The Little Things

Spanish Word of the Day: La Meta Translation: A Goal or Aim If there’s anything I were to say about preparing to study abroad, it’s that it can be . . . chaotic, to say the least. And it’s all in the little things. There’s an abundance of details to write down, all strung across …

The Waiting Game

Spanish word of the day: Esperar. Translation: To wait for. Spring semester has begun for everyone, and I’m here waiting. My program does not start until March, so I have a few months of planning beforehand. To some extent, this experience seems distant, almost like I will never make it to Argentina. It feels that …

The Land of Seven Moles, Giant Balls of Cheese, and Grasshoppers?

There is no better way to explore Oaxaca than through your stomach. When people think of Mexican food/drink, they think of 10-peso taco stands, rice and beans, and of course, tequila. However, Oaxaca has so much more to offer, it is the gastronomic hub of Mexico after all. Think mole to memelas, chapulines and mezcal, …

Hey look Ma, I made it!

I had my moment (*queues Rebecca Black*). To be exact, that moment when you’re learning a new language and everything just seems to click. Two months in Mexico and a lightbulb just went off. Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means fluent, I just feel confident and comfortable that I can communicate what …

Learning to Live with Uncertainty

The people who know me know that I like to have everything planned out far in advance. Four year planning is one of my favorite things to do, and last minute planning stresses me out. Not knowing what’s going on stresses me out. However, I, along with everyone from my program and 18 million Chileans, …

Living with Mapuche Families

For our third week in Chile, we traveled on a bus for 10 hours to a town called Curarrehue to spend a few days living with indigenous Mapuche families. This week truly marked me. As we drove into the town, I was in awe by the vast green mountains, countless miles of animals roaming free, …

Trying Not to Get Hit by a Bus and Other Extreme Sports

A good public transportation system is on practically everyone’s Benefits of Living in a Big City list. It may even have a fighting chance for the number one spot. Being able to get where you want to go without having to drive yourself or walk is a huge bonus. As long as you get there …

Beauty at High Altitude

In my last blog post I talked a bit about my trip up to the northern Chilean town of Putre, and I’m going to take this opportunity to share a little bit more about the trip with you because, honestly, it was beautiful and I loved every minute of it. During the trip, we got …

The Key is Reciprocity

Part of my SIT study abroad program is getting the opportunity to travel throughout the country, and stay with host families of different cultures. The first of these trips was to the northern Chilean town of Putre, where I got the opportunity to stay with an Aymara family for several days. The Aymara people are …

What it’s like to live in a “post” dictatorship state

Before coming to Chile, I read a lot about Pinochet’s dictatorship. I read that it lasted from 1973-1990, and that, since then, Chile has recovered beautifully, evolving into a thriving democracy. Unfortunately, after many lectures and conversations with my host family and teachers, I realized that the state of Chile is not as it seems. …