IES Abroad Santiago – Politics, Social Justice & Language

I spent a semester in Germany and a semester in Chile, both on IES programs. The comparison is not even possible, especially regarding the staff. The German one was a gem, we got to live with the local and do tons of activities. The one in Chile was like a living in an IES island, majority of students took almost all of their classes in the IES center, not interacting at all with local students. It is like living in a closed American bubble. My host family did it just for the money, not allowing me to use the fridge to put a yogurt in, telling me not to ride a bike, ... The center director is this fake women, who is not willing to help anyone if they have a problem, just talks a lot and thats it. Our Spanish teacher was a solid racist, asking people where they are really from and so on. As someone who has been to several family exchanges, studied abroad for two semester and for my whole undergraduate degree, there are MILLIONS of better programs than this one. For sure look into other companies doing study abroad in Santiago. Chile is beautiful, no word about that. Just this IES center is a solid bullshit.

I find it pretty hard to review my time abroad without sounding cliché. I want to talk about all of the amazing friends I made, the opportunities I had to travel around an unfamiliar place, and the knowledge that I would have never acquired if I wasn’t studying where I was. I want to emphasize how life changing of an experience I had and how I’ll never be the same after this, but that’s not the experience I lived every day for four months in Santiago. Upon reflection, my time abroad was nothing short of incredible but I can honestly say I’ve never been so personally, professionally, or academically challenged in my life. Going to a place that essentially spoke no English with just two years of classroom learned Spanish left me with migraines and anxiety almost every night for the first two months. Trying to maintain order in a classroom full of 5-year olds was frustrating when nothing I said to them made sense and they (rightfully so) laughed at my efforts or looked at me like the alien I was. Preparing workshops for teenagers about environmental awareness would have taken probably an hour or two in English, but with this level of Spanish and cultural understanding, it became a semester long project. I took five rigorous courses such as the Political and Social Role of the Arts in Latin America and Transformation of Regional Economies from the 20th to 21st Century. I learned about things I had never heard of, like neoliberalism and the United State’s history of intervention to support oppressive leaders throughout the region, all of which was fully taught in the language I was desperately trying to pick up a little more each day. It was difficult for me notice when my Spanish improved, but it was quite obvious in the conversations I was having, the points I was able to raise in class, and the new kind of personal competence I was walking around the city with. My study abroad experience instilled in me a new sense of confidence. If I can go somewhere I stick out like a sore thumb and move with confidence, learn, and contribute to systems bigger than myself, I think I can do almost anything. It instilled in me a new sense of curiosity. What we learn at home isn’t always the whole truth, and the difference in landscapes around the world, to me, is mesmerizing. I’m equal parts upset and excited that there is so much more information and culture around the world that I won’t know until I get the place it exists. It expanded my sense of empathy, which was especially interesting to reflect on in today’s political climate. I struggled with things like language, being away from family, and living in a completely foreign place- but through all of that I was in an extremely privileged position. Not only was I a student from a prestigious U.S. university traveling abroad for a semester, I was constantly surrounded by supportive and forgiving people. I felt the concrete struggles that immigrants face today, but the way in which I experienced them was extremely different and I’m lucky. In feeling the anxiety and discomfort of being a foreigner, I could never imagine the social, political and personal implications that Hispanic immigrants face today in my country. Understanding their situations from a different perspective make me a more aware citizen of the world. Overall, my study abroad experience was indeed life changing. But not just because I met great people and saw amazing things, it was personally rewarding and I feel like it made me a better person. I came home with a higher awareness which I hope helps me make some kind of significant contribution to society at some point in my life, and I honestly don’t think I would even be able to formulate that hope if I had not spent my semester in Santiago, Chile with the IES Abroad Social Justice, Politics and Language program.

I had the opportunity to study abroad in Santiago, Chile with IES Abroad. Through my program, Politics, Social Justice, and Language, I immersed myself into Chilean culture through living with a host family, taking classes at a local university, creating international friendships, interning at a non-profit, and traveling around the amazing country. The IES staff worked hard to help all of the people in the program adjust to our lives in this new country from getting our visas verified to teaching us Chilean slang. They acted as our surrogate family and the center became our "house." This program allowed me to learn about Chilean history and politics in a different way than ever before. The classes were all very small, which allowed for individual attention and a strong sense of community. One of my favorite parts of the program was "Club Chileno," a group of Chilean students that showed us their culture and what their lives are like as youth in the country. They ended up becoming some of my closest friends! Studying abroad in Santiago has been one of the best decisions I have made. Chile is an amazingly diverse country with so much to offer!