A surprising perk of my first host family: they have a beach house!
Oddly enough, the beach house is eerily similar to my biological family's cabin (log cabin on stilts), except instead of being in the middle of a forest, it's a short walk from the Pacific Ocean.
'Twas GORGEOUS. The placement of the sun and the mountains; the beautifully chaotic set up of the houses; the sand, rocks, and plants on the shore; I LOVED IT.
Some of the most fabulous photos of my life were taken there.
Can someone explain why these plants look like they're not from earth?
But getting there was a little more complicated than I thought it would be. While it takes my mom and I an hour or so to get ready to go to our cabin, for this family, it's a whole OPERATION. They asked me if I wanted to take the piano keyboard with, and I was like, "Que?!? No!!" I should've said yes. I swear, they packed half the house in that truck—the keyboard would have just been the cherry on top.
After we finally arrived, unpacked, and settled in… I was a bit lost. Kinda like, “...now what?” We were to stay for 7 days. So much time, with nowhere to go, no one to see, and nothing that has to be done. After constantly being on my feet for—well—MONTHS, the change was too sudden for me.
In actuality, it was really stressful for me to be around my host-family all the time.
(Edit: don't worry, my life is back to the comfortable chaos.)
They're a very loud bunch, and apparently I'm highly sensitive to not volume—but noise. Cacophony.
However, once I started waking up at 7 am (this fam gets up around noon), I began to fall into the new flow. I needed to find my peace and quiet...
Them being loud is probably just a cultural thing tho. Also, I've never had younger siblings before.
I could be found running, making egg sandwiches, drinking coffee, and drawing on the porch as the sun rose and people were still sleeping.
Look at the prettyyyyyyy!
I like coffee.
And nearly everyday, I walked along the beach, just me, myself, and I.
It was inexplicably precious to see my bare footprints cross the paths of hundreds of birds, and ohhhh the BIRDSSSS; sooooo many different species of these flying, feathery wonders would gather along the shore, run from the waves rushing in and then chase them back—just like I did when I was younger.
Birdiessssss
And of course, as always, I found a quiet place—the kind I feel like only book characters have. It was a little pocket of rock, shielded from the little coastal town but with a full view of the rocks, hills, and the waves. I would just sit there, feet buried in the sand, until I felt like moving again.
My pocket of rock and the view from my pocket of rock.
But the beach had a lot more interesting things to offer than that.
One morning, I saw 4 sheep climbing the rocks—no supervision, and another I saw 2 men on horseback corralling a herd of cows along the sand with the assistance of 4 dogs (I had to climb out of the way, and FAST, to avoid the mini stampede).
You see those? Those are sheep. Free sheep (?).
If you squint... you can see the cows. Those other two small blobs are dogs.
Another day, I got some quality horse riding time.
It was gratifying to show my experience with horses, from the way I taught Laura how to pet them and feed them, to the way I swept my leg over the saddle like I'd done it a million times.
And of course, I got to ride my shiny, hazelnut-coated beauty along the shore.
All I wanted to do was speed up, but these horses use different commands than I'm used to.
Like, whistles instead of clicks.
Dream life right there.
Thank you for readingggg!!! ❤️❤️❤️
P.S. I felt the need to remind you all that I'm still me, and I hope this post helped with that.
P.P.S. I've neglected to mention before, I've heard my name on the radio twice, with the announcer guy welcoming me to Chile and telling everyone to give me warm hugs.
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It sounds like paradise. I am happy that you are happy. What extraordinary Experiences you are having. We love seeing you Mom every week, she is a remarkable lady.
Love, love, love!! You have done more in the last few weeks than most people do in a lifetime! I know you so I know you are savoring every moment. You are definitely in paradise. Love you Maia and couldn’t be happier for you. Wow!
What a paradise! Envious of you being by the ocean for 7 whole days!! So fun to see you embrace the beauty around you. I was in Boston this past weekend and thought of you. It is an amazing city! Perfect place to further your education. Love your blog. Look forward to the next one. Blue Heron Trail is dressed in colors of red and gold!