My name is Leasette Leon. I am a junior at the College, and I am double majoring in Latin American Studies and Spanish, and also minoring in Linguistics. I am currently studying abroad in Chile at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile. The idea of studying abroad is what most college students dream about and have most likely been planning since their freshmen year of college. I, on the other hand, had never thought of studying abroad. I did not see it as possibility knowing my parents would never let me leave the country for a full semester. Last spring semester I met with my advisor to sign up for classes for the Fall 2019 semester. As we were discussing the classes left to take so I can successfully graduate in 2021, she mentioned I was missing one crucial requirement for my major. This was to study abroad in a Latin American country. At this moment I was excited but at the same time very nervous for my parent’s reaction. I went home that weekend to have this conversation with them and their reaction was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Of course, the only reason they let me study abroad was for my major, but I truly believed they were going to make me change my major. I was now trying to find the best study abroad program that met the requirements for my major and where I was able to take the most amount of classes that would transfer over. A couple of days later I got an email that there was an interest meeting for the Chile program at the Education Center. I went, and instantly knew this was the program I was going to choose. Not only did it offer all the upper-level classes I needed to take, but I wanted to go to a country that I did not know much about. Since March, I have been waiting to step onto Chilean soil, and now I am finally here. In Chile, I hope to immerse myself with the culture, meet new people, study hard, and enjoy the time I have here. I believe living with a host family has definitely been a crucial component to this. They invite me to family events, where I can meet and speak to different people, and where I can feel that I am also a part of them as well. Never in my life did I see myself studying abroad, but I am so happy I was able to take this opportunity.