Submitted by Niko Reed on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Chile sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…
While I love living with my host family, this program is short on opportunities to meet Chilean people outside of that. My favorite way so far has been with Magic the Gathering!
For those who don’t know, Magic is a trading card game. The game has thousands of unique cards, and you build your own unique deck to face off against other players. Each deck has its own unique strategy and style, with the goal to take your opponent life’s before they can do the same to you.
The game is huge, and one of the great things about it is that it extends all over the world. Chile has a vibrant Magic the Gathering scene, and I have been able to find shops to play in during all of our weekend excursions as well as in our home base, Santiago.
For me, Magic is the perfect combination of fun, friendship making, and language practice. I’ve been playing with Spanish cards and the game requires a lot of communication when you play in person. That being said, the structure of the game really helps fill in the gaps in communication.
Everyone I’ve met in local stores has been incredibly nice, and it’s been one of my favorite pastimes on the program. As an additional bonus, the Spanish language cards I open will be great souvenirs I can play with for years to come.
