The Last Night

I can't believe this trip has come to an end. This will be my last blog of the trip. I apologize for not writing sooner but for a week that has had less activities it has been very busy. Yesterday we had a free day in the morning where we went to the vendors again for some last minute items and then spent the rest of the day on the beach. We played a lot of games like tug of war and sack races and then ended up just playing volleyball and watching the sunset.

Today we went horseback riding. It was the coolest thing I have ever experienced. Although my horse was a little temperamental he was so fast and strong. I named him Jose and we rode through the sand dunes and across rivers and down the beach. The prettiest part of the ride was when we were walking through these sand dunes that looked like a desert. We finally got to the top of one of the tallest dunes and from there we could see the pacific ocean crashing against the rocks. It was so beautiful. At one point Jose decided that we wanted to go in a totally different direction from the rest of the group but once one of the guides talked to him he changed his mindset. Jose and i even galloped together which was the scariest and most thrilling experience I have ever had. After riding we had a delicious bbq at the ranch and then went home to relax before having our farewell dinner. It was so sad to say goodbye to everyone in a formal setting and I thank the University of Santa Maria and Mr. Verner for all of his work these past two weeks. I have made a promise to myself that I will be back to Chile at sometime in the near future. I can't stand to leave now so I need to come back and explore more of Chile.

Tonight we're heading to our farewell party at a bar called Goose and then tomorrow I will be packing and begin my journey home. For all who have followed this blog I hope you have enjoyed it and I can't wait to show pictures!

Ciao!

Poems and Pools

Today we traveled to Isla Negra for a tour of Pablo Neruda's house. Who knew that Isla Negra is not an island. Pablo's house is right on the Pacific Ocean and has 2 different parts. One part of the house was his living quarters while the other was where he kept all of his collections and where he would write. He was inspired by the ships that traveled by his home and would collect different pieces of ships and put them in his house. He even created parts of his house to replicate the interior of ships. Afterward we went and saw the largest pool in the world. It is located right on the Pacific Ocean too and is in San Alfonso del Mar Algarrobo, Chile. It is 1,013 m (3,323 ft) long and has an area of 8 ha (20 acres) and it is also a saltwater pool. It was so huge that just one lap would probably be a workout. 2 more days until horseback riding!

Buenos Noches

Last day of company visits

Today was our last busy day of the trip which is good in the sense that we don't have to get up at 7 anymore but it's sad that this trip is starting to have last days of something. For example today was our last day of company visits. Today we went to the Santiago Stock Exchange located in downtown Santiago. A woman from the exchange talked to us about how the exchange is different from the New York Stock Exchange b/c not only do they deal with stocks but they also deals with bonds and other forms of capital. We also got to walk on the floor of the exchange. Surprisingly there weren't any people working on the floor b/c now the exchange is all online. Brokers only need to go on their computers and work from their offices. After the Exchange we went sightseeing through downtown santiago and then headed to a fish market that has a restaurant inside and we had tons of fresh seafood. And yes dad i ate everything that they gave me! I had tons of different shellfish, calamari, a fish with fins on it, salmon, swordfish, Conrio, and something called reneca? It was absolutely delicious and after we went to a mountain and took a tram up that showed all of Santiago and the Andes at once. I also got some really pretty jewelry from a vendor there. I can't wait to put pictures up eventually.

Tomorrow we are heading to Isla Negra where Pablo Neruda lived so I'm excited.

Viva Chile!

Hola!
So nothing really new to report unfortunately. Last night we ended up going to a party that Camilo (our chilean student) was hosting for his friends 25 birthday. It is so fun b/c his apartment complex has a deck on the room that overlooks Valpraiso and Viña del Mar. The other great thing is that when we go he introduces us to a lot of his friends. I met a lot of fun people last night and caught up with some that have been hanging out with us since we got there. Today there was a soccer game Chile vs Mexico. We went to a restaurant and watched the game and then went walking around town. It was so pretty today and the beach was gorgeous. I can officially say I am done buying gifts for everyone and now I can come home feeling accomplished :). Tomorrow we will head to Santiago for a tour of the Chilean stock exchange and then will do a bus trip of Santiago which should also be a lot of fun. The best part of tomorrow is that we will be having lunch at a seafood restaurant. Apparently the bottom floor is the fish market where all the fresh fish can be sold or bought and the restaurant above serves the fresh fish too. I am very excited, I'm thinking the chilean sea bass.


Buenos noches

Rain Rain Go Away

You know you're taking in an experience in a foreign country when you start spelling your password to things in spanish! Today was our first free day to explore and a bunch of us ended up going to a street here in Viña del Mar that has a bunch of outdoor shops and vendors. This morning and last night were a bit wet since it was the first time we had rain here but it didn't stop us from having fun. Around 12 the sun came out and it was really warm so we walked around a lot and bought pastries and ate lunch at a little restaurant on one of the strips where the shops are. Afterward we walked along the beach and found another strip of shops with jewelry and clothing and other little things. Tonight a few of us are going out to eat with our chaperones and then will probably just hang out. I'm okay with a more or less quiet night:)

Hasta Luego!

TGIF

Today was a very relaxing day for all of us. Although it rained for the majority of the day we were able to walk around the resort and play soccer and eat a lot. At lunch it was really fun because we sat with a few of the chilean students who are with us and we talked about the differences in words from thiers to ours and used their spanish on us. It's hard because in Chile they speak a form of spanish called Chilean. It's really fast and they don't use s's in their sentences at all and they only use parts of words and shorten so much more. Tonight we might be heading to a pub called Stingray and tomorrow we have a free day so maybe we'll head to Santiago or something!

Viva Chile!

Finally found time at four in the morning hah

Sorry for not writing in a couple of days but it has been incredibly busy! Yesterday (Wednesday) we went on our first company visits to Codelco which is the copper smelter and the fruit packaging plant. I was very curious to how the day would turn out because at first thought I would do think either sound very interesting to learn about. However, both were very informative and we got to experience everything up close and personal. At the smelter we walked around the entire plant and saw how copper travels through every step to make it the best. Also although the plant is cover in soot its interesting to know that the gases that go into the atmosphere are more environmentally friendly. Although this is the case it does not mean that we didn't get to wear safety gear. Along with the steel toed shoes which look absolutely fabulous if I do say so myself the gas mask and bright orange vest and hard hat made the trip very worth while and made for a lot of funny pictures. My favorite visit of the day though was the fruit plant. Our guide was so nice and made the trip very relatable and interesting to us. He showed us how to make tomato paste and how they package it and then gave us some freebies. We went to an international bar last night and it was a lot of fun too. I spoke a lot of spanish which was so great and the experience was amazing.

Today (Thursday) we went to Viña Idomita and Lan Airlines. At the vineyard we took a tour of the plant and the cellars and then had a wine tasting. It was so good but I think it is safe to say that I do not know what tastes make up a wine still and I will stick to white wine:). Lan was fun too. We went into two different hangers and walked all around the planes and made an inspection of a first class section. It was also cool because today was the first day that I saw some of the damage of the earthquake up close and personal. The vineyard had stone cracked in the front walkway and at Lan we saw windows that had been cracked. Tonight we went to our first "discoteca" and spoke a lot of spanish again. It is crazy though because the bus drivers in Valpraiso become kind of like taxi's at night and charge their own rates and will wait until the bus is completely full to leave. Also they have competitions to see who can fill their buses first.

I think this is all for the day, off to the spa in about 6 hours. Maybe there I will finally be able to catch up on my journal entries! haha

adios!

Day 2

Today was a busy day! We woke up around 7 and headed to the University in Valpraiso and had a tour. The campus is beautiful and has tons of palm trees and fields and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It also looks like a castle which is what a lot of older buildings here look like. We had 3 different lectures on culture, earthquakes and music and then headed to lunch. I was a little suspicious about the meal fearing that it would be something scary that comes out of the cracks and market central but it was really really good. We had soup and salad and meat. We had a tour of Valpraiso, Vina del Mar, Reñeca, and Con Con and saw tons of different colored houses, sealions and interesting buildings. We went to the top of a hill on a tram like car that i thought was going to drop at any moment and then was hugged by a short chilean woman. It was very intersting. We just got back from a restaurant that makes the best empanadas( i had crab and cheese in mine) and now I'm waiting to head to salsa lessons and a karaoke bar. Busy busy day!

Meredith

11 hours later

I'm officially in Viña del Mar, Chile! I just got back from a run and the weather is absolutely beautiful. We ran along the beach and saw a couple of castles and some really pretty hotels. We even made a new friend. His name is Pepe and he is a german shepard. He ran with us the entire time and is probably laying outside the door of the hotel waiting for us to come out again. Maddie and Alexa (my roomates) want to make our room a living zoo with a bunch of llamas and dogs and cats running around but I don't think that would go over well, so I guess we'll have to just see them around town.

The trip here was really easy and the sights along the way were incredible. We flew over the Andes and then drove through a series of different valleys to get to the hotel. The rest of the day is pretty chill. We have the day to explore the area and then tonight we have dinner at a restaurant called Margaritaville. I cannot wait to start seeing the different areas of Chile and cannot wait for the next week to get started so that we are busy.

Happy Mothers Day!

Meredith