Trade-offs as an exchange student

As an exchange student, I think my experience can be valuable both for my classmates who have not lived elsewhere, and for other students who are thinking about coming on exchange sometime.

So, today I want to talk about trade-offs. I remember the first class, when we talked about this, I had to google what it meant (in Chile we speak Spanish as a first language, so I am still learning English words every day). When I read it, it made a lot of sense to me.

When I was in Chile I never thought it would be so difficult to be in the United States. As a fact, we Latinos don't like to call the United States "America", since we feel we are Americans also because we belong to the continent. Maybe because movies, music and culture had sold me "the American dream", so I thought everything would be easy here - almost as if by magic, happiness would come packaged in my plane ticket that would bring me to a developed country.

When I arrived here, I immediately felt the cultural difference. I wanted to greet my roommate with a kiss on the cheek and she looked at me like I was crazy. The food the first few days felt great, but after eating at In-n-Out 3 days in a row I decided that my mom's food definitely tasted better. The same thing happened to me with independence. I gradually discovered that I prefer the closeness and concern of my parents to the loneliness that many students experience here.

                A plate of "pantrucas" a typical Chilean food that my mom cooks all the time in the winter. 

Leaving your whole life, family, friends, pets and everything you knew, including your language, is the biggest trade off I think I will have to face, no doubt. As I explained the other day in class, in Latin culture, family is very important. In Chile children leave home at about 30 years old, so, I still regularly feel like a child who does not know how to take care of herself. On the other hand, my classmates here are often already used to independent life, as some may live alone from the age of 18.

I find this class particularly interesting because I can see the cultural, social and even class differences with my classmates who have lived here all their lives. In Chile I don't think we could have a so-called "first gen" class because probably more than half of us at my university are first gen.

The middle class in Chile is more like what is known here as the "lower income class", even though it is said that we are the "richest" country in Latin America. Furthermore, it is very rare for Chilean students to have a car; here, most of them have a car even in high school. Even when I see how expensive universities are here, I realize that for the middle class in Chile it would be impossible to pay for a university in the United States, comparatively annual tuition in Chile costs around $5000.

Many times I feel strange, I have attended countless talks against racism and discrimination since I arrived here, but I really feel that racism is always present, unconsciously. Although not only here, also in Chile we are racist, many times with immigrants from neighboring countries. However, this time it is different because I had never had to live it myself.

Clearly not everything is bad, I have met wonderful people. Moreover, I have the opportunity to study the strong corporate law course here, which I want to dedicate myself to in Chile. Also, my professors and classmates are very understanding. I have made incredible friends and I have visited places I never thought I would visit. Therefore, I know that this is an opportunity that many of my friends and peers in Chile do not have, so I try to make the most of it.

However, I can't help but miss my home, my people, and my customs. When I feel that I miss them too much, I think about how lucky I am and that, if I took a plane to get here, I have to take advantage of the experience and learn from it. So every day I become more observant and try to make friends who will allow me to get to know new cultures (Latin culture will always have a special and reserved place in my heart). 

My family and I in a church in Peru. Religion is very important in our culture, especially Catholicism which is the most professed religion in Chile.