Arica Siempre Arica Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

While this program is not academically rigorous in the sense that you're doing a ton of work and always studying, we were always in the process of learning about new topics on health care, challenging our thought processes and thinking in Spanish. I learned a ton about how different health care systems are structured and was able to learn more by asking questions of our professors and interacting as actively as possible. There is an incredible amount to learn on this program. The excursions to other areas of Chile and health center visits keep you thinking and engaged with new material all the time. The independent study period is unmatched in what it has to offer!

On-site administration of your program

We had some weird interactions with our program coordinator and there were some misunderstandings that escalated, but the homestay coordinator and assistant director were always helpful and supportive.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Living with a host family is hard, especially if you're not used to being in other people's spaces but I loved my host family and got along really well with them. They were incredibly welcoming and always made space for me in their home and activities. I had my own room and bathroom. For the most part, everyone on our program was happy with their host families.

Chilean food is not very exciting, be prepared to eat a lot of meat and rice and potatoes without too much seasoning. There is also a lot of fried/fast food. I can't eat gluten and I didn't have too hard of a time finding food to eat. The program coordinators are great about food restrictions on excursions and always had a ton of snacks everyone could eat. My host family was well prepared by the program about what things I could or could not eat. My host mom even made me gluten free pizza one night when the rest of the family was eating pizza!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Being integrated is all up to how much you put into your experience. I spent a lot of time with my host family and interacting with people in stores and in the centro so I felt very Chilean by the end of my time there. If you make an effort to speak in Spanish and listen to people you'll feel a lot less like an outsider. Talk to taxi drivers, go to local events (Arica is small but there are definitely things to do) and don't spend all your time in large groups with the other Americans on your program.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any experiences with healthcare, but Chile is generally one of the safer Latin American country when it comes to food or water born illnesses. You just have to be careful with where and what you eat and give your stomach some time to adjust to new environments! Chile has a pretty comprehensive public health care system but the wait of care can be long. Students always have access to the private care and someone from the program accompanies you to help you navigate it.

Arica is a small city so it's pretty safe. The neighborhoods the students are housed in are near la Universidad de Tarapaca so they are safer than other neighborhoods further away from the centro. There is a lot of catcalling from men, especially if you're a woman walking in a group with other women but I still felt safe walking at night with other students. I never had anything stolen, but there were some thefts that happened to other students, during an independence day party down near the port, mostly when students were drinking and not paying attention to their belongings. Be smart and you'll be fine.

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

The program gives you money for food during excursions as well as a stipend for housing/food during the independent study project. All your meals during your homestay are taken care of so it's easy to live very cheaply if you spend a lot of money on eating out. Chile isn't as cheap as other Latin American countries but it is cheaper than Europe and you won't have a lot of weekly costs because everything is taken care of by the program.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

All classes and program interactions are in Spanish.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Hotel

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Americans

• Learning experiences
• Traveling
• independent research period

• More interactions with Chilean Students
• Program administration
• some lecturers

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