ISEP student Jason S. is a part of ISEP Voices Spring 2016. He is a digital video production major from Ball State University, and is currently studying abroad at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile.
When you study abroad in a new and exciting country, oftentimes your loved ones from back home will want to come visit you in your new home. When these times come, the pressure is on! They’re on vacation and you’re not. And unlike times when you’re on vacation and hire a tour guide, when people come to visit you abroad, YOU are the tour guide.
This is how I felt last week when my boyfriend, Michael, came to visit for a week. He was here at exactly the halfway point of my time in Chile, so I already knew my favorite places, attractions, restaurants, viewpoints and more. Additionally, there were things that I knew I wanted to do around here that I had yet to do. Having visitors is a perfect time to do such activities and you can both enjoy a new experience together. For me, these things included a boat tour of Valparaíso’s port, as well as a day trip to Casablanca, one of Chile’s major wine regions, doing tastings, a tour and a fancy lunch.
In addition to showing your guest your favorite places, they have a much shorter amount of time to experience this new culture than you do. There are many ways you can go about giving them the best cultural experience possible, but one thing that I chose to do was buy Chilean (and other foreign) foods and drinks that you cannot find in my home country. Where I have five months to try all of these things, Michael only had six days. This did, however, give me the opportunity to try some of the things that I had not yet tried. The video below features the taste test we did of different fruits and pops.
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