The First Day of Spring 2018

Our sleepy, snow covered campus woke up today to a newfound energy: Spring 2018 students.  Over the past few weeks, wood piles have been stocked, rental gear distributed to bunk spaces, and meaningful interdisciplinary lessons planned over hot coco by the fire. Travel plans, paperwork, months of anticipation, all in preparation for today: the first full day of Alzar Semester XII.

Yesterday we welcomed students from across the country and world.  For lucky students from Memphis to Santiago, New York City to Miami, North Carolina to Montana–Alzar School awaits.  It is easy to think that cultural exchange occurs during the time we are in Chile, but the cultural exchange that occurs throughout the semester is just as powerful.  Students who ride to school on the subway will interact with students who live in a town with a population of less than 1,000.  The group will quickly find that their most powerful commonality is that they said yes to this semester.  It’s a big deal to be sixteen and leave the comforts of home, your peers, and your pets to spend a semester living studying, and traveling with a group of people you don’t know.  The good news is that this is one of the secrets to the power of the semester.  You will be with a group of people who said yes to the same challenge.  

We can’t wait for it to begin.