by Adela Kelemen
Have you ever been new? From a different continent!? Well being new for some people is REALLY hard. Like me. But here, in Santiago, it was easier than I thought it would be. The people in Santiago are very kind.
The kids in my class were so excited that a new girl from California was here. And my teachers were also very warm and loving. The kids at my school have so much personality. I was invited to one of the girls’ birthday party and everyone was acting crazy and funny, unlike at school where they all acted disciplined and serious. Well, mostly serious.
But I did not just notice this at school. One of the women on our apartment floor who, when we first met her, was also very kind to us. She told us about how she had only been here for about 3 months in our apartment building. Also,the people who we rented from before (in our temporary apartment that we stayed in for our first 4 weeks) were like her. They were also very kind to us and they even invited us to their house for dinner.
One thing I really like about my new school is it has so many opportunities to do things we enjoy. I signed up for a cooking class, glass painting class and I joined the swim team for my school. We also did this project about the Chilean colonial times that we presented to the second graders. I was in this group that studied the art from the colonial times. We studied the art of the pottery and what the symbols and colors meant on the flag. It was really fun. I just hope I can do something like that again.
At school, I also learned a few new games that some kids play. There is one game that is like hot potato, were you pass around a jacket or book or whatever someone has. But instead of stopping when the music ends, someone is in the middle of the circle and they slowly stand up and raise their arms to clap. When the person in the middle claps, the person who is holding the thing that everyone is passing around is out. All the people I have met so far have been so kind and welcoming and I hope it stays that way.
Matt’s thoughts on being new: Yeah, it’s different here. We eat at 10pm instead of 7pm. We greet people with a kiss on the cheek rather than a handshake. Etc. Etc. But, we still eat and we still greet. So, what’s really new? Paying for the kids to go to school. That’s new… and pretty weird. Being expected to conduct my work in a different language. That’s new… and pretty daunting. And of course, there are new friends to make… and that’s pretty great.
Dylan’s thoughts on being new: In my own life being new feels good. At school, on my first day I arrived at the campus and went to find the middle school principal James Tucker. There was an assembly that day and he showed me to my home room teacher. She is very nice and greeted me warmly. Then we walked together to find a few kids that where to be my “mentors.” When we found them, they introduced themselves, and then showed me to the group of seats in the auditorium where my new class was sitting just as the assembly was starting. The point of all this is that I had made new friends instantly and I think that it will be a great experience even though I am a different kid in a new school.
Jeannette’s thoughts on being new: I grew up frequently being the “new kid” in class. Now I’m getting schooled in how Chilean parents — namely the mamas — support their children and socialize with one another in a private school context. Dylan and Adela haven’t been in private school since they graduated from pre-school. Last week I went to a gathering of ten moms from Dylan’s 7th grade section, hosted by one of the room mothers. We started at 9pm. We left just before midnight. On a school night. We drank champagne and ate gourmet food. Did I mention it was a school night? And while I had the gist on most topics of conversation, I definitely got lost plenty of times. Feeling a bit like the new kid again.