Ready or Not, Here I Come!

     In a few short hours I will be embarking on the journey of a lifetime, a study abroad experience in Costa Rica! It is a faculty led program through The Watson College of Education that focuses on the experiences and struggles of English Language Learners. I think the opportunities this trip will present me with will challenge me both academically and personally. The academic goals I have set for myself include learning how to become an affective teacher for students coming from all different backgrounds and developing a deeper passion for learning and exploring that I can share with my future students. On a more personal level, I hope to be able to see the world from a different perspective, become more adventurous, and enjoy my time abroad. By spending three weeks immersed in a different culture and language, I think I will be able to more clearly empathize with English Language Learners and students coming from different cultural backgrounds than my own.
     I am incredibly excited for this opportunity, but I can't help but to be nervous about traveling to a country that I've never been to when I do not speak the language fluently. I am anxious to live with a host family who will most likely have very different lifestyle than I am used to. I am not quite sure what to expect, but I know that the language barrier between my host family and I will be a challenge. I am also concerned about the cultural differences I will need to adapt to. In Costa Rica there are different expectations for greetings, timeliness, social interactions, and I'm sure many other things that I have not even considered yet. I think it will be a big adjustment trying to transition from the mindset of a UNCW student to the mindset of a Tico.
     I anticipate that I will make a lot of mistakes, probably translate plenty of things incorrectly, and embarrass myself a few times, but I hope that I will be able to grow from these experiences to become a more well-rounded educator. I hope that through my experiences as a struggling learner, I will be able to relate to my students who struggle and use strategies that I found to be effective for me. I think this opportunity to be fully immersed in a different culture will teach me to be more flexible in my daily life, adaptable to new situations, and understanding of other cultures and perspectives.

My cat Texas is ready to see me off to Costa Rica! He tried to get into my backpack and come along.