me there had been a major earthquake in Chile and it hit only 70 miles from where I was moving. Even after reading that, I still thought someone was trying to pull my leg...until I turned on the tv. The longer I watched the more devestated I became, for everyone there and for the fear that my trip was not going to happen. I mean I was set to fly in 8 days and I was still going ahead with my bonvoyage party that night. I stayed glued to CNN and Univision for the rest of the day. That night, I got ready and still partied it up with my friends like nothing had changed, all the while, my heart sinking inside for fear of how the next week would unfold. The next 4 days were brutal. There was no communications, water or gas in Concepcion and all my plans were in limbo. The death toll was slowly rising and nothing was looking promising.I had a friend in Santiago the night the quake hit and was able to hear from her by Monday, but even she said that things were not good. Finally on Thursday I got word from a fellow classmate in Concepcion. He said things were rough, but not nearly as bad as what the news was showing on tv. He advised that I delay my trip till the end of March to give the country a few weeks to recoupe, get utilities turned back on and for the school to get going again. I was so happy to hear that everyone I was in contact with there was alive and well!! The next day I had a meeting with my school advisors to get the final word on whether or not I was going to be allowed to take classes or not. After informing them of my communications with other students and Dean Scherer getting an email from the program director in Concepcion, they agreed that if I felt comfortable going and school was resuming there in April, then I was free to go!
And the new planning began! So much rearranging of plans but it is all totally worth it! My visa is valid for 7 months, so no worries there. I changed my flight and health insurance. Extended my cell phone shutoff date, car insurance and anything else I could think of that needed to be moved. I worked as much as I could the next couple of weeks and was actually kinda thankful that I got to spend some extended time with my friends! Oh how I'm going to miss you all!! Now the count is close, like 2 days away close! My bags are packed and weighed, airport transportation to and from is set and I'm at my parents saying my goodbyes to the family. It's all so surreal that after all the planning, the excitement, jumping through hoops, the disappointment and then the returning excitement...I just can't believe it's happening!
I'm going to miss so much about the states and I don't know what I'll do without seeing and talking to my friends almost everyday. But I cannot wait for the rewarding experience I'm about to have. When I learned of the quake and thought that all was lost for taking classes abroad, I immediately signed up for Habitat for Humanity in hopes of going down to help wherever I could. I am still a member and I am determined to help with whatever and wherever I can! I'm curious to see and experience how economies and communities come together to survive and rebuild. Until next time...
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