A Month Of Newness

There seemed to have been some trouble this weekend amongst my program group deciding what we wanted to do. Ultimately I personally wound up spending the entire weekend here in Santiago and only spending time hanging out at bars with some friends. I still have yet to go to this one bar in Santiago called Monaco, which is a bar that was created to accommodate the LGBTQ+ scene in Santiago. It was slightly upsetting knowing that I didn't really do any traveling this weekend, but I also know that I still have about 2 months to experience whatever it is that I'd like to experience! Aside from the nightlife, my exhaustion, and struggles to be productive this weekend, the real highlight of this weekend was our one month meeting with CIEE.

Our one month debrief meeting was a very assuring experience. I was happy to see so many of my peers have the courage and comfort to be open and honest with one another and be vulnerable about their struggles and experiences. This meeting helped me continue to realize that my experience is worth fighting for and that I should never let any adversity, indifference or resistance get in the way of that. It’s always interesting to know that there are many things about a person that we don’t know about until they either tell us or we find out about it. It’s also comforting to know that there are struggles and experiences that people oftentimes tend to share. 

My first month in this country has been an amazing and eye opening experience. Almost every day I think about how I'm going to miss this place once this experience is all over, but I also know that it's important to live and stay in the moment and take advantage of what we're able to do right now. From the constant traveling, to the language and accent barriers, to adjusting to the heat, to exploring and adapting to PUCMM, to making and meeting new friends, and to even constantly getting bit by mosquitoes, this experience is something that I am continuously grateful for. Instead of focusing on things that I haven't done or things I'm not doing, I believe it's best that I put more energy into highlighting the things that I am doing. Though there wasn’t much that I did or and saw this weekend, I definitely can’t wait for the day trip to Dajabón and Montecristi next weekend. Waking up before 6 am won’t be fun, but it’s worth the experience!

-Phil