High School Study Abroad in Chile

The trip was amazing. My family took me so many places. I experienced so much. I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone for this amazing trip. It was the time of my life and I can not wait to go back on a nacel trip to Mexico

My family was extremely nice. The directors were extremely nice. The school was very nice. I had the time of my life. I made many friends even though I didn’t speak amazing Spanish. It was still an amazing experience and I would do it again.

Hi! I’m Valentina, and i’m 17 years old. I’m from Chile, and i’m doing an exchange semester in Connecticut, USA. I’ve had so much fun this last months. People are very nice to me everywhere. I already have friends and i love my host family

Alzar school high school semester was amazing because I got to do something different with four months of my high school career. I met the most amazing people and went to the most amazing places. It was such a lucky feeling to go kayaking after school, backpacking on the weekends, or skiing for a few hours. The campus in Cascade is beautiful- I miss living in my Yurt so much. It was so warm and cozy. The food was really good and had a lot of variety. I learned a lot of material that is helpful in the real world in my classes, and also got to take some first aid courses. The adults in the program were all incredibly professional and hard-working with a love for learning and the outdoors. The specific focus on leadership was especially interesting, and the 10 elements of leadership are things I still use in my everyday life. The sense of community that we built will stay with me forever, and I am still in contact with most of my semester, months later. This was such an empowering experience because of where we went in nature. I learned to kayak, to cook, to carry heavy things, and how to appreciate my surroundings. The rivers we went on were beautiful with big campsites, and the backpacking trips were pivotal moments in my, and many of my friends' lives. Alzar School is a once and a lifetime experience that I would hope every child had the opportunity to do. It changes lives.

The Alzar School provided me with real-world leadership skills. After attending in the fall of 2015, I have sought out leadership programs at other schools, and none compare. Alzar helped me learn that I have a lot to gain from the knowledge and experiences of others and that asking for feedback is a good thing. I also learned that I can handle extremely difficult situations, especially when others are depending on me. I learned to communicate with my peers through constructive feedback and small group expeditions in the backcountry. These communications skills carried over to my interactions and relationships with friends and family back home, and also in conversations with professionals when searching for jobs. I carry myself taller, trust in my own strength more, and have no fear to ask for help and support from others after coming back from the Alzar school. It is truly a life-changing experience. I conquered my fear of kayaking after years of being horrified of it, and created memories I will cherish for a lifetime. Thank you Alzar!!

During my experience with Alzar I learned that it is okay to push yourself. I learned to accept challenges and apply my knowledge to those challenges because they help better the situation. As a leader I grew in my abilities to communicate and be inspiring. These are two aspects I never knew you needed to have as a leader and I now think they are two of my strongest aspects as a leader. I hope to apply my leadership skills to my group of friends and school. I want to be a positive leader who can lead the groups to success. I am normally on student council and I hope I will be able to do this again next year and apply all the skills I have learned at Alzar. Overall, my Alzar experience was the best experience of my life and I cannot suggest it enough. Alzar equips students during the semester to become future leaders of the world. Each opportunity and challenge students are faced with help grow and shape them into outstanding leaders, friends and peers.

Before coming to Alzar, I was hoping to get a sense of independence from my family and the routine that I live at home. I wanted to hone my leadership skills, make lasting friendships and apply my backpacking skills. I also wanted to explore the brand new realms of spanish and kayaking. At Alzar, I learned that I am able to broaden my definition of a leader from just being someone that people liked, and who knew the plan. I am now able to define many other types of leadership other than my own, and work with people to understand where my assets work best. I hope to be a better leader in my own home, communicating and being fair to my siblings, and also doing a good job of helping my parents around the house. Anyone is lucky to experience a semester at this special place.

At Alzar, I was hoping to have a fun experience with amazing people, and I achieved this! The expeditions were amazing because of the challenges and bonding with friends. Kayaking is amazing! I learned so much about why/how I make decisions. I also learned what I like about leaders and what I want to do with my life!

Alzar is a fantastic opportunity for young people of all ability levels to spend time with a uniquely motivated group of peers exploring the world and developing their leadership skills. My favorite part of my time with Alzar was living in Coyhaique, Chile. The new Base Patagonia campus is specifically selected to be close to the larger town, but nestled in a smaller village to facilitate conversations and community work. I feel like we had enough structure to build comfort, but ample freedom to explore what we found interesting and meet new people. It was a step outside of my comfort zone with the opportunity to engage fully in Spanish. Time in Chile also built our independence as we shopped and cooked largely for ourselves. This fostered a deeper connection between our group and the local community.

Nacel has really been very helpful during the application process and my stay in Chile. I almost missed my chance to do the 2020 term in Chile, because I forgot to look for my perfect study abroad program in ahead of time and by then I was very busy with my homework at school. But.. Anyway, Nacel opened the doors for me when the rest of the agencies didn't accept me because “I was late”. It's really impressive landscapes over there. We flew over the Andes Mountains! I have never seen such a beautiful country in my life. I landed on a Saturday afternoon at Santiago airport. There was my host family Los Arenas and my local coordinator. I had done Skype before with my host family. As I already knew them, it was very normal for me to run to greeting them. They showed me their love and affection with a lot of kisses and hugs. Chilean people are very kind and warm. We went to their house, they lived in a neighbourhood where you could clearly see the Andes far away, but near! I don't know how many photos I've taken of that beautiful landscape. The next day, Domingo, they organized a delicious barbecue in the garden of the house. I met cousins and family friends. At first, I think it happens to all of us, I experienced new feelings: JOY of being in a new country and meeting new people, sadness because my parents were in the United States with my siblings and at that moment I was starting a new life and living new adventures. The feeling of sadness lasted very little because I have so much to do in Chile: adapt to my new life, unpack my suitcase, study, check new vocabulary, help my host family at home, and hanging out with friends. The first day of school was amazing! We woke up in the morning, the host mother ironed my uniform and prepared a ''colacion'' bag where there was a cheese sandwich, an orange juice and an apple. They dropped us off to school, and the vice-principal welcomed me with some students. I felt very good about that warm welcome. I felt very good and happy to be an exchange Student in Chile. Attending high school wearing uniform is great. If you haven’t tried yet, you should! We all look the same. My classmates are very nice and fun. I remember one time when I didn't understand something, during recess, they brought the English teacher to translate their message to me. I will miss everyone with all my heart. I will also miss the food: Empanadas, sopaipillas, cazuela, Humitas..everything! Chilean people have shown me that it is possible to be happy and always move forward and overcome obstacles. I hope that my little brother Liam takes Spanish courses at school seriously so that he can soon participate in this Nacel exchange program and perhaps visit the Arenas in Santiago.

I chose AFS because it seemed like the most inviting, I didn't really like the others because for example rotary you have to move around every 3 months so you never get to really have a family or experience to call yours because you are constantly moving. My favorite parts were the trips to the north and south. They were soo beautiful and fun! I also liked the orientation camps because I got to know new people just from my city. It was so much fun to be around other AFSers!

My experience taught me that sometimes you just need to be patient, you don't need to understand everything right away. I learned how to be more independent but admit when I need help from others.

When I was abroad I gained lifelong friends and another family that is like my own. I learned to do things more independently and I learned how talk to people which was scary for me before. I got to go to school in another country which was as well scary but I learned to do things even if they are scary. I am more outgoing now and I feel more confident because I went on this amazing trip.