I peaked Past Review
By Bridget (University of Massachusetts Amherst / UMass) - abroad from 01/08/2019 to 05/04/2019 with
USAC Chile: Santiago - Spanish Language, Latin American Cultures, Journalism, and International Studies
I love speaking Spanish, I love all my friends, and I love Santiago so much because of its diversity and ability to never bore me. I had the perfect host family. I would sometimes get frustrated when it came to my Spanish, but everyday you are learning and improving. I felt like I was learning and improving every single day, no matter what, even if I was having a bad day. Chile is also so f***ing beautiful and I would go back and honestly live there in a heartbeat. You will never stop exploring Chile or South America. The people there love foreigners, so you will always make friends. And don't think of Spanish as a barrier, think of it as something that can connect two people, because languages are important and can help teach you a lot about yourself. Expand your horizons and never be afraid to try new things. I promise you will always get something out of it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I thought everything was very straightforward when it came to academics. We could always ask for help and resources when needed. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I loved the directors/advisors so much. They were more than "advisors" to me - they were definitely more like family |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host family and could not have had a better one |
| * Food: |
Food in Chile is honestly average, but if you are explicit with your host family with what you want to eat/what you can't eat/what you don't like, you will be able to have the food you want. There are also a lot of large grocery stores like we have in the U.S. literally all over the place, so finding food is definitely never a true issue. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Listen, I don't think it's the goal to feel "integrated with the culture." We must realize we are foreigners and we are going to stand out no matter what. However, I definitely feel like I started to "blend in" a bit when I knew more about the city and when my Spanish improved more than I ever thought it would. Just remember we ARE gringos and we are there to learn other peoples' culture, not take from it and make it into something it's not. Appreciation is listening and knowing boundaries. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Every time I needed to go to the doctor for something, I was able to receive the care I wanted. The doctors only speak Spanish, though, so if you need an advisor to come with you to translate they would definitely do that for you. They also reimburse the doctor's office visits and any possible prescriptions you may need. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safe in Santiago, but you definitely need to take precautions into your own hands. USAC will warn you about the possible things that could happen in the city, such as petty theft, during the orientation. But make sure that you never walk alone at night, you always stay in a group, and you keep your backpack in front of you on the metro. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I love USAC!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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) |
Honestly, the metro is a lot of money and you need it to get to school everyday, especially if you live with a host family. However, living with a host family made it so that I didn't have to pay for (or really even make) any food. The only real things I spent money on were transportation, going out (drinks, cigarettes, etc.), and when I wanted to eat lunch on campus (otherwise you could totally communicate with your host family about bringing a lunch) |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About $50-70 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Use the bus more often (sometimes they let you get on for free), BRING A LUNCH TO SCHOOL, don't take taxis because they rip you off most of the time (especially if you don't speak Spanish) |
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 love speaking Spanish and I love that I had so many opportunities to do so. I came to Chile specifically to learn Spanish (and to just be in Chile and learn more about it, obviously). My host family would help me so much and I got to have daily conversations with them. I soon had friends that would only speak to me in Spanish, all my classes were in Spanish, and my advisors would talk to me in Spanish :) I only say that I'm fluent because now I think that I can talk to anyone, form sentences at a much higher level, and I can understand mostly everything a person is saying to me. The Chilean Spanish definitely changed my accent and slang, though, so we will see how that goes when I travel to different Spanish-speaking countries. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 312, I believe. |
| 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? | - HAVE LOCAL FRIENDS. This helped me so much. I was forced to have full on conversations with people and soon enough I was actually kinda funny in Spanish (i.e. you can make jokes and be sarcastic in another language once you know how to be basic in your explanations!) - TALK WITH YOUR HOST FAMILY (if applicable). They are there to help you and teach you! Ask them about their lives and then some. They definitely want to know about yours, too. - Read!!! This is one of the easiest ways to learn more Spanish. No one is judging you nor are you having a conversation, so you don't have to feel pressured to understand everything. Some of my friends bought Harry Potter in Spanish. There are tons of cheap books people sell on the streets and buying one of those could help a lot. - Lastly, watch a lot of shows in Spanish. Watch the news! Consume all the Spanish you can! Never stop consuming (I mean, if you really actually are interested in learning the language, at least). |
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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| 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? |
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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? | That I would never want to come back to the United States |
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 LinguistYou 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! |
