May 10th: Winery, Poets, and Dancing

Or first stop this morning involved a visit to a vineyard named Viña Indomita. The vineyard is some distance away from Viña del Mar, so we took a sleepy bus ride to Casablanca Valley. Casablanca Valley is a beautiful place surrounded by rolling hills and filled with grape vines. The building where the processing of grapes occurs is positioned on top of one of the hills and overlooks the valley below. After taking in the breathtaking scenery, we were met by a representative of the winery to take a tour and learn about their company and the winemaking process.

The grapes in the vineyard are, of course, the first part of the wine making process. At this time of year, the grapes are harvested, but they must have the correct sugar level before being picked. The most interesting part of this step is the vineyard's use of roses. Roses are a similar plant to grape vines, but are more delicate. By placing rose bushes near the vines, the people tending the plants can see when diseases hit rose plants and then have time to react before the same disease affects the vines. The bushes also attract aphids away from the vines and good bugs to the area.

After being picked, the grapes are taken inside the production building to finish the process. White wines and red wines are produced in different ways. The process for making white wine was more interesting to me than for making red wine. The grapes are brought in chilled and the juice is extracted by squishing the grapes with a balloon. It is important to not damage the skins in this process because of chemicals in the skins and because the skins give color to red wine. I wonder how this process was developed, as it seems somewhat obscure. It would probably take many different designs to get to one that works as well as the current one. The production room was full of large stainless steel tanks which are used to age the less complex wines. According to our guide, the lower quality wines cannot be aged in barrels because the wood aroma and taste would overpower that of the wine.

Next, we were taken into the room where the higher quality wines are aged in barrels. This room has to be kept at a very constant temperature, humidity, and lighting for the wine to properly age. For example, if the room is too warm, the wine can evaporate out of the pores in the wood. To maintain the high humidity level necessary, there are rock beds under the rows of barrels to which water can be added. The winemaker is the most important person in the process, as he is the one who determines when the aging process is over through tasting and through monitoring the amount of time the wine has aged. It seems to me that the winemaker would have to be very knowledgeable about all of the details of the process in order to produce high quality wines. We were told that winemakers are agricultural engineers, but my guess is that they are knowledgeable in many more areas such as chemistry and industrial engineering.

To conclude our tour, we tasted three of the wines produced by Viña Indomita. I do not like the taste of many wines in general, but they seemed to be a very good quality, and I am sure that people who like wine would enjoy drinking them.

We then drove to Isla Negra to see one of Pablo Neruda's houses. Before touring, though, we ate lunch at a cafe next to his house with an expansive ocean view. Lunch consisted of an appetizer of shells filled with seafood and cheese, a main course of fish soup, and tiramisu for dessert. Everything was delicious, but the amount of food was huge!

Pablo Neruda's house was a very interesting place. His house was inspired by boats and trains and was full of various collections including bottles, shops in bottles, figures from the prows of boats, compasses, bugs, and many other seemingly random things. According to the self-guided tour we took, his house was an inspiration for much of his written work. Since Pablo Neruda is such a well known Chilean author, it was interesting to see his home in Isla Negra and what inspired his work.  I am interested in reading some of his works now that I know more about his life and have seen where he lived.

To conclude the night's activities, we had another dance lesson at the University.  This class rather than having a specific style was more like a Zumba class.  It was a lot of fun and reminded me of some of the dance classes I have taken at home.

After returning to Viña del Mar, Hannah and I decided to try to get dinner on our own.  With the cultural and language differences, it was difficult for us to figure out if we were supposed to order before sitting, or wait to be sat, or just sit down and wait for someone to wait on us at the place we started at.  Consequently, we went to another restaurant and found someone who could speak enough English that we could figure out what to do until getting a menu.  We were very proud of our accomplishment of getting food, and hope that it will be possible to do so easier next time.
 

May 9th: Dancing and LAN

The requested meeting time this morning was the latest so far, but we had to be alert and ready to move earlier than other days. Our first activity of the day was learning the national dance of Chile, cueca. In my opinion, cueca was more difficult to learn than the basic salsa that we were taught earlier in the week. The actual steps are not hard, but the order of the steps and the patterns were somewhat confusing to me. Most of the class was taught in Spanish, but it was not hard to follow the instructions given. The fact that Chile has a national dance shows the importance of music and dancing in their culture. As far as I know, the United States does not have a national dance, and if we do it is not as important as cueca appears to be in Chile.

 

Today we went on our first company visit to LAN Airlines. The two company representatives, José (the person who presented yesterday) and his co-worker Luis explained many aspects of the company in great detail and showed us a few areas of the maintenance facility at the Santiago airport including the inside of a new Boeing 787. The 787 planes, which LAN is in the process of incorporating into their fleet, are beautiful. They are made of a composite material which is supposed to last much longer than the aluminum mixture that is used on older models of airplanes (40 years versus 20 years) and increase the amount of time between maintenance checks (6 years between major maintenance work versus 2 years). The improvement of these planes is a huge testament to the accomplishments of engineers working for airplane companies such as Boeing and Airbus. To me, 40 years seems like a really long time to be flying the same planes, and I wonder what implications this will have. For example, with the fact that newer planes will likely be developed during the lifetime of these planes, will they actually fly for the whole time that they can, or will airlines buy newer airplanes before this time to keep up with competitors and possibly new regulations. Regardless, the planes are the among the best technology existing at this time and will probably be considered nice planes for some time to come.

 

At LAN, we also learned some things about the maintenance process for planes and technologies that the airline is incorporating. Following many other companies, LAN has a commitment to sustainability. The planes in their fleet are equipped with winglets, vertical pieces added to the end of plane wings, to increase fuel efficiency and LAN has actually saved quite a bit of fuel with this small change. They also have a group that figures out ways to reduce fuel in the maintenance process such as reducing the time engines are idling and moving planes with small vehicles rather than using the jet engines when moving around on the ground.

 

Tonight, we were supposed to come back to the university for another dance lesson where we would have learned Reggaeton, but we got back to Viña del Mar too late and were unable to do so.

May 8th: Chilean Culture Day

All day today we were at the university learning about Chilean culture from a former student guide named José. He was very thorough in his description of different components of the culture and kept the lessons fun and interesting.

To start the morning, we were given a quick overview of the history of Chile. With the exception of the first leader of Chile, Bernard O'Higgins, and the dictatorship of Pinochet from 1973 to 1989, Chile has had a democratic system of government. They are currently on their way to becoming a developed country, and based on the current growth rate will achieve this goal by 2025. Because Chile is in the process of becoming a developed nation, it seems like it would be a great time for both business people and engineers to come to Chile. From what the lecturers have said, it appears that Chile is starting to try to increase the technological innovation in the country, so engineers will likely be in high demand during this period. Paired with the history lesson was an introduction to Chilean poets, specifically Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral. We learned that in addition to being an author, Pablo Neruda was involved in politics and brought people to Chile from other countries with Project Winnipeg.

 

Next, we learned about the regions of Chile and tourism in the country. When learning about the country before coming here, there were many sources that mentioned the large amount of diversity in the country. Until this lecture, though, it didn't really occur to me how different they actually are. Chile is divided into fifteen regions with the fifteenth located in Antarctica. The climates range from desert in the north to cold in the south, and the cultures vary between regions. Based on the pictures in the presentation, it seems that there are many beautiful nature sites to visit throughout Chile. For example, San Pedro de Atacama, located in the second region from the north, is an area with geysers and a salt lake; Torres del Paine, located in the southernmost region, is a grouping of three "towers" which can be hiked around in six days. It seems a shame that people do not always realize how diverse this country is and all of the hidden gems here. When Chile becomes a developed country, I hope more people will want to travel here to see the country especially outside the Santiago and Valparaiso area.

 

The last morning lecture was mostly about Chilean art. There are not many art museums in the country, but the indigenous groups all have very distinct crafts that the Chileans recognize as art. In addition, several artists including Roberto Matta and Nemesio Antúnez have pieces in the MOMA in New York.

 

After lunch, our discussions continued with a presentation on Chilean society. There are many subtle differences between the culture of the United States and that of Chile that are important to know. One of the most interesting to me is that Chileans have a difficult time saying no. When visiting or working here, this would be an important detail to remember to avoid offending Chileans by being too pushy in negotiations or too direct when telling them no. There is a new program in the country to try to increase research and development and entrepreneurship in the country called Start-Up Chile. From what I understand, the program is trying  to increase global connections by having foreigners work in Chile for awhile and then maintaining their business connections if they leave to work somewhere else. It sounded like an interesting concept, and I hope it works for them.

 

Near the end of the day, José discussed natural disasters, particularly earthquakes and tsunamis, and gave us tips on how to stay safe if one occurs during our visit, since they are relatively common here.

To conclude the day, we learned about Chilean music and dance. Just as there are many regional cultures, there are also many regional musical styles which seemed to be largely influenced by the indigenous groups in the area. Of course there are also other styles of music that are popular in the country, but the ones focused on during the presentation were the more traditional styles.

 

After the lectures were over today, we rode the city bus back to Viña del Mar. This was not our first time on the city buses, but they deserve a mention. The drivers of the city buses in Viña del Mar and Valparaiso are paid a commission for the tickets they sell. Consequently, they pack as many people as possible on the bus and drive quickly between stops in order to try to sell as many tickets as possible. Whenever our group rides the bus most of us are standing as close to one another as possible and holding on tightly to try to avoid falling which is often a very difficult task. When the bus approaches a stop, they open the doors before stopping and several times we have been afraid of falling out the back door. We have ridden the bus enough now that we are starting to adapt to the insanity, but every time is definitely an adventure.

May 7th: Santiago

After a later night partying with the Chilean students, this morning it was a little difficult waking up for the early bus ride to Santiago. Almost all of us fell asleep, as the bus ride from our hotel in Viña del Mar is about an hour and a half. In Santiago, our first stop was the stock exchange, or bolsa de valores. One of the representatives there explained the Chilean stock market and we were shown a video which explained the system. I do not know the intricacies of the stock markets in the United States, but one thing we learned that I found interesting was that the Santiago Stock Exchange (SSE) has shares available for anyone to purchase, although they are very expensive. To become a broker, you are required to own a share of the SSE. Our visit concluded with a visit to the trading room which can still be used for trading on the computers that are set up, but most traders do not actually come to the trading room to conduct business anymore.

 

Our city tour guides then took us around part of the city to get to the history museum. I am sure it is an excellent museum, but everything was in Spanish and my vocabulary is not coming back as quickly as I has hoped. Seeing the pictures and artifacts, though, was very interesting, especially a copy of the book that Salvador Allende wrote (La Realidad Médico Social de Chile) that I had read about when I was researching for our group's company presentation.

 

For lunch, we ate at a seafood place in the central market. I had Chilean sea bass with a creamy seafood sauce which had scallops and shrimp. The food was delicious, and definitely worth the slightly higher meal cost.

 

This afternoon, our group as well as our Chilean guides were given a tour of the presidential palace. Compared to the security at government buildings in the United States, it was much easier to enter the palace than I expected. For women, they only search through purses with a wand and for men they require a pass through a metal detector. After passing through security, one of the guides that works at the palace led us through and explained the function of several of the rooms. Both the president and the first lady work in the presidential palace as do their cabinets. I was intrigued to learn that the first lady in Chile has a similar role to the first lady in the United States in the fact that she helps to try to improve social conditions.

 

To conclude our excursion to Santiago, we rode the funicular up a mountain to see the view from there and also walked to the summit of the mountain where there is a giant statute. I did not expect there to be as much smog as there was over the city of Santiago, and the view of the mountains was partially obstructed by it. Nevertheless, the view was stunning and provided a good idea of the size of the city.
 

May 6th: Welcome to Valparaiso!

Today, we met more friendly Chilean students. They began by leading an extensive tour of their university, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa Maria. It is a beautiful campus with stunning ocean views at almost every turn. I do not think I would ever get used to seeing the ocean if I attended school there. At the conclusion of the tour, we were meet by Jaime, a Pitt alum originally from Chile, to learn more about the economy of the country as well as a little bit about the economy of some of the rest of Latin America. Prior to the lecture, I did not know much about economics in general, let alone Chilean economics. However, the lecture was very informative and Jaime explained everything very well. One of the most interesting things I learned about Chile specifically was that monopolies and oligopolies are common in Chile and are not always well regulated. This was an interesting comparison to the United States where monopolies and oligopolies typically are not allowed to continue to operate.

 

Lunch at the university cafeteria was an interesting experience. All students who eat lunch on campus eat between one and two, and our large group, consequently, was eating at the same time as everyone else. Finding tables to seat everyone was surprisingly easy, though, because our guides asked several students if we could use their table and they willingly sat somewhere else.

 

In the afternoon, two other students, Tomás and Rudolfo, led us on a tour of Valparaiso. The bus trip started in the city, and our group walked around the main plaza for a little while. Then we went to a path that led to the open sky museum. The museum consisted of murals and many beautiful views of the beach and the city. While we were walking along the path through the museum, we were followed by several stray dogs all the way up and back down. Seeing all of the houses on the hillside made me realize how important structural design is in this city. The hills around Valparaiso are so steep that sometimes the houses go from one story on one side to five stories on the other. When earthquakes strike, I would hope that the houses are relatively stable, and that appears to be a sizable challenge.

 

After our tour, we were introduced to Chilean empanadas. They were delicious, and have many options of flavors, so it was difficult to pick one to order. I am definitely planning on trying others later in the trip and am sure they will be just as good.

 

To finish off the organized activities for the night, we learned the basic steps for salsa dancing. I do not think anyone in our group has ever salsa danced before, but we all had a blast and learned the steps quickly. The instructor loved to have fun and joke with us while we were learning, which kept everyone alert and laughing. I cannot wait to have our other two lessons with him to learn Reggaeton and more salsa steps.
 

May 5th: Arrival in Chile

After a fairly deep sleep on our somewhat turbulent plane ride, I was awakened to the smell of warmed croissants being passed out for breakfast. Considering the fact that breakfast was being served on the plane, it was shockingly good. About an hour later, the plane landed and all passengers were warmly welcomed into the city of Santiago.

 

First stop after deplaning and bathrooms: paying the required reciprocity fee. Only five countries are required to pay a fee upon arriving to Chile, and of course the fee for citizens of the United States is the highest at $160 USD. Before leaving, Brice, one of our advisors stressed that the bills we were using to pay the fee must be kept absolutely perfect. Everyone, myself included, seemed to be relieved to be rid of the bills and no longer have to be so careful for fear that we would not be allowed in the country. Customs passed without a problem, and border control only had to search one of my bags after running it through their system and thankfully found nothing of concern. I was, however, worried for a minute that there was something I did not remember packing in my bag that was not allowed to be brought into Chile.

 

After making our way through the process of entering the country, we meet Jorge, the engineering professor coming on the trip, as well as two of the Chilean students who will be spending time with our group. They were both very nice and talkative, and enjoyed sharing their experiences with us. They joined us on the bus to Viña del Mar, although I doubt that part of the journey was much fun for them because almost everyone was jet-lagged and once again feel asleep.

 

Arriving in Viña del Mar provided beautiful views of the city and surrounding area. Before entering the city, the bus drive took us through rolling hills covered with vegetation. In the city, we wound through narrow streets that reminded me of the wonderful time I spent in Europe with my family last summer. Finally, we arrived at our hotel, which is a cute older bed and breakfast. I am sharing my room with three other girls, which will be interesting in the morning when we are all trying to get ready to leave. Everyone has been very nice so far and we are all trying our best to navigate through this new city and have fun together.

 

Jorge and Brice took us on a quick tour of the city this afternoon including the beach, mall, and an area with a large collection of restaurants close to the beach. Lunch was delicious and very filing, and watching the street performers provided a bit of afternoon entertainment. To conclude the evening, we were given free time and Hannah and I returned to the mall and the vendors in front of the mall before I decided to call it a night and we both returned to the hotel. Hopefully after a good night's rest I will be wide awake and ready for more adventures and the lectures scheduled for tomorrow.

 

May 4th: Travel Day One

Today began the long trek to Chile. Our Plus3 group met up early to head to the airport exhausted but excited to be on our way. Security went surprisingly smoothly and allowed time for brunch and conversation before boarding the plane to Dallas. I was so exhausted from several nights of not much sleep that the minute the plane between moving I fell asleep and did not wake up for half of the flight.

 

During the second half of the plane ride, I took advantage of the free time to start getting caught up on the pile of magazines that I accumulated throughout the semester. After a busy few weeks consisting of finals and visiting my roommate's family, the plane ride was a welcome chance to relax.

In Dallas we had a six hour layover, which provided ample time to stretch our legs and explore. One of the other girls in the group, Hannah, and I walked through four of the five terminals in the airport and explored several of the shops along the way. I had a great time walking around with her and getting to know her better, and look forward to becoming better acquainted with the other people on this trip as well. The evening concluded with boarding the plane which transported us out of the country.