Our student Mitzy Andrade of Biomedical Engineering, shares with us the experience of her stay at the Universidad Mayor de Chile, Campus Santiago.
When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
Yes, I knew that UNI had agreements in many parts of the world.
When you entered your career, did you think you would go to live and study abroad?
I was looking forward to doing it, but I was too scared to spend "so much" time away from my family.
Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?
No, I had had experiences abroad, but never for more than 3 weeks.
What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
To get out of my comfort zone, to get to know other cultures, because it is so different but at the same time we are so much the same, especially when I saw people traveling from all over the world.
Why did you decide to study in that country?
Because I knew that Chile was a developing country, I had seen pictures of colleagues and it looked very nice, full of so many things and well, it is the last country in America.
How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
Nervous, because I knew that everyone comes back with a different mentality, wanting to do things differently, I was very curious and anxious to start school and meet all my new classmates.
How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
The university welcomes you at the airport, plus they have a day dedicated to exchange students, we exchanged numbers and thus we became closer to more classmates, plus on school trips you make more friends.
What will you miss most about Mexico?
The spiciness, the food and my family.
What about the Uni?
My friends, my soccer teammates and being part of the alumni society.
What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?
The most exciting experience was the day I tried to climb one of the many mountains in Chile, in a southern city. I thought it would be easy, but the road was full of mud and there were parts that still had snow, that made everything more complicated, after many slips, at the end, we had a beautiful lake and some waterfalls on the way.
And the hardest part?
The most difficult experience has been when the marches began and they decreed a "curfew", the fact of not being able to leave the house, since there were soldiers in the streets and wounded, among other things, after the "curfew" ended, the marches became more pleasant and it has also been the experience that has taught me the most, throughout the exchange, although many colleagues went back, it taught me to be empathetic and in solidarity with my partner.
What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?
The education in Chile is very good, so I hope to learn a lot, but as a person I hope to be more empathetic, to grow more; to be independent, because cooking, washing, taking care of your "apartment", that makes you treasure more, because you know that if something happens you are 6,000 km away, so it is difficult to solve it with the family. Learn to enjoy the small moments.
Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
Yes! It is a unique opportunity, since not many schools give you this type of scholarship, it is an opportunity that we must take advantage of and it is not only "travel" or "a semester of partying", but a semester of learning, not only academically, but personally, which is the most valuable thing that you will learn.
