Leaving Chile

Today was our final day in Chile as we prepared to leave for the airport. I woke up this morning and stopped at Starbucks for breakfast. After a short nap, we headed out to our final Chilean meal. We went to Pueblo Rico, which was a nearby restaurant and I had my favorite Chilean dish, lomo al pobre. After that, we headed off to the airport for our departure to Atlanta.
It was sad leaving Chile and Vina del Mar as I learned so much and became acquainted with the culture. Last night, we had sad goodbyes with Werner and all of the Chilean students. Fortunately, both Javiers are studying abroad at the University of Pittsburgh in the fall, so hopefully we will be able to meet up sometime. It was amazing how easy it was to make friends from another culture, but it probably helped that they all spoke excellent english.

Overall, this was an amazing experience because we not only traveled to another country and saw  various tourist attractions, but we also got to know the people who lived there and learned how they viewed us and their country. I'm so glad I decided to come to Chile because it has such a vibrant culture. And so I leave with this: chao!

Last Time at the Universidad de Santa Maria

Today was our last full day in Chile and we spent the day hanging out at the University. Werner first gave us a presentation about attending the University. Then an exchange student from Belgium talked with us about her experience in a new culture, which was actually very insightful to see what it would be like to attend the university. This lecture got us all talking about the possibility of study abroad and I think that if I decide to study abroad in a spanish-speaking country, I would like to go to the Universidad de Santa Maria because everyone there is very welcoming of foreign students and it has a great culture.
We then ate lunch at the cafeteria again and had some sort of fish soup and filet with a flan-like dessert. It was interesting food to try, but it was not my favorite. Afterwards, we waited for a soccer/basketball court to become available. We decided to play soccer on two teams: one with mainly Chileans and one with mainly Gringos. Despite the couple of Chileans that ended up on our Gringo team, we still lost. But it was a really fun experience to hang out with some more Chilean students. After an hour long game, we switched to basketball, which I wasn't as good at, but it was fun to attempt to play anyway!
After we finished, we tried to scope out the school store, except the only USM merchandise they sold was mugs. However, we returned back to the hotel and we are waiting to go out to our final pizza dinner with Werner and the Chileans as we spend our final night in Chile!

Santiago

Today we visited the capital of Chile, which is Santiago. We first went to Bolsa de Santiago, which is the largest stock exchange in Chile. We watched an informative video on the stock exchange, but the presentation afterwards was lacking. Unfortunately, the trading floor was under construction so we weren't allowed to see it. Therefore, this visit was not the most exciting as we just sat in a small auditorium the whole time.
After leaving Bolsa, we walked to see the building which serves as their White House. While there, we were bombarded by high school girls who wanted to take a picture with us since we were American. This was surprising because I thought that Santiago would have more tourists; however, these schools may not have been in Santiago so the students might not have seen many tourists in the countryside. We also walked to the central plaza. We went inside the largest church in Santiago, which was beautiful and we walked around the Chilean history museum, which had artifacts from Chileans such as rulers and farmers.
Next, we headed to Mercado Central where we ate at the most famous restaurant in Chile. It was a seafood restaurant that was amongst fresh seafood shops with whole fish sitting out. I tried the salmon with shrimp and alfredo sauce which was pretty good, especially since I have never willingly eaten fish before!
After we were done eating, we headed up a mountain on our bus instead of the funicular. When we got to the top, which is 600 meters above sea level, the view of Santiago was breath-taking. We could see all of Santiago and the Andes Mountains in the distance. Also, I walked up further to see the large statue of Mary which stood at the highest point on the mountain. It was a beautiful view. We also walked around all of the tourist shops that were at the top of the mountain.

Overall, I really enjoyed Santiago as the streets had a European feel. There is so much energy and a lot of people walking around. I also loved all of the historic buildings and the plazas. However, I am sad that tomorrow will be our last day in Chile.

Relaxing on Spa Day

The weather was beautiful again today as we headed to the spa at Rosa Agustina. Tucked away amongst a residential neighborhood and an elementary school, this was a beautiful country club. However, in order to go swimming, we would have needed swim caps, so unfortunately, we could not go in one of the many pools they had there. Therefore, we soaked up the sun for most of the day and I got some relaxing reading done. We also played a soccer game with the Chileans, which was pretty intense as the Chileans showed off their skills. We had a lunch buffet in a beautiful reception hall-like room. There was some interesting food that some people tried such as blood sausages. However, I tried papaya and a peach that, from what I gathered, was dried and pickeled, which was really good. I also really enjoyed their flan. The day was really relaxing as we were one of the only groups at the country club and it was warm and sunny outside for once!

In the evening, we went to Werner's house for dinner and met up with the other Chilean students. The sausages and shish kabobs that Werner made were really good. The students taught us dances that they do in addition to salsa and reggeaton, which were fun. We also taught them some American dances such as the Cha Cha Slide and Cotton-eyed Joe. It was really interesting to see the similarities and differences in our dances and theirs. Overall, it was a fun day as we had the opportunity to relax together and once again compare our cultures.

Horseback Riding

Today was the first nice day since the first day we got here because the sun was out and it was warm for once. This was perfect for the horseback ride we had today. The farm was just past the mushroom factory and it overlooked the ocean. The ride was really amazing because we went through so many different environments that were all in very close proximity to one another. First we rode along the beach and then through a forest. We also rode through huge sand dunes. Finally, we galloped back along the ocean. I feel as if this experience was a sampling of the diverse environments that are in Chile. We ended with a barbecue at the farm, which was delicious. There was fresh chicken, pork, and steak, along with salads that were really good. We talked with the woman who owned the farm and she said that she also offers horseback rides in the full moon which sounded pretty cool, except, as expected, it was too foggy last weekend to do it.

After returning back to Vina, we decided to get gelato and sat on the rocks by the ocean to watch the sun set. Some of the guys tried to get as close to the water as possible and as expected, some of them got wet. It was so pleasant that the sun was finally out and it wasn't foggy all day. I guess the same happens it Pittsburgh during the winter, but it is a hard transition to make as we came from summer weather. Tomorrow should be relaxing as we will be heading to the spa, which will be nice as I presume that I will be very sore tomorrow!

Exploring More of Chile

We had another free day today so we just walked around Vina. We walked along the beach and saw several men making artwork in the sand, which was really cool. We also walked by all of the shops that were on the boardwalk; I finished buying all of my souvenirs. Since it was warmer and there was less fog today, I could see all of the cargo ships in the bay, which were bringing in the huge containers that we saw at the port the other day. We also walked around the mall, which was very similar to the ones in the U.S. However, they had more expensive restaurants and buffets in the food court, which was a little odd.

We went to dinner tonight at Tierra del Fuego, which was a nice restaurant that overlooked the ocean. The food was delicious and I got steak with a cheesy salsa and really skinny french fries that were good. For dessert, I had a tarta with blueberries and delicious chocolate ice cream. I feel like there is not really a specific Chilean cuisine as most restaurants have a lot of steak and seafood. However, this weekend did expose me to more Chilean culture as we had the opportunity to mingle in the streets and the mall with other Chileans, which helped me to better understand the everyday lives of these people.

A Relaxing Weekend

As it is the weekend, this was our first free day to explore the city. We first tried to find a laundromat and all we found was a dry cleaners, so we had to ask in spanish in order to find a self service laundromat. Fortunately, the lady spoke english and directed us to one. We walked around the artisan shops that were on the way to the other laundromat and I bought some souvenirs for my family. When we finally communicated with the spanish speaker at the other laundromat, we headed out for lunch at a pita and wrap place. We went back out to pick up our laundry, and in the Chilean way, we had to wait half an hour longer. In the evening, we went to a soccer or futbol game. The stadium and the crowd were a lot larger than I thought they would be. The spectators were very into the game and it was interesting to see the band and crowd that went crazy the whole game. It was odd that no one really cared when the kids kicked their soccer ball over the fence and onto the field, which I guess goes along with the Chileans' laid back way of life. I enjoyed today because I finally had the opportunity to just walk around Vina del Mar and see all of the Chileans walking around town.

Isla Negra

Today we spent a lot of time on the bus, driving around the very foggy towns of Chile. We visited the grave of a poet who, like Pablo Neruda, was buried standing up. However, we could not see the view from the top of that hill because of all of the fog. It is very interesting all of the fog that sticks around all day as I have never seen such thick fog before. After driving around in circles and asking for directions several times, we went to lunch at the nicest restaurant in town at which they were filming us for CNN Chile. I had the Lomo al pobre which was really good, but the egg, onion and french fry combination was a little strange. I also had my first scallop and mussel, which weren't bad actually. And I really enjoyed the bread and salsa combination that we have had the past couple of days.
After driving around some more, we arrived at the biggest pool in the world, except there was no water inside. However, we walked around to the back and the security guard let us in to take a picture of it. After driving some more, we finally arrived at Isla Negra, which is the house of Pablo Neruda. His house was very interesting and it had a very nice view of the sea. It was interesting how he collected a lot of statues that are at the bow of ships. I also enjoyed his collection of all of the bugs that he caught and of all of the shells as there were so many types. I was impressed by all of the things that he collected from all around the world such as china and masks. Some of the anecdotes that our tour guide told us about his life were very strange such as his obsession with a horse statue and a plank of wood found in the ocean one day. I wish we learned more about his poetry because I do not know much about it and hoped to learn more on the tour. Though the day wasn't very eventful, we got to see a lot of other smaller Chilean towns, which gave me a more insightful view into the life of an average Chilean.

More Company Visits

Today we did two more company visits. We first visited Vina Indomita
which is a modernized winery. We were walked through the process of
how they grow the grapes in their vineyards and then process them. We
had the opportunity to see the huge fermenting warehouse where the
various wines are processed in huge containers. We also saw the lab
where each product is tested by chemical engineers and chemists to
make sure the right sulfide levels and the tastes are what they are
supposed to be. We also traveled down to the wine cellar to see the
barrels that the high quality wine is kept in. Finally, we had a wine
sampling of a white wine, and two red wines of differing ages. I
really enjoyed all of the wine, and the winery and vineyard were
beautiful. I was very surprised to see that they had chemists and
chemical engineers working to test each sample to make sure they are
chemically consistent. It was also very surprising that they export
almost all of their wine and only around five percent stays in Chile.
For lunch, we ate at a restaurant that I think was in the style of
Mapuche. I really enjoyed the classic Chilean dish called pastel de
choco. Afterwards, we visited LAN, which has been my favorite visit so
far. We had the opportunity to visit the maintenance hangar for the
airplanes and it was interesting to see all of the necessary
inspections that they do on the aircrafts. We also got to walk out
around the airplanes and saw the cockpit of one of their commercial
airplanes. I found it extremely surprising that they let us take
pictures of the cockpit because in the U.S., I am sure that would not
be allowed. Though we did not receive much specific information about
the engineering processes that are involved, we got to see a lot of
the workers in action and working on the planes. I really enjoyed the
company visits today and am hopeful that we will try more Chilean food tonight for dinner.

First Company Visits

Today, we had our first company visits, which were much more involved and informative than I thought they would be. We first visited Bosques De Mauco, which is my company that I will be presenting on in the fall. The tour was very involved and informative, but the smells of the plant were less than desirable. When walking around outside by all of the composting, since the compost was made of hay and animal manure, it had a very bad stench. However, once inside the rest of the plant, the conditions got better. Our guide was very thorough in showing us the mushroom growth at various stages and the assembly lines that the mushrooms go through for both canned and fresh mushroom products.
We also visited Centauro which had an informative talk before hand and a good tour except for the fact that they were out of season and none of the equipment was running. However, the president was very nice and tried to compensate by answering all of the questions we had. I realized that the questions we were told to ask proved be very useful in gaining more knowledge and understanding of the company as they brought up topics that the tour would not have otherwise covered. Also, I was surprised that both tour guides spoke very good english and, as top executives in their companies, they had the time and the will to give us these tours themselves. After the company visits, we had empanadas again at a different restaurant and they were very good, especially the mushroom ones. Overall, I really enjoyed the company visits because it was really interesting to see the entire production process of a product and see the process from the start to the finished product.

Continuing our Chilean Education

Today we spent most of the day at the University again, but this time we were more familiar with the bus system and the campus. We arrived early to the lecture, so while we were waiting in the hallway, we heard some of the students talking about their examen de titulo and right after, they headed to the pool and cut the boy's tie. We then had a lecture on the general economics of Latin America and compared various statistics such as GDP, inflation, and migration rates of the larger countries in Latin America to Chile. We had lunch again in the school cafeteria and sat amongst the students. Afterwards, we listened to another lecture on Chilean and Latin American business and we had a more informal discussion with Jaime to learn about his perspective on the business and education in Chile. It was very insightful to see his insider view on such topics as an adult in Chile rather than a student perspective because he has seen more of the world from his travels and could explain concepts more easily. We also did our presentations for Werner and Jaime who gave us some feedback. For the mushroom company that we researched, we were informed about the soil that the mushrooms are grown in, which we are not looking forward to its smell. After returning to the hotel, we went to the super market for the first time and walked through to see the things that it carried. We noticed that it carried some of the same things such as cereal brands and it was interesting to see all of the Centauro canned merchandise as we are going to visit and learn about Centauro tomorrow. Overall, I had the opportunity to get more comfortable with the University today and had the opportunity to further use my spanish skills.

Exploring the University

Today we spent a lot of time at the Universidad Technica which had a beautiful campus. During our tour around campus, our guide told us that there were no dorms on campus or at any college and that most students live at home. This reinforces the Latin and South American close-knit family dynamic because the children live at home until they graduate from college. We also learned about some strange traditions that the students hold, such as when a student has graduated, they are thrown into the swimming pool and other students will then cut a boy's tie or a piece of a girl's hair to put onto posters. I noticed that the athletic facilities at the university were very prominent compared to those at Pitt, as the swimming pool was in the middle of a courtyard and the soccer field was right outside of the cafeteria. We also listened to several lectures on Chile and its culture, exploring it through history, art and literature. I really enjoyed how the professor compared the Chilean history to that of the United States, as I discovered that our countries developed quite similiarly, including our pursuit of independence from a foreign crown. During lunch time and while walking amongst Chilean students, I soon realized that we really stood out and people would look at us because we looked different. I feel that this scenario does not usually occur in America because our country has a more diverse looking population, so we are used to seeing all different types of people. However, though the Chilean population has many influences, they all have very similar coloring, so no one really looks drastically different. We also took a tour of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso, which were very historic towns. I was surprised that so many historic buildings in Valparaiso have stayed intact and also have survived the earthquake. However, it was surprising how much damage the earthquake had caused on buildings in Valparaiso, as it occured much farther south. The Salsa lesson in the evening was really fun and interesting; though I have learned some Flamenco in the past, this dance was very different and seemed more free and less formal and academic. Overall, I learned a lot today about Chile and the Chileans as I had the opportunity to interact and talk with many students.

Arriving in Chile

We arrived in Chile early this morning after my delayed flight to Atlanta and a ten hour flight during on which I got very little sleep. I sat next to a group of Chilean men and they seemed like very happy, warm-hearted people. After passing through customs, we finally boarded the bus and headed for the hotel. The areas that we drove through on the bus seemed dry with brush-like trees. We also passed by some vineyards and towns with small huts. After arriving in Valparaiso, we went to lunch and walked about the town. I found it very strange that they also celebrate Mother's Day here as I saw advertisements for sales and many women with flowers. Also, I noticed that most of the stores were closed and I wonder if they were because it was Sunday and most Chileans are Catholic, or if it was because it was the middle of the day and they don't open until later. After lunch, we found the infamous McDonalds and walked around the park and along the shoreline. This gave us an opportunity to become familiar with the general Chilean lifestyle by observing the Chileans who were walking around. I noticed that most Chileans have more formal casual wear and they all seem like very happy people. I also noticed that there is a very large population of stray dogs. Overall, I gained a general perception of Chile and of its people so tomorrow I will be able to gain more insight by actually interacting with the students.

Ready and Waiting...

It is Saturday, May 7, and today is the day that I leave for Chile! I will be heading out to the airport shortly to catch my flight down to Atlanta where I will meet up with the rest of the Plus 3 crew. I've finally finished packing after having to find shoes that would be dressy enough for company visits, but that were also comfortable; it was really hard to find a pair! I hope that it will not be too cool in Chile as I did not bring too many jackets and long sleeves, but according to some weather website, it should be very nice out as the temperature is supposed to be in the upper 60s. I'm very excited to be traveling to South America for the first time and find it very bizarre that Chile is in the same time zone. But I'm worried about getting sleep on the plane tonight as I want to be well-rested for our activities at the University tomorrow!