Concepcion

Last weekend I flew down south to Concepcion with the other 33 students here on the program thanks to the Bings who sponsored our weekend trip. It was nice to escape the busy life here in Santiago and enjoy an afternoon hiking in the hills, trekking up to a waterfall, and visiting several lakes that are home to gorgeous black neck swans. Of course we did the touristy thing visiting the first hydroelectric plant in Chile, the University of Concepcion, and the famous coal mines in the next town called Lota. A huge art faire took place right next to our hotel so we spent the afternoon walking around the stands and watching local artists make their crafts. Some of the guys satisfied their urge to play soccer by finally buying a ball and we started a game at the nearby park. We were lucky to catch an International Jazz festival at night which took place at the city’s largest ampitheatre. For someone who typically isn’t a huge fan of jazz, I really enjoyed the concert since South American jazz is different than American jazz. As for weather, the south is much colder and it was the first time we had to put on pants and zip up our sweaters!