From the campo to the big city

Hello all! It has been a while since I last wrote and I have so much to say so I hope I can cover the basics. I got back on Monday from the south of Chile (Temuco and Pucon). I stayed in the Campo for a week with a Mapuche host family and then lived at a hostel in Pucon for the rest of my time. I was with 11 other students and we studied various facets of the Mapuche way of life and the challenges they face in today's modernized world.

I absolutely loved my host family. I had a mother, who went to the city everyday to work as a cook: a father, who was the community's leader and worked in the fields during the day; a 19-year old brother, who works as a chauffeur in the city and helps his dad around the farm; and a 7-year-old sister, who attends the local school. I also lived with Susan, another student on my program. Our host parents were really easy to talk to and were able to have some really quality time with them. We played so much soccer with our sister and the other local kids. We also made empanadas and sopapillas with our mom.

This is our house and piece of land:

Our family also had other fields for their potatoes, beans, and horse.

This is our family with empanadas:

This was our extremely adorable little sister:

We lived in an absolutely gorgeous community that had one road running through it. All of the gringos lived in houses along that road so walking between our houses was quite easy. We took walks with our host siblings almost every day and taught chilean kids how to appreciate a long walk in the country.

The one main road:

I had some really interesting conversations with both my host family and other students on the trip during our time in the campo. I had a long talk with my host mom about relationships and family dynamics. It was fascinating to hear her perspective and it made me realize, in conjunction with other experiences I had during my time in the south, that we are really all the same. The average person is trying to make a living while making time for other important things in life, usually family. The challenges that my host family faces really aren't that different from families all over the world. Susan and I also talked with our brother about the leadership position that our dad holds. He is the Lonko of the community, which means that he is consulted on pretty much anything that happens among the community. Students need his permission to leave the community to go to school and ceremonies require him to start them. The position of Lonko is supposed to be passed through the family line, but following that line in today's modern world seems to be quite difficult. Our brother told us that he would unlikely take on the role because he will most likely have to move into the city for work, which leaves Nelly, our 7-year-old sister who likes to draw, play Go Fish, and spells my name Llesi. He said that there would be no problem with her being a girl, but I would be very interested to see how that works out. Overall the reality of less kids and urbanization, among with others, are obviously changing how these traditions with continue. I also had some lovely talks with Susan about all sorts of things and I felt lucky to have her with me to process and appreciate our experience there.

Academically, we studied a wide variety of things in the south that all related to the historical, current, and future realities and challenges that the Mapuche people face. Particularly, we had lectures on the role of women in the society, the history of the indigenous rights movement in Chile, the relation between the Pueblo Mapuche and the neoliberal economic model, Mapuche music, and Mapuche spirituality. Overall the lectures were interesting but sometimes were quite repetitive. One of my favorite parts was visiting a intercultural school where the students learn normal chilean curriculum with a very large emphasis on Mapuche roots and traditions. All students are required to learn Mapudungun and all the tracks available to students have a deep connection to the Mapuche culture. We talked to administrators, professors, and students at the school and they all had interesting things to say. All of the students we talked to had aspirations of going to university and them returning to their respective communities to give back. It was all so incredible to see. Unfortunately,it is the only school of its kind in the nation.

While in Pucon, I CLIMBED A HUGE, ACTIVE, SNOW-COVERED VOLCANO! It's name is Villarrica and it was so incredibly awesome. I went with 3 other girls and we were with a group with 2 guides, a brazilian, and 2 british women. We need ice picks, spiked clamp-ons for our boots, and sledding dippers to do it, but it was awesome! We loved our guides and had an amazing day as we hiked above the clouds!!!

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the very top due to toxic gasses. We would have made it considering our pace and how much time/energy we had. We were a little bummed, but the fun of sledding down a volcano made us forget our sadness quite quickly.

Now I am back in Valparaiso after an awesome 2 weeks. However, I leave tomorrow for Santiago where I will be doing my month-long research project. I have had a couple of really nice days back in Valpo to see people and hang out a bit while doing the basics to start my project. I love this city, but I need to venture to the capital to carry out my project. I have talked to my advisor, who is female, communist-party, politician and we have a meeting set for Friday so I will see how that goes. It looks like I will also be living with very far-left-leaning family so I cannot claim to be embarking on an unbiased academic adventure. I am a little nervous about leaving Valpo, a city I love and know with lots of friends, but I know my project and a new adventure is worth it. Plus, Santiago holds almost half the population of Chile so to understand the country, I feel like I need to understand the city. It is just another adventure that will push me beyond my comfort zone, and that is the whole point of study abroad so HERE I GO!

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,

American exchange students join in on the Chilean education protests

Today, class included going to a march for more accessible and higher quality education. Considering that we have been studying the Chilean education system and the demands of the student movement, it fit perfectly into our curriculum. The biggest fault in the Chilean education system is that it is highly privatized (in theme with the rest of Chile) and it reflects/strengthens the class structure. Similar to the US, students who are from middle or high class families have the opportunity to attend high performing public schools or private schools while everyone else is left hanging. However, in Chile, public schools have less resources while the federal government takes less responsibility for the performance of the schools. The students here are fed up. They have decided to take over their schools (both universities and high schools) until the government responds. Some student are taking part in hunger strikes to show their passion.

The students, along with the support of professors and other sectors of the country, are asking for universal education through university. Their specific demands include more accountability from the federal government, a new system to train professors, greater financial support, and removal of the credit system many students use to finance their education. In reality, the students have made 21 requests, but many of them are vague in nature.

Here is an article on the protests if you want more information.
This article shows a lot of images of innocent people being tear gassed, but I don't want anyone to worry. I have only felt tear gas from a distance and there are ways to attend protests and avoid the violence that often occurs near the end.

Honestly, watching the events here has made us American students question why the streets of cities in the United States are filled with enraged students. Our system has many of the same problems, along with some of our own, and yet people sit idly by. The California public university systems are charging students more and more every couple of months while directing less resources towards each student. And yet, there is little to no response. Why is the youth of Chile more willing to stand up and fight? They have been arrested and tear gassed and continue to rally in the streets.

Today was an awesome experience. The passion of the students was obvious and they were joined by people of all generations and walks of life. It was incredible to see 12-year-olds fighting for the future of their country. I don't even know if there are many American 12-year-olds willing to dedicate a significant part of their day to a social cause.

I love seeing people like this at student marches. It's not like their education will get cheaper or not, they just realize how crucial education is in a society.

Us gringos showing our support!

The scene:

Some of my favorite signs:

I am one lucky girl. This weekend is fiestas patrias (independence day), which means that I get a four day weekend. I am not complaining and I think I have made very good use of my days off so far.

Truly, my weekend began earlier this week with some preparation. By which I mean, learning the Cuaca! (The national dance of Chile). We had an entire lesson on it on Thursday and it has proven helpful.

Then I really got the weekend going with some Chilean wine tasting on Friday and it was magnificent.

Picture an amazingly beautiful vineyard in the middle of Chilean wine country where everything is cheaper and it's legal for 20-year-olds to drink. Let's just say, it was delightful.

To top it all off, we had some lovely conversation. And Lauren decided she is getting married there, so looks like I'll be able to go back :)

Yesterday, I went exploring the cerros of Valparaiso. Noah, Rory and I decided to hike up to see Pablo Neruda's house and lucky for us the walk up there is a museum in itself.

After climbing the hills of Valparaiso, we went and found yourselves a futbol game in an oceanside stadium. It was complete with military men everywhere, considering that futbol games can get a little out of hand in Latin America. We thought we showed up on time, but during what we thought was half time, everyone started to leave. After a lot of uncertainty, we realized we had gotten there an hour during half time. So, it had felt like the beginning of the game when it was really half way done.

Then, my day continued with a authentic fiestas patrias street festival. I ended up helping mi mama's friend with her food stand. Basically, I had to be on top of my game because people were in great need of there guacamole, mayonnaise, and ketchup covered hot dogs and it was my job to get it to them while getting them the right change. It was quite something. I made friends with these really cute old women too and made time to do some dancing with mi mama.

Today, with no previous knowledge, I ended up going to a family party with mi mama. Obviously my Spanish needs some more work because I thought we were going back to the street fair and then we got on a bus... and it was the same bus that we took to Con Con (a town to the north where her family lives), so I thought we were going there... and then we got off in Vina del Mar and walked for a while. This whole time, I had no idea where we were going and I had told friends that I could meet up with them later so in my head I kept altering what I was planning to tell them. Everything worked out better than fine. We ate and drank delicious meat and Chilean wine for hours. Mi mama's best friend is awesome so we talked for hours.

Here is mi mama and I. You can see Leo, my brother, in the background.

Now, I am off to go meet Maya for some Dieziocho festivities!

Museo de Derechos Humanos

My class visited el Museo de Derechos Humanos (Museum of Human Rights) today in Santiago. It was a very sobering experience that was difficult to reflect on in Spanish. Basically, dictator Pinochet caused chaos and pain throughout his 17 years in power (1973-1990) and his legacy continues to hurt Chile. Despite the extensive number of people killed, disappeared, and tortured, many Chileans continue to pretend the atrocities were meager and justified by Chile's greater evolution. In this way, Pinochet continues to cripple Chile, although he has been dead for almost 5 years. Similarly, Pinochet basically wrote Chile's new constitution and was allowed to become a lifelong Senator of Chile even after Chile's supposed transition to Democracy. Thus, many politically-active Chileans still consider the government one of Pinochet. For this reason, Chile has been blocked from true and significant progress and many Chileans have given up hope. They consider all presidents to be the same, in large part because the work only within the framework of what Pinochet's constitution allows them too.

Although I am still a novice to this topic, I think it is essential that Chileans educate themselves and each other about the terror that occurred. They must understand the faults of the past in order to move on to the promise of the future. At the same time, Americans must also understand the significant role of the US government in supporting the military dictatorship in Chile. We are a large part of why the coup happened in the first place and our promotion of human rights abuses did not stop there. It is our job to keep our government accountable so that suffering is kept at a minimum.

I am looking forward to learning more about the past, present, and future of Chile. So far, I have found the politics intriguing but also depressing.

My View

So my house has an awesome view of the ocean and Valparaiso. Here it is:

Also, I had my Spanish test to see which level I should be in. We begin class tomorrow, but things are still pretty relaxed here.

I am having a bit of a struggle narrowing down my options for independent research at the end of the trip. I don't have to know exactly what I want to study now, but I would like to have a better idea. Originally, I wanted to study the future of women in Chilean politics. That is still a very good option but everywhere I turn there seems to be interesting things to study. For example, the education protests here are really interesting. Basically, the students and teachers are asking for cheeper education and overall reform to make education more accessible. Most of the local universities are shut down for the protests and it's really relevant to current politics and my life as a student. I am still in exploration mode but let me know if you have any ideas. I am new to this research thing.