Growing Into Myself Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 07/21/2018 to 12/15/2018 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Santiago

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned more about myself, my passions, my strengths, and my needs. It was nice learning how to thrive in a foreign environment, and to do something out of my comfort zone. More than academic or social experiences, I think the personal experience of going through this process helped me grow a lot as a person.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The staff was very caring and organized, but a bit uncoordinated or late to respond to things at times. I chalk this up to the fact that there are so many different schools in Chile, and the staff needs to shuttle between all of them.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I feel very lucky to have been paired with a host family that I got along with really well. They were very vegetarian friendly, neat, and loving.
* Food:	My host family was very considerate of my dietary restrictions, so I have no complaints there. In general, Chilean food is very bland, so it sometimes got monotonous, but that is also part of the cultural experience.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Integration was definitely hard. I felt more integrated with the local culture by way of my host family and by attending family anniversary/birthday parties.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	The area in which I lived was very safe; in general I felt safe where I traveled, although I know that by way of the program, we were mostly in well-to-do areas.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes I think the team in Chile is very strong and really cares that you have a good experience, and I value that immensely. I also liked that the program was academically rigorous and not just a "joke" semester abroad.

Finances

* 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 think it could've been easier and that I definitely spent money on things I shouldn't have. Best example, for which you need to know that I was doing the human rights program: for all my meetings with different "professors" or "tutors," we would meet in cafes. Although I know that they would order things so that I don't technically have to, it felt uncomfortable/socially awkward NOT to. So I ended up spending a lot more money on useless coffees or desserts than I had planned for. I also took the metro SO much more than I had imagined, so that I could get to all these different meetings in different places. The costs add up and I was not anticipating that at all.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	Around at least: $30 on metro, $15-20 on cafe items, sometimes up to $10-15 on social things
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Make a spreadsheet of all of your expenses, so that you can track them, find patterns in your spending, and hold yourself accountable.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language
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?	a 300 level Middlebury language course
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?	At Middlebury: live in a social house for the target language, take language courses, go to language tables, converse with friends in that language just for fun

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	intellectual stimulation social/political/protest culture general environment of the city
* What could be improved?	better coordination from staff clearer guidelines/requirements social integration into local culture
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Things will not pan out the way you want them to, and that's completely okay.

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 Academic or Linguist You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Interculturality, Migrations, and Antiracism
Course Department:	Optativo (Elective)
Instructor:	L. Beniscelli
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The course was not that challenging for me, but I certainly did learn a lot, especially about Chile's relationship with the topics listed in the title of the course.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Did not transfer credit.

Course Name/Rating:	Social and Political History of Chile
Course Department:	sociology
Instructor:	Camila Silva Salinas
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The course was very challenging in that I could only understand perhaps 50-75% of the lecture, mostly because I did not have the historical context that the other Chilean students had of the country. Readings were challenging for me as well, but I did very well on all of the essays and assignments.
Credit Transfer Issues:	N/A