Mackenzie Yaksic- Blog 4

I am extremely excited about traveling to Chile for an entire semester, but that excitement that I have does not exist without anxiety and fears. I have never been abroad by myself, and I have never been away from the culture that I know so readily for any time comparable to six months. That being said, it is a must that I prepare for strong culture shock to occur and plan on how to handle that in the best way possible.

To become acquainted with a new culture is not find the niche in which your personality and values fit the best. To adjust means to become flexible enough to fit yourself into that niche, which may look different to each person. For me and my experience, I plan to become acquainted with the Valparaíso culture by immersing myself within the college population and creating meaningful relationships. I am most often a social person, so making friends in my new culture will be important to me. However, I do not want to lose touch with people back home and cause unnecessary separation between me and my life back home. I will want to make regular calls back home to friends and family within moderation.

One specific way I way to get involved is through sports. I am an avid soccer player, and it is important to me to find a place to play soccer while I am abroad. This will help combat culture shock and help me become acquainted in two different ways. First, it will allow for me a chance to meet new people in a setting that I am comfortable with. It will also allow me to exercise, a natural stress reliever for me, and do something that I love. This will help my mental health, because it is something familiar to me.

Another way I want to get involved is through faith-based community. I have researched some things about YoungLife, which is something I am active in here, and may try to get involved in that. If that is not an option, I’d like to see if I can get involved in some type of small group with others my age.

Living like a local, to me, means that I learn the ins and outs of what locals’ daily lives look like. I want to know what it looks like to be a college-aged student in South America. It interests me to know what they do in their free time, how they view college academics, what music they listen to, their political views, what foods they eat, and so much more.

One thing that I will do ease my transition to Chilean culture is stay strong in my faith. I have come to know throughout my years of being a follower of Christ that when I am centered in my faith I am my strongest emotionally and mentally. I plan to stay connected with my prayer and devotionals leading up to my departure, and hopefully I will have stocked up some faith-based strength to handle my transition better.