Going Outside of What is Comfortable

In January of 2012, I was given a project at work that would transform the way I thought about other cultures and bring me face to face with some truly amazing people. I was brought in to coordinate a summer International program that has ballooned beyond what many could even imagine. KSU was part of an agreement to bring a group of teachers from Ecuador to the U.S. to improve their English language skills and gain certification in Teaching English as a Second Language. It truly is a great program.

What impacts me the most with these "students" is all that they are sacrificing for this opportunity to improve themselves, to improve life for their family, and to better serve their country. The students in the program are current teachers in Ecuador and have ranged in age from 22 - 62 years old! The initial group was at KSU for 3 months. They learned they were accepted to the program, fulfilled all of their visa paperwork requirements, and were on the ground in Manhattan all within a 3 week time period! Many of them said goodbye to their children, walked away from their jobs, and left behind their lives all for the reasons I mentioned above. They do not work on the same school year system that the majority of schools in the U.S. use. Most of them left their teaching positions during the school year with hopes of getting a new job when they returned. Meaning, while they were away, they were not earning any money!

In August, a new group came to KSU and those students are here through the middle of May. That is 9 months they have left their lives behind in another country, their children to be raised by their spouse or their grandparents, and 9 months that they are not earning a salary! Just a couple of weeks ago, yet another group has come to the U.S. to be part of the same program. It is truly amazing to me the number of people that are literally sacrificing everything in their adult life to be a part of something that they believe will transform their country.

My buddy Elio Galarza and his roommate Alexis Izquierdo at the football game.

I am not coordinating the program any longer, but I have enjoyed participating in the "International Buddies Program" and have been assigned a buddy for this school year. It has been great to get to know one of the students a little more in depth, learn about his culture, and show him some of the great things about our culture here in the U.S. It was a highlight for me to take my buddy and one of his roommates to a KSU football game in the fall. They are huge football (we call it soccer) fans back in Ecuador, but knew very little about American football. I think they loved the experience. I was most impressed that they even researched the rules of the game and some information about both teams before going to the game. I was also impressed with the people around me who talked with them about the game and even offered them warmer clothes as the night got colder and they realized they were ill prepared! Being part of this program is transforming their lives in unbelievable ways, and at the same time they are often teaching us more than we are teaching them.


I truly cannot imagine leaving my life and family behind and sacrificing everything like these students have done. The goal of transitioning their country from a developing nation to a developed country is something that all want to be a part of. In the U.S. we take almost everything for granted. Most of us despise taking trips to Wal-Mart never even considering how lucky we are to have so many resources at our disposal. We take for granted the many "necessities" of life that most cultures don't even know exist. This experience has given me a greater appreciation for our founding fathers who left their lives behind to come to America in search of freedom. Over this weekend I hope you can find time to appreciate the freedoms we have as Americans and take notice of all the little things we take for granted on a daily basis. I know I will!