Dear Brie,
South America isn't bad at all. I have been living already 10 years in countries like Peru and Ecuador. Have visited Chile, Argentina, Brasil among others. It is a bit more chaotic than North America or Europa, but in the end (in most cases lol) it works out miraculously. Stay patient if sometimes things seem not to work. Specially if you have to deal with officials. Stay calm and friendly, don't show your impatience or anger. If you do the procedure will take twice as long. Usually people down here are very helpful and often go out of their way. So I am going to bet you will have a great experience. Good luck!
best wishes, Greta