Social Work Internships in Valparaiso

First, I would like to start with verifying that Adelante is a legit agency, and I will do so because I was worried at the beginning that these opportunities were a fraud. But they weren't!! I'll leave this info just in case anyone else has the same doubts that I had. I took an internship on social work in Chile, and it turned out to be one magical experience after the other. I travelled to San Pedro de Atacama, Santiago, La Serena, huilo huilo, and Puerto Varas, and I can tell you that all of them are so beautiful that they must be on everyone's bucket list. My work environment was awesome, and my coworkers made feel welcomed all the time. Just watch out the chilenismos because some are very difficult to understand. Jokes aside, I am very glad I had the chance to take this opportunity because it was amazing and insightful. My internship allowed me to refine my social skills, but most importantly, I also learned a lot of things about myself. Things that I thought I was not going to be able to do, I did them anyway. I travelled around Chile almost very weekend as I mentioned, and for me, that had a huge impact because it was the first time I had to plan all the trip, search for hotels, and make the reservations by my own. Those experiences may seem trivial, but you will later see that you can apply every little thing you learn even in your work environment, as it happened to me. If you are planning to take an internship abroad, take it. You can only gain and learn more about the history of a country, its culture, and its people.

Valparaíso, Chile is a city filled with colorful historical buildings and graffiti by artists from around the world. Every day while walking around town, to school, or to my internship, I would see something new everyday. It took a few months, but I became an expert in the nooks and crannies of this wonderful quirky, historical city. I fell in love with the dancing, the drinks, the families, the people, and the strays that wandered the city. If I need an American refresher, I would head to neighboring city Viña del Mar that was filled with American brands such as Starbucks and architecture that resembled the United States. I worked in a public school meant for the impoverished of the city. My students were sixth to eighth graders. This experience became one of the most challenging for me, but it is my proudest moment by far. I traveled a lot and felt completely safe as a woman in South America. Just be street smart and you'll be fine. This country is great for hiking and outdoor activities and is cheaper to European countries. I chose to take tougher academic classes to really challenge me, so don't expect classes with locals to be easy. But it was manageable and it improved my Spanish greatly! Great experience and I am dying to go back to see all the friends I miss!!