The first advertisement I remember reading about the Latin American Studies Program (LASP) began as follows, “Your showers will be cold and your clothes hot and sweaty…” You would think that this would be a real turn off to signing up but instead it challenged me to leave my comfort zone and go where I felt God was calling me to serve and study. Choosing to participate in LASP is more than just an opportunity to study abroad, it is immersing yourself into cultures so diverse from your own and learning that outside of your comfort zone there is a world of discomfort that you can make a positive impact on. I signed up and began an adventure that was to be more than just completing my Spanish minor; it was a life enhancing experience that will be forever in my heart, mind and soul.
Unlike most other study abroad programs we lived with host families in every country we visited. During the semester we stayed with our primary host family in Costa Rica but made side trips to Nicaragua, Panama and Guatemala where each one of us was housed with a local family. Each host family shared themselves openly with me giving me a perspective on their lives and culture that few people get to experience. Part of the immersion experience is to participate fully with your host family as if you were truly a member of their family. Significant to this immersion is of course speaking only in Spanish! The host families are instructed not to use English but to encourage their host son or daughter to think, speak and live in Spanish. As you can imagine this at times was more than a brain could take, but in no time I found my Spanish going to a whole new level and communication with my host families got easier and more natural. Not only could I maintain a level of conversation to accomplish tasks but now I could fully participate in dialogues where ideas, hopes and dreams were shared. Much to my surprise my Costa Rican host family could understand and speak English very well but they admonished me to speak only Spanish and kept me focused on improving my language skills everyday by pretending they didn’t know what I was saying if I slipped into English.
Each one of my host families contributed immensely to improving my Spanish along with helping me to understand their cultures and the critical issues they face daily. Several of the families I lived with were challenged economically and each day was met with faith that God would provide for their needs. These families welcomed me into their homes and they did not hesitate to share the little that they had with me. Their faith and hospitality was sometimes so overwhelming that it made my heart rejoice and ache at the same time.
The education gained from this type of study abroad program is immeasurable, not just from the academic stand point but from the interpersonal relationships that are forged by staying with families and living their daily lives with them, seeing the world through their eyes, ears and stomachs and wondering how I can make a difference. How can a North American Christian journalist like myself take what I have lived and seen in Latin America and make a difference not only in my world but in the lives of those in Latin America? I am much more empathetic now; my comfort zone has been stretched, pulled and broadened. I have a deeper understanding for the problems that Latin America faces and for how I will respond as a citizen of the Kingdom and of the world. I am open to God’s leading as I continue my journalism studies and excited to see how he will use this study abroad experience to further his kingdom.
Claire Scholl
EagleVision News Team-- Latin American Correspondent
www.biola.edu/eaglevision
