| He
feels blessed to have lived with a family and to to have found a church
to attend, both of which built a sense of community while he was there.
Being part of a household provided the chance to dispel misunderstandings
about each other's culture. The many evenings spent around Señora
Aida's dinner table provided a forum for discussions on politics, "Uncle
Paul," and help with language.
He found
that his character was impacted by the strong virtues of the Chilean people:
resourceful, flexible, creative, hardworking, contentment, and a more
relaxed approach to life. Josh learned to let the world around him be
his classroom, and to learn from every person he came in contact with.
Upon his
return, Josh wrote his honors thesis on a nitrate contamination model
using data from the Chillán watershed that is part of a larger
study being done by a faculty team at the Universidad. Josh went on to
gain a Juris Doctorate from the University of Nebraska's College of Law,
and is in practice with his father.
Josh is thankful
for the friends he made and hopes to visit them again. Does he recommend
this experience to other students? You bet!
|
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| Mi Iglesia Chiena
is the small church where Josh encountered some of the warmest, most
joyful people he's ever met. |
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| Visitors from
home! Josh took a day trip to the ski resort of El Valle Nevado with
his family. "Mom, Dad, and Nick came to visit me at the end of
May, which provided some time-out from school work, and the opportunity
for all of us to get to know the people and places I had gotten to
know. We had a blast!" |
|
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| Three of Josh's
amigos: Willy, Javiér, and Eduardo, who were classmates as well. |
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| Santa Lucia Bajo,
is a majestic valley where small farms are tended on government-granted,
tax-free land. The farmers raise nearly all that their families need,
including their own meat, and pull fresh fish from the river. |
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| La muerte de
chancho—a pig kill—a common countryside tradition. |
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| This canal supplies
hydraulic energy, through a water wheel, to a saw mill. It's an amazing
display of Chilean resourcefulness. |
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| La Salida Final—
Farewell at the train station. "The Lord provided a wonderful
family for me to live with. They taught me about Chile, how to speak
Spanish, how to cook Chilean food, and a bit about enjoying other
people." |
Tips for student foreign travel
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