Mission California was more than a beautiful and priceless experience of traveling with my friends, it was an experience where I gained a lot of knowledge and got to know a lot of other cultures in the world. I learned a lot about education in the United States and also about the different behaviors and talents of the students of Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa. I think all my expectations were fulfilled, and I felt also very proud of representing my family, my school, and my country.
Our parents were excited for this big opportunity, and they were feeling very proud of us. I feel very thankful with my parents for all the sacrifices they made to pay my trip, and I’m also thankful with the Olancho Aid Foundation for giving these opportunities to honor students that act as ambassadors of their educational projects here in Honduras. For most of us this, was the first time traveling by ourselves and also the first time flying, but we enjoyed every moment.
When we first visited Sonoma Academy, I was literally shocked. It was a wonderful experience, because they have an educational environment that helps you to study, socialize with friends, and also stay in touch with nature. We loved everything about this school. It was very modern and well-designed for a high standard education. They also have super friendly students and teachers that always wanted to talk with us and ask about our culture. We had the opportunity of watching artistic performances by the students in SA, and that in SA they may have the next celebrities of the US or the world they are super talented students! We definitely had a great time in Sonoma Academy! We also learned a lot about our host families’ culture and about their daily life, and we shared a lot about our culture and our daily life in return.
For our tours around Sonoma, Santa Rosa, and San Francisco, we had incredible hosts that showed us every nice spot of the cities. Mr. Karbousky and Ms. DeLeuw were amazing hosts during our stay in San Francisco, and we had a lot of fun in this big and beautiful city of California. Ms. DeLeuw took us to beautiful places in the city. She really got the spirit of a tourist! I personally liked the fact that we didn’t get to know the whole city, but our hosts tried to show us the most important and incredible parts of the city. Biking in the Golden Gate Park was very amazing, because we enjoyed riding bikes together and watching how San Francisco has an extraordinary culture of biking.
Walking through the Golden Gate Bridge, walking through Chinatown, and also visiting Google Headquarters was simply amazing for me and also for my friends; it was definitely priceless getting to know and see these beautiful places around California.
To conclude, I just want to say that all the memories I have from this trip will last for the rest of my life. It was something that marked my life as a bilingual student and also as a teenager.
I made friends and represented my country in the best way I could, and that is what makes me even more proud of myself and my education. I hope that this opportunity will stay open for future generations of students in my school. It is something that will definitely change the appreciation of our education here in Honduras. Huge thank you to the OAF and all our parents that made this possible. Also, thank you Sonoma Academy! You were amazing! Thank you Mr. Roberto Ramírez and Mrs. Jessica Santavy! You were awesome, and we had a great time with you as well!
Carlos Urbina