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.