Final Reflection on my Chile Trip

My trip to Chile was without a doubt a once in a lifetime experience.  The country itself was beautiful.  With both the amazing coastline and towering mountain ranges, there was definitely plenty of great scenery.  The Chileans themselves helped add to the experience in a great way.  The majority of Chileans I had interactions with were all so friendly and seemed to truly just be enjoying life.  They seem to approach life differently in Chile than we do in the United States, and honestly, I feel like they’re the ones doing it the right way.  The Chilean students were especially helpful and kind, and I feel like the experience wouldn’t have been as great without them.  They helped us greatly in exploring the city, as well as making sure we were always safe and having a good time.

            Not only did I have fun on the trip, but I also learned a ton.  The company visits, for the most part, were very educational.  In my opinion, the most thorough was the trip to Bosque del Mausco, the mushroom factory.  There we got to see every step of the process, and I feel that I learned the most at this company visit than any other.  Sadly, the trip to Bolsa was the biggest disappointment, as we didn’t even get to see the trading floor since it was closed for renovation.  However, I still feel like I got something out of each visit.  The lectures on culture were very enlightening, and I think helped to teach me things I may not have otherwise picked up on about the Chilean culture. 

In addition, all the other activities helped to add a lot to the experience.  The dance classes were tons of fun and I believe were a great bonding experience for all of us, since we all got to look a little bit ridiculous together.  Horseback riding was another highlight to the trip for me as well, definitely part of my time in Chile that I’ll never forget.  Even when we were just hanging out at the hotel or exploring Viña on our own, I feel like it helped add to the experience.  I honestly feel like I discovered Chile on my trip, and that makes for some pretty awesome memories.

Most importantly, I enjoyed the time I shared with everyone on the trip, and I feel like I've made a lot of friends I could have until the end of my college career.  I think the best part is that a lot of them are people that had I never gone on this trip, I probably would have never had the pleasure of knowing.  Once total strangers, now they're the only ones I can sit around with at Pitt and say "Hey remember that time in Chile when.."  And to me that's a pretty awesome thing to share.  I'm still not really ready to be home, I'd much rather be in Viña enjoying every minute of it.  It's definitely going to take me awhile to phase back into real life.  I hope to return to Chile someday, the sooner the better.