Adventures of every kind were found on the Harding University Latin America international program. As the students ventured across South America, they saw a mosaic of landscapes and foods. While they lived in Vina del Mar, Chile, they often visited a local market. Produce of every kind lined the rows of the bustling market. According to senior Kallie Savage, a pungent combination of fish, fresh lime and cilantro greeted the students as they approached the vendors every Wednesday and Saturday. The students said that the highlight of purchasing food from the market was the interaction they had with local farmers. The Chileans helped the students practice the Spanish they had learned in classes. "Each time I went to the market, I was able to communicate better and better," Savage said. "The seafood lady and I became especially good friends, and I would always go to her to buy salmon, shrimp and, one time when we were feeling spontaneous, shark." Savage said that preparing her own food with friends was a maturing experience. "I had to plan, shop, prepare and clean all of my meals, and I absolutely loved it," Savage said. "I felt more independent and experienced in the kitchen." Purchasing their foods in the market opened up opportunities to try unusual foods. On one specific occasion sophomores Nathan Foster and Drew Lee, junior Jacob Robertson and senior Gunnar Klemmer purchased ingredients for horsemeat tacos. After preparing the tacos, they ate with sophomore Avery Bromley and juniors Kristina Kiser and Kayla O'Connor. After the group casually ate supper, the guys revealed to the girls what they had just consumed. "It didn't surprise me at all that the [guys] would do something like that,'' Bromley said. "It actually wasn't that bad." In the Patagonia Lake Region, the students went to a "curanto" - "clambake" in English - in which they were able to help prepare the dinner with locals. The curanto included mussels, clams and "piure," a Chilean seafood. "The curanto was the worst and weirdest [experience], even though it had an awesome process and great appetizers," Robertson said. On the group's trip to Peru, HULA director Tom Hook surprised the group with a Peruvian delicacy: "cuy," commonly known as guinea pig. "The servers brought out an entire cuy cooked, de-haired and prepared to eat on a platter before they cut it up to serve," Foster said. While Foster said the dish was delicious though there was little meat and a lot of bones, Savage said she could not get over the eyes of the guinea pig that stared back at her. The group encountered new food everywhere, whether visiting local restaurants or shopping at the marketplace. Students learned food was as fundamental to culture as dress or language. Each new dish they tried in South America gave them another story to bring home, and each different flavor revealed more about the Chilean people and culture. Mackenzie Lee "I experienced more culture and beauty at HULA than many people will in a lifetime." Junior Shelbi Fowler
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