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.

May 20, 2011: Departure

Today started late, around noon.  Probably a good thing after our last late night in Chile.  We headed out as a group around 1 to get lunch, our last meal together.  Lots of us got lomo a lo pobre, a common dish in Chile.  It's steak with a sunny side up egg, fries, and sauteed onions.  Definitely a filling meal full of carbs.  Soon it was time to get on the bus and head to the airport.  I don't think any of us were ready to go.  I slept through basically all of the hour and a half or so bus ride to the airport, so it seemed like we were there in no time.  We all checked our bags and made our way through security, then heading to the gate to wait for our plane.  Soon enough we were on the ten hour flight back to the states.  Luckily, I managed to trade seats with another passenger and was able to sit next to Briana for the trip home.  The flight is much more bearable when you're able to sit next to someone you know.  I tried to sleep, but ended up basically being half asleep all night.  Around 6 AM we landed in Atlanta.  Now came the fun of getting through customs.  Waiting in line took long enough, got to love U.S. security.  We got our bags back, rechecked them, and headed through another layer of security once more.  Then it was time to go our separate ways.  I have to say it was a pretty heart-wrenching moment.  I really hated to see everyone go.  I'm really hoping we all stay in touch and that we don't become strangers next year.  A few hours later I was on my plane back to Pittsburgh.  It was a beautiful day, and the flight was great.  In what seemed like no time at all we were on the ground back in PA.  I made my way off my plane and to the baggage check to find my parents waiting for me.  What a bittersweet moment.  It's good to be home, but man am I going to miss Chile.

Day 12, May 19, 2011: Last Full Day in Chile

Today started off nice and late, when all of us headed to catch the city bus to the university at 12:00 PM.  We started off with a bit of an info session on what kind of classes the university offers and how they would be able to fit into a study abroad program for us.  Then an exchange student from Belgium spoke to us about her experience studying there: things she liked, things she found different, etc.  She was very informative.  After that we headed to lunch, again at the university cafeteria.  I suppose it wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either.  Then we went off to go play some soccer with some of the Chilean students.  It was quite an entertaining game, mostly Chileans versus mostly Americans.  The Chileans are without a doubt good, but I think that we Americans held our own quite well.  Yet, the Chileans did end up beating us as they really picked it up toward the end of the game.  Afterwards, some of the students stay to play basketball, while the rest of us returned back to the hotel.  I took the time to begin packing up all of my stuff, it was rather bitter sweet.  I don't want to leave but at the same time I miss everyone back home.  Around 8 we are going to head out for pizza with the Chileans before we break into the plans for our last night in Chile.  The trip is coming to close, and I hate to go, I've definitely been having the time of my life.

Day 11, May 18, 2011: Bolsa de Comercio and Santiago

Today started off very, very early, at about 8:00.  We hopped on the bus to head to Santiago, which is about an hour and a half bus ride.  Our first stop in Santiago was the Bolsa de Comercio, which is the biggest stock exchange in Chile.  Sadly, we didn't get much of a tour, as the trading floor was closed for construction.  Instead we just got to watch a video and a presentation.  Then there was time for questions.  To be completely honest, I was kind of disappointed, the part I was looking forward to most was seeing the trading floor.  After leaving the bolsa, we walked around Santiago a bit.  We first stopped at La Moneda, which is like Chile's white house.  It was pretty impressive.  Oddly enough, there was a large number of younger Chilean students there, and they kept wanting to take pictures with several of us.  After leaving La Moneda, we stopped at a local cathedral.  The cathedral was beautiful, and reminiscent of many European cathedrals I have visited in the past.  We then made a short stop at the Chilean National Museum.  At this point, all of us were starving, so we soon headed for lunch.  We had lunch at a restaurant inside the large fish market in Santiago.  The food was pretty good, and the market itself was a sight to see.  All of the seafood setting out, fresh and local.  After lunch we went to the top of a small mountain in the middle of Santiago.  There we found a pretty spectacular view of the city, and were able to see how massive it really was.  In my opinion, it was great way to end the day.  After that stop, we headed back to the hotel.

Day 10, May 17, 2011: SPA Day

Today we spent the day at a place called SPA.  It was a resort of types, with lots of pools, and various other outdoor activities.  The first thing we did when we got there was play a game of soccer.  Some of the Chilean students played with us and we divided into two teams.  We all had a good time, and I think a lot of us realized why we don't play soccer.  Sadly my team lost, but I had fun playing nonetheless.  After we just hung out for a bit until it was time for lunch.  Lunch was buffet style with tons of food.  There was plenty to choose from, and a lot of it was quite good.  Although, some of it was a little out of the ordinary.  For example, they had blood sausage, which in my opinion is gross, but I guess some people like it.  I didn't dare to try it, as just the idea of it freaked me out.  After lunch we spent the afternoon just lounging in the sun, as the day was actually quite nice, and warm compared to most of the days we've had so far.  I think I managed to get a little bit of sun, so hopefully I won't look oddly pale when I return back home.  After we left the SPA, we headed back to the hotel for a bit of downtime before going to a barbecue we were invited to at Werner's, one of the professors, house.  There were nearly all of the Chilean students we had met at the barbecue, and the food was absolutely delicious.  We had a fun and easy going time, chatting and hanging out, and even did a little bit of dancing.  All in all, a great evening.

Day 9, May 16, 2011: Horseback Riding

Today we went to Ritoque Expediciones for a day of horseback riding.  The ranch or farm, or whatever you want to call it was beautiful.  The house was quaint and the yard had a rustic feel to it.  There pigs, cows, chickens, cats, and of course horses all around.  After getting introduced and all last minute things sorted out, we mounted our horses.  After everyone was on and getting acquainted with there horse, we headed off.  The scenery was beautiful.  We did some riding along the beach, through a bit of a pine forest, and then into the sand dunes.  We took a break halfway to have some water and pineapple.  It was probably the best pineapple I have ever tasted.  After our short break we took off again, this time heading to the beach where we would be able to gallop.  Every once in awhile the horses would take off as a group in full gallop, and it was pretty fun and impressive.  I had never ridden a horse that fast before, so it was a new experience to me.  After making our way back to the ranch, they had a barbecue prepared and waiting for us.  The spread was amazing, there was beef, chicken, pork, and various sides.  It was definitely the best meal I've had so far, everything was so delicious.  After our meal, we headed back to the hotel and a group of us went to get gelato.  We took our gelato down to the shore to sit and enjoy the view.  It was a beautiful today, and without a doubt perfect for the activities of the day.

Day 8, May 15, 2011: Free Sunday

Today was very, very easy going.  I didn't roll out of bed until 11:30 or so, and took my time getting ready for the day.  At around 1:30, a few others and I decided to go up to the mall.  Not many places are open on Sunday, but the mall is, and it was packed.  Getting there was a bit of an adventure, since none of us really knew exactly where it was.  Oddly enough, we randomly ran into Camilo, one of the Chilean students we know, and he was able to point us the right way.  It was a pretty cool mall, four stories with a cinema on the fourth floor.  But when it came right down to it, it was still just another mall.  After that we took a stroll down the boardwalk area, where there were a bunch of vendors selling various things, souvenirs, etc.  There were also some sand artists sculpting on the beach, their work was pretty impressive and I could tell it took them a lot of time to make these simple yet amazing masterpieces.  We then stopped for some pizza before heading back to the hotel.  Awhile later it was time to head off to dinner.  We went to an upperscale restaurant called Tierra de Fuego.  The food was really, really good, and we enjoyed a nice, slow, relaxing dinner.  I think we all had a good time chatting and that we all enjoyed the food even more.  After, we made our way back to the hotel for a nice quiet night in.