I am grateful for all of the people that this experience has brought into my life. My friend Juani showed me hospitality and inclusion that goes above and beyond, and I hope that in my life I am able to pay it forward to help someone else in the way she has helped me. With their senses of humor and supportiveness, my host mom and my roommates have made La Palma a home away from home. Whether sharing adventures or a simple coffee, my friends brighten my days, and I am so glad that even while coming from all different countries we found ourselves in this corner of the world together. I'm inspired every day by my co-teachers' patience, work ethic and love for their students. My students lift my spirits when I ask them how they are and they bounce up and down a little and say, "I'm happy!" They are so full of joy and curiosity, and it is contagious. I hope that they learned as much from our cultural exchange as I did!
I will always keep the spirit of La Palma with me, but being here has also helped me reflect on what makes home special, too. In La Palma, people value spending time in nature and doing simple things with family and life-long friends. In California, I am looking forward to hiking in my mountains again, seeing familiar faces around Main Street and spending time with loved ones. Thanks for joining me on my journey. I hope to see you around Placerville some time, and I can't wait to hear about your adventures!
