Jess (Sem 2, 2023)

My Exchange at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso

I first arrived to and spent time in Santiago, the capital of Chile, where my main feeling was “what have I gotten myself into”, I was pretty overwhelmed. But then I did a bit of travelling and arrived to my host city Valparaíso and fell in love. The streets were so colourful and interesting, the sea was there, and the culture was already so vibrant. My first impression of the host university was that it was also super cool, the main building I was in had a beautiful ornate stoney exterior which I liked, and the classrooms were intimate. Every time I ended up travelling back into Santiago where I first arrived, I liked it more and more.

I was living with a Chilean host family in Viña del Mar, the city right beside Valparaíso. My house was up on the hill in a super tranquil and safe neighbourhood. The house itself was great, I even got my own bathroom. The family themselves were so lovely and relaxed.

We had a few days of orientation sessions. I think they went over all the main information that people were itching to or needed to know. And there were one-on-one sessions with the international coordinator to confirm classes and ask any questions, which was good.

I loved my courses and the teaching at PUCV. The workload was the perfect amount – teaching us everything we needed to cover while leaving me plenty enough time to explore the country and enjoy the life there. Most teachers I had were so lovely and treated us like friends. The content was super relevant to what I was experiencing in the country (anniversaries of hisorical/cultural important events, Independence Day celebrations, indigenous communities etc).

My city of study (Valparaíso) was super colourful, interesting, and full of culture with events every day. We got numerous warnings about the safety of Valparaíso, especially at night, but I never had a problem, I was smart and cautious about it but not afraid. And then Viña del Mar, where I lived, I also loved. It has a more relaxed vibe perfect for living in. There are gorgeous beaches along the city which we always walked down to, because the climate was gorgeous. There’s an overground metro train to get between the cities with views along the ocean. Or alternatively constant buses which in themselves are the most entertaining experience.

Cost-wise, some things were comparable to Auckland, but other things much cheaper. I would say that eating out at restaurants/cafes etc sometimes was comparable to Auckland prices, but mostly cheaper. Supermarket food I think was comparable too, but a bit cheaper. Alcohol was definitely much cheaper. Public transport definitely cheaper, but could depend on where you live.

For extracurricular activities, I travelled to Pucón, Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Santiago, San Pedro de Atacama, Uyuni in Bolivia, Mendoza and Buenos Aires in Argentina. I volunteered in English classes/events for Chileans learning English. And I attended bachata (dance) lessons geared towards exchange students.

I met a bunch of Chilean students on campus, as they would either just come up and talk to us, or I had to go chat to them for assignments, and everyone was always super lovely and helpful. The university didn’t necessarily have ‘campus life’, especially as my classes were based in buildings that are not where the bulk of students/events are. There were cats who always roamed around one of the uni buildings.

If you love avocado, Chile is absolutely the place for you – ‘palta’ 🥑 is a staple in their diet. My favourite Chilean food are empanadas, savoury pastry turnovers with endless flavour options! A super easy meal. There are also a bunch of yummy traditional Chilean drinks to try depending on the time of year.

The people and Chilean culture was my highlight. The Chileans I met were all so helpful and kind and always made me feel welcome and comfortable. The Chilean culture is so vibrant – they have a really unique and expressive way of talking, they love music and dancing, etc. There was never a dull moment.

One challenge was burnout. I was struggling with sickness on top of being incredibly busy socialising, travelling, and studying, and all this combined was tough sometimes! And I think this is totally understandable and normal in this sort of situation.

Absolutely go on an exchange programme, it is something you will remember for the rest of your life. For Latin America there is a lot of funding available! For example the Prime Ministers Scholarship for Latin America, or the exchange award which gives more money for locations in Latam. So my advice would be to look into these, on top of all the other funding possibilities available. There’s no reason not to go to Latam!

Overall I genuinely loved everything about this exchange, I didn’t want to leave Chile, and I’m itching to get back there!


Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

A highlight of my academic experience at PUCV was the field trips that we got to go on for my classes. For once class which was about the Mapuche (the main indigenous group of that region), and we did a trip to a Mapuche community to learn firsthand and share with them. This really enriched what we were learning in the classroom and humanised it. For another class, communicational Spanish and Chilean culture, we did a couple little trips into the hills of Valparaiso, visiting various sites which related to our discussions in class.

Another academic highlight was the freedom I felt in my assignments. For a bunch of assignments I could cater my topics choice to my personal interests or studies, which made learning more engaging.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

Trips around the country! Like to the desert in the north (San Pedro de Atacama) – as it is an incredible, unique landscape that we don’t have in NZ, and Patagonia in the south (breathtaking sites).

Embrace the vibrant music and dance culture that there is there. There are always buskers in public, live music events in bars, dance classes, dance bars, and so on. This expression is a super important part of Chilean culture (and Latino culture in general). This is not something that we have in NZ, so absolutely make the most of that in Chile, even if you feel silly (-trust me, you’re not).

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

Make the most of staying with a host family! They are your home away from home, have insights on local/Chilean history and culture, are a safe place for improving your Spanish, and so on. It’s a unique experience, and is a nice contact to have for future travels.

With many countries in the world, safety is a concern. One piece of advice regarding this in Chile is just having common sense and situational awareness, but not being scared. Nothing bad ever happened to me and I felt super comfortable living there. But I was aware not to walk holding my phone, or not being alone in certain areas at night, for example. But again, do not fear.

Another piece of advice is being kind on yourself, and accepting that you can’t see and achieve everything. To be real with you, you’re not going to become fluent in Spanish, and make tonnes of Chilean friends, and travel everywhere, all in this one semester. My Spanish has definitely improved, but I’m still not fluent. I met a bunch of Chileans but many more international students like me (as my classes were with foreign students and its easy to relate to them being in the same situations). And Chileans probably don’t have the urgency to travel their own country, so its good to have international friends to travel with. And there was so many things I wanted to do or see but didn’t get around to (guess I’ll just have to go back!), and that’s okay. So I guess manage your expectations (And I mean this in the kindest, chillest way possible).

In a similar vein, I’d recommend going with the flow and seizing opportunities that pop up. Take responsible risks and challenge yourself – whether its with meeting people, trying a new activity or food, travel, etc.

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

I possibly spent about $18,000 NZD for the entirety of this trip – which includes about $4,000 I had to spend on personal routine medical expenses (which I’m waiting for insurance to pay me back), $5800 homestay fee, $2000 flights to/from NZ, two trips within Chile, and three trips to surrounding countries. I luckily was awarded a few scholarships for this exchange and also had my personal savings. This was definitely enough money, and I could’ve done it more ‘low budget’ if I tried to.

I would encourage future students to make a super detailed budget estimate for their own exchange, estimating all expenses down to monthly phone bills and toiletries. At the end of each month I checked my accounts to calculate how much I had spent in the past month, so that I could track whether I needed to cool off with my spending. It’s a good way to keep yourself accountable along the way, so that you don’t arrive to the end of the exchange without money.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

I learned that the world is so much bigger yet so much smaller than I knew. I experienced multiple instances of insane coincidences where I met people there in Chile who had super close connections to my life back in NZ which made me think how crazily small the world is. However, this experience also helped me to realise how big the world, and just how much there is to do and explore.

And I also learnt how much Chile and NZ have in common, from indigenous community experiences, to the natural landscape, to some cultural aspects too.

I’ve gained the intense desire to keep travelling and experiencing, but in this more natural manner where I really connect and integrate with locals, because it’s a very different experience to just visiting the sites.

A significant topic I learned about is the importance that the military coup/dictatorship continues having in so many aspects of Chilean life. Every Chilean is informed about it and has an opinion be it pro or anti Pinochet (the dictator). Effects of the dictatorship bleeds into so much, from their national dance, independence celebrations, constitution, social unrest, etc. I found it really interesting learning about this in context.

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

From my host city I travelled to various parts of Chile like Patagonia, Pucón, Atacama dessert, Santiago. And I also travelled to Buenos Aires and Mendoza in Argentina, and Uyuni in Boliva. From Chile, there are so may possibilities of places to easily travel to, be it in bus or plane, such as the places I visited, or Peru and Brazil.

I found it enriching visiting the neighbouring countries, realising how the culture and society differed in the other countries made me realise and appreciate things about Chile.

A piece of advice for travelling in/around your host country/city would be to research and book travel in advance! Flights and busses just get more expensive the closer to the travel date.

But overall I would absolutely recommend travelling around the host country and/or into different countries in the region. You’ll learn how the culture and vibes differs in different parts of the same country. But travel also builds independence and curiosity.

Final Comments

Latin America is such an awesome destination. At PUCV you don’t need to speak Spanish previously! There are classes for beginners, as well as intermediate and advanced levels.

Chile has every climate – the snowy Andes mountains, the driest desert in the world, expansive cities, smaller cities, beaches, and so on. Combined with the engaging and vibrant culture and life, there is never a dull moment.

It may seem like an unconventional choice for an exchange, but you seriously seriously should consider it!


To learn more about the 360 International Semester Exchange programme for University of Auckland students, visit auckland.ac.nz/360.

You can also learn more about the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Programme and how to apply for an award to support your own learning abroad experience here.

To read more University of Auckland student insights into Semester Exchange experiences or other international programmes, navigate through to the home page of the 360 International Blog.


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Tags: 2023, Arts/Humanities, Dance, Indigenous Studies, Language and Cultural Studies, Report