Hasta Luego, Arica!

Its crazy that I'm leaving Arica tomorrow! The classes are basically over, and I'm getting ready to leave my host family for the south! I still don't know exactly where I will be doing my project/internship-- either at the Teleton (pediatric rehab center) or in Makewe Hospital, a hospital that is divided into 2 departments, one where they treat patients using modern medicine and another where they treat using traditional Mapuche medicine. And I don't even know where I'll be living yet--My friend Machi and I are trying to decide between renting an apartment or living in a pension, a family's house where you just rent a room and have access to their kitchen. I feel like this should all be set in stone because I'm leaving tomorrow for the trip for 10 days and then immediately starting my ISP period. But the staff don't seem to be too concerned--they say it's easy to set stuff up once we get down there and get our bearings. So it will be an adventure!

Last night we had a goodbye dinner with all of the host families at a hotel in Arica.  Everyone got all dressed up and there were speeches, songs, a slideshow, and even a little skit to teach everyone about Passover. =) It made me think a lot about the experience living with my family and lookng back on it, it was really something special. I'm probably going to miss then after a week or two of being in Temuco and want to live with them some more! The picture below is us at the dinner...Our first formal family portrait! It was such a special night and the picture reminds me of so many good memories...I think looking at it might make me cry someday.

Tonight my relatives are coming over for a big dinner! I can't eat the lasagna, but I'm making an apple/sweet potato dish with new England maple syrup that we're all going to eat.

Also, saturday night was the last weekend night that we had together in the house. I didn't think much of it, so I was getting ready to go out at 11:30. When I walked out of my room, I saw my dad setting up a projector in the living room with karaoke! Then he started cooking french fries and bringing us soda and we just ended up sitting on the couch singing karaoke all night. So much for wanting to go out. But I guess the point is that my parents have been super sweet and have made the end of my stay really special.

I walked around el centro today one last time and realized how much I love Arica and really just don't want to leave. I love buying ice cream at DiMango,  I love shopping around for things I really don't need but buy anyway because they're dirt cheap, I love when Chilens ask me where I'm from and then we get into a nice conversation, I love buying fruit from the market, I love surfing and the beach, I love people-watching, I love riding my bike around like a native, and I love hearing Spanish songs everywhere I go and being able to sing along. I've really grown to love Arica and feel at home here. So I can't wait for then end of the ISP period when we get to come back for one more week. =)

Whenever I tell a Chilean that I'm going to Temuco they look at me like I'm crazy and ask me if I like cold weather and rain. I had to go out and buy all these warm clothes because it's wayyy farther south than Arica so it's colder and it rains. I know it's just a month, but I haven't seen real clouds in a couple months, and I'm gonna go crazy if I go down there and it just rains every day! Obviously there's no place on earth with better weather than Arica, which is 75 and sunny all year, but hopefully it won't be too bad and I'll survive! And if I do hate it,I'll just go back to Arica at the end of the month and be in heaven.