Hello! My name is Ivana Chen, and I go to Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon, CA. I’m both excited and nervous about this trip; it hasn’t quite hit me yet that we leave next week haha.

A few things about me:

• I looove art (drawing, painting, etc; Anything that allows me to be visually creative!)
• I love food, but can’t cook for life (I freak out about measuring everything)
• I like listening to pop/K-pop
• I enjoy watching movies (favorite: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and K-dramas (favorites: While You Were Sleeping and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, but I’m a sucker for rom-coms overall)
• I like reading, but it’s hard to find time to do so these days. Trying to get back into it! Favorite books… hard to choose, but I enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere and Eleanor and Park.
• I play the piano, the flute, and the guitar
• I speak English, Chinese, and French (currently studying it in school, but it’s still a work in progress)
• I am an older sibling (I have a younger sister in 7th grade)
• I’m interested in the medical/biology field
• I’m pretty introverted, but I’ll try my best to be open and participatory!

I applied for Global Glimpse because I want to experience more of the world; I have been blessed with the chance to start now! Besides the U.S.A, I have only ever visited one other country (China, to visit family), and my community is rather lackluster in diversity. While technology today allows us to gain perspective on lifestyles across the globe, nothing is quite like/as fulfilling as meeting people in person and being in a new location yourself. When I heard about this opportunity, I had a sudden but strong desire to see something new, and to throw myself into a completely unfamiliar situation, as I believe stepping out of my comfort zone will allow me to grow. On this trip, I hope to strengthen my leadership skills, get to know the community/culture, and make new friends.

That’s it from me for now! I have absolutely no experience with Spanish, but here’s to cramming basic phrases from Duolingo into my head before the trip :P!

Ivana

A photo from a trip to New York last winter