Orientation and a Nationwide Blackout

There were many things I was nervous about: studying abroad, making friends, getting along with my host family, adjusting to a new grading system,  but what I wasn't worried about was a blackout on my first day of orientation.  Things had gone perfectly the day before: I arrived at SCL airport right on time, met with IES Abroad, arrived at my host family's apartment, began unpacking, and got some rest. My host mom was great, and her cat was helping me settle into the room.  The next day would be my first day of orientation. It was very hot, leaving Chicago's frigid winter to Santiago's melting summer, and it was sinking in that I was truly somewhere else. My worries had melted away by lunchtime, when I had met my cohort, who were all friendly and welcoming. I was paired with two others to complete a scavenger hunt of the neighborhood surrounding the IES Abroad Center. We ended up missing half of the objectives, but we had a great time getting to know each other. It was noontime, and the sun was making us all thirsty, so we headed towards a nearby convenience store. While looking for water, we noticed everyone standing outside of their businesses. We joked that people actually go outside here. But when we walked into the convenience store with no lights on, we realized everyone wasn't just shooting the breeze.

We walked back to the IES Abroad Center, with the street surprisingly calm. We met back where we were informed our host parents would pick us up and take us back home. The orientation for the first day would end early. My host mom arrived quickly, and we walked to a nearby pizza place. I had asked her if blackouts were normal, since everyone seemed pretty calm. She said it was rare; there was just nothing that could be done. I had my first pizza with olives in my life, and it was delicious! I had a fear of olives, but I wanted to try them. 

When we arrived back at the apartment, my host mom grabbed a radio for us to listen to in the dining room. She had recently bought a bag of beans, porotos, which we removed from their pods for the next day’s dinner. Usually, for the first day of orientation, there’s a pizza party to welcome everyone with host parents and professors, but I had fun getting to spend time with my host mom. I probably should’ve been more worried about the blackout, but I felt safe with my host mom, and we were receiving updates from the IES Abroad staff on what to do next. The rest of the evening, I spent removing pods with my host mom and getting comfortable. My worries for the semester dissipated the first day and I realized I didn’t have to worry and I would be okay.