Day 5

So much has gone on since I last reported. We have been extremely busy getting further acquainted with the Chilean lifestyle and Friday may have been the most important day as far as the Chilean way of life goes. Our group started out the day with a long bus ride allowed many of us to catch up on any lost sleep. When the bus finally rolled to a stop, we were outside the Agrosuper "slaughterhouse". The slaughterhouse was definitely not for the faint-hearted. Any pasdt expectations we may have had before entering into the house of slaughter were thrown out the window when we walked into the warehouse. The sight that greeted us immediately upon our entrance was the decapitation station. I will spare you any further details and just say that it was one of those experiences that you can now say you have had and probably never want to have again.

After our trip to the slaughterhouse, we made our way to the school that the slaughterhouse funds. It would be an understatement to say that we were met with anything other than utter excitement. At times, I felt like a pop star because of all of the excited little Chilean children running around with enormous smiles on their faces. At the school, we met the oldest students in the library and gave them a chance to practice their english. I have to say, their english is much better than my spanish and they are juniors in high school. It was extremely interesting to talk to the students about American culture because they knew a lot about it. We were all very sad to leave the students but they left us with a memory that will always last.

Finally, we made the much anticipated trip to the Undurraga winery. After receiving an interesting talk from one of the winery's knowledgable salesmen, we got a tour of the grounds and I can honestly say, I would not mind retiring to a vineyard or opening one up as a business. The grounds at Undurraga winery were nothing short of absolutely beautiful. My favorite part of the entire winery, however, was underground. Underneath the fermenting station, the winery has a cask cellar that was almost an exact portrait of the mental image I get from reading Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" minus the horror and immurement. The smell of oak casks and aging wine is still resonating in my nasal cavity.

All-in-all, Friday has defintely been my favorite day so far in Chile. Thanks for tuning in and, until next time, stay classy Santiago.

written by  SantiagoFellows on May 14, 2010 from Santiago, Chile
from the travel blog: SantiagoFellows's Travel Blog
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