One of the best aspects of being involved with the International and TCK (Third Culture Kids) students at Hope College is that you get to meet students from all over the world with different cultures. “A country” becomes “the country” and widens your perspectives and worldview. There are more than 80 students from all over …
Tag Archives: Latin America
The Greenest Campus on Earth
Finding My Place of Peace in Santiago Whenever I miss home or am frustrated or just need some air I go for a walk. The campus of PUCMM has got to be the best place to soothe the soul because of its plentiful greenery that facilitates oxygen-rich air. So, here’s a compilation of pictures and …
Arrival
– Nos vemos mañana! (“see you tomorrow”) – Nos vemos! I am finally in my new bed at my host family’s house in Puebla, Mexico. Lying on the bed and charging my dead phone, I am reflecting on my eventful day. 11:46 am. My flight departed from Bentonville, Arkansas, where I spent an amazing winter …
Wait, and You Will Find Your People.
Finding my way has been slightly more challenging than anticipated. I figured it would be easy to make friends being a part of a program rather than directly enrolling in an institution. I was wrong…and that’s okay. I am currently navigating the life of a student in the Dominican Republic. I’ve studied alone, watched movies …
¡Viviendo en la República Dominicana!
It’s official! I’ve been in la República Dominicana for an entire week, and I’m loving it! Although I don’t speak much Spanish, I have fully immersed myself into Dominican culture by living with a host family and doing everything I can to be in the community. From the rhythmic music and dancing to the rich …
Fluency?
One of the major things I wanted to work on this semester was becoming a fluent Spanish speaker. Now that I’m almost done, I can’t help but wonder if I actually made it there. I started my Spanish journey in my early teens, and I don’t think that I’ll ever be mistaken for a native …
Homesickness and the Holidays
So the holiday season has come in the US! It started with Halloween (if you consider that part of the holiday season – I think it kind of counts because so many people celebrate). Next up – Thanksgiving! Not here though. While Halloween exists in a very small way in Ecuador, Thanksgiving basically does not …
Hello Nepal and My Sweet Host Family
During these past few weeks, I have transitioned from Chile to Nepal. While some parts of transitioning are challenging, I have had an amazing experience. I live with my host dad and his mom who are Newari, and my host mom who is Japanese. I have two host siblings, a little sister who is four, …
Using Time Abroad to Live Your Dreams
So if you know me, you probably know that I love archaeology, particularly Latin American archaeology. That’s what I want to go on to study once I graduate. If you know West Michigan, you probably know that there’s not a whole lot of Latin American archaeology going on in the area. Not that I blame …
Learning to Live with Uncertainty
The people who know me know that I like to have everything planned out far in advance. Four year planning is one of my favorite things to do, and last minute planning stresses me out. Not knowing what’s going on stresses me out. However, I, along with everyone from my program and 18 million Chileans, …
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