Testimonials
When I stepped across the line to begin the security process at the Portland International Airport, the idea that I was leaving my home in the United States of America for a long time to study abroad in Chile became very real. The rush that comes with the start of an adventure tingled through my body. A day later, I walked out of the tiny Osorno airport to be greeted by my host brother, Diego Pacheco, as he gave me a big hug. My senses were on fire with new sights, sounds and smells, but the amazing thing is, the alien environment around me became far more familiar than I ever thought it would after five months. The study abroad experience is all about learning to adapt to a foreign culture and then finding common ground through empathy. Although the initial stages of my trip were filled with moments mixed between confusion and awe, the later stages abounded with enlightened understanding and connection. I learned to speak Spanish fluently and made amazing friends who I still talk to today, but I also learned important things about myself through my incredible journey in Chile. When I stepped back across the line in the Portland International Airport that signified the end of my adventure, I was a wiser, more globally oriented human being.
-- JD (Sheldon HS, 2012)
In 2006 I was a sophomore in high school on the verge of dropping out. I had the record for number of tardies in a school of over 2000 students, and was known as lazy and unmotivated to the teaching and administrative staff. The only classes I passed were P.E. and Spanish. That same year, I decided that I no longer wanted to be in high school. I took the G.E.D. test so that I could leave high school without “technically” dropping out, according to Oregon law. Up until this point, my family had been hosting Japanese exchange students every year through a program called Oregon Adventure. One summer when I was camping, with students from Japan, the director of Oregon Adventure told me she had extended her services to Chile as well. I absolutely loved Spanish class (it was the only A on my transcripts) and I knew I wanted to become fluent in the language. The director (at that time) of Oregon Adventure, met with my mom and they both decided that doing an abroad experience to Chile would be good for me. Little did any of us know it would be more than good for me; it would dramatically change my life forever.
I went to Chile and stayed with a host-family for 5 months; the by far best spent 5 months of my life. In that short amount of time, I became fluent in Spanish, became part of a new culture and family, and became a high-achieving and motivated 16 year old girl. After my abroad experience in Chile, I returned to the U.S., began college, and was immediately transformed into a 4.0 student. I majored in Spanish and Latin American Studies and didn’t pay a penny out of pocket, partially due to academic scholarships for outstanding grades. All of my Spanish professors at the University of Oregon were astonished by my Spanish language abilities, and employers hired me left and right for any job that I applied to, because of my fluency in Spanish and effortlessness in interacting with people form Hispanic cultures. My Spanish was so fluent that people accused me of being a liar when I’d tell them I wasn’t from Latin America and that I had only been in Chile for 5 months. The language skills, life experience and global mindedness that Oregon Adventure provided me have been the best investment anyone has ever made in my life, without a question.
My Chilean host-family has become a family of my own; I have visited them 5 times since my initial trip with Oregon Adventure, and it feels even more like home every time that I’m there. Chile and Spanish have become a part of my life, so much that I can’t even recall how I functioned before I had them. As I am writing this, it is May 2013, exactly 7 years since I quit high school. I am barely 23 years old, and as of yesterday, I received my Masters Degree in a highly competitive program. I can assure you one thing; no one who knew me at age 16 would EVER guess that I’d be where I am today. I indisputably credit the accomplishments I’ve made, throughout the years, to the life-altering exchange experience that is available to any student and family that wants it; the experience of Oregon Adventure.
-- CJ
-- JD (Sheldon HS, 2012)
In 2006 I was a sophomore in high school on the verge of dropping out. I had the record for number of tardies in a school of over 2000 students, and was known as lazy and unmotivated to the teaching and administrative staff. The only classes I passed were P.E. and Spanish. That same year, I decided that I no longer wanted to be in high school. I took the G.E.D. test so that I could leave high school without “technically” dropping out, according to Oregon law. Up until this point, my family had been hosting Japanese exchange students every year through a program called Oregon Adventure. One summer when I was camping, with students from Japan, the director of Oregon Adventure told me she had extended her services to Chile as well. I absolutely loved Spanish class (it was the only A on my transcripts) and I knew I wanted to become fluent in the language. The director (at that time) of Oregon Adventure, met with my mom and they both decided that doing an abroad experience to Chile would be good for me. Little did any of us know it would be more than good for me; it would dramatically change my life forever.
I went to Chile and stayed with a host-family for 5 months; the by far best spent 5 months of my life. In that short amount of time, I became fluent in Spanish, became part of a new culture and family, and became a high-achieving and motivated 16 year old girl. After my abroad experience in Chile, I returned to the U.S., began college, and was immediately transformed into a 4.0 student. I majored in Spanish and Latin American Studies and didn’t pay a penny out of pocket, partially due to academic scholarships for outstanding grades. All of my Spanish professors at the University of Oregon were astonished by my Spanish language abilities, and employers hired me left and right for any job that I applied to, because of my fluency in Spanish and effortlessness in interacting with people form Hispanic cultures. My Spanish was so fluent that people accused me of being a liar when I’d tell them I wasn’t from Latin America and that I had only been in Chile for 5 months. The language skills, life experience and global mindedness that Oregon Adventure provided me have been the best investment anyone has ever made in my life, without a question.
My Chilean host-family has become a family of my own; I have visited them 5 times since my initial trip with Oregon Adventure, and it feels even more like home every time that I’m there. Chile and Spanish have become a part of my life, so much that I can’t even recall how I functioned before I had them. As I am writing this, it is May 2013, exactly 7 years since I quit high school. I am barely 23 years old, and as of yesterday, I received my Masters Degree in a highly competitive program. I can assure you one thing; no one who knew me at age 16 would EVER guess that I’d be where I am today. I indisputably credit the accomplishments I’ve made, throughout the years, to the life-altering exchange experience that is available to any student and family that wants it; the experience of Oregon Adventure.
-- CJ
Student Presentations & Blog
Jackson's blog:
http://jacksondarland.blogspot.com/?m=1
"Chile" by Sofi:
http://prezi.com/efjuevgq6v3v/chile/
"Osorno" by Sofi:
http://prezi.com/4iasilqts274/osorno-chile/
http://jacksondarland.blogspot.com/?m=1
"Chile" by Sofi:
http://prezi.com/efjuevgq6v3v/chile/
"Osorno" by Sofi:
http://prezi.com/4iasilqts274/osorno-chile/