Mason Playing Host to Chilean Students

In 2003, Andrea Gatica was a teacher at and her sister Nena Gatica was working as a teacher at Trewhela’s School in Chile.

The two sisters had a great idea: They would start an exchange program between the two schools with a group of students from each coming over for two weeks during their respective spring break.

That first year saw 20 students involved in the exchange, and ever since, thanks to the very close relationship on these two sisters, it has become a regular and popular program amongst Mason students.

On Sept. 9, a group of 18 Chilean students and two teachers from their school came to Falls Church to live with their “brother and sister” hosts and are spending their time learning about the area.

“The Chilean students are here staying with families and our students will stay with that family in March when they go there, so they are creating a great bond,” said Sally Larisch, Reading Specialist and Chile Exchange Co-Coordinator at Mason. “It’s a really a wonderful program that gives everyone involved such a great experience.”

During the Chilean students’ first week here, they have already done a bicycle tour of Washington, D.C., visited the Capitol, toured the White House and stopped by several museums. Other planned activities include a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium and a visit to some caverns.

“We really try to provide a rich cultural context for them and this is the perfect place to be able to take advantage of the amazing opportunities that this region offers,” said Kirsten Albert, Chile Exchange Co-Coordinator. “It brings so much to life for them, getting this opportunity to have an integral, short experience to gain a perspective that’s similar, but with different ways of experiencing school life and regular life with families.”

On Monday, the Chilean students will deliver a presentation to all the students at Mason and they will visit some of the area’s elementary schools to talk with their Spanish classes later in the week.

In late March, a group of 20 Mason students will head to Santiago, Chile and visit the urban school and life of their host families. 

“It’s really beneficial,” Larisch said. “Not only do they get to practice their Spanish, but they really get to learn about another culture because they are living with a family.”

The students put into practice all the knowledge of Spanish, disseminate aspects of the traditional culture and ultimately grow as people, as they make decisions, implement their values ​​of tolerance, responsibility and common sense as they meet the challenge of being immersed in another culture and family.

“This is a very immerse situation, living with host families and experiencing life and the culture, so we want to make sure they have a solid foundation and confidence and are comfortable, therefore, our students must be in Spanish Level 3 or above,” Albert said. “We’ll also head to a great number of cultural experiences and get to know some of the communities in the Santiago area.”

Now in its ninth year, many of the alumni who took part in the program say that they still keep in touch with their “brothers or sisters” with some even visiting again.

“We’re always very happy to hear about these deep friendships,” Albert said. “They all really enjoy the experience and it’s very exciting for us, and we are very delighted that our Chilean counterparts feel the same way.”