When I first left home for San Pedro, I kept thinking about how long I would be gone for. This is my first time being away from home and coming here was WAY out of my comfort zone, but something made me push myself to come. With that being said, I could not be more thankful that I made the decision to do this. With just 10 days left in this beautiful country, I can’t help but think how fast the time has gone by.

Teaching at a school with little to no academic resources has helped me to realize how lucky we are to have the school systems that we do back in MA. School here is much different from what we are used to back home. There is no hands-on learning and very little group work. During my first week here when I was observing, I saw that the students here (at least in my classroom) sit in single rows and spend most of the day copying notes off the board. During my time here I have tried my best to provide students with more group work and hands-on experiences which was a bit of a challenge due to the lack of supplies and technology. However, to them, anything new that I did was very exciting because it was different from their normal routines.

All of my Standard I (third grade) students speak English and a handful of them speak Spanish as well. The island is small so they all live relatively close to school. Many of them walk, while others get dropped off by golf cart or ride their bike. The classroom I work in is very hot and dusty. The ground beneath the school is all sand and there are no screens on the windows, so all the dust from the sand ends up inside. Each morning and afternoon the classroom has to be swept and even then, there is still dust.

I have really enjoyed working in a school that is so different from home. The students are so giving. On their breaks they are allowed to leave school and buy snacks that are sold outside the school’s gates. They always return after break with something new for me to try. They get very excited for me to try new exotic fruits and different candies that I don’t have at home. It is so cute to watch their eyes light up when I take a bite of something that I have never tried before.

My experience here has been one that I will always remember. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity and would recommend this study abroad tour to anyone!