Cincinnati, Ohio, February 25, 2015 – Although it is summertime in Chile, three young ladies from Santiago had to dust off their winter coats to experience the wintry weather of Cincinnati as they attended Saint Ursula Academy for a few weeks.
Maria Jesus Araya Lira, Alicia Hewstone, and Constanza Urmeneta, all from Santiago, Chile, are part of a Foreign Exchange Program with the Villa Maria Academy in Santiago, Chile. They arrived in the United States at the beginning of January and spent a week in Washington DC before traveling to meet their host families in Cincinnati. While in Cincinnati, they attended classes at Saint Ursula Academy, learned about the culture, and, much to their surprise, enjoyed the hype surrounding the Super Bowl, something which is very different from the attitude surrounding sports in Chile, where the only televised sport is soccer.
Because the students have attended American School in Chile, they are fluent in English which contributed to their decision to study in the United States. Their parents, like many parents of their friends in Chile, believe that traveling abroad to experience various cultures is crucial in the development and education of young people today. Because of this, many of their friends are also participating in the exchange program throughout the world. They keep in touch with each other through blogs and emails detailing their experiences.
When asked about the difference between education in the United States and education in Chile, all three students responded that education here was “more strict”.
Said Maria, “At home, if you have a family function the night before at test, the family function is first. You will take your test another day. Here, if you have a family function, you must still take the test.”
When asked what part of daily life is different from their home town, they stated that the lack of public transportation in Cincinnati was very surprising, as they are accustomed to taking subways, taxis, and buses quite frequently. Another noted difference? The lack of stray dogs.
“At home, dogs just wander in the streets. Here they are pets and it is not legal to let them just wander around. We were confused in Washington DC because we didn’t see any dogs anywhere!” said Constanza.
Additionally, Alicia noticed water fountains are plentiful. Stated Alicia, “In the United States, there are water fountains everywhere. At home, you just don’t have the opportunity to fill a water bottle wherever you are.”
Saint Ursula Academy Spanish Teacher Corina Corder was happy to be an advisor to the Chilean students and sees numerous reasons why foreign travel is important for young women. “The students learn independence, confidence, and learn an appreciation for both their own and other cultures. Through daily interactions such as ordering their own food, doing laundry, shopping at a store, etc, they learn the skill of patiently communicating across cultures. Most importantly, students who participate in a global exchange form lasting connections with people from around the world.
As part of this program, the students’ host sisters, Sylvia Wampler ’16, Kelsey Harbert ‘16, and Shannon Brown ’15 will visit Chile and attend school in Santiago later this year. They look forward to the experience, especially meeting the families of the students who are becoming like family to them.