Going to Colombia was so far, one of my favorite high school experiences. I am grateful and blessed to have gotten the opportunity to travel to such a beautiful country. Not only was the trip an eye opening experience that exposed us to Colombian culture, it also allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the language. Walking through the streets of the small town of Jericó, we were able to talk to the locals and practice our Spanish in ways that would have never been possible back home. Travelling to a country where the main language is Spanish allows you to pick up on the subtleties of the language from the locals which is something that can’t be replicated in a classroom. Even though we only spoke Spanish during class, talking to native speakers that are fluent provided an irreplaceable real-world experience. 

The locals were super friendly and would even engage in conversation as they were curious about where we were from and the purpose of our trip. They took their time to converse with us and also tell us about themselves. Conversing with strangers is greatly overlooked and is a lost practice in today’s world. Additionally, not having our phones for a week greatly contributed to the whole immersion of the trip. 

The small group of 10 students that went on the trip allowed for a lot of flexibility and independence which created more opportunities for raw and authentic experiences. On the last day for example, we came across some kids our age playing basketball and we decided to talk to them and play with them. This was fully unplanned but we ended up staying for close to four hours just laughing, playing and talking to them. We had such a good time and were able to see first hand from kids our age how different but similar their lives were from ours. Even though we lived so far away and our lives were so different, we were still able to connect with them and create life lasting memories. 

Learning about the history of Colombia was also very interesting and eye opening in itself. Realizing the long history of struggle, violence, and oppression of people globally makes you start reflecting on your own life. Getting caught in our busy day-to-day lives can cause us to take everything for granted. All our amenities and luxuries that a lot of people all over the world don’t have are some examples of what we take for granted. Furthermore, whether it’s freedom or material objects such as infrastructure, we are lucky to live in a clean, safe and abundant city. 

Going to the coffee farm and learning about the whole process from start to finish was also a highlight of the trip. The whole process of making coffee is grueling hard work that pays very little. The heart and work ethic of the people at the farm and just in general, of all the people who helped us while we were there was amazing to say the least. No matter what they were doing they put so much in heart and passion into what they did. Whether it was doing something to accommodate the group or dancing until midnight in their coffee farm, the people’s presence was felt by us.

The generosity of letting us stay at the coffee farm was received with gratitude by all the students and we had such a great time. Ultimately, I just want to say thank you to Sr. Reyes and Ms. Bolanos for chaperoning this trip, all the people who have supported our journey, and also  the people at the coffee farm. This trip truly touched my heart.