January 9, 2023

Have you ever had a dream since you were a kid that somehow came true? Something that seemed so impossible that became your reality? The idea of becoming a foreign exchange student had always been in my brain while growing up, and when the topic came up during a vacation/mission trip, it seemed like the most outlandish hypothetical I could come up with. And yet here I am, in Cali, Colombia, about to became a student in a Colombian high school.

When I was young, my parents put me in an immersion school starting in kindergarten. There I learned Spanish, and even had all my classes taught in the language by the second grade. Ever since, I’ve been seeking chances to use my Spanish. This past summer, (summer of 2022) my family served on a mission trip in Medellin, Colombia. It was the most incredible experience, and afterwards, we decided to visit some old family friends in Cali.

These friends were actually exchange students themselves. Four sisters who each spent a year in the States with my grandparents over twenty years ago. When they heard my Spanish, they insisted that I do the same and exchange in Colombia with their family.

At the time, this seemed like a far off idea, and not everyone was on board. My father was especially nervous. The girls reminded him that when they exchanged, back in the 1990s, they couldn’t text their parents at all, and calls were too expensive, so they had to write letters. Once he came around to the idea, we began the process of emailing the school, figuring out credits, and dealing with student visas.

Finally, here we are, getting ready to start this semester, and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s been amazing getting to know the “V” family, and even though my mom doesn’t speak much Spanish, she’s really enjoying her time here. Already, I can feel myself getting into the habit of speaking the language, just by being surrounded by it.

Here’s the rundown of everything that’s happened so far:

At 3:00am on January 7th, with bleary eyes and a heavy heart, I kissed my dog goodbye before leaving home to catch our 6:00 AM flight in New Orleans. The other travelers at the airport had to wonder what was going on as I clung, sobbing, to Dad. I knew leaving would be hard, but there are some things for which you can’t prepare. Mom came with me to Cali, and is going to stay a few days until I’m settled. After transferring in Miami, we were finally on our way to Cali. There, two of the V sisters, Jandi and Chachi, picked us up brought us to dinner at Crepes and Waffles before getting me settled in my new room.

The next morning, my mom and I found an Episcopal church nearby that we decided to check out. The large majority of churches in Colombia are Catholic, so we were lucky that there was an Episcopalian church so close. We are Presbyterian and figured that Episcopalian is closer than Catholic to the worship we are used to. We absolutely loved the service and the pastor was very kind and made us feel so welcome. They even invited me to sing on their worship team! Afterwards, we went grocery shopping before driving up the mountain to eat the most amazing lunch and desert with the V family. That took the whole afternoon, so after walking their dog, Teo, I headed to bed.

And finally, today we visited the country home of the V sisters’ parents. It was so beautiful and we ate fresh mango and bananas as a snack before lunch. Mom enjoyed Colombian coffee with the adults. They were so welcoming and they even began teaching me how to dance! They told me that living in Colombia, I’d have to know how to dance salsa, bachata and merengue. I’m no Shakira, but I’d say I wasn’t too bad.

Tomorrow I get to tour the school before my first day of classes on Wednesday. I can’t wait to see where I’ll be spending so much time during the next six months. It’s all still sinking in that I’m here and that I’m actually going to school here. I know homesickness is going to hit soon, but right now, I’m so excited that I don’t have room to be scared!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey! Expect updates! May the Lord bless you and keep you! Buenas noches.