As my time winds down here in Chile, I have been thinking about the great experiences I have had during my journey. From the people I have met to the places I have visited; Chile has been a wonderful country to call home for these few months.

I will say that the relationships that I have built here will stick with me for the rest of my life. My host family now feels like an extension of my birth family. At the beginning I felt a bit nervous moving into someone else’s home, but now as we sit and play cards and chat about everything from politics to cinema, I truly feel like I have lived here my whole life.

I have also accomplished many personal goals since being here. My Spanish language skills have improved immensely. At first, I was nervous to order a coffee at Café Recreo, my favorite café in my neighborhood. Now, it has become second nature to order food and have a full conversation in Spanish with an Uber driver.

The most important goal for me personally was to dedicate time to my writing. Since being here I have made huge progress on my screenplay. Also, I have written numerous poems which was assisted by the fact that I took creative writing at my host university (in Spanish of course!). But as an artist I feel like I have improved my writing skills so much more. I think it was due to Chile having such a rich history of fantastic writers. Maybe Neruda’s spirit flowed through me.

To conclude, I truly hope I can return here and see the people I have met. I actually plan to come back here and teach English, so not as farfetched as I would have thought! I can also safely say that I have no regrets. Chile, te amo, hasta la proxima vez. Chau!

Graham Mackey is a student at Colorado State University and was an ISA Featured Castañeda Blogger. He studied abroad with ISA in Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, Chile.

Your Discovery. Our People… The World Awaits.