Author: Christie Chaump

Preparing for a long trip abroad, and need help packing?? I’ve been wanting to do a blog post regarding packing for quite some time, and even have friends requesting that I do one. Since Chile was my second time traveling abroad, I thought I would have the whole packing thing down. Turns out, that wasn’t the case. USAC always suggests that you pack your bag half full so you have room to buy things abroad and fit them in your suitcase on the way home. Especially if you are leaving for a summer session (4-9 weeks), you really don’t need much.

Last year before I left for Spain, I started packing my suitcases about a month beforehand. I wanted to get a head start because I wanted to be extra prepared and make sure I didn’t forget anything. I felt like I packed pretty well for Spain last year, but there were definitely things that I wish I brought more of, or left at home. It’s hard to say what you may need or may not need until you get there. By then, it’s too late. In short, I bought a lot of clothes in Spain because I brought too many shorts and not enough pants. In Bilbao it was cool and rainy most of the time. We had probably three days of complete sunshine the whole time I was there. Definitely check the weather before you leave!

Packing for Chile was a whole different story. I got a little cocky because I’ve done this before so I thought “oh, I’ll have time to pack!” I put off my packing until about a week before my trip and that was a mistake. I was rushing to put the right things in my suitcase and went to the store and bought way too many toiletries. This time around was actually harder for me because I knew the weather was going to be colder down South, so I had to pack sweaters which take up way more space than summer clothes. I also had trouble deciding which shoes to bring if it was going to be raining all the time. When I checked the weather in Santiago, it said sunny/partly cloudy most of the time and the temperature was in the 50’s and 60’s. I thought that wasn’t even too cold, so I brought a lot of t-shirts that I didn’t end up wearing. 50 degrees in Santiago feels like 40, so it was much colder than I expected.

For Santiago, I packed wayyyy too many clothes. I wanted to look “cute” everyday, but that honestly is just not realistic. I brought all the sweaters that I own, when I could have just brought 3 or 4. I even ended up buying 2 sweaters in Chile, and those had trouble fitting in my suitcase on the way home. I did not bring a scarf, but I did bring gloves and a beanie which worked well for me. I didn’t realize everybody wears scarves there, so I headed to an H&M to buy a nice scarf. I also brought too many toiletries. I brought big bottles of shampoo and conditioner and a lot of extra makeup, when I could have just brought travel size ones. Since I was staying with a host family, they provided everything I could need for shower purposes. I would say if you are staying with a host family, don’t worry about bringing the big shower items. They will have them for you. And if they don’t, you can always go to the store and buy some! The good thing is that if you do forget something, there are stores wherever you are going where you can buy those items. No need to stress!

For Spain, I brought a carry-on, a big suitcase, and a backpack that I took with me on the plane. I hated carrying around the backpack because my back always hurt and it was hard to reach in and pull one thing out without taking everything out, because I packed it so tight. This time for Chile, I decided to just pack my carry-on and my big suitcase. I checked the big suitcase and used my carry-on on the planes, as well as a small purse with my important documents for easy access. Turns out, most planes nowadays are too small and cannot fit carry-ons in the overhead bins, so they make you check them. This was not helpful at all and not what I was expecting. It was kind of nice not having to carry it around so my hands were free, but otherwise it just increased the chances of it getting lost. When we missed the international flight in Atlanta, they kept both of my bags overnight, when I had my important items and a change of clothes in my carry-on. That was the whole reason I brought the carry-on was for a situation like that. After that it didn’t matter anymore. I had no bags and just my purse. At that point, I wished I had brought my backpack. So on my way home from Chile, I used my backpack that way it didn’t matter if I had to check my carry-on. It was much more of a relief coming home. So in short, I would suggest traveling with a backpack, and checking the carry-on and big suitcase. Otherwise, your best bet is bringing just one big suitcase, and the backpack. That’s really all you need.

Some ways I keep my suitcase organized is by using packing cubes. One of my friends gave me packing cubes before I left for Spain and they worked miracles. I was able to separate all my clothes and toiletry items in cubes and they fit perfect in my suitcase. I would suggest investing in packing cubes because they make life a little easier. I would also suggest rolling up your clothes, instead of folding them like normal. It gives you a lot more space in your suitcase for shoes and other items that may not fit in a packing cube. You can check out the pictures below to see how the packing cubes keep things organized and not just stuffed in your suitcase.

In short, these few important tips can be a life saver when traveling abroad:

• Pack light!! Even if you think you need that one pair of heels, you probably don’t.
• Pack travel size toiletries and buy big things if you need them at a store abroad.
• Bring a backpack on the plane and check all your other bags.
• Pack a change of clothes and a small toiletry bag in your backpack in case you get stuck somewhere.
• Check the weather before you leave, especially the humidity and precipitation.
• Invest in packing cubes.
• Roll your clothes instead of folding them or throwing them in your suitcase.
• Pack two or three pairs of shoes. One pair of good walking shoes and an everyday pair of shoes (maybe an extra pair of good walking shoes in case your other ones get destroyed, it happens).
• Bring a small day pack for day trips, that way you don’t have to carry your big backpack all day.
• Use your USAC luggage tags so you can easily identify other people in your program and make friends.
• Bring a weeks worth of underwear and socks, that’s all you need. Basically a weeks worth of everything.

I have now been home in Reno for a week and it feels great! As I look back on my trip to Chile, I realize that it went by soooo fast. Four weeks really isn’t that long of a time and it almost feels like I never left.

Contrary to how I felt returning from Spain last summer, I was very excited to return home from Chile to relax and enjoy my summer with my family. I cherished every moment I spent in Chile, but I think the winter weather finally got to me and I began to wish for my warm summer in Reno. I was constantly checking the weather in Reno while I was gone just to see how much warmer it was than the 50 degree chilly weather in Chile (unintentional pun). It also didn’t help that I got very sick while I was there. At that point, all I wanted was to meet with my doctor and rest in the comfort of my own home and bathroom.

Regardless of that, I am so thankful for everything my host family did to accommodate me during my four week stay. I felt so comfortable living with them and it really became not only a second home for me, but also a second family. They reminded me so much of my family at home and I enjoyed every second of it. I lived in a pretty large two-story house with six other people…my host parents, their two sons, one of whom had a girlfriend and a 4 year old daughter that also lived in the house. They were the sweetest family and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. My last night in Santiago, my host mom put two flags on the table for dinner, one Chilean flag and one American flag. It represented bringing two cultures together under one roof and appreciating the time we spent together. They also got me a going away gift! A framed photo of my friend Emily and I from Dunas de Concón, and a Chile beanie. I almost burst into tears knowing how thoughtful it was for them to get me a gift when I was the one who should be thanking them for everything. I cried leaving my host mom that next day because the relationship I built with her was very strong. She became one of my best friends in Chile and I felt like I could talk to her about anything, much like my own mom in the States. I was sad to leave, but also happy because of all the great memories I built with them. One day I hope they can come visit Reno and I can show them all that my hometown has to offer. What really got me was when Valentina (my host parent’s granddaughter) told me she would miss me. She reminded me so much of my niece at home and I will definitely miss playing with her after dinner. To savor the moment, I took some pictures with my host family, as well as my host home which you can find below!

Upon returning to Reno, I was a little more aware of what reverse culture shock would bring which made the transition easier. This time around, I was so excited to be home and reunited with my family, friends and my dog of course. Summer is my favorite time of year in Reno because there are so many fun events going on and it really makes summer a memorable time of year for me. Knowing that I have two more months of vacation, I’m ready to savor every minute of it.

I am especially looking forward to taking some time to focus on myself and improving my health. Right now, I still cannot do all the things I really want to throughout the day without having to plan when I’m going to need to use the bathroom. I go through each day with caution but I’m trying not to let it get to me. My doctor actually told me that my anxiety level surrounding my disease has improved immensely since I was first diagnosed. He was proud of me for still going on my trip even though I wasn’t feeling 100% beforehand. I can’t let this set-back keep me from doing the things I love and I refuse to let it control my life. I will continue to fight against this for the rest of my life no matter the circumstances.

Once I start to improve, I will no longer have restrictions in my daily life and that is something I am definitely looking forward to. This time is for me and I really need to take advantage of it before I go back to school because school is one of the main aspects of my life that causes stress. I only have one semester left before I graduate in December, so I want to make this last one memorable and most importantly, stay healthy!

I realize that every time I leave Reno for a long time and come back, I always appreciate this city so much more. Reno may be small and some people don’t particularly admire that, but I love living in a city where I know I have people I can count on. Reno has so much to offer and I wish everybody could see that from the outside. There is so much room for growth and opportunity here and I am excited to see what Reno has in store for the coming years. Reno will forever be home to me no matter where I end up in the future.

Ultimately, I am so grateful for the opportunities that have been handed to me during my time at UNR, especially with USAC. I couldn’t thank them enough for all they have done for me and the support I have received from them. Being able to experience two different study abroad programs during my undergraduate career is something not many people get to say and I think it will set me apart from others when applying for jobs in the future. I am hoping that my cultural experience and improved Spanish skills will come in handy in my future career path and I am excited to put that knowledge to the test.

For my second real weekend here in Chile, the USAC group took a field trip to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar which are located on the coast of Chile. It was about an hour and a half bus ride from Santiago through the mountains and vineyards. All of the students had the option to stay in Valparaíso or Viña del Mar for the weekend, so a couple of us stayed for just one night and others stayed for two nights. The group of students I was with decided to stay for only one night in Valparaíso.

Our first stop along the way was Dunas de Concón, which are sand dunes located on a cliff side right next to the Pacific Ocean. We enjoyed stunning views of the ocean and then climbed up the mountain side to reach what we thought was the top of the sand dune. Turns out there was no actual end to the sand dune, it stretched for miles. Climbing in sand was quite the workout for all of us, but gave way to stunning views of the ocean and waves in the distance. I thought going down the sand dune would be harder, but it actually wasn’t too bad.

Our next stop was the beach of course in Viña del Mar. We got to take a walking tour along some of the beaches and we all ate some pretty delicious churros along the way. It was lunch time, so we got to go separate ways to find a restaurant of our choice. A couple others and I went to a Peruvian restaurant which was REALLY good! Probably the best cuisine I’ve had here in Chile. I got raviolis that were filled with quinoa, spinach, and cheese and covered in a spinach sauce. Our waiter was very patient with us since we are gringas and he decided to give us free shots of “pisco sour” which is a very famous alcoholic beverage here. The name of the drink explains it all…very sour. For dessert, I shared a tres leches cake with a friend of mine and it was so big that neither of us could even finish it. But also, one of the most rico desserts I’ve had here.

Our next stop on our bus ride was to downtown Valparaíso. We did a walking tour through the small city and got to see all the creative street art. Valparaíso is a small, tourist town where you will find lots of people speaking in English, but it is also a large party destination for those who enjoy nightlife. It is very expressive because of the freedom of the street art and has a relaxing, bohemian vibe (you will see gypsies trying to talk to you). There were small vendors everywhere selling handmade, artisan jewelry and paintings for really good prices. There was even a little outdoor market in the central Plaza going on all weekend. It was such a cute town and I wanted to stay by the water forever.

Once we were let loose, we all went to find our hostels for the night. Our hostel was super cute and easy to find. When we walked into our room, there was a man already sleeping in one of the beds and he woke up to introduce himself to us. He goes “Hi, I’m Josh!” I took one look at him and recognized the Australian accent from the weekend before when we got lost in the Andes at Cajón del Maipo. I said “Hey, I know you! Didn’t you go to Cajón del Maipo last weekend?” He looked at me with a confused look and then finally recognized me when I said my name. What are the odds that we were staying in the same hostel, in the same room, in a different city an hour and a half away from Santiago?? It was such a cool experience. He apparently had missed his flight in Santiago a couple days before and decided to go to Valparaíso for a couple days to wait it out and relax. At least we weren’t sharing the hostel with some unknown person! We got dinner at an amazing restaurant called Tenta, and I ate fettucine covered in a yellow bell pepper sauce and chicken that was rolled and breaded. It was so delicious. I feel like I haven’t eaten much pasta here, so that dinner satisfied my Italian craving.

For our second day exploring Valparaíso, we got breakfast/lunch at a Panini cafe (great prices once again). There I got a chocolate chip muffin filled with nutella. I have become obsessed with the muffins here and my host mom buys me giant boxes of muffins for my desserts after dinner. We walked around the city a little bit more and took an elevator up to a higher point in the city so we had a good view of the ocean. Valparaíso was built on a hill so all of the streets are really steep and you have to take elevators to get to the top. It looks a lot like San Francisco. We stopped by the market and also took a 40 minute boat ride on the bay. It was a beautiful day with sun and no clouds! We got really lucky, because apparently it is always cloudy there and usually hard to see the ocean. When we finished our boat ride, we went to the beach to watch the sunset. We got there by bus, and let me tell you, the bus drivers here are crazy! Just like last weekend in the Andes, we felt very unsafe on the bus and some guy actually yelled at the bus driver to drive better around the turns. Once the sun set, we had to go back to the hostel to get our bags and head to the bus station to catch a bus back to Santiago.

We got to the bus station 10 minutes before the last bus left for the night, so we got really lucky. I definitely passed out on the bus ride because I was so tired from all the adventure during the day. I got back to my host home around 11pm that night and went straight to sleep. It was a wonderful weekend exploring a beautiful city. Valparaíso and Viña are definitely places I would come for vacation in the summer time (winter for the States) to enjoy the beach, the ocean, and the nightlife.

Upon arriving in Chile, I had a certain expectation that I would not experience culture shock since I have already traveled to a Spanish speaking country in the past. My expectations were wrong. My first week here in Chile was rocky, as I am fighting off a nasty cold that I seemed to have contracted probably from the planes and the cold, rainy, fall weather here in Santiago. I have been going along with my day and silently complaining about minuscule things. It actually hit me like a brick yesterday after I was complaining to my mom on Face Time about how dirty the streets are and how people are always in your face trying to sell you something. This is culture shock – when you feel disoriented and almost angry about how things aren’t done like they would be at home. I have noticed that most people from the United States feel entitled and that is the stereotype that Chileans have about us. That we are all rich, entitled white people. I want to disrupt this stereotype while I am here, because I know that all Americans do not fall into this category. Americans will no longer feel entitled if they travel to a foreign country, especially Chile. It makes you take a step back and appreciate the things you do have and the opportunities that are presented to you. The world is so much bigger than ourselves and the material things we own.

With that being said, below I will outline some of the key cultural differences that I have noticed in Chile, and how they differ from Spain.

Santiago, Chile:

• They do not throw toilet paper or other items in the toilet and flush. There are waste baskets next to all the toilets and basically you wipe, and throw your paper in the waste basket to avoid clogging the toilet.
• Chileans place a large emphasis on greetings. When meeting with someone or saying goodbye, you kiss once on the right cheek.
• There are stray dogs everywhere. There is no law to prevent the dogs from being in the streets.
• Cigarette smoking is common. As is having red or purple hair.
• “Onces” is what they call tea time right before eating dinner. The meal schedule here is pretty similar to that in Spain.
• Chileans wear their shoes in the house at all times. My host mom laughed at me when I walked around the house in my socks.
• There are people who sell items such as clothes, food, and stuffed animals that are usually knock-off brands in the streets. They are called callejeros and it is illegal in Chile. They are EVERYWHERE.
• Streets are generally dirty and and a little smelly.
• Abortion is illegal here and so is recreational marijuana. Although I did see a callejero a couple of days ago selling weed and chocolate?
• Everybody has a very good sense of fashion and they all wear scarves. It is Fall right now, so the weather has been a bit nippy. We are right next to the Andes mountains, and yesterday it snowed up there!
• Chileans beat around the bush. They won’t give you a straight answer or confront issues right away. They also tend to run late and will never be on time to an event.
• People do not understand the concept of personal space. They will get very close to you even if they don’t have to.
• On the metro, people will sing and sell candy bars to make extra cash. It is not allowed for people to give them money, but it happens anyway.
• Machismo is a social norm here. This means that it is normal for the woman to perform all of the house duties and provide food and cleaning for the husbands.
• It is common for children in their 20’s and 30’s to live at home with their parents. My host parents have three grown children and two of them live in the house. One is married and has a 4 year old daughter who also lives in the house. One big family!
• The Chilean Spanish accent is extremely fast. Sometimes, I cannot understand a word they say. They also use different slang than Spain Spanish.
• Grape juice is green.

Bilbao, Spain

• Toilet paper is okay to put in the toilet and flush.
• When greeting someone in Spain, you kiss on both cheeks. It is not necessary to do so when saying goodbye.
• No stray dogs. There were a TON of dogs in Spain, but they were all domesticated.
• Cigarette smoking was also very common in Spain.
• Instead of “onces,” the Basque culture has pinxtos which translate to “appetizers.” Pinxtos were a common lunch menu item.
• It was okay to not wear shoes in the house.
• In Bilbao, callejeros were not as common. I remember seeing them on one specific street and the police was always there to catch them. It is illegal in Spain as well.
• The streets in Bilbao were always impeccably clean. They had garbage trucks and street cleaners running three times a day.
• Abortions in Spain are legal under some circumstances. Like Chile, recreational marijuana is also illegal in Spain.
• Great sense of fashion! I think that’s just a European thing though.
• Spaniards also tend to beat around the bush. They will not give you a distinct “yes” or “no.” Running late is also common.
• My personal space was invaded a lot in Spain, but I got used to it.
• There were never people on the metro asking for money in Bilbao. I think Santiago has a fairly poor population which is why these types of actions are common. Bilbao/Getxo was a wealthier area.
• From what I saw in Spain, machismo did not exist. I noticed the male playing a larger role in helping care for the wife and kids. The male was always the one pushing the stroller and carrying the bags.
• In Spain, it is also common for children to live at home during their 20’s.
• Spain Spanish is pretty basic, but in Bilbao there was a large Basque population meaning the accent was slightly different. Chilean Spanish is a whole language in itself. Everyday I am learning new vocabulary and trying to blend in as a local. I think there are more people in Chile that speak English than in Spain. Most everyone I have encountered speaks some English.
• In both Chile and Spain, breakfast is small and sometimes nonexistent. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and lasts from 1-3pm. Dinner is then served around 8-9pm. My host mom in Spain and here in Chile both stay up until about midnight and wake up very late in the morning. They do not have a set schedule.

While Spain and Chile have a ton of similarities, they also have some key differences that have taken some getting used to on my part. Each day I learn something new, whether it be a new Spanish word, or a new cultural norm. My routine for each day starts with me waking up at 9am and making my breakfast. I usually make two fried eggs, yogurt, toast with butter or cheese, fruit (apple, orange, avocado), and of course, tea. I get ready for school and head to the metro around 11:30am to meet with some friends for lunch near the school. My commute to school takes about 45 minutes, which isn’t too bad. Very similar to my commute in Spain. My Advanced Spanish class starts at 1:30pm and ends at 4:20pm. Afterwards, we either find a snack to eat before walking around for our next adventure, or like yesterday we go to dance class from 6-8pm. Yesterday, we learned salsa and bachata! Probably the highlight of my trip so far. The days are long, but each day brings something new and this weekend I will be doing much more exploring if the weather permits. Looking forward to sharing more experiences with you all! Ciao!