Profile of Amanda Urrutia, Exchange Student from University of Chile

By Clea Bell, Tufts in Chile Fall 2022, Tufts global Education Ambassador 23-24

Amanda Urrutia (far left) is an exchange student from the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile. She will be studying at Tufts for the school year and shared with us a bit about her experience in her first few months here!

Amanda has enjoyed the integrated approach to learning and wide range of classes that Tufts offers. She took the Experimental College class “Ancient Stories, Modern Media” and feels that she would be unable to take a similar course at another university. She also has enjoyed that there are writer-based classes and took one focused on the works of Poe, Hawthorne, and Melville.

She has been able to explore Boston and its surrounding areas, visiting Chinatown and Salem, and has enjoyed the architecture and the “conscious effort to keep the buildings as they were,” even when they are converted into chains like Shake Shack!

Amanda is a teaching assistant for multiple Spanish classes, leading recitations. She said, at first, it “felt weird teaching people who are the same age as [her].” Although sometimes it is a challenge to get people to participate and engage, she understands that language learning can be intimidating and loves when students do get excited about activities. She has known that she wants to be involved in education and had thought she would be more interested in designing curriculums, but “this experience has shown [her] that maybe [she] could be in a classroom.”

In Chile, there is very limited student housing, so all college students either live at home with their families or in apartments off-campus. Because of this, living on campus has been a cultural adjustment for Amanda because it is more difficult to separate schoolwork from rest, and it has been more difficult to find a sleep and meal routine. In Chile, she had most of her classes with all the same people. Because of this, she felt more of a community with her classmates, who were always communicating in class group chats and discord about assignments and giving each other advice and reminders. Not having that environment at Tufts has been a transition.

Her advice to other exchange students is to do a lot of research before arriving. Amanda had researched such things as transportation in the Tufts area and winter break accommodations. This allowed her to feel calm on her way here and in the first few weeks.

On campus, she has enjoyed being a part of Animal Aid and going to TUSC events, like Bingo night! Her experience at Tufts has inspired her to want to continue her global education: she has an interest in studying abroad in South Korea after her time here.

Sticking Together Through Salt, Sweat, and Sand

By Lydia Savitt, Tufts in Chile Fall 2022 

I spent my fall 2022 semester with the Tufts-in-Chile program, where I quickly befriended the other six Tufts students in my group. Early on, we decided to do a group trip to the Atacama desert in Northern Chile. It was an unforgettable trip in many regards, and, despite the challenges, I quickly learned how lucky I was to have the support and friendship of this tight-knit group. The final day of the trip was the most eventful, and it’s a story which I will reflect on for years. 

That day began with a leisurely brunch snacking on grapes and sourdough at a French restaurant, where we planned a bike ride to the nearest major tourist attraction: Laguna Cejar, a salty lake known for bathing and floating (similar to the Dead Sea).  

Laguna Cejar

The bike ride there was 11 miles of bumpy dirt roads, lasting about an hour. Yet it was scenic and pleasant; we were too pleased with the beautiful day to mind the constant jolts of the bike seat as we dodged potholes. The water at the salt flat turned out to be painfully freezing, but we submerged briefly and still enjoyed ourselves while taking in the gorgeous surroundings. After, we were too cold to shower, so we just threw clothes over our salty skin and swimsuits on our way out. Chilly and covered in webs of white salt lines, we trudged back to the parked bikes as the wind began to pick up and swirl the surface of the lagoon water. 

This is when the day started to go badly. Sitting back down on my bike seat, I had to yelp in pain when I noticed how sore my seat bones had become from the miles of bumpy roads on the way there. This was further worsened by my irritated, salty skin.  

Pushing through the pain in our butts and dry skin, we soon realized that our troubles were far from over: the sudden gusts of wind slicing through the dessert had picked up an unruly sandstorm. There was sand everywhere. It was difficult to see, the little granules were painful as they pelted against my arms and face, and even when the sand eventually subsided, the powerful wind remained. If you’ve never biked directly into wind, I hope you never have to. It had been hours since our relaxed little brunch—now a fond, silly memory—and I was left hungry, thirsty, and tired, relying on a friend’s supply of Cheetos to power me through the arduous journey. We luckily had a more experienced biker among us whose biking seemed miraculously unaffected by the wind, so we sent him ahead to order us some lunch. It took the rest of us more than two miserable hours to return to town.  

By the time we got back (half-alive) at 4:15, we were in quite a time crunch to make our 4:30 bus. In my fatigued state, I sprinted to our AirBnB, grabbed my things in a hurry, and then slowly trudged toward the bus stop. At that point I felt so defeated that I couldn’t possibly imagine running another step, and I was too delirious to notice our bus starting to pull out of the station. I was luckily with a more observant friend who had to force me to run (against my protests) so that we could physically block the bus to prevent it from leaving without us. 

We were finally mounting our awaited bus when we realized that our reserved seats were no more; there was not a single empty seat on that vehicle. Well, I was too tired to care much. I sat on the floor of the bus for an hour and a half and inhaled the sandwich my expert-biker friend had purchased earlier. 

When the six of us finally arrived at the airport in Calama, we took pride in our perseverance and cracked some jokes about our crazy day—which had followed up an already-crazy trip. When I finally returned to my host house in Santiago at midnight, I was still covered in salt, sweat and dirt.  

That day, the salt was still (literally) fresh in our wounds, but today, my friends’ and my trip to Atacama has gone down in history as one of our most iconic adventures. My favorite thing to ask anyone who has been abroad is “what was your worst travel disaster?” since almost everyone has one and they often result in spectacular laughs. A semester abroad is bound to lead to at least one awful day but overcoming that is just part of the excitement and fun; every silly mishap puts the others in perspective. A challenging bike ride, frigid dip, rushed journey, uncomfortable bus ride, and airport stress also brought me gorgeous views, unforgettable floating, a day of bonding with friends, and one really tasty sandwich. With the support of my Tufts friends, all of the day’s struggles eventually ended in laughs and good memories. I was so lucky to have the bond of the Tufts-in-Chile group, which taught me to overcome discomfort by looking on the bright side and sticking together despite challenges.  

Where to Travel While Studying in Santiago, Chile

By: Jesus Ramirez, Tufts-in-Chile, Fall 2018

Chile is like a noodle on the South American Pacific coast taking up very little land but stretching thousands of miles north to south. It could be a headache to travel from one corner to another, but luckily Santiago is just in the middle which is perfect for an eager traveler willing to explore the entire country. But for the little land Chile contains, there is rich quality that attracts millions of tourists year round. I will go over several destinations I’ve visited or will visit in Chile, some that I believe are a must (those will be bolded). I’m mentioning others that I will not be able to visit (6-10) but I encourage anyone to consider them!

1. Valparaiso/Viña Del Mar: A short 2-hour bus ride takes you to the colorful streets of Valparaiso and the relaxful beaches of Viña Del Mar. This combination is the perfect mix for a noice, not nice, weekend getaway! From La Sebastiana, one of Pablo Neruda’s houses, to the historic neighborhoods declared by UNESCO as world heritage sites to one of the only authentic Moai outside Rapa Nui (Easter Island), there is so much to explore and do within this coastal city!
2. San Pedro de Atacama/Atacama Desert: As the driest desert in the world, its bound to be home to some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. The area surrounding the town of San Pedro de Atacama is filled with countless natural wonders, such as the salar de Atacama, valle de la luna, geyser el Tatio, etc. That’s not all, make sure to catch a stargazing tour to witness thousands of stars along with the Milky Way galaxy in the clear night sky. This trip is absolutely necessary!!
3. ^Pucón/Villarica: El centro del sur de Chile son los pueblos de Pucón y Villarica. These two towns located on opposite ends of Lago Villarica are the gateway to the Patagonian region of Chile rich with forests, lakes, and volcanoes. With lots of hiking trails and hot springs around, this is a perfect destination to rest from the densely populated and polluted streets of Santiago. But don’t get too carried away with the outdoors! The small town has many restaurants and cafés where you can rest up after a long day in nature.
4. *Chilean/Argentine Patagonia: There is no doubt Patagonia is one of most geographically diverse regions in the world, and that the Torres del Paine National Park just north of the town of Puerto Natales clearly demonstrates that. The popularity of this place has increased in the recent years so plan ahead before visiting this park whether to trek or just a day tour. But don’t stop there, cross over to Argentina and stop by the towns of El Calafate and El Chálten to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier and the trails surrounding Cerro Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, the famous skyline that inspired the logo of the Patagonia clothing line. To get there, you must first fly to Punta Arenas from Santiago then take a 3-hour bus to Puerto Natales.
5. *La Serena: In the region north of Valparaiso, this city at transition area from a desert environment to more vegetation and agriculture. A great destination in November and December as temperatures begin to warm up. Several attractions in and around La Serena include the lighthouse, Valle del Elqui, Punta de Choros, and the many beaches on the coast.
6. Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
7. Valdivia
8. Isla de Chiloe
9. ^Puerto Varas/Frutillar
10. Iquique

*Location I have yet to go to but will before the end of the semester.

^Choose between these two but a trip to either is necessary as well!

Tufts-in-Chile Cultural Experiences

Study abroad is a great opportunity to study at Tufts’ prestigious partner institutes, improve a foreign language, and get to known and actually immerse yourself in another culture. Part of truly experiencing another culture is learning about what is important to the community you are a part of, and what better than attending festivals!

Take a look at what one student has to say about the Wine Harvest Festival in Chile!