Important--Delayed Flight

It looks like our flight is delayed at least two or more hours. Please check Delta for updates. It is flight 146 from Santiago. Once we are in Atlanta we may have to take later flights but your student should be able to contact you about his or her flight.

Friday, May 15

Today is our last day in Chile. The bus comes at 3:00 PM and our flight to Atlanta is scheduled to leave at 8:15 PM. We had our formal farewell dinner at Diego Pizza last night and exchanged gifts. All of us received very nice golf shirts with emblems of Pitt, Santa Maria and Plus 3. After the dinner I think there was a student organized farewell that lasted most of the night. It has been an interesting trip but I think most are ready to come home.

Thursday, May 14

This is a very late post but this means I have more to report on. Yesterday was a slow day. We were supposed to have outdoor games at the university but because of the rain, the students went bowling instead. In the evening I think there were plans for a pub named Journal, but I am not involved in pub activities. Today we went horseback riding. This is a spectacular activity but also a little risky. I am happy to report that all students went and all came back in one piece (except for some sore butts). No one even got very wet this year. The scenery was spectacular. We first rode through marshes and then through very steep sand dunes. After the dunes, we rode along the ocean for a few miles. Then we went back through the marshes to the ranch where we had a wonderful barbecue. This evening we will have a farewell dinner at Diego Pizza with people from Santa Maria. Tomorrow we can sleep late, do last minute shopping, pack and then take off for the airport about 3 PM.

Wednesday, May 13

Our visit to Chile is winding down. The saga of no wireless continues as even McDonald´s has become unreliable. Of course, there are plenty of internet cafes around but it is hard to go back to the old technology. Yesterday most of the group went to Isla Negra to see the home of Pedro Neruda, the nobel prize winning poet of Chile. They also went to San Antonio, the port of Santiago, for lunch in another typical Chilean restaurant. The weather was not great but at least it did not pour. Today we have a morning to sleep in and then we have some activities at the university in the afternoon and evening. I have not been able to post more pictures because they are on my laptop but if I don´t do that in Chile, I will do it when I get back to Pittsburgh.

Tuesday, May 12

Yesterday we went to Santiago. Our first stop was the Santiago Stockmarket. We saw a video and then had a presentation and two employees answered questions. Finally we went to see the now empty trading room. Afterwards, we tried to see La Moneda (like the White House only the president doesn´t live there, she only works there). There was some event going on and it was temporarily closed to the public. We walked around the Plaza de Armas and saw the Cathedral. We had a misunderstanding with the bus driver but we finally walked to Mercado Central and had a great lunch with a former Pitt student, Leslie Wheeling, and a former Santa Maria student, Felipe Acevedo, who also studied at Pitt. Felipe arranged the lunch. Later in the afternoon we took a funicular up San Cristobal Hill. We could see a heavy layer of brown smog over the city but above that layer of smog we were able to see the Andes. Last year and the year before it was too cloudy to see the Andes. We ended the trip with some shopping in the Bellavista area of Santiago. Our company visits are now completed and today we go to see the beautiful home of Pablo Nerudo at Isla Negra. They say it may rain but so far it looks nice out.

Monday, May 10

Yesterday we enjoyed a relaxing Mother´s day in Vina, although some students went to Renaca and climbed to the top of the sand dunes (not very relaxing). Doreen and I took one of the students with an eye problem to the local clinic. We were impressed with the speed and quality of the clinic. Of course, it was not a public clinic and it was not cheap (though compared to a visit to an emergency room in the US, it probably was). In the evening we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The atmosphere was nice and the waiters spoke English (rare in Vina). The desserts were great but unfortunately not all the dinners were. This morning we are going to Santiago.

Sunday, May 10

Happy Mother´s Day. It is Mother´s Day here in Chile also and I was warned that the restaurants in Vina will be crowded, at least in the afternoon. Yesterday was a down day and the students did what they wanted. I know most caught up on their sleep. A large group went to Valparaiso on their own while a few others just went shopping. Last year all the student would congregate in the lobby to use the internet and I could catch up on their adventures. Without the internet here in the hotel, it is harder to do that. Today is another free day but we will have a group dinner in the evening in a local restaurant. Tomorrow we leave very early for Santiago. (This is a change in the schedule as we will go to Isla Negra on Tuesday.) We will visit the stock exchange in Santiago (our last company visit) and then tour the city.

Saturday, May 9

Yesterday we got off to a late start because the bus was caught in traffic due to an accident. We first went to Conservas Centauro where we had an interesting tour of the tomato canning plant given by one of the owners of the family business. After that we spent the day at a resort in Olmue. Some Santa Maria faculty and students joined us. We had empanadas to begin the visit. After a soccer game in which most of the students participated, we had a buffet lunch. I am not sure what others did the rest of the day because I took a nap. In the evening we had a barbecue at Professor Kristjanpoller's home. Today is a free day and when I left the hotel at 10:30 to use the internet at McDonald's, everyone was still asleep or at least not up. I think we need two days off because this past week was really busy. A few students have colds but no one is so ill that he or she has not participated in all the scheduled activities.

Friday, May 8

Yesterday we had two good company visits in English. In the morning we went to Vina Indomita for a tour of their winemaking facilities and a wine taste. We then stopped for lunch at a restaurant serving typical Chilean food. This was a change since most of the restaurants around the hotel serve Mexican, Chinese and Italian food. In the afternoon, we visited Lan Chile and had a tour of the maintenance hangers. Actually, safety rules have tightened since last year, so we had to stand outside the hangers this time. Today will be a little more relaxing. We have our fourth company visit early in the morning (the kids are not too happy about the 8:30 departure) but the rest of the day will be spent in a resort where they can relax and enjoy the day with some Santa Maria students. In the evening, Professor Werner Kristjanpoller will have us to his home for a barbecue. The internet continues to be non-functioning most of the time.

Thursday, May 7

Although some students have managed to get on the hotel wireless, I have not and am still making the trek to McDonald's. Also, we have been so busy that I have not had a chance to post photos. Please check student blogs for more information on our trip and perhaps for photos.
We had our first company visit yesterday, to Codelco Ventanas where copper ore is refined. Because no one had safety shoes, we had to take the tour from inside our bus. Moreover, the tour was in Spanish and somewhat difficult for Arturo and Doreen to translate because of the technical nature. However, it doesn't make sense to go to Chile and not see part of the copper industry. In the afternoon, we had two more excellent lectures on Chilean culture by Jose Luis Cortes. In the evening we went to a soccer game where the local team, Everton, came from behind to tie the game at 1-1. Today we go to Lan Airlines and a vineyard.

Wednesday, May 6

We are still having internet problems in the hotel so this message is from a table outside of MacDonald's. Unfortunately the beautiful warm weather we had Monday has disappeared but at least it is not raining. Yesterday we spent the day on the campus of Santa Maria. We heard a talk in the morning from a Pitt grad (2007) who is now working in Santiago. She participate in Chile Plus3 in 2004. After another lunch in the student cafeteria, we heard lectures on Latin American and Chilean economies. The evening ended (at least officially)with another Salsa class. This morning we have our first company visits. Everyone seems to be doing well and they are a cohesive group.

Tuesday, May 5

Yesterday was our first business day in Chile. We apparently brought good weather with us as it sunny, clear and warm (at least until 4 PM). In the morning we went to the Santa Maria campus where we heard a very interesting lecture on Chilean culture and music. We ate in the student cafeteria. In the afternoon we had a tour of Valparaiso, Vina del Mar and Renaca. Then we went back to campus for a salsa class. Today we will also be at the campus to hear a Pitt graduate talk about her work in Chile and a lecture of Latin American and Chilean economies. Everyone seems to be getting along well.

We have arrived!

Greetings from Chile. We arrived on time in Santiago and then took a bus to Viña del Mar. Our hotel rooms were ready for us and students are unpacking, exploring and perhaps napping. It is cool but sunny. The only bad news is that the wireless is not working and because it is Sunday, it won´t get fixed until tomorrow. I am writing from the business center, but don´t be surprised if you don´t hear from your student.

Are you ready for Chile?

I hope everyone survived exams and final projects and you are now resting up for Chile. See you Saturday in Atlanta if not in Pittsburgh. Hasta luego.

Welcome to Plus3 Chile 2009 Website

Welcome to Pitt's 2009 Plus3 Chile Website and Blog. Please check here daily for announcements from the faculty and staff leaders of the Plus3 Chile 2009. Click on individual student names to see their blogs.