Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Most unreal experience of my life

"I woke up late in the afternoon. For a second I didn't know where I was. You know how it is, when you wake up in a strange place and wonder where in the world you are, until memory comes rushing over you like a wave. I half convinced myself that I had dreamed everything that had happened the night before."

No paragraph could describe better how I feel about Argentina. A veces no puedo creer... Que yo estoy viviendo acá. En Argentina. Incredible. Que vida bella. Que suerte que yo tengo. I read that paragraph a few days ago. Its EXACTLY how I feel about exchange. I wonder a lot how I will feel when I return home. Will this whole year feel like a dream? Will I remember most of it or will I forget the places, the people, and the times I had? For right now, returning back home scares me. I have 9 months left. The first two FLEW BY. Today actually. I left Cleveland two months ago today. February 22nd, I left my home to go to Miami and then come here, to Formosa, Argentina. The fact that I only have one chance in my life to experience something like this scares me A LOT. I don't want this year to go by so fast. I want to take my time here, learn the people, the language, the culture, and everything. I wrote in my last post about how I am now able to understand so much more, I still need to improve a lot on the speaking. I don't just want to be average at spanish... I want to be fluent, amazing. I want to be able to speak this language without thinking much about it. 


Lately life here has felt so normal. I now know when I go home it will be the same as it is right now with Ohio. This will always be my other home. Beautiful little Formosa, Argentina. In this blogpost I don't really have anything exciting to tell you about that I did recently, like going to Iguazu Falls. But the thing is... I won't always be blogging about experiences like that, this whole year is amazing. Today I'm just talking about how it feels. 


Today I dreamt a little in Spanish for the first time. I came home from school at 10.30 because school was just shortened today... So I just took a siesta before lunch. I remember waking up and realizing that some of the people in my dream has spoken spanish to me. I don't remember if I had spoken spanish myself but some people spoke spanish to me. The dream was in english too. They say that dreaming in another language are the first signs to becoming fluent. I don't think I'm anywhere near fluent but there are definitely times now where I will say something to someone in spanish and not even think about what I just said. Its very bizarre because I never thought my brain could work that way or even comprehend learning another language, but it does! SO I AM PUMPED. In 9 months... I pray that I will be fluent. A year in Argentina= hopefully equals fluent? Un-known right now?!... Just wishing :) The thing about being exchange students is there are three types of exchange students:
1. The student who actually studies the verbs and language well abroad and reads grammar books like 501 verbs, etc.
2. The student who tries to speak with anyone they can, and just learns from experience
3. The student who really doesn't accept the host countries language at all and just gives up in some sorts


I would say that I am a combination of 1 and 2. But more of 2. I really need to start being more like student 1 if I really want to become fluent faster. The frustrating thing about being here... Is that I can say so much more now but theres still so much I want to say. My host family knows no english at all, which is definitely better for learning but its harder to bond with them in the beginning because I can't really be the real me yet. The real me loves to talk and just talk and talk and talk and talk... I think my blogposts kind of reflect the real me somewhat. I write overly long blogposts! But its all good :) This one is a little shorter! 


I have to go soon.. because I'm going out to get ice cream with the other exchange students... Yes AFS= another fat student. We eat too much together. Its SCARY.


besos, cmb


P.S. to my blog readers! please write comments about what you would like to see pictures of or what you want to know about! Its very hard to write a blog and make it interesting so if you could just tell me what you like to hear about or see pictures of... I will gladly write about it! Gracias! 




fiesta (yo y florencia)

Yeah Im student number 1 here

Yeah thats my class... Just a little crazy they are! LAS AMOOO! SANTA ISABEL 6TO AÑO

6 comments:

  1. Hi Chandler! I have been reading your blog the past few days! I leave for Argentina in August! i was accepted for a semester program and i am so excited! its not even funny. I just have some random questions for you! i haven't gotten any of my host family info yet.. how long did it take for you to get yours? Is Argentina super different from the US? four months just seems so far away!! anyway, thanks for blogging! it really helped me understand better how it would be over there.
    Annalea

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  2. hey annalea! thats awesome and you should definitely add me on Facebook! i will be interested to hear where you will be going! okay so sent in my application for AFS in the middle of july of 2011... then September 1st i was accepted to AFSUSA.. then September 8th i was accepted to Argentina. Then November 8th i received my family :) i know its a little weird i remember the the days but to me those were VERY HAPPY days. and cherish the next four months! because you will miss things from the USA, like peanut butter haha and of course your family! I would have to say.. You will see how it is for yourself about the differences between the USA and Argentina. For me... Everything is new and different but i love it. i am in love with argentina. you picked a great country. its stolen my heart! I AM IN LOVE <3 ask away :) just add on Facebook and you can ask me whenever you want! chau besos! cuando quieres o necesitas ayudar... me preguntas! oki? me gusta ayudar los otros intercambios! y dime cuando recibiras tu familia porque yo tengo muchos amigos quien estan en toda la argentina! y quizas yo sabre una persona (un intercambio de eeuu que esta en argentina con afs)... y entonces puedes hablar con un intercambio que ha vivido cerca donde viviras en argentina :) me alegro que me preguntaste :)

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  3. Hi! I love your blog and your exchange experience stories. I'd like to inform you about an intersting project... Could I have your contact?

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  4. my email is chandlermburkhart@yahoo.com and also my Facebook link is on this page. if you want to contact me

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  5. Hola! Yo soy Amy, y estoy en España con AFS para el curso 2012-2013. Ya llevo casi 3 meses aquí (un poquito más que tu cuando escribiste este post). Estaba leyendo tu blog, que me gusta mucho, y me interesa saber qué tal estás con el idioma ahora. Ahora has estado allí 8 meses aproximadamente, ¿no? Y ya sueñas en español? Todavía sigo soñando en inglés... pero imagino que te has mejorado muchísimo desde el principio. Tienes algunos consejos para estudiar el idioma aparte de hablar con la gente e intentar a participar en el colegio?
    Bueno, espero que estés muy bien!
    Besitos!

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    1. te cuento... que sí. despues de 5 meses por ahi... empece soñar en castellano! ahora pienso en castellano cuando hablo y todo :) te va a pasar con vos pronto! yo aprendi castellano del colegio aca y mi familia porque ellos no hablan ingles, asi que tenia suerte! no tenes que procuparte! ya te vas a hablar fluida! de este mensaje podes ver que escribimos un poquito diferente en argentina jaja espero que vos tambien estas re bien!! un besito! hoy cumpli 9 meses en la argentina!

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