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As of today, May 13th, there are only 18 days until we leave for Chile and I am feeling many different emotions. First and foremost, I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to travel to abroad! Participating in an IPDS trip is something that I have wanted to do since I went to a Buffalo State Open House as a senior in high school. It still doesn’t feel real to me that I am leaving for Chile in less than three weeks!
I am also feeling a little nervous because this trip will be my first time traveling outside the United States and Canada and going somewhere that the primary language is not English. I thought I knew basic Spanish from the four years I took of it in high school, but last week I took a placement exam for ECELA (the Spanish school we will be attending in Chile) and I hardly knew any of the answers! This experience will not only develop my Spanish language skills, but will also give me the opportunity to experience life as a language learner and empathize with the English language learners I may have in my classroom someday. In addition, the longest amount of time I have ever been away from home (and my parents) is five days! This summer I will be spending three weeks in Chile and immediately upon my return to the States I will be working as a group leader at a sleep away summer camp for seven weeks. I think this will be a transformative summer for me because it will make me more independent and confident. Participating in the IPDS Chile program will definitely be the cherry on top of an incredible school year. I can’t wait to finally use my new passport.
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Author¡Hola! My name is Kelly and I am an undergraduate student studying elementary education at Buffalo State. This is the first time I will be traveling outside the United States and Canada. I am very excited about the opportunity to learn more about Chilean culture, work with English language learners, improve my Spanish skills, and conduct research! I hope you’ll enjoy reading about my Chilean adventures! ArchivesCategories |