Obviously a huge part of studying abroad is learning the language, culture and immersing yourself in something completely new! The best part so far has been getting involved in different ways that foster interactions with Chileans.
CAUC, the organization at La Católica that organizes activities for extranjeros and Chileans, has had some really great events. They kicked off the school year with an asado (barbeque) for everyone to get to know each other. They’ve also organized trips and have events weekly that help the non-Chileans have a great time in Santiago.
Through La Católica there is a program called Tandem that partners up an extranjero and a Chilean with the intention to talk half the time in English and half the time in Spanish so each partner can improve their nonnative language. I just met with my Tandem partner for the first time this week and it was really great to just sit and talk to a Chilean student and discuss life, haha!
As expected, our host families have been considerably influential in our stay so far. Mine has been so welcoming and there’s a real sense of family. They’ve been really accommodating and always try to help me make this the best experience! (Sorry for the sap)
Hopefully as classes go on it will be easier to make friends with Chileans at La Católica and UCHile.
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Daranee Nasongkhla
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">As a native New Yorker and a student at the University of North Carolina I'm psyched to journey even further south to Santiago, Chile for the semester. I'm a junior and a Global studies major hoping to improve my Spanish and meet a whole bunch of awesome people! Also, I'm a huge tea drinker, so I'm ready to experience Chilean maté!</span></p>
