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| Adams Returns From Foreign Study Program |
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| News - Osawatomie | |||
| Written by Travis Perry | |||
| Tuesday, 02 February 2010 16:54 | |||
Four months ago, Osawatomie High School student Jessie Adams embarked on an experience that, for some, comes only once in a lifetime.  From warm weather and sandy beaches to a crystal-clear ocean and experiences in a different culture, a study-abroad session in Venezuela was nearly everything a 16-year-old could ask for — everything, that is, except for the fact that she had to cut the trip short. When Adams boarded her flight out of Kansas City International Airport last August, she expected not to set foot in Kansas again until April. “When I got there, it was unreal, it was so exciting,” said Adams, who noted that she had studied Spanish for two years prior to the trip. There was a culture shock, Adams had little doubt about that, and despite facing some difficulties as a stranger in a strange land, she made the most of her opportunity. She said she widened her perspective of global connectivity by taking part in activities ranging from exploring local communities to island hopping in the Los Roques Archipelago off the coast of Venezuela. “It showed me that there’s so much more than the U.S.,” she said. Jessie’s mother, Marsha Adams, said it was a difficult experience letting her daughter travel so far from home, but she was happy to help give her the opportunity. “It was exciting for me to know she was experiencing the things she was down there,” Marsha said, noting that she and Jessie used Skype, an Internet voice and video communication program, to stay in touch. “If it wasn’t for Skype, I think I would have been sick.” Jessie said it wasn’t all a tropical paradise, though. The plan, she said, was for her to stay with a family she first connected with when her parents were hosts to a foreign-exchange student. As time went on, both Jessie and Marsha said, the host family wasn’t exactly the match they had hoped. In addition, Jessie said, language barriers began popping up in her education. “It was so different, and it was so frustrating that I couldn’t do well and understand, because I normally do very well in school,” she said. To complicate things further, rising political turmoil in Venezuela and growing tensions between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the U.S. government at the time led to an uncomfortable situation. Ultimately, Jessie and her family decided that it would be best if the trip were cut short. Still, despite the few bumps in the road, Jessie said, it was an experience she wouldn’t trade. Some of her best memories from the excursion were those shared with four friends she made while abroad. Despite cultural differences, Jessie was pleasantly surprised to discover that, even thousands of miles away, teenagers still struggle with many of the same issues. “We’re all people,” she said.
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