A Chilean Adventure

I met with a UW/AWA alum today. She will be volunteering in Chile with WorldTeach from May-December. We looked at a map and estimate that it will probably be about a 4-hour drive from Valdivia to her location. How exciting!

We also talked a lot about Chile in general, what to expect and what we’re both doing to prepare. She’s already been to Chile for a week-long trip, so she had a lot of insight and brought pictures to share. It was so cool to have feedback and information that is based off of real first-hand experience. It’s making the whole thing come into perspective more.

I think we both shared things with each other that we probably wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. I definitely got some good ideas: take comfort things (food, pictures, trinkets, etc.) that will help me feel better when things get tough, a parting gift idea for Mike and/or my family, and other things that I wish I would have written while we were talking, but I’m sure they’re in my memory and I’ll remember things when I need to.

The conversation really changed my outlook a lot. I left thinking, “Will 5 1/2 months be long enough to feel comfortable with the language and to get a full understanding of the culture?” It will have to be, but now I’m ready to make the most of my time there.