semester abroad in santiago de chile
From February to June of 2014, I studied with IES Abroad and the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile with students from both Chile and the United States. While living with a host family, I was able to explore not only the city of Santiago but also the northern and southern regions of Chile.
Adventure List
The more I think about the idea of having a “Bucket List” while abroad, the more it starts to bother me. Making such a list would mean putting added pressure on myself to mold my experience in a way that allows for less flexibility and more disappointment if I don’t get to do all the things I plan. So instead – I’ve made an adventure list! These are things that would be crossed off the bucket list if I had made one.
1. Walk random streets in downtown Santiago and stumble upon Cerro Santa Lucia – a large hill with a castle on the top and views of downtown Santiago
2. Try to order an iced coffee at a local cafe, only to be served ice cream (helado vs. hiello)
3. Hike Cerro San Cristobal – the major hill in the middle of the city with panoramic views of the city and the surrounding mountains
4. Travel sardine-style on the metro to go to a free jazz concert for the first Festival Chile Jazz por la Paz
5. Experience “Miércoles Po” – a party each Wednesday for international students in Santiago
6. Explore the murals of nearby Valparaíso and visit the home of Pablo Neruda
7. Go to a Chilean Karaoke club and experience a mix of American and Chilean songs
8. Hike in Parque Natural Aguas de Ramon – be more tired from hiking than you’ve ever felt but make it to a 90 foot waterfall half-way through a 7 hour hike
9. Go see an independent documentary film showing at a different local university – Universidad Alberto Hurtado
10. Go to class with all Chilean students and laugh along with all of them after you miss the joke the professor told
11. Go to an artisan village in Los Dominicos with one of the older host mothers and have her explain the various crafts from Chiloe and the Mapuche villages
12. Buy a Super 8 chocolate bar on the street after learning in medical spanish class that there is a law named after them to prevent obesity… when in Chile!
13. Visit Cajon del Maipo, a region of the Andes south of Santiago and be completely overwhelmed by the beauty of mountains
14. Go on an adventure of find mantequilla de mani (peanut butter) and be successful!!
15. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Santiago at an Irish bar
16. Celebrate the birthday of a new Chilean friend’s mom at their beautiful home
17. Go to welcome-week concerts at your university and be surrounded by university students
18. Hike part of Darwin’s route up a mountain near Chile’s coast
19. Be invited over for a special dinner at your friend’s home, where her host mom specially makes lentils for you – “Tengo lentejas para Sarita!”
20. Drink a terremoto [“earthquake”] at La Piojera – the original spot for the famous Chilean drink
21. Experience Lollapalooza Chile and get to experience some of your favorite bands perform in Latin America for the first time
22. Visit the ceramics village of Pomaire and watch some local craftsmen throw pottery in the street
23. Actually feel an earthquake (5.8) in Santiago – at a karaoke bar, no less
24. Visit a women’s wood shop collaborative and get a guided tour of a forest on theIsla Grande de Chiloe
25. Dance traditional salsa at a salsateca
26. Spend the night-shift observing in the emergency room at a public hospital
27. Watch my friend teach a traditional Haitian dance class at a community center in Santiago
28. Go hydrospeeding at the only place for it in South America – Pucon, Chile
29. Explore the Persia Bio-Bio Market like a local and happen upon the perfect gift for a friend
30. Pick up a canine friend on your way to hike San Cristobal again, name said canine “Bear” and have him follow you to the top of the hill
31. Explore vineyards in the Valle de Colchagua and learn a little something new at each tour
32. Be asked to sit in the luggage room while on a bus back to Santiago as you pull into a station because apparently your seat isn’t adequate…
33. Speak again with a Chilean you had spoken with in the first weeks of the semester and have him tell you your Spanish has improved
34. Go to a free Salsa class and actually understand a little bit of what the dance is all about
35. Be amazed by the varieties of fruits and vegetables at La Vega and Mercado Central
36. Channel the inner “gringa” and go to Gringo Brunch at a local Irish pub
37. Visit the Cementerio General and the Parque por la Paz Villa Grimaldi to actually witness what you’ve been learning about in your history class
38. Visit Argentina and exchange money in the unofficial-but-kind-of-official “blue market” in the back of a cab
39. Climb Cerro San Cristobal to watch the sunset and get the most spectacular view of the city’s lights
40. Witness your first two births at a large, public hospital in Santiago through my clinical observations
41. Watch Chile eliminate Spain from the World Cup while surrounded by screaming Chileans, then rush the main square in the city to celebrate
42. Witness the sunrise at the Geysers El Tatio, the highest geysers in the world
43. Realize while on a bilingual tour through the Atacama Desert that you don’t realize when the tour guide is speaking English or Spanish
44. See flamingos fly over their lagoon in the salt flats of the Atacama Desert
45. Go swimming in the freezing Laguna Cejar and float in the salty water
46. Convince a Santiaguino to climb the gigantic hill in the middle of his/her city
47. Watch your native country play in the World Cup while surrounded by people speaking your native language
48. Visit the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Peru after attending the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
The more I think about the idea of having a “Bucket List” while abroad, the more it starts to bother me. Making such a list would mean putting added pressure on myself to mold my experience in a way that allows for less flexibility and more disappointment if I don’t get to do all the things I plan. So instead – I’ve made an adventure list! These are things that would be crossed off the bucket list if I had made one.
1. Walk random streets in downtown Santiago and stumble upon Cerro Santa Lucia – a large hill with a castle on the top and views of downtown Santiago
2. Try to order an iced coffee at a local cafe, only to be served ice cream (helado vs. hiello)
3. Hike Cerro San Cristobal – the major hill in the middle of the city with panoramic views of the city and the surrounding mountains
4. Travel sardine-style on the metro to go to a free jazz concert for the first Festival Chile Jazz por la Paz
5. Experience “Miércoles Po” – a party each Wednesday for international students in Santiago
6. Explore the murals of nearby Valparaíso and visit the home of Pablo Neruda
7. Go to a Chilean Karaoke club and experience a mix of American and Chilean songs
8. Hike in Parque Natural Aguas de Ramon – be more tired from hiking than you’ve ever felt but make it to a 90 foot waterfall half-way through a 7 hour hike
9. Go see an independent documentary film showing at a different local university – Universidad Alberto Hurtado
10. Go to class with all Chilean students and laugh along with all of them after you miss the joke the professor told
11. Go to an artisan village in Los Dominicos with one of the older host mothers and have her explain the various crafts from Chiloe and the Mapuche villages
12. Buy a Super 8 chocolate bar on the street after learning in medical spanish class that there is a law named after them to prevent obesity… when in Chile!
13. Visit Cajon del Maipo, a region of the Andes south of Santiago and be completely overwhelmed by the beauty of mountains
14. Go on an adventure of find mantequilla de mani (peanut butter) and be successful!!
15. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Santiago at an Irish bar
16. Celebrate the birthday of a new Chilean friend’s mom at their beautiful home
17. Go to welcome-week concerts at your university and be surrounded by university students
18. Hike part of Darwin’s route up a mountain near Chile’s coast
19. Be invited over for a special dinner at your friend’s home, where her host mom specially makes lentils for you – “Tengo lentejas para Sarita!”
20. Drink a terremoto [“earthquake”] at La Piojera – the original spot for the famous Chilean drink
21. Experience Lollapalooza Chile and get to experience some of your favorite bands perform in Latin America for the first time
22. Visit the ceramics village of Pomaire and watch some local craftsmen throw pottery in the street
23. Actually feel an earthquake (5.8) in Santiago – at a karaoke bar, no less
24. Visit a women’s wood shop collaborative and get a guided tour of a forest on theIsla Grande de Chiloe
25. Dance traditional salsa at a salsateca
26. Spend the night-shift observing in the emergency room at a public hospital
27. Watch my friend teach a traditional Haitian dance class at a community center in Santiago
28. Go hydrospeeding at the only place for it in South America – Pucon, Chile
29. Explore the Persia Bio-Bio Market like a local and happen upon the perfect gift for a friend
30. Pick up a canine friend on your way to hike San Cristobal again, name said canine “Bear” and have him follow you to the top of the hill
31. Explore vineyards in the Valle de Colchagua and learn a little something new at each tour
32. Be asked to sit in the luggage room while on a bus back to Santiago as you pull into a station because apparently your seat isn’t adequate…
33. Speak again with a Chilean you had spoken with in the first weeks of the semester and have him tell you your Spanish has improved
34. Go to a free Salsa class and actually understand a little bit of what the dance is all about
35. Be amazed by the varieties of fruits and vegetables at La Vega and Mercado Central
36. Channel the inner “gringa” and go to Gringo Brunch at a local Irish pub
37. Visit the Cementerio General and the Parque por la Paz Villa Grimaldi to actually witness what you’ve been learning about in your history class
38. Visit Argentina and exchange money in the unofficial-but-kind-of-official “blue market” in the back of a cab
39. Climb Cerro San Cristobal to watch the sunset and get the most spectacular view of the city’s lights
40. Witness your first two births at a large, public hospital in Santiago through my clinical observations
41. Watch Chile eliminate Spain from the World Cup while surrounded by screaming Chileans, then rush the main square in the city to celebrate
42. Witness the sunrise at the Geysers El Tatio, the highest geysers in the world
43. Realize while on a bilingual tour through the Atacama Desert that you don’t realize when the tour guide is speaking English or Spanish
44. See flamingos fly over their lagoon in the salt flats of the Atacama Desert
45. Go swimming in the freezing Laguna Cejar and float in the salty water
46. Convince a Santiaguino to climb the gigantic hill in the middle of his/her city
47. Watch your native country play in the World Cup while surrounded by people speaking your native language
48. Visit the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Peru after attending the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile