The Process of Getting Ready

We had our pre-depature meeting for all the kids studying abroad next fall and full year, which is over 100 students. Even though so many are going abroad, Brian Souders, the Study Abroad Coordinator is doing a great job.

I just can't figure out what this experience is going to be like, but isn't that what it is about??

I have to choose whether to live in a host family or a pension, which is reminiscent of a boarding house. At first I was thinking pension, since I was unsure of what the families would be like, and since the application discusses so many things that can go wrong living in a family. But then, Brian suggested that it really was the best way to insure speaking the language everyday. And then, a girl who went to Chile from UMBC last fall said that living in a pension was definitely better, in terms of location and meeting students. After the back and forth numerous times about where I want to live, I have finally decided a pension.

I am also having difficulty deciding which classes I want to take. I am allowed to narrow it down to eight courses, and then rate them 1-8, and hopefully, I will be able to get my first choices. I have narrowed it down to eight courses, but I am still unsure of what credits the UMBC Spanish Department is willing to give me; I hope they will be lenient. If I get to take the courses I want, and I get credit for them, I will probably take a class on the Wild Areas in the 5th Region of Chile (a lab class that might be hard with scientific and conservation terms in Spanish, but will be really interesting), a history class, and two culture class (like Pre-Columbian Art or Cinematographic Language).

The full program with schedules and such can be viewed at: www.studiesabroad.com.



Valparaiso, Chile: 3 months and counting....