The greatest and most peaceful time in my life. July 09, 2024
By A student (sociology, public policy, Gettysburg College) - abroad from 02/20/2024 to 06/03/2024 with
SIT Study Abroad: Chile - Cultural Identity, Social Justice, and Community Development
I gained valuable friendships and learned to be independent. It also reassured my aspiration to work in the nonprofit sector and want to continue to help the Latinx community. It showed me different ways that I could do this.
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. |
The classes were not hard at all, and not much homework. The seminars were interesting for the most part, and I got to learn about a wide range of social issues in Chile. There was also fun field visits during class. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I loved all the administrators in the program! They always had great energy and were easily accessible even outside of school hours. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I LOVED my host family, especially my host mom. It was the perfect fit for me and balanced my family time while still maintaining my independence. My host brothers and my host mom were great resource to figure out fun things to do on the weekend. |
| * Food: |
I'm not that picky so the food was pretty good. My host mom checked in to make sure if there was anything she made I didn't like. I will say they eat a lot of lentils and I'm not the biggest fan. They eat a lot of potatoes, beans, and rice. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel like I integrated well with the local culture, but as a Latina student, I already had the language advantage, and it was pretty easy to blend in. There are many events and opportunities within Valpo to immerse in the culture and you can always ask the administrators or your host family for recommendations. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I will say well. I fortunately did not need any healthcare services, but some of my friends did and they had no complaints. |
| * Safety: |
I will say there are some areas in Valpo that are not safe, especially at night and as a foreign. Your host family and the administrators will tell you the dos and dont's, but just do not travel alone at night and you should be fine! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved my host family and all the people I met along the way. Being Latina, I learned so much about myself and a completely different culture. I wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone and that's exactly what I did. I also love the city it is beautiful and realistic! |
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 would say you do not have to worry about food because your host family cooks for you, but you will have to buy any other personal things like snacks on your own. Also, I'm a big foodie, so I spend a lot of money on the weekends at restaurants and sweet treats after class, but I think it's easy to budget. Things are a lot cheaper than in the United States. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 25-40 |
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 |
I will say you use it during class and with your host family, but between students we mostly spoke in English. I wish we were forced to speak Spanish to each other during lunch or break because I feel like my Spanish would have improved so much more! |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| 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? | Talk as much as you can prior and during your trip. |
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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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? | I wish I knew who my host family was before I started the program and where I would live. Mostly for my parent's sake because they were worried and constantly asked me. |
