This one goes out to all the students

Dear district 215 students,

Traveling with you all to Costa Rica to take Spanish classes and live with families in Heredia was a great honor for me, and it was exciting for me to see how each of you grew during the two weeks that we were there. Every day, I felt proud of you all for stepping out of your comfort zone of the English speaking midwestern region of the United States of America to live with a Spanish speaking family in central Costa Rica.

I loved seeing our district united. 

I loved seeing North students and South students walk each other home, play soccer together, sing karaoke together, dance together, and play cards together. 

I loved hearing you talk about your host families.

I loved hearing about the conversations you had with them, the delicious food they made, the places you went with them, and the games you played with them. 

I loved hearing about how these families embraced you and welcomed you and how you relaxed into the embrace and allowed these families to penetrate your heart.

I loved hearing you speaking Spanish, making mistakes, improving, and using new words that you learned.

I loved watching you experience the discomfort of being in a new culture, yet eager to learn more and to experience more. Instead of shying away from the discomfort, you leaned into it and got a taste of the richness of sharing life across national, ethnic, and liguistic boundaries. 

I loved hearing how your experiences have changed your perspectives and challanged your thinking. 

I loved hearing that this beautiful country and its people have found their way into your heart.

I loved seeing you represent our district well by showing respect for people and valuing traditions, even when they collided with what may be considered normal in the midwestern United States.

Thank you. Thank you for taking these risks. A school district can provide international experiences, but without students who are willing to board planes and land in a different place with a different language and a different culture, these trips would be pointless. Thank you for making this possible in our district.

Con cariƱo,

Miss Berridge

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