Great program! Past Review
By Kristin W (Spanish, Anthropology, University of Tulsa) for
ISA Study Abroad in Valparaíso/Viña del Mar, Chile
I went to Chile because of Spanish, not knowing much about the culture. I learned so much more than I thought I would though, acquired high language abilities, learned about the incredibly interesting history of the country from people who lived through it, and formed friendships that are still strong 3 years later. If I went back, I would definitely choose ISA again--I can't speak highly enough of the staff there!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Courses were wonderful and professors were very accessible. Some friends and I even got coffee with a professor after class and went on field trips with other classes. They all did a great job of connecting what we talked about in class to the culture around us and the country's history. I wish I could have had more classes with some of these professors! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff was so helpful and so friendly. They really went out of their way at the ISA office to help us with anything--as long as we used Spanish to ask! They were also very concerned with our happiness and made sure we were comfortable in our living situations. They were very responsive. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was incredible! I had a host sister who was just a year older than me, so I was able to meet a lot of Chilean students through her. My host mom was great about taking me along when she went places as well, so I had tea with her and her friends and got tours of Vina with her. The whole family really tried to treat me like a member of the family. Another great thing about living in the host family was hearing my host mom's stories about being a nurse during Pinochet's dictatorship. It was very moving. |
| * Food: |
Alfajores and lucuma ice cream are enough to get 5 stars from me! Empanadas were great too, and anything with manjar. I ended up gaining quite a bit of weight while I was there because my host mom figured out what I liked and gave me mountains of it! It was easy to lose the weight again when I got back home though. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Excursions were good, and I really loved the crafts we did. I still get compliments on the jewelry I made while I was there, and the mosaic mirror I made is one of my favorite decorations in my room. There are more masculine activities too, don't worry! I think everyone really loved all of the activities. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never had any health or safety problems while I was in Valpo. I was also very careful though. A few people on the program had bags stolen, but if you keep a hand (not just an eye) on your belongings at all times, and are aware of your surroundings, you shouldn't have problems. I felt safer in Vina/Valpo than I did in Santiago. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Chilean Spanish is just ridiculous at times, and to begin with it was very difficult to understand even though I was pretty confident in my Spanish abilities. The great thing about the difficulty of Spanish there is that you can understand anything after you've mastered chileno! The teachers were great about helping with the language, and in my grammar class we talked about slang for the first five or ten minutes of every class. My host family and Chilean friends probably contributed the most to my language gains, because they made sure I was truly surrounded by the language at all times. TV helped too--both programs in Spanish and ones in English with Spanish subtitles so I could see how phrases translated. Even complete beginners made a lot of progress on this program. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | The best advice I could give is to jump on all opportunities you have in Chile. If your host family is going somewhere, go with them. Meet as many people as you can, and really take advantage of the wonderful professors to learn more about the country, culture and language! |
