Having other Americans here in Santiago has been wonderful, but it can also be a crutch, as it is much easier to hang out with them and speak English than to go out and make new Spanish friends. To get out of my comfort zone, I take Spanish language classes twice per week to really try as best as I can to become fluent. I can feel myself speaking more naturally and using new vocabulary, but I still need to push myself to be thinking and speaking in Spanish during the weekends to make my improvements last. I also volunteer with the protección civil, volunteers who wear neon vests and help out at events such as basketball games and cross-country races. One of my first events with them was the World Cadet Chess Championships held here in Santiago, which was wonderful because I love chess! It has also been a great way to meet kind people and help out the community a bit.
As I find myself starting the second half of my journey here, I still leave some questions not completely answered. One of my biggest goals for this half of the year is to be more social, both inside school with my other teachers and outside school, trying to meet more people and speak a little more in Spanish. I am lucky to be comfortable and safe here in Santiago but I should not let that dissuade me from stepping out of my comfort zone to really vivir y respirar (live and breathe) the Spanish life.
