Erie, Pa.----Greetings! My name is Julie Zielinski and I’m a rising senior on the Wingate University women’s soccer team. For W’International, I went to Chile. It was such a great experience! We visited many cities where we were able to go on many tours.

The first day we were in Santiago, the capital of Chile, which reminded me so much of New York City. Then we spent the next two nights in the city of Valparaiso, where we got the chance to have dinner with some Chilean students. This was interesting because we were able to talk to the students about Chile and find out their hobbies. Fortunately, the Chilean students knew English because we were not too good with Spanish. We also learned how to salsa in Valparaiso. We also visited Case Museo La Sebastiana, which was a famous house built by Sebastian Collado. The famous poet, Pablo Neruda, lived in Case Museo La Sebastiana.

We then took a flight down south to Chiloe, where it was very cold (it was winter there). On the ferry to the island of Chiloe, we saw some sea lions and flamingos. We took a two-hour hike through a mountain in Chiloe, which was my favorite part of the trip because the scenery was so pretty. Even though the hike ended up being really long, it was definitely a great experience.

On the same day, we also ate at a restaurant which had a great view of the mountain in the background and horses roaming around. We also had the chance to go kayaking in the lake, but since it was so cold I decided not to go. Another night, a family cooked us dinner outside underneath a burlap cloth. They cooked so much chicken, beef, pork and seafood for all of us…we were very grateful. After dinner, we also got the chance to do some more salsa with the family.

After being down south for a couple days, we took a flight back up to Santiago to prepare for our departure to the United States. The weather in Santiago was much warmer, which was nice. Our last night in Chile, we shopped at the markets and found many wool items, such as socks and scarves and wooden items. Finally, we headed to the airport for our nine-hour flight to the US. I’m really thankful to have had this opportunity to go to Chile. I had the chance to form close relationships with other students that go to Wingate.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY’S W’INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM

Each year, eligible students in their junior year of study are offered an opportunity to spend 10 days abroad with a Wingate faculty member after a semester of study related to the relevant destination. The W’International program, created in 1978, makes a study-abroad experience available to students at little extra expense beyond the semester’s tuition charge.

Since the program’s inception, students have traveled to more than 30 countries in virtually every corner of the globe. Typically, eligible students may choose one of six different destinations. W’International trips either leave after Christmas each year, or after Commencement in May.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,159 students offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, world travel, career discovery and community service.

Wingate offers 34 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, communication, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers graduate degrees in business, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration. In addition, the school awards the doctor of pharmacy and the doctor of education degrees.

Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past four years.

Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 36 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 45 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.