I had tried different sites, but they just didn't seem to work so here I am bring my past posts here and trying again.
Chile is magnificent. The weather is quite warm, but I do like getting to escape the winter back home. The people here are great. Everyone is willing to help a person understand the conversation or whatever is happening. My host family is awesome. They help me with my conversation, shopping, and anything else that I might need. I am glad I am here despite whatever I might say later.
I made it into the advanced level of my intensive spanish course and we are doing a lot of things that are similar to what I just did in my last university class. But that is good to get a quick review and to continue with our speaking practice. Speaking of practice I do get a bit here, but it is hard when all of your friends and you resort to english. I would say that that is the only downfall here, when we get together we speak english to each other and sometimes it is hard to switch back to spanish especially when its a little rough. :)
I have done many things here for only being here a week. I have gone shopping multiple times, but able to hold myself back from buying stuff I don't need. We have gone to the park, little artisian villages, the mountains and mainly spending time with the family or sight-seeing. Also we just went to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar this past friday, awesome!! So yes I have done quite a few things and still so much left to do.
I can't wait until I get to experience more and will put it on here :).
This is a link to a video that I made about my first week here in Chile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKuEN2Yrd2k
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Chile
I made it to Santiago Chile early this morning. It is quite a change from a small town in Minnesota. As I stay here I am prone to a lifestyle of spanish immersion. While my spanish is very bad, I am living with a family who is willing to help me practice. I am excited to become quite familiar with the language and the atmosphere.
Today the family and I might go to the park and just hang out. I do miss home, but this is so beneficial to me. After 24 hours of flying I made it to my destination. I am ready for anything even if I don't understand.
So here we go...
Today the family and I might go to the park and just hang out. I do miss home, but this is so beneficial to me. After 24 hours of flying I made it to my destination. I am ready for anything even if I don't understand.
So here we go...
How this is possible for me and Counting down
I cannot believe that in just a few days I will be embarking on a journey that seemed so far away 4 months ago. I am about to travel to Santiago Chile for a semester abroad. This trip has been on my mind for as long as I can remember. I knew that while applying to colleges there was a need for a studying abroad program. I plan on graduating May 2012, and becoming a Spanish teacher. The process of organizing a semester abroad was time consuming, but in the end was so worth it.
I came from a rural town in northern Minnesota and from a single-parent household. I thought that these characteristics would put a restriction on my desire to travel abroad, but I was wrong. The cost of travelling seems quite overwhelming, but there are people out there willing to help for a good cause. By being from a low-income household and single parent family I thought that I would not have the funds to study, so I began my search for help. With the help of my study abroad advisor the Gilman Scholarship was an option.
In order to be eligible for this scholarship one needs to receive the Pell grant. This is the most important criterion for this scholarship. By receiving this particular grant, I was able to continue with the application. I needed to type an essay that stated why this opportunity was important to me and then propose a follow-up project that would be completed while abroad or upon return. The second week of December I received notice that I was awarded $4,000 to help fund my study abroad to Santiago Chile. I am not sure that I would have received this scholarship without the help of friends and family, who proofread my documents and pushed me to hope for the best. This scholarship will help me to reach my potential, become accustomed to a different culture and to improve my Spanish speaking skills.
As I said I am about to travel to Chile and am excited for what they have in store for me. I know that this experience will be filled with language immersion, travelling and cultural experiences. Although I am only human and am also nervous for this trip, but as so many people have told me and assured me this trip will be a tremendous opportunity. I want to encourage those who may be interested to study abroad and to help them reach their potential. This is only an introduction to my trip and I look forward to sharing my experiences with those who are interested.
Bon Voyage
I came from a rural town in northern Minnesota and from a single-parent household. I thought that these characteristics would put a restriction on my desire to travel abroad, but I was wrong. The cost of travelling seems quite overwhelming, but there are people out there willing to help for a good cause. By being from a low-income household and single parent family I thought that I would not have the funds to study, so I began my search for help. With the help of my study abroad advisor the Gilman Scholarship was an option.
In order to be eligible for this scholarship one needs to receive the Pell grant. This is the most important criterion for this scholarship. By receiving this particular grant, I was able to continue with the application. I needed to type an essay that stated why this opportunity was important to me and then propose a follow-up project that would be completed while abroad or upon return. The second week of December I received notice that I was awarded $4,000 to help fund my study abroad to Santiago Chile. I am not sure that I would have received this scholarship without the help of friends and family, who proofread my documents and pushed me to hope for the best. This scholarship will help me to reach my potential, become accustomed to a different culture and to improve my Spanish speaking skills.
As I said I am about to travel to Chile and am excited for what they have in store for me. I know that this experience will be filled with language immersion, travelling and cultural experiences. Although I am only human and am also nervous for this trip, but as so many people have told me and assured me this trip will be a tremendous opportunity. I want to encourage those who may be interested to study abroad and to help them reach their potential. This is only an introduction to my trip and I look forward to sharing my experiences with those who are interested.
Bon Voyage
Getting closer
So like I have told people in the last post I am headed to Santiago Chile next Friday. I can't believe that I am doing this, but I know it will be a good time. I know a little about my family: Mother, Father and an eight year old son. We live right next to a park and what do you know the girl from my school lives right across the street!! I know that we are more prone to English speaking with each other living close, but I think that for self security it will be good to be close to someone I know.
Chile may not appear to be a big country, on the west coast of South America below Peru, but we are going to be studying in Santiago, the capitol. Sometimes I psych myself out about going because of the distance and how long I will be there. I will be there for six months and believe that there is no way I can't come back home speaking great Spanish.
I am participating in an intensive month Spanish course, which meets five days a week and for five hours a day it is all Spanish. This first month is when I will be staying with my host family, then I will be staying in a residence with four rooms and I reserved one of them. So that way hopefully I can interact with others practicing their language skills and I can improve.
I just wanted to share a little bit about my trip and then continue when I get there. Again I want to share my experience as a student, a traveller, and a thinker. I want to interest people and show that this is possible if one sets their mind to it.
:)
Bon Voyage
Chile may not appear to be a big country, on the west coast of South America below Peru, but we are going to be studying in Santiago, the capitol. Sometimes I psych myself out about going because of the distance and how long I will be there. I will be there for six months and believe that there is no way I can't come back home speaking great Spanish.
I am participating in an intensive month Spanish course, which meets five days a week and for five hours a day it is all Spanish. This first month is when I will be staying with my host family, then I will be staying in a residence with four rooms and I reserved one of them. So that way hopefully I can interact with others practicing their language skills and I can improve.
I just wanted to share a little bit about my trip and then continue when I get there. Again I want to share my experience as a student, a traveller, and a thinker. I want to interest people and show that this is possible if one sets their mind to it.
:)
Bon Voyage
Almost the beginning
Hello to all. This is the first time that I am writing on something like this. I am not completely sure of how this is going to go, but am excited to experience everything. I am almost at the beginning where I am going to embark on a, for me, once in a lifetime experience. Towards the end of this month I will be flying from Minnesota to Miami and then on to my final destination of Chile. I will be studying abroad in Santiago Chile for six months. My goal is to become a Spanish Teacher after graduation and I think that by fulfilling this travel experience I will be able to enhance my language skills. I believe that being immersed in this language and culture will help me advance towards my goal. So I just wanted to share my experience with others, and to help bring my experience to others. Just hoping to get a feel for this type of posting and learn how to use it. So later videos of my trip will be uploaded weekly and I hope to interest others while doing it. Feel free to give me advice. :)
Bon Voyage all
Bon Voyage all
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