Rapa Nui

Dear everyone. I'm writing to you all from Easter Island. Yes, Easter-freaking-Island. I still can hardly believe it....

Saturday afternoon, I stepped off the plane and the heat and humidity hit me like... a rock? How do you finish that saying? I dont know. Anyway, I was greeted by my dad, Eduardo, my mom, Jose, my brother, Bruno, and George, the president of my Rotary. They gave me flower leis, which is a tradition, to give leis to everyone who comes to the Island. Then George told me that my friends were outside waiting for me, and I was like "What? I don't have friends [here]..." and I went outside and all the exchangies from the North district, most of whom I met on the North trip were there because they just finished their Easter Island trip and were about to go home. So I got lots of hugs and lots of "Ohmygod you're gonna have an awesome time, I'm so jealous"'s and that was really exciting. Then my sister Tiare and her friends came to meet me and we all piled into the jeep and I was like this:   :O the whole way home because ohmygoodness it's so gorgeous here. And I saw my first Moai from the car and there's also one just down the street from my house, its so crazy. And then I
got home and ate lunch with my family (they were like, "sorry, Grace, there's not a lot of fruits/vegetables here because they are so expensive.." well, there's still more fruits and veggies than there ever were in Chile!) and then I unpacked my bags and watched Puss in Boots with Bruno (In Spanish and I understood the whole thing; always exciting.) and then Tiare and I went to a party together and it was pretty much like all the Chilean parties I've been to except a lot of the boys smoked a lot of tobacco... Also, me and Tiare and a bunch of her friends all walked there and back and it was pitch black outside and all the banana trees moved really
creepily in the wind and I swear there are ghosts on this Island. Then yesterday, we had an asado (barbeque) with another family and I helped Jose set the table and pick flowers and make the salads and the salad dressing and marinade the meat and clean all the dishes and it was nice because I felt like part of the family. Then after the asado I played Karioke (a card game where you want to have the least amount of points) with Bruno and Tau and Pomi and I won 5 to 435 to 450 to 530 and then they got tired of the foreign girl whooping their butts so we played trivial pursuit, in which my butt was whooped because that game is hard enough in English... And then Pomi went home to take care of her horses and Bruno and Tau and I played wii and I died so many times playing Mario Brothers that it wasn't even--no, it was still funny. But I won in Mario Kart, of course. 
Today, I woke up and I went to visit my school with my dad, but apparently there had been an outbreak of Salmonella and so it was too chaotic for me to take a tour and also we had to go home, because Tiare was homesick and we realized that she must have Salmonella too, so I didn't get my tour. But I do know the hospital very well as I have spent all morning here... There's forty kids from my school here with Salmonella, and I am thinking it's a good thing I don't like Mayonaise...

That sums up my last three days. No, I haven't done anything touristy yet, but Saturday all my friends from my Chilean district are coming on their trip, and I'm thinking I'll be able to tag along with them...

Anyway, it's super super incredibly gorgeous here, the people are really friendly and chill, the weather is awesome, I can see the ocean from my house, and basically I'm just really happy. 

Love, Grace.