Reflections on a Santiago Summer: Advice for Prospective Students

Wandering through the Miami airport like a zombie after three hours of sleep, I realized that for the first time in my life, I wasn't ready to go home. Since I studied abroad and did my summer internship in Santiago, from July to July I lived longer in Chile than anywhere in the United States. I didn't want to leave the clean, timely metro behind, or the delicious gelato, or the sclerophyll forest, or my Chilean friends. There was still so much to see and do, so many places I hadn't visited. Every interaction with a Chilean, however small, felt meaningful as it meant employing my Spanish and navigating cultural differences. It was such an accomplishment when I could make a Chilean laugh (with me, not at me).

I loved the stability of my internship schedule and I loved my IES Abroad internship seminar, and I loved living with my host mom in Providencia, and I loved walking everywhere. I loved trying new things and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, even with something as small as trying a new food. To be completely honest, I never learned much about Chile in school, and I never specifically had the dream of going there. I only chose it for study abroad because the university offered classes that I needed to graduate. Yet, Santiago now feels like a home away from home. Since I've gotten back, many people have asked me if I would return to Santiago to work there after I graduate, and the answer is yes.

The answer is also yes to recommending the IES Abroad Internship program. There were many opportunities to learn about the culture, field trips offered, and the IES Abroad building, professors, and staff were great resources. I will say that some of the other students in my program were unhappy with their internship placements, but I was very happy with mine. Here are a few tips from my experience for prospective students:

1. Live in a homestay if you can! It helps improve your Spanish a lot, and you get to learn about small, subtle cultural differences that you might not understand otherwise. (For example, many Chilean households open all of their windows in the morning. It is also normal for Chileans to bathe/shower every day.) You may also form a lifelong bond with a Chilean family. If you are LGBTQ+, I would highly recommend requesting a LGBTQ+-friendly homestay. I lived with wonderful, accepting homestays this way!
    
2. That being said, if you choose to live in a homestay and you start to feel uncomfortable with your placement, I would recommend to ask IES Abroad if you can switch as soon as humanly possible. You may think you can tough it out if your program isn't very long, but if you don't feel comfortable at home, your abroad experience will be dimmed drastically. Sometimes a host family simply isn't the best match for you, and that's okay. This applies to your internship placement as well!
    
3. Be very careful with your cell phone on public transportation, especially the metro. I was pickpocketed twice (both times when the metro was not even that crowded), and I had my cell phone in a zipped purse. This year I fashioned a bag lock by clipping my bag charms together, and I was not pickpocketed.
    
4. If you have the ability to travel, travel south! South of Santiago is so beautiful. My favorite places that I traveled within Chile were Chiloé, Villarrica/Pucón, and Valle del Elqui. Overnight buses are not that expensive and in my opinion, they aren't that uncomfortable.
    
5. I would recommend knowing at least the basics of Spanish before you come, simply because I think it would improve your experience. Many santiaguinos understand English perfectly and speak at least a little, but they will appreciate it if you try to speak Spanish with them, even if you are struggling. Chilean Spanish is very difficult at first but, según yo, very fun to learn. The chilenismos that I learned will linger in my Spanish forever.
    
6. Even if you aren't a hiker, give it a shot this once! Hiking in the Andes is an incredible opportunity. Plus, you might see condors--we saw condors on our snowshoe hike in Cajón del Maipo.
    
7. Budget more than you think for public transportation. With events all over the city on the weekends, I sometimes would tap my Bip! card six times in a day.

Hopefully these tips help! The IES Abroad orientation was also very thorough, and you can always ask former students or IES Abroad staff questions! I, for one, would definitely encourage you to choose Santiago, Chile as your destination--I already am thinking of how and when I can go back.