Well my fifth and final week is just about over! It’s surreal to me right now but I’ve had an amazing experience here in Queretaro!
Throughout my trip I have had many struggles with my health, my first host family, and just being away from my loved ones at home. The people involved in this program have really made the experience so much better for me! I have learned so much about the culture here and have had to adjust to many changes that I have mentioned in other posts. Although it was and still is difficult to live in another culture for five weeks and try to understand why they do things a certain way it is eye opening and I would encourage anyone to take part of it. I feel that I have gained so much knowledge by completely immersing myself in the lifestyle here. I don’t think I could have ever fully understood the culture here just by taking a class in the US about it.
In the fall I will continue pursing my teaching degree and my bilingual endorsement. I hope that I keep this experience with me and am able to continue traveling and really experiencing the cultures where a good majority of my students might come from!
In your post preceding this one, I noted how much you have accomplished abroad, and after reading this post, I want to reaffirm that. I appreciate your open and thoughtful comments because it takes many, many years to become one with another culture. You have made an excellent beginning, and you have first hand knowledge now that will help you work well with your students for whom English is a second language. Michele