Analysis of Chile

As my final blog post, I will write the required essay.

1.)   Ethical Issues in Engineering

In the engineering profession, it is vitally important to evaluate the ethicality of work and decisions. Engineers are responsible for ensure that their work will not put public or the environment in unnecessary harm. In Chile, this responsibility should be equally emphasized. As we visited the companies, I learned that often more workers are hired to do the job that machines could do. This is because labor is cheaper than buying and maintaining machinery. If companies were to invest in these machines, would they improve the workers' condition? Would workers lose jobs because of them? If I were to do engineering work in the country, I would enjoy investigating these questions. It would be the responsibility of such an engineer to examine the industrial affects it would have on the company’s business, and the affect that it would have on the workers of the company. Another notable engineering issue is the construction of hyrdoelectric dams for power in Chile. Would the addition of these dams damage the precious natural environment of Chile? Does the new, cheaper power give a better resource to the Chilean people? These are some of the engineering issues that are being discussed in Chile.

2.)   Educational Breadth as Professional Development

Because of the new experience I have gained through the study abroad experience in Chile, I have gained advantageous knowledge about my field of engineering generally and on a global scale. The differences between Chilean and American industries are notable, especially with the emphasis on human labor over machinery. Chile is a typical of a Latin American country with a strong economy. For an engineer to be open to have success, it is necessary to be able to expand and work in other countries, like in South America. Learning that engineering is slightly different worldwide inspires investigation of foreign engineers’ practices. Because of all these things, it is critical for engineering students to study engineering abroad as part of their higher education. To expand knowledge of world engineering while at the university, it is also vital to learn about countries cultures and develop an understanding of how and why engineering differs abroad. For example, in underdeveloped countries, engineering might be utilizing environmental knowledge to maximize service and resource distribution where transportation may be more difficult. It is important to understand the cultures of foreign countries to be successful as an engineer globally.

3.)   Lifelong Learning, Continuing Education as Professional Development

As an engineer, education often determines one's success in a career. An engineer may study to recieve a bachelor's or master's degree before seeking employment. However, to advance positions to levels of management, often a PhD is required. In Chile, we learned from the students that they must study for 6 years or more to graduate. That is quite extended from the 4 year standard in the United States. Often on the company visits we discussed with owners who seemed to be educated. At Bosques del Mauco, our guide was educated in mushroom growing at school. At Vina Indomita, an agricultural engineer heads the team in charge of grape growing and wine production. It is clear that engineers must go through a level of education before employment in their position. However, like all jobs, one cannot be fully prepared for the job they are employed for without some field experience. The more experience one has in a field, the more versitility they have in that field. Also, as industries grow, technologies are focused on suppling the demands of these industries. Companies like LAN must update their fleets as newer commercial planes are introduced to the market. With the purchasing of these new planes, new mechanics, staff and pilots are needed to implement these technological advancements. From a combination of a formal education and on-the-job experience, an employee can best contribute to a company.

4.)   The Social Environment of Professional Life

 Who people are affects what they do as a career. Those who are able to connect with people, maintain others focus and attempt to bring others up can make good educators. A business owner who is able to charismatically attract costumers will have more success that a owner who cannot. Personalities and social interactions play a large role in the career path of indiviuals. Also, a persons involvment in aspects of social culture affect their career paths as well. A person who is rooted in focusing on political events will learn from social climate of their local and global governments and act accordingly in their profession. If legislation is made affecting an industry, an informed business owner will take advantage of this or act so their business is not affected negatively. Factors like this could allow professionals to succeed or fail in a foreign country. By staying informed on the policies and what is socially favorable in a country, a professional would have more success than competing foreign professionals. Likewise, it is important to monitor such activity in home countries to know how to interact with home people and know how foreigners will perceive one's country.

Bye For Now, Chile

On the day of our departure from my now favorite Latin American country of Chile, I still had some business to take care of. We rose early in the morning to gather up the troops to head down to the beach of Vina del Mar for one last experience. On our way, we grabbed some needed last soveniers along the way as reminders of the great time we had and to remind us of the culture of these great people whom welcomed us into the country. We finished our tourism part of the morning to fetch our final lunch to remind us of the country. For me it was a last meal of empanadas. We went to the restaurant we had grown familiar with for the last group meal in Chile. Reluctantly, we slunked back to Hotel America to say goodbye to the place we called home as we gathered up our belonings and frantically packed everything away. A few of the host students came to see us off. It was a heart-wrenching good-bye to the people who were so welcoming into their country. We had grown close to these people over the past two weeks, while they were our embassadors about their country's culture and first amigos in a new land. Everyone watched as the bus drove off from our Chilean home and family. Then it was real as we arrived at the Santiago airport, which previously only meant excitement and anticipation for me. Now it was a symbol of the end of the course. Everything worked out on the flights home. I was glad to be home, but a part of me will always be in Chile and I made sure that I brought a little of Chile back with me to hold on to forever (metaphorically speaking, U.S customs officers). Reflecting on the last two weeks, it was the richest learning experience I could ever ask for over a two week period, and has inspired me to learn so much more about the cultures of the world. Hopefully, I can fulfill that desire. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading about my study abroad experiences a fraction as much as I enjoyed being part of them.

Final Day's Adventure

On our full day in a foreign country, we were going to go out with a bang. We had an exciting day of an excursion that would leave us with a concrete memory:  horseback riding along the Chilean coast. We rose with a complex variety of emotions ranging from anticipation to excitment to anxiety for the day's activity. The bus took us to a ranch about 30 minutes from our hotel. We were greeted by a bold-natured Chilean rancher only speaking Spanish, cattle dogs running about and a five-day-old calf in the pen. Photo opportunities were plentiful already. A representitive speaking English asked us to sign our lives away before we were already mounting the horses. With all the excitment, I got caught up in taking pictures of friends saddling-up. Then, I look around and notice that I am the only one still on the ground. The rancher is now bringing the large black beast towards me. I ask Jorge, "Could you ask him the temperment of this animal?" Response:  " It is the only one left." Now its a total gamble. I have never ridden horseback (aside from a pony on a string that I have vague memories of). Oh well, I bite the bullet and saddled up. After a, quite literally, five-second tutorial of horse maneuvering, I was all alone with this animal. Indicative of how the day was going to go, I turned the horse to go towards the group, but he had other plans. He walked himself over to get some food. I had no control, and this was going to be the story of the day. After a nice walk out of the ranch (with some snack breaks again), we were headed toward the beach. We walked along the coast to get all the inexperieced riders, like myself, acquainted with the animals. I already began to learn that my horse was not one for hanging back in the pack. I welcomed this, as I started to gain some confidence in my friend. We walked and trotted along saphire Pacific waves folding on themselves. It was all smiles in the group as we began to enjoy the experience. We detached from the coast to head inland through a green woodsy terrain. We traveled along trails hugging brush and small ponds with horses in trot anxious to unleash. My horse, with an absolute mind of his own, began to play games with me. In the midst of modest communication with the Spanish-speaking rancher, my horse begins to diverge from the trail. I try to pull him back with the group with no avail. Retrospectively, maybe I could have been firmer, but that is a lesson learned. He head towards one of the ponds I mentioned. And without hesitation, in we go. Now I have a horse taking me waist deep in a pond and a racher shouting at me in another language to turn my horse. I completely without control. Eventually the rancher comes over to rescue me by using some aggressive turning methods on my horse, namly laying a beat down on its face to turn it landward. So after that excitement, we ride between a woods similar to western Pennsylvania. It felt different than the isolated nature of the woods I live in however. Finally we emerge to find towering sand dunes to our left. And we attacked them. This is when I had my first experience in a gallop with the horse. We tore at the sandy peaks without hesitation. We slowed down and finally all I see are these golden hills and copper moutains far in the distance. We rode through the dunes of the beach, without seeing even a sight of the ocean, making the ride feel as if we were riding through a desert. Eventually, we breaked underneath a tree to rest the horses and ourselves. More photos were taken and everyone streched and prepared for more. So far, so good. But I wasn't prepared for what was upcoming. Single file walks along the sides of steep dunes silenced the group. I think everyone was trying to let the horses focus, so they wouldn't go tumbling down with an equestrian giant. Finally, after a few more of these experiences with some easy galloping along the way, we returned to the familiar coast. It was on this straight away that the excitement began. We were riding gallop half the time back the the ranch, my horse leading the way. At times, I felt powerless on the back of such a strong creature with massive waves crashing on my right and thundering hooves behind me. Other times, I felt empowered by the exact same stimuli. I made it back to the ranch in one piece and said "ciao" to my new friend. Before another homely barbeque, similar to the one I experienced the night before. After we finished, we met with Verner and all the students for pizza and beer to say our good-byes. We had made some greet companionships with these people and we appreciated them so much for hosting us so well. It was sad to be leaving. Tomorrow we board to leave Santiago for back to the States and home. It will be a rough good-bye.

Taking It All In

After a long day at company visits and with only two full days left in our hosting country, we needed a day for relaxing and bonding with the Chilean students. In the morning, we got on the bus to go to the spa/camp. In the middle of a flatness of green surrounded by mountains, we disembarked and worked our way over to the nearest pool. The autumn weather prevented us from diving in, however everyone found the a beer and an open lounge chair and it was very quiet. After a much needed nap, the group stirred for a heavy lunch of french fries, topped by a slab of beef and a fried egg. Perfect comfort food. After lunch was a lazy game of soccer pitting Chileans versus Americans. It wasn't really fair, but we put up a good fight. After the excitement, we were invited back to the house of Professor Verner from USM for a barbeque. In his back yard, there was a perfect sun set shining on the mountains. The barbeque was a Chilean classic:  churripan, similar to a sausage on a bun, kebabs of beef and chicken and pork, and piscolas, pisco and Coke, to drink. All the Chilean students seemed to enjoy the break and were showing us ways to keep themselves entertained. We said goodbye to Verner and the students after an easy day with an excited day of horseback riding to look forward the next day. I will update you on the activities after the day tomorrow.

Chilean Industries

Today was the exact reason why this is not just a vacation but an academic course. In a few hours at three factories, I learned more about industry than I ever could have this summer otherwise. Additionally, I also learned how the Chilean culture and economic status affect their industry. So first, we started the morning at the production facilities of Hela, a paintbrush and tool factory. The guide was a Spanish speaker, so our Chilean students translated for us. It was evident that each worker was specialized to each position that they worked each day. They would perform their task before passing their completed part of the tool to the next part in line to add to. Note that each step of the production is done with a human interacting with machinery. After we finished at Hela, next on the list was Centauros. Centauros is the largest canning company in Chile, who expanded from just tomato sauce and products to many fruits, vegetables, and canned meals. The company again is largely operated by people. A worker was  in charge of putting each pepper through the slicing machine or filling each bag of ketchup, something that would almost be unheard of in the States. Our final stop of the day was at Bosques del Mauco, a mushroom factory. Oh the smell! I will spare you the details. However, through the stench, much was to be learned. Workers had a hand in each step of mushroom growing, from base production to packaging. Many jobs could be done with a unmanned machine in the United States, however in Chile things were different. Our guide, who has done much business with mushroom factories in the States, provided an insightful comment as to why. It was that they could use people to do steps because of how cheap labor was in Chile. Suddenly, everything I saw today made so much more sense. It is cheaper for all these companies to employee more people than invest in expensive machinery that must be maintained. The workers of Bosques displayed exactly what you would expect from Chilean labor workers:  hard work for cheaper pay. This was expansive to my understanding of Chilean industry and culture, giving me more of a respect for international production. At the end of long day of learning I was worn out and appreciated the chance to wind down. Especially with tomorrow being a nice day a relaxing camp, I will recharge much better.

Presentations and Lecture

Today, Monday, May 13th, we went to our last lecture of the trip with Jaime to learn more about our companies and more about Chilean education and economy. We also were presenting to Jaime about all we learned about our companies that we researched. Each group took turns presenting confidently about their research on Chilean companies. Finally, it was my group's turn to present about the winery Vina Indomita. We presented about how the company economically competes and gains its success as a smaller winery that sells mostly internationally. I mainly focused on the innovations and impacts of the wine market and how they affect the company. Jaime then had a discussion with us about the changes in global consumption and production of wine and implied its affects on companies worldwide, including Vina Indomita. Even though I haven't much studied economic concepts like this, I found it interesting that small changes in conditions of the market can greatly affect businesses. We then had an intensive discussion about the differences we have noticed between Chilean culture and American culture.  Jaime explained to us where many of the differences come from and how they affect the country all together. We then were dismissed from our final lecture and spent some time stretching outside in the courtyard. On campus, a small, tranquil, emerald rectangle  was surrounded by stone buildings of higher education. A large cannon aimed out to sea and beyond was the city of Valparaiso being warmed by the autumn sun. After our calming campus experience, we left for a fast food lunch at the mall and up to play some futbol with the Chilean students. It is common knowledge that soccer is so important everywhere else in the world besides the United States, but I didn't quite understand how far reaching it was. Everyone was experienced in the sport. Everyone played for a team. Everyone was eager to play. If nothing else, it is a uniting activity in Chile, Latin America, and globally. We left after spending a long time on the pitch, needing to recharge to prepare for a long day of company visits. Tomorrow, I will try to learn as much as possible about Chilean industry. Until then! Gracias!

Easy Sunday

Back again! Another nice and recharging free day!  The weather in Vina del Mar today is a bit colder and cloudier, don’t forget its fall, or “otoño”, in the southern hemisphere. Rest is exactly what I needed and it is what I got! After I woke up though, it was already time for coffee and lunch. We went down for a walk through the streets towards to ocean again to find some restaurants. When we got to the end of a road we found a nice looking Italian restaurant. I have been craving pasta for days so this was perfect! We made our way in, and were seated. Restaurants in a foreign country are always more difficult scenarios. Servers are rarely English-speaking and foods are some of the most impossible to figure out. One trick that I have figured out to help facilitate things is to as what the server recommends. I did this to order a meat and spinach ravioli dish with a creamy tomato sauce. Hit the spot exactly! Who knew I would miss pasta so much while having such great other foods while down here! We also got some much needed coffee with our lunch. It appears that Chileans are huge coffee drinkers. That or they aren’t huge fans of good-tasting coffee. Its killing me!  Almost everywhere exclusively serves Nescafe instant coffee. BLEH!!! First thing I’m getting when we get into Dallas is get a coffee to fulfill that craving next. I had a nice lazy afternoon after lunch before going to a fancy, fancy dinner at Tierra del Fuego, also the name of one the Southern-most region of continental Chile. After sundown, we walked to the coast with a cold breeze flowing over the whispering Pacific, on which Tierra del Fuego sat. We entered great glass box filled with dotted lights. Eagerly, we ascended to the upper level which had a perfect view of the twinkling lights of Valparaiso extending into the sea. Mammoth-sized steaks and sweat-smelling sea foods were served to the group, and we dined on a meal that I know I will never forget. Notably, this menu was similar to most other Chilean menus, in that it listed numerous sea foods and beef dishes, indicative of the resources of the country. After the feast, we moseyed back to the Hotel for a relaxing night before our last day for lectures with Jaime. I will be back to tell you everything I learned... after a night of a heavy sleep on a full stomach.