5/10/2015

I 've been thinking quite a lot about the blog lately -I don't know why, maybe the disappointment of the idea itself- so this morning, after scanning in my mind the plan for the day, I decided it was time to pick up the laptop and write a shy report of how my time here has been since the last time I showed up in this blog. Things have been pretty crazy to be honest. At the end of March I moved into my fourth and last family, Cal and Jacinta. I have to admit I was kind of nervous about it because the seemed strict (Cal is the president of my Rotary club) and singular, in a creepy way. Plus, their house is in West Bench,  a hill in the northern part of the city and, unless you wanna walk almost one hour downhill and on the way back up hill, there isn't really a way to reach the city without a car ride. However, Cal and Jacinta turned out to be awesome, just like my other families. I'd say I actually fit better in this new one and I enjoy their company much more than the other host parents I've had. Cal and Jacinta make me feel like I'm part of the family and they include me in their activities. For instance, last night they asked me if I wanted to join them and go see a symphony concert by the Okanagan Orchestra. Saying it was breath-taking would be an understatement. The solo violin and piano was so touching I couldn't believe what he was able to do in only one instrument. My other hist families was nice but they would often assume I was not interested in what they were doing and that I had already made plans with my friends, which was understandable and most of the times true, but still I was always desperately trying to be part of the family and to be liked and invited without asking. I almost had the feeling Barb and Garry did not like me at all, and then Christmas arrived and it was just beautiful and so fun and I wish I had enjoyed the time with them more than I did. Jon and Lisa were sportive and ambitious people but , without using the word boring, they were people with no many resources and feelings to share; almost cold and very very sarcastic. I was sometimes struggling deciding whether they were kidding or they were being serious. Furthermore, the Nathan factor did not help: I tried so hard to click with my host brother and to convince my self he was just reserved and shy, but by all prospectives he is an asshole, with no experience nor curiosity, basically interested in only girls and parties and keen on building his boring future helped by his parents' push. Cal and Jacinta are strange is their own way but they are interesting and extravagant and give color to the monotonous Penticton life. They are involved in acting, musing, reading clubs, carity, cinema. Cal is an architect and he is very determined and focused on his job. Jacinta is so sensitive and genuinely nice. I love staying in her company not just because our conversations are uncommon and motivating but also because I don't feel the need to fill silent moments with words and I'm completely relaxed all the time, just like it should be with a mum. They proved to be pretty conservative and strict but I'd rather have a strict parent with a interesting and nice personality rather than a loose and boring one. Their children are very singular: vegetarian, against cars and microwaves (environmental), home schooled. Jasper (their youngest one) is a genius : he plays violin and he is currently living in Victoria attending the music school or something like that.

About my friends, everything is going alright. I've been very busy lately so I kinda got disjointed from  my Canadian friends and it was very hard for me to go back to my Penticton life after being just  one week in Hawaii. It's very difficult for me to explain but there is such a connection between me and the other exchange students, even though I see them about every two months, whereas I see my Canadian friends every day. It's not just because we're going through the same stuff and we understand what it's like to be one year abroad by yourself but also in terms of personality I get along better with them. There will always be things I can share just with Canadians but my mind goes to my rotary family whenever I think of a reason why having chosen Canada as host country was worth it. I'm almost at the end of my journey here and I'm trying hard to enjoy every single moment and not to miss any opportunity. Yet at the same time, I'm so used to my new lifestyle that I have developed a routine and I don't even plan what I'm going to do, I just live the moment as it comes.

It is very important for the future that I use what I've been learning throughout my experience for the treasure of the exchange year comes in a long-term impact rather than in what we attempt to do every day in the year itself.