Portugal: End of Program: “Goodbyes Hurt” by Jeremy Caldeira

 

 

 

It is now less than 10 days until I set foot on American soil again. I have spent the last 98 days based in Portugal. It has been an eventful 98 days of adventure, of meeting new people, of trying new foods, of exploring new places. I wouldn’t give back a single moment of it. But, now, I face the reality that I will have to give up a lot within the next 10 days. I will have to say goodbye to so many people that have made this experience worth it, some that I may see again, some that I may not. I will be saying goodbye to places that have become part of my routine. I will also be saying goodbye to some things I won’t really miss. Nevertheless, no matter who or what I am saying goodbye to, it doesn’t make any of these goodbyes any easier. Goodbyes hurt.

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Chile: End of Program by Julia van Warmerdam

 

Right now, I have nine days until I head to the Santiago International Airport and hop on a flight back to California. As I finish my eleventh week in Chile and begin my last, I am inevitably reflecting on my time here and what adjusting back to life will be like back home.

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Chile: End of Program: “Falta un Mes” by Sarah

https://almostbilingual.wordpress.com/

falta un mes

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I only have one more month left in Chile. I have never really had to leave behind so much before. In Seattle I have lived in the same house since I was a baby. I may have graduated through the Seattle school system, but my friends and everyone I knew were always in the same city as me. If I wanted I could reunite with them and even sometimes just run into them during a normal day. Though I have finished things the people and places were always accessible. Now I am discovering a very strange sensation of true disconnection. True, I can use technology to talk with my friends and family in Chile, but it really won’t be the same. Even if I return to Chile the other foreign exchanges students will be scattered across the globe.

Now, this sounds as if I am becoming homesick for my new home already. The fact is I am excited to return home to Seattle, and I am sad I am leaving Chile but I plan on taking part of the wonderful country with me. Through my spanish, pictures, my diary, my memories and moments of reflection with friends I made here I can find my Chilean home. It will be yet another gift of maturity Chile has given me. Something more to grow from.

So what does one do with a limited time left in a far away paradise? I already feel very satisfied with my time, nothing feels wasted. So what do I do? There are so many possibilities, but for now I believe it will be best to spend it with the people and the city of Valparaiso.

Chile: “Pre-Departure” by Sarah

https://almostbilingual.wordpress.com/

Pre – departure

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Waiting has never been an activity I enjoy. As my departure day nears I have already had a hectic stream of emotions. Anxiety. Fear. Excitement. Wonder. Joy. These emotions are filling in my time before I board a plane and cross over to the Southern Hemisphere and land in Santiago! Once there I will be studying Spanish at Pontifica Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and staying with a host family in Viña del Mar. My home will be close to the beach (I found this out using the creepy Google Earth to locate my nueva casa for the next few months.) I am very excited for this and can not thank my parents enough for the support they have given me. I will use this opportunity to completely integrate myself in Spanish and learn to love another country. I cannot wait! Hasta Luega, cuando estaré  en Chile!