Don't worry, that's the last of my c alliterations ;). Confianza is the English equivalent of it's cognate, confidence. Most often I think of confidence in reference to oneself, a quality that people are constantly struggling to obtain, or, at the very least, to appear as though they already have. What get's me though, is that confianza also translates to faith and trust, and are used frequently in that sense. Now, I'm sure you didn't wake up with intentions of brushing up on your Spanish nor do you care to read as I do so, but I promise I do have a point. A couple of posts ago, in response to my request for fitness tips, the insightful Caroline commented,
What she exactly meant by that and how I interpreted it may be two different things, however, I got a quite a lot of out of it, so I though it'd be worth sharing :). Confianza en sí mismo, or confidence in yourself, is more than believing that you can... it's trusting yourself to go ahead and do it, having faith that you will do it. I'm not anywhere near being overweight but I am definitely out of shape, and have been for too long. For me, the hardest part about getting back to an exercise routine, although it was unknown to me before, was believing the mantra "I can and I will." I had allowed myself to become intimidated by others around me who were already regular gym-goers and because I hadn't gotten into the habit early on in my life, I thought it was too late for me. In other words, I was letting my head get in the way of my goals.
I say "was" because, as of today, I've proved to myself that having a mindset like that is crazy. Last night, as I was looking at the gym class schedule I saw that there was a Body Balance class at 8 a.k.a if I wanted to go I had to be up by 7 a.k.a. wake up much earlier than I had planned. I considered going, but basically decided I couldn't, no matter that I should, I simply would not be able to drag myself out the door at that hour. Then I thought: I love that class, I've had such a great time and workout when I've went, and I know that if I go tomorrow not only am I going to feel good but I'll be proud of my dedication. Ultimately, I needed to let myself get out of my own way.
So I did. This morning I woke up to a silent house, eat a quick breakfast in a dark kitchen, and walked the rainy 20 minutes to the gym... to find it closed. Today marks a Roman Catholic holiday, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and Chile, like numerous other South American countries, views it as a public holiday. Thus, Club Arena, is on their holiday schedule, won't open until 9, and most likely is not going to have the same classes available. After all my revelation, self-reflection, and finally defiance of my own self-doubt, turns out that fate had other plans in mind for me. Haha, it's funny really, and as much as I felt disappointed, I don't mind anymore. Just by demonstrating that I had the willpower to go to the gym, first thing in the morning, extra early on my day off, simply because I wanted to, made it, well, worth it.
"Wow, looks like you've gotten a lot of great advice already. My advice would just to be have confidence in yourself. After thinking that I could not be a runner, I finally tried it one day--and ran for 4 miles, no problem. You'd be surprised at what the human body can do."
What she exactly meant by that and how I interpreted it may be two different things, however, I got a quite a lot of out of it, so I though it'd be worth sharing :). Confianza en sí mismo, or confidence in yourself, is more than believing that you can... it's trusting yourself to go ahead and do it, having faith that you will do it. I'm not anywhere near being overweight but I am definitely out of shape, and have been for too long. For me, the hardest part about getting back to an exercise routine, although it was unknown to me before, was believing the mantra "I can and I will." I had allowed myself to become intimidated by others around me who were already regular gym-goers and because I hadn't gotten into the habit early on in my life, I thought it was too late for me. In other words, I was letting my head get in the way of my goals.
I say "was" because, as of today, I've proved to myself that having a mindset like that is crazy. Last night, as I was looking at the gym class schedule I saw that there was a Body Balance class at 8 a.k.a if I wanted to go I had to be up by 7 a.k.a. wake up much earlier than I had planned. I considered going, but basically decided I couldn't, no matter that I should, I simply would not be able to drag myself out the door at that hour. Then I thought: I love that class, I've had such a great time and workout when I've went, and I know that if I go tomorrow not only am I going to feel good but I'll be proud of my dedication. Ultimately, I needed to let myself get out of my own way.
So I did. This morning I woke up to a silent house, eat a quick breakfast in a dark kitchen, and walked the rainy 20 minutes to the gym... to find it closed. Today marks a Roman Catholic holiday, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and Chile, like numerous other South American countries, views it as a public holiday. Thus, Club Arena, is on their holiday schedule, won't open until 9, and most likely is not going to have the same classes available. After all my revelation, self-reflection, and finally defiance of my own self-doubt, turns out that fate had other plans in mind for me. Haha, it's funny really, and as much as I felt disappointed, I don't mind anymore. Just by demonstrating that I had the willpower to go to the gym, first thing in the morning, extra early on my day off, simply because I wanted to, made it, well, worth it.
Wow, that was a lot :) I hope someone other than me got something out of it. Anywho, here's a recap from last night's celebratory dinner. As much as you and I suspected another one of my host-mom's fantastic meals, the real food part turned out to be rather plain for convenience purposes. In addition to "our family" of 5 we hosted about 7 other people so oven-toasted Tomato, Oregano, (Ham) & Cheese Sandwiches were quick and easy. I had my two made without meat and they turned out quite tasty. Nonetheless, dessert was still my obvious favorite. 
The bakery-bought Torta Panqueque Naranja alongside my Chocolate-Chocolate Chip-Walnut Cookies, inspired by Veganomicon.
The birthday girl, in deep concentration, as she attempts to blow out the birthday candle and mark the beginning of a new year. She is being propped up by her mother, Carmen Gloria, while receiving encouragement from her siblings, Tomás and Isadora.
Teresa cuts the birthday cake. In the mean time, check out the delectable Chocolate & Almond Bon-Bons she brought! 
Julieta tries the first bite of the Torta Panqueque Naranja. Verdict? Not only was it the first of many pieces she enjoyed but she's already looking forward to the cakes to come!
And last, but certainly not least, I formally present to you, the beautiful, the incredible, the one and only, Chilean host-mom! I wish I could go into more detail about my first fiesta de familia but I'm afraid I've gotta run... it's gym time... go me ;). Have a wonderful Friday!
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