Welcome back and congratulations in the acceptance to medical school!
Daniella, I am proud and happy to know that your staying in France has been a life changing experience. I had no doubt that you had made the right decision when you finally accepted the opportunity to teach in Tergnier.
Now, you will soon start a new journey in medical school in Poland and I am convinced that you will succeed!
Please let me know if I can share your story in FB, newsletter and in our blog!
In the meantime, I want you to know that I will be in next Wednesday, I hope you can stop by the office!
Warmly,
Raysa Amador
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 20, 2018, at 3:01 PM, DANIELLA VOLARIC <daniellavolaric@mail.adelphi.edu> wrote:
Hello!!
I'm back in the states, and I just wanted to give you all a few life updates. Firstly, I want to thank you all again for your encouragement and support when it came to my participating in TAPIF. It was difficult at times, as expected, but it was an overall incredible experience, and you have no idea how glad and relieved I am to have made the right choice in going. My students were all unbelievably sweet, and although it was very sad to leave them, I came home with piles of drawings, handmade bracelets, cards, and French pokemon cards!
Apparently, (as my parents feared) I loved my time there enough that I couldn't stay away from Europe for long. This fall, I will begin medical school in Poland at Poznan University of Medical Sciences. The program is in English and I will earn a US medical degree, but it looks as though I'd better start quickly learning some key Polish phrases (although I already love pierogis, so at least I'll be assimilating into the food aspect of their culture without too much trouble). To be honest, I'm even more nervous about this next chapter than I was about TAPIF. Four years is a long time, and this is a language and culture that are almost entirely unfamiliar to me. But once again, also less directly this time, I have all of you to thank for this experience. I would never have even considered this as an option if I hadn't spent the past year in Tergnier. I repeatedly surprised myself by doing things that I, a person who has never really enjoyed or been comfortable with change, was afraid to do- traveling by myself, exploring new cities, making friends, and seeing new cultures with very little help and guidance. I think back to how afraid I was before each new step, and to how proud of myself I was for each new thing I accomplished- how proud of myself I was for continuing to travel and experience new things despite how nervous the prospect made me beforehand. Now, although I am back in the "fear" stage- and believe you me, there is plenty of fear to go around- I can comfort myself with the knowledge that the pride phase is coming. Although I don't know when, and although it will be very difficult in the meantime, I know that I have that feeling to look forward to. I also have a new support system of friends in France and Germany (thanks to TAPIF) who will make it a little bit easier as well. So again, I thank you for encouraging me to make what has undoubtedly been the best decision of my life this far, which has opened doors for me that two years ago, I never would have thought myself capable of.
I'm sorry that I've written you a short novel here, but it's really important to me that you all know how much I appreciate your support. I hope all is well at Adelphi and with you all. Thank you again.
Best wishes,
Daniella Volaric
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