Trip to Latin America
By: Rhea M. 1st
Trip to Guadalajara, Mexico (Culture)
Dear Travel Journal,
Today I'm taking a trip to a Famous city in Mexico called Guadalajara.
First I'm taking a flight from America to Guadalajara in the Interjet airlines.When I got to Guadalajara, I took a taxi to my hotel I would stay in, Villa Ganz Butique Hotel which is one of a very pretty hotel. Now I'm going to the Guadalajara church to see how it is and am going to talk to some people about Guadalajara.When we reached the church, we talked to people and they were very nice to talk to. I didn't even know spanish but just a little " Como es tas " or " Buenos Dias", people treat you very nicely and this is a part of their culture. In the modern city of Guadalajara, fashion is very big. People wear beautiful, cultural dresses, and dance to their traditional music. Mexico's national dance is the Ballet Folklorika, so many people were learning that type of dance.Today I'm going to see a dance performance of Ballet Folklorika and they danced beautifully. I also asked people where they buy all of these fancy dresses and jewelry. Most people said that they buy their dresses from the local market. The particular market that they bought there dresses from was called " San Juan de Dios". Next I talked to many people and I knew that they were very proud of to be from Guadalajara so they call themselves a "Tapito" which means someone or something from Guadalajara. After that tiring day, I went for dinner. The traditional food was so interesting and different. Guadalajara has many traditional dishes like the "Birria" or a traditional dish which is a stew made of goat meat, tomato sauce, and ther spices. Then I tried another dish called the "Torta Ahogada" which is pork meat served in sandwich style. Then I went back to my hotel to sleep. The next day was another day to find out about Guadalajara's culture so I woke up and straight went to some people who have big religious beliefs and asked them the main religions and information about the religions of Guadalajara. They said that most of Guadalajara is catholic and have a great devotion to Patron Saint of Guadalajara. Later I traveled to some art museums and found out that music, dance, and art is the most popular description of Guadalajara. Then I visited a music and arts center right next door, and they said that after the Ballet Folklorika , the "Jarabe Tapito" and " Jalisco" are the next most popular dances. I heard and saw many people singing to beautiful tunes too. Well this was my trip to Guadalajara and what I found out about Guadalajara's modern culture.
Ballet Folklorica
Ballet Folklorica is the national dance of Guadalajara. The dancers wear beautiful cultural dresses and dance to their traditional music.
Birria
This is the food dish of Birria. This is a traditional dish that is mainly eaten in Guadalajara. This is made from goat's meat, tomato sauce, and many other spices that are also added.
Guadalajara church
This is a famous church in Guadalajara that many people visit. Most of the population in this city are catholic and have great devotion to Patron Saint of Guadalajara.
Trip to Guatemala (Government)
Today I'm taking a trip to Guatemala and I am going to learn about the government of Guatemala city. When I went there I talked to many people who were involved in government issues. Some people told me that in 1985 , a constitution was released that broke the government into three groups, the legislative, judicial, and executive branch just like how the U.S works. Then I found out that in 1993 there was an increase of court justices from nine to thirteen. Also they said that the government reduced the office term for the president, vice president, and congressional representatives from five to four years. They also reduced the term for the supreme court justices from six to five years. I interviewed another person that works in the mayor's office and he said that the mayors and city council terms increased from two and a half to four years. I also visited a place where I found out about the president and vice president who is elected by the universal suffrage but is limited to only one term. After that I visited the supreme court area and found out that this court has thirteen court justices who are elected from twenty-six qualifying conditions. I also visited a separate constitutional court. I also asked around and have gotten information to tell that the first round presidential elections took place on September 11, 2011. In Guatemala's government, their main government interests are regional security, sustainable development, and economic integration. After all I learned on this trip to Guatemala, this country is a constitutional republic which affects Guatemala city too. This was my trip to Guatemala city and it was very nice to learn such interesting things about Guatemala and it's government.
Guatemala constitution
This is the Guatemala constitution that was released that gave the new rules and new terms. This gave out rules that changed terms and regulations for many people.
Supreme court
This shows the supreme court that many laws are known and followed. Thirteen justices are elected there out of twenty-six qualifying conditions.
Constitutional court
The constitutional court is a separate court that follows separate rules. This court has to deal with presidential elections.
Trip to Chile (Geography)
Today I'm going to Chile to find out a little more about it's geography. I visited some exhibits that told me about Chile so this is what the helper told me, " Chile's shape is most unusual, it extends 4,729 kilometers from North to South and only about 177 kilometers from east to west. Many people describe Chile's looks as a ribbon reaching from the middle of South America's west coast straight down to the southern tip of the continent." Then I got on in a plane to around the border of Chile and found out that Chile borders three countries, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina but Argentina has the longest border with Chile at about 5,150 kilometers. Then my group and I flew to Cape Horn, the southernmost point in the Americas, where the Pacific ocean and Atlantic ocean meet in the Chilean territory. We carefully studied Cape Horn's formation and land. When we were walking down the street, we found a paper from a science museum that said " Alert! The northern two-thirds of Chile which is the top of the telluric Nazca plate, is moving ten centimeters a year and this is resulting to a Peru-Chile trench, which is beyond a narrow land of coastal waters off the northern land two-thirds of the country. This trench is now 150 kilometers wide and averages 5,000 meters in depth. This Peru-Chile trench can cause many earthquakes so be AWARE!" Then we took the paper, analyzed it, and tried to gather more information about this. We found out that long ago the crash between the two earth surfaces made the Andes mountain range, and also Chile's half is a volcanic area. There are 620 volcanoes in Chile and many are still active even today. So that was my trip to Chile to learn about it's geography.
Chile's structure
Chile's structure is very unusual and interesting. This shows Chile's structure that extends 4,720 kilometers from North to South and only about 177 kilometers east to west.
Chile's border
This shows Chile's border with Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Chile and Argentina have the longest border at about 5,150 kilometers.
Peru-Chile Trench
This shows how the Peru-Chile trench is forming. These two plates are moving away from each other, ten centimeters a year. Now as a result the trench is 150 kilometers wide and 5,000 meters in depth.
Trip to Brazil (Economy)
Today I'm going to visit Brazil to learn about it's economy. When I first got there, I want to a industrial company. I learned that Brazil is the largest country in South America with the maximum population, and is in power in terms of economy. I also got to know that the economy of Brazil is the world's seventh largest economy, and this industry in largest in the western hemisphere. I walked around and saw that the industry is huge and the products go from automobiles to consumer durables. They were also dealing with export products in the industry such as steel, petrochemicals, computers, and aircraft. I talked to a worker over there and he told me this " The industrial growth rate is 8.8%, while the industrial labor force is 21%. Brazil has large and growing industries of agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors which gave a big impact of Brazil to become one of the top ranked economy in South America. When 2001 came, the economy faced problems and soon began to grow only 2.2% per year, and this went on until 2003." After hearing all of this I could tell that Brazil faced a lot of economic crisis. Then I went to another man helping out in the industrial company and asked him how Brazil is so strong. He said that " Brazilian economy and economic polices and programs taken up be President Cardoso and the President Lula Da Silva strengthened this which made Brazil very strong." Then I found a paper hanging on the wall and it said that when Brazil was in a crisis, so many people helped get Brazil to be strong and got Brazil out of this crisis in 2003. Then I visited an agriculture site where the products are coffee, wheat, rice, sugarcane, and much more. Over there I found out that the agriculture growth rate is 9.2%, while the agriculture labor force is 15%. After learning all of this about Brazil's economy, I could go back home and share all of this interesting information with many people. This was a great and educational trip, and after this I wonder what I learn about this topic next.
Industrial Products
This shows some industrial products in Brazil such as technology and consumer goods. Brazil's industrial products are automobiles, steel, petrochemicals, electronics, aircraft, and then consumer goods. These are a few products that are used in the industry for export.
Large and Growing Industries
Brazil has many large and growing industries. Agriculture is one of those industries. There are many other growing industries just like agriculture such as mining, manufacturing, and service .
President Cardoso and President Lula Da Silva
This is a picture of two presidents with their wifes. These presidents took up programs and strengthened them so that Brazil's economy can be as strong as it is now. These presidents have really made Brazil strong in a economical way. This is why Brazil got out of a economical problem that it faced in 2003 after facing it for two years.