My Gap Year by Hannah

My Gap Year by Hannah - August 2019 Scholarship Essay

Hannah Kimmel

My Gap Year

If I were to take a gap year after high school, I would travel to all of the places where I could improve my language skills. My first stop would be Quito, Ecuador to visit and stay with my old host family whom I stayed with the summer after sophomore year. The family was so kind to me and helpful with my Spanish skills that going back with even more confidence and of course fluency would make my stay even more enjoyable. I would be able to see Nicole, my old host sister, who would be 13 and see how her art was coming along. I would also check up on Steven, my old host brother, who would be 20 and see how his schooling in the financial area would be coming along. And of course Mrs. Mendoza, my host mom, and I would be able to talk for hours about our lives and how far we’ve come. We all became very close that summer and to go back to such lovely people to practice a language that I love would be round two of a dream come true. Next I would travel to China to practice my Mandarin. The tourist attractions I am doing this coming spring break with my Chinese class, such as bike riding on The Great Wall and visiting the Forbidden City. Going back to expand my language skills further, in my opinion, would be a similar immersive experience to the one I had in Ecuador, except I would want to stay with a family. Staying with a family not only would give me the language experience I crave, but to be part of a new kind of life and culture is such an amazing opportunity for me. I love meeting new people and to meet a family, and then who they see in the time I am there, that inclusion is what I live for. To spend my time there productively as well, I would offer tutoring lessons for English classes. It may sound a bit random, but I believe that the best way to gain a deeper understanding of something is to teach it to others, and on top of that I would love to give back to a community that has welcomed me to stay with them. I remember when I was in Ecuador, Nicole (my host sister) was struggling with her English homework and asked me to help her. I remember the process of taking an English word and describing it in another language was a challenging but really fulfilling role for me to have. It not only pushed my skills but also gave me confidence in my own language skills. In summary, a gap year for me would be mainly focused on bettering my language skills and my cultural knowledge, really immersing myself in these cultures would be a dream for me...and a gap year would be a great way to do it.