Executive Report

Right after I got back from my year abroad, I wrote this reflection about the whole experience; a brief look from A-Z of what the year consisted of. If you want to read more, that is what all the other posts are for!
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[Leaving with only a backpack and a bag for Chile, Summer 2007]

On July 17th, 2007 I started an incredible journey. It began by flying to the other hemisphere to Santiago de Chile and ends on July 23rd, 2008 when I return from Berlin. Although I could probably write a book about my experiences, I will keep it (somewhat) brief.

[Arriving a day early, Ali, Brittany and I stand with the Andes at our backs in Santiago, Chile]

For the fall semester 2007, I chose to study abroad in Valparaiso, Chile - the second largest city of only 1 million people in the skinny country that lines the pacific in South America - with International Studies Abroad. I knew that I wanted to study in South America because it would totally put me out of my comfort zone; I had no idea what to expect but I knew it would be an incredible experience.

[My host mom, host brother, and neighbor take me to a beautiful overlook of the ocean]

When I arrived, the learning curve was fast. I had no idea what Valparaiso was going to be like. I quickly learned it was a old port city, built on hills, with buildings of Victorian architecture that had survived many earthquakes. I had no idea what all these words that I kept hearing people say were. After all my years of Spanish, I felt lost. I soon realized that all of it was Chilean slag, something unique to Chile and something I learned to love. I had no idea what classes were going to be like with Chilean students. I realized they were pretty normal, but much more relaxed than what I was used to. I had no idea how Chileans would react to gringos in their town. I learned that "gringo" is no derogatory term in Chile, it just refers to a white person; I was "la gringa" and liked it. I learned that Chileans are probably the most friendly people in the world. They wanted to know everything about you; why you came to study in Chile, foremost.

[A street on a hill in Valparaiso]

Of course, there were the ups and downs of living in a new household, leaving friends and family behind. But these were always momentary and didn't compare to what I was learning and experiencing every day.

[Trying surfing for the first time]

The other amazing part of study abroad was the trips that we were able to take. Not only did we see Santiago and Valparaiso, but I went to the beach town of Pichilemu, we went to the lakes region and Pucon, I went to the very tip of the world in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, and then I made my way north to Peru and Macchu Picchu, where hiking the ancient Inka Trail was a highlight of my trip, if not my life.

[In the courtyard of the Palace in Santiago, where Pinochet and his men stormed in, while popularly elected leader Salvador Allende killed himself rather than let Pinochet take his honor and his Presidency.]

[Climbing an active volcano in Pucon]

[Hiking in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia. These mountains are not actually part of the Andes Mountain Range, but rather their own separate geological formation. The views were spectacular and the mountains bizarre and beautiful.]

[To wake up to this view in the morning was a dream.]

[We also saw a penguin colony]

[And made it to the end of the earth, the island of Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America]

[Ruins in the Inka capital of Cuzco, Peru]

[At the start of the Inca Trail with strangers: 12 hikers, 2 guides, 12 porters, and 3 days]

[The highest point on the trail, almost 20,000 feet above sea level]

[On the trail. Even though it was the beginning of the rainy season, the views were still incredible]

[Finally at the top, with our two guides.]

From Chile, I was home for a day, and then my family had planned a family trip to the Grand Canyon. We stayed a night at the rim, hiked down, spent three nights at the bottom (including Christmas Eve and Christmas) and then hiked out. Again, it was fabulous to see the sights and spend time with friends and family.

[The entire crew that we hiked with. We brought life to the bottom of the Canyon on Christmas with our caroling.]

From there, I had about a week at home, and then I was off for my next adventure: studying in Berlin, Germany with the FU BEST program.

My spring semester began when I flew across the Atlantic on January 8th, 2009. I arrived with everything in full swing. In the first four days we were in Berlin we had to go get our pictures taken, make sure all our documents were in order, met our host families, went on various tours of Berlin, took our language placement exams, finalized our classes, met 74 new people, and began to explore the city.


[On a tour of Berlin's underground: the bunkers of Hitler]

Not only is the culture of Germany extremely different from that of Chile, but the whole layout of my experience here was going to be different. Associated with the Freie Universitaet, the FU BEST Program is not run on the main campus, only has American students taking classes with American students, has a mandatory language component, and all but one of the "content courses" were in English. Of course, this was very different than the immersion-style in Valparaiso. However, I knew this when I was signed up for the program, and since this was basically the only program in Berlin, I decided to go for it anyway.


[At the Grune Woche (Green Week) Expo, one of the biggest agricultural expos in the world, Winter 2007]

However, the program did have many opportunities that were extremely useful for us students. For one, they had two German student assistants that organized Bar Nights with German students, language partners for all 75 students, and a final good-bye party where all the people we knew in Berlin were invited. They really worked hard to make it a great experience for everyone. We also had a number of field trips and trips that helped enhance our knowledge and cultural experience of Berlin. All students got 4 tickets to various cultural events around Berlin - from operas to ballets to concerts to soccer games. We also took field trips to the Federal Chancellery, the East-German Secret Police Museum, Potsdam, and the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Finally, also included in the program was a 8-day trip to Hamburg and Copenhagen in order to learn more about Germany and Europe. All of these events gave us the opportunity to do things in Berlin, Germany, and Europe that we might not have had a chance to do otherwise.


[On our trip to the Federal Chancellery, like the German White House, Winter 2007]


[A group of friends in Hamburg, Germany. Going on this trip was the perfect chance to get to know others in our program, although traveling with a group of 75 Americans proved to be difficult. Spring 2008]

Of course, traveling was a highlight of this trip as well.


[With friends at the Volkerschlagdenkmal in Leipzig, Winter 2008]


[Enjoying the sunshine in Lisbon, Portugal, a city with an interesting mix of European and Latin culture, Spring 2008]


[Easter on the island of Rugen, on the northern coast of Germany, famous for it's white chalk cliffs, Spring 2008]


[Acting out a scene from Hamlet at the Kronborg Castle, known better as Elsinor in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Spring 2008]


[Drinking a Guinness at the top of the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, Ireland, with magnificent views of the city, Spring 2008]

At the end of April, the FU BEST Program was officially over. But, since I felt that I hadn't learned as much German as I had come to learn and hadn't really had the German university experience, I decided to stay for the real German semester and take classes with German students. Since this overlapped with the end of the FU BEST semester (which follows the American semester system), there were two weeks where I was so busy and confused that I wondered if I had made the right choice.


[On a bike ride with some of my rugby friends, Summer 2008]

Once the nice weather came to Berlin, I knew I had made the right choice. The whole city changed; not only was it sunny and beautiful on a regular basis, but the people were friendlier and nicer than they had even been before. I almost felt as if I were in a completely new city.


[My parents friend Jurgen rented a boat for the weekend, which we toured around Berlin and Potsdam, Summer 2008]

Then, my dad came for a visit and we took a boat tour of the rivers, canals and lakes in Berlin, thanks to his old friend Jurgen that now lives in Berlin. Realizing how much water the city has even though it is landlocked and seeing all the sights from the water was amazing.


[My aunt Helene and I riding in the boat to the island summer house where the festivities take place, Summer 2008]

After my dad finished his conference in Berlin, we headed to Sweden to visit my family and celebrate probably the biggest Swedish holiday: Midsummer. Being able to jet up to Sweden for the weekend and see my family was really great, and made me appreciate how small Europe actually is.


[All 30 of us sitting down for a meal at Midsummer, Summer 2008]

My entire study abroad experience has been amazing and I can't believe that I have seen and done so much in the last year. I knew that it would be difficult and strange after a year away, and I am only starting to see the beginning of that. But I know that I will be back to see all the places that I visited again and see all my friends again.

Even with the ups and downs of studying abroad, it has been the best experience of my life and I have learned so much in so many ways. I can't recommend it enough.

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