Program Reviews

I had a fantastic time in Santiago with COINED. I really liked my host family--they were quite kind to me and flexible with my schedule. If I wanted to come back late, fine. If went out to dinner, or wanted to eat dinner early, fine. I just told my host mom and everything was fine.

I went to lunch after class with my friends from the school at a variety of restaurants surrounding the school, then usually came back to the school for the activities, where we traveled around Santiago, checking out museums, houses, parks, etc. It was a great way to spend an afternoon and learn about Santiago. On weekends, I took trips to places we couldn't access in just an afternoon, and I made friends from some other schools in the area (as the weekend trips were combined with "sister schools").

The academics were great. The class sizes were small, and the teachers worked with us when we didn't understand. We read articles, spoke solely in Spanish, watched videos, and did exercises. I learned a lot and had a great time, making friends with the other students and my teachers in the process.

Quando fui para Santiago jamais imaginaria que viveria tudo que vivi. Cresci como pessoa e como mulher. Sofri por muito tempo sozinha, mas tudo começou a melhorar depois que fui ao meu primeiro dia de aula na COINED. Conheci pessoas incríveis, tanto pelos profissionais que ali trabalham como pelos alunos que estão tentando aprender ou aperfeiçoar o espanhol. Aprendi culturas diferentes e convivi com pessoas do mundo inteiro! O mais importante foi a preocupação da COINED em fazer planos para que os alunos pudessem se ligar entre si, fazendo com que o espanhol fosse praticado e que a gente conhecesse a cultura, não só de Santiago, mais de todo o Chile.
Resumindo: as pessoas, os passeios, a cidade, a escola e o clima (apesar de muito frio) foram capaz de tornar a minha viagem inesquecível...

The day I arrived, people were really kind and helpful.
As the minutes passed by, I watched a board with activities for the whole week and it made me even more excited.
At Coined, they have this special Empanada welcome during your first day of class.
If you go, you have to go to the Terremoto Night, it's such a special night because you get to know more people and also get to prove one of their typical drinks.
I really enjoyed my stay and I'm already willing to go back.

I loved my two weeks at Coined in Santiago, I arrived on a Friday a few days before my first class started on the monday, and my host suggested I go in at midday Friday to meet students anyway! Great suggestion because I made some amazing new friends. In fact the social activities are excellent, especially enjoyed the white-water rafting, walking through Valparaiso and amazing sceneries!! Highly recommend Coined in Santiago Chile!!!!!!!!!

Very serious and dedicated staff. I enjoyed my time there, the courses were progressive and interactive, the small groups enable people to progress more effectively. Other students were very nice and the school offers great activities.

I spent a month in Cordoba, in August 2011, living with a family and taking four hours of classes each day. Cordoba is a wonderful city, with friendly, helpful people. I walked 5 km to class, but the bus was an easy option, too. There are many museums, much shopping, and things to see and do. There was not much "culture shock" even though I met very few people that spoke English, and no one from the United States, apart from one other student in school. I had the opportunity to teach a class in a neighborhood school, telling Argentine students about US music and geography, as part of their English lessons. I made great friends from Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, and Argentina!

I interned with a HIV/AIDS non-profit in Buenos Aires called Fundacion Huesped. I worked in an HIV/AIDS clinic at Hospital Fernandez in the center of the city, doing clerical work and preparing patients medical files. My internship was arranged through COINed in Buenos Aires, which was AIDE Abroad's partner organization in Argentina.
While there I lived with a single older woman who was divorced and had two children who both were middle aged with their own families. She was a little odd, but always entertaining. Additionally I lived with three other students at COINed while I was there throughout my two month stay (one girl from England, one boy from England, and one boy from Brazil). The living situation can be lonely at times, but as long as you are actively engaged and seek out things to do with other people in your program it isn't a huge negative.
I was the only foreigner working at my position, and my co-workers did not speak a great deal of English so my Spanish developed a lot during these two months. Additionally, the staff at COINed was really helpful with getting around the city, things to avoid, things to check out, etc. They also were very accommodating with my placement. I felt that I still had too much free time, so ultimately they set up another volunteer placement at an after school program in La Boca.