Eight student-athletes from the University of Richmond are currently in Chile as part of the EnCompass Program, traveling from May 1 to May 9. Daniel Sellers reported on May 6 that the group spent a busy day engaging with local students and exploring southern Chile.
The visit aims to foster cultural exchange between Richmond athletes and their Chilean counterparts. By interacting with students at Colegio San Andres Maipú, a semi-private K-12 school, the athletes gained insights into differences between educational systems in Chile and the United States.
Sellers said, “We started our day early this morning with a 7:30 am departure from the hotel as we drove about an hour to visit a local school, Colegio San Andres Maipú, which is a semi-private K-12 school. Semi-private meaning that it is a subsidized school, but is also paid for some by the parents of the students that attend, so it is about 50/50.” He described participating in a question-and-answer session with high-schoolers and learning about unique aspects of their education such as homework being illegal due to long school hours. Sellers added that despite language barriers during volleyball and basketball games with local students, “Sports are able to transcend any barrier, bringing people together in a way that overrules any inability to speak the same language.”
After visiting the school during its anniversary celebrations, the group traveled south via Santiago Airport for further activities including horseback riding through Pucon’s mountains. Sellers recounted humorous moments regarding horse selection for larger riders: “The guide looks at me and says that this horse ‘eats men for breakfast and horses for dinner’ and ‘hates all other horses.’ This gave us all a good laugh as we talked about the many new things we have done together as a group so far this week.”
The trip continues until May 9 as participants engage in more cultural experiences across Chile.
