Michael Aleman, PUC Exchange, Fall 2012
Classes are split into modules, with 8 modules of 80 minutes each used as placeholders for classes. There is a universal hourlong break for lunch, although students can eat before or after the established. Microwaves are located all around the campus, as the majority of students commute from home with packed lunches (if they don’t simply return home for lunch).
Lone microwave. Normally there are 3 or 4 in a single area.
There’s a daily mass held at the small chapel in the centre of campus. This, along with the status of various Christian religious figures dotting the grounds, reflect the Catholic roots of this university. Most free days (días feriados) at school are related to some religious occasion such as a saint’s day.
I have class 4-5 times a week (depending on events scheduled, missing my first discussion on Friday is not too big a deal; my second discussion is repeated on Tuesday afternoon the same week). I take four courses (ramos), while the norm is 6.
Heat transfer professor demonstrating a concept
Thermodynamics – notice the cross at the top of the wall. There’s one in every classroom.
My “slacker” schedule at PUC
My homestay is in Las Condes, which is a 40 to 75 min commute, depending on the day of the week. The reason for the discrepancy is due to the bus and metro being packed by people going to work (between 7 and 8:30AM) during the morning “rush hour”. Without a doubt, commuting to school has been the low point of the experience so far because of how time consuming it is.
My best friend/worst enemy, depending on the time of day.
Based on what I’ve seen on campus, you can’t help but joke that modern Chilean culture loves to protest everything. From posters asking students to cease writing on tables to the near-weekly student protests demanding educational reform to the complaints about presumed corruption in the government, young Chileans have no problem venting their frustration. This is especially interesting considering how most middle aged and later adults are usually reserved about their concerns – some attribute this back to the time of the dictatorship. Nevertheless, the fact that so many people remain informed of the conditions in their country is admirable considering that the same does not necessarily occur in the US, much less Mexico.
On another note, the engineering students are some of the best organized on campus. They hold an engineer’s week each year with plenty of non-engineering activities like paintball, soccer, and this:
LUCHA LIBRE!
The engineering section is also very nice.
