Senior Devin
Kennedy wanted to take the opportunity to study somewhere unique.
Kennedy chose Chile, the long thin country stretching down the Pacific
coast of South America. She chose a program located in Valparaiso, an
ancient port city an hour and a half from the capital, Santiago. With
most students heading to Europe for the summer, Kennedy traded hot and
sunny for cool and cloudy.
Arriving in Chile, Kennedy expected things to be like Mexico, where she had spent time in high school.
“Chile was nothing like Mexico,” she said. “Everything is so fast-paced and more developed.”
Overcoming those preconceived notions about other places and people is what studying abroad is all about.
Making the adjustment to a new culture was difficult at first, Kennedy said, especially during the first week.
“You’re in a busy city, and everyone is speaking Spanish,” she said.
It was overwhelming, but Kennedy said most people were patient with her. After a little time to adjust, Kennedy said she was able to get by perfectly fine with the language.
She took classes at the Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso. Her classes, Chilean Culture and Conversation and Sociopolitical History of Latin America, were conducted in Spanish and taught by Chilean faculty. While in Valparaiso, Kennedy lived with a host family. She felt like a normal Chilean student, except for “being pretty white and having red hair,” she said.
Her typical day consisted of waking up to the smell of her host mom cooking a big lunch during the morning. Kennedy would usually eat some bread and drink a cup of tea and then walk 30 minutes to take the metro train to the university. After her classes, she and her friends would explore the hilly streets and alleys of Valparaiso. Walking around the maze of streets, Kennedy said she began to feel more and more like a local.
Kennedy would return home to her house and have tea and snacks for “once,” the Chilean version of English teatime. After once, the entire family would gather together and watch “Quien Quiere Ser Milionario,” or “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” It was those small moments at home with her Chilean family that allowed her to actually soak up the culture.
While at home, Kennedy was able to hang out with Pablo, a Chilean university student living with
her family.
“He was a metalhead with a big beard, exactly like a metalhead here. We would just hang out, and he would show me bands,” Kennedy said.
She said Pablo showed her how people everywhere are the same.
Hanging out with her host family is what made the biggest impression on Kennedy. Being in a more relaxed culture changed her perspective.
“Just hanging out doing nothing with your family is not wasting time,” Kennedy said. The pace of life was just a little slower than back home.
Kennedy, a biochemistry and Spanish major, is researching AIDS in conservative Latin American countries. Chile, perhaps the most conservative country in Latin America, afforded Kennedy a place to do some research. Kennedy took the opportunity to ask Chileans on the street and at the supermarket about AIDS, learning more about the cultural mores that surround the disease. She even traded emails with the secretary of the minister of health for Chile.
Coming back to life in America was easy, but Kennedy found it difficult to put her life-changing summer into words.
“You’ve just had this amazing experience, and you just can’t describe it to someone who wasn’t there,” she said.
Kennedy strongly recommended study abroad to anyone. “It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done,” she said.
When asked if she wanted to go back, Kennedy said, “I would. In a heartbeat.”
Read the full article by Alex March with the Arkansas Traveler
--
If you need help getting started with study abroad, take a look at the first steps: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/getting-started/first-steps.php.
For scholarships for study abroad, please check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/funding.
Overcoming those preconceived notions about other places and people is what studying abroad is all about.
Making the adjustment to a new culture was difficult at first, Kennedy said, especially during the first week.
“You’re in a busy city, and everyone is speaking Spanish,” she said.
It was overwhelming, but Kennedy said most people were patient with her. After a little time to adjust, Kennedy said she was able to get by perfectly fine with the language.
She took classes at the Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso. Her classes, Chilean Culture and Conversation and Sociopolitical History of Latin America, were conducted in Spanish and taught by Chilean faculty. While in Valparaiso, Kennedy lived with a host family. She felt like a normal Chilean student, except for “being pretty white and having red hair,” she said.
Her typical day consisted of waking up to the smell of her host mom cooking a big lunch during the morning. Kennedy would usually eat some bread and drink a cup of tea and then walk 30 minutes to take the metro train to the university. After her classes, she and her friends would explore the hilly streets and alleys of Valparaiso. Walking around the maze of streets, Kennedy said she began to feel more and more like a local.
Kennedy would return home to her house and have tea and snacks for “once,” the Chilean version of English teatime. After once, the entire family would gather together and watch “Quien Quiere Ser Milionario,” or “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” It was those small moments at home with her Chilean family that allowed her to actually soak up the culture.
While at home, Kennedy was able to hang out with Pablo, a Chilean university student living with
her family.
“He was a metalhead with a big beard, exactly like a metalhead here. We would just hang out, and he would show me bands,” Kennedy said.
She said Pablo showed her how people everywhere are the same.
Hanging out with her host family is what made the biggest impression on Kennedy. Being in a more relaxed culture changed her perspective.
“Just hanging out doing nothing with your family is not wasting time,” Kennedy said. The pace of life was just a little slower than back home.
Kennedy, a biochemistry and Spanish major, is researching AIDS in conservative Latin American countries. Chile, perhaps the most conservative country in Latin America, afforded Kennedy a place to do some research. Kennedy took the opportunity to ask Chileans on the street and at the supermarket about AIDS, learning more about the cultural mores that surround the disease. She even traded emails with the secretary of the minister of health for Chile.
Coming back to life in America was easy, but Kennedy found it difficult to put her life-changing summer into words.
“You’ve just had this amazing experience, and you just can’t describe it to someone who wasn’t there,” she said.
Kennedy strongly recommended study abroad to anyone. “It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done,” she said.
When asked if she wanted to go back, Kennedy said, “I would. In a heartbeat.”
Read the full article by Alex March with the Arkansas Traveler
--
If you need help getting started with study abroad, take a look at the first steps: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/getting-started/first-steps.php.
For scholarships for study abroad, please check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/funding.
