The University of Maine (4-9-1, 2-4-0 AE) soccer team traveled to Albany, N.Y. to take on the University of Albany Great Danes (5-10-1, 3-3-1 AE) on Sunday. The Great Danes annihilated the Black Bears with a final score of 4-1 assisted by third-year forward Mariah Williams’ hat trick.

The first score of the game came eight minutes into play from Albany. Williams was able to get through the defense and get it past third-year goaltender Samantha Cobotic for her first goal of the game. Third-year defender Caroline Kopp took the assist.

For her second goal of the game, Williams found the back of the net once again almost 12 minutes in. First-year midfielder Miranda Badovinac got the assist.

Just one minute before the end of the first half, Maine was able to get it past first-year goaltender Andrea Leitner for their one and only point of the game. Second-year defender Priscilla Domingo was credited with the one goal that Maine had, with third-year defender Mikayla Morin taking the assist.

The second half was dominated by the Great Danes. They scored both their remaining goals within the last 10 minutes of play.

The first was the goal that completed Williams’ hat trick. Her goal was unassisted and tallied her seventh goal of the season. She leads the team in goals scored as well as total points (14).

The last game was scored by Badovinac on a header with an assist by first-year defender Katie Gowing. This season Badovinac has scored two goals and tallied four assists in her first collegiate season.

Maine logged six shots in the first period, but just two in the second period. Meanwhile, the Great Danes remained consistent, logging seven in each period, getting two goals each half as well. For the Black Bears, second-year midfielder Emilie Anderson led the team in shots with three shots, while Williams led for Albany with five shots, all of which were shots on goal. Cobotic made four saves, while Leitner made two. This game puts Leitner’s record at 5-7-1.

The Black Bears will return home to play Binghamton University on Thursday, Oct. 19 with a kick-off scheduled at 7 p.m. University of Albany will play Stony Brook in Stony Brook, N.Y. on Thursday, Oct. 19 with a kick-off at 7 p.m.

On Friday, Oct. 13, second-year David Holmberg sat outside on the mall enjoying the weather. Holmberg is studying wildlife ecology here at the University of Maine with a minor in botany. This won’t be his first degree though. He previously earned two degrees from the University of Cincinnati in education and history.

“I decided I was not going to be a teacher. It’s for some people not for others. That and there’s no job market for history teachers,” Holmberg said.

After graduating he went into the military and spent four years in the Marines before getting out and searching for a school, landing on UMaine.

“Basically, I liked the area, I moved from out of state. It’s one of the few programs that I saw that actually had wildlife ecology, so it’s kind of why I chose Maine,” Holmberg said.

Being from out of state is a slight understatement, as Holmberg has moved around throughout his life. He is most recently from Michigan, but he has also spent time in North Carolina, Ohio, New York and California.

Holmberg calls himself a junior with plans to graduate next year, despite only having spent two years here at UMaine.

“I might have to take an extra semester, just because of class loads and not being able to get everything when I need to. Especially with my schedule I have to mix and match different years.”

Being a nontraditional student, when he came here his first year he took a senior-level course. He had most of his general education requirements done when he came here from his other programs, so it was mostly just focusing on the biology classes.

“On my first go-through, I actually didn’t really study that much and I started forming study groups here and just actually studying more now, which was something I lacked in my first time.”

Having come from history and education, Holmberg has had to learn many things that were not part of his previous educational experience.

“It’s a complete shift from history and education to Biology now, so learning all the new terminology, it’s like a whole new language pretty much. But it’s fun, I enjoy it.”

“I’ve taken a couple field courses…Since this is my second year here, I’ll have all the prerequisites to take [the May term field placement] this year,” Holmberg said.

This will be his first big field placement, but he has done some volunteering in the field with different professors and graduate students.

After graduating with this degree he plans to go into the field and work. He is not picky about where he will work, but he does have an idea of what it will look like.

“Ideally I just want to work out in the field focusing on invasive species, habitat rehabilitation, reconstruction, stuff like that…Ideally I’d like an international job, moving around from place to place, but Maine wouldn’t be too bad of a place to live either.”

#YouMaine is a weekly feature highlighting the continued excellence of Black Bears just like you.

On Friday, Oct. 6 the University of Maine Black Bears (3-1-0) traveled to Troy, N.Y. to face the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Engineers (0-4-0) in a game that left the Black Bears ahead with a final score of 2-1.

In a similar fashion to their previous two games, Maine scored the first goal of the game, just three minutes into play. Fourth-year forward Brooke Stacy was credited with the shot although it was actually the Engineers who tapped it in for the Black Bears. Second-year forward Jessica Jacques and defender Brittany Kucera had the assist on the goal.

The rest of the first period as well as the second period did not see any scoring, but the third period started off with a goal from RPI less than 30 seconds after the whistle. First-year defender Madeleine Burnett netted her first collegiate goal off a pass from second-year forwards Megan Hayes and Blake Orosz, tying up the game 1-1.

Maine did not let the game end in a tie as they scored again with just six minutes remaining in the game. Third-year forward Cailey Hutchison scored this goal off the rebound from her first shot, scoring her first goal of the season. Second-year forward Tereza Vanisova and second-year defender Brittany Colton got the assist on the goal. This was Hutchison’s first collegiate goal.

This was all the scoring the game would see, putting Maine on top. Third-year goaltender Lovisa Selander took the loss on the night recording 34 saves on the net. Second-year Carly Jackson took the win for her second win of the season, making 21 saves.

Both teams will return to the ice Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for the second and final game of the series.

The Black Bears sweep the weekend, beat RPI in game 2

The Black Bears and Engineers returned to the ice for the second game of the series Saturday afternoon, with the Black Bears coming up on top with a final score of 3-2.

Second-year forward Jessica Jacques scored the first goal for the Black Bears by shooting it into the corner of the net on the back door. Hutchison and second-year defender Ebba Strandberg took the assist. This was Jacques first goal of the season.

RPI didn’t waste any time tying up the score, scoring just two minutes later with a power play goal. First-year defender Madeleine Burnett and fourth-year defender Amanda Kimmerle passed the puck to fourth-year forward Marisa Raspa to score the goal, putting it in over Jackson’s shoulder.

Maine kept the scoring going in the first period, scoring a power play goal of their own 14 minutes into the period. Vanisova took the puck down the ice, passing it to Kucera, who got it to Strandberg. Strandberg tucked it in behind Selander, giving Maine the lead.

Maine kept the lead until the third period, when RPI scored once again, knotting the score at 2. Second-year forward Sabrina Repaci found the back of the net this time with an assist from Kimmerle and fourth-year forward Shayna Tomlinson. Repaci scored five goals and four assists last year with this goal being her first of this season.

With just six and a half minutes remaining, Maine took the lead off a score from second-year forward Lydia Murray. Murray scored on a loose puck with Vanisova and Hutchinson taking the assist.

Jackson took the win, recording 20 saves on the night while Selander took the loss, despite recording 28 saves.

The Black Bears will return to the ice at the Alfond for their homecoming series against Robert Morris University on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. RPI will travel to Rochester, N.Y. to play the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) on Friday, Oct. 13. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 pm.

Friday night, the No. 9 Quinnipiac Bobcats (1-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) squared off against the University of Maine Black Bears (1-1-0, 0-0-0 HEA) at the Alfond for their first regular season game. Although both teams came onto the ice shooting, Quinnipiac was able to find the back of the net one more time than Maine, ending the game 2-1.

The second period was the period of Quinnipiac, where both of their goals were scored by two different players. Just 3 minutes and 38 seconds into the period Quinnipiac knotted up the score at 1-1 with a goal scored by second-year wing Abby Cleary. Getting the assist on the goal was second-year defender Kate Mackenzie and second-year wing Sarah-Eve Coutu-Godbout.

“Well I got right off the bench and I saw Kate [Mackenzie] at the point, so I wanted to make sure they got the screen and she had a really good shot on net and I was just luck enough to tip it in there,” Cleary said of her goal.

Quinnipiac was not done scoring for the period. Fifteen minutes later the Bobcats found the back of the net once again off a loose puck, bringing the score up to 2-1. Assistant Captain third-year center Randi Marcon was the one to score this one off an assist from Cleary and fourth-year wing Raquel Pennoyer.

Both teams started the game off strong, with neither team scoring until the last two minutes of the first period, when Maine was able to net their first goal of the season. First-year defender Anna Zikova scored off an assist from first-year forward Michelle Weis on a loose puck. This was Zikova’s first collegiate goal.

“I just got on the top of the circle and I just shot on the net, I don’t know,” Zikova said.

This goal came moments after Quinnipiac was thought to net a goal into the lower right corner of the net. After reviewing the play the refs reaffirmed that the call on the ice of no goal was correct.

The third period saw a lot of good playing from both teams, but neither team was able to find the back of the net.

“I thought offensively we did a lot of good things: moved the puck, kept our feet moving, drove the net, created a lot of good chances. Defensively we just needed to be a little bit more aggressive and a little bit more physical in front of our net,” Maine Head Coach Richard Reichenbach said.

Both teams’ defenses were tested as the offenses were determined to net goals. Quinnipiac logged 22 shots on goal, while Maine was right behind with 17 shots. Second-year Allison Ives was in goal for the Bobcats. Last season, Ives recorded three starts in net, playing in a total of six games with only one goal allowed. She took the win on the night, while second-year goaltender Carly Jackson took the loss. Last year Jackson was 7-18-1 in the net, recording one shut-out.

“I was a little bit nervous before the first game, but it was good,” Zikova said.

Both teams are young teams, so Zikova definitely wasn’t the only one experiencing these first-game jitters. Maine had four first-year players on their roster for the night while Quinnipiac had six.

“We are really happy. We would liked to have had the puck a little more in the third period, but Maine came at us. They’re a good hockey team. They have a lot of grit,” Quinnipiac Head Coach Cassandra Turner said.

Both teams will return to the Alfond Saturday, Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. for the second game of the series as the Black Bears look for a win.

Black Bears best Bobcats winning 4-2

The Bobcats and Black Bears returned to the ice for the second game of the series on Saturday afternoon. The game started off right where it had left off the day before with both teams skating to win. This time Maine came out on top, winning the game 4-2, leaving the series split.

Similar to the night before, the second period was when all the magic happened. Both teams netted two goals, with Maine finishing the period ahead by one. Three minutes into the period. Maine brought their one-point lead up to two when second-year forward Tereza Vanisova and second-year defender Brittany Kucera set up the shot for second-year forward Vendula Pribylova to find the back of the set.

“I don’t think too much changed. Our game plan was pretty much exactly the same, we changed a few things, didn’t change much. I just think with the puck we were better,” Reichenbach said.

After Maine scored their second goal, Quinnipiac opted for a goalie switch. Starting goaltender first-year Allison Small was replaced with Ives for the rest of the game.

Two minutes after Maine’s goal, Quinnipiac countered with one of their own. Coutu-Godbout scored with the assist from fourth-year Assistant Captain center T.T. Cianfarano and third-year Captain wing Melissa Samoskevich. Samoskevich and Cianfarano skated down the ice two-on-one with a Maine defender and were able get it to Coutu-Godbout to score.

Six minutes later, Quinnipiac knotted the game at 2-2 with another goal. There were 10 seconds left on the power play opportunity after Maine’s Kucera was sent to the box for holding. Quinnipiac took full advantage of this as Mackenzie found the back of the net with an assist from Cianfarano and Samoskevich.

Maine did not let the score stay knotted for long. Two minutes after Quinnipiac’s goal, Maine scored again on the four-on-four, after Vanisova and fourth-year wing Raquel Pennoyer were sent to the penalty box for hitting after the whistle. Second-year forward Lydia Murray scored for the Black Bears off an assist from third-year defender Alyson Matteau and second-year defender Ebba Strandberg, putting Maine in the lead 3-2.

The game started in a similar fashion to the night before, but with much more force and determination that the previous game. In the first period alone, Quinnipiac had 16 shots on goal, while Maine only had five. Unlike Quinnipiac, for Maine, one of these shots resulted in a goal. Seconds after Maine killed the penalty, Vanisova got possession of the puck and passed to Weis, who passed it to Kucera to score. This point put Maine in the lead going into the second period.

“Me and Tereza [Vanisova] were playing in the corner. We got the puck up to Brittany [Kucera] and she took a shot and then Quinnipiac’s player actually did the job and put it in their own goal. So that was kinda nice,” Weis said.

Winning by one was not enough for the Black Bears as they continued to make shots on goal for the rest of the game, giving Ives a run for her money. In the last period both teams were trying to score and best the other team, but it was Maine who was finally able to do it. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Ives was pulled for an extra offensive player. Vanisova got the puck and scored an unassisted goal on the empty net for her first goal of the season and Maine’s fourth of the game.

Although Quinnipiac continued to try, they were not able to find the back of the net again, falling 4-2 to the Black Bears.

Quinnipiac will continue on the road traveling to Providence on Friday, Oct. 6. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Maine will also hit the road to Troy, N.Y. to face Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Friday. Their game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

This weekend, two of the more popular Chilean soccer teams squared off for the annual game titled the “Classico Universitario.” This name has been given to any games between Universidad de Chile and Universidad Catolica, two teams that for many fans represent the divide between the upper and lower classes. Universidad Catolica represents the portion of the population who have plenty of money.

You can see it simply through the location of their stadiums. Universidad Catolica’s stadium is in Los Condes, which is a more ritzy neighborhood and the people who live there are of the upper class. The Universidad de Chile stadium is located in Nunoa, which is a nice neighborhood in Santiago, but not quite as nice as Los Condes. Most of the families who live in Nunoa are of the middle or upper middle class. Historically, this game has resulted in violence between fans and the tickets usually sell out early. For this reason, I was not able to attend the game, but it seemed to be a good game.

The final score of the game this year was 3-1 in favor of Universidad Catolica. Universidad Catolica has won five out of the past eight games the two teams have played. Last year, the teams played multiple times in the Copa Chile, or the Chilean Cup.

The game on Oct. 24 ended in a tie 3-3, with neither team being able to pull ahead. A week before that game, in another cup game, Universidad Catolica beat Universidad de Chile, 2-0. A month before that, Catolica also won 2-1 in a game in the Supercopa Chile. In a game on Aug. 27, 2016, Catolica won once again, 3-0, even though Universidad de Chile was noted as having possession for 60 percent of the game. At their first game of 2016, Catolica started off the season with a 2-1 win. Before that in November of 2015, there was a tie game, with both teams netting two goals.

Finally, the last win for Universidad de Chile against Universidad Catolica was at their game on March 5, 2015. With it being so long since Universidad de Chile had won a game, there is no doubt that the fans and the team hoped this would be the game where they could make their comeback.

Unfortunately for them, Universidad Catolica had different plans for the game. This is the the aspect that can make the games dangerous to attend. The fans get so into the teams and feel so strongly about their teams that win or lose, it is completely possible for the fans to get rowdy both during and after the game.

There will be more games when the teams meet next year. Although neither team has any on the schedule for this season, there will be at least one game next year for Universidad de Chile to break the streak of Universidad Catolica and get a win in the books. Fans on both teams will be patiently waiting for the next game, while the fans of Catolica enjoy the win that they gained this past weekend.

Studying abroad is full of ups and downs. There are days when you wish you were leaving tomorrow and other days where you wish you could live here forever. My experience was no different from this; I’ve had good days and bad days. Now that it is time to actually leave this city that has become my home over the past four months, my feelings are still mixed. There are definitely some things I will miss, but there are also things I can’t wait for back in the United States.

The biggest thing that I will miss about Santiago, something that is available in almost any place that you study abroad, is how you are constantly learning. Whether it is the commute to school, actual classes or just hanging out with people. There are limitless opportunities to learn, without having to put in a lot of effort. Especially here, where the dominant language is not English and the Spanish has a very unique dialect. Everytime I do something as simple as buy toothpaste at the store or put money on my metro card, I get to practice my Spanish skills.

Another big thing that I will miss here is living in a city. While there are definitely times I wish that I could just be alone in my car, drive somewhere and not have to sit in traffic for half an hour, being in the city means there is always something to do. In Santiago specifically, there are tons of parks —which I love, because these are the best place to go to people watch, workout or meet with your friends.

There is also always somewhere to go that you haven’t been before. There are so many little barrios (neighborhoods) in Santiago; my four months here, I wasn’t able to see them all. Since there are so many people here, there are tons of events happening every day, with many of them being free of charge. This past weekend, I ran a race with my friend and a few weeks ago, I went to a food festival that featured popular food from around the country. There is always something new — and often exciting — to do.

One aspect of Santiago that I definitely will not miss is the weather. When we first got here in January, it was summer and it was pretty warm, which was very nice coming right from winter. It isn’t as humid as it is in Maine, but it wasn’t uncommon to be sitting somewhere just dripping sweat. Now it is fall here and the weather has done a complete 360. Now in the mornings it is pretty cold and — while it warms up a little during the day — it cools down again in the afternoon. When you can see everyone on social media talking about how it is starting to warm up back home, it is hard to be excited about the temperatures cooling down here. It also never rains here and as someone who loves splashing in puddles and playing outside in the rain, it is weird to not experience rain for four months.

Studying abroad anywhere has highs and lows, but for me there have been many more highs than lows. Coming to Santiago, I had no idea what exactly I was getting myself into, but I had an amazing experience here. A huge part of studying abroad is trying new things and stepping out of your comfort zone. Whether it was having a complicated conversation with someone in Spanish (where neither of you knows exactly what you are talking about) or going somewhere new for the weekend, my experience was heightened by all the times I did things I wasn’t completely comfortable with. No matter where you go or what you do there, after having this experience, I believe that everyone who has a chance to study abroad should take advantage of that opportunity.

In the United States, as well as worldwide, we tend to put professional athletes up on a pedestal, considering them to be superhumans who know all the right decisions to make in all circumstances. We follow their every move, both on and off the field. While it is important to hold athletes accountable just like every other member of society, we need to bear in mind that they are humans just like the rest of us and they have a life that is more complex than what we see on the field and through the media. Recently, there have been many things that have served as reminders to the world that athletes are more than just athletes, they are people with families and personal beliefs that are stronger than their jobs at times.

One of the most extreme examples that shows the humanity of professional athletes is the many who have been convicted for crimes they committed, many while still playing for their respective teams. If you look up athletes who have committed crimes on Google, Wikipedia comes up with an extensive list of athletes worldwide on all different sports teams who have been tried—and in many cases convicted—of various crimes.

One former Patriots player who has recently been in the news is Aaron Hernandez. In April 2015 Hernandez was convicted of the murder of Odin Lloyd and sentenced to life in prison. This past week, Hernandez was found dead in his cell, which after an autopsy was ruled as a suicide.

This is just one example of how a former athlete is no different from the general population. He committed a crime and was forced to serve the time, just like anyone else, showing that athletes are not superheroes and have more of a life than what is seen on the field and with the media.

Another example of the Patriots players being “only human” is the decision of some current players to not visit the White House for the ceremony honoring their Super Bowl victory. Prior to the ceremony, many players had publicly announced that they would not be visiting the White House due to political beliefs—and for many of these players, there was backlash from the public about this personal decision.

Although these players are a part of the winning team, they are still entitled to their own personal beliefs, including their own political inclinations, which would make this their personal decision to attend or not. It is important to remember that while their performance on the field is a very public matter, they also have private lives off the field that they do not have to justify.

Addiction is also a key challenge facing athletes that is often brought into the spotlight. Many current and former athletes in the U.S.—and internationally—have been affected by addiction and have had to seek treatment in order to continue their professional careers. One notable example of this is the Argentinian soccer player Diego Maradona, who battled a serious cocaine addiction. He suffered an overdose in 2004, which resulted in him having to spend significant time in the hospital for various related medical issues.

But in 2007, Maradona made a public statement saying he had stopped drinking and had not used cocaine in two and a half years. Maradona was a soccer manager and coach, as well as a player. He was considered to be one of the greatest soccer players of all time, despite his problems with addiction. This shows that great athletes are just as susceptible as the rest of the world to have personal problems that they have to deal with, including addiction and medical issues.

It is not just the players who have personal lives that affect their beliefs and actions. They also have families and loved ones who are a significant part of their lives and who have a great ability to affect the player on and off the field.

While this may sometimes be easy to forget, as we think of them solely as the players we see on the field or court, Celtics fans were reminded of the importance this past week with the untimely death of Isaiah Thomas’s 22-year-old younger sister, Chyna Thomas. Although Thomas has continued to play with the Celtics in games one and two—and will return to play in game three—his sadness has been noticeable. As he continues to play despite this tragedy, he shows how players have to balance work and family just as everyone else has to. Despite the things that happen on the court, there will always be things happening off the court that affect players and their performance, poignantly demonstrating their humanity.

It is important to remember that while these athletes have gained their fame for playing a sport, they are still humans and have lives off the field—outside of work—that may not be as perfect or as simple as we would expect them to be. As a society we have a habit of glorifying athletes who perform exceptionally and it is important to acknowledge and respect that they are humans and are capable of having personal lives outside of the limelight.

Being abroad makes you reflect on how you look at many different aspects of the world, as well as the community surrounding you. Some of the more classic examples are, of course, food, music or religious traditions—but another thing that I found my attention drawn to was sports.

Obviously, every country and in some cases, every region of a country, has a different perspective on sports and what specific sports are important. It’s not just the differences that are important, though.

One of the greatest things I have noticed throughout my time here in Chile is that sports can really be for anyone, it just depends on how you think about and define “sports.”

When I first arrived in Chile, I learned a lot about their national sports and what sports are popular here, including soccer (football), tennis and the Chilean rodeo, all of which have a fairly large fan base.

When you think about sports in the U.S, there are a number of sports that have significant fan bases. When trying to get involved in sports, a typical first step there is to watch the sport you want to learn more about, whatever it is. What I have discovered here is that folks can be so much more involved in sports than just watching them.

In a previous column, I discussed the athletic nature of Santiago in general, including the running paths and the workout equipment on the paths and at parks, but it goes further than that. Being athletic is not limited to living in a city or using the workout equipment at the parks. It doesn’t mean that you have to go running everyday for an hour, or play on a sports team that practices twice a week and plays games every weekend.

This past weekend I went to a smaller town called San Pedro de Atacama. This town is famous because of the Atacama desert, but it still has that “sleepy town feel.” As I was there, I noticed a number of companies offering bike tours.

Bike tours are not uncommon; they exist in many tourist destinations and big cities, offered as an alternative to taking a more traditional walking or bus tour. These are the perfect example of how being athletic doesn’t have to be complicated. Opting to do a bike tour is a more active way of seeing a destination. Similar to biking to work, it is a way of exercise that serves another purpose.

Recently, there seem to be more and more campaigns, such as Play 60, to get school-aged children in the U.S. to be more active. But there are so many opportunities for everyone, children and adults, to be more active in small ways.

Living an active lifestyle doesn’t have to include going to the gym and working out for an hour, it can consist of any number of simple, small, more active decisions. It could mean running around and playing fetch with your dog in the backyard for 15 minutes. It could mean riding your bike or walking the five minute drive to work twice a week. It could mean joining a sports team in your area that plays one game every other week. Being active doesn’t have to take a lot of time out of your life, or include a routine that you hate.

It wasn’t until I saw all the ways that people in the city find to live active lives without having to dedicate a significant time to it that I noticed how easy it was for people to be active. In my host family, at least twice a week, my host dad will bike to pick up and drop off my host sister at school. They use a two person bike so that if she gets too tired she doesn’t have to pedal too much, but things as simple as this keep both of them active and exercising without adding another thing that they have to make time for.

Although these specific examples may not be accessible to everyone, there are various ways that people can live more active lifestyles without changing their whole life or being forced to do things that they hate.

When studying abroad, many programs give you options for living arrangements. Some have arrangements where you live with other students, live in an apartment alone, live in campus housing or live with a family. For the program that I am doing here in Chile, we had the option of having our housing set up through the program with a family or arranging our own housing in an apartment. Partly out of convenience, I chose the first option: being placed with a family.

The family that I was placed with consists of a mom, a dad and a 7-year-old daughter. There is another student from the United States who also lives here, which can be quite convenient at times. Both the dad and the daughter don’t speak any English, which is normal for families here, but what is not as common is that the mom speaks fluent English. This is a blessing in disguise, as when we don’t know how to say something in Spanish she can help us, but sometimes we rely on it more than our Spanish language skills.

Something unusual for studying in Chile is that although my family is living in Chile, both the parents are from Argentina. They originally came here because my host mom got a scholarship to get her masters degree at a university here. After graduating she got a job here in Santiago and the two of them decided to stay. Then they had their daughter here and keep saying that they will move back, but haven’t made any real plans to. It is really cool to live with them because we get the Chilean culture from our classes and interactions with other people, but we get a different Argentinian culture from our host family.

Although Argentina and Chile are right next to each other the two have some very different cultural differences. Number one is the language. Chilean Spanish is infamous for having a lot of slang and fast speakers and being difficult to understand, while Argentinian Spanish is slower and has a completely different accent. Instead of saying “y” when they have the “ll” like in calle, they say it with a “sh” like “cashe.” For me and for lots of people I have talked to, Argentinian Spanish is much easier to understand. After having lived with my host family for three months, I am definitely much better at understanding Argentinian Spanish. Another difference is the food. Although both cultures have similar food, in Argentina they eat much more meat than they do in Chile and they hold their meat to a higher standard (according to my host family). The traditional foods and dishes are slightly different and many of them have different names, but I like them both for their differences.

One of the best things about living with a host family is that even though you are thousands of miles away from your birth family, you still are around a family and—in my case—I have a little host sister who reminds me of my little brother. It is a double-edged sword though, because although the families are used to having students and are pretty relaxed with their rules, they still have certain rules or traditions. One example is that they have complete control over what food they buy and make for meals that we eat at their house. After having lived in an apartment, where I control what I eat and when, it is strange to have dinner made and food bought for the house, where I don’t have to do any work or put in any opinions for it. My host family is super accommodating and understanding about food that I like and don’t like. I also can’t eat gluten and they are really considerate of this and always make sure that they have something that I can eat.

No matter what housing arrangement you choose while living abroad, there are advantages and disadvantages. With a host family, I get a lot more Argentinian culture than I would if I lived by myself. I also get the opportunity to practice my Spanish with my family, especially my host sister. On the other hand, if I lived by myself I would be able to buy and make the food that I wanted for meals and do things more on my own terms. Either way you get a memorable experience living in another country, no matter how you do it.

One of the most difficult things about studying abroad, specifically in regards to going places and doing detail-intensive activities, is planning things out based on the resources available.

In the U.S., where English is the main language spoken, if you want to go on a weekend trip, you can usually find websites that provide all the information that you need in English. Being abroad here in Chile, where Spanish is the primary language, at times finding this information and understanding it can be difficult. Many times, the holes in the plans made aren’t noticed until you are actually doing the activity that you planned. This definitely held true with my trip to Torres del Paine.

It wasn’t until I arrived in Puerto Natales that I fully realized that Torres del Paine National Park is not actually located next to this town. You can’t just casually walk from your hostel or hotel to the park. It is almost a two-hour bus ride to get to the park and once you get to the park and are all signed in, there is a solid chance that you will have to take a shuttle or a boat to where you plan to start hiking.

Then there is the hiking itself. Being an inexperienced hiker, I don’t know exactly what I was expecting to experience in terms of the hikes themselves, but this one was an adventure. In total, we hiked close to 100 kilometers, or about 62 miles. The biggest challenge that I had was not knowing what to expect from each day, in terms of the difficulty or distance we were hiking.

We had a general idea of what we were hiking, with our four campsites booked, but while we were in the middle of hiking, it was difficult to tell how far we had hiked or how much farther we had to go. Many of the trails had maps with the progress you had made marked, but for our use they didn’t seem to be quite accurate.

When we entered the park, we were also given a map that gave approximations for the amount of time that each distance would take. These times weren’t quite accurate for many people on the trail, which we learned after talking to some of the other people at the campsites. This stands to reason, though. Everyone hikes differently, with some people taking breaks or hiking faster than others based on their abilities and experience.

Another factor that slowed us down on our hike was the sheer beauty of Torres. We started our adventure with a boat ride across the lake to where we started hiking. This gave us a preview of some of the mountains, but only gave a hint of how beautiful they were. Our first night we stayed near a glacier, which the next morning we hiked right up to. The second night we stayed right on the edge of the lake. The third night we stayed in the middle of three very different mountains and on the final night we stayed at the base of the path that, after 45 minutes of hiking, gave a perfect view of the actual towers (Torres).

With all these locations that we camped near, we also saw many sites as we were hiking as well, causing us to stop to take in the view, snap a few pictures and just soak in where we were.

With this being said, this experience was a sporting experience as well as a visually stimulating experience. There were so many ways to experience the park and while I chose to do it through doing the W trek, there is no wrong way to do it if you get to experience the beauty of Torres del Paine.