"Ever wonder how long it takes to change your life? What measure of time is enough to be life-altering? Is it four years, like high school? One year? An eight week walking tour? Can your life change in a month, or a week, or a single day?."
For me, the answer to that question is five months. Before I left for Chile, all my friends would say... you are going to be gone for so long, I'm going to miss you so much, or I could never do that. Now this is what I think: Five months is nothing, I will be coming back, and I myself thought I could never do this. I've learned a lot about myself, people, change, emotions, and time. Things are changing constant and sometimes you have no control over what is next. Time can flash by faster than you could ever imagine. I feel like Chile has become like my home, as it should be. I love my school and AFS friends here, my family here, and surprisingly my small little town here in Chile. Haha. I can't picture what my life would be like if I never left Franklin. The people I have encountered and met my time here are truely some of the most amazing person I've ever met and might ever meet.
My family in Chile (my brothers, parents, & espcially my sister), I cannot thank you all enough for everything you have done for me. I really could not have been given a better a family. You have made this experience so amazing for me. Before I came to Chile, you all told me that "now we are not five, but we are a family of six" and I honestly could tell how much you let me into your house. I love you all from the bottom of my heart.
My Chilaen friends, you all are awesome. Everyone of you has so much spirit and wildness. Haha. I really do love it. You all are nothing like my friends back home, not better or worse, just nothing like them. Maybe because you are Chilean? Who knows. All in all, you all are awesome and I am glad I got to meet you all.
Analisa, Martta, and Sebastian, I will forever love you three. Forever and always. I love how much fun we can have with making fun of each other or just plan being sweet to each other. My life would be nothing without you three now. I am so thankful we somehow crossed paths. Oh and trust, we'll all four be in the same place somehow someday again.
My AFS friends, I love you all so very much and I love how we could get along so fast at the first oriantion. It was almost like we all became instant friends and acted sometimes like we've known each other for a while, but in reality we had just met. I will never forget waiting for our host familys and we were all so excited that we looked like little orphen kids finally getting a family. For the kids on the north tour, I love all 36 of you in every way shape and form. We had the best time and I will never forget that trip. We were honestly the weirdest bunch, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
To my friends and family back home, I miss you all and I will be home, unforunatly.
From July 2008 to July 2009, my life has turned upside and backwards. The closer friendships I've made, the relationship I am in, the new friends I've met, seperation of some friends.. All of that has changed. I wouldn't trade it for anything because I might not be as close with as who I am close with right now.
"Most of our life is a series of images. They passus by like towns on the highway. But sometimes, a moment stuns us as it happens. And we knowthat this instant is more than a fleeting image.We know that this moment, every part of it, will live on forever."
No comments:
Post a Comment