For all those who are just thinking about it, or who have doubts or are afraid to take the step to Viña del mar, 12,000 km away: It will be a crazy time! Probably the best time of my life for me. I still remember how half a year ago I was surfing the college-contact page and had a bit of a mess. South America, another continent, another language, other people and then so far away that you can’t just go home in difficult situations. But what I learned from my stay abroad is that even people on the other side of the world don’t live so differently than we do here. Perhaps the alarm clock will ring a few hours later in the morning, instead of the German currywurst you will snack on “Completos” (giant hot dogs with tons of mayonnaise &
Application phase
After I made the decision to do my semester abroad at the UVM in Viña, everything went really quickly and easily. College-contact immediately sent me all the information and application documents and gave me tips on how to fill them out, and before I had even paid the tuition fees ($ 2800), the confirmation of study landed in my mailbox. Since I had also successfully applied for a foreign student loan (received € 260 a month, although I don’t get a content school, so try it!), I needed some additional documents from the university abroad and college-contact sent everything incredibly quickly and reliably, what i needed. The consultants were always very friendly and competent in all matters. You also get a list of all exchange students in the common semester.
All in all: totally uncomplicated and fast (I only registered 3 months before the start of the semester)!
My flight went from Frankfurt via Atlanta to Santiago de Chile and cost me about 1200 € for a return flight. But I also booked relatively late, you save hundreds of euros if you book several months in advance! When I got there, I got out of the airport building and already had a bus to the “Pajaritos” bus stop in Santiago in front of my nose. It costs 2 € and it takes 15 minutes to get to the transfer station “Pajaritos”. There you can get buses to Viña del mar almost every 15 minutes (approx. € 7). 2 hours later you arrive at the bus station in Viña, from there either the small buses (“micros”, trips cost less than 50 cents) or taxis go.
The university also offers an airport transfer if you get to the university start on time. Due to exam dates in Germany, I could only come 10 days later and therefore had to organize the journey privately.
Living
After I had read in other experience reports that the search for an apartment would be relatively uncomplicated, I reserved 7 nights in a 10 bed room only 1 week before departure in the hostal “Che Legarto”. The hostal is really less than 2 minutes from the university, very practical! In addition, the staff is very helpful and friendly. It was also a perfect opportunity to get to know people. On my first night I went on a pub crawl tour with 10 other hostal visitors. That’s when I met a student from another university who had a room offer from fellow students. Since he already had one, I looked at the room and fell in love straight away. A large room on the 16th floor of a high-rise building with a marble reception hall and receptionists, 2 pools, double bed, TV, Private bathroom with bathtub and balcony, 50m to the sea and a fantastic view, in a 3-person flat share with 2 Bolivians. The whole thing cost me around € 260 a month. No deposit, no contract. At the beginning of the month I simply gave the money to my roommate in cash and everything was sorted out. The price is quite high for average accommodations, but it was worth it to me. You can get rooms for € 120. Carlos, the semester abroad coordinator (soo a funny guy!) Will also help you with looking for an apartment if you can’t find anything. In addition, there are “Alojamientos” all over the city, inexpensive residential complexes for students, often with meals.
In summary, I can say: It took me 5 days to find a dream room right by the sea and at an amazing price. I recommend that you live with Spanish speakers as much as possible, this contributes significantly to your own language progress!
