40 student life While spending the day just outside San Pedro, Chile, junior Brandon Sterry bikes through the mountains on Sept. 24. A small group of students rented bikes and rode through the Atacama Desert. Courtesy of Spencer Wilson Juniors Spencer Wilson and Jessie Sears sit on the edge of a sand dune watching the sun set in the Atacama Desert in Chile on Sept. 25. “I was super tense about sitting so close to the cliff ledge,” Wilson said. “I felt as though I were one small push away from seeing Jesus.” Courtesy of Spencer Wilson Sophomores Blake Hemphill and Devin Monaghan skip rocks across the water on Sept. 8 at Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile. Students were given time to take pictures at Torres del Paine National Park, a Chilean National Park comprised of mountains, glaciers, lakes and rivers. Courtesy of Spencer Wilson I woke up at 7:15 a.m. and started off my day by enjoying the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. After breakfast, our group piled into two buses, and we were given a tour of our temporary home: The Atacama Desert. Our tour guide Jorge pointed out different volcanoes, and we stopped at a small village where we learned about their water filtration and distribution. Since water is scarce, they have to rotate where the water flows every 18 days. After our tour of the surrounding areas, we went through San Pedro, spotting a mountain bike store where bikes could be rented. A group of us agreed on biking to Quevrada del Dibablo, which was eight kilometers away. We traveled all the way there, and after crossing a river, we were surrounded by massive mud mountains that were embedded with crystal stone layers. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The trail meandered all around the mountains, and it appeared that it was once the home of a river judging by the water-washed look of the mountainsides. We navigated through many tight squeezes and under low-hanging caves, where at times we had to duck our heads to keep from crashing! Upon returning from our extreme mountain biking experience, we ate at a unique all-natural restaurant, which I was very excited about. Unfortunately, my body had other plans. Due to the strenuous mountain biking desert safari, my body was overworked and dehydrated, which made me very sick, and I headed to bed by 8 p.m. All in all, however, I had a great day. I just described one great day in Chile, but even it does not hold a candle to all of the amazing things to see and do while there. Unlike the other overseas programs, “free travel” is conducted by group trips throughout the semester. This may not mean much at first, but I realized early on that I would never
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