Living la vida chilena Past Review
By A student (Political Science and Spanish, Wellesley College) - abroad from 07/19/2013 to 12/14/2013 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Valparaiso
My Spanish skills improved tremendously and I saw/did so many new things. It was incredibly worthwhile
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. |
The student strikes greatly hampered my academic experience. They interrupted the semester and caused classes to be canceled for undetermined periods of time. I was not able to receive the full immersive experience because my university responded to the strikes by putting all the international students in a distinct set of classes. However the coursework was quite rigorous and Middlybury happily supplied tutors and instructors for independent study opportunities. I learned more than I could have expected. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program director and resident director are husband and wife and are extremely kind. They generally allow the students a large degree of independence. They can seem "hard to reach" but will move mountains to help a student who comes to them in need. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host family! I had a very sweet young couple with a baby. I became quite integrated in their family and they were perhaps my greatest teachers of Spanish and Chilean culture. I was very lucky to have a vegetarian host mother who happened to be a great cook. |
| * Food: |
Chilean food is notorious for being very unhealthy and not very delicious. They consume a TON of white bread, red meat, and wine. It is quite hard to find spicy or ethnic food. However the produce is PHENOMENAL. Avocados are served with almost every meal. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Although the student strikes made it quite hard to integrate with my University, I found many extracurricular opportunities. I always found the Chileans extremely friendly and was able to learn a lot about the local culture. The Middlebury Language Pledge was an enormous help. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
No problems whatsoever. (However I know one other student who had a very very difficult time with the healthcare system) |
| * Safety: |
Chile is extremely safe. I always had to watch out for pick pockets but never feared violent crime. Your best bet for walking home at night (particularly through certain sections of Valparaíso) is to walk with others, don't flaunt wealth, and try not to stand out as an American. |
| 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) |
Chile has a much hire cost of living than I anticipated. Costs for food, clothes, and transportation are either on par with the United States or more expensive. The biggest drain of money was personal travel. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Travel with Tur Bus and book hostels far in advance. Use a reusable water bottle, shop in the ferías, don't buy your drinks in the bars (except for really cheap locals like Subida Ecuador), walk everywhere, learn the micros, and don't feel that you have to spend money just because all the other exchange students are. |
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 |
Language was the biggest component. We signed a pledge to only speak in Spanish the entire semester. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| 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? | SPAN 242: Literay Genres of Spain & Latin America |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Stay away from English speakers. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | It is not a "break" from college. The coursework will be very rigorous. |
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! |
