Farewell Colegio Santa Ursula

In addition to celebrating Ms. Bauer's birthday today at school, we had a full day of meetings, class visits and farewells. Our three students spent the morning accompanying the 8th grade girls on a service project to a local children's hospital (for children who have been removed from their families). They said that the experience was sad but it also made them happy to feed and play with the children because they really felt like their presence was making a small difference in the lives of the children in need.

We ran into our students in the afternoon classes which we were observing. They fit right into their classes and act as though they have been here forever. In fact, when Cami came to class after returning from the service project, she was so focused on getting back to science class and taking out her tablet for the lesson (on kidneys and their function) that she did not even see Ms. Bauer and I sitting in the class. We were smiling and waiving at her and it wasn't until 10 minutes later that she looked around and saw us - our presence startled her since she had no idea that we had been sitting 5 feet away from her the whole time! It was hilarious!

As you can see from the photos, the affection between our students and their Chilean Ursuline sisters is deep (try to find Cami in the sea of new friends which surround her). Later in the day, Sr. Angela, the principal, invited our students to a short meeting to reflect on their experience in Chile. We were especially happy to learn that our students felt proud of themselves for being able to adapt to a new country, new friends and a new language so quickly. They feel confident that they can travel more and experience more cultures in the future. Of course, they can't wait to return to Chile (none of us are eager to leave as you can imagine). The girls were gracious and thankful and they said that the experience was more than an A+! They also said that they could feel the spirit of St. Angela in this school and that the common Ursuline bond links them to this school in a way they never could have imagined before. As she bid the girls farewell, Sr. Angela hugged each one and gave each girl a special cookie made by the Sisters here. The cookies are in the shape of St. Ursula's boat and it was a very special gesture on the part of the Sisters to our students. Our farewell conversation was a lovely way for them to end their school days here in Chile!