Get To Know Me

Hi! I am Emma Briody.  I live in South Burlington, Vermont and attend South Burlington High School.  I am taking my junior year to become an exchange student and study abroad in Chile!  Studying abroad has been a dream of mine for quite sometime.  I am greatly influenced by my older cousins who have also had the experience of studying abroad at some point in their high school or college career.  That's where my idea of studying abroad sparked from.  I've always wanted to travel the world, one of my goals is to travel to every continent.  I consider this exchange the beginning of my travels.  Studying abroad isn't very common in my high school so most of my friends are surprised I would want to leave for a year and study abroad.  I ask myself the same thing sometimes too.  I am looking forward to trying something completely new and to step out of my comfort zone.  This experience will make me a stronger and more independent person and I think that this will help me in my future.  Another reason I wanted to study abroad was for the opportunity to learn a language and become fluent in my time there, and to experience another culture and new customs.   As I said before, studying abroad isn't very common in my school, but I am actually lucky enough to be sharing an experience like this with three very close friends who are studying abroad.  I can't wait to hear all about their exchange and to have three close friends that are going through the same struggles will be nice to talk to because they will understand, rather than a friend at home.  As excited as I am to start this adventure and leave for Chile I am sad to have to begin to say goodbye to family and friends.  As hard as I know it will be to leave home for a year, my eagerness to leave and begin my life in Chile triumps the sadness of leaving.  I am grateful for the opporunity to study abroad and all the support from my family and friends and I can't wait to begin to post stories, photos and other posts about school, my host family and adventures while I am in Chile!  Follow my journey as I travel 5,600 miles to Chillan, Chile!