Point of Transition

We have officially ended our first, and largest, section of the semester. Well, I suppose I still have a test to send into my professor, but for all intensive purposed, we are done. No more Spanish classes at Casa SIT (where we have our classes) or seminars at Santa Maria University. Our six solid weeks of this routine has come to a close and we leave on Monday for our excursion in the north or south of Chile. I have chosen to go south to live with and study the Mapuche, Chile's most significant indigenous population that like many other indigenous groups around the world, has suffered incredible discrimination and strife. We have learned some basics about the Mapuches and the challenges they face here in Valparaiso, but after two weeks in the south, I will know so much more. It is a bit odd to be leaving Valpo, especially considering I will be spending most of November in Santiago. Right when I have come to know and love this city, I am leaving. But, I know I will be back.

To finish off our Spanish classes right, our professors spiced up classes this week. We have had many classes in cafes and such (which has been amazing), but this week included a graffiti walk of Valparaiso and it was AWESOME! Valparaiso is the second graffiti capital of South America and incredible murals and graffiti line the streets. Although I have passed by plenty on my own, our teacher showed us new spots and told us all about the artists.

Keep in mind this is just a normal loading dock.

To make the graffiti walk that much more amazing, there were wonderful views of the ocean and town the entire time.

Yesterday,I traveled up the coast to Horcon, a hippie beach town with absolutely amazing seafood empenadas. The bus ride was longer than we expected but the vistas made up for it. Surprisingly enough, the chilean hillsides are covered with "california" poppies. We spent our day eating shrimp, crab, and scallop empenadas at various seafood shacks, laying on the beach, buying sweaters from trift stores, and eating more seafood. All in all, a great day.

Now I am in the mindset of getting things done before I leave for my excursion. I will not be bringing my computer and thus, I need to make sure that all my technological duties are up to date. I need to pack lots of warm sweaters (some of which from the Horcon hole-in-the-wall of a thrift store, patch one of my two pairs of jeans, buy fresh jam for my Mapuche host family, and soak in the amazing life that is Valparaiso.

Love to all!!!

Películas, Películas, Películas

I am going to try and keep this on topic (movies), but first I have a few quick notes.

First of all, I just talked a Swedish guy in the streets because he thought I was Swedish. Just another reminder of how much I stick out here. Sweden would have been one of the few places I could have studied abroad and had a chance of blending in.

Second, I just got back from an awesome free concert. It included a very wide variety of music and there was no telling when it was going to end, but overall, very happy with it. At one point, this very old man sang his little heart out on stage and it was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed.

Third, I have to come to a point of more clarity about my personal research project that is creeping up on me. It looks like I will be doing a case study of an organization in Santiago, that among other things, works to encourage and increase women's participation in Chilean politics.

Fourth, the rest of this post is going to make it sound like I have not-stop good luck with movies, but that would be wrong. Although I have seen a couple of awesome movies over the last week, I have also had some troubles with movies. Last night, a group of us tried to go see Midnight in Paris for real cheap but it was completely sold out because of its cheapness. Then today, our program went to go watch the new movie on Violeta Parra, the first fold singer of Chile, but there were technical issues so we ended up watching another movie instead. The replacement movie was also worth seeing though. It was about the music of Valparaiso and had some wonderful history and vistas of my current home. You can watch the entire movie on YouTube and I would recommend it for a taste of this wonderful city.

Okay, here we go:

Recently, I have been watching some awesome movies on Chile and every time I see one I think about how I want to share them with people back home. A couple of weeks ago, I watched the Shock Doctrine for class and it was fascinating. You can find it on YouTube. It does a very unique job of connecting many points of history and weaving them together to tell the story of the implementation of neoliberalism. Chile was the first case where Milton Friedman's free market, neoliberal model was put into place. Basically, it was the test tube baby that countries like the US and England used as their playground. Chile still lives in this model today and I see the consequences all day long. Here's the trailer.

Last week, I watched Machuca with all the other kids in my program. It is a powerful movie that shows the friendship of two young boys, one of upper and one of lower class, before, during, and after the Chilean military coup. There is a couple of weird scenes in this one, but overall an awesome movie. That does not mean that it will leave you smiling. Honestly, I didn't really know what to say after this one. I think of all the movies I will mention, I recommend this one most. Machuca is not a documentary but it is based on real facts so you can learn something while being entertained. Here's the trailer.

I would also highly recommend La Ciudad de los fotógrafos, which is a film about the fearless photographers and photojournalists who documented strikes, demonstrations, and protests during the Chilean military regime of Augusto Pinochet. Their organization and passion moved the transition to democracy along while capturing the truth about the brutality Chileans were facing in public. The combination of images and music in this movie might make you cringe or cry (like it did to me), but it is fabulously done. One of the most remarkable things about this film are the interviews with the photographers themselves, who really aren't that old. It reminds me yet again that the military regime in Chile didn't end that long ago and many of the people I interact with actually lived through it. Here's the trailer.

Lastly, for something a bit lighter and more outdoorsy, I would suggest 180 Degrees South. None of the online descriptions do it justice, so just take my word that its worth watching. It compiles incredible views and history of Chile's magnificent naturaleza. Although I have pretty much no desire to climb horrifically dangerous mountains of ice, it's cool to hear the stories of people on the hunt to do so. Here's the trailer.

All of these movies have something to offer and sure do make me think. I would love to talk about these more with people once they have seen them, but I don't want to ruin their story lines. In general, being here, watching these movies, and thinking back on my life thus far has really made me appreciate my opportunities. I feel so lucky to be doing what I am doing and learning what I am learning. As they say, Gracias a la vida.

Love to all,