Abroad on a tight budget

Ever since highschool I dreamed of studying abroad in college. I couldn't wait to experience a life that was different from the one I experienced in the states and to be fluent in Spanish. My opportunity came junior year this year 2015 and I couldn't be more excited. Although I come from a family of very limited resources I was determined to make my dream a reality regardless of whatever sacrifices I had to make while abroad. There were only two important objectives for me while abroad: 1. Be in a different country and 2. Improve my Spanish. I decided I could do that despite my economic situation. I was able to live my dream but it came with a minor glitch, my experience was of a lower quality because of it. I tried hard for my economic situation not to affect me but honestly it did affect me. I couldn’t go on as many restaurant or ice cream trips after class with my program mates. I couldn’t explore Chile as much as I wanted to like the other students and when I found out that I didn’t have to take a class at one of the local universities, I opted out of taking a class at the university because it would save on transportation. My social life suffered a lot because of the decisions I had to make. But at the end of the day, I completed my two goals: I was in a different country and my Spanish improved tremendously. I would like to say that the IES study abroad experience was great in the sense that the teachers were great, the classes were interesting and the course work was not incredibly demanding.