JASE has offered me an amazing experience. The expedition didn't turn out as I had imagined it: some elements left me chagrined, other aspects inspired me. JASE has given me the opportunity to connect with peers from another part of the world, learn with them and from them, and overcome challenges with them, even when it was (at times) hard to understand each other.
Anna at Torres del Paine
Before we left Madison, out of the entire trip itinerary, I was most excited to go to Antarctica. When I learned it wouldn’t be possible to make the final trek, I was disappointed, yet I am hopeful that I will visit Antarctica at some point in my life. Another experience I was looking forward to was doing field research. Although the science we participated in as a group was less than expected, I did learn a lot about science from both the other teams and the researchers. I was especially impressed and fascinated by Reynalda and Estrella's project with bacteria that produce quantum dots.
The trip would have been futile without the enthusiasm and hospitality of the Chilean teams and everyone at INACH. I was truly surprised by how welcome and at home I felt in Chile, and I am grateful to have made the connections that I did with the students and researchers. Prior to this trip, my most recent adventure outside of the United States was spending a summer in Korea. I had an amazing host family, supportive friends, and outstanding language professors while I was in Seoul; however, the hardest thing about being in Korea was trying to learn from scratch the deep underlying cultural differences between the US and Korea that no one can articulate. I felt welcome, yet different. Naturally, I figured that adjusting to Chilean culture would pose the same challenges. I was expecting to walk on eggshells, try my best not to offend anyone, and learn what was acceptable from watching my Chilean peers. I found, however, that my culture and Chilean culture is part of the same big cultural umbrella: American culture. Our countries' histories are similar, as is our diversity, our values, and our mindsets. I felt welcomed in Chile, too, but more importantly, I felt at home.
When we first arrived in Chile, it took me a little while to get used to an accent that I had never been exposed to, but I found that my Spanish-language skills improved greatly (both speaking and listening) in the two weeks that we were there. At first I was a bit shy about speaking, even though I was able to understand a lot of the conversations, but toward the end of our journey, I was more willing and confident to speak, present, and tell stories in Spanish. Because of the friends I made in Chile, I am much more motivated to continue my Spanish-language studies and strive toward fluency in a scientific setting. My friend Reynalda told me that because she met us, she was inspired to work harder in learning English. Our journey was truly an exchange, not just a learning experience for the US team, and I was delighted to share the excitement of Reynalda, Estrella, Romina, Catalina, Felipe, Paulina, Gabriela, Katya, Javiera, Paula, and Brandon, as well as Claire and Luke, as we came to understand each other in a profound, indelible way.
I learned so much about my Chilean peers, but also about myself in Punta Arenas. Science can be taught almost anywhere, but culture can only be learned from immersion. I yearn to go back to Chile, and I hope that JASE will allow many students from both the US and Chile to have the same experience that I did.
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