12/14/2007 - Chilean exchange student leaps into swirl of American teenhood
by Lauren Daley
The Standard-Times
Editor’s note: This is the third story in an occasional series chronicling a year in the life of exchange student Claudia Ortiz Benavidez, 16, of Copiapo, Chile, as she attends Apponequet Regional High School and lives with the Nolan family of Lakeville.
Marie Nolan studies her master calendar.
She glances at her thick black personal planner.
“Hmmmm.”
Back to the master.
“We could do it on … No. That’s basketball. Or … No. Football. Um. OK … Hmm. I have work that day …”
Mrs. Nolan, 49, is trying to figure out when Chilean exchange student Claudia Ortiz Benavides can go for a gymnastics evaluation at Gym Hutt.
The Lakeville gym offers both competitive and non-competitive gymnastics based on skill level.
With the Apponequet swim team done for the season, Claudia, 16, is eager to get back on the uneven bars.
An avid gymnast for nine years, she once trained four hours a day, but the constant pounding took a toll — she sprained her left ankle last year, and also had an operation on her right knee.
“My bone need two pins and a wire,” she explains.
Mrs. Nolan — a nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital with a hectic schedule of her own — lays the master calender flat on the computer table, next to her 15-year-old daughter Mariah’s basketball schedule.
She also has to pencil in 13-year-old Katie’s basketball games at Freetown-Lakeville Middle School, soccer games in Bridgewater and dance practice.
While Mrs. Nolan calls Gym Hutt, Claudia heads to the kitchen.
“Is more relaxed in Chile,” she says with a smile.
“Here, is always a schedule. Is always somewhere to go, something to do. People like to be organized. Very rush.
“In Chile, we are relaxed. We sometimes do nothing. We say, ‘Hmm, what should I do today?’ In U.S., is all schedule and rush. Kids run to class. School in Chile, for lunch I have two hours. Here is 20 minutes.”
She’s also surprised at how rushed Americans are with their greetings.
“People here sometimes walk by and don’t say hello. In Chile, we always say ‘Hello’ and we include ‘How are you? How is your day?’ Is kind of weird here, people just walk by.”
Since Aug. 10, Claudia has lived with Michael and Mrs. Nolan and their two youngest girls (Emily, 18, lives at Boston University, and Richard, 20, works in Canton.)
Claudia, an 11th-grader, is one of three foreign exchange students spending the year at Apponequet through AFS Intercultural Programs; Marieka Werner of Germany and Frederico Bus of Italy, both 17, join her.
Apponequet grades foreign students on pass/fail for the first term, but they also receive letter grades for their own information.
Claudia did incredibly well:
She earned A+s in U.S. history, algebra, French and art; an A in environmental science; and two B+s — one in English and the other in …?
“Is embarrassing,” laughed Claudia, blushing bright red.
“Gym,” admitted the gymnast.
“I didn’t know we get grades! I thought we were playing. I guess it was very difficult playing.”
On Nov. 14, a major earthquake struck northern Chile — Claudia’s hometown of Copiapo is in the northern third of the country — injuring at least 20, crushing cars, toppling power lines and triggering a tsunami warning, the Associated Press reported.
Measuring 7.7 on the Richter Scale, it was reportedly felt as far away as Peru and Bolivia.
That morning, The Standard-Times called Mrs. Nolan, who said Claudia was at school and probably didn’t know yet.
That afternoon, Mrs. Nolan called back:
“She’s not too worried. She called her mom but couldn’t reach her, but she wasn’t worried.”
What?
That reaction might shock us in New England, but, apparently, in Chile, earthquakes are as common as Nor’easters.
“They have earthquakes all the time; they build their buildings to sustain the shock,” Mrs. Nolan said.
Turns out, Claudia’s mom was fine.
“My teachers all say: ‘Earthquake in Chile!’” Claudia shrugged later. “Is normal.”
“When I was 11, was the worst one. We were in the school when the earthquake (hit) and all the people was running and jump out the windows.
“Was explosions,” she adds casually.
Then again, not much daunts Claudia.
“I love American football. Is very violent, but very fun,” Claudia said with a beaming grin.
She learned the basic rules on Thanksgiving Day, playing with the Nolan kids.
In true Claudia fashion, she immediately signed up for a Powder Puff game at Apponequet — junior girls versus senior girls.
“Was fun,” she said after the game. “We tie. I play defense.”
Thanksgiving also brought Claudia her first taste of stuffing and cranberry sauce.
“All the foods (were) new except turkey,” she said. “I love cheesecake.”
“Marie explained (Thanksgiving) is when the colonies come here and they say thanks,” she said.
Chile celebrates similar holidays Sept. 18 and 19 — the first is their Independence Day and the second celebrates their Army’s victories.
Chile declared independence in 1818 after 400 years of Spanish rule. Their first attempt at independence was Sept. 18, 1810, when an open town meeting in Santiago elected a junta of local leaders.
Claudia described it as “the first meeting of Congress.”
For dinner Sept. 18, Mrs. Nolan made traditional Chilean empanadas, which are like doughy calzones stuffed with browned meat, onions, cheese and mushrooms.
Empanadas are eaten on Independence Day the way turkey and cranberry sauce are eaten here on Thanksgiving. In Copiapo, Claudia’s dad usually makes the empanadas with hand-made dough, stuffed with mushrooms and eggs.
Besides cheesecake, Claudia’s discovered has other favorite treats: Dunkin’ Donuts hot chocolate and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, which she first tasted on Halloween.
“My favorite chocolates now,” said Claudia, who dressed up as a “Grey’s Anatomy” doctor with Mariah and some friends from school.
“Halloween is very different here. In Chile, only very little children go (trick-or-treating). (Older kids) do very bad things with toilet paper,” she laughed.
So what’s up next for the Fearless Chilean?
“We have a season pass at Waterville Valley Mountain in New Hampshire,” Mrs. Nolan said.
“Claudia is really excited about learning to snowboard.”
This article was originally published in SouthCoastToday.com.
Contact Lauren Daley at ldaley@s-t.com.
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