I studied Spanish in high school for a few years and really wanted to pick up on the language again…so I thought to myself, ‘Why not South America?’ said study abroad student Kristyn Laviola. The study abroad office has organized their first interdisciplinary faculty-led trip to Chile. The trip is scheduled to take place May 15 to May 30. Students who are interested should contact a.bard@snhu. edu and k.viator@snhu.edu by October 31 if they are interested.
The Study Abroad office has created a flyer for their Immersive Study Abroad Summer Program. It is an all-inclusive trip that gives students the opportunity to earn three credits towards their degree.
Amenities include roundtrip airfare, transportation to and from the airport, a host family placement with another SNHU student, and three meals a day. The trip costs $3,100.
Students will get “Twenty hours of beginner Spanish as a foreign language for business purposes,” according to the Study Abroad flyer. Students will have educational field trips as well as time for themselves in the two week time.
SNHU student Kristyn Laviola is currently studying abroad in Chile and has noticed some cultural differences between Chile and the United States, including food, greetings, and transportation.
“To be honest, the biggest culture shock I’ve had here is eating ‘once’ (also known as tea time) between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. instead of a huge dinner like I’m used to in the states,” said Laviola. She also continued with, “Other differences have been a kiss on the cheek when greeting/saying goodbye to people, the lack of punctuality, and different modes of transportation.”
A semester in Chile is the second semester abroad Laviola has had. Her first study abroad experience was in Florence, Italy, and she wants to point out the benefits of Chile. “I think people underestimate South America,” said Laviola.
For anyone interested in studying abroad in Chile or taking SNHU’ s faculty-led trip to Chile over the summer, Laviola has given some of her top reasons as to why students should travel to Chile.
One of her reasons is, “Chile is such a long, slender country with different climates that offer various activities from skiing and snowboarding, to horseback riding and surfing—the options are endless.”
Students can attend a Study Abroad Information Session Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. in Robert Frost 228 for more information.
