Hi! My name is Violeta Nuñez and I am a Housing Coordinator for international students, who come to Chile for a determined period of time.

I started working as a housing coordinator for international students in 1995.  At first, I worked with international students who came to Chile to study with semester or yearly Study Abroad Programs. Yet, I have also begun to work with students who come to study with summer programs that last from four to six weeks. In order to provide housing for these programs, I work with over 250 Chilean families and the number of Chilean families continues increasing.

Most of the international students whom I work with are from the United States. The University of Illinois, Utah, North Carolina, California, Villanova are a few of the universities with which I work.  I also search for housing for international students and professionals who come to Chile during dates that do not coincide with the yearly, semester and summer programs.

In order to insure the best living experience, my husband, Luis, and I do the following tasks: On the one hand, I visit the houses of Chilean families, interview the family, observe the living arrangements and advise the family if there needs to be changes made to the house. (For example, the gas heater should not be located inside the bathroom.) Luis, on the other hand, receives the applications from prospective Chilean families, maintains the information of the Chilean families and tries to match the international students with a family that has similar interests. We make sure that the international students are in constant communication with the university where they are studying.

We love our work because it allows us to meet Chileans and international students with different interests and from different backgrounds.

Host families are excited to have a foreign exchange student in their home. It allows them to experience a different culture and learn from a different culture in their own home. The host families will also try to make you feel like a part of the family in hopes that you will know what it is like to live our culture.

Another housing option for international students who want more independence are shared housing (pensiones, residenciales) and private apartments.