Monthly Archives: December 2019

Studying Abroad in Colombia

From the start of my freshman year, I had my heart set on getting out of Massachusetts and pursuing a study abroad program. Like many students, I was more or less unaware of the sheer variety and vastness within the world of study abroad. When I finally made the decision to go overseas my sophomore year, I felt at a loss; how was I going to find out which program was right for me?

As so many students before me, I referred to my major advisor through the Spanish department, who immediately referred me to a program in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Blind to all of the other options out there, I went directly to the International Programs office and announced that I would be going to Buenos Aires in the fall. Needless to say, my advisor at the IPO office was unimpressed. This is not meant in any way to bash mainstream programs such as Buenos Aires or Madrid, however, this is meant to raise awareness to the wealth of culture, knowledge, and experience that lies within the less popular countries within the Spanish speaking world. My advisor at the IPO began to show me programs in countries like Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and Colombia, and after further consideration, I decided that Colombia would be the right fit. Continue reading →

Following the Signs: You’ll always make the right choice.

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I applied to a program in Valparaiso, Chile. It offered both Spanish and Sociology classes which is perfect because I just added my secondary Sociology major in the spring of my sophomore year and really need to play catch-up. While Argentina also offered these courses, the Valparaiso program cost less and sounded more colorful, interesting, and suitable for me.

Unfortunately, things took a turn after the long process of running around getting approval from this person and that person and after turning in this document and that document. I was accepted into the program, turned in my housing and course information, and paid what I needed to pay after my financial aid award. Then I began to hear of trouble brewing in Chile. Thanks to the weekly assignments in my Spanish Speaking World Prep program class (Spanish 394Pl) to read a Latin American newspaper story and write about it, I kept a close eye on Chile. With a slight increase in metro prices after an increase in electricity costs a month before, the country blew up in nationwide protests. Continue reading →

Changing my definition of activism after studying abroad in Santiago de Chile

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Everyday it seems more and more difficult for me to think optimistically about the United States. I won’t delve into the numerous problems I have with the country that I am supposed to call “mine,” but I will say this: just as I’ve learned to critique the United States, I’ve learned through my first semester being back from studying abroad in Latin America that it is equally important to notice its intricacies in all forms. It’s much easier for me nowadays to make assumptions about people in the U.S., especially concerning how they think in regards to certain political topics. For example, I make the assumption daily most U.S. Americans know nothing or close to nothing about politics or current affairs in Latin America, or even beyond. Obviously that is not true, I’m literally enveloped in a community of students that are capable of proving me wrong. But the point I am trying to make is that recently I made the realization that I was conditioned to “dislike” people that disagree with me and immediately dismiss them instead of engaging them within a productive and civil discussion. Continue reading →

Mentor opportunity with local non-profit

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Be a short-term mentor for university students from Latin America!!

Every summer in July and every winter in January, a non-profit called ITD (Institute for Training and Development, Inc.) manages and runs a Study of the U.S. Institutes Program (SUSI), a prestigious program that is sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. State Department. The program entails five weeks of intensive academic study in U.S. Policymaking, Entrepreneurship, Economic Empowerment, Leadership, and Politics. The highly competitive scholarship is awarded to twenty undergraduate students each time, all young leaders from Mexico and Central and South American countries. In the summers, the students who come to ITD are from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala; In the winters, they are from Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. The students live in Amherst for three and half of the five weeks of their program, and attend specialized lectures at Amherst College and at ITD. Continue reading →