Chris Schmidl

University of Chile

Hey, I’m Chris, and I had the incredible opportunity to spend my semester abroad in Santiago, Chile. Before I left, I was pretty nervous—taking every course and assignment in Spanish, visiting South America for the first time, and being gone for so long. But now, looking back, I can confidently say it was more than worth it.

One of the great things about the Chilean semester is its convenient timing compared to the Dutch schedule. I took full advantage of this, staying in Chile as long as possible, leaving right after finishing my last assignments in Groningen and coming back only days before classes started again. This way I had almost 3 months, some before and some after the Chilean semester, to travel and explore. All in all, I was gone for seven months.

At the university in Santiago, you are allowed to pick whichever courses you like and have the prerequisites for. However, there is not one unified campus, and Santiago is a huge city. So, I decided to take all my courses in geography, which was perfect given that I was in the longest country in the world! In every single one of my courses, we had at least one field trip, once we even went on a weekend excursion! The course material is challenging, because everything is in Spanish, but manageable. The professors are competent, and the other students are willing to help, you just gotta be courageous enough to ask.

The country is incredible. Arriving in Santiago is pretty scary and with some reason (be wary of English-speaking people offering you a ride at the airport, it’s a scam!). There’s 7 million people living in the city. Naturally, not every part is safe for foreigners. However, it is important to understand the political, economic and social situation the country is and has been in and why it is that way. That being said, there is so much to discover in the city. The youth of Chile is very active, and they have a rich offering in activities all around the city or close-by. I went hiking in the Andes (which you see from any point in the city, by the way!), surfing, watching ballet and raving in abandoned places. You’ll definitely find your group!

For food, I tried all the local specialties, but as a vegetarian and healthy eater, there aren’t really many options. But there are huge farmers markets, and you get fresh vegetables twice the size we have in Europe, so I cooked a lot.

Chile’s nature is truly unlike anything I have ever seen. Every bit was stunning and because the country is so long you have a wide variety of biomes and landscapes. From the driest desert on earth in the north to almost non-stop rain in the south, you get it all. And on unimaginable scales! I spent days on buses, trying to get through the country.

Looking back, I can hardly put into words—let alone capture on this one page—all the incredible things I experienced. From every new person I met, every unique dish I tasted, to every breathtaking moment seeing an animal or landscape I had never seen before, it was an adventure for the senses and the soul. I am forever grateful for this opportunity and wouldn’t hesitate for a second to go back.

Beyond the memories that will last a lifetime, the exchange opened my eyes to prejudices and assumptions society had planted in my mind. I now feel more open, more connected to the world, and more curious than ever to keep exploring.