1) Porque quiero utilizer mi espaol.

After a year on campus in the classroom as well as an online Spanish class with Northwestern University Puerto Rico is a chance to take what I learned in the classroom and use it in the real world. Not only that but Puerto Rico holds rainforest that feed the imagination, historical landmarks that fill the heart and scenes that light up the soul. I chose Puerto Rico because it offers me a chance to expand my horizons as a person and grow in depth as a student. It offers an exposure to culture that challenges my senses but doesnt push me too far beyond my comfort limits. Trekking through rainforest, visiting old castles, observing bioluminescent life forms are things Ive always hoped to do but never really thought Id get to accomplish. I view Puerto Rico as a hands on learning experience that will bring me one step closer to being the well rounded adult I plan on growing into. 2) The time spent volunteering at the Orphanage offers me a chance to not only give back but learn a little about myself. My main goal is to become a pediatrician; the orphanage will help me discover not only whether or not I can handle working with kids for an extended period of time but it would also help me find ways to get the children to feel comfortable in an environment that has been dreaded by kids across the nation. The marine biology aspect of the trip will expose me to animals in a way that I shall find useful down the road as a student who shall be majoring in biology. Not only that but it touches on the previous camps and classes that Ive taken on oceanography and Marine biology at the Duke Marine Lab, allowing me to tie in the old and the new. Puerto Rico has also played a role in Americas history, to go and see the places where the events occurred will be the perfect opening to the Latin America class I am taking in the future. 3) Ill use the experiences and knowledge I gained there to help educate others. Ill bring back pictures as well as information and make a presentation to share with campus so that they can see the very things that make Puerto Rico the place it is. I will hold, along with other students who traveled there, lessons on how to do some of the dances that I learned while there. I will bring back for Latin America Fest souvenirs, and music that they can use them to increase the authenticity and originality of Latin America Fest. I will share my experiences and lessons with my Spanish class so that they may benefit from my experiences as well.