I finally had the chance to make my first post so I thought I would give a quick update of the trip. So far, Chile has been amazing. All of the company visits have gone exceptionally well and have been thoroughly enjoyable. Codelco, for me at least, has been by far the best. I was able to see all of the smelting processes firsthand and also got to communicate with some of the machine operators and overseers which was a great experience. Probably one of the most difficult obstacles for me currently is the language barrier. Even with friends translating for me and the Chileans knowing some English it can be difficult to, for example, ask a question at a company visit. You will get an answer but it may not be exactly what you are looking for. Also, there have been a few surprises. First, which has been a pleasant surprise, I didn't anticipate so many people here could speak English to any degree. It has helped immensely with simple things such as ordering food. Also the climate away from the coast surprised me. I had no idea that grapes could flourish in such a dry and hilly region. Tomorrow should be fun since we are going to Santiago. I am excited to see what the city has to offer. But, since I have to wake up in a half dozen hours i need to get some sleep. Adios.
