Visiting Peru by Eric Leon

While studying in South America in Santiago de Chile, we traveled around the continent as well as within Chile.  The study abroad program organized by the College of Charleston included a week-long excursion to Peru at the beginning of October, consisting of Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes and Lima. This was by far one of my favorite trips I have taken so far and also where I came to learn so…

Reflecting on Time in Chile by Leasette Leon

I believe the greatest opportunity of studying abroad is that I was able to see many parts of the world that I will probably never visit again. Living in Chile for three months, and visiting countries like Argentina and Peru, enabled me to experience new customs and activities. Although, leaving my home for three months was hard, what I was gained from my experience was worth it. I chose to…

Atacama Desert by Annie Perkins

For one of our last trips if our study abroad program, we decided to go to San Pedro de Atacama which is the town right next to the desert. We stayed in some cabins in the center of town right in the middle of all the restaurants. We had a pool in our cabin area, so we spent the first day hanging out by the pool, relaxing, and enjoying being…

Goodbye Chile by Annie Perkins

My overall experience in Chile was absolutely amazing. I loved my host family like my own, and I plan to visit them as soon as I can afford it. My classes were overall pretty good, except for missing a lot of classes due to the political unrest. The weather was completely different than Charleston – opposite seasons and no humidity or rain ever. The city we studied in is huge,…

Chilean Life by Eric Leon

Santiago de Chile is a very busy city with about 6 million people making up it’s population.  There is no doubt that I lived in a booming city. My first month in Chile consisted of me getting comfortable with my surroundings and acclaimed to a life in Chile this fall of 2019.  I was quick to notice the social conflicts within the country, where the society brings attention to these…

Chile by Leasette Leon

When I made the decision to study abroad in a foreign country, I knew I wanted a program that included living with a host family. I believed living with a family would make the transition much easier, than living in a lonely apartment. At first, I was extremely nervous to meet the people I would be living with for the next three months, but I was also very excited. The…

Week in Peru by Alina Rosario

One of the best weeks I have had abroad during this experience is when my group and I went to Peru. We visited Cusco, Peru for the first couple of days, and went on tours exploring the city along with its history. Our next stop was Ollantaytambo, a village in the Sacred Valley of south Peru; where we climbed the “Ollantaytambo Sanctuary,” the ruins of an ancient Incan city and…

Heading to Chile by Annie Perkins

My name is Annie Perkins and I’m a double major in Spanish and Communication with a minor in Business Administration. I’m a Junior at Cofc and the study abroad program I chose was the College of Charleston Chile study abroad program with the Spanish department. I chose this program firstly because it included classes that I need to take for my major, but also because I wanted to visit South…

Peru by Annie Perkins

Every year the Chile program takes a weeklong trip to Pero to explore Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes, y Lima. When we stepped off the plane and took the bus to our hotel, the altitude really affected us. We all felt nauseous, had headaches, and just didn’t feel normal. We arrived in Cusco first and spent 2 days there exploring the city and adjusting to the altitude. There is a tea…