WWWWW and H???

August 1st-- A new month, a new language, a new country, a new lifestyle. It all begins today. 

WHO: Me, Katerina Stephan, a recent high school graduate, looking for some adventure, a revived love for learning outside of the traditional classroom setting, new friends, a clearer sense of self, and memories that will last a lifetime. I am 18 years old. 

WHAT: I am taking what one of my dear friends once described as a “leap year” (more commonly known as a gap year). This means that rather than heading off to college, I am postponing my freshman year and doing something not directly connected to my future US college. For the next five months, I’ll be participating in a gap year program through an organization known as CIEE. They are a nonprofit, non-governmental international exchange program (for more information: http://www.ciee.org), and they have programs for working, internships, teaching, and studying (all abroad) and for a variety of ages. 

 My particular program has landed me in Chile. I’ll be studying Spanish at the local Universidad, taking a culture specific class and then filling my afternoons with community service. Weekends are purposely left free of responsibility with the expectation that the students will plan their own adventures to go where ever and do whatever pleases them (within some reason). There is a brief crash course tomorrow, but the majority of specifics will be uncovered starting next Monday during a week long orientation. I’ll share more details when I know them. 

 WHERE: Vina del Mar, Chile! This may surprise some of you, as I’ve been saying Valparaiso when asked before. However, it turns out that the actual city I’ll be living in and studying in is called Vina del Mar (Valparaiso is the region and the city right next door). I can see Valparaiso from Vina del Mar, so the two cities are extremely close to eachother. There’s no clear dividing line between them either. Santiago, the capital of Chile, is about an hour and a half away by car.

According to the gentleman sitting next to me on the plane, Chile is the England of South America. I’m not exactly sure what he meant by that, so I’ll leave it open to your own interpretation as well. I also learned that it’s the longest country in the world. 

WHEN: I left the United States (from Miami), at 11:15pm on July 31st. CIEE’s program ends on the 13th of December, but I’ll return home a couple weeks later. I’m hoping to travel around a little bit, and my family is coming down to visit for the holidays. (Already excited for that!) Basically, I’ll be out of the country for 5 months. Still processing that...

HOW: This is a surprisingly easy question to answer. I’d been tossing the idea of a gap year around for the past couple of years, and by the middle of my senior year (right around the time I was applying to colleges actually), I decided for sure that I wanted to take one. The next step was where and what. Through conversations with several friends and family, I narrowed my search to a Spanish speaking country and a study/service learning program. CIEE then was the perfect match, and Chile sounded different enough from the US to truly push my boundaries while still allowing my mother to feel moderately calm about my safety. Moderately. From there, all I had to do was fill out an application and write an essay or two (easy after all those college apps), and voila! Here I am. 

WHY: I saved this question for last as it is the most difficult for me to explain. There really is no concrete reason or ah-ha moment that lead me here. Part of it was that I love traveling. I love going to new places, meeting new people, and learning new lifestyles. I find I learn the most about myself when I know nothing else. I’m excited to experience the “ohmygoodnessthisisallsonewandcrazy!” feeling.

But at the same time, I wanted to settle into a new community. Here, I’ll be more than just a tourist. I’ll be studying with Chileans, playing sports with other students, working along side other volunteers, helping local organizations, cooking and cleaning in my new house, shopping for clothes and groceries, and fully living life like a Chilean. The way I see it, it’s the best of both worlds, a little bit of everything, exactly how I like it. I know how short life can be, and I know as I get older, I’ll have more and more responsibilities. Right now, I’m at a time in my life when I can put everything aside and leave. So why not? 

I’m hoping when I come back to the United States, I’ll struggle with English because I’ll be so used to Spanish. I’m hoping to be able to cook enough Chilean meals for at least a week. I’m hoping I’ll have eaten so much new and delicious food that I’ll need to run for the rest of my life. I’m hoping I’ll fully become part of another family, so much so, that I can call my host mother, mom without a second thought. I’m hoping I’ll learn learn the city, so that no matter where I go, I always know how to get home-through walking or public transportation. I’m hoping I’ll make friendships that will last a lifetime. I’m hoping I’ll be able to study hard and party harder (within reason of course). And I’m hoping I’ll leave my mark here; I want to leave a positive reputation for Americans where ever I can, and I want to make a difference where ever I volunteer. 

 Thank you to everyone who has supported me already and helped me get to where I am today, both mentally and physically (CHILE!!). 

I owe a special thank you to my cross country coach Peter for telling me to go for it, to my Aunt Linda for helping me choose a program practical for what I wanted to do, to Marcy Smith for helping me with gap year paper work and college stuff, and above all to my mother for helping me every step of the way. She is the best mother a girl could have, and without her, none of this would be possible. 

 And now that my plane is about to land, here’s to an adventure of a lifetime. Much love to anybody and everybody who is reading this, and cheers!