SIT Arica: Amazing Experiences in Chile Past Review
By Samantha S (PSYCHOLOGY., Tulane University) for
SIT Study Abroad: Chile - Public Health, Traditional Medicine, and Community Empowerment
I have a strong desire to continue travelling and learning about other cultures and hope to live abroad again one day.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Although most of the students in the program were not happy with the spanish classes, the 4 week independent study project and the visits to the health clinics and shadowing of different health professionals during the semester made of up for the unorganized spanish classes. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The host country program administration was AMAZING! The team of administrators was always there to help if needed, whether it was with communication with family (in the U.S. or the host family), school work, personal problems, internet connection problems, or illnesses. I felt very well cared for and never felt that anything would go seriously wrong because I was always able to talk to one of the administrators if I was having a problem. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The host family provided basically everything I needed, including food, sheets, towels, plugs, and anything else. |
| * Food: |
The majority of students were very happy with the food. Some families had difficulty with vegetarians at first because the majority of Chileans eat a lot of meat but after talking with the host family, most are very nice and eager to cook whatever you like. It was fun to share the foods that I like to eat with my host family and compare the differences of favorite foods. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The planned excursions were great experienes, especially in Peru where we were able to go on home visits with medical professionals. Also the 10 day trip to the south was great practice for the independent study project during our village study. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city was very safe and I felt completely safe walking home from a friends house at night. The healthcare is easily accessible, different than at home because almost all of the illnesses we encountered were treated with medicine administered through an IV. There are a few vaccines the program requires students to receive before entering the country that are listed on the program's website. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent much less money than I do during a regular semester at Tulane because all meals were covered by our host family, I brought most toiletry items I needed, and public transportation was very cheap. You will spend the most money during the independent study period and it really depends on how much you go out. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to spend all lunches with your family! It will save you a lot of money and is great bonding time with the host family. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | SPAN 3000 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
In our host stays we were required to use spanish everyday (most host families did not speak enlgish) and with our advisors. The majority of people in the city do not speak enlgish, although a lot of the college kids in the city have studied many years of english and were able to help us translate. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Take advantage of every opportunity and travel as much as possible! Don't worry too much about the school work, spend as much time as you can with locals and form friendships. |
