A working list of advice and insights from MIT-Chile/Peru/Argentina alumni:
GENERAL
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. People are very understanding and will forgive you.
It’s not MIT. Keep work to the workday and go exploring!
Don’t feel pressured to make your study abroad experience conform to some idea you have about what a study abroad experience should be. Let your experience be weird and ungainly.
Pay attention. Write down what you notice and experience. Memory is unreliable.
Building relationships with people take time, and you should not be too impatient about it. It took me several weeks to be able to go to a social event with people from my startup, but it was worth it.
Talk to people. In general, people are much more friendly in Chile than in the U.S. and would be happy to meet you and learn about who you are and where you’re from.
You are much more likely to enjoy your experience if you are flexible with your expectations.
It is helpful to research a little about a city before arriving to get oriented.
Spending time with other MISTI students is great, but try to make local friends as well.
Talk to everyone! They’re nice and want to be your friend!
If something is making you stressed or uncomfortable tell someone (friends, MISTI staff, co-worker).
Look for the full experience. Live with local people, get to know their culture and traditions.
Reach out to other people and/or organizations that are doing something that is relevant or that inspires you. They will be happy to receive you. (I got interviewed by an organization I’ve been following for years).
Try everything once, even if you think you won’t like it.
Separate work from home. Internships and jobs usually don’t give homework, and you’ll be much happier using your free time to explore the place you’re in!
Compared with the US, people on the street in Santiago might seem cold – for instance surprised that you go to them in the street – but they have always been helpful to me and they pay attention to others.
Learn about the country’s history. I would have never expected that there was still resentment towards Spanish colonization, even 500 years after. It is also very interesting to see how society has changed so fast and in so many directions in the past 50 years.
AT YOUR INTERNSHIP
Define your project early and be honest about your abilities.
Ask for work. Hound people for explanations. Depending on where you end up, sometimes they might be unfamiliar with how having an intern works and you’ll only get somewhere if you ask.
Just roll with what comes! They tell all sorts of things about Chilean work culture, but it really doesn’t sink in until you’re actually there and watching the minutes tick by or a couple days pass without notice from your boss.
Internships not always work as expected. It takes work to give work. Get to know the organization and the project that you’re going to be involved in. Make sure it’s realistic for the time you’ll spend there.
Give yourself at least one solid goal for the summer and work to achieve it by the time you finish.
Ask questions without fear. As an intern, you are likely the least experienced of your coworkers, so asking questions will help you do a better job.
Don’t be afraid to tell your supervisor what’s working for you, what’s not working for you.
Internships are meant to be helpful to the company and to you. If you feel that your skills can be better put to use in another department, speak up.
HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY
I did not find any of the prejudices about lack of safety in South America to be true in Chile.
Be prepared for the Chilean winter! Getting sick is a big deal and if you’re not careful, it’ll put you out of action for a while, or you’ll get sick a second time.
LANGUAGE
When you can't understand the language when you first arrive, don't panic! You'll pick things up faster than you think you will.
Even though it can be intimidating, trying to speak the language is the only way to actually improve.
Learn as many words as you can regarding equipment and basic terminology in your field — e.g., if you are in a bio lab know how to say sample and centrifuge — to smooth the learning curve of your first few immersive days.
Spanglish parties are a great forum to improve your Spanish if you're struggling at the beginning, but regardless, try and have conversations even if you're pretty lost at first since Chileans know they speak fast and tend to be really patient if you are a little bit lost with words.
Don't be embarrassed – just speak!
By the end of my two months in Chile, my Spanish had improved considerably; having less-than-fluent Spanish was a barrier at times when trying to follow rapid and serious conversations with the locals, but the full immersion worked wonders for my language skills.
FOOD
Try all the different kinds of food that you can. Even if you don’t know what you’re eating, it will probably be delicious.
If you get your vegetables at La Vega, they will be fresher and cheaper (plus, it’s fun).
Try all the types of empanadas! (I was not convinced by the idea of a shrimp-cheese one, but it is actually very tasty)
TRÁMITES/LOGISTICS
There are a lot of stores where the then cash register is separate from the pickup counter, and you will need to take a piece of paper from the pickup to the cash register to pay and bring their receipt ticket to the pickup
All produce needs to be weighed at the supermarket.
MONEY
Bring your student ID card with you so you can get discounts.
Take out a lot more cash than you think you need. Personally, with a meal plan and campus housing, I use up very little cash during the semester, but in Chile many things are typically paid in cash such as groceries and sometimes rent, and I would have avoided some exorbitant ATM fees if I had known.
TRAVEL AND THINGS TO DO
Explore Chile! My visits to parts of the country outside of Santiago really enriched my experience in this country. Hostels are cheap, ubiquitous and pleasant. There are some places that you need to buy a tour—such as Los Geisers del Tatio, in the north, but you can get a lot of sightseeing mileage renting a bike in San Pedro or taking the rural buses to hiking trails. Booking flights or buses early in the summer/Chilean winter for long weekends, you will probably get a much better deal.
With your MIT ID, and a copy of your lease and passport, you can join Bibliometro, and check out books in Spanish for free! Books aren't cheap here, plus they make suitcases heavy if you bring too many of them like I of course did, but this system is a great way to try out reading stories set in the places you've travelled to in Chile.
Most museums are free on Sundays (most are around Quinta Normal), others on the first Sunday of the month, and cultural centers such as the GAM have a ton of cheap and awesome exhibits and theater and/or music performances! The Revista Revolver website has links to events and performances that are happening throughout the city.
Open markets (ferias) are everywhere, and fun to walk around. You can find everything from sneakers to artisanal jewelry.
When traveling by plane, remember your college ID, passport, whatever you need. You're a foreigner in a country that often wants to check if you're a student.
Travel! Explore and walk outside. Ask for restaurant suggestions and where to go on the weekends. Especially if you're in a region where you're the only MIT student. It's easy to fall into a rut and just end up staying indoors or spending too much time in a single chair.
Take your time to travel the country and talk to people.
If you feel you have time, ask your employer for a long weekend to travel.
Travelling alone can be as much fun and sometimes more rewarding than travelling in a group.
Try to leave Santiago and go to rural areas, because the lifestyle is very different and Chileans’ relationship to nature is very interesting.
LOCAL TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING
Avoid the metro at rush hour.
Find a place where you can walk to work. Navigating the city by foot is the best way to se the invisible structures that hold the values of the people you’re working with.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. People are very understanding and will forgive you.
It’s not MIT. Keep work to the workday and go exploring!
Don’t feel pressured to make your study abroad experience conform to some idea you have about what a study abroad experience should be. Let your experience be weird and ungainly.
Pay attention. Write down what you notice and experience. Memory is unreliable.
Building relationships with people take time, and you should not be too impatient about it. It took me several weeks to be able to go to a social event with people from my startup, but it was worth it.
Talk to people. In general, people are much more friendly in Chile than in the U.S. and would be happy to meet you and learn about who you are and where you’re from.
You are much more likely to enjoy your experience if you are flexible with your expectations.
It is helpful to research a little about a city before arriving to get oriented.
Spending time with other MISTI students is great, but try to make local friends as well.
Talk to everyone! They’re nice and want to be your friend!
If something is making you stressed or uncomfortable tell someone (friends, MISTI staff, co-worker).
Look for the full experience. Live with local people, get to know their culture and traditions.
Reach out to other people and/or organizations that are doing something that is relevant or that inspires you. They will be happy to receive you. (I got interviewed by an organization I’ve been following for years).
Try everything once, even if you think you won’t like it.
Separate work from home. Internships and jobs usually don’t give homework, and you’ll be much happier using your free time to explore the place you’re in!
Compared with the US, people on the street in Santiago might seem cold – for instance surprised that you go to them in the street – but they have always been helpful to me and they pay attention to others.
Learn about the country’s history. I would have never expected that there was still resentment towards Spanish colonization, even 500 years after. It is also very interesting to see how society has changed so fast and in so many directions in the past 50 years.
AT YOUR INTERNSHIP
Define your project early and be honest about your abilities.
Ask for work. Hound people for explanations. Depending on where you end up, sometimes they might be unfamiliar with how having an intern works and you’ll only get somewhere if you ask.
Just roll with what comes! They tell all sorts of things about Chilean work culture, but it really doesn’t sink in until you’re actually there and watching the minutes tick by or a couple days pass without notice from your boss.
Internships not always work as expected. It takes work to give work. Get to know the organization and the project that you’re going to be involved in. Make sure it’s realistic for the time you’ll spend there.
Give yourself at least one solid goal for the summer and work to achieve it by the time you finish.
Ask questions without fear. As an intern, you are likely the least experienced of your coworkers, so asking questions will help you do a better job.
Don’t be afraid to tell your supervisor what’s working for you, what’s not working for you.
Internships are meant to be helpful to the company and to you. If you feel that your skills can be better put to use in another department, speak up.
HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY
I did not find any of the prejudices about lack of safety in South America to be true in Chile.
Be prepared for the Chilean winter! Getting sick is a big deal and if you’re not careful, it’ll put you out of action for a while, or you’ll get sick a second time.
LANGUAGE
When you can't understand the language when you first arrive, don't panic! You'll pick things up faster than you think you will.
Even though it can be intimidating, trying to speak the language is the only way to actually improve.
Learn as many words as you can regarding equipment and basic terminology in your field — e.g., if you are in a bio lab know how to say sample and centrifuge — to smooth the learning curve of your first few immersive days.
Spanglish parties are a great forum to improve your Spanish if you're struggling at the beginning, but regardless, try and have conversations even if you're pretty lost at first since Chileans know they speak fast and tend to be really patient if you are a little bit lost with words.
Don't be embarrassed – just speak!
By the end of my two months in Chile, my Spanish had improved considerably; having less-than-fluent Spanish was a barrier at times when trying to follow rapid and serious conversations with the locals, but the full immersion worked wonders for my language skills.
FOOD
Try all the different kinds of food that you can. Even if you don’t know what you’re eating, it will probably be delicious.
If you get your vegetables at La Vega, they will be fresher and cheaper (plus, it’s fun).
Try all the types of empanadas! (I was not convinced by the idea of a shrimp-cheese one, but it is actually very tasty)
TRÁMITES/LOGISTICS
There are a lot of stores where the then cash register is separate from the pickup counter, and you will need to take a piece of paper from the pickup to the cash register to pay and bring their receipt ticket to the pickup
All produce needs to be weighed at the supermarket.
MONEY
Bring your student ID card with you so you can get discounts.
Take out a lot more cash than you think you need. Personally, with a meal plan and campus housing, I use up very little cash during the semester, but in Chile many things are typically paid in cash such as groceries and sometimes rent, and I would have avoided some exorbitant ATM fees if I had known.
TRAVEL AND THINGS TO DO
Explore Chile! My visits to parts of the country outside of Santiago really enriched my experience in this country. Hostels are cheap, ubiquitous and pleasant. There are some places that you need to buy a tour—such as Los Geisers del Tatio, in the north, but you can get a lot of sightseeing mileage renting a bike in San Pedro or taking the rural buses to hiking trails. Booking flights or buses early in the summer/Chilean winter for long weekends, you will probably get a much better deal.
With your MIT ID, and a copy of your lease and passport, you can join Bibliometro, and check out books in Spanish for free! Books aren't cheap here, plus they make suitcases heavy if you bring too many of them like I of course did, but this system is a great way to try out reading stories set in the places you've travelled to in Chile.
Most museums are free on Sundays (most are around Quinta Normal), others on the first Sunday of the month, and cultural centers such as the GAM have a ton of cheap and awesome exhibits and theater and/or music performances! The Revista Revolver website has links to events and performances that are happening throughout the city.
Open markets (ferias) are everywhere, and fun to walk around. You can find everything from sneakers to artisanal jewelry.
When traveling by plane, remember your college ID, passport, whatever you need. You're a foreigner in a country that often wants to check if you're a student.
Travel! Explore and walk outside. Ask for restaurant suggestions and where to go on the weekends. Especially if you're in a region where you're the only MIT student. It's easy to fall into a rut and just end up staying indoors or spending too much time in a single chair.
Take your time to travel the country and talk to people.
If you feel you have time, ask your employer for a long weekend to travel.
Travelling alone can be as much fun and sometimes more rewarding than travelling in a group.
Try to leave Santiago and go to rural areas, because the lifestyle is very different and Chileans’ relationship to nature is very interesting.
LOCAL TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING
Avoid the metro at rush hour.
Find a place where you can walk to work. Navigating the city by foot is the best way to se the invisible structures that hold the values of the people you’re working with.