Brant's Thoughts

Two days in and all is going well and as expected. Since this is the first time through an endeavor such as this , we are not as efficient as we would be in the future. For example, the main activities of Monday and Tuesday could be condensed into one solid day in future iterations. The activities for this day would include a research team debriefing with US and Chilean participants getting on the same page with research expectations and content, as well as getting perspective on where each person is from both geographically and academically; a full tour of lab and university facilities; and instrumentation demonstrations to become familiar and adept at using said instruments. This being said, On Monday Humberto took us through a tour of the Chemistry department, he showed us the office space for our use and we did a quick tour and introductions within the electrochemistry lab. This is a picture of Humberto taking us upstairs to the office space he lined up for us.And then showing us the specific instruments that will be used for our research.
We are on the verge of becoming "regulars" at a restaurant within Mercado Carvonal. The picture below shows the building in which this restaurant is located. Humberto was saying this structure was designed by the same person who produced the Eiffel Tower. The building was originally supposed to go to Peru but for some reason found a home in Valparaiso, just off the port.


The second story of the building has many restaurants but to this point I have only experienced one of them (3 times now over two different trips). The lower level is a bustling market with all kinds of beautiful fruits and vegetables. On Tuesday we did a thorough stroll in and around the market. We bought some vegetables for dinner and snapped a couple photos. Below is a picture of Jennifer passing by a beautiful spread of what Marcado Carvonal has to offer.

Today the plan is for a full day of research now that our feet are firmly on the ground.