API: Experience Valparaíso, Chile (Scholarships Available)

Choosing to study abroad for six weeks in Chile was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I had always wanted to study abroad but the price to study for one summer through my university at home was not realistic for my family to pay. Once we found API and compared the numbers, it was clear that would be the best option. Without doing much research on Chile before I left, I was kind of just hoping for the best. What resulted was six of the best weeks of my life. From the very beginning, my program instructor from API, Alejandra, was waiting for me with open arms at the airport. I was lucky to not only get along well with the students in my summer program, but also the other group of API students that had been studying in Viña/ Valparaíso for the entire spring semester. API encouraged us to ask for help from the faculty when we needed it but also to reach out to the older students that had been there for a few months already. Having the older students helped a lot in terms of knowing exactly where to go and where not to go as well as giving us the inside scoop on Chilenismos. I was also very very fortunate to get placed into a family that I loved greatly. My host parents were young and fun and my host brother and sister went out of their way to show me the best time. I would not have had the trip that I had without the family that I was placed in. Family dinners and traveling for my brother's basketball games were the kinds of events that enriched my experience so much. Overall, it's very clear that my trip was nothing but positive. API added to this experience with weekly excursions that helped in learning more about the culture in Chile. There is no doubt in my mind that I will return to Viña del Mar to stay with my family and share a drink with my instructor within the next year. Not trying to be dramatic, but really an 11/10 experience.

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So much of what I learn in college is book-based, but there is something invaluable in connecting the intellectual world with personal intercultural experiences. The world used to seem so vast, but I have now created a network that provides comfort and accessibility in unknown territories across the world. I didn’t know anything about Chilean culture and I didn’t know what to expect but I knew it was something I wanted to learn about because it was so different from everything that I knew. It was an opportunity and I took it. I got to learn something outside of myself and I realized that there is more than what I was restricted to before. There are no limits and that’s an incredible feeling to know that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to like traveling to a new country and conquering a new language. One of my greatest experiences abroad was volunteering for an organization called Valpo Surf Project in Valparaíso, Chile. I developed lesson plans to encourage English language skills, personal character development and environmental consciousness among at-risk youth. However, as much as I taught the kids, they taught me so much more. I cannot imagine my experience without them. They taught me about ambitious topics such as Chilean culture and history as well as reinforced and strengthened many of the characteristics I have today. While I sometimes felt insecure about my Spanish speaking abilities they showed me its okay to make mistakes and to smile. They also taught me how to constantly adapt and be flexible. Many of the kids came from unstable families and they taught me it is okay to be unsure and to adjust to different conditions and environments. I was constantly thrown in new situations, which at first seemed stressful, but I learned how to make them both successful and fun. Many of the experiences, such as the volunteering described above, was the result of studying abroad through Academic Programs International. The company truly cares for each student and wants to make their experience incredible. Karla, the on-site director in Chile, knows all the hidden gems of the city and was very influential on my experiences. She truly cared about each student in the program and become a confidant and friend to all of us. I wouldn't trade any of my experiences for anything in the world.