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.