Welcome to Santiago!

Welcome to Santiago! 

The Santiago CIEE Team and Program Leaders are thrilled to get to know this amazing group. 

Sunday - Travel Day 

Airport 

As students began arriving at the gates, they spent time getting to know each other. By playing games, such as Uno and 21 Questions, students immediately started connecting and forming relationships with their peers. Seeing the students' willingness to share about themselves continued throughout the day's activities. 

Upon arrival, the Santiago Team welcomed our group at the airport with warm and energetic smiles, information was given, and caring reassurance, then to the host families!!! Where a yummy dinner received them and with that the arrival day ended. 

Host Families

Each student spent their first nights with their host families, reporting an overwhelmingly positive experience the next morning! Many students expressed their excitement about practicing their Spanish, trying traditional meals, and bonding with their roommates. Students' loved getting to know their host families during their first meals, where they ate amazing food, asked their initial questions, and shared about their lives and the things they’re excited about for the program, and of course, Santiago. 

Monday - Day One 

Orientation 

To begin orientation, students and staff participated in a Web Name Game, where everyone introduced themselves, while passing around a ball of yarn. Students enjoyed this activity because they got to learn more about their peers, share their victory dances, and smile. As students passed around the yarn, they held onto a piece, representing the connection we have with one another, and the support we will provide our group. 

Afterward, students individually reflected on their goals for the program then shared them with the group. To share, students crumbled up their papers, threw them in the center, and picked up a random one to share aloud. During this activity, the students had the opportunity to anonymously share about themselves, while also guessing who shared what! 

Many of the goals included improving their Spanish language skills, dancing, building long-lasting relationships with local children and others in the program, and generally, stepping out of their comfort zones. During our activity group reflection, we emphasized the importance and impact being in community has in group settings by highlighting similarities rather than differences. 

Calle Del Sol 

In the evening, the group visited Calle Del Sol, where we stopped for empanadas and coconuts, shopped, and saw the Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración during sunset. El Tablón Latino hosted our group for dinner, where students continued to build relationships in fruitful conversations. Throughout dinner, it was amazing to see how well students connected in such a short-period of time. 

Stay tuned for more!