API 8 Week Fixed Date Internship in Santiago, Chile

I am a double major in Environmental Studies and Spanish, and the internship that API found for me was really a perfect fit!

I did the 8-week fixed date internship and I interned with Corporación Cultiva - a non-profit environmental organization that does a variety of participative reforestation and urban planting projects. I worked in the office doing grant research and writing, translated informational presentations, worked on an annual progress report, attended team meetings, and also spent some time working in the field caring for trees that had been planted during reforestation projects.

All but one of my coworkers spoke only Spanish which was challenging at times but also very rewarding, as I was looking for a truly immersive experience. If you are looking to speak a lot of Spanish and not have many opportunities to use English I would highly recommend Santiago! I was originally planning on studying in Costa Rica, but after hearing that a good portion of people speak English as well as Spanish I decided to look for another Latin American country where English was less predominant - and Chile was a perfect fit! I have taken numerous Spanish classes and would consider myself to be fairly comfortable with conversation and have decently advanced written communication skills. Nonetheless, I still at times felt in well over my head in terms of being able to understand what was being said (as everyone there talks incredibly fast) and communicate effectively what was on my mind.

I found that Chileans as a whole are incredibly kind and friendly. The culture is very welcoming as a whole and I never really felt out of place, whether I was at home or at work. My host family, my co-workers, and other people I met throughout my travels were all consistently very warm and genuine.

I grew up and currently go to school in northern Vermont, which is fairly rural. Thus, living in Santiago was definitely a big adjustment but not unmanageable in any way. It is definitely very polluted because of the contamination from the high quantity of cars and buses and the smog hangs in the air due to the fact that the city is surrounded by the Cordillera of the Andes to the east and other hills to the west. When I was in Santiago there was a forest fire crisis throughout the country, mainly in the south, and the air quality was exceptionally bad in the city because of the smoke. However, overall the city streets and public transportation are fairly clean.

Santiago is obviously a large city and thus poses some safety threats for international students who don't necessarily know the city or language as well as a native. Nonetheless, the residential director and my host family did a great job telling me where to go and where not to go and what to do to stay safe. As a whole I never felt unsafe or in danger at any point during my trip.

The residential director in Santiago really is incredibly accommodating, helpful, and a wealth of information. The first few days I was there she gave me an extensive tour of the city, showed me how to use the public transportation, brought me to my placement, showed my some good places to eat, and was very willing to help me set up things to do on the weekend. She is incredibly nice, speaks English very well, and would go out of her way to answer any questions you have or help you see anything you want to see.

My host family was incredible and API did a very good job finding a family that lived in a nice area, was welcoming, and has had experience with hosting international students and workers