Stories from Zoom: "Virtual Exchange" by Telli

When I first heard of this program my immediate thought was “there’s no way I’ll be chosen”. I had submitted alongside two other sophomores in my class who were certainly more confident than I was about the application. After I filled out the form I waited for what felt like years to hear any news whatsoever, whether it be of my acceptance or my classmate’s. The moment I found out that I had been moved into the interview portion of the program I was ecstatic! I was one step closer to Spain than I ever thought I could be. Immediately I called my Spanish teacher and we talked for hours about what I could be asked. When I had finally scheduled my interview with Amy and Ryan, I felt queasy and worried that maybe I wouldn’t be selected, that somehow the idea of going to Spain and being a part of this amazing program wasn’t in the cards for me. 

Low and behold I got the news that I had made it! But in the following weeks, it seemed that even though I had been accepted, maybe we wouldn't be going to Spain in the summer of 2020 after all. Steadily the threat of COVID-19 seemed more real as it spread around the world. We were ordered home from school and work to flatten the curve and a travel ban was placed. Suddenly we were all unsure of what was to come. As the world changed around us so did the program itself. 

Now we are working alongside 15 other students from a school in Viana, Spain as part of an exchange of culture and language. While those of us who need to work on our Spanish get the chance to, the students in Viana get to work on their English. All of this while creating relationships that we otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to if not for the program. 

Already having only talked for 2 weeks, I've learned so much more than I thought I could have.  My hope now is that I can use this opportunity to get to know some amazing people and when I do have the chance to visit Spain I’ll already have some friends there.