I remember when I received my homestay assignment, as soon as I saw that my family spoke "some" English, I was scared. I emailed IES Abroad asking if they had a family that spoke more English, since I had no confidence in my French or nonexistent Arabic skills. Yet, they told me not to worry, that almost all of the families had enough English skills for us to get by. More importantly, they reassured me that I would develop foreign language skills in a way I did not imagine would be possible. I am forever grateful for IES Abroad for not changing my homestay family.

While in my last blog I focused on the things I may try and do differently in my next semester abroad, I wanted to take this final blog as an opportunity to dive into the amazing experiences I’ve been able to have in Berlin. Between newly discovered fond memories and learning opportunities, this entire semester has been something I will certainly remember for the rest of my life. 

As my time in Santiago comes to an end, I have been ruminating about what I will miss the most. Beyond the delicious sopaipillas (traditional Chilean fried pumpkin dough), musicians in the metro, reggaeton music at the discos (clubs), and fresh frutilla (strawberries) sold on the streets, the kindness of Chileans is one of a kind. I often use this story to exemplify Chileans’ generosity. I was running late to my class at 7:30 in the morning.