The New Girl

I have always liked being the new girl. I like going places where people don't know me even though it scares me a little bit. Of course being on exchange makes me the new girl wherever I go, but I have been here so long I stopped looking at it like that. 

Today I went to my first day of school at Colegio Quimahue. As I walked through the hallways behind the principal, my entire body was shaking and I wasn't really sure what facial expression I should make. I put on a little smile to try and hide my anxiety, and when I made eye contact with people I stretched the smile a little bigger. I was about 49% sure I looked normal, but that was a high enough percentage for me. I honestly think that all together I had a good first day. I met a ton of people and they were welcoming and so friendly. The teachers were awesome and made me feel very welcome and comfortable as well, and speaking Spanish helped me a lot with actually being able to communicate with people like I couldn't my first day at Coya. But that was my problem: I kept comparing everything to Coya. I got a lot of attention today at my new school, and I felt like I was meeting cool people, but I just missed my friends. I didn't realize how comfortable I had felt in Coya and I missed it. It was so weird and I didn't know what to think. 

When I got home from school, I could finally think. I went on a run and began the process of clearing my head. Only then did I remember my first day of school at Coya. My first day at Coya I was shaking all over every time someone said hello to me and I felt overwhelmed and out of place. My problem was that I spent the day comparing my first day of school at Quimahue to my last day of school at Coya, and that just isn't fair. I made friends quickly in Coya, and I will at this school too. I just have to have the open mind I did when beginning my studies at Coya. I know I will end up falling in love with his school, I just have to give it a little time. 

Tonight I recieved so many messages from my friends from Coya asking me about my first day of school and even more messages from kids from Quimahue telling me they can't wait to get to know me. I am excited to actually know people's names and become an active part of their lives! It's going to be a good semester and I am going to be the best exchange student I can be, that, at least, I can promise you all. 

Awkward "this is my uniform" picture. :)