Misa de Pascua

by Chris Netterville

Today, of course, is Easter, and so I decided (along with several others of the group) to go to the local Catholic church to a Easter sunday mass to experience the culture of the Latin American Catholic church on one of their most celebrated holidays. We arrived about ten minutes early and grabbed some seats in the back, but even when the service started at noon, the slow trickle, if not steady stream, of people entering the cathedral did not cease throughout the entire service; I guess it is better to be late to church than to not go at all. The service was divided into sections, containing separate lessons from the Bible, sections of song and verse, and sections of creeds in which the congregation would participate in reciting. Near the end, the priests prepared the communion at the altar in front of the table, where the congregation could partake of the blood and body of Christ. Overall, the service was around an hour or so long and was a wonderfully enriching experience of the culture of Easter mass.

Yali

by Rachel Craddock

Left to right to center: Anna, Yali, Neely, and me

Yali is the host mom of one of our friends from another study abroad program, Delaney. We ran into Delaney in the metro after Spanish our first Thursday here, and she invited us for tea. We ended up staying for once (11 in Spanish), which is like a tea time for Chileans (the name is possibly derived from British elevenses). It's usually around 8pm and involves tea or coffee and various desserts, but Yali does super once. We had a feast that night, and we got to practice our Spanish! Yali also told Neely and me almost right away that she would be our host mom, too, since we aren't staying with families... so we've taken her up on that: since our first night at Yali's house, Neely and I have been back several times—and recently we've started bringing our friends with us because they want to meet Yali for themselves. All of the beautiful places we've gone to aside, once with Yali and friends has been my favorite thing about being in Santiago.

VLOG: Easter Island

by Daniel Hutchison, Bethany Hertrick, Rachel Lowry, and Logan Wood

Homes Away From Home

by Brandy Richardson

Throughout our time here in Chile, especially during our weekend travel, I have noticed how quickly the people we have met are to make us feel welcome and at home. I have applied the phrase "home away from home" to my life in many circumstances, but never in so many in such a short amount of time. In the three months we have been in Chile, I have camped in Cajón del Maipo, had my first hostel experience in Viña del Mar, looked at the stars in La Serena, trekked through Patagonia, and most recently we stood with the moai on Easter Island. In each of these places there have been instances that have made that city, island, or town feel like home.

The Chilean people want visitors to experience their culture and their home and they go to great lengths to make sure that happens. Whether they realize it or not, the Chilean people are wonderful hosts and hostesses. This notion of making people feel at home and a part of your world is something that I want to bring back home. I work for the admissions office at Lipscomb and constantly have visiting students to show around and make feel welcome. Up until this point, I have felt like I did a pretty good job, but now I have a whole new outlook on what is means to make someone feel welcome. I want, from now on, to meet people and it be more than just a name exchange.

This weekend on Easter Island we were greeted at the airport with leis and as we were leaving Easter Island we were all given necklaces with a moai statue on them. I am not suggesting that we have to give gifts to everyone we meet, but making an effort to make it more than a handshake seems necessary after the experiences I have been blessed with here. I hope we can meet people who visit our home and make them feel as welcomed, loved, and honored as I have felt in every place I have traveled this semester.

A new, huge, weirdly put together family

by Emily Riddle

It is so hard to believe that the trip is almost over! It seems like just yesterday that it was our first over-stimulating day in Santiago. When I first came, I did not really know anyone on the trip that well, but I have come to have a family. This is a new, huge, weirdly put together family. We are all very different, but I know that if something happened I could rely on anyone here to help me out. I am so incredibly blessed to have this opportunity with these amazing people. We have all seen the “orange concentrate” versions of each other. I can tell you that some of these people have seen me as raw as I've ever seen myself... and that’s a very strong bonding experience. There are people here that I would not have gotten to know if I hadn't chosen to study abroad. I know already that this semester has been and will be some of the best months of my life, and I would not want anything else than to spend them with my big, new, weirdly put together family of friends. These last few weeks are going to fly by because we will be cramming in last minute trips and trying to soak up all of the culture we can. I cannot wait to get back and have “Adventures in the USA” with all of my new “family.”

Blowing Smoke

by Claire Pendergrass

           

Something very obvious here in Santiago is the number of people that smoke cigarettes. When walking down the street and even hanging out in the courtyard at our university, it is basically impossible to count the number of people holding cigarettes. In Biology, Dr. Hatcher told us that even though it seems like everyone in Santiago smokes, only a little more than 30% of the population actually does, and that number is significantly lower than in the past. This decrease could possibly be due to the strict law passed in 2006 banning smoking in public transportation, malls, airports, and many other public places and requiring very graphic pictures of the effects of smoking to be put on packs of cigarettes. However, this apparently did little to deter most avid smokers. When we got here, it was strange to go into a restaurant and see people smoking at the tables since smoking inside of restaurants has been illegal for a while in the U.S. However, since we have arrived here, the Chilean government passed a law banning smoking in all enclosed public spaces across the country, effective March 1st. It has been interesting to observe how this has affected the culture here. Now you can see more people standing around outside smoking, causing the insides of restaurants and other establishments to seem a lot emptier. Maybe this change in public policy will cause the number of smokers in Santiago to diminish, or perhaps people will just continue to deal with the inconvenience. Only time will tell. 

Easter Island

by Claire Pendergrass

During our trip to Easter Island, we got to spend a little bit of time at the beach, which was gorgeous. However, looking out into the ocean from this point of view gave me a bit of a different feeling than looking out at the ocean from anywhere else. It was incredible to think that there was nothing around us for thousands of miles in any direction. What an interesting new perspective.

Rapa Nui!

by Ibeth Nuñez

The sunrise in Easter Island. This is one of the many pictures that will help me remember this awesome trip.

Santiaguinos

by Hilary Lamb

The whole time we have been in Santiago I have been blown away by the kindness of the people here. I had heard they were kind and helpful, but it's really neat to observe Santiaguinos helping each other (and helping us gringos) out. There have been numerous times that someone on the streets will notice we look confused or lost and they will ask us if we need help. And they always are on the lookout to remind people about pickpockets. The first week we were here, one of the metro workers told our whole group to be more careful with our bags so nothing gets stolen. Recently, I was walking from the Plaza de Armas to Universidad Alberto Hurtado and I got stopped 3 or 4 times during the 20 minute walk because people kept telling me to watch out for my backpack. I was looking out anyway, but it was so kind of them to still stop me and tell me to be careful because they genuinely didn't want anything bad to happen. I hope when we return to the United States in a few weeks we can bring that kindness back with us.

Street Art in Bellavista

by Hilary Lamb

One thing Barrio Bellavista is known for is it's street art. Here's my favorite piece I've seen so far, a portrait of Vito Corleone from The Godfather.

Isla de Pascua

by Anna McRay

These are moai. They live on Easter Island (also known as Isla de Pascua or Rapa Nui) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. You might recognize them-these guys are pretty famous. They were built between the 13th and 15th centuries (pretty old little dudes) by the Rapa Nui people to protect their sacred home from invaders. These 887 island protectors were fashioned from volcanic rock and compressed volcanic ash. On average, each one weighs about 13 tons and rises to about 13 feet.

Juan Rodrigo

by Spencer Warren

This man's name is Juan Rodrigo, and I was privileged to have met him on my trip to a charity called Hogar de Cristo. Mr. Rodrigo represents one of a large population of homeless people in Santiago and also throughout Chile. He talked to me about his life leading up to the current situation he is in now and how he lives day-to-day. He told me one thing that I know I will never forget: he said people who do not have homes do not fear starving as much as they fear the disengagement of people in their lives. I am so glad I got know this man who changed the way I thought and helped me experience the poor conditions that people have to live in every day.

We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands

by Rachel Craddock

I’m in an ecology class here that is focusing on human impact on the earth and what that means for our future… and for our present. It’s been eyeopening and also rather terrifying for me at times to realize that we are quickly backing ourselves into a corner on our own planet because of over-consumption and overproduction. I've been saying to myself for the past couple weeks that I think everyone should be required to take a class like this, and now it’s time for me to post a blog, so I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of what I've been learning.

First, a couple definitions:

Ecology: the study of the relationship between organisms and their environment. (Dr. Hatcher taught us that the word ecology comes from the Greek oikos, “the family household,” and logy, “the study of”).

Carrying capacity: the number of individuals of a single species that can be maintained over time in an area without harming the habitat.

Several scientists and otherwise knowledgeable people have estimated the earth’s carrying capacity, but we have managed to outgrow every single one. The UN’s current predictions are that by 2050 our 7 billion+ population will hit 9.3 billion, and assuming this happens, living conditions are going to have to change. Why? Because we are burning through our resources at an unbelievable and unsustainable rate.

Especially us.
As in US.
The United States.

We make up only 5% of the world population, but we consume 40% of world’s resources.

Meanwhile, around the world, 1 in 8 live in a slum, 1 billion are chronically hungry, and 8 million die from famine each year.

According to the UN, in 2050 1 in 3 will live in a slum; there will be 2 billion more mouths to feed; and to meet projected demand, farmers will need to double crop production (which means we’re going to have to produce more food in the next 40 years than we have in the last 10,000)—but most of the earth's best farmland (~3.7 acres) is already "in production." 

Here's a video that explains a lot better than I can what's going on: 

The need to change the way we live is real, and it’s urgent. People keep having babies without the ability to care for them properly and people keep demanding more, more, more… and we are running out of and/or destroying the room we have left. Can we stop this before we find out what our carrying capacity is? How can we find more sustainable ways of doing things? How can we get everyone to change?

I have to admit that I don’t know.

I've been wrestling with this all semester long, feeling afraid, angry, and somewhat helpless. But I do know one small way to help is education, so I’m doing my part in that right now in posting this.

I've grown up hearing that God has called us to be stewards of this earth, but it’s never really sunk in until now. And now that I know what I know, I can’t pretend that I never heard it. I've got to do something, and I've got to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same. We cannot use our religion to placate us. We cannot blindly believe that we can continue living the way we have been and not have an effect on our environment because God is in control… yes, He is in control, and we thank Him for that!, but do remember that God didn't tell us He was going to be the steward of the earth—He told us we were going to be. So let’s start taking that responsibility, opening our eyes, and realizing that what we do affects everything and everyone around us. Let’s find some ways to fix this. 

Hazing at its Finest

by Rachel Alexander 

Typically, I have been very tolerant of the Chilean culture and find most, if not all of it, fascinating, exhilarating, and community-seeking. However, there is one thing I CANNOT handle: el mechoneo.

During January and February, our group had classes at our partner school, Universidad de Alberto Hurtado. January and February are part of Chile's summer months, so we did not see any other students during those two months of studying. They were long, lonely days of only hearing the whirring noise of the janitorial staff vacuuming the carpets outside of our classrooms. We yearned for the coming of March and the new school year for Chileans so we would not be alone any more.

Fast forward to two weeks ago and the university was busting at the seems with students. Walking into the university on our first Monday for classes, I experienced one of my major moments of culture shock: SO MANY YOUNG CHILEANS. They all so seemed so cool and suave, wearing the latest Chilean trends, flocking in groups to converse, and speaking Spanish at a million miles a minute. I felt like I was back on my first day of classes at Lipscomb University. But this time, instead of no one noticing me because I was nothing but a freshman, it seemed like everyone in the common area of the university had their eye on me since I looked especially American.

As if this moment of culture shock was not enough, Chile decided to pile it on after I got out of classes and was heading to the subway to go back to the apartments. As I walked into the subway, I smelled this awful, nose-curling odor that almost knocked me off my feet. The source of the smell? Two college-age, Chilean girls whose jeans had been ripped up, their shirts cropped to expose their stomachs, their bodies painted with Chilean words (which were not the most kind), their feet without shoes, and their hair covered in eggs, flour, and some unidentifiable substances. They literally reeked.

At first, I thought that what I had just seen would be a one-time experience for me. I was so wrong. Over the course of the next couple of days, I saw more and more college-age students who looked like they had gone through the wringer and back. The worst was seeing guys whose jeans had been cut into crude skirts, their shirts ripped off, and their backs painted with male genitalia.

These students congregated near busy public places, such as the metro stations, bus stations, and major street corners, asking passersby for spare change. I was still so confused as to what was going on, especially when they started asking me for money, some of the guys pleading with sweet pet names. After some discussions with students and professors at our university and then some personal research, I found out that these observations of mine were examples of hazing at its finest.

This hazing tradition is called el mechoneo. It occurs at most of the major universities in Santiago. (I was relieved to hear el mechoneo is not allowed at our university). It is a rite of passage that has been going on for decades. Second-year students prey on first-year students and subject them to a few days of "fun-spirited" abuse. They will pull first-year students out of class and take them to a place such as a public park. There, they take their phones and shoes, rip their clothes, and cover them in eggs, flour, paint, mud, and other foul substances. The first-year students then have to hit the streets of Santiago to get donations to bring back to the second-year students. Usually, they have to bring the second-year students an average of $10,000 pesos to get their shoes and phones back. (That is the equivalent of about $21 U.S. dollars.) When the occasional person is usually only throwing $100 pesos their way, this can take all day and, just a reminder, without shoes. Finally, the hazing is over and they can go back home until the next round of hazing begins.

Even though this is a self-perpetuating tradition that has been going on in the universities for decades, I think it needs to go. Some may argue that it unifies the freshman class, preparing them for the long, four years of studies that they have ahead. However, I believe that there are more constructive and less humiliating means to bring a group of people together and I hope Chile can find one that fits in well with its culture. Until then, I am steering clear of those poor Chilean boys who bat their eyes at me in hopes that I will throw a couple pesos their way.

La Palabra Se Hizo Carne

by Neely Baugh

I came across this street art while exploring the Quinta Normal park in Santiago. The park is home to several museums, including the Human Rights museum, a large public pool, a beautiful Basilica church, as well as expanses of grass perfect for reading, napping, or just general frolicking. Many buildings in the park were painted with vibrant murals. The Bible depicted in this mural I found near the Basilica is opened to John 1:14: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." This piece of artwork is a lively representation of the joy of God's spirit living in us. One of my favorite aspects of the painting is that God's actual face is omitted from the work because of the window. Even though the piece centers on joy, it still maintains reverence toward the Lord by not presuming to know what His face looks like. 

Memory and Absence

by Anna McRay

This afternoon, our group visited El Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (The Museum of Memory and Human Rights) as part of our Cross Cultural Experience class. This museum creatively and effectively depicts what happened in Chile during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet between 1973 and 1990. On September 11th, 1973, General Pinochet led an attack on the Presidential Palace in Santiago which resulted in the death of the president Salvador Allende. That day forever changed the fate of Chile and the lives of thousands of her people. What followed were 17 years of an oppressive military regime characterized by persecution, propaganda, violence, secrets, and the disappearance of over 3,000 Chilean citizens. 

General Pinochet was the commander-in-chief of the Chilean army, and he garnered the support of each branch of the military. With these great powers behind him, Pinochet was able to arrest and detain anyone who seemed suspicious of opposing or disagreeing with his rule. With no explanation, thousands of people, sometimes even children, were picked up off the street, taken to one of the 1,132 detention centers throughout Chile at the time, and questioned and tortured for several months. Many of those victims were never seen or heard from again. 

This is recent history in Chile. Some of the victims are still alive. Others remember watching the events take place on the news. However, this part of history is not included in the curriculum of the local schools. A fellow Chilean student at our university told us that we probably know more about what happened than she does as a citizen. People do not want to talk about it. Those involved in the regime have tried to destroy all evidence and erase all memories of what they did. In 2008, president Michelle Bachelet decided that she could not let this happen. She refused to allow her country to forget. She commissioned the construction of this museum to tell the story and honor those who disappeared. She said, "No podemos cambiar nuestro pasado. Sólo nos queda aprender de lo vivido. Esta es nuestra responsibilidad y nuestro desafío": We cannot change our past. We can only learn from the experience. This is our responsibility and our challenge.

This museum is a beautiful testament to the spirit of this country. The Chilean people are meeting this challenge with courage and grace. It was a blessing to witness this and to have the privilege to learn about this momentous part of Chile's history. 

by Lauren Wilcher

This is a picture I captured in Castro, Chiloé. It is probably one of my favorite pictures I have taken on this trip. The reason why this picture is so special to me was because I came upon this particular scene while riding the bus. I, at this point in the trip, was feeling a little homesick. Then all of the sudden there are fields of cattle grazing throughout the rolling hills. It reminded me of my sweet, Middle Tennessee, country home. It was a nice reminder that I could find the comfort of home no matter where my life takes me.

ALERT: Fashion Observation

by Lauren Wilcher

An observation that I have had the whole time while living in Santiago is definitely the women's fashion. The fact of the matter is that there is not really a fashion trend that I can find here. The only thing that has caught my eye everyday since stepping off the plane is the women's choice in shoes. In the United States, Nashville in particular, you will see set trends in both clothing and in the choice of people's shoes. Here the women choose wedges. Do not get me wrong, I own at least two pairs of wedges back home in the States, so I understand the love of this particular shoe. On the other hand though, I have experienced a whole lot of walking here in this city, and my Nikes have become very dear to my heart and my feet. I find it fascinating that these women can walk as much as I do, if not more, in their wedges. So, my observation has led to one thing: I have the utmost respect for the Chilean women here in Santiago. I hope that the wedge is ever in their favor and especially their feet's.

Impact

by Daniel Hutchison

This man is Pedro Matta, a survivor of the torture camp Villa Grimaldi that was in place during the dictatorship of General Pinochet in Santiago. He was a strong enough man to stand in the camp's memorial and tell us of the atrocities that occurred to him and his friends there, which I am sure is no small feat. His genuine love and passion for sharing his heart with us impacted me in ways I cannot describe in words, but I will summarize by saying that my heart is softer and my mind more aware since meeting him. He is a man I will always respect and is the centerpiece of a memory that will never flee from my soul.

Amor al Viento

by Rachel Craddock

This set of two sculptures is called "Amor al Viento," or Love of the Wind. It was designed by Santiaguina Marcela Romagnoli for the 101st anniversary (which was last year) of the founding of Puerto Natales. I love it.

Puerto Natales is one of the southernmost Chilean settlements, making it a part of the Chilean Patagonia. Patagonia is known for its intense wind gusts, which can reach about 100km/h... so I'm guessing Romagnoli had that in mind when designing these sculptures. 

by Emily Riddle

I know that this is not the best picture in the world, but it is one of my favorites that I took during our nine day excursion to Patagonia. There are five pictures, and in every picture is a different snapshot of places we went during our excursion.

Far left: Torres del Paine; the national park we stayed in for three days
Second: Puerto Natales; we stayed there for two nights
Middle: Torres del Paine again
Fourth: The Caballeros; the cowboys that live in the country side
Far right: Glacier Grey; the glacier that has slowly been melting away that we took a three hour boat ride right up next to it (we even got glacier ice in our Cokes).

It was hard trying to find a picture that I felt could show our nine day trip in one, but this one gets the closest. I still cannot believe that I had the opportunity to visit these places that you read about in National Geographic or see pictures of in a little convenience store (like these).

by Seth Lykins

At the hostel we stayed at in Isla Negra we spent some time playing with these precious Chilean children. They were friends of the daughter of our hostess. Regardless of language barriers, we were able to have fun and be silly.

Fuegianos

by Seth Lykins

The indigenous people of Tierra del Fuego, also known as the Fuegians, are often iconic for the country. They are usually shown in their celebratory outfits, which includes extravagantly shaped head pieces and lots of body paint. For me, they assume the role of the quintessential tribal people: exotic, ecstatic, and extravagantly decorated. Unfortunately though, the population of the Fuegians has diminished greatly and their culture has become archaic. This was caused in large part by the settling of South America by Europeans. When Europeans came to Chile they brought with them diseases such as measles and smallpox. Having no immunity to these foreign diseases, thousands of the Fuegians were wiped out. Some were treated with brutality by the Europeans. They even went so far as to take 11 people from the Alacalufe tribe to Paris to display them in an exhibition of humans, much like a circus; the indigenous people did not stand a chance once the Westerners came to their land. They were a remarkable people, though. They lived in an extremely cold climate and wore very little clothing. They kept warm by huddling around fires, covering themselves in animal fat, and consuming lots of fish oils. Over time, they developed a higher metabolism which allowed them to produce more body heat. They had a rich culture that celebrated the earth and its processes. They valued shamans and had many myths the explain their universe. In the Selk’nam and the Yamana tribes, females were the more empowered gender. A dynamic and developed people, the culture Fuegians should to be preserved and celebrated. 

Ancient Lipscomb Church in Chiloé?!

by Julia Morgan

Nope.

This is the Iglesia de San Francisco (Church of San Francisco), aka Iglesia Apóstal Santiago, located in Castro, the capital of Chiloé. Tis one of several wooden churches showed to our group by Christian, our very lively and knowledgeable tour guide.

This church is the main Catholic Church of Castro. We learned that it took two years to build (1910 – 1912) and was originally constructed using no nails, just wood. The building we saw is a reconstruction of the original from 1567 (the same year Castro was founded). 

Further research led me to discover that it was built after the name of the apostle James (Santiago in Spanish), which was to be used in the evangelization of the indigenous peoples of Chiloé.

I've never really though about the fact that "Santiago" is the Spanish name for James. It's kinda cool though-- James is one of Paul's most beautiful and poignant letters, in my opinion.

Anyways. I adore the vibrancy of colors on la Iglesia de San Francisco and believe that more churches in the US should be painted similarly. :) 

Volcán Osorno

by Rachel Lowry

I never thought I would see a volcano in person in my life, and this one was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Not only did we get to ooh and ahh at its beauty on a small boat tour we took, but we later got the chance to eat lunch on it and touch the snow on the top of it. It has been inactive since the 1800s and is now just a beautiful part of nature we can enjoy.

Chilean Gatherings

by Rachel Lowry

As many of us have probably seen, Chileans are extreme night owls. Whether they are out at a club all night or they have a really long party and late dinner at a friend’s house, they seem to enjoy the night life a lot. I didn't think much of it until someone I was talking to recently mentioned that Chileans used to have a curfew during the Pinochet regime. This was mostly to stop protests and keep order in the streets to Pinochet’s liking. Since the consequences were so harsh if you were found out after curfew, people would go to friends’ houses early, stay all night for dinner and a party, and go home the next morning when they were allowed back on the streets again. In some ways, I think Chileans still keep this tradition by having very long dinner parties that last late into the night. The younger generation seems to rebel from the curfew rules of the past by staying out at the clubs really late or just hanging out around town at all hours of the night. I am not sure when they sleep, but what I want to take away from this is that I should appreciate the freedom the United States have known for so long and enjoy time with friends. It is still so hard to believe how recently the Pinochet era occurred and to think of how much that time impacts the way Chileans live today, but it’s really cool to see that they seem to be going in a good direction and becoming very successful while enjoying the freedom their country now has.

Dragon in Volcano?

by Daniel Hutchison

Upon seeing this awesome rock, I couldn't help but visualize a dragon head protruding out from the volcano's crust. With that vision in mind, I took some soft rock and was a kid again, pressing chalk into the sidewalk of the rock's surface. Volcán Osorno was a spectacular place with a gorgeous view of the mountains; the lift was worth the money to see such a view. And who knows, maybe there is a dragon in there.

VLOG: Adventures in Patagonia

by Ibeth Nuñez, Hilary Lamb, Spencer Richardson, and Andrew Dorris

Once Lost, Now Found

by Daniel Hutchison

While in Patagonia, I took some incredible shots of God’s immaculate creation. The landscapes did all the work; I only had to snap a shot and they came to life on their own. After a lengthy 18-mile hike on Thursday, I was back in the room at the lodge, lying on the bunk. Before I knew it, I was stowed halfway underneath the bed away from anyone’s view. In the morning everyone in the room started packing up and they just left without me! For nearly 3 hours I was just lying there waiting for someone to find me. Just when I was losing hope, a man grabbed me from under the bed and I ended up on the boat heading to the place where the bus would pick everyone up. The bus I would normally ride on wasn't there when I arrived. I stayed in the cafeteria there and was picked up by an unfamiliar bus driver and taken to his home. Where was my owner? I hardly slept that night from such feelings of strangeness. When I awoke, I was being handed to a young man with a huge smile on his face saying, “Muchísimas gracias, Señor.” That man was my owner. I was home again, thanks to the wonderful people of Patagonia who helped me find my way.

I am the camera of Daniel Hutchison; once lost, now found.

Free Market at its Finest

by Claire Pendergrass

One thing I have noticed here in Chile is the overwhelming availability of things to buy. Everywhere I go, there are people selling drinks, snacks, little trinkets, or even Band-Aids, interestingly enough. Some people set up booths and kiosks all along the streets while others jump on and off buses selling things like ice cream. This is really fascinating to me because it is so different than back home. In the United States, people get in trouble all the time for soliciting on the street, so we are not used to seeing these kinds of things on a daily basis. Though I know people do it in the long run to make money, I like to think that part of their motivation comes from the Chilean concern for the common good of everyone. People are very willing to share everything and make sure that everyone has what he or she needs. That is one of my favorite things about this culture. When I go home, I’m going to miss having the opportunity to buy freshly baked sweets on the bus or ice cream anywhere on the beach. I’ll probably save a lot more money, though.

The Myth of the Trauco

by Emily Riddle

On our Patagonian excursion this past week, we spent two days on the island of Chiloé. Our first stop was in the village of Chacao. We all visited artisan stores and we all saw… the trauco!

When I first saw this green man covered in straw, I was very confused, but then I remembered the myth…

Back in the olden days, when Chiloé was just beginning, many of the men would have to leave the island to go fight. Whenever they would return, their wives would be pregnant. They knew that it could not be their child, because they were gone! It was a child of… the trauco!

Yes, we all know what this really means, but it was interesting to see how non-confrontational they were about this. I could not even imagine if something like this happened back home in the United States. Supposedly, touching or even looking at the trauco means that you will get pregnant. A few of us were brave enough to test out the myth! I guess we will see if it is true in about nine months! 

Respect to the Other

by Rachel Alexander 

It is amazing how some people walk into your life and leave huge footprints on your heart. Michelle is one of those people. We were blessed to have Michelle as our tour guide during our time in Torres del Paine. Her official role was to coordinate our activities during our three days of exploring the heart of Patagonia. However, her unofficial role was storyteller and wisdom giver extraordinaire. A few of us had the opportunity to talk with her over huge plates of chicken and noodles on our first night in the park. As we sat around the table enjoying each other's company, a little too full to attempt to get up, we dived into topics about world views and the differences in cultures. Michelle grew up in Germany, traveled all over Europe, backpacked through Latin America, and is now giving tours in Patagonia. She is a rockstar with a cultural repertoire that exceeds most. Michelle instilled in us the importance of not taking other cultures at face value but really learning to appreciate other heritages. She said, "If there is anything I want you to take away from Patagonia, it is this: respect to the other." Michelle said that is the only way we can learn to live in unity with one another and it is our job as exchange students to inform the world. I hope we can make you proud, Michelle!

Service?

by Andrew Dorris

During our time in Santiago, I, along with multiple others have made attempts to get involved with service organizations in the community. We have learned that it is not as easy to jump into things here as it seems to be at home.

I have discovered a nonprofit near our university called La Fundación de Las Rosas, which is a home for old people who cannot care of themselves-- nor do they have the money to. This seemed like a great place to try and connect with so that between my classes I could go over there and help out. I had not been able to get in contact with them, so one day after class I decided to just go and knock on their door. They have two doors here; one that is solid wood with a doorbell and another that is glass with no doorbell about 20 feet further down the block. I tried the doorbell a few times, but without any success. So naturally, on I went to the glass door to see if I could get someone’s attention. Behind the door I found an elderly woman staring at me and trying to communicate through the glass. After a minute or two, it was clear that she could not let me in, but she started to scrape at the window.

Interested, I looked to see what she was doing, and she was tapping at the dirt on the outside of the window where she could not wipe. So, I then started to wipe the window wherever she was tapping. This made her smile and ease up. There I stood for about five minutes outside a door wiping dirt off of a window. Once she seemed content with the state of cleanliness of the window, she nodded at me and walked away.

So far I still have not made contact with La Fundación de Las Rosas, but this experience with it was still entertaining.

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine

by Hilary Lamb

Here is a picture from one of the many amazing moments on our trip to Patagonia. At the end of our 18 mile hike, after we had been walking for about 11 hours, we passed by a lake and saw the beautiful reflection in the water which can rarely be seen since the wind usually creates too many waves. This picture definitely doesn't do it justice, but it was beautiful.

A Religious Inclination

by Andrew Dorris

Throughout this country there is a very strong religious presence that cannot be denied. One day I was exploring Quinta Normal, one of the many parks, when I stumbled upon La Parroquia de Lourdes. It was massive and beautiful, and people were gathered all around it. Upon closer investigation I found that there was a chapel off to the side and people have come to light candles, pray, and be in the presence of a power greater than their own.

A Great Group

by Matthew Johnson

While this may be a sappy blog post to some, this is one of the most important aspects of this trip. Having gone to Africa by myself, I can truly say that the people make the trip what it is. I have been blessed so greatly by all the fantastic people on this trip. My photo only speaks to one of these people, but I feel as though it encompasses the true nature of the group. William Marquette is posing like a statue in one of the museums we went to one day. While the group respects what we are learning about, no one can get though education without a little fun. This group has made that an easy task throughout our time in Chile. Thanks.

Coming... "Home"???

by Marissa Valenzuela

I'm sure you are aware of the feeling of going back home after a long trip. You start saying things like, "I can't wait for my own bed, for my own shower, for my own kitchen where I can cook my own food..." You see, being away from home is great, but towards the end of a trip, you just want to be back in your home again. And once you actually get back home, it feels great! You can get back into that routine you had before and everything just feels comfortable again. 

After spending nine days exploring the island of Chiloé and the beauty of Torres del Paine, I was ready to go back "home." Don't get me wrong; I absolutely loved our first group excursion, but I was worn out from all of the new things I was experiencing, as well as from lack of sleep, from an 18+ mile hike, and from being shifted around between hotels. At the end of the trip, I was ready to go back to Santiago. I was ready for my own bed. ... Wait a second. My own bed? You mean the apart-hotel bed I paid to sleep in for three months???

Since I've been in Chile, I haven't really experienced culture shock like I thought I would; I adjusted quite nicely. Apparently, I adjusted so nicely that this has now become my home. (For all my family and friends reading this: don't worry, I know where my actual home is.) I just jumped from being overwhelmed to calling this place my "home." I'm sure that at the end of the three months, I'll experience the same feeling, but only about my home in Tennessee, instead. It's just weird to think that this place that once seemed so new and so different has quickly become my home away from home. 

Bringing People Together

by Marissa Valenzuela 

After taking a boat trip to view penguins in their natural habitat in Puñihuil on the island of Chiloé, we all gathered around this talented Chilean. He played a few songs on his guitar and even wooed us girls with his voice. He let Daniel play a few tunes, as well.

One of those songs just happened to be "How He Loves." One of the lines in that song says, "If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking." It was such a blessing to be able to sing that line right next to the actual ocean with our new Chilean friend and with the other people around listening. That moment was definitely one of my favorites thus far, because it exemplifies that God's love really does have the power to bring people together...even in Chile.