Chile Week 1-Gray Cressy


           Traveling out of the country is a rare occurrence for me and to do it in such an immersive manner led to a pervading feeling of nervousness as I hopped off the plane in Concepcion. However, my worries were quickly alleviated by the Barria family who have been all I could’ve ever asked for from a host family and more. They have opened their doors and their lives to me and I am forever grateful for them doing so. As the rust has been knocked off my Spanish, I have been able to have great talks with the family over dinner and we have been able to teach each other about our cultures and homelands. As representatives of Chilean culture, the Barria family has been incredible and have made this experience the best culture shock imaginable.
 

           In the airport, I had spotted a sign displaying the World Rally Championship event occurring in Concepcion that weekend and during the car ride I mentioned how I grew up waking up at dawn to watch rallying on the weekends. Later that day, I was asked if I would like to go to witness the final stage of the rally the next day and I could not say yes fast enough. The next morning we were driving up a logging road in the mountains outside Concepcion and hiking through the forest to the rally stage. I wish my Spanish was better so I could’ve expressed my jubilation because I was able to see drivers like Sebastian Loeb, Sebastian Ogier, and Ott Tanak. These were people I had only dreamed of seeing who would never drive in the United States. It was a special experience in a postcard-worthy mountainside setting that I will remember forever.


           As one of the group members without a background in education, I felt a fair amount of concern about the school aspect of this program. However, I have been fortunate enough to be paired with Professor Dosque and he has been awesome. The in-class teacher-student relationship in the school is extremely amicable and presents a very natural learning environment. The teachers at the school have been beyond accommodating and very patient with our attempts at Spanish. The students are engaging and I see many traits of my friends in them. I am excited to see what the next two weeks at the school brings.



Viajar fuera del país es algo raro para mí y hacerlo de una manera tan inmersiva me provocó una sensación de nerviosismo generalizada cuando salté del avión en Concepción. Sin embargo, mis preocupaciones fueron aliviadas rápidamente por la familia Barria, que ha sido todo lo que podría haberle pedido a una familia anfitriona y mucho más. Me han abierto sus puertas y sus vidas y siempre les estoy agradecido por haberlo hecho. A medida que se eliminó la oxidación de mi español, pude conversar con la familia durante la cena y nos enseñamos a los demás sobre nuestras culturas y países. Como representantes de la cultura chilena, la familia Barria ha sido increíble y ha hecho de esta experiencia el mejor choque cultural que se pueda imaginar. En el aeropuerto, vi un cartel que mostraba el evento del Campeonato del Mundo de Rally que tuvo lugar en Concepción ese fin de semana y, durante el viaje en automóvil, mencioné cómo crecí al despertarme al amanecer para ver los rallyes los fines de semana. Más tarde ese día, me preguntaron si me gustaría ir a presenciar la etapa final del rally al día siguiente y no podría decir que sí lo suficientemente rápido. A la mañana siguiente, conducíamos por un camino forestal en las montañas a las afueras de Concepción y caminábamos por el bosque hasta la etapa de concentración. Desearía que mi español fuera mejor, así que podría haber expresado mi júbilo porque pude ver a pilotos como Sebastian Loeb, Sebastian Ogier y Ott Tanak. Estas eran personas con las que solo había soñado ver quién nunca manejaría en los Estados Unidos. Fue una experiencia especial en un entorno de montaña digno de una tarjeta postal que apreciaré por siempre. Como uno de los miembros del grupo sin experiencia en educación, sentí bastante preocupación por el aspecto escolar de este programa. Sin embargo, he tenido la suerte de estar emparejado con el profesor Dosque y él ha sido increíble. La relación entre el maestro y el alumno en la escuela es extremadamente amigable y presenta un ambiente de aprendizaje muy natural. Los profesores de la escuela han sido más que complacientes y muy pacientes con nuestros intentos de español. Los estudiantes están participando y veo muchos rasgos de mis amigos en ellos. Estoy emocionada de ver lo que las próximas dos semanas en la escuela traen.


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