Figs & Frappucinos

Published on 10 May 2024 at 15:03

I’ve got a new clan.

 

Well, two new clans, actually.

 

Sooooo it's probably a little late to tell you that I lived with a new family (second family) from mid-January to the end of March. And now I'm living with a third.

 

I promise, the ONLY reason I haven't written about my second family yet is because I've been a bit of a slacker. Chill, athletic, and outdoorsy; they're my kind of people.

 

They took me hiking and showed me all sorts of trail-side berries that I've never seen before. Spoiler: they were all delicious. And wild plums MAY be my favorite fruit. Along with fresh figs.

 

Andrea (the mom), Marcello (the dad), and their two boys—Facu and Leon—who are 5 and 8, made my summer (it’s fall here now) really special. 

 

Whether it's Andrea bringing homemade Frappuccinos to my room, the grandma sharing figs from her garden, or the grandpa playing all sorts of tricks on me—I could write a 10 page essay, easily, about all my lovely memories with this family. So many simple signs of love. They even taught me how to play guitar. One day Andrea and I were laying on the floor of the living room, exhausted, staring at the ceiling and just talking for an hour.

Their cabin in the mountains—where we spent the nights singing around a campfire and the afternoons chatting over tea and cookies.

And their lil mischief: switching stuffed animals, stealing our chargers, clogging toilet with tp.

Annnnnd the boys. We spent our days building rock towers, filling my sketchbooks full of pac-man and Minecraft drawings, and playing silly little computer games. They would hug/attack/strangle me at any given moment, and/or bring me little snacks and gifts for no reason (including Chocolate eggs, Pokemon cards, and Playdough figurines). I. Adore. Them.Stupidly complicated pac-man card game. Swimming up the rapids with Facu. Iron-man Leon.

Also, my feet were never safe from this monstrosity (a.k.a. a remote-controlled car).

 

Additionally, like a perfect cupcake, the family came with a cherry on top. 

 

The Cherry: Lisa, my German roommate, and one of my favorite people in Chile.

 

Lisa and I shared a host family, a house, and a room, and it was an absolute dream. 

 

You might recognize her from all of our Torres del Paine selfies.

 

It couldn't have been more perfect* (she even showers in the morning?!?!).

 

*Note: for a while I was sleeping on an inflatable mattress that had a hole in it, so I had to manually inflate it every night, and every morning I woke up basically on the floor. 

 

We did everything together (baking, movies, gym, shopping, etc.). We even have a joint bucket list.

 

I wish I could've taken her with me to my new family :)

Lil Stories: 

 

  • Once we went grocery shopping together and thought we might as well check some things off the family grocery list (sweet, right?), only to find out afterwards that the “grocery list” was a list of Facu’s FOOD ALLERGIES.

Lisa and I even added stuff  🫠

 

  • Another surprise: I came home from the gym and Lisa told me that Andrea said there was some leftover pancake batter in the blender. So I started up the stove, splashed a bit of oil in the pan, and poured in the batter. The kitchen erupted with the smell of coconut. It was no leftover pancake batter. It was a non-alcoholic piña colada. Though the language barrier has mostly collapsed, it rebuilds itself in the strangest moments. 
  • When the family went camping in Siete Tazas National Park, Lisa and I woke up before everyone else to go swimming in the FRIGID water at first light. To be honest, we got there too early and the sun really wasn’t as magical as we’d hoped—it was more sparkly during the day—however, I don’t regret it one bit. We laughed loudly and often, shrieking as we swam through the am-I-going-to-get-hypothermia (?) water, and climbing/swimming up the rapids. A couple hours later, we splayed out on the smooth, sun-warmed rocks to take a niiiiice and long nap.

Simply lovely.

 

Martial Arts Update:

 

The other day, MMA class had already ended, but two of the boxers, Pancho and David, wanted to practice dodging punches. So, I stood in the middle of the “jaula” (cage), alternating between whacking each of the boys with a pool noodle. Obviously, I wasn't going easy on them, and after I smacked them in the head enough times, they got fed up and attacked me.

 

Out-of-the-blue play fighting is wonderfully normal in my gym—it's like sandman on the playground...but with MMA and a pool noodle. We're just a bunch of little kids ❤️ I'm convinced that all MMA fighters are just closeted gay boys with ADHD and maturity issues.

Thanks for reading!!! Ten un lindo día 😁

 

P.S. Queda poco de mi tiempo en Chile, y me da pena a mirar las calles sin saber si las veré otra vez.

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Comments

Gloria Aedo Pérez
5 months ago

Muy lindo lo que escribiste. Fuiste una bell persona en nuestras vidas.
Sabes que te ofrecí mi casa para volver con tu famili si quieres.
Mil cariños
Abuela Gloria