1/28/2005 - Dreaming in Spanish:Thirty Years of AFS Memories

It is a long way from Boise, Idaho to Llay-Llay, a small town some 53 miles from Santiago, Chile’s capital, but for Jeff Gabica, this distance still has not weakened the bonds he developed with his host family 30 years ago.

At 17, Jeff was involved in many extra-curricular activities and was a stellar high school student. He was having “the year of my life” in Boise, yet he graduated a semester early and joined AFS to embark upon what he calls “one of the most significant experiences in my entire life.”

“I had never traveled before” Jeff said, “other than a few family vacations when we drove to California…I remember my AFS experience starting with my first trip on an airplane from Boise to New York City. From the airport I was to get onto a bus that would take me to the center of Manhattan, then I was to walk to the AFS headquarters and meet up with all the other AFS students from around the world. This first step was huge, but I did it!”

As part of a contingent of 24 Chile-bound students, Jeff participated in a New York based orientation designed to help with the transition from the U.S to Chile. Upon arrival, they were greeted by the AFS Chile representatives and continued their orientation for another week, picking up a little Spanish along the way.

Experiences in the Host Country:

“I have since lost contact with my fellow AFS Chile group” Jeff said, “but throughout our year-long program, we were able to keep in touch. We have since gone our separate ways. This is not true, however, of my Chilean host family. To this day, 30 years later, we are as close as ever and send cards, email and talk on the phone several times per year.”

Jeff was hosted by the Diaz Herrera family. “This family welcomed me into their small home where I shared a room with their two sons. The family taught me their culture, language and most of all they shared their love.”

Chile was undergoing some profound political changes in the mid-seventies but as Jeff recalls “The year was full of great adventures, difficult times and wonderful times. In a small town like Llay-Llay, where everyone knew each other, I felt pretty safe. The people of this small village were so welcoming and accommodating, that I always felt at home. It seemed that they always wanted us to feel at home and before I knew it, it became home to me.”

Describing his educational experience, Jeff said “I knew I had mastered the (Spanish) language about 6 months into the year, when I would consistently score the best grade in my class. I began to think and dream in Spanish. One time, I was traveling on a local train and speaking with an older gentleman from Chile. I remember he asked me where I was from and I told him the USA. He did not believe me, he thought I was Chilean. I was so proud of that moment.”

Saying “Adios”, Welcoming the Future:

When it came time to leave Chile, Jeff described a poignant scene saying that “I didn’t look forward to leaving Chile and my host family. I knew I would be saying goodbye to the family and my friends forever. The scene at the airport was a teary one, “lagrimas” everywhere. We cried and hugged and promised to keep in touch. To hear my host family tell it, they all bawled the entire two hour trip back to Llay-Llay.”

Jeff said that he had a hard time adjusting to life back home, but he went on to enroll in college and graduated in 1979, when he started working as a flight attendant. “That was my ticket back to Chile! As soon as I was able, I surprised my host family with a knock on the door. They all nearly fainted! We had a wonderful week together. Since that time, my host brother has come to visit me, my host sister’s 24 year old son came to visit and live with me for several months and many of my hosts’ nieces and nephews have had the AFS experience themselves.”

Today, Jeff is the CEO and Director of Development for Jumpin’ Juice & Java, a successful business he started in 1995 applying the concept of a coffee shop and juice bar under one roof. Since then, his company has been growing and now has a presence in several U.S. states. He still feels very close to his Chilean family. Jeff said that… “to this day my host family and I are as close as always. I’m not sure how many AFS students keep in touch with their host families, but the experience is so magnificent it can easily happen. Not only do you learn about other people, other cultures and other languages but you also learn about love. It was the experience of a lifetime; one that I will never regret, but rather, one that I can’t imagine not having lived. My life has become so enriched by my AFS program that I would highly recommend the experience to everyone.”

In the photo: Jeff Gabica