Day thirteen-the last day!!

Today was the last day in Chile! This is so sad, but at the same time I am excited to go back to the states.  It is so strange to call back home the states.  Anyways, I woke up earlier with two other girls so we could go get another Chilean pastry for the last time.  We tried a new “pasteleria” (pastry place) and I bought a miniature apple pie.  This tasted really good! Then, we explored some more around Vina del mar (the city where our hotel was located) and found a café that had Chilean hot chocolate.  I had this a few days ago and wanted to drink it again in order to complete my journey.  Once again, this hot chocolate tasted amazing!  We just walked around the streets for a little longer seeing fresh fruits being sold, vendors, stray dogs, American shops and sidewalks flesh with streets.  When we returned to the hotel, we had to pack unfortunately.  Everything was stuffed to the maximum.  As a whole group, we ate lunch at the restaurant we ate at on our first night of being in Chile.  Our journey has come full circle.  I had a chicken sandwich with avocado, tomato, lettuce and a fried egg.  This was huge, but pretty good.  Then, we left our room and hotel for the last timeand boarded the bus to the Santiago airport which was about an hour and a half to two hour ride. Side note: I feel as if on this whole trip I have eaten and tried to sleep during any point where there was free time.  However, the sleeping was not always successful.  Anyways, we finally got to the airport, got everything situated and waited to board the plane.  This will be the last blog of my journey. I hope you the reader has enjoyed my adventures!  Chile will always be a special place in my heart and life!  Adios!

Day twelve-parte dos!!

Hola otro vez (again)!  After a good nap and packing my bags, all of us met all the Chilean students at a pizza place.  There were so many people in our group, but it was great!  The pizza was so unique also.  We were all talking and laughing and finally exchanged presents.  The Chilean students gave us a sweatshirt of their university which is really comfortable.  This dinner was great and sad all at the same time!  We all got in a group picture for good memories.  Tomorrow will be the final day which is so sad!

Day twelve!!

I know I have said this other times this trip, but today was one of the best days I have had!  It was our last full day in Chile, but today was amazing!!  We took an hour bus ride to a ranch in order to go horsebackriding!  This ranch first of all was so pretty.  There were so many dogs and cats that we could actually pet (unlike all the stray dogs).  Everything was made out of wood which made it look comforting.  There were swings, hammocks, a rock climbing wall, a fire pit and farm animals such as hogs, chickens, piglets and chicks.  Once everything was situated, we started picking out a horse.  My horse was named Brisa and she was light brown, white splotches on the face and a black mohawk mane.  She was pretty, but a little stubborn.  After the four instructors, all 19 of us, Camilo (a Chilean student) and his girlfriend had a horse, we started on our adventure.  This is where the true beauty of the day begins!  We rode on the beach, in the woods, through a swamp, through the bushes, on miles of sand dunes and back to the beach.  This landscape was really calming and serene.  I loved it!  We were able to trot and gallop which was so much fun!  All of these landscapes had mountains and the ocean in the background with 50-60 degree weather!  So far so great! I was lost in these memories and forgot about reality.  We took a break half way through and ate some Chilean clementines.  We finally had to return to the ranch after a 3 hour ride with our horse.  Even though I didn't want to stop this adventure, my inner legs sure appreciated it.  When we got back to the house, the family had cooked a lunch for us. It smelled so good! (Side note: I have learned that Chileans do not eat lunch until 1-4pm)  There was sausage, pork cooked with steamed vegetables, yellow rice, tomatoes with onions and a potato salad with fresh cilantro on it.  This meal was great!  After that the family brought out a second course of coffee and cookies.  Then, since it was cooler outside, most of us were sitting around the camp fire.  We taught the lady who owned the ranch about graham crackers, roasting marshmellows over fire and s'mores.  She helped us roast marshmellows then!  I can't describe how amazing this day was because words or pictures cannot capture this scenery!  Well, this is it for today. Adios hasta manana!  Tomorrow will be the last blog of this journey.

Day eleven!!

Hola! We had another free morning so we slept in.  A group of us went exploring around Vina del mar.  We went to a "Pasteleria" (pastry shop)/ "Panaderia" (bread shop).  Fun fact: Most of Chile's shops are just called pastry place or bread place (in spanish) not a fancy name.  Anyways, seven of us each got a fresh piece of bread/roll/biscuit and pastry all for under eight dollars (4000 pesos) altogether.  So, 14 pieces of food for under eight dollars!  They tasted so good.  My pastry was a cone-shaped caramel-filled spiral baked-dough with a caramel dollop and powdered sugar on top.  This was so messy especially without napkins, but really good.  I also had mango fruit juice.  Then we walked around to some more outdoor vendors.  There are so many little shops like these in the cities of Chile.  We then went to the beach again because I can't get over the beautiful view!  We all took more pictures and tested the ocean with our feet.  We rolled up our pant legs but the ocean tide still soaked the bottoms of our pants.  Anyways, today so far was filled with great memories in a foreign country and with new friends/family!  Next our whole group took a bus to play paint ball.  This was quite an experience.  We had to wear jump suits (like those worn in jail except not orange), chest protectors and face masks.  I am really glad we wore all this except the jump suits were huge.  I believe the crotch on mine was at my lower thigh! Anyways, my complaints follow.  The gun was too heavy, my shoes were filled with sand and the paintballs killed when they hit me.  The last complaint was serious though.  I got hit in the head!  Of course, the face mask did not cover the spot where I got hit.  This really hurt and I had a nice white spot in my hair.  Anyways, this was still fun until my gun decided not to work anymore.  This was definitely something new and adventuresome.  Then, a group of us went to eat dinner.  Now, no one should make fun of me, but we tried Chilean Chinese food!  It was not too bad especially since our waiter was from the United States!  Well, that is it for today.  Adios hasta manana!

Day ten!!

Hola! We started with breakfast again at the hotel and got on a private bus to go to our fourth company visit.  This company was a hardware manufacturing factory called Hela. The workers did not speak English so the two Chilean students (Javier two and Daniella) who came with us had to translate.  We had a tour on how to make all of tools that Hela makes.  This was interesting to see the background of the creation of brushes, scrapers, and cleaners.  However, at this visit we had to wear our steel-toed boots, ear plugs and glasses with a strap around our neck, so we were looking fashionable!  Then, we took the bus to a fruit/vegetable canning company visit called Centauros.  This was a great company!  We started with samples of some of their products.  First we had peaches ("duraznos"), steamed whole pear-shaped tomatoes, tomato paste and squash paste.  These all tasted really good especially the squash paste!  The owner saw that I liked this "pumpkin" paste so he gave me a jar of it! Great souvenir!  Then this company showed us around to all the canning machines and told us how they worked.  I really enjoy learning about the background of a company.  We finally finished and came out to the beautiful view of palm trees, mountains and blue sky.  We traveled back to the Vina del Mar and ate at a different empanada place.  I have had eaten so many of these so far, but they taste really good.  This time I had a chicken ("pollo"), cheese and corn ("choclo") empanada.  Next, we had to learn a final dance which is called "Cueca".  This is the national dance of Chile.  This was interesting because there are official outfits, handkerchiefs in our hands and a background story.   We are done making fools of ourselves when trying to dance!  That is all for today.  Adios hasta manana!

Day nine!!

Today was a much slower and relaxing day! We went to the Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria for the last time.  This is where the Chileans students we have been with go to school, but most of them are on their last year.  We will continue to see these students the rest of this week even though we won't go back to their school.  When we were there today we had present our presentations.  As some of you who are reading this probably do not know, before our trip all of us had to form groups and research one of the five companies we were going to visit here in Chile.  My group and I made a powerpoint and researched the airline company called LAN.  So, all five groups presented today in front of a Chilean professor, our two program leaders and the 17 students on this trip.  Then, we had our final lunch at the University.  There is only one choice for the main meal and sides and the lines are really crowded.  The main goal in Chile is to push through people to get where you want be if a place is crowded!  For lunch I had noodles with beef and stew sauce as the main, grapes with seeds, bread, salad and a peach juice box.  This meal was not too bad.  Then, we had some free time back at the hotel before Camilo (one of the Chilean students) picked us up to go play soccer.  Soccer was  fun especially since we played on a small turf field, but girls and boys were separated on different fields.  The boys played with the Chileans which would have been more fun, but I have many bruises either way.  Next, we went to some shops and an urban mall which is similar to that in the United States.  We all walked around there for a while then stopped at a grocery store to see what it was like.  Then, we ate some "empanadas" and went back to the hotel.  My empanada was filled with beef, corn and cheese! These taste so delicious!  Now we are back in the hotel for a relaxing night.  Adios hasta manana!

Day eight!!

Hola! Today was a free day for all of us.  We had nothing planned until dinner.  This day was also such a great day except for a very small earthquake at 8:30am which I didn’t even feel because I was asleep.  I slept in later and gathered up a group to go exploring around Viña del Mar.  We went to a sandwich/breakfast place for lunch where no one spoke english.  All six of us ordered a sandwich, but the waiter said they only had one type of sandwich left so we ordered that one. A waitress came to our table and said that they had only three ham and cheese sandwiches and two chese and mayo sandwiches.  This was only five sandwiches in total and there were six of us, so they didn’t have enough for all of us! Anyways, lunch still tasted good plus I had Italian/Chilean hot chocolate! This was the best hot chocolate I have ever had because it was really thick.  So far so good on the tasty food.  Then we walked down to the outdoor venders.  There were so many people selling items because it was a mix of Mother’s Day and Sunday. Both of these days are big in South America.  There were so many beautiful souvenirs for everyone.  As soon as I saw one awesome craft I saw something right after it that was even better.  Anyways, we got to explore the city which was a great time.  Then, we had ice cream! I tried “manjar” chips ice cream.  Manjar is similar to caramel/chocolate, so this tasted really good.  Afterwards we walked to the beach and took many pictures with many good memories! There were more venders, also.  Too many options for souvenirs.  We had to be back at the hotel by 6:30 for our fancy free dinner.  We all got dressed up and walked to the restaurant “Tierra del Fuego”, Land of the Fire.  We arrived and sat down around  7pm and ate almost constantly until 9:30pm!  The pre-appetizers were hot rolls with peppered butter and my drink was “Chirimoya” juice.  Chirimoya is a special Chilean fruit that is the size and feel of a mango, but white inside with many black spherical pits inside.  This had a different taste, but tasted good!  Then, the appetizers were grilled shrimp in butter and spicy strips of steak.  Then with another set of silver wear, my main meal was called “Risoto de locos con camarones” which is Risoto with crab and shrimp! This tasted really good, but I got full quickly!  Then my dessert was a blueberry pie with chocolate and nuts on top and chocolate ice cream on the side. I was so full, but this dinner tasted amazing.  We finally walked back and was escorted by four stray dogs! There are so many stray dogs in Chile.  Anyways, today was such a relaxing and fun day! Adios hasta mañana!

Day seven!!

Today was another great day! We were able to sleep in until 9:30am and then we took an hour bus ride to a city called Olmue.  Planned for the whole day, we went to a resort called Rosa Augustina that Chileans call a Spa, but it was not a spa at all.  It was beautiful even though they surprised us on how pretty this place was!  So, we walked into the lobby which looked like a fancy hotel and then we walked outside into a place that looked like a tropical grassland/rain forest! I don't know exactly how to describe this place, but there were array of flowers with palm trees and different type of pools everywhere.  It looked great and peaceful!  There were archways of plants and vines.  Besides all the pools, there was a dj, soccer court, hot tub, huge dining area, ping pong, fooseball ("taca taca") and an actual spa area.  I could not get over how beautiful this place was especially with the mountains in the background.  These moments here were amazing!  Most of the Chilean students came with us also-Javier, Camilo, Andres, Maurisio and Daniella.  Then, we played soccer against these Chilean students and we got creamed.  They let us score, but right afterwards they scored two goals so quickly! Soccer ("futbol") was still really fun!  Then, we went to lunch inside the lobby.  Lunch cannot be describe either because it was a delicious! There was so much food with six different buffet tables.  I love Chilean food!  Then I had dessert which was chocolate, strawberry and vanilla moose with chocolate and kiwi pieces on top.  I was lost in the beautiful and delicious moments at this resort! We all just hung out all day beside the pools and talking while playing ping pong and fooseball.  Great day!! Later on we drove to the house of the professor of the University   Technica Federico Santa Maria.  On the whole bus ride there, I spoke in Spanish with Christian.  We had a barbecue, talked, laughed and played fooseball with all the Chilean students.  We had a longer day, but it was great!!!  Adios todos hasta manana!

Day six!!

This morning we woke up to no running water in our hotel, but we all managed to still meet the bus on time at 9:30 after breakfast.  Besides the no running water, today was the best day so far!  We were able to sleep in and it was Allison’s birthday, so every else started off well.  We first travelled on a private bus with two Chilean students (Valeria and the second Javier we met)for about 40 minutes south to our third company visit.  This was a vineyard called Viña Indómita.  This was a really interesting visit because we learned about the details on how the wine is made which always interests me.  On the other hand, this company was beautiful!  It was up on a hill looking out into the valley of grape trees and mountains.  After our tour about the wine, we were able to taste three different types of wine- one white and two red.  This part of the visit was so peaceful!  We were sipping and swirling wine while sitting on patio chairs in the sun in 68 degree weather without wind and looking out into the valley and mountains! I was content.  Everyone in our group just kept calmly saying “YOICO” which is an acronym for You’re Only In Chile Once.  If we are trying to make a decision everyone says this acronym and are decision is made for the better.  Anyways after we had to leave this company, we went to Pablo Neruda’s house which was another hour south.  Pablo Neruda was a poet, economist, sailor and artist.  Before our tour through his house, we had lunch.  This lunch was amazing also.  First, we sat outside of the Café of Pablo Neruda with a great view of the ocean, beach, hills to the side and sun streaming down.  We started off our lunch with an appetizer of muscles and cheese with a carrot shaved flower in the middle. These tasted pretty good which I didn’t expect.  Then, our main meal came out which was white fish with a cream sauce on top with rice and a carrot and beat shaved flower on the side.  This tasted delicious!  As well as this food, I had freshly squeezed strawberry juice as my drink.  Our dessert came out which was a chocolate and cream moose with chopped kiwis and strawberries on top, but this had some fancy Italian name and description that I couldn’t understand when the Chilean said it.  Once again this tasted great.  I apologize if all this is tempting you and making you jealous.  Today was just one of the best days!  Next, we went down to the beach which was right down the hill.  We all sat on the huge rocks and watch the waves roll in.  Everyone was taking pictures with everyone else.  Besides all of the perfect views and activities so far today, we as a group have been so close in getting to know each other.  This happened so quickly, but I was crying at lunch I was laughing so hard and we all took great pictures everywhere today.  We definitely are professionals at the group picture pose.  Anyways, next we had the tour of Pablo Neruda’s house which was interesting except the guide spoke Chilean Spanish as expected.  They don’t say the letter ‘s’ in most words and they speak so quickly (sometimes I can’t even understand their English because it’s so fast).  It was still a good tour.  Then, we look at all the shops nearby so I could buy a few more souvenirs.  We left on our bus back to our hotel for an hour and a half bus ride.  We are going to meet for dinner a little later and enjoy the Chilean night life once again.  Adios y gracias para leyendo mi blog (Goodbye and thank you for reading my blog).

Day five!!

Hola otra vez (other time)!  First, last night we went to Café Journal for our second Chilean night life experience.  A friend of our respective Chilean students came up to me, Allison and Caren thinking we spoke only Spanish.  He was obviously wrong and he only spoke Spanish.  I tried out my Spanish once again, but it was so loud in there.  I feel he was speaking really slowly, but I was really nervous.  A conversation occurred though, but Chileans are not as good at respecting personal space.  They always give everyone a “beso” (kiss) on each other’s right cheek.  This morning, though, we left at 8:30 to take another public bus to the University.  Now we know our way around most of the campus.  I don’t know if I ever said but the Chilean universities do not have any dormitories or campus living; all the students live with their parents (if they live close enough) or they live on their own.  So, we had lectures at the university about Chilean cultural differences in everything and business.  We also learned about and watched the Chilean advertisements, music and dance. This was really interesting and entertaining because we are learning a different culture.  Also, we always take a break during the lectures and have snacks.  There are differences between Chilean snacks and American snacks.  The dorritos, miniature cupcakes, cookies and chocolate are different than in the “states” which is what the rest of the world calls America; just to let you know!  Then after the lectures we had lunch at the University.  Lunch was a salad with lemon juice dressing, rice, fresh fish, bread (always “pan”) and pop.  İMuy delicioso!  Ahora, andíamos un autobus por trienta minutos para ir a la empresa los bosques de mauco (Now, we rode a private bus for thirty minutes to go to the Nature’s farm company). At this company we saw the whole production and steps to growing mushrooms.  I have learned more than enough about how they create the most efficient mulch/food for the mushrooms plus the smell was just completely awful! However, this company was interesting though plus it was on the coast, so the bus ride was beautiful!  I can never take enough pictures of the ocean, palm trees and mountains!  We came back to the university in Valparaiso to have a snack because the Chileans do not eat dinner until 9pm or 10pm.  Basically, Chileans only eat Lunch and a few snacks.   I tried to order my snack at the University and all the Chilean students ask us if we are Americans. We Americans are just problems when we travel abroad.  Anyways, I tried to order a Gatorade and they didn’t understand me.  There is no Spanish equivalent and plus that’s what it says on the label.  So, a Chilean student behind me said Gatorade with a slight Spanish accent and the cashier understood.  J It sounded the same to me, but I guess my American accent is too thick.  After that, we had our last dance class. Today was Reggeton again.  I really enjoy this dance especially since I have a whole dance memorized because it gets stuck in my head. I will definitely have to teach people when I return to the “states”.  J Pues, también un día en este viaje trataré en español por cuatro horas (Well, also one day on this trip I will try to speak in Spanish for four hours).  I think I can do it because lately I have spoken without hesitation, but it is hard for me to have a Spanish conversation and transition back to English and Spanish.  Adios hasta mañana (goodbye until tomorrow)!

Day four!!

Today started with a delicious breakfast of breads and we left at 8:30am.  We took a public bus to the University to have lectures.  We met Jose Luis who was really interesting and a great speaker.  He talked about the Chilean culture, art, tourism and earthquakes.  I really enjoyed this new information.  We ate lunch at the University which was fresh bread (comes with every lunch), juice box, soup, empanada and dessert.  The soup literally had every type of vegetable possible plus meat and rice, but it tasted good.  The empanada was kind of disgusting just because it had olives with pits and weird meat in it.  Then the dessert was called “flan” which tasted kind of bad too, but I tried everything before criticizing it.  We talked with Camilo, Daniela, Valeria, Javier (The Chilean students) and “amigos” after lunch.  Afterwards, we took a private bus to Santiago for LAN company and I was able to sleep on the bus.  This company is the one I had to research and what I will have to continue to research upon so this airplane company was interesting.  We had a lecture about it, we were able to ask questions and see the airplanes closer.  I learned so much about this company.  We then rode the bus (hour and a half) back and it was very tempting to sleep again because it was very dark outside.  We went back to the university to have our Salsa classes again.  We are all professionals at this type of dance (just kidding!).  Then we finally rode a public bus back to the hotel and finally were able to eat.  It was already 9pm and we hadn’t eaten since 1pm.  No wonder Latin Americans are skinny; they do not eat!  I have learned that you have to pay to use a public bathroom, you cannot flush the toilet paper, there is not much room in the hotel rooms and this group of people is becoming like a family with many laughing! Adios hasta manana!

Day three!!

First I forgot to write that last night we had Salsa classes! It was interesting and fun! Then we did Karaoke which is why it was a late night.  Now, this morning I woke up at 6am to go for a run to the beach/ocean.  Great times! We had breakfast and left for Santiago at 8am with three Chilean students: Javier, Javier and Anton.  This was an hour and a half bus ride so we were able to sleep.  Once we arrived, we went to the Santiago Stock exchange.  This was interesting and informational. Then we just walked around the city and saw many landmarks.  Santiago is a much bigger city and different from Valparaiso.  In Santiago, most of the sidewalks are flesh with the streets and there are multiple popular retail stores. The Chilean "white house" and Capitol buildings are there also.  We walked around the National History Museum and the main Cathedral.  These were very interesting!  Then, we ate at the Chilean Fish Market! This restaurant, if one can call it that, was huge and had multiple vendors inside.  I tried the Chilean sea bass with a side of rice and calamari.  This tasted great!! We walked around to look at the shops inside also.  I was able to test more of my spanish because the vendor and I had a full conversation.  I felt proud.  We then walked a "cerro" which is bigger than a hill and smaller than a mountain and we rode this huge incline.  There were shops, food, a church and a nice lookout on this "cerro".  Everything here has more of a tradition and is more eloquent.  We finally went to another market full of more shops, food and flowers and paintings decorating the walls and stairs.  After so much walking today, it felt great to ride a bus back to Valparaiso.  It was beginning to get dark because Chile is in fall right now so 6pm and 7pm it is very dark.  We went back to the University Technical Federico Santa Maria for our Regueton dance classes! This was a major wake-up call!! We were all so tired from last night and during the day that we slept on the bus every chance we could get but then we had to dance.  This type of dance is just by oneself but constant jumping and moving.  This was crazy and we looked crazy especially when we had an audience that randomly showed up! It was still really good.  This marked the end of our day three in Chile! Adios hasta manana!

Day two!!

Today was the second day in Chile.  We woke up and had breakfast which was great! It was biscuits and jam with fresh orange juice.  Then we boarded a public bus to Valparaiso! This is correction from yesterday's blog.  Our hotel is in Vina del Mar and the university where the Chilean students attend.  So, we rode on the bus for about a twenty minutes to Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria (Santa Maria Technical University).  We started this day at 8:30! We arrived in Valparaiso and met another Chilean student, Camilo.  We had a guided tour of the campus which was beautiful!  I really liked the campus!  Then, we had two lectures about Latin American economy, geography, etc.  These were long but informational.  Then, Javier(the main Chilean student) took us to the University cafeteria.  This was so busy, but a great meal! We had a salad with tomatoes and a lime for dressing. Then the lunch came with mashed potatoes, sausage, apple, and a mango juice box! We took a private bus to have a tour of Valparaiso for 4 hours with three other new Chilean students! There were some great views of the ocean, houses, and buildings.  We had to ride a bus up the hill with very tight streets and almost hitting other cars and buildings.  I tried a tootie fruitie drink and saw many landmarks.  I have learned that the public buses go so quickly, the food is so fresh, the time is on military time and Chileans always give everyone a kiss on the cheek.  This is great!!  On this tour of the city we were always in the right place at the right time.  The Chileans either stared at us or took pictures of us.  We finally got back at 6:30pm and ate Empanadas at a local restaurant.  These tasted great!! Well, tomorrow we will start again at 7:30am.

Official first day in Chile!

After seeing the sunrise peer through the mountain tops, I knew we have arrived to Santiago, Chile!! Our first day has finally come! We had an eight and half hour flight from Miami, Florida to Chile! I didn't sleep much, but tonight will be much better.  We finally landed at 7:30 am, but didn't leave the airport until 9am.  During these couple hours we had to pay the exchange fee with perfect(nothing less) dollar bills, go through customs and find our luggage.  All three of these were much harder than expected, but we all survived! I have tested out my Spanish skills today so far which was nerve-racking.  After the airport situations were finished, we met up with our other program leader, Jorge, who is from Peru and a Chilean student.  We then took an hour and a half bus ride to Valparaiso, Chile.  The landscape was interesting and different than I expected.  We finally arrived at our hotel and were able to shower and change which was very nice!  The shower was a tad nippy but everything is good.  So far today I have learned that Chile has many stray dogs roaming the city.  Every sidewalk has at least one stray dog.  Also, I have learned that Chileans still drive on the same side of the car as Americans do.  I wasn't aware of that.  Then, most of there streets are one-way and there trees are mostly palm trees.
A little while after we got to our hotel, we  left for lunch at the Tiki Taco Bar which was only a few blocks away.  This was an experience.  My first time ordering in Spanish where the waiter did not know any English.  We had Spanish menus and English menus.  I shared a Chicken Fajita dinner which tasted pretty good.  We were all laughing and talking at lunch.  Also, lunch is much bigger than dinner in Chile.  Once we got done with lunch, we all walked a half an hour to a Chilean "futbol" game.  This was exciting, but a little rainy! This one section of the crowd was jumping up and down and cheering loudly the whole game.  It was a great experience  especially since the home team won 3-2! Well, we are off to dinner and then we get to sleep in a bed which might be a loose term :) Adios!

In T minus 16 hours, I will be in Santiago, Chile!! I started off today just relaxing until taking an hour bus ride to   the airport. It was an experience trying to fit 18 people plus two to three bags/suitcases each on a bus, but just a minor challenge!  I am now just waiting in the Pittsburgh International Airport for the first flight to Miami, Florida and then Chile by tomorrow morning!! I am so excited! I have had challenges and experiences throughout my life, but this will be a great mix of both! Our group have already become good friends and we are not even to Chile yet.  I will just wait for all the good beginnings that will start at each minute throughout this trip! Stay updated while I am away because this will be exciting!