Empanadas

Why, hello there Chris and Brian.  This blog just got all kinds of international!

It’s been almost a month since my last post, so I’ll hit you guys with the highs and lows of Argentina and my start in Chile.  First off, Argentina:
*Met up with fellow Wofford student Sandra!  It was awesome seeing someone from back home, and even better on Election Day.
*Made some really great friends.  Missin’ my hostel buddies Team Sweden and Thile (Germany)!
*Learned that the quickest means to achieving world peace is actually quite simple.  Just serve empanadas everywhere and at low prices.  This I am sure of.  I titled my blog after Empanadas because I was averaging about two or three a day in Argentina…(>_<)
*Got pick-pocketed on the subway.  *sigh.
*Set a new personal best for extended travel time taking the bus to Iguazú (it ended up being around 20 hours).  P.S.  Don’t go with Expreso Singer.  Just trust me on this one.
*Visited the hydropower facility Itaipu (and was temporarily in Brazil and Paraguay).  This means that within a span of several hours I visited three countries!  An interesting Thanksgiving Day to say the least.
*Said sad farewells to my host family in Buenos Aires.  I lived with a couple and their daughters/grandchildren.  When I first arrived the granddaughter (2 years old) was terrified of me, which made for some hilarious situations at the dinner table.  Alas, had to say goodbye just when she had mustered up enough courage to say “hola” to me.

And now Chile:
*Got to see two  more Wofford buddies (shout-out to Kirsten and Ashleigh)
*Overcame initial awkwardness with the host family due to language barriers
*Trying to get in touch with some companies here, preparing for a trip south to Patagonia, and preparing summer applications.  To all the math/science undergraduates out there…it is officially application season!

Side note:  There are a lot of great paid internships available for math and science majors interested in getting some research experience over the summer.  I have had the opportunity to complete projects in Washington at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as well as at South Dakota State University.  I wouldn’t trade any of those experiences for anything, and met a lot of cool people along the way that I still keep in touch with.  For more information, contact me directly or check out these links:

Most deadlines are around mid-January, but professor recommendations are needed and should be requested as soon as possible.

http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm  : NSF REU Site
http://science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/  : Department of Energy funded internships
http://www.daad.de/rise/en/ : Internships in Germany (how cool is that?)

Photo time.

Anyone want to ride the subway today?

Iguazú Falls! Definitely worth a 20 hour bus ride.
Blue World – Brazilian Side of the Falls
Woco nation!
Itaipu! I would need three more photos to get all of the dam.
Welcome, Santiago.

Cheers,
David