Before coming to the USA, I had my pre-conceptions about it. I had heard good and bad things about the country from friends, family and media in general. However, when I knew for sure that I was coming this January, I decided to erase all that and come as a clean slate. I believe that helped me process in an unbiased way what was shown to me by the ESL program in Maryville College.
I learned about how nice and hospitable people can be. I learned about the mesmerizing and vast nature Tennessee has to offer to its visitants, specially in The Smoky Mountains. I learned about how sports like Ice Hockey move people here. I learned about the rich heritage of country music in Nashville. I learned about the most diverse cultures in Culture Night. I learned about line dancing (one of my favorite things ever, to be honest). I learned about the intense and crowded tourist attractions in the state, such as the ones in the city of Gatlinburg. I learned about a great activist who fought with all his will against injustice, Martin Luther King. I learned about sharing my culture to others who are not familiar with it, like in the High School today.
Although I jumped into this three-week adventure as a clean slate, I am definitely coming back from it as the total opposite. I feel so grateful for having been through it all and also so enriched by the teachings of not only my teachers, but my classmates and other friends. I lived many things here, and will carry all these experiences as precious souvenirs in my memory.
I learned about how nice and hospitable people can be. I learned about the mesmerizing and vast nature Tennessee has to offer to its visitants, specially in The Smoky Mountains. I learned about how sports like Ice Hockey move people here. I learned about the rich heritage of country music in Nashville. I learned about the most diverse cultures in Culture Night. I learned about line dancing (one of my favorite things ever, to be honest). I learned about the intense and crowded tourist attractions in the state, such as the ones in the city of Gatlinburg. I learned about a great activist who fought with all his will against injustice, Martin Luther King. I learned about sharing my culture to others who are not familiar with it, like in the High School today.
Although I jumped into this three-week adventure as a clean slate, I am definitely coming back from it as the total opposite. I feel so grateful for having been through it all and also so enriched by the teachings of not only my teachers, but my classmates and other friends. I lived many things here, and will carry all these experiences as precious souvenirs in my memory.