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!
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