- An essay about the effect of culture on women's health and personal decisions
- An oral presentation about organ donations and transplants in Chile
- A final exam
- 3 yummy gelatos from Bravissimo
- 1 gelato from Emporio de la Rosa...they have awesome flavors like pineapple thai, pepper chocolate, rose, and honey!
- 4 pisco sours
- A night in Las Urracas, a popular discoteca
- A farewell dinner with the students from my program at Los Adobes de Argomedo, which included lots and lots of meat and Chilean dancing
- A trip to the hospital to be treated for pharyngitis
- A visit to the Museo de Artes Visuales
- An attempted visit to the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (it was closed due to earthquake damage)
- Last-minute souvenir shopping
- Last-minute chorrillana lunch with some friends
At this point, I've been back in the States for two full days. My program ended on the 16th, and I left Chile on the 19th. While I've enjoyed taking in the hot summer heat, breathing smog-free air, eating peanut butter, and drinking actual hot water poured through the coffee beans, a part of me still longs to be back in Santiago. I really fell in love with the city, the people, the language (however ugly Chileans claim it to be), and my host family. The most difficult thing, by far, was leaving my apartment and saying goodbye to Vicente and Andres. I tried really hard to hold back my tears as I said goodbye; it was especially hard since Vicente began sobbing and even refused to hug me because he did not want to let me leave. Even a few days before my flight, any time it looked like I was getting ready for something he would ask me, "Kiki, te vas??" ("are you leaving??"). However misbehaved Vicente was (he bit me and spit on me on several occasions), I couldn't help but love him. Living with this wonderful family and their two children for seven weeks was one of the things that helped me realize why I want to be a pediatrician. I keep going back to chapter 18 of Matthew, which reads:
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."These verses have really been speaking to me lately, as I realize more the passions the Lord has put in my heart and the ways in which he is calling me to grow in my faith. I think children have taught me the most about following Christ, and have helped me develop a more child-like faith in Him. As I observed Vicente's innocent trust in his parents, the way I trusted in God began to change. Instead of analyzing and questioning everything in my life, I am getting better at approaching the Lord and simply asking, "What's next, Daddy?"
In short, my trip to Chile was an experience that I am so thankful to have had. I saw so many awesome things, improved my Spanish, grew in my faith, and got to know some amazing people. I'm really grateful for all of my family and friends who supported me during this trip. For everyone who kept up with this blog, I hope you enjoyed it!
What's coming up for the remainder of the summer: Adventures of Amanda and KiKi in Baltimore, MCAT studying, and prepping and praying for leading the RAM VILLAGE Small Group!!!
Also, I am going to continue blogging here, in case anyone is interested!
Nos vemos,
KiKi
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