1/2 = 50%

All the little markers have pointed to its passing... 2007 transitioning into 2008, marking off 152 out of 304 days, and now, this week, changing host families: My exchange is halfway over!


It amazes me, if I stop and think about it. I can hardly believe that this is what I was so nervous about back in August- the passing of 10 months just seemed so.... painstakingly... slow...
Now that I'm in it, now that half of it has gone by, I wish I'd done some things differently! I wish I hadn't worried so much about it, and I wish I had made the very most of my first months. Even though I was really busy, I still have this feeling like I wish I'd done more. Mayb I would have had this feeling regardless. Who knows.

The first months were really a blast. I got to spend a TON of time at the beach; I counted it up last night and between mid-November and now, I spent about 20 days at the beach. I also spent a ton of time at school, of course. As an exchange student, school feels like a blessing instead of a burden. For me, it was an opportunity to meet people I could go out with instead of sitting home. It was also a perfect environment to practice Spanish, both speaking it with classmates and working on my ear for it while teachers gave lectures. Plus, I learned a thing or two- actually, I learned a lot, not just in classes like Ethics, National Reality, and Psychology, but also in English: rules on grammar and word order and even spelling that they learned as basic steps to speaking that, because I grew up speaking it, I was never formally taught.

I also got in with a fantastic host family, one that took me in truly as a member of the family. I'll be sad to be leaving them soon! My next family is very different; for one, the host siblings are younger than me, instead of older. The house is inside a gated community called Stella Mar, and it has a pool and a gym that are accessible to residents, so I can busy myself during this long break from school. It should be really interesting. I just hope it all goes well.

The next 5 months supposedly go really fast. That worries me! But I'm pretty sure that when I leave here in June, it will not be forever. I'd love to come back and visit when I get older, maybe even get a house here. It just has a peaceful, slow pace. Especially on the beach. I guess you'd have to see it for yourself!

The next few weeks are going to be busy for sure. I have my family change, then I have to give my presentation to Rotary, and then we have the option of going to the Amazon for a few days in February. Exciting stuff...!