Erasmus experience in Santiago, Chile

Why did you choose to go to Santiago, Chile?

There are 4 main reasons for choosing Santiago:

• The possibility of learning Spanish.
• Being in South America and thus having the opportunity to explore this wonderful continent, while living in a highly developed and safe city when compared to others in Latin America.
• The Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile is well positioned and recognized among Latin America universities.
• Santiago’s particular geographical location: close from both ski resort and beach.

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

No scholarship has been granted since I was studying under the Socrates program, not Erasmus.

What is the student lifestyle like in Santiago?

I found that students’ environment was great overall. Some activities were organized such as trips, parties and sports events. Once a week, a party is organized every Wednesday for Foreign students in a different disco in Santiago: the event is called “Miercoles Po”. However, given that Exchange programs in Chile are still at its seed stage, there is a lot of room for improvement.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Santiago to other students?

I would definitely recommend Santiago for Erasmus purposes since you will be able to conciliate both partying and a learning experience. Even if courses are not highly demanding (Business Administration), you will be able to learn Spanish, know a completely different culture and most of all, travel around South America which is marvelous continent with lots of different landscapes, cities and activities to do.

In terms of partying, Santiago is a great city as well: everybody is nice and open to speak with you, share experiences, etc. Be prepared for Reggaeton!

What is the food like?

Food is one of the highlights in Santiago. You can taste the "gigantic typical south American beef steaks" on one hand and also awesome fish dishes such as salmon (due to Chile’s huge coast). In general, eating in Santiago is not expensive at all. If you really want to save money, go for the “Lomo a lo pobre” which is a typical meat dish. Chile is also a great wine producer: wine is great and not expensive at all when compared to Western Europe ones. Make sure you taste the typical cocktail of “Pisco Sour”. If you have the opportunity, go to a Peruvian restaurant and try some “ceviche” as well.

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How did you find your accommodation?

In order to find accommodation, I have to say I had some difficulties in the beginning. However, after one week without results, some friends and I decided to go to Remax. It is worth going there if you cannot find anything else. Their service was great: they found us a great house where we wanted. Of course we had to pay them a fee but it really was worthy.

What are the accommodation prices like? What are prices like for other things in general?

In terms of prices, you will be surprised to see how low they are when compared to Western Europe. We were 3 flatmates and we were paying around €230-250 (without water, electricity and gas bills) for a flat with 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms and a common swimming pool. We also had a security guard 24/24 at the entrance of the building. We were 5 min walking from the metro station (Tobalaba). The apartment was located in the financial center of Las Condes.

Prices in general are 20-30% lower than in Western Europe.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

Spanish is an easy language to learn, especially if you are coming from a Latin language speaking country.

I did not attend any Spanish courses. However, I highly recommend them not only because you will improve your communication skills, both oral and written, but also because it will allow you to know a lot of people that are in the same situation as you are: in Erasmus.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Santiago from your city?

The only way to get there from Western Europe is obviously by plane. It will cost you around €1100 (round trip). Do avoid Aerolineas Argentinas if you don’t want to have delayed flights, technical problems with the aircrafts and your luggage lost. It is often the cheapest flight but overall, it will cost you much more and will take you a lot of time.

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Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Santiago?

Discos are very similar in Santiago: Reggeaton, “Piscola”...

Miercoles Po is a great choice for Wednesday nights. Otherwise, calle Pio Nono, Baquedano is a great place to have some drinks and decide where to go later. My favorite discos were “Las Uracas” and “Salra Murano”.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Santiago?

Some restaurants I recommend are:

• Eladio at Pio Nono, Baquedano, to eat great steaks.
• Liguria, can be found in many places in Santiago: can be called a “children pub”.
• Peruvian restaurants are different and great.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

In cultural terms, one or two days are enough to visit the city:

• Go to the city center and visit the Plaza de Armas, La Moned and some museums that might interest you
• Mercado Central is a great touristic attraction as well
• Go up San Cristobal and Santa Lucia hills
• Go to see horse races at the hippodrome and bet on your favorite horses
• If you have more time and are willing to visit more than just Santiago, pick a bus and visit Cajón del Maipo, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar

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Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Santiago in the future?

Enjoy because you will be living the best time of your lives!