A Bittersweet Ending

Today is officially the last day we will be in Chile. It is definitely a bittersweet ending.

My main aspiration for this trip was to learn and experience the customs of a different culture, and I feel like my experiences here have definitely exceeded my initial expectations.

I am going to miss eating my daily empanada and sipping on a piscola every night at the bar. What I am going to miss most of all are the great friends I have made here in Chile. It's amazing how people from miles away and from different cultures can develop such friendships like the ones we have made here. During my research for the pre-departure paper, I read many things about the Chilean people, and they really are everything that I have read: warm, loving, happy, friendly, generous and welcoming people. So to all of you: I hope that one day I get to see you again and I wish you the very best future!

I will say ciao to you for now, Chile, but this definitely won't be the last time you see me!

Caballos and a barbeque!

Today was my favorite day of the entire trip, and one of the best memories I will ever have!

 

We went horseback riding through the country! I know that makes it sound like we rode the horses through many miles of the country, but that's what it felt like. The guides lead us on a three hour ride through many different terrains. We began our journey with a short ride next to the beach.

We steered away from the beach and headed to a savannah-like terrain.

 

After riding through the grasses, we followed a pathway through an evergreen forest.

 

 

Next, and probably most impressive, were the sand dunes. I really felt like we were in the Atacama desert!

 

 

And we ended exactly where we had started, on the beach.

 

 

The ride was amazing because I was able to experience the variety of environments found throughout the country in only three short hours. When our ride had come to and end, the huesos (cowboys) hosted a barbeques for us. We had the same hotdog-sausages that we had at Verner's barbeque, but we also had steaks, porkchops and chicken. For dessert, we roasted marshmellows. It was nice to end our last activity by talking around a warm fire.

 

 

Later that night, we had our final dinner with the Chilean students. We had pizza, but it was very different than the pizza I am used to! The pizza here had thin crust, a little cheese and A LOT of toppings. It was different but very delicious. At dinner, we expressed to the Chileans how thankful we were that they invited us into their lives and let us experience Chilean culture. We exchanged gifts: Pitt gear from the Pitt Shop for the Chileans and customized USM hoodies for us. It was an awesome gift!

 

 





Spa Day!

Today was our spa day! When I say spa, you probably thing of massages and pedicures (so did we). The spa was actually more like a country club. It had cabanas, a restaurant, two pools and a soccer court.

 

To start off the day at the spa, we had empanadas (again). These empanadas were filled with fried meat and onions along with one olive and one piece of a hardboiled egg. I learned that this filling is actually a traditional Chilean filling. No wonder why I've had multiple empanadas and school lunches with this filling!

Although the weather has progressively become cooler and windier, today was a beautiful day to layout next to the pool!

While we were sunbathing, a group of Chilean women sat under the umbrellas opposite from us. They peered at us from across the pool with strange looks. This is probably because Chile is beginning their winter season, so to them it is strange to see people in t-shirts and shorts during this time of the year. To me, it was strange to see people walking around in scarves, heavy coats and Ugg boots because the summer season is beginning in the United States.

After relaxing at the spa, we walked a few blocks to Verner's house. Verner is the professor in charge of the Plus3 program at the Universidad in Vina del Mar, so he organizes the group of students that accompany us on our activities. He is a very warm, welcoming and generous man. He hosted a barbeque for us at his summer home. My favorite food at the barbeque were the hotdog-sausages. I thought it was interesting that Chileans do not use premade and packaged hotdog buns. They use special loaves of bread that have four lumps that when you break them apart and slice them down the middle, they become hotdog buns.

Tomorrow we will be spending our last day in Chile going horseback riding through the country. Yo estoy emocionada!


Mushrooms, Tomoatoes and Paintbrushes

Today we finished all of our company visits by touring HELA, Centauros and Bosques del Mauco.

HELA was interesting because it was the first time I saw a product assembled by hand. HELA has machines do more tedious and difficult work, such as printing patterns and logos into metal sheets or attaching metal bristles on a brush. In short, the machines make the individual parts and the workers assemble the individual parts to create the final product.

HELA does make various tools but they focus more on the production of brushes. This is because brushes are used very often and always need to be replaced, so brushes are the most profitable tool. The company representatives spent a lot of time showing us how they produce paint brushes. HELA uses wooden handles for their paint brushes (rather than other materials) because wood is an easily available resource and wood is easier to clean when it gets paint on it. Also, HELA uses wild boar hair for the bristles of the paint brushes. Wild boar hair is an ideal material for paint brush bristles because it develops split ends like human hair does which allows the paint brush to cover more area during painting. During the company presentation for HELA, I developed the impression that HELA only distributed and sold its products within the country. However, HELA ships their products all over Latin America.

Centauros was one of my favorite companies that we visited. Centauros has been operating for over 100 years and focuses primarily on processing and packaging tomato products.

They make various tomato products (like paste, sauce and ketchup), but the first few steps to create each product are the same. First, the tomatoes are washed and possibly skinned. Next, the tomatoes are crushed and strained. Finally, the remaining tomato pulp is piped to a machine that evaporates the water in the pulp, resulting in a tomato paste that can be further processed into other products. What I really liked about Centauros was their commitment to having the freshest, most natural products. They do this by washing their fruit, vegetables and machines only with water and they do not put any preservatives in any of their products. Centauros also has prepared canned meals, one of which we got to take home as a souvenir! These were originally created for miners in 1908 because they needed meals that they could quickly heat. This same idea of prepared food is what is motivating Centauros to become the first company to produce prepared onions. They are hoping to sell prepared onions to restaurants that make empanadas because these restaurants want onions that have already been peeled, chopped and cooked and only need heated. Centauros is hopeful that prepared onions will be just as successful as their tomato products.

The last company we visited was Bosques del Mauco, the largest mushroom producing company in the entire country. Although it was not my favorite company that we visited (mostly because of the awful smell!), it was still interesting to see how the mushrooms were grown, processed, packaged and distributed.

The company representative spent a lot of time describing how the compost for the mushrooms is made. It is clearly the most important step in producing the mushrooms. The main ingredients in the compost are horse manure, chicken manure, straw and water. The compost goes through different stages, and a specific stage can be identified by the color of the compost. In order to grow the mushrooms, the compost must be black. I was really surprised when I saw that the mushrooms are actually harvested by hand. I also found it surprising that the wooden trays that the company grows the mushrooms in can only be used three times; however, Bosques del Mauco shreds the trays into wood chips to be recycled.

Tomorrow is our spa day, so I am definitely looking forward to relaxing after this long day of company visits!

Lecturas y Futbol!

Our presentation on LAN Airlines went pretty well, and so did the rest of the presentations. Professor James was surprised by how much we knew, but he still taught us a lot of new information about each of the five companies. We also got to discuss the protests for education reform with Professor James. Earlier in the week I asked Marcello, Daniella and Valeria what they thought about the protests and their opinions were similar to Professor James'. They said that the education system is very unfair and needs to be changed; however, Professor James said that people protesting want a 100% free education but he believes that that is very unlikely to happen.

We thanked and said goodbye to Professor James, then headed back to the hotel to change our clothes because we were going to be playing a game of futbol with the Chilean students. But before our futbol match, we stopped at the mall for lunch. I was slightly surprised to see a lot of the same fast food restaurants in the food court in this Chilean mall. I knew that fast food restaurants were a universal thing, but I didn't actually wrap my head around that until I saw the Burger King and Subway at the food court.

After inhaling a guacamole Wopper from Burger King, we walked to these little soccer fields across the street. Playing futbol with the Chileans was a lot of fun, and they were all very good futbol players! You can definitely see how much the sport is a part of their lives by the way they play. Every one of the Chilean students have played futbol for all of their life. I thought that we kept up pretty well with the Chileans (not me specifically but many of the other American students), but the Chileans might have been taking it easy on us too.

Tomorrow we're visiting the last three companies: Centauros, Hela and Bosques del Mauco. I'm excited for these company visits because I know very little about the mushroom, canned foods and tool producing industries. I should have plenty to write about tomorrow!

Sleep-in Sunday

Sunday was another free day.

Most of us slept in until 11 or 12 AM which wasted half of the day, but we ate delicious meals for both lunch and dinner.

About eight people, including myself, went to an Italian restaurant near the beach. The food at the restaurant here in Vina del Mar seemed more authentic than the Italian food I get at restaurants near my house. Although the food we ate was Italian, I was practicing Chilean customs. We enthusiastically greeted the host when we walked into the restaurant, a custom that is very much expected from anyone living in Chile (whether they are Chilean or not). In Chile, lunch is the biggest and most important meal of the day, and we definitely noticed that at the Italian restaurant. The restaurant was somewhat busy, and there were many people eating the meal with their families. What made our lunch feel like a Chilean lunch was how long the meal lasted.  The waiter served us unperturbed, and took his time bring us our food. What we thought was going to take an hour actually took two and half hours.

After a nice bowl of spinach raviolis, we returned to the vendors on the board walk to purchase souvenirs that we did not have time to yesterday. I really like the idea of all the things being sold by the vendors are hand crafted. It seems as though that this is not as common in the United States, but I might think that just because this is not very common around Pittsburgh, my hometown.

Later that night, Jorge and Brice took us to a very fancy restaurant called Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire). The restaurant was similar to those we have back in the United States. What was very noticeable, however, was the behavioral differences between Chileans and Americans at the dinner table.

We were very loud, took up a lot of space and sometimes we would talk about inappropriate topics. When I observed the other tables on the lower floor, the Chileans were more quiet and sat closer together. I do not know enough Spanish to know what they were talking about, but I think it is safe to say that Chileans do not say many inappropriate things while eating a meal. I say this because even when I talk to the Chilean students during or lunch or even when we go out to a bar, they hardly ever say anything inappropriate.

On Monday, we will be starting the week by giving our presentations to Professor James. I'll definitely have to prepare well for that because Professor James is very knowledgeable about all of the companies. We'll see how it goes. Hasta manana!

Free Day!

On Saturday, it was scheduled that we had a free day to do whatever we wanted.

Brice organized a pastry tour for 10:30 AM, and I definitely wasn't going to miss out on that. We thought we were going to be going to many pastelerias but we actually just ended up stopping at two because the pastries were so rich. My favorite pastry that I had was Tres Leches, a multi-layered cake made with three different kinds of milk. From what I can tell, Tres Leches is a common dessert here in Chile. The second pasteleria we went to was my favorite out of the three we visited. The entrepreneurs that were in charge of the pasteleria were very interested in us. They asked what we were doing in Chile and how long we were going to be here for. The woman who served us our pastries was disappointed to hear that we were only going to be in Chile for two short weeks. She also told us about how she hosts international foreign exchange students. The Chileans who owned that pasteleria were a prime example of the friendly and welcoming nature of Chilean citizens.

A few hours after the pastry tour, a few of us went out to eat lunch. While me and Morgan were walking around trying to find a place to eat lunch, there were many people who would stare at us. I was definitely used to people staring at us when we were in a large group with everyone, but it was still same with just two of us rather than all of us. This gives me a new perspective on how foreigners in the United States might feel. Morgan and I went to a restaurant that specializes in burgers and sandwiches. We were seated next to a Chilean couple who had already been eating their lunch. Me and Morgan ordered our food, ate lunch and paid before the Chilean couple next to us had even finished their meal. That experience reinforces to me that lunch is the largest, most important meal of the day for Chileans.

When we finished eating lunch, a few of us walked along the board walk by the beach. Comparing us with the Chileans on the board walk, I once again saw the cultural differences between us. For example, the Chileans walk rather slow and relaxed, which somewhat indicates how Chileans believe it is not important to always be on time. We made our way down to all of the vendors selling hand made crafts and souveniers. I saw a vendor selling hand carved wooden cutting boards and another selling copper crafted jewelry. There were a lot of vendors selling similar items, and now I can see what Professor James was saying when the Chilean economy is very dependent on a few natural resources.

Saturday wasn't really that eventful but everyone was okay with that because we just wanted to relax since we had been very busy all week. Tomorrow is going to be another free day. Right now we're planning on going back to the beach but some of the Chilean students said they may have something planned for us too. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Wine and Poetry

Today was one of my most favorite days of the trip so far!

Our first activity was a visit to Vina Indomita, a very popular and successful winery in Chile. Before visiting the winery, the only thing I knew about making wine was that you needed grapes. The company visit covered the entire wine production process.

The wine maker has to know a lot about the biology of the grapes to produce good tasting wine, and the timing for all the steps in the process is crucial. For example, the grapes have to be harvested as soon as they accumulate the perfect amount of sugar, and the wine needs a specific amount of time to age or else it will turn into vinegar. The white wine that Vina Indomita produces requires 10 days to ferment, and the red wine requires a month. The winery sells a little more red wine than white wine because red wine is more popular in Chile. One of the most interesting parts of the visit was the tour of the barrel room where all of the wines age.

I didn't know that wines took AT LEAST  a year to age before you can drink them! The aging room requires a lot of care and maintenance. The humidity, temperature and lighting have to be kept just right for the wines to taste good. High temperatures can cause a separation of the alcohol, and too much oxygen in the barrels may make the wine taste like the wood of the barrel or turn the wine into vinegar. My favorite part of visiting Vina Indomita was the wine tasting of course! We tried all three types of wine, but I liked the white wine the best.

After our visit to Vina Indomita, we took a tour of Pablo Neruda house in Isla Negra. Pablo Neruda was a famous Chilean poet who played a big role in promoting socialism and bringing European immigrants to Southern Chile. His house was beautiful!

Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house. I learned a lot of interesting facts about Pablo Neruda. He loved the sea and trains, so his house was decorated with a lot of artifacts from ships and some of the rooms in the house resembled train cars. Not only did he write beautiful poetry (with his green ink pens), but he also studied bugs and birds. One of my favorite pieces in his house was the table made from a wagon wheel, the same table he used to hold meetings with Chilean political leaders. I thought it was really cool that the people who run the museum dedicated a room to the house for Pablo Neruda's sea shell collection. He began collecting sea shells shortly before he passed away, and it was one of his wishes to have a large sea shell collections, so the museum fulfilled this wish for him. Pablo Neruda and his wife, Matilda, are buried behind his sea side house right where the land meets the sea (just as he wanted).

After touring Pablo Neruda's house, we had our last salsa dancing lesson. Salsa dancing is my favorite form of Latin American dancing. It can be both upbeat or slow, and there's many different variations of salsa. We actually learned a salsa dance choreography that was the same steps as the electric slide (now I know where that came from)!

Saturday and Sunday are our free days so I'm not too sure what we are going to be doing. I'm sure it will be just as adventurous as the other days we have spent here!

Cueca and Airplanes

There's no better way than starting the day off with cueca, the national dance of Chile. Dancing cueca requires two people, a man and a woman. The man is supposed to win over the woman with his dancing, and the movements of the dancers are supposed to resemble a rooster and a hen. The typical costume for the woman is a floral dress and the typical dress for the man is that of a cowboy. Cueca was actually rather difficult to learn! The foot movements were easy, but you had to move dance around in circles and in different ways. Although it wasn't easy, I feel proud knowing that I can dance the national dance of the country.

After cueca lessons, we had lunch and then made our way to Santiago again. This time we were visiting LAN, the international airline and largest company of Chile.

The planes have innovative technology with computers that can sense anything that makes a plane not "flight worthy." I knew that maintaining the planes was a lot of work but I never knew that the planes had to go through three different types of checks! During freshman year, I wrote a paper on the production and use of biofuels as an alternative to petroleum based fuels. So when I heard that LAN successfully completed a flight from Santiago to Concepcion entirely run on biofuel, I was really excited! Another engineering aspect that I thought was really cool was the use of the graphite composite material in the new Boeing 787 Dreamliners, the newest airplane that LAN has. The composite material is very lightweight, which makes the entire plane not as heavy as the older ones. This means that more passengers can be carried, which was evident by the nine rows of seats. Also, the composite material makes the environment within the airplane more comfortable because it retains moisture so the passengers won't get as dehydrated. After researching so much about this company, it nice to finally be able to visit the company and see the planes for myself.

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day, but I'm very much looking forward to our visit to Vina Indomita. I can't wait to try the very popular and supposedly very delicious wine!

Mas Lecturas

Today we spent the entire day at the Universidad learning about Chilean history, literature, art, music, natural disasters, tourism, geography and culture. Chile has a very rich history and culture that the Chileans take much pride in. Professor Jose began by briefly explaining how Chile was discovered by the Spaniards in the Arauco War, in which the Spaniards conquered the native Mapuche Indians. Since then, Chilean government has developed into a colony, then a republic, then a military regime and now they are starting to develop into a more democratic government. Professor Jose also described how the current president of Chile is a very special and unique president in Chilean history. In 2010, Pinera took office as a rightist. This was significant because the four previous presidents were leftists. During his time as the president, Pinera encountered many crises that tested his leadership, such as the mining crisis and a devastating earthquake. Pinera was easily trusted and respected by the Chilean citizens because of his successful attempt to recover the trapped miners.

Professor Jose went on to speak about Pablo Neruda, one of the most famous poets in Chilean history. What surprised me about Neruda was that he was much more than just a poet. Neruda's legacy actually stems from politics, particularly the Winnipeg immigrant operation. In this operation, Neruda helped transport immigrants from all over the world (but mostly from Europe) and placed them in Southern Chile. This event is a main reason why Chile has a strong European heritage. We will actually be going to a tour of Pablo Neruda's house in Isla Negra on Friday.

Another topic of the lectures that I really enjoyed was the differences between American and Chilean societies. Some of the differences that I have noticed in my endeavors here are that Chileans accept power/authority more readily, Chilean society embraces collectivism over individualism, Chilean society is more family focused and Chileans do not identify themselves with their career. I have witnessed some of these differences when we go out to a restaurant or visit the Universidad. For example, you hardly ever see anyone eating alone (collectivism), and when I meet someone knew they never introduce themselves by telling me about what their job is (do not identify self with career).

Finally, one of the more intriguing topics we discussed was the disastrous earthquake that struck Chile in 2010. We saw live videos of how people reacted and of the destruction that occurred. Although this was a heavy subject to talk about since many people were injured and some even died, I gained a deeper understanding of how united the Chilean citizens really are. Rebuilding destroyed cities in such a short amount of time would not have been possible without team work and cohesiveness.

Although it was a long day of lectures, I learned a lot about Chilean culture which is one of my main goals for this study abroad program. Even though the lectures taught me so much, there's always more to learn.

Dia en Santiago

Rather than staying in Vina del Mar, we spent the day exploring Santiago: the capital of Chile.

Our first stop in Santiago was the Santiago Stock Exchange.

Before touring SSE, I had a very minimal understanding of how a stock exchange generally operated. I learned that in SSE, only brokers can trade the stocks/bonds/etc. but the buyer can invest as much or as little as they want and they can invest in either the Chilean, Peruvian or Colombian markets.

Next we walked through streets with many vendors until we reached the main plaza. Located at the main plaza was what is considered the most important (and probably largest) cathedral in the entire country. Walking through the cathedral gave me a good understanding of how important religion is to the Chilean citizens.

After exploring the cathedral, we toured the Museo Historico Nacional. It was interesting to see how similar the development thus far of Chile was so similar to the development of the United States; however, touring the museum was somewhat challenging because all of the exhibit descriptions were an advanced level of Spanish, so I couldn't really understand the descriptions.

Today we were fortunate enough to tour the Presidential Palace. I felt very honored to be able to see where President Pinera fulfills his executive responsibilities to the country. I asked the Chilean students who accompanied us, Javier and Paula, if they had ever been to the Presidential Palace before and they both said that this was their first time visiting the Palace.

Tomorrow we'll be attending cultural lectures at the Universidad. Finally, a day to rest our feet a little!

Chilean Firsts

Today was a busy and fun-filled day of many new experiences.

We started off with a tour of the local university: Universidad Tecnico Federico Santa Maria.

Two Chilean students, Daniella and Valerie, met us at the hotel in the morning to show us how to take the public bus from Hotel America to the Universidad. That was our first time riding the buses in Vina del Mar. When we arrived at the Universidad, Daniella and Valerie guided us on the tour. The Universidad and the University of Pittsburgh share many similarities; however, both institutions have their own unique characteristics and differences. Both universities demand the students to spend most of their time studying, and both universities have the various standard buildings necessary for higher education (library, cafeteria, multiple lecture halls, etc.). The major differences that I thought were most prominent include the following. First, Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria offers many more services and benefits to their students. For example, none of the students are required to buy textbooks. They borrow the books they need from the library. Also, they essentially receive free health care. Valerie described to us the time when she fractured her nose and the Universidad paid for all of the medical care necessary for her nose to heal. Second, all of the students at Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria have a lunch break at the same time. To me, it seems as though having lunch all together creates a tight-knit student body. Last, most of the facilities at Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria are accessible for students to use at almost all hours of the day. Valerie and Daniella explained to us how the library and study rooms are left open 24/7 for students to study whenever they need to.

After the tour, we attended our first lecture at the Universidad. Professor James detailed the Chilean economy and how the Chilean economy is related to the economies of other South American countries. I am not very good at understanding business and economics, but Professor James did a very good job explaining the business and economics concepts. The most important concept I learned from this lecture was that the Chilean economy (and the economies of almost all of the South American countries) are extremely dependent on exporting natural resources, which has both negative and positive consequences.

Following the lecture, we ate our first almuerzo at the Universidad. I guess no matter where you are in the world, all school lunches taste the same regardless of what the actual food is!

When we finished lunch, Rudolfo and Tomas (two other Chilean students), guided us on a tour of Valparaiso, the neighboring city of Vina del Mar. They showed us many things around Valparaiso, but my favorite was the Open Sky Museum. This "museum" is actually various works of art on the buildings and residences on the hillsides. Most of the art works are large murals that completely cover the walls of the houses.

After touring Valparaiso and speaking with other Chilean students, I have learned that this city is not very safe and does experience some poverty. After seeing Valparaiso, I can now somewhat understand the large disparity between the rich and the poor that plagues the country.

Somehow our study abroad faculty and advisors were able to squeeze in a dance class for us after two tours and a lecture. This was our first Chilean dance class, and we learned how to salsa! The instructor was very enthusiastic and delightful, but he couldn't speak any English. The Chilean students joined us during the dance lesson and helped translate what the instructor was teaching us. Already I can honestly say that these dance lessons will be one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. It was so much fun!

All that salsa dancing made us hungry, so we made our way back to Vina del Mar and tasted our first empanadas. After one bite, all I had to say was "empanada es mi comida favorita!"

Later that night, Rudolfo and his friends invited all of us to join them in dancing and singing karaoke at a local bar (a very popular social custom in Chile). There I had my first drink, pisco sour. Es delicioso!

Today was the perfect way to kick off our two week stay here in Chile; however, it was only just a small taste of Chilean life in Vina del Mar. We still have many more experiences to follow!

Bienvenidos a Chile!

The 10 hour plane ride to Santiago was rough, literally. The plane experienced a lot of turbulence during the flight. That along with the loud engine and limited personal space resulted in a restless night of sleep. I was awakened by the Chilean man to my right who had kindly had the flight attendant leave me a tray of breakfast. As I ate my surprisingly delicious croissant, I gazed out of the window as we began our descent to the Santiago airport. The view was amazing! You could see every peak and valley of the majestic Andes mountains, with small farming towns in the valleys. We landed smoothly, made our way through immigration and customs and finally took our first steps into Chile. As we waited for our bus to take us to our hotel, we got to meet two Chilean students from Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria: Marcello and Tomas. Both of them have travelled abroad to many countries and can speak at least three languages! We did not get to speak to them for very long before our bus arrived.

Everyone was feeling tired after that plane ride and all enjoyed a nice siesta during the 2 hour bus ride our temporary residence for the next two weeks: Hotel America.

Hotel America is a cute little hotel on the outskirts of bustling and busy center of Vina del Mar. I believe Hotel America gives me a good perspective on how the Chileans in this part of the country live.

Later on, Jorge and Brice showed us around Vina del Mar. We ate our almuerzo at a Mexican restaurant called Tiki Taco. La comida es muy delicioso! I'm excited to try other restaurants around the city. We walked through a little park and all the way along the shoreline and the beach. What goes on in the city can really tell you a lot about the Chileans here in general. The atmosphere in the city is very laid back and relaxing, just like the Chilean citizens. I also read online that Chileans are typically more conservative, and I think the fences and gates around most of the houses, apartment buildings and hotels kind of conveys that. It was fun to walk through the line of vendors along the beach and see what they were selling. My favorite part was probably when the street performers came up to us, especially the clown and a Jack Sparrow impersonator!

Well we're about to make a group trip to the local supermarket. This first day was already amazing, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the trip will be like! Hasta manana!

Adios America!

Our trip to Chile has finally commenced!

On Friday, we did last minute preparation for the trip in a brief, final pre-departure meeting that included the Germany and Vietnam students. The presentation was basically what to expect in regards to the plane ride and what the Study Abroad Trip advisors wanted to emphasize (like not getting arrested in a foreign country!). After the presentation, the Chile students all went out to eat at the Porch. It was good Team Chile bonding time. I actually got to know everyone a little better. After dinner, we all split up to accomplish last minute tasks so we could go to bed at a reasonable hour so we weren't exhausted for the travelling we had to do the next day.

Saturday was the day I had been looking forward to for months: the day we finally departed for Chile! Everyone was up bright and early at 7:00am to prepare for the day ahead. We took the 28X PAT bus to the airport. Let's just say that will be the first and last time I ride the public transportation system all the way to Pittsburgh International Airport. An hour long, bumpy bus ride packed with 19 students and their two weeks worth of luggage is not fun. Anyway, we arrived to the airport and had our bags checked and collected our boarding passes. It was surreal to have those passes right in my very own hands. I was actually travelling to Chile! We started at Pittsburgh International Airport and landed in Dallas, Texas. I thought Pittsburgh's airport was big, but it was nothing compared to the Dallas airport! We had a five hour layover before we boarded our flight to Santiago, Chile. But we easily killed all of that time by exploring Dallas airport and with good conversation. Finally, it was 8:40pm and time for all of the passengers to board the plane. I eagerly threw my carry on into the over head compartment and buckled my seatbelt. As the plane departed for Santiago, I waved good bye and said "Adios America!"