Bosques del Mauco

Thursday morning was the most tired I have been on the trip.  We stayed out until 4AM with the Chilean students on Thursday morning and had to leave from our hotel at 8:30AM for a lecture at the University.  This time the lecture was about more Chilean culture including their TV commercials and music.  We watched Chilean TV commercials and listened to Chilean music.  It was interesting to observe similarities and differences between these and the media from the United States.  Although the information was very interesting, I had a hard time staying awake because I was so tired.  After the lecture we had lunch again at the University, but my friend Nik and I did not like the food so we bought some empanadas at another dining hall on campus.  After lunch we had our second company visit of the trip at Bosques del Mauco, a mushroom farm.  The smell at this place was probably the worst thing I have ever smelt, but the visit was still very informative and interesting.  The owner of the company told us about the history of the company and then took us on a tour of the entire factory.  We got too see how the fertilizer for the mushrooms is prepared and how the mushrooms grow in different stages.  We then saw how the mushrooms are prepared and packaged so they can be sold.  It was very cool to see the whole operation line of the company.  After the company visit we headed back to the University for our second Reggaeton lesson.  This lesson was faster paced than the first one, but I actually had more fun this time, maybe because we all got a little better.  I think we can possibly keep up with the Chileans out on the dance floor now, probably not, but we can try.  At the end of the lesson, Sarah, one of our trip advisors, chose me to give one of the Chilean students with us a gift from our group.  I'm glad I was chosen to do this because it is a great culture experience to interact with the Chilean students.  Tonight the Chilean students are taking us to a discotheque; it should be another long, interesting, and fun night!