Currently, I am finishing my Fall 2019 semester of my senior year of college. However, it wasn’t until the end of my sophomore year that I fully declared my major in Spanish. Between graduating high school and entering college, I took a gap semester to Central America. Therefore, I entered UMASS in the Spring semester. Not only was I unsure of what I wanted to study, but I also wanted to be involved in an experience involving learning about other cultures. I additionally wanted to focus on my own personal growth. Initially, I was extremely nervous going to a location that I was unfamiliar to. When I mentioned to other people where I was going for my gap semester, often times, their reaction wasn’t as positive as I anticipated. This was commonly affiliated with their ideas regarding safety in such areas. The initial responses I got from other people about where I was going provoked high anxiety and doubt in continuing with the program. However, it was one of the best things I have ever done.

To give some background information, we were a group of 14. There were 12 students and  two group leaders (experienced in language and travel skills). Everyone in the group (aside from the group leaders) were 18 years old. Each student was from a different location in the United States. My choice to also go with a group of other kids (all from different locations around the United States) tested my adaptability and relationship skills. First of all, going into a program that is going to travel in unfamiliar locations can cause anxiety, but also who you’re traveling with also is important. I had never done such a long and diverse experience, let alone with nobody I knew. Although I was hesitant to be open and vulnerable with strangers, I quickly found that everyone else was in the boat as me. We all had similar concerns regarding being away form home for such a long period and how we would navigate certain situations with the given language barrier (many of us didn’t know substantial Spanish).

Within Central America, I was fortunate enough to spend time in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Roatán, Honduras. The program was the length of a school semester, therefore giving substantial time in each location. Within each country, we were exposed to different types of housing. For example, we would all stay in a hostel (similar to a hotel but with communal rooms), or we would split up into small groups and spend a week or so with host families. Specifically during the home stays, I found myself feeling a bit uncomfortable. I was super shy with my first homestay and felt that my language skills were horrible, thus causing me to remain more quiet. However, it wasn’t until about halfway through the program that I felt my language skills were good enough to converse with the home stays and/or locals. It was my personal growth in speaking Spanish that prompted me to become more open and converse more with locals and home stays.

Not only did I feel uncomfortable within the first home stay and residential encounters, I also found myself unaccustomed to difference in lifestyle in Central America. What I mean by this is that I didn’t know some cultural norms until I fully experienced them. For example, it is not necessarily an unsaid ‘rule’ to yield for pedestrians. Additionally, the manner in which some of the residents speak to each other, or to someone who they deem as a tourist, was unexpected. Often times, residents would joke with each other, or with us as students. However, what may be considered a joke to them may be more of a rude comment to others. For me, in was definitely a challenge to rewire my reactions to certain situations I experienced. However, it was something I learned to be accustomed to. I think it provided me with the fact that cultures have different social norms, and often the American bias may cause one to negatively reflect on certain situations.

Inevitably it’s hard to condense 4 months of travel in one reflection, but I want to stress again that involving yourself in something you may find initially uncomfortable can, in fact, have such a positive influence. It opens you up to learn things about other places, people, and ideas that you may not have been able to once consider. For me, it was extremely important to understand such a topic before entering college, as I have been able to think deeper and more critically regarding certain subjects and how they play a role in society as a whole, not just in the society I am personally experiencing.