Chile turned 206 years old on September 18th! Experiencing the 18th in Chile was an insightful experience of the country's culture, history, and politics. It was a glorious day filled with intoxicating smells of BBQs, Chilean kites flying high in the sky, and everyone laughing and dancing with their loved ones. Looking back, here are some great ways I was able to enjoy such a historic day of a country that I’ve come to call my own.

With technology, communicating is a lot easier than it used to be while traveling. Now during the times you are abroad, you can not only communicate with your family and friends back home, but you can use programs like Skype and Facetime to see them, as well. Although it may not be the main method of communication, sending postcards and written letters from around the world can be something you keep and look back on to remember your time abroad. I did this while studying abroad in London, and am grateful for the experience.

I left the hot 98 degree Santiago air to land in a snowstorm in Boston. After a 15-hour journey, the freezing air slapped me in the face as the automatic doors opened to let me out. Disorientated and dehydrated, I bumped into a man on my way out of the plane. “I’m so sorry. I am sorry,” I cried out.

“It’s ok,” he snarled back. Ahh, yes, the frigid air irritating my skin, the cold remarks of strangers refusing to make eye contact, and the monitor announcing flights every few minutes. Logan Airport, we meet again.