Everyday Life in Chile--an Unforgettable Experience! :) Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Overall, I had a good academic experience. It was definitely very rigorous with a lot of reading and time put into reading, studying and preparing for classes. It was intense, but the professors were willing to answer questions as needed. Those around the university, such as the ladies (tías) who clean are very sweet, and those in the library or other places are very willing to help if you are willing to reach out for it. I learned that the resources are there, but I had to be much more proactive to find them/receive them than is normal for a US university where access is much easier. One example is class readings. The most common thing at most US universities is to buy your books at the start of the semester and then you're done. However, at PUC there is a copying system in place and it takes a lot of time to constantly go throughout the semester to the copy shops, get the readings from the class folders. Sometimes they aren't there and you have to go and find part of the readings yourself. This system was very different and time-consuming but after awhile I got the hang of it. :) Overall, good experience!

On-site administration of your program

The International Student Office at PUC was always very attentive and responded quickly to questions by email. They also offered personal help if you stopped by personally at their office on the first floor of Casa Central. Finally, their "Welcome Orientation" was excellent--very informative and allowed students a chance to learn a little bit more about how the different systems worked there, get help and advice with the registration process from current PUC students in each department (this was so helpful to be able to ask questions about specific courses), and meet other exhange students. PUC also had a wonderful organization CAUC--Comisión de Acogida UC--that welcomed exchange students and provided opportunities and events for exchange students to get involved and integrated into the university community. I went to a few events, and everyone was so friendly! My favorite event was the downtown tour of the Brasil y Yungay barrios on a Saturday morning :)

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Amazing food--especially in the street food carts! Sopaipillas, empanadas de queso, completos, churrascos, etc :) Also, amazing sweets--Negrita, Morochas, Super 8, Frac, Toddy's, etc.. :D

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I was part of GBU--Grupo Bíblico Universitario--a Christian campus ministry at PUC. We met twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays in the building of Enfermería and it was wonderful to be able to meet friends through this group, find a community to be a part of and get plugged in! I made life-long friends and I was fully integrated into the culture! I saw how many of the exchange students just hung out with other exchange students and this was sad to me. I am so thankful to have had a place to really meet and share with the Chilean students, to be integrated into the social and cultural atmosphere at the university and to learn so much about Chilean culture! I also made a few good friends from my classes who were also Chilean, and they have also become life-long friends. :) The biggest recommendation I have for anyone who studies abroad here or anywhere else, is to be intentional to sit by and try to meet and collaborate with the local students...in all my experiences I found that they were very welcoming, accepting and supportive throughout my study experience.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any experience directly with healthcare, but I did have to get some medicine from a pharmacy. A Chilean friend helped me get the correct cough medicine and it was a similar experience to going to Walgreens here.

Santiago is like any big city--there are safer parts than other. The biggest thing is you have to be aware and alert of your surroundings! Also, my recommendation is don't speak English out in public, such as on the metro. This only draws more attention to yourself! For the first six weeks I lived in the "well-to-do" section of Santiago (Vitacura) with my first host family and in my last 3.5 months I lived with a host family in Maipu which is more of a mixed comuna in regards to safety. However, I had a much better experience in Maipu due to better inclusion by and integration into the family and the community. Also, it really helped to get to know Chilean friends and ask them for tips about safety or where to go/not go at certain hours.There was nothing better than learning from my Chilean friends. :) Finally, on the metro, I always carried my backpack on my friend and was very aware of my belongings (tip from a Chilean family friend).

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Biggest cost was for metro travel...if you traveled a lot during the week, you would need about 10,000 Chilean pesos, which is about $20.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I was in full enrollment, normal classes with the Chilean students so language use was constant.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• integration into university organizations and classes with the local students
• the opportunity to live all day, every day in Spanish :)
• the opportunity to be immersed in and learn about Chilean culture and make life-long friends

• prompt course evaluation from home university
• an explanation to exchange students about the copying system in the welcome orientation

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer