McAuley Sisters and Dubita wait for the Chileans at the Portland Airport
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The Chileans Arrive!!
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It’s been almost one week since the Chileans arrived. Host families waited at the airport and after the first greeting, many went in their own directions. The McAuley group went to IHOP for a late breakfast together. It gave the Chilean girls a chance to ease into their new people while still being together. Sunday night was the Welcome Get-Together where all host families and all Chileans had a pot-luck.
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They are settling into their host families and schools. At McAuley the girls seem to be enjoying their new experiences and making new friends. It’s been a busy week, so it’s been hard to get things onto the blog. The weather here in Maine has been mostly a cold, spring rain, with small breaks of sunshine. Not the best – but hopefully it will improve soon.
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There is no school Friday for McAuley and Cheverus (being catholic schools) and Cheverus has Monday off as well. Waynflete has school. It is Easter weekend and Maple Sugar weekend as well. The first field trip / city tour for the Chileans is to the Portland Museum of Art on Tuesday.
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Friday, March 28, is our ski day to Sugarloaf USA. Each school has their own field trips as well group trips … the complete group has gotten too large to do most of the field trips together. Growth is wonderful in so many ways, but a bit sad in others.
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Here are some of the first thoughts of host families:
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Pita, Maria Esperanza, is a wonderful, sweet girl. She seems to be doing very well and is a very easy guest. I think the biggest difference is the fact that we live in such a rural area and have to get in the car to go anywhere and she is used to walking to everything. We colored eggs for Easter which was a new experience for her - she actually made the prettiest eggs.
The funniest experience so far was when we went to the Sea Dog restaurant and we had a bit of trouble with the menu. Pita ended up ordering meatloaf and the huge pile of unrecognizable meatloaf and mashed potatoes that came out of the kitchen was quite a surprise! The look on her face was priceless. She is such a great kid - she dug and in and tried it - she actually said she liked it (of course the portion size could have fed the entire family!)
Every day is something new and she has such a super attitude about it all. She is a great example for our entire family. ~Margaret McManus
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Anto is a DREAM!! She seems to like school! She did not want Religion, but was able to change her classes around and now has gym and a study. So this made her happy. Anto tells me the food is very good at the Lions Den, but too BIG!! We Americans consume way too much food!!
We spoke to her mother the night before last and her Mom told me that all the parents were so nervous about the trip to the States, but she said how wonderful she felt because she knew us and knew Anto was in a safe and happy place. That made me feel great!
All is well and she is snuggling right up to my dog "Honey" every night. Oh! Kali and Anto bought pet fish together. They each have two and had fun naming them. ~Karen Pulkkinen
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Waynflete is just buzzing with excitement! Everyone has been asking about the "chilenos" and we are all so pleased that we can share some time with them! Three of the visiting students are taking a Spanish Literature class with me, and it has been wonderful for the students to share stories about what it is like to learn a second language. We have had some real "ah ha"moments and some good laughs together. Although they are studying in the US, they have also planned visits to our LS to teach and sing, and we'rehoping that they will have the opportunity to come and visit some MS classes, too! ¡Qué bien compartir cuentos y culturas! ~Janice
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Wednesday: What a full day! Maria Jesus, Jose Tomas, Felipe, and Paulita attended their four classes - from Pre Calculus to Literature of the Vietnam War, with all sorts of topics in between. They then headed off to visit Bates College with Breda White's husband, David. They had lunch there in the brand new Commons/Dining Hall that opened three weeks ago. Felipe went back for second and third helpings!! After that, John Harvey, a student at Bates and host brother to Diego five years ago lead the four students and Alicia on a two-hour personalized tour of Bates. They were accompanied by Paul Okot, Waynflelte graduate of 2007, and Jose Cervantes, a Mexican-American and close friend of John's.
The Colegios students had a fantastic time. One of them was quoted as saying, "I am in Heaven!" What more can we ask for?? So, all is well in chilly Maine! ~Breda M. White
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Mrs. D, for what it's worth: I want to thank you and all involved in this program. Man, do I wish I took more Spanish. Pita is a gem. Living with us in Bowdoin must be a real shock to her! I hope she gets along o.k. Thank you again! ~Ed
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We are having a blast with Camila. Thank you so much for letting us take part in such a beautiful experience. I know we are going to be very sad when she leaves. Lynn Woods :)
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[email thoughts or photos to: tdubreuil@mcauleyhs.org]
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