Putting it all Together

Ethical Issues in Engineering:

To start, there is definitely a high standard for earthquake resistant building and safety.  Most of the buildings are constructed with this higher standard.  There are actually signs and routes for escaping the inevitable tsunami that will follow an earthquake strike.  As far as safety goes, standards here seem to be relatively the same as in the states.  Other than these standards, women are also highly respected and are near equals in the workplace in Chilean culture and business.  This means that ethically Chilean engineering and businesses can be very beneficial to American life and business.  Also, even though I did not see many black people in Chile, I did not feel any kind of prejudice or racism while in Chile.  One significant difference in Chilean lifestyle is that the entire country is a Catholic country.  This means businesses are generally closed on Sundays.  In this sense things can be slower than more fast paced American businesses.  This also means that divorce is a rather new thing in Chile and gay rights simply do not exist.  Still, crime and corruption are rather low in Chile.  This means that doing business with Chile could be considered more trustworthy than doing some business in America.

Educational Breadth as Professional Development:

Based on this experience traveling in Chile alone, I can say with confidence that education abroad is very necessary and important to understanding the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context.  I believe there are enough differences between Chile and the United States that students should expand their classroom experience to include learning about this culture.  For instance, because Chile is a smaller country than the states, business is done on a more personal level.  To be successful in Chile you have to get to know and almost befriend your business partner.  Of course the language is different because Spanish is spoken, but even simple things such as greetings can be different in Chile.  Together, there are many differences that make Chile unique from the United States.  Just having ‘street smart’ stray dogs wondering around on every block is a major difference and it can take getting used to.  I look forward to studying abroad in the future to further prepare me for the global economy.

Lifelong Learning:

This experience confirmed the idea that the ability to engage in life-long learning is not only important, but is needed to compete in the future.  As I went on the various company visits it soon became clear how important the ability to engage in life-long learning truly is.  Technology is constantly becoming more and more advanced.  This means that there must be intelligent engineers who are capable of adapting and learning things outside of just their classroom experiences alone.  At LAN Airlines, the company is constantly attempting to upgrade their aircraft fleets to new and improved brands of planes.  This in turn means that the company must be able to learn and adapt to these new planes and the new technologies they may come with.  This is a direct example of how professionals have to involve themselves in constant learning beyond what they received in various schooling.  It is important because if professionals cannot engage in this kind of learning that progress can never be made and if they are working for a company such as LAN airlines, than they will simply not be able to compete against this global economy.  Clearly it is very important and significant to gain the ability and will to engage in a life-long learning to be able to adapt to whatever situation or new technology that may come your way.

The Social Environment of Professional Life:

There is a clear connection between Chilean social life and their professional life.  One thing that I became aware of was the relationships the workers had with their co-workers and visitors.  The people seem to appreciate becoming friends with their workers and getting to know them.  From the company visits, the co-workers seemed to have a respect and friendship for one another that is not always so commonplace in American businesses.  Chileans also seem to know a lot about what is going on in the United States, both politically and socially.  This is different because I certainly do not know much about Chilean politics or social issues.  I commonly saw on the television President Obama speaking or news about Osama Bin Laden’s death.  These are things I would expect to possibly be on the television briefly, but instead it appeared that the Chilean news took these issues seriously as there were often panels of people discussing issues that I thought were mainly relevant to the United States.  This is because the media in Chile realizes the impact Obama and his decisions can have on their country and the rest of the world.  This shows just how important it is to have knowledge of issues that are related to the global economy.

Functioning on Multi-Disciplinary Teams:

It is definitely important for professionals to be able to function and communicate effectively as a member of a team of individuals from diverse backgrounds.  I believe I can excel when working on multi-disciplinary teams.  For instance, during this program, I was put into a group with two other business students.  I did not find this to be a problem but rather helpful to completing our assignments.  For parts that would usually cause me trouble the business students excelled, and when I could be more useful I shined.  This allowed for a very productive and cooperative team that encountered few problems.  The main problem that could occur is when trying to communicate engineering terms to a business student and vice-versa.  That is why it is important to work in groups like this, to get used to being able to communicate so anyone can fully understand the context of what you are trying to explain.  Fortunately, my group was able to communicate effectively and experienced little issues getting our points across to one another.  This experience in working in multi-disciplinary teams is very important and I would encourage all students to be involved in it to further expand their ability to function and communicate effectively with other professionals of different backgrounds.

Day 13 - End? Or just the beginning

 And so my time in Chile is up.  Today I woke up around 10:00AM to finish packing for home.  After a nice shower, it was time for the group to go out for our final lunch together.  We went to a restaurant a few blocks from the hotel.  Here I ordered a cheeseburger and received a little bit of heaven on bread.  It contained two layers of meat with two layers of cheese to separate them and toasted bread.  I even had a freshly squeezed berry juice to wash it all down with.  This was definitely a great way to end my stay in Chile.

After the long bus ride to the airport, we had finally arrived to our flight.  The endless flight was made better with the nice chicken dinner to pass the time.  I was also able to watch the intense movie with Angelina Jolie and some of the show ‘Glee’. 

The most memorable part of this departure, however, was discovering how much of Chilean culture and language I had picked up during this trip.  I was able to help the Chilean couple next to me with the all-Spanish form they had to fill out for their arrival in the United States.  On top of this, I was even able to have a long genuine conversation with them in Spanish and English.  This is something I would not have even imagined doing before the trip.  It turns out that the man I was speaking with is an engineer at an international engineering company.  The couple left me their contact information, so hopefully when I am applying for Co-ops or jobs, I can use these newfound connections!  The study abroad opportunity in Chile has benefitted me in all ways possible!

Chao!

-Marquis

Day 12

Today we were able to sleep in until lunch at noon.  This gave me some much needed rest for the day.  We began the day at the University by listening to the experience of an exchange student from Europe who had decided to come take classes at the University.  This was to give us an idea if we would like to study at the University as well.  She seemed very pleased and enthusiastic about studying in Chile.  This is easy to understand because the students seem very welcoming, the campus is filled with gardens and lies across from the sea, and the food and nightlife are ideal.  The only difference for me would be learning to fluently speak the language would be my greatest barrier.  Other than this, I could completely relate to the things she was discussing about studying in Chile.

After hearing her experience, we went on to eat lunch at the University cafeteria.  Here, I met Carla.  She was an engineering student who had a busy schedule and was telling me about how she is managing.  I realized that engineering students in different countries are all facing some of the same challenges. 

After the brief lunch, the group went on to play soccer against other Chilean students.  Of course, my team started off ahead.  Soon, however, the other team with the Chilean students came back with their talent to win the match.  We even played a competitive game of basketball against the students.  By now, we were all tired from the soccer match, but still managed to play a tough game.  Playing sports against the students followed by a giant Pizza dinner where we received our sweatshirts was a perfect ending to the trip.

Day 11

Starting the morning off early, we boarded the bus to Santiago to visit the stock exchange of Bolsa De Comercio Santiago and to tour the giant city.  Arriving to Santiago, I quickly realized that this city was very different from Viña del Mar.  The city looked more like New York City.  It had larger skyscrapers, busy streets, and more familiar cars and buses.  Clearly, the lifestyles of Chile vary with distance from Santiago. 

At the Bolsa, we were given a brief presentation on the history and the workings of the stock exchange.  Unlike the New York stock exchange, where the trading floor is still loud and busy with traders, this trading floor is usually relatively empty and quite.  This is because in Chile most of the trading is done on an online system now.  Unfortunately, during our visit the trading floor was not open for us to visit and tour. 

After the visit to the Bolsa, we toured the city of Santiago itself.  We stopped at one of the first and one of the largest Churches to be built in the city, a history museum, and other sites throughout the city.  While we were walking around the city, a group of students wanted to take pictures with us (I guess we stood out).  This eventually led to more and more students wanting to take pictures with our group.  Eventually we were surrounded by a large crowd of students taking pictures of us.   I was surprised to see that there was a much larger diversity among the people in Santiago.  This is certainly because it is such a large city.  I saw this first hand when our tour bus took us up a hill overlooking the city.  The city seemed to endlessly stretch out in all directions.  A perfect site to end the day on!

Day 10

Starting today just like any other day, with our usual breakfast, we were off for our day at the Spa.  After a long bus ride, we were finally at the location.  The area around the spa seemed to be like any other neighborhood and the high fence and trees shielded anyone from seeing what was on the inside.  So, I was expected a small house with a group of people or a family as the staff.  Instead, when we entered through the gates, we were greeted with a large palace!  The building itself had tile floors, arches to walk under instead of doors, staff in uniforms working at the front desk, an upstairs all you can eat buffet, an indoor pool, and even a gift shop!

Now let’s talk about outside.  There were palm trees and roses greeting you as you walked in, at least four different pools, a unlimited access food and drink bar, and of course a live DJ to top it all off.  But, let’s continue.  There was even a ‘fútbol’ court where, of course being in Chile, we had to play a game.  The Chilean students clearly had better footwork for the game, but we managed.  For a while, it seemed that the teams were even, with both teams having an equal number of Chilean students.  Eventually, the other team couldn’t handle our offensive attack.  I scored a goal, followed by a quick goal off of a head-butt by another teammate. We won the match!  After the game, I relaxed on the paradise spa and ate at the endless buffet.  This was another great Chilean day.

Day 9

Today was definitely one of my best days thus far.  After beginning the week with our usual breakfast, we went off to the ‘farm’.  The place rested on the side of a mountain and was surprisingly close to the hotel.  Once there, we were given brief instructions about horses and horse riding.  Next thing I knew, I was getting on the horse.  Gave it a kick, and we were moving.  Controlling and telling the horse where to go was easier than I had expected.  This was because the horse wasn’t an unintelligent animal; it knew where I generally wanted to go and when I generally wanted to stop.  As we left the farm and down the mountain, I realized that my horse was a very competitive one.  When we would tell our horses to go faster my horse would always try to get out in front of the others, which for someone without any horse riding experience, was a thrilling ride to say the least.

Once we were down the mountain, we made it to the beach.  Riding my horse on the beach with the waves splashing, the city of Viña del Mar and the Andes Mountains in the background made me feel like I was on a movie scene rather than in reality.  After riding through the beach, we came to a forest-like area and then a desert.  We were soon surrounded by sand on all sides as if we were in the Sarah Desert in northern Africa.  The hills of the forest, the slopes of the sand, and my competitive horse made for a rollercoaster of a ride through the desert.  We eventually came to a patch of trees in the desert and stopped for a rest.  The guides cut big slices of fresh pineapples for us to eat.  Soon, we were riding back toward the beach, from the beach to the mountain, and then up the mountain to the farm.  Once we made it back to the farm, we were greeted with a large open barbeque.  There was steak, grilled chicken, authentic hot dogs with the bread grilled as well, potato salad, and plenty of drinks.  I must say, this was the way to have a barbeque!  Horse riding is certainly a common cuture aspect of Chile and this certainly was a day that will always remain with me.

Day 8

Sunday began with some much needed rest! I got out of bed at around 10:30 AM only to relax, eat some breakfast, and watch TV to let myself unwind on this morning.  But, this is the paradise of Chile so I decided to get up and get out and go into town to the market.  Together with Ryan and Brianna, I went to shop at the local flea market where things are a lot cheaper than in the United States.  We purchased some things and saw some others that forced us to want to go back to the market on another day. 

While we were shopping, we realized that we were starving and surrounded by dozens of places to eat.  We walked down the street, past many different kinds of restaurants.  Each shop offered something different and gave a different smell as we walked past them.  We finally came across one with an English speaking man urging us to come in and eat.  He made sure we understood everything on the menu and served us himself.  He told us that he was from Ecuador and was starting his career as a chef.  I got a steak, mashed potatoes, corn, a drink, and dessert for around seven or eight dollars.  The food was very good, so I just might have to go back there and get some more of his food.

For dinner, the whole group dressed up and went to a fancier restaurant on the beach.  Again the food was very good as I got salmon and creamed corn.  Another great end to a Chilean culture filled day.