Global Scholars Blog 5 – Free Prompt
By: Janna Lellis
I would say I’m a well-traveled person. Having spent some time living in the United States and Japan, traveling back to The Philippines to visit my family often, and being a military child…foreign environments do not scare me. Since I was a kid, I have adjusted to being exposed to new cultures and new people, and then saying goodbye later.
As early as Fall semester 2025, I knew that I had to start planning for my next summer because it was going to be different than any experience I’ve had before. I finally wanted to make the effort to spend at least two months in a foreign country that would completely take me out of my comfort zone. Somewhere where I don’t know the language. Where my daily routines and habits would change. Where the people faced different upbringings than me. Somewhere I never would think I would be, that challenges me beyond what I think I am capable of.
As I started my TESOL Certification, I began looking into opportunities to teach English abroad. While I was training to become an English language teacher, I became interested in learning another language for myself to dedicate myself to really pursuing and sticking with a skill. So, I decided I really wanted to learn Spanish.
When I got accepted into this year’s Global Scholars cohort, I became excited to look into what places I could go. Honestly, I have been manifesting this experience since my first year at FSU, and finally I felt excited watching it coming to life. I spent a few days researching organizations on Omprakash, considering so many different experiences. Then I finally secured my summer internship with an organization called Seeds of Hope, located in a small city located in the Andes Mountains, called Huaraz, Peru.
I didn’t know much about the country I was going to be in for two months.
I knew about Machu Picchu, the rich Indigenous culture, mountains, and its delicious cuisine. I ate at a Peruvian restaurant in Tallahassee called “Cafe de Martin” and tried chicha morada and ceviche. I tried to learn about the history of Peruvian politics through YouTube videos and books.
If you ask me why I chose to be in Peru, it was because I liked Seeds of Hope. The director and international volunteer coordinator were very kind and understanding. I was worried that I was overwhelming them with too many questions and paperwork that I needed for school. Then, the day came and I arrived in Huaraz, and I didn’t know what to expect for the next 8 weeks of my time there.
My daily routine consisted of:
- 8 AM: Wake up, do my morning routine, eat breakfast
- 9-11 AM: Spanish class – Class sizes were small (no more than 5 people)
- 12 PM: Eat lunch
- 1:35-3:05 PM: My first class of the day at the public school
- 3:05-4:10 PM: Break – Usually grab a little snack and hang out with my mentor teacher
- 4:10 – 5:40 PM: My second class of the day
- 6:00 – 7:20PM: Last class of the day
- 7:30 – 9 PM: Go home, eat dinner, hang out with friends and/or chill
- 10 PM: Go to bed
Me at Laguna 69
A dance festival at the public school I teach at
One of my favorite Peruvian dishes, Tallarin Saltado
Me and some of my students on my last day of school 😦
That was my typical day when I went to the public school to teach three times a week. On other days, I would go to Seeds of Hope to tutor the elementary students. In Peru, elementary school is from 8 am – 2 pm, so at around 3 PM, the kids gather at Seeds of Hope to hang out and do homework. Our job as international volunteers is to help tutor the children, distribute food, and practice hygiene. For many1 of the children, their parents work long hours and/or did not receive a formal education. Seeds of Hope provides a space for these children to receive the academic and social support they need for a better future.
I believe my time in Huaraz is different from a lot of other study abroad students. Huaraz is not very big – it’s located in a valley between two mountain ranges and is 8 hours away from Lima, Peru’s biggest city. Not many people can speak English, so this was the perfect environment for me to be immersed in Peruvian culture and improve my Spanish. For many people, I was one of the first foreigners they’ve ever encountered. Though I can blend in a little with the locals, after hearing me speak, it was obvious that I wasn’t Huaracina (woman from Huaraz). A typical conversation went like this:
Person: “Are you Peruvian?”
Me: “No, I’m not.”
Person: “Where are you from?”
Me: “I’m from the United States.”
Person: “Wow…you really look Peruvian! But you don’t look American?”
It was really interesting observing and hearing people’s perception of Americans and the United States while I was in Peru. Honestly, I felt the most patriotic when I talked about my home country with people in Huaraz, both the good and bad parts of it. I enjoyed educating them about American pop culture, food, and most importantly, our diversity. One time, the volunteers and I were invited to an English class at a local university in Huaraz, where we were able to talk about the United States. All three of us are American, but we represent different parts of the United States. A Filipino, Brazilian, and Mexican all united by one nationality: American. And that didn’t even represent all the diverse groups we have in the US. Being abroad has always taught me more about what it means to be an American and to represent our country abroad.
My Spanish improved exponentially after two months in Peru. My Spanish classes were intense; my teacher used full Spanish immersion, which trained my ear to adjust to how the language sounds and is spoken. Within 3 weeks, I learned how to conjugate verbs in maybe over six different tenses. I arrived in Peru barely being able to introduce myself. But with the Spanish classes, talking to students at Seeds of Hope and the public school, and practicing with locals on the street, my Spanish skill grew slowly.
It taught me a lot about the experience of language learning in itself. When I first started learning Spanish, it felt like my progress was really fast. I learned how to say sentences in present, past, future really easily. Then we started to learn more complicated grammatical structures and conjugations, and I started to have more complex conversations with people, and then I felt like my Spanish skill was at a stagnant. I realized that I needed to be more purposeful and consistent in my language learning, such as watching videos/shows in Spanish or even changing the language on my phone to Spanish. Because a lot of my friends in Huaraz only spoke Spanish, it was great practice for me to speak with them. I would often make silly mistakes that were a little embarrassing, but it allowed me to grow my confidence.
As I wrote in my previous blogs, my time in Huaraz was a rollercoaster. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle living abroad, which bummed me out because I knew this was everything I dreamed of. After university, I plan to teach English abroad and work outside of the United States, so this was a glimpse of what that would look like.
After every low point, the only way is up. My final weeks in Huaraz were filled with amazing memories as I made new friends. I went on a hike to Laguna 513 (and maybe realized that I’m not built for these 7 hours hikes) and we checked out the local annual fair.
My lovely friends in Huaraz!!!!
Before I came to Peru, of course I was hoping that I would come back to the United States happy with my experience. But honestly, it felt so bittersweet to leave. I was building such a deep connection with the people I met, and I was leaving when I was just starting to get comfortable with everyone. Huaraz is isolated, high in altitude, and not somewhere I thought I would ever be, but the community that I met made my experience so special. My time wasn’t perfect, but I guess that makes life special.
It’s about the journey and people you meet along the way.
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