Hola y bienvenidos a mi blog. This blog will share with you my experiences during study abroad. Each post will be a vivid account of what I will be seeing with my own two eyes. I apologize in advance because this blog will be bilingual. It won't be for every post, but as the semester goes on, there will be more Spanish. I will be posting videos, pictures, and different anecdotes to record my experiences while in Chile. If you enjoy this blog, please follow me and share with your friends!
First of all, I would like to share a little bit about myself by answering a few basic questions: Who? What? Why? and How?
Who: Who am I? My name is Katie Johnson, and I am currently an academic junior at the newly consolidated University of North Georgia. I hope to one day work with translation, or teach English in other countries. But before I start the occupational world, I might look into joining the Peace Corps. I am 20 years old and was born and raised in Jupiter, Florida, and currently reside in a small town called Dahlonega. Now the rest of that story as to how I got here isn't very relevant as to why I am here posting on this blog.
What: What am I doing, and what is my purpose? I am doing a study abroad trip through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) at my university to Pontificía Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV) in Valparaiso, Chile. I was chosen by the people of ISEP, whomever those wonderful people are, to go to PUCV. Basically, what I did pick a few schools that I was interested in attending, and wrote them down on a piece of paper, and the people of ISEP thought PUCV was my best fit.
Why: Why am I here, and why am I doing this? First of all, I am here going through this process by the grace of God. I would not be where I am today without my faith in him. My reason for study abroad is very logical. I am studying to get a degree in Modern Languages with an emphasis in Spanish/French. But rather than going to Spain like most people do, I felt like being different and going to Chile. I hope to one day make a difference by breaking that language barrier by a little bit, and why not start off with learning a little bit about the culture? Culture is not something you can actively learn in a classroom; you must experience it by use of your senses. Therefore, I must embrace the new that's coming, and let those experiences mold me into a better person not only for my future occupation, but to better our future generations.
How: How am I feeling? To be completely honest, I am extremely nervous about this whole experience and how this is going to pan out. It's a big deal for a 20 year old female to have to put on her big girl panties and travel about the world without her mommy and daddy holding her hand along the way. This trip is the real deal. I am also really excited for this experience. It's something that not everyone gets to do, and I feel so humbled that I get this opportunity to grow my world views through personal experiences, not just lectures or stories in a book. A chance like this does not show up very often, so I am taking it head on with no regrets.
I will be updating my blog with different posts hopefully daily. If not daily, it will be as much as possible. After all, I will be continuing my education and will need to make time for studying. The main posts won't be until I actually leave in July, but I will be posting about my experiences throughout this entire process. So come along with me for this adventure!
