Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I ended up taking the Tufts Spanish course, a Chilean dance class, and my internship so my course load was very easy. I would have liked to have taken one more academic class but I didn't like the professor and I dropped the class after the deadline to add another class.

On-site administration of your program

Carmen Gloria was always willing to help and was very accesible via email, phone, or dropping into the office. I never really needed very much help but I felt like if I had needed anything or just wanted to talk I could have spent time in the office. The office was very organized with the weekly money and reimbursements. The organized events were fun and they responded to our needs. We asked about going skiing and the office planned a ski trip for a weekend when everyone could go.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived with a Chilean host family very close to the Escuela Militar subway stop in Las Condes. I lived in an apartment with a host mom, 2 sisters (18 and 19), and 2 Chilean students (19 and 20). I also had 2 brothers (23 and 25) who lived several minutes away with the grandma. I was really excited when I moved in because I thought that with so many young people around they would include me in their activities. I was disappointed though because they were not very interested in me. The apartment was not luxurious but it wasn't bad. I had my own room and shared the bathroom with one of the Chilean students. My host mom did all the cooking but we didn't eat meals together so she left the food in the refrigerator. <br /><br /> The family was not that welcoming but on my survey I did not recommend them for a host family next year. The neighborhood was nice and safe, and was close to the subway. It took about 40 minutes to get to class, 20 minutes to get downtown, and 20 minutes to get to Bellavista (nightlife).

The food in my homestay was ok but not great. I was lucky because it was healthier than other people's food but it wasn't very gourmet. There was a lot of plain rice, plain chicken, hot dogs, and lentils. There were plenty of good restaurants but you had to look for them becaus the majority of Chilean food is cheap and greasy. However, I had lots of fun going out to eat so don't be discouraged by a few bad meals! We established an eating club with some Chilean friends and went out to eat different types of food together (Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, etc).

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Try to make Chilean friends as soon as you can! They will make everything more memorable. The trips that Tufts arranged were a lot of fun. I also went to the south, the Lakes Region, the beach, and the Atacama. All of these trips were amazing.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Several people got sick and there was an incidence of food poisoning but I never got sick. There are several good clinics and hospitals and Carmen Gloria can tell you where to go. There were some issues with safety because petty crime is a problem in Santiago but I never had anything happen to me. A lot of it is being aware and not putting yourself in bad situations. Take radio taxis at night, go out in groups if possible, don't take any valuables out when you don't need to, don't where flashy jewelry, and hold on to your bags and keep them in sight so that pickpocketers can't get them.

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

I was well prepared when I arrived because I had taken Spanish in high school and at Tufts. The initial transition was a bit of a shock because Chilean Spanish is very fast and very hard to understand. It took awhile to pick up on slang but the book, "Surviving in the Chilean Jungle" and my Chilean family and friends were very helpful. I tried to speak Spanish as much as possible but there were still a lot of times that I hung out with Americans and spoke English. I still think that my Spanish improved a lot and my confidence to speak improved tremendously.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Local Students