Study Abroad
A great opportunity presented itself my junior year of undergraduate studies. I was already minoring in Spanish Language which was a 15 credit hour obligation (1 semester). To make this a major, I would only need another 15 credit hours (only 1 more semester) so I made the executive decision to become a double major in March of my junior year and I began making preparations to finish this major.
While exploring my options for this major, I realized that I would finally be able to complete an extended study abroad and finish the requirements for this major all in one! So a few hundred pages of applications/passport paperwork/visa applications/study abroad forms later, I had finally turned in my official application to study at the Pontificia Católica Universidad de Valparaíso, in Valparaíso, Chile. This is in the 5th region of Chile, located just about 1.5 hours west of Santiago.
I lived with a host family, which was by far the best decision I had made. This made the entire stay seem like I was more at home, as well as giving me instant connections to the people and the culture. They were a very caring, somewhat crazy family (but hey, who isn’t?) and I know if I ever wanted to come back they would welcome me without thinking twice! The same, of course, goes for when I can finally convince them to come visit me in the states!
While I was there, I was able to travel some of the lower half of South America, become very familiar with the cultures and customs of this new country, and become just about bilingual! I was somewhat diligent about keeping up with my blog about my adventures down there and although I was constantly about 3 weeks behind on updating, I think I got it all covered!
You can read all about my adventures as a Gringa en Chile for six months in 2013!
The Traveling Gringa 