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- Katie •
- Study Abroad in Venezuela •
- Summer, 2007
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"I wish I would have stayed there longer, toward the fifth week I felt like I had learned a lot. " |
Mérida, Venezuela.
When people ask me about it, I say I thought it was an amazing place to go. The scenery and the people that I met were really very nice.
I needed to get my last year of Spanish done for the CLA requirements. So I knew I needed to go to a Spanish speaking country, and over the summer was the best time for me to go. So I had the choice of Mexico or Venezuela for the best programs.
The Host Family Expereince
I thought it was good staying with a host family because I just got to see how they interacted with each other, their neighborhoods, and it was good having the homecooked meals and being able to talk to them all the time. We made empanadas. Just a bunch of the cooking and things that I’ve never experienced up here 'cause I only eat American food. They made me appreciate the family oriented type that most Spanish cultures have. That was brought back with me 'cause I want to focus more on being around my family more 'cause they made it so important.
Traveling
When we were traveling, we were able to see a lot of cool things. I have pictures of me holding an anaconda around my neck. It’s funny 'cause my grandma used to live in a nursing home and my grandpa would go around showing everyone the picture of me holding the anaconda. I caught a piranha down there, too. So a lot of things that I would never experience around here, it was great to do that outdoors stuff. We went to Lake Maracaibo. It was the coolest experiences I’ve ever had because it was really relaxing and just amazing to me that we were in the middle of a lake, in this hut, sleeping in hammocks and just listening to the rain pound next to us.
Her Experience
I actually learned how to dance, 'cause I’m not a very good dancer. We had dance lessons once a week, so we did like, Salsa, Merengue, and stuff like that, and we went out to the clubs.
I feel more comfortable being by myself, and doing things for myself. I wish I would have stayed there longer, toward the fifth week I felt like I had learned a lot. My study abroad experience made me more interested in helping other people study abroad and working with international students. ¡Viva Venezuela!
Check out this Venezuela program.
Last modified on April 8, 2009 |