Week three: LeAnn's Chile Trip

The End of a Beautiful Journey 

My journey has officially ended here in Chile and I will forever be thankful for the love, generosity, and kindness shown to me throughout this program. So many people have touched my life and have given me something to take away from this experience. I have truly grown here in Chile. I have taught,I have learned, and I have loved in the short time I've been here.

  

Teaching in Chile really was the highlight of the trip for me. Being able to expose the teachers and students to different methods and/or practices that encouraged learning was awesome. Fabiola, the English teacher I worked with while here, was so willing to learn and try new ways to teach her students. Her eagerness to learn encouraged me to try educational practices I've only learned about in the classroom. Without Fabiloa and the loving students that were so willing to work with me, those methods and practices I taught in Chile would still just be thoughts/knowledge that I've never used. 

                                     

I was not only an educator in Chile but a student as well. I have learned that the world is so much bigger than I imagined. Coming to Chile and seeing a new culture that's completely different than my own yet so similar is breathtaking. The journey has inspired me to continue traveling outside of my own culture. I now want to see more of the world, experience other cultures and learn all that I could while there. I want to see the difference but also see the similarities that bring us together. 

                                    

Lastly, While in Chile I loved. When preparing for this trip I never imagined I would bond so well with my Chilean family. Once I arrived there it was as if I've always been there, as if Sandra and Juan Ignacio were my parents. The whole family surrounded and displayed love towards me which caused me to love them for who they were and how they treated me. This love and respect that we created towards each other during my journey is something distance can not destroy. I love them and will continue to for years to come, they are my family forever. 

Chile definitely was a place of growth for me personal and I am so sad to see my time here end but will be forever appreciative for all that I have experienced. So thankful for this program.