Texas Tech University

Our Last Day in Chile

Bindu Upadhyaya

May 30, 2015

Group in Chile

As we said our goodbyes, students who were previously strangers took pictures, exchanged contact information, and had a mutual respect for each culture. This trip has helped us to immerse ourselves into a different culture and appreciate Chilean culture.

brandi, bindu, regan, dillon
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Today, we woke up early to have breakfast together at 8 a.m with the University of Bio-Bio students. Following the breakfast, we headed up towards Termas De Chillan for two hours of hiking (Andes mountain range).

University of Bio-Bio professors: Melandro Serrano, Marco Briomes and Felipe Parra led us on the hike. Despite the chilly weather, everyone was still very eager to hike the mountains together. As soon as everyone got off the bus, we were all taking group selfies. Some students were anxious knowing it was their first time hiking in South America. Professor Serrano taught us valuable knowledge on hiking. He also taught us the names and description for the surrounding mountains. Everyone worked as a team to make sure no one fell behind on the hike and that no one became dehydrated. The hike resulted in stronger bonds between Texas Tech University students and the University of Bio-Bio students.

Once we reached our destination, everyone could see the smoke coming out of the Termas Mountain. Brandi Decker said she was in such awe being able to see such beautiful mountains. Following lunch, we enjoyed the hot springs with the University of Bio-Bio students. After the hot springs, we went back to the cabins to say our final good bye to the Chilean students.

Dean Benito Umana from University of Bio-Bio awarded us certificates for collaborating with the Bio-Bio students in regards to leadership, excellence, social responsibility, etc. All the students and faculty members exchanged gifts. Among the many gifts given by the University of Bio-Bio, we were amazed and honored to receive a Chilean wood hand crafted pen.

As we said our goodbyes, students who were previously strangers took pictures, exchanged contact information, and had a mutual respect for each culture. This trip has helped us to immerse ourselves into a different culture and appreciate Chilean culture.

Our advisors, Francisco Delgadillo and Michelle Moskos took us out for a farewell dinner. All the students enjoyed their last amazing Chilean meal. Regan Head gave a toast and said, "We are thankful for all the hard work provided by all the Rawls College faculty members and how wonderful this experience has been for everyone."

The Brazil-Chile business study trip has changed our lives completely because we have learned valuable lessons from two different cultural perspectives. We hope to use these lessons to being a better leader at home, school, work, and community. We are beyond thankful to Texas Tech Rawls College of Business for providing us this amazing opportunity.

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