I had a great time in Arica, Chile with SIT. The guest lecturers were interesting, there were a variety of topics covered and the trips we took were very fun! We went to different health centers, practiced my Spanish, and learned about health in the indigenous

communities in the area. While I was in Chile there were a lot of political protests which made the experience that much more interesting, but also hard to study in the country. I stayed with a great host family, and the staff are very nice and supportive as well.

This program provided many opportunities that would never have been possible alone. We were able to meet people and go to places that aren't accessible to your typical tourist, making the program feel very worthwhile. Another wonderful aspect of the program

was that it was clearly worth the cost. There was never a moment where anyone wondered where all the tuition money had gone; it was visibly being spent on our experiences and and our time abroad.

My study abroad experience in Chile was overall, an amazing experience. The majority of our time was spent in the northernmost city of Arica with its unique geography of being both beach and dessert. Arica is a nice-sized city with plenty to do for fun.

The structure of the program allows for exploration of many interesting topics related to health and culture. I loved being able to travel as part of this program to different areas in the northern region as well as to the southern part of Chile. The application of public health and traditional medicine is very relevant and exceedingly interesting! The SIT staff is also amazing and really cares about its small group of students. The relationships fostered during this time are some that you will continue to have even upon your return back to your home country.

I enjoyed the variety of experiences I had doing this program. We took several trips so we got to see a good portion of the country. The host families were all nice and wanted to help their students and have them be involved with family activities. It

was difficult to adjust to all of the sudden changes at first, but the staff were all helpful at in country orientation. The academics weren't very rigorous, most likely because you are encouraged to do a lot of investigating on your own time and experiencing the culture beyond books. I would have liked a more detailed methods course that gave more practical examples, but the traditional medicine and public health courses were interesting, with a fair number of guest speakers. I loved the ISP (independent study project) period, as it allowed for the most freedom and you can investigate a specific topic that really interests you.

My semester in Chile was a really unique time that I now look back on and still am able to laugh at and be in awe of. The program is organized in a way that allows you to see travel around Chile and really get a sense of the country as a whole. I stayed

with 4 Chilean families over the course of the semester and was able to learn so much about Chilean culture (and by comparison my own culture) from sharing in their daily lives. My favorite part of the program was the ISP period, which I spent in Santiago volunteering full-time at a non-profit organization. The program director was very flexible with allowing me to conduct an ISP on a topic of particular interest to me, although it was not directly related to the themes of the program. I had an amazing time exploring a beautiful country with a group of fun and inspiring students who I still keep in touch with. My Spanish improved immensely over the course of the semester and I quickly became accustomed to approaching strangers for directions, help or simply making conversation. This is the perfect program for anyone who is interested in studying anthropology or indigenous rights, particularly around the topic of traditional medicine. The program is structured very well and I think that a selling point of the program is that you are exposed to the current controversies surrounding public health related to traditional medicine in a variety of contexts (urban/rural, North/South, etc.)