Focus on Chile

  Chile

• Santiago: 
Santiago

Durations of Program: 5-8 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Dates: Year Fall: July 26-29, 2010- July 5-8, 2011/ Spring: Feb 22-25, 2010- Jan 10-13, 2011/ Semester Fall: July 26-29, 2010- Jan 10-13, 2011/ Semester Spring: Feb 22-25, 2010- July 29 - Aug 1, 2010 / Summer Homestay: June 2010- August 2010

Description: Discover the southernmost country of the world or, as Pablo Neruda (Chilean Nobel Prize Winner) once wrote, the country made for poets. From flamingos inhabiting the world's driest desert in northern Chile to penguin colonies that call the southern Patagonia region home, the variety of Chile's natural wonders will enchant you. You'll experience the beauty and the towering presence of the Andes as you arrive in Santiago, the capital and largest city in Chile. Chile is renowned for its idyllic Lake District, dotted with snow-capped volcanoes and crystalline lakes along half its Pacific coast. Chileans enjoy family-centered activities and the natural beauty that surrounds them. You will learn about Chilean culture by sharing your host family's special traditions as they practice the customs and traditions of their various ethnic groups. Local traditions are best reflected in the many festivals that take place around the country, such as the Fiestas Patrias (Independence Day). Many Chileans also enjoy a wide range of theater and outdoor festival performances. Memories are waiting to be made as you sit in an outdoor café, munch on empanadas, and get to know your new friends.

Highlights: Year and Semester Programs:
Most schools are private and require uniforms. The school year runs from late February or early March through December. Before long, you'll find yourself relaxing with your Chilean friends in the town square and feeling quite at home. In addition to an arrival orientation, AFS Chile provides local orientations and some group activities, as well as informal get-togethers and optional tours to the north in June and south in October.

Summer Homestay Program:
Live with a host family while learning about Chilean life, while attending a local school and participating in sports, language, science, arts, drama, and other clubs.

Cost in US$: Programs: Year (USD 9,000-USD 12,000), Semester (USD 8,000-USD 11,000), Short Summer (USD 6,000-USD 8,000), Gap-year (USD 8,000-USD 12,000)

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview Required
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

AFS Intercultural Programs/USA's Mission Statement: AFS Intercultural Programs is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. AFS Intercultural Programs is a leader in intercultural learning and offers international exchange programs in over 50 countries around the world through independent, not-for-profit AFS organizations, each with a network of volunteers, a professionally staffed office, and headed up by a volunteer board.

Year Founded: 1947