learning and friends in Chile <3 Past Review
By Louisa Crane (Wellesley College) - abroad from 07/20/2017 to 12/23/2017 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Valparaiso
My Spanish got a LOT better. I learned I can make a life in a new place and that it's ok to feel super challenged and make mistakes and learn from them... I also learned that being uncomfortable in a situation is ok (obviously as long as it's safe). It's good to be in new positions even if they aren't familiar.
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. |
Supportive program. My classes were interesting and I did learn, but a couple were somewhat disorganized (not to any fault of the Middlebury Program). Sometimes physical resources were scarce (books unavailable at the library). Chilean professors tend to be more hands-off and less invested in students than US professors are. Assignments were squished mostly to the end of the program while my first couple months were not very rigorous. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I felt supported during the registration process. I was also able to reach out to the advisor months after leaving and get a syllabus I needed (that I didn't have downloaded and that was no longer available online) to get credit at my home institution. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Great homestay but I was initially disappointed because my host family was changed last minute for a medical issue my first assigned host family was dealing with. The second family I got and stayed with did not correspond at all to what I requested (live in Valpo, with pets and kids my age, etc). However, it ended up being a nice experience and my family (an older couple) was super supportive, chill, and I had a great time staying with them and spending time with the (adult) children and young grandkids. |
| * Food: |
Good! I'm pescatarian and my host mom was super excited about learning to cook alternative meals (still Chilean but no meat). Chilean food that I ate out in the city and not at home was great too . |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Of course this was difficult at first, but by the end of it I had a great group of friends and felt pretty integrated within the Institute of History, where I hung out a lot. Of course I never felt truly "Chilean" but for only being in Chile for 5 months I felt very integrated. I loved my experience and was so sad to leave my host family and my wonderful friends. I wish I had another semester (I did SEA Semester my second semester but also would have loved to stay in Chile) |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare was easily accessible, in fact easier than in the US which I took advantage of there. The only annoying thing was how obsessive Middlebury was about making people go to the doctor who did not feel it would be beneficial (probably Middlebury has liability things which requires them to do so). |
| * Safety: |
My advice is to KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING, even when you're in Viña del Mar. Trust your host family even if you think they are being overprotective and tell them where you are going (they know more than you about their city). Several of my friends were pickpocketed, I was walking in an area I shouldn't have at the beginning of my experience and had my purse (with phone, wallet, keys) stolen, along with my friend who also had everything stolen. Not a defining experience of my study-abroad but certainly an avoidable mistake and a real bummer in the first month of my time in Chile. The Valparaíso/Viña area is not "dangerous" per se but robberies are a reality (even for Chileans themselves). Trust Chileans that you know (your host family, friends) and know where you are going! The experience wouldn't change my decision to go to Chile (I loved it!!) but it was definitely a bummer. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
how could I say no after making such awesome friends and having an awesome experience? |
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 can't really calculate this because I paid room and board as well as my plane ticket and did a lot of superfluous things, ending up spending a fair amount of money. I spent $4300 on room and board and plane ticket. If I subtract the plane and room and board out to calculate extraneous expenses, it was around $400 a month or $100 a week on things like drinks, clothes, bus tickets, transportation, etc. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't buy clothes? I spent a lot of money abroad but most of it was room and board and a plane ticket. My actual weekly spending was fairly normal for me, and I had gotten a well-paid internship the previous summer which helped me be able to not worry to much about expenses, besides just knowing not to go crazy with spending money. |
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 |
Very rigorous. this is one of the major strengths of the Middlebury Schools Abroad. A++ |
| 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? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Advanced Spanish course |
| 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? | Stick with the language pledge as much as possible. Challenge yourself and be confident -- obviously don't be rude but you need to make mistakes and learn to be okay with it to get better at any language. |
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? | 10+ |
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? | more about Chile! I barely did any research and I learned so much. I wish I also knew more about the Chilean accent and Chilean Spanish. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
