“I think I have grown a lot. I am not the same girl who took the plane (the) 15th of August. I am not the same girl who said goodbye to her friends and family with tears in her eyes. Now, I am a woman. I know that I can live alone, make new friends and be an independent person.” — Maria Jose Zamora, final paper

Maria Jose Zamora, a native of Santiago, Chile, didn't really know what she was getting into.

Just a few years earlier, she had made the decision to become a lawyer and took the test to get into the university. Then, with the test results in hand, she knew she didn't want to do it.

What to do instead? An English teacher, she decided. Both of her parents were teachers and she'd had some experience teaching at church. And she'd been studying English since she was 10.

With that decision came study at La Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación (UMCE for short), a campus responsible for turning out the nation's teachers as well as passionate political protests.

At about the same time Maria Jose was making career choices, UNCG and the Chilean Ministry of Education were making some decisions as well. Both were interested in offering their students something more. The Chilean ministry wanted its English teachers to be able to study the language, to absorb the culture and bring it back to their school children. UNCG wanted the same.

“We need a new model for teaching Spanish in schools,” said Steve Flynn, coordinator for the Chilean exchange program. “The only way that will happen is if students spend time in Spanish-speaking countries and learn the language and culture. That's what's going to enthuse future generations.”

This year — after years of planning and tweaking and refining — a true exchange was born.

The first leg

For Maria Jose, coming to UNCG was not as simple as making a decision and packing a bag. She had to apply for the program, pass an English test, get letters of recommendation and interview with the headmaster of her department. Those lucky enough to be accepted were 100 percent scholarship-supported.

When she and the 12 others accepted into the program boarded the plane, they had no idea what to expect.

They had met a few UNCG folks when they came to Santiago to finalize the exchange agreements — Dr. Penelope Pynes, associate provost for international programs; Dr. Susan Andreatta, an anthropology professor who had previously lived in Chile; and Dr. Sam Miller, an education professor who would serve as their academic coordinator when they arrived at UNCG.

The students had been asked to take them out and show them around Santiago. They took them to the fair where they got to know one another over empanadas. “Sam Miller all day took pictures,” Maria Jose said with a fond giggle.

When they arrived in Greensboro, their English skills were put to the test. The woman who greeted them at University Square Apartments was speaking so fast they couldn't understand her. The next day the group went to grab a sandwich at Subway on Tate Street and could not understand the person behind the counter. They finally began pointing at the toppings they wanted.

“We thought, ‘What are we going to do?’” Maria Jose said.

And then came Maria Jose's first days of student teaching at an Alamance County school, where she spoke English all day to a group of native speakers. In Chile, she was afraid her English wasn't good enough. Afraid she wouldn't be understood, much less be able to do what she came to do — teach.

But slowly, it began falling into place. They began to adapt to American culture, although they didn't understand it. No cheek kisses in greeting? No Hallulla bread with butter and tea in the late afternoon? Bars that close at 2 or 3 a.m. instead of 5 a.m.? Students who go to bed early? Really?

And then the differences in education. In Chile, the school day lasts until 4 or 5 p.m., but with the addition of three long recesses and an hour-long lunch. Children are boisterous, laughing and chattering in the halls. And it's not uncommon for a teacher to handle 45 children alone. Out of necessity, classes consist of lectures.