First days in Chile

Our students have now been in Chile for three days. The delegation has sent us some lovely photos and comments about how they have been spending their time. Over the weekend, everyone enjoyed time with their host families. Our students loved meeting the extended families and are fascinated by large number of family members. They also enjoyed a whole lot of desserts with their new families. Desserts are extremely popular in Chile (particularly among Ursuline girls, of course) and our students have wasted no time in experiencing this thrilling cultural characteristic. They are also adapting to the late dinner time customary in Santiago.

Pauli's family

Maddi's family

Pay (pie) de Limon ! Made by Lisa and her host family 

And today, the students were welcomed at school with a lovely outdoor breakfast. They attended classes in the morning and, in the afternoon, they went on their first excursion. The students visited the famous Cerro San Cristobal (St. Christopher Hill) which overlooks Santiago. It was beautiful!

Breakfast at Colegio Santa Ursula

Little sisters :)

Cerro San Cristobal 

Overlooking beautiful Santiago

Welcome to Santiago!

This morning, our Chile delegation arrived safely in Santiago and was met with great enthusiasm by the students and families of Colegio Santa Ursula. It was an exciting and happy morning and now the students are home with their new Chilean families. We can't wait to hear more about their adventures!

Off to Chile!

Tonight, our excited and enthusiastic Chile delegation departed for Santiago, Chile, where they will be welcomed by their Chilean host families from our sister school, Colegio Santa Ursula. For the first time in the history of our partnership, our students will spend Holy Week and Easter with their Chilean sisters. We are looking forward to hearing news from Santiago very soon !

UA Delegates and Colegio Santa Ursula Host Families

As the UA Delegation to Colegio Santa Ursula in Riberao Preto prepares to say goodbye, we would like to say a huge OBRIGADA! to Sister Helenice for opening up her heart and her school to us. We hope to be back soon and look forward to seeing you in Dallas. We leave you with these words from the delegates about their experience and host families.

Courtney: Having the opportunity to live with the Costa family while in Brazil has been an amazing incomparable experience and blessing. We have made such a strong bond throughout these 12 days that I feel like I'm officially part of their family. Having to say goodbye will be the  hardest thing I have had to do on this trip but I know I will stay in touch with them for years to come.

Francis: My host family has been absolutely incredible and has made me feel at home since the moment I got here. I really connected with my host sister, Lea, and I know the friendship we have built will last a lifetime. I want to thank my host family and everyone I've met for making this an unforgettable experience. I'm going to miss everyone very much.

Mackenzie: This has been the greatest trip of my life, and I couldn't think of a better way to have spent my break. I never believed I could have made such good friends coming here in such a short time, but I know that I have made lifelong friendships. I will definitely be back to Brazil one day, and I am really going to miss my gracious host family who has been so sweet and kind in making me feel like a part of their family. I am forever grateful to them.

Cindy: I am so thankful to have lived with such a hospitable and welcoming family. I really felt at home with them and I learned so much about their beautiful culture and lifestyle everyday. I am grateful that I was able to experience Brazil with them and I will miss them more than anything!

Johana: Coming to Brazil has been such an amazing experience. My host family has been extremely welcoming and considerate especially about me being a vegetarian. I've only been here for a short time and I already feel like a part of the family. I will miss them so much and I'm very thankful for this experience.



Graciela: Out of what few experiences I have been through in my life, not one of them could be compared to my time in Brazil. I'll never forget the friends I made and what I learned about this beautiful country. I couldn't have asked for a better host family, and I'll always cherish the memories I made in Brazil. We will leave these friends and second families behind with both tears and smiles as we get ready for the journey home and look forward to one day returning to Ribeirao Preto.

Anel: My experience with my host family has been so wonderful and unforgettable because we have grown so close in this short amount of time, and they have touched my heart in a very big way. Our bond was able to overcome the language barrier placed between us, and they will forever be in my heart. This may be the end of our trip and it will surely be hard to say our goodbyes, but this is only the beginning of our close family relationship; I have gained a new sister, two little brothers, and a mother and father figure that I will keep close to my heart.

 

 

 

Thank you Huaxia!

It's hard to believe that our days in Beijing have come to an end. We will treasure the memories forever! Our final official event at Beijing Huaxia Girls' School was the farewell ceremony where our students shared highlights and funny stories from our days together. Students from both schools performed and also sang songs together. It was bittersweet for all and several tears were shed. We are sad to leave China but happy for this extraordinary opportunity. We are already looking  forward to welcoming our Huaxia sisters to UA in the Fall!

Last School Day at Colegio Santa Ursula

The last day at the school was filled with a lot fun and a little sadness at the same time. The school was shooting a video that involved the entire school and featured a Brazilian pop song Alegria.

Cindy, Lea, Francis, Courtney and Mackenzie

The upper school students waiting for their part of the video

Ms. Haley and Mr. Poellet in the middle of the shooting of the video

For the afternoon, we had a Farewell Assembly involving students from the preschool to the middle school and presentation by the UA students with a little something special at the end.

  

Graciela and Mackenzie presenting about Texas

Francis talking about extracurricular activities at UA

The running man is apparently making a comeback. :)
Delegates performed the 2018 Freshmen Dance and the assembly went crazy.

Our amazing Huaxia host families

We in Beijing have been humbled by the kindness and generosity of the Huaxia host families. They have spent the past few days showing us the best of Beijing as well as a whole lot of love. The activities have been amazing! Here are a few of the photos from our time with our wonderful host families: