Un tiempo de desarrollo Past Review
By A student (Berea College) - abroad from 07/25/2018 to 12/07/2018 with
CIEE: Santiago - Liberal Arts
I just learned not to place all my learning and growth within the rigid lines of academia. There's so much to learn from conversations with people on the street. Wisdom comes from experience and experience comes from living and seeing and breathing and struggling and fighting, all of which anyone can have. So take advantage of talking to children and the elderly and anyone with a different perspective. I know I learned a lot and I think by relaying my own experiences, other people learned from me too. I would 100% love to relive it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My academics were not as difficult as Berea's in my opinion. According to myself as well as the Chileans I encountered, Chilean academics are much laxer but then provide more academic freedom I would say. All my courses were not difficult in the usual sense. The most difficult aspect would have been the anonymity which pushes you to make yourself stand out, whereas, at my home institution, it's simply expected. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone was super nice, and would greet me whenever they saw at any point. Also super kind when students had questions. I had little interaction though because I guess I just felt more prepared and at ease with everything. So if you don't necessarily need help, they leave you to your own devices until you need something or if something serious would occur where checking in is necessary. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I enjoyed my host family's location as well as our pets. They were super pleasant and I lived with women which is a major preference of mine. However, being lower socioeconomic status, I sensed a slight disparity in understanding due to their higher class status in Chile. Like, being from Berea, the amount of independent travel for me due to funds was limited, so my trips were less frequent than my counterparts in the program that traveled nearly every weekend to every other weekend. That was really the only moment I felt a little out of place. |
| * Food: |
Fairly good and nutritious. My host family respected my likes and dislikes. As the semester progressed, it got a little basic and repetitive however. This also may be a study abroad faux pas, but Chilean street food is absolutely wonderful and absolutely no one in my program to my knowledge had any issues eating it. I definitely think it's an integral part of the experience. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had many Chilean friends, so I felt super integrated. I had many interactions where everything was solely in Spanish. There are also a lot of academic events to attend so it's unlikely you'll ever be bored as long as you can find something to do. Another cool aspect is the majority of these events are on Facebook, so they're easily accessible. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any healthcare experiences, but the program provided us with some clinics we could attend and with the help of the housing coordinator and our host family's, we would go to our appointments. We would have to pay ourselves up front and then be reimbursed later by our insurance companies. Beyond that, I'm unsure of the procedures. |
| * Safety: |
It's more or less safe. A few of my friends had their phones stolen so just be highly cautious of your bags and don't lend your belongings to anyone at any time. There are also plenty of protests in Santiago, but it being a big city, you can maneuver around them. It may just make your walk home a little more arduous. Beware of tear gas used by the police though. Even if a protest has ended, the remnants can remain and make your eyes sting for a few minutes. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I made wonderful relationships that taught me how to better my current relationships back in the states. I learned from the Americans and the Chileans in various ways, and I am just so much more mature after seeing all these beautiful things that I would love to relive it and make it better if I could. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
I didn't have many issues honestly. I don't know how much I spent per week, but I was never once worried about running out of money in Santiago. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Maybe between $100-$200 as an estimate. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Walk as much as you possibly can. Eat the street food; it's much cheaper. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Almost always. I mean, amongst the students, we would slip and falter, but with program officials in orientation or on program sponsored trips, Spanish was the language used. In conversations with my Chilean friends, it was always Spanish, even if they knew some English. It was heavy immersion for sure, but my American friends and I did communicate in both. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Literature courses in Spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Make a friend and just speak with them as much as possible. Talk to your host family. Tell them your life story. Tell them a joke. I definitely improved the most through casual conversation rather than in the classroom. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Honestly, nothing. Everything I did learn I needed to learn in the moment in Chile in order to grow as a person. Otherwise, I would've missed an important learning opportunity and would not have matured to where I am now. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
