Wednesday, May 12

Today was a very intense day. We started off at 8 AM with our safety shoes for a visit to Codelco Ventanas, where they convert copper ore to 99.99% pure copper. Because we had our safety shoes, we were able to go inside the plant to see the various stages of production. They gave us a short lecture in Spanish with some English translation on the company, the smelting process, and their commitment to safety. We were given a hard hat, safety glasses, a gas mask, and a protective vest and we were off for the tour. The guide took us to some of the control rooms that guests usually do not see because he said you "came from so far" and because the students ask a lot of good questions and were interested in the processes. We next went to Conservas Centauro, a food processing company. The plant we visited focuses on tomato products. We had an excellent tour and again the students asked excellent questions. Our tours were so long that we had to postpone the afternoon lecture from 4 to 5 PM. Jose Luis Cortes gave another excellent talk on cultural issues in Chile, which generated a lot of questions. The talk ended with a surprise serving of typical Chilean empanadas called "pino." The students stayed after the class for another Salsa class.