Summer School in the Winter!!!

You may have heard of winter quarter or winter break, but have you ever heard of summer school in the winter? Seems like an oxymoron, yet it exists for I am currently participating in one of Tulane’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies Summer Programs. As you may recall, I am in Valparaiso Chile for the last part of June and the whole month of July, practicing Spanish, studying economics, and getting to know a totally different culture than my own. And what else, I am enjoying the beautiful Mediterranean winter full with highs of 50 degrees F and snowcapped mountains. I believe you will agree that this summer abroad opportunity is a more interesting option than staying in New Orleans for a whole year. And the best part about it is that it is completely planned and organized by Tulane University – another reason to make Tulane your college of choice.



So what is a typical day for me while I am taking part in Tulane’s Chile program? Well, first I wake up and take the metro along the Pacific Ocean to school. I attend the Pontificia Catolica Universidad de Valparaiso, a renowned institution in South America for economics and much more. I take a class of Chilean economy which you can see the Congress building from the classroom. My Professor, Dr. Navia, is Tulane alum as well. In my break between classes, I like to stroll the hillside communities of Valparaiso, dotted by colorful houses of Spanish, French, and English influence. My second class I take is a Spanish intensive course discussing the uniqueness of Chilean culture. A typical class activity is to go to the open air market and bye food and other goods using special Chilean phrases. The remainder of my day, I usually have lunch with my host family, the largest meal of the day. My host family is wonderful – I go on excursions and talk about everything with my “madre, hermana, y prima.” It’s a home away from home. Nighttime consists of hanging out with my group or some Chilean friends I have made along the way. Chileans are super friendly and love to have a good time!

Tulane has provided weekend excursions that go to the far north, one of the largest cities in the Southern Hemisphere, and other beautiful and interesting locales. Our first excursion had us in Santiago, Chile , the executive capitol of the country. Chile has about 16 million people in its population with 5 of which living in the Santiago metropolitan area. Though it is a large city, I found it very easy to get around and familiarize myself with it. My favorite activities there were trekking to the top of the “cerros” or large hills that give panoramic views of the city. However, the most rewarding activity was visiting my program directors family and having lunch with them. A typical Sunday lunch is like my Thanksgiving dinner – it was so good it was sinful! In the coming weeks, we are going to visit different islands and homes of famous writer and Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda, take a wine tasting tour through the vineyards, go the driest place in the world, the Atacama desert, and take surfing lessons and go sandboarding on the dunes!

There is too much lined up!

This is it for now but I will make sure to keep you posted on my future travels! Chao!