But you have to consider that especially in the winter months there is extreme smog in Santiago. This is not always very pleasant, as it is sometimes a health issue. There are many supermarkets. But in general one can say that the price level is about the same as in Germany. Of course you have the advantage there that you can buy fruit and vegetables at the market at dirt cheap. But the prices for eating out and going out in the evening, you can count on the usual prices. What makes the clear difference to South America is travel. By bus in Chile or outside in other countries. You can get a ticket for a distance of 10 hours for a few euros. Everything is much more tedious and you are on the road longer. But of course also exciting.
Courses and Studying
The Universidad de Chile is very modern. Modern buildings and also lecture rooms. The campus is also beautifully green, with a soccer field and gym. In addition to the normal lectures, there are also sporting activities and other excursions. You already had many opportunities to shape your everyday life. To be honest, I was surprised by the university. But I’m also really going on with ZERO expectations and had no idea what to expect. Would choose the university again anyway. I chose 4 courses. All were in English. I already mentioned that I didn’t speak a word of Spanish, so I arrived. That’s why I chose International Management, Latin America and World Affairs, Intercultural Business and a Spanish course. That was a very good mix. Every professor has different demands and different requirements. That’s why I found it very good that you could attend all the lectures that you were interested in in the first week of lectures. So you 1. got an overview of the different offers, be it in English or Spanish and 2. you also got an impression of the professor. There were clear differences. If you really want to learn Spanish in Chile, I’ll give you the tip. 1. Not relying on the university’s Spanish course. This takes place twice a week for 1.5 hours. Not necessarily helpful in my opinion and you don’t learn much. 2. You should be aware that the Chileans do not speak the Spanish that you have heard before. Some of them have their own vocabulary, a heavy accent and speak VERY fast. I always say, To learn Spanish, you should really live with Chileans or at least spend your free time with Chileans. It’s like when a North German comes to the Bavarian Forest But this is all a personal matter and subjective. There are many who come to Santiago and only deal with internationals, so they speak English and do not want to learn Spanish or simply do not. Everything depends on the person himself.
In general, you always have the opportunity to make good weekend trips during the semester with SEN, ChilePo, etc. So you definitely won’t get bored.
Travel
South America is just beautiful. Chile has a lot to offer and the landscape has always surprised me. Whether in the north (Atacama Desert) or in the south in Patagonia. There is always something to see and a little adventure is waiting everywhere. During the semester I decided to look at Chile. Actually, I did it pretty well. The professors will of course give you a long weekend on request ;-). All students do it that way and they are used to only having half the class sit there because everyone is away. Personally, I also found it really interesting to come out of Chile after the 4 months of study, because you only really knew it. After that I traveled to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru with my backpack. It was a great time and it was exciting to see the differences in South America in terms of culture, people and food and of course the landscape and sights. Simply awesome. Would go again anytime and has brought me a lot personally.
For information about Chile and South America, please visit commit4fitness.
Conclusion
The semester abroad was simply a brilliant experience and I just enjoyed getting out of Europe. It was my first time outside of Europe for half a year. Above all, I found it exciting to get to know another culture and language. It’s just fun and you can also expand your personal network. I would go back anytime and recommend it to anyone who wants to get out of Europe, loves nature, speaks Spanish and wants to travel with a backpack. Santiago is perfect for studying and living. But if you want the right adventure with even more cultural differences, you should go to Bolivia and Peru. But for the beginning in South America it is great to start with Chile and to start your journey from there after your studies. I would go again in a heartbeat.
