For your reading pleasure: Ramblings that have Nothing to do with Anything

I have a few important updates!
The first one is that I got accepted to the University of Wisconsin- Madison! I found out on the first night I was with my family in Cancun. Last year I was pretty set on the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, but I changed my mind (I was warned this may happen, Mom don't say 'I told you so' either). Anyways, I am really excited and it will be awesome to be just an hour away from my family.

Second, as I already mentioned, I spent a week with my host sister and my family in Cancun! It was amazing. There's nothing like being away from your family for a long time to make you realize how wonderful they are.

Third, I have changed families. It wasn't that big of a deal becuase I have already met all of my host families and see them all frequently.

Alright, I've been trying to write two scholarship application essays, 350 and 500 words, and the only things I come up with are better suited for a blog. I used to be really good about procrastinating and then being able to write an on-topic essay with no problem. Unfortunately, I have apparntly lost that skill and now I'm just blabbering on about stuff that has nothing to do with the task at hand. I know, I know- if I'm having troubles writing about the topic, I probably shouldn't just use it as a blog post and put off my to-do list, but that's what's going to happen.

Some important stuff that I'm trying to make fit in an essay, just because I want to talk about it/ can't think of anything else to talk about:

First attempt:

"Going to Spain during my sixteenth summer does not make me different from the forty-five million tourists who go there every year. Neither does spending two weeks in rural Guatemala. Being one of nine thousand who annually choose to be Rotary Youth Exchange students is nothing to brag about. Uniqueness comes from what a person learns from their experiences, changing their outlook on life."

"I have done a lot of things so far in my life, but one by one they are not near as important as all together."

Second attempt:

"Like many others, I have the hope that someday I will make a difference. There are hundreds of thousands of ambitious souls who feel that they can truly make an impact on the world. Unfortunately, life takes over and those dreams are left forgotten in an old cardboard box. Fulfilling those dreams is not about making time to do something great, it’s about creating your life to make a difference every single day. "

"Making a difference is not always a grand gesture. We can all make a difference in our everyday lives."

Third attempt:

"Many times we set out to change the world, and only end up changing ourselves. Although it looks like we have done nothing, changing ourselves is a direct path to changing the world. If we can influence just one person, be that ourselves or others, to truly consider their life, their goals, and how they can do good, we change the world. "


Well that's what I've got so far! None of it really has all that much to do with what I am supposed to be writing about, but at least it sounds good...

My friend Elaine recently got peer pressured into updating her blog, which was all fine and dandy, until the peer pressure turned my way. I do have several semi- interesting updates, so I'm about to succumb to peer pressure and write that blog.

1. My Rotary club had a food/ clothing donation in a town called 'El Conejo' (the rabbit).

This was one of the coolest experiences I've had so far in Mexico. It was one of those times when you just know that what you're doing really matters. Basically, we collected food and clothes for a week or so, then drove 3 hours to donate everything to several poor families. When we gave stuffed animals to the two little girls in "our" family, their smiles showed how thankful they were for just a small gift. It's always good to take a step back and think about how much STUFF we have that we do not need. In the end, the love of family and friends matters so much more. Seeing the faces of those little girls reminded me of what Rotary stands for, but more importantly how much I love giving, and helping others.

2. I changed families!

On Monday, it was decided the four exchange students in my club would change families on Tuesday. So, Tuesday was spent packing and cleaning. I realized I have a LOT of stuff, which really scares me for when I have to pack everything up for good in the summer. Tuesday night, around 7, we made the big change. It's not really that big of a deal because I have already met my other two families, and we see them quite often. The biggest thing was the shock of having to change families overnight. Now, I don't have a little sister, but a dog instead. It's just my host parents and me, but it's no big deal. So far, so good! I have my own room, my own bathroom, a couch and whatnot. I really love my room. Point: Changing families is kind of scary but it's not actually a big deal. You move, and that's all.

I know this has been a lousy post, but it was demanded.
Thank you for reading :)

Ending of an age... 2011 to 2012

This exchange has been full of new things, one of which is celebrating the holidays without my family. I’ve already passed my first Thanksgiving in a country where Thanksgiving is not celebrated, and I knew the Christmas season was coming up. In Mexico, they do celebrate Christmas, but as expected, it’s a bit different than what I’m used to.

I wasn’t going to write about my pre Christmas breakdown, but I guess it is a really important point of going on exchange. I guess I just didn’t realize it was the Christmas season- I rarely heard the typical Christmas songs that bombard the radio in Watertown, I didn’t spend hours with ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas, we hadn’t made dozens upon dozens of cookies, brownies, and treats, no cards were sent to everyone we know wishing “happy holidays!”, there wasn’t really the same holiday cheer. When I did realize, all of a sudden, that it was the week before Christmas, I felt so homesick. I ended up calling my mom (luckily my host family has 100 free minutes to the U.S.) and feeling sorry for myself about everything. My mom pretty much knew I would be feeling this way this time of year, because of the all knowing “Exchange Student Survival Guide”. Basically, the holidays form a huge hump to overcome for exchange students. Although it’s really cool to experience a new culture, eat yummy food, and be in another country, it kind of sucks to be away from your family. I’m not going to lie, my brothers and sister can be a pain, but I love them and I have learned to appreciate their annoying habits and all that goes with them. My mom ended up telling me my Christmas present early so that I would be able to get over my homesickness. [My Christmas present: my whole family is going to Cancun, and so am I! I will see my parents, siblings, their Croatian exchange student my best friend croatian sistah, my aunt and uncle, their 3 daughters, another aunt and uncle and their daughter, and my Grandma. I’m really lucky to be able to see my family in the middle of the year, and to go to Cancun! My host sister and I will be flying to meet them in 12 days!]

Anyways, let’s talk about Christmas in Mexico. In Wisconsin, “Christmas” is the 25^th, Christmas Day. We open presents, get together, eat food, watch football, spend time with family.  In Mexico, “Christmas” is the 24^th, Christmas Eve. There is a lot in common as far as getting together, eating food, spending time with family. What really struck me by surprise was the formality and schedule of our Christmas Eve events. We ended up going to a cousin’s house around 9 at night. By that time on Christmas Eve I am almost always getting ready for bed with visions of sugarplums dancing in my head waiting to see what Santa would bring on Christmas morning. We got all dressed up, went to mass around 7, gathered up the ham, applesauce (sent from Wisconsin, made by my parents), chiles, vodka, etc., and went to the dinner. I’m sure most of you think this is a joke, but we ate our Christmas dinner around 11:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. There was ham, turkey, chiles, applesauce, apple salad, spaghetti, desserts, pretty much anything you could think of. It’s tradition to make enough food for the 24^th and the 25^th, so they don’t have to cook on Christmas day. After dinner, we listened to music, watched TV, talked, and just hung out; my parents and I did not leave their house until around 7 a.m. They had not slept at all (I did, of course) and we went home to rest before Christmas Day.

I somehow managed to wake up at 10 a.m. to Skype with my family. It was so weird to me not waking up early on Christmas to open presents and have a fire and eat omelets made by my dad. My family had already been awake 3 to 4 hours, but no one in my house in Mexico was awake.  So, I talked to my family and my Uncle Dan, then to my Aunt Kaye, Uncle Jeff, cousins and granddaddy. We went to my aunt’s house to open presents around 2 p.m. My host family has a Secret Santa gift exchange every year, so naturally they just added me to the exchange, which was really nice of them. After the gifts, we went back to my cousin’s house for “recalentado”, or Christmas leftovers. I ended up watching my first Packer’s game of the season, and we headed home.

My Christmas was really different than any I’ve had before. The thing is it’s only one Christmas out of the dozens I will have in my life. I am glad I had the opportunity to celebrate it differently, but I’m also happy that I will still have my family Christmas I am used to next year. As Rotary would say, “It’s not wrong, it’s just different.” In the end, our celebrations are really not that different- family, food, love.

OKAY! Now on to New Year’s Eve! First, let’s go over my typical family party back home. In Wisconsin, my family and I go to my Aunt Kathy’s house, watch football, play Wii, and eat food. Our party is usually well over by midnight, although I do try to stay up for the ball drop. This is not typical New Year’s Eve for everyone in Wisconsin or the US, but it is what I am used to. It may not sound that fun, but it is my tradition. My Mexican New Year’s Eve was a bit different. We went to my aunt’s house around 9:30 at night (my family in Wisconsin were already heading home from their party). Until midnight, we talked, ate snacks, just hung out. When the clock struck midnight, we toasted to the New Year, ate 12 grapes each, hugged everyone, and started to eat our New Year’s Eve dinner. The 12 grapes are supposedly so that 12 desires come true. Let me just tell you, we managed to buy some monster grapes, and it was pretty hard to eat all twelve. Anyways, we ate spaghetti, ham, apple salad, and potato soufflé. It was actually a fairly calm New Year’s Eve, which was fine with me. Being the party animal that I am, I fell asleep around 2 or 3 in the morning and slept through the night.

So, in conclusion, I had a pretty good Christmas and New Year’s. It wasn’t what I was used to, but it wasn’t that different. We were with family, we had a good time, we ate some tasty food.  I made it through the holidays and on Thursday I celebrate FIVE months in Mexico! The year is going pretty quickly, before I know it, I’ll be on a plane back home. It’s been an incredible experience so far, and I’m sure the best is yet to come. Here’s another quick Rotary rant- Rotary Youth Exchange is amazing! There are ups and downs, but this is an opportunity unlike any other and I recommend it to anyone. If you have the chance to participate in RYE, please truly consider it (and do it). If Rotary is not for you, find other ways to explore the world. You will learn so much about other people and yourself, and you will be changed forever.

Welcome to 2012! Have a great year!