My name is Alina Rosario, I am currently a junior at The College with a double major in Spanish and International Studies. This fall semester I am abroad in Santiago, Chile taking classes for both of my majors while attending the University of Santiago de Chile. My region of concentration within my major of International Studies is Latin America and the Caribbean and I chose to study abroad in Chile because it is a country that is not talked about as frequently as other Latin American countries. I thought it would be cool to learn about a culture that is Latino, like my own, but still different in many ways. In my time here I hope that I can meet many new native people, improve my Spanish, and learn as much as I can about Chile and its culture. As of now, I don’t know much about Chile other than what I have learned in past classes, about the military dictatorship in the 80’s, and the geography of the country. I have never learned about the culture, food, or types of people, which I know I will learn about first hand while being submerged socially and academically. I’m sure that living with a host family will give me a sense of the true culture and language of Chile as I will learn a lot of new things everyday from my host family. I have done a lot of research of popular spots to visit within Chile to further my knowledge about the geography and culture. I’ve found that it is much cheaper to travel there than to travel in the U.S. I am hoping this will make it easier for my group and I to explore Chile and try new things on the weekends. I hope my time in Santiago, Chile will bring about growth, knowledge, and new adventures that I will never forget.