Vina Del Mar, Chile

 I am a third-generation American, and neither myself nor my family are fluent in Spanish. It is difficult to live in a city like Miami and be constantly surrounded by Latino cultures you cannot fully relate to or understand. It is my hometown, yet I felt uncomfortable calling it “home.” That is why I sought out study abroad. I wanted to learn Spanish. I wanted to reconnect with my Mexican roots. I wanted to interact with people of a Latino culture because to me, a substantial understanding of another culture is only achieved through direct contact.

    When I happened upon the Ecela Spanish & Medicine program, I immediately knew that was the program I would pursue. They offer both grammar and conversation classes, and customize the curriculum to your skill level. As a bonus, they offer students interested in medicine opportunities to shadow doctors at local clinics and hospitals. My program was in Vina del Mar, Chile, and although it is thousands of miles away from Miami, I felt oddly at home. I owe it completely to the host family I was living with, especially my host mom Margarita. She was very patient and understanding with me. She spoke little English, but was more than happy to have conversations with me, even if I was not sure what to say. One of the scariest things about study abroad for me was going to a country where I did not know the language. I was afraid that I would embarrass myself, or even worse, disappoint my family. I wanted to make my great grandmother proud, and in thinking that, I unknowingly pressured myself to be perfect. Margarita saw me struggle and hesitate, but she just silently waited for me to talk. Puedes hacerlo. She believed in me; she knew I could do it. For her I am eternally grateful, because she taught me a powerful lesson: do not be afraid to mess up. The reality is, if you are learning a new language, you will mess up. But mistakes are how you learn. Doing study abroad is something I recommend to all students as it will help you, as it did for me, to discover something new.