El Dia de Aprendizaje

Wednesday was a day of cultural learning for all of us! Jose Luis, one of the funniest men I have ever met, gave us a very detailed presentation of Chilean culture encompassing the history, geography, economics, art and literature, business, society, music and dance,and a few "grab-bag" topics. Jose also held discussion where we discussed some differences in Chile that we didn't expect. This discussion included the herds of stray dogs roaming around like pedestrians, the crazy (but always fun) bus rides, not getting carded to go into clubs/bars, and the English skills a lot of the Chileans have aside from the people designated to help on this trip. From Jorge, some of the most exciting things that I learned:

• Chile is split up into different regions instead of states like the U.S. There are a total of 12 regions.
• Chile's main core values are: chivalry (oh, how I wish the men of United States could jump on this bandwagon), group-oriented work, family focused, independent of work identity, short-term thinking, multi-tasking, and relevance of nature
• Chileans have a difficult time of being punctual, making me feel like I fit right on it!
• Women get 2 month permit/leave before giving birth and 6 months after and is one of the key factors to consider when Chileans debate women's retirement rights 

It was also funny to me how American based companies advertise targeting specific market segments, but overseas, they try to attract the overall population through including elements of basic moralities and that country's specific core values. After the lecture, we presented him with a special gift, including Pitt gear of course, for his time and presentation.

Jose Luis and I after lecture