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Concentration: Applied Math
Expected Graduation Year: 2014
Email: wjz0811@gmail.com

Very few experiences I have had through Harvard are as transformative and rewarding as the Language and Public Service Program I had in Chile this January break. The three weeks that I was there, first in Santiago then in the South then back, were filled with volunteering activities, small lectures, and night excursions that were all fun and teaching at the same time. Throughout the trip I even found out more about myself as I experienced things that I had never imagined before.

During the second week, I volunteered with Un Techo para Chile in a small seaside town called Pelluhue. There, I painted on streets signs that indicated which areas were safe during a tsunami. I really liked the experience because not only was I able to give help in a foreign country insead of selfishly being a tourist but I also established close friendships with the Chilean college students there after a week of convivencia with them. I remember that on one of the nights during that week, we went to a beach nearby and sat under a full moon that shined over the entire ocean in view. Hearing the melodic crash of sea waves upon the rocks and feeling the cozy night breeze from the ocean, we talked about our frustrated dreams in the past and optimistic hope for the future. I would never forget those profound conversations in a beautiful setting like Pelluhue's.

And lastly, the passion I sensed from other Harvard participants, Professor Epps, and the DRCLAS staff in Santiago, were affective enough that even when I returned to Harvard, I was more eager than ever to perfect my Spanish and learn about new cultures. I highly recommend this program to anyone who may like the life-changing south-American adventures I had.