Leaving Chile....the sad goodbye

So after an absolutely amazing night yesterday, it was time to say our goodbyes to Chile. We got up around 12 and had lunch at a local restaurant, packed our stuff up and headed to the airport. I was not looking forward to such a long flight and the thought of just not getting on the plane crossed my mine. Then I checked back into reality.  I was really sad to go. I’ve never experienced a trip like this before and I was truly disappointed it couldn’t last any longer. I’ve never felt so down about leaving a place before and I think it was because it wasn’t just a vacation for me, I got to live here for a little bit and be completely involved in the lifestyle. The culture here is so much more alive and I love the area. I’m so glad I got to meet such amazing people and then progressed to becoming friends. I was really sad to say goodbye to them but I truly believe I will get to see most of them again, especially since I see a trip back to Chile in my future. I hope they don’t forget about us, because I sure will never forget this trip and the friends we made. This trip has really made me consider traveling abroad and where I want to go, Chile being one of the possible locations. I’m really happy I did this trip because it has been my best traveling experience so far.

Thursday May 20th

Thursday we had nothing scheduled till 12 which at that time we were going to meet to go to the university. So after a late night out, we all got to sleep in a bit which was very nice saying as we were running on very little sleep this entire trip. When we woke up, a couple of other girls and I headed over to some shops to do some last minute souvenir shopping. They have some really cute shops along the beach and in the strip where we ate lunch the very first day. So after we shopped we headed back to the hotel. When we got to the university, we listened to Werner talk about studying abroad at Universidad de Santa Maria. I was really interested in it. On this trip, I’ve really come to love Vina and the culture here, and not to mention all of the amazing friends I’ve made here. Listening to him talking about the option to study abroad here really is making me consider it. After the seminar, we grabbed some lunch from the cafeteria and then met some of the other Chileans at a court to play a pick-up game of soccer. I really had a great time. I love playing sports, and getting to play with the Chileans was really cool because they are so good at soccer! I managed to get the ball into the goal twice, so I was pretty happy with myself and even though I got to play on the Chilean team, we somehow still managed to lose! I couldn’t believe it, or maybe they were just taking it easy on the gringos (; Afterwards, our boys got to show off their basketball talents since the Chileans clearly dominated with their soccer skills. It was fun, although I forgot how much cardio it takes to run back and forth for a game of basketball. After the activities, we headed back to the hotel to shower. Then around nine, we met everyone we were basically hanging out with for the past two weeks for pizza at Diegos. The pizza was really good, and again I really enjoyed spending time with everyone. When we were finishing up, Werner gave us all these really nice sweatshirts with the University de Santa Maria logo and the Pitt crest embroidered on the sleeve. I can’t wait to wear it.

Since it was technically our last night in Chile, all of our Chilean friends went out with us to give us a night we would never forget and I’m absolutely sure I won’t. I’ve never had so much fun. They really helped us live our last night up.

Wednesday May 19th

Today we visited the city of Santiago. We had an early start, getting on the bus around 8 and had an hour and a half bus ride so almost all of us enjoyed a nice nap. The first thing on our agenda was our company visit to Bolsa Stock Exchange. It was located in a very nice building and we were given a presentation all about the company and what they do. The trade room wasn’t open so our visit only last an hour at most. After, we walked around the city a bit and also went inside a museum. We then went to the Fish Market where we had lunch. The salmon was very good and it tasted very fresh.  I’m pretty sure everyone enjoyed their meal so the restaurant, Donde Augusto, was a great pick. After we went up this huge hill and at the very top you could see the entire city of Santiago which is pretty large. The top of the hill was also a place of prayer, having pews and benches to pray with a statue of the Virgin Mary at the very top. It was very beautiful and the view was amazing. They also had a few souvenir shops at the top so we all browsed and also enjoyed some ice cream bars. When we were finished, we headed back to the hotel where we all chilled out and grabbed some dinner. There are only 2 more nights here left and all of us can’t believe its coming to an end. We all went out tonight with the mentality that we only had two more opportunities to enjoy our nights in Chile and that’s just what we did. 

Tuesday May 18

Today was our day at the SPA day. We all got on a big tour bus and headed out around 9. When we got there, we were a little unsure about the place from the front but after walking in, we were impressed. It was a very nice resort and saying as we had no idea what to expect, it was a pleasant surprise. First, we enjoyed some empanadas and the open bar, with also free ice cream. Then we headed out to play a pick-up soccer game. It was a 5 on 5 game and Chelsea and I were the only girls who volunteered to play. I really enjoyed playing since I used to play soccer all the time when I was younger. I wasn't very good, but I still had a lot of fun playing. After the game, we lay out in the sun for a while since it was such a beautiful day, then had lunch. After lunch, we lounged around for a little longer and socialized with the Chilean students. It was really nice just hanging out with them. I’ve been trying really hard to keep in their conversations but I still have no idea what they are talking about sometimes ahah. After staying at the SPA for a bit, we then we headed back and went to Werner's house for a barbeque and a little party. There was a lot of good food, and we all learned some new dances, including the Chilean students. After the party, we hit up one of the local bars to keep hanging out because the place we were at kicked us out at 12. 

Monday May 16th

On Monday, we all woke up and headed out for a ranch to go horseback riding. The ranch sat on this huge hill that overlooked the sea and city, and the mountains were in the background. The name of their business was Ritoque Expediciones and they have horseback riding expeditions and also kayaking. They had at least 20 horses and they were all so pretty. They put each of us a horse and we went off down towards the beach. It was really cool riding the horses, they each had such distinctive personalities and individual horses even had personal problems with others so it was neat seeing them interact although sometimes scary. Sometimes they would try to bite each other and at one point the one even tried to kick the other. Walking along the beach was so pretty. The ocean was so blue and it was such a beautiful day. My horse kind of enjoyed going off by himself, a lot of the time we trotted along the water while the group was over to the right. We then headed off into this sand dune area and it was weird going from such different scenery, suddenly it was like we were in a desert. It was really neat. After the horse ride, we went back  for a delicious barbeque lunch made by the owners. I really like the horseback riding and I wish on this trip we could do more stuff like that.

Sunday

Today we had a free day again so after another long night out, we all got to sleep in a while. When we did finally wake up, we headed off for the mall. We took a path then went along the water’s edge and ended up coming across a very long line of souvenir shops. So we spent a few hours there, looking at every single stand. They all had the same kind of stuff, but we we’re all worried about buying something at the one stand and then coming across another stand that had it cheaper or even worse some better. We came up with a plan that we would mainly just browse all the way down, go to the mall just to see it and then on the way back actually buy stuff. It worked out pretty well, we got to see what every stand had and get the gist of the prices and went to the mall. The mall was huge with three floors and probably a McDonald’s on every single one of the floors. After looking around, Julie and I broke off and headed back for the shops while the others grabbed some lunch. I was finally successful at getting pretty much everyone a little something from Chile. After we got back, we hung around for a while before our dinner reservation at Tierra de Fuego. The food was really good and the restaurant was very nice; we all felt a little spoiled after that. Then we went back to the hotel and hung around for the night. Sundays are pretty calm here in Chile so there wasn’t much to do but I’m sure none of us really minded chilling out for the night.

Saturday

Today was our free day and after a very long night, we all got to sleep in. I woke up around 12:30 and finally got a nice warm shower. Then a few of the girls and myself headed off for some shopping where we had lunch the first day. Most of us found some cool souvenirs for friends and family and then we had lunch along the strip we were at. After shopping, we went back to the hotel to meet everyone for the soccer game. We left around 6 and it was a good half hour walk at least and pretty chilly out with misting. The game was pretty cool, but unfortunately the team we were rooting for only tied. However they had some pretty sweet plays and they're so good with keeping control of the ball and knowing where to place it. It got pretty cold, so I was pretty glad when the game finally ended but I was not looking forward to the long walk back. As we were walking down the hill away from the stadium, Werner turned and said he could take three people in his car back to the hotel. So Julie and I thankfully got to skip out on that really long walk back in a nice heated car haha. When we got back, we planned out our night. We decided on going to a bar and then to a discotech. We went to the same bar we went to on our first night and we all hung around and listened to music until 1:30 and then headed to the dance club. We went to the club Scratch this time which was a bit more of a walk but overall it was a pretty cool club. They play some pretty awesome dance music here in Chile and they dance with a classier edge then americans although they still look hot doing it. 

Friday

Today we woke up around nine to head off for isla de negra. When we arrived, there was some confusion about what the plans we're and we ended up having to kill 4 hours without any definite plans. So after driving around in a loop twice, we ended up at a famous poets grave on top of this huge hill. After spending about 20 minutes there, we headed back down and drove 15 min to a restaurant. At the restaurant, I got salmon and mashed potatoes for lunch and was overall pretty happy with the meal. It was nice chatting with Cony and Nicolas who came with us on the trip. I still usually have no idea what they're are talking about when they use their quick Chilean Spanish though haha. After lunch, we went on an adventure to find the worlds biggest pool! And we did end up finding it, and it was ridiculously huge! However, the pool wasn't completely filled. After that little adventure, we ended back for the tour of the poet's house. The tour was pretty interesting, although the man was pretty weird, and then after we did a little souvenir shopping. When we got back, we got ready for the night and went to the Hollywood Pub before heading off to the discotech in the casino. As you can see, I am posting this blog at 5:25....so clearly we had a long day (;

Thursday

This morning we woke up and again got on a bus for two more company visits. The first one we went to was the Vina Idomita winery. We got to see where all of the different kinds of grapes are grown and see where the wine is produced and the cellars they are stored in. We learned about how the type of line of wine is decided by when the grape is picked and how long it is stored in the cellar. After touring the site, we got to taste test a few different kinds. The one I really liked was Sauvignon Blanc, and then we also got to try two red wines as well. After we left the winery, we went to a restaurant for lunch. The restaurant sold actual Chilean style food. I got bisco lomo which was basically a delicious part of a cow and then some mash potatoes. It was really good, salty but I liked it a lot. After lunch, we went to LAN Airlines. There we got to go into a hanger, and see people working on a plane. Then we walked out onto where the planes are taxied and went over to another plane and we got to go inside that one. It was really nice. Each seat, even the second class had personal tvs. First class was very nice and I would love to be able to actually have a first class ticket for LAN airlines one day. After LAN, we were finished for the day’s planned activities. That night we went out to another karaoke bar, where again we made fools of ourselves singing ridiculously loud but it still was really fun. Then later on, they had dancing and I got to practice my salsa dancing. Another great day!

Wednesday

Today was our first day of company visits. We got up around 8:30 and headed off for the mushroom factory around 9. Quite honestly, the place reeked, however it was kind of interesting to see how much is put into producing and packing mushrooms. Our tour guide was very enlightening and he did a very nice job explaining everything and answering all of our questions. The company even had out out cookies and soda for us after our tour. After the mushroom factory, we headed off to Centauro where they can all sorts of foods. Mostly, their main produce is tomatoes and since we're here in their winter, they're main production is shut down. So we couldn't actually witness any of the processes in motion but it was still pretty cool. Our tour guide was such a nice man too. He loved answering all of our questions and he even gave us all free samples of strawberry and mango jams, and a can of tomato!! Then we went to another restaurant and had some delicious empanadas. I had a carne one and a mushroom and cheese, and they were delicious! After we then had another lecture on Chilean society, natural disasters, and music. Learning about the earthquake threats here and tsunamis were kind of scaring but its good information to learn. Then we had our last salsa dance! Again it was so much fun! Our instructor was so lively and made it so entertaining. After the salsa class, our scheduled day was done and we went back to the hotel to get ready to go out with the Chilean students. It was a lot of fun. Socializing with the Chilean students was so easy and chill and then after we went out to Cafe Journal. Overall great night!

Tuesday

Tuesday Jorge and Kris let us sleep in after our night out. We woke up around nine and again left for the university for more classes. Today we had Jaime Rubin de Cells teach us about the business in Latin American countries. It was really interesting seeing how the countries of South America compared. After that lectured, we had lunch in the cafeteria again. Today the food wasn’t that great and we had a very long day so I got pretty hungry when 7 o’clock rolled around. After lunch we had another lecture on the business aspect, then presented our company presentations again. After the lectures were done, we had another dance lesson! Today we did reggaeton. It was quite a sexy dance and I had so much fun learning it. Our instructor was really cool and got us all into it. I’m sure we all looked rather foolish especially since people stopped and watched us.  But I enjoyed myself nonetheless. We were all pretty beat leaving the school to head back to Vina del Mar. On the way back, there was this street entertainer throwing fire batons in front of cars waiting at a red light, so that was interesting. Then some of us got some McDonalds since we were starving and called it a night since we have an early day tomorrow. That was about it for today, still having a great time so far J

Monday

Monday morning we woke up early for our first day of classes at the university. Students from the university picked us up and went with us on one of the city buses, which are driven by some crazy drivers! When we got there, we had to walk up like a hundred stairs just to get to the main entrance because the school sits on a cliff looking over the beach. We firsts took a tour of the university from two of the students, both named Javier, and the school is beautiful. It has a very castle like look, very similar to Hogwarts. After the tour we had two lectures taught by Mimo, one of the people involved with the program. We then had lunch in the cafeteria at the school and then went on a city bus tour of Valapariso and Vina del Mar. Valapariso was really cool, we walked up this huge hill and everywhere along the street there were paintings, on the walls and steps. At the top, there was an amazing view of the entire city. We ended the tour at this empanada stand. They had the most delicious creation; fried empanada with warm caramel and bananas in side and powdered sugar on top. It was phenomenal! After the tour, we had our first dance lesson and I’m completely hooked! We learned some salsa and it was soooo much fun! After salsa we went to a bar with some of the Chileans from the university. I had my first pisco which was quite a drink and even did some karaoke.  Overall, I would say it was a pretty awesome day and night.

First Day in Chile

As we were boarding our final flight, it finally sank in that I was leaving the country and going to Chile. It was a long flight and I didn't sleep at all on the flight which would eventually take a toll on me later. While making the final decent into Chile, I could see mountains out the window. The landscape already seemed very cool, even thru all the fog and clouds. After landing, we all successfully made it through customs without being accused of smuggling any items and we met the student from the University who led us to the bus to take us to the hotel. It was a very scenic trip however my lack of sleep caught up on me about half way through and I missed some scenery. When we arrived at the hotel, it was a bit frightening. There is no heat and the bathroom situation is a little ridiculous, but we’ll survive. We then left to find a place for lunch. We found a nice little restaurant and ordering the food was quite comical. My first meal in Chile was called Ave Especial, basically a chicken sandwich. It was huge! But very good. We then spent the next couple hours walking around Vina del Mar. There are stray dogs everywhere here and some just will follow you around. There are some that are very cute but also a lot that look like they have such sad lives. One particular dog followed us around for a while and the boys named him Sergio. After spending some time by the water, we went back to the hotel to chill before dinner. Around six, we got dinner at the Hot Chile Pepper right down the street. I got the chivichanga, I believe it was called, and it was basically a fried tortilla filled with beef, chicken and cheese. It was pretty tasty actually. Then after, we all went and got gelato and managed to piss those people off too with our American obliviousness to how to order correctly there. But the ice cream was absolutely delicious!