The nationwide student strike has reached a new level, with students taking over two PUCV (my university) buildings today. One toma is still in effect against a building right next to the one where I have all of my classes. The gates are all closed and the students have shoved chairs and tables into the gate, so that the legs block the gates from being opened. Who knows how long classes in that building will be held up. I´m just wondering why they didn´t do the toma on the building where I still have to go to my Spanish class. I do have a presentation today, so I guess it will be good to get that out of the way in case we get locked out of the building for a while. I also received an email from ISA (my program) about an unauthorized vigilante toma against another one of the buildings in Valparaiso. I have no word about other tomas affecting other universities, but I imagine that there will be or have been some.
OK, off to class!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
El Paro
Just when the semester was beginning to settle into a rhythm, the routine was once again interrupted. This time, the culprit was a cite-wide student strike (paro) to protest in the streets.
Here´s the story. Students here, from colegio (middle and high school) to universitaro (college) get cards that allow them to get discounted rates on the buses. For example, most buses charge 430 pesos (about $1) for a standard ticket between Valpo and Vina, but students can ride for 130 pesos, or 150 if they attend a private school. This policy has been in place for some time, and it has always angered the companies that run the buses (all of the city buses are privately owned and operated). It´s also a little bit inefficient, since it encourages bus drivers to favor non-student passengers over students, but that has little practical effect (there are a lot of students, so discrimination isn´t a practical policy, plus the government stepped in to subsidize companies for picking up students). Anyway, over the history of this law, student passenger benefits have only been extended, especially with regards to the hours in which they are operable. It used to be that you could only get discount rates during regular school hours. Now I can get a discount every day (including Sunday) and until 10 or 11 at night.
Anyway, the bus companies want to raise their rates, including the student rates. For its part, the national government has so far refused to increase student subsidies to cover the amount of the price increase. In response, students accross the city are skipping class this week to take to the streets and get water and tear gas sprayed at them by the police (many of them learned crowd control in the Pinochet era and the police haven´t become any less brutal at suppressing dissenters). I cannot participate in the protests or the Chilean government might exercise its right to deport me. To obtain a student visa I had to sign away my right to attempt to influence domestic Chilean politics.
Even if I could join the protest, I would not. I think it´s really cool that people here are so willing to take to the streets. And it implies a certain level of faith in democracy that their first response is to petition the government for aid. Yet, in this case I think the students are acting not only in their own interest, but counter to the interests of others. Like everywhere else, the kids who stay in school the longest, and therefore benefit the most from the discounts, are generally from the middle and upper classes. This is especially true at the university level. Since the student discounts are offset by government subsidies and increased standard rates, the discount policy takes money from the average Chilean (through taxes and bus fare) and hands it over to students, but especially those students who come from families of above average wealth. I doubt the income redistribution is large enough to be at all significant, but any government sponsored redistribution in favor of the wealthy makes me want to throw up. I also don´t like promoting the perverse notion that using the political process to further your own interest (rather than the community´s interest) is in any way compatible with a healthy democracy. But don´t get me wrong, I´m not accusing Chileans of being unique in this holding this attitude. As Americans we are all about complaining about the low quality of government programs, but that doesn´t stop us from demanding tax cuts that further starve programs like education. We just might be the kings of perverse democracy.
Here´s the story. Students here, from colegio (middle and high school) to universitaro (college) get cards that allow them to get discounted rates on the buses. For example, most buses charge 430 pesos (about $1) for a standard ticket between Valpo and Vina, but students can ride for 130 pesos, or 150 if they attend a private school. This policy has been in place for some time, and it has always angered the companies that run the buses (all of the city buses are privately owned and operated). It´s also a little bit inefficient, since it encourages bus drivers to favor non-student passengers over students, but that has little practical effect (there are a lot of students, so discrimination isn´t a practical policy, plus the government stepped in to subsidize companies for picking up students). Anyway, over the history of this law, student passenger benefits have only been extended, especially with regards to the hours in which they are operable. It used to be that you could only get discount rates during regular school hours. Now I can get a discount every day (including Sunday) and until 10 or 11 at night.
Anyway, the bus companies want to raise their rates, including the student rates. For its part, the national government has so far refused to increase student subsidies to cover the amount of the price increase. In response, students accross the city are skipping class this week to take to the streets and get water and tear gas sprayed at them by the police (many of them learned crowd control in the Pinochet era and the police haven´t become any less brutal at suppressing dissenters). I cannot participate in the protests or the Chilean government might exercise its right to deport me. To obtain a student visa I had to sign away my right to attempt to influence domestic Chilean politics.
Even if I could join the protest, I would not. I think it´s really cool that people here are so willing to take to the streets. And it implies a certain level of faith in democracy that their first response is to petition the government for aid. Yet, in this case I think the students are acting not only in their own interest, but counter to the interests of others. Like everywhere else, the kids who stay in school the longest, and therefore benefit the most from the discounts, are generally from the middle and upper classes. This is especially true at the university level. Since the student discounts are offset by government subsidies and increased standard rates, the discount policy takes money from the average Chilean (through taxes and bus fare) and hands it over to students, but especially those students who come from families of above average wealth. I doubt the income redistribution is large enough to be at all significant, but any government sponsored redistribution in favor of the wealthy makes me want to throw up. I also don´t like promoting the perverse notion that using the political process to further your own interest (rather than the community´s interest) is in any way compatible with a healthy democracy. But don´t get me wrong, I´m not accusing Chileans of being unique in this holding this attitude. As Americans we are all about complaining about the low quality of government programs, but that doesn´t stop us from demanding tax cuts that further starve programs like education. We just might be the kings of perverse democracy.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Un Fin de Semana Pasado en Pucon
OK, here's the half of the post on our weekend in Pucon.
This past weekend was our first organized excursion outside of Vina/Valpo. On Thursday night, all of us ISA-ers got on two buses (with so many of us, those from the Chorrillos neighborhood of Vina took a public bus) and headed off on a 12-hour ride south. Virtually all of our activities over the weekend were optional and had price tags, but they were all pre-organized through a travel company. On my agenda (and that of the majority): hiking a 10,000 ft. active volcano, rafting, and zip-lining through the forest. The volcano was originally scheduled for Saturday, but on the bus we learned that the weather forecast would push it up to Friday. So, when we arrived Friday morning, we had to hurriedly change clothes and throw on climbing gear (we even got pick-axes!). Then, on about 1-2 hours of sleep, no food and no water, and with plenty of excitement, we boarded the tour company bus to the volcano’s base. We took a ski lift up to about 5,500 feet and started hiking through the volcanic rock. Things were going well for about 30-45 minutes when, all of sudden, I started to feel sick to my stomach. I stopped and started to hike more slowly, hoping it would go away. Unfortunately, it didn’t. I ended up throwing up on the volcano and sitting with one of the guides waiting for my stomach to calm down. It finally did after about an hour, but the guide informed me that there was no longer enough time to make it to the top and get back down before nightfall. Disappointed, I sat on the side of the volcano with the guide waiting to see if anyone else would need assistance. We waited about 2 hours, I ate a sandwich and drank some water, and then we hiked back down and bummed a ride in another tour company’s van. Walking down was actually kind of fun, when we hit the part where the ground was covered in 6-8 inches of what was basically gravel. We would put our feet down with each step and slide a couple of inches. Once I got a rhythm going, it was kind of like cross-country skiing, or what I imagine cross-country skiing to be like. On the downside, that gravel, and my boots, must have been responsible for the nasty popped blisters I found when I took off my right boot. All in all, the day kind of sucked, but I stayed in good spirits knowing that the next day would be far better.
Saturday didn’t disappoint. When they made us put on wetsuits and helmets for rafting, I knew it would be more intense than I’d been told to expect. We grouped up and I really got lucky with my group. Seeing how ready we were for some intense stuff, the most fun-loving guide, Jaime came over to our raft. He turned out to be awesome. As soon as we were in the raft he told us, “This might be my last time taking out gringos for a couple of years, so we can do all of the crazy stuff, but you guys have to paddle hard.” At each rapid, we stayed behind while everyone else went, so that we could take the most dangerous route. We took detours to jump out of the raft, to climb rocks and get a “water massage,” and to hit the biggest rock in the whole river (which threw half of us into the water). Jaime told us that he loves working in Chile because the safety regulations are lax (Mom, don’t read that), but that he only likes it when he takes out gringos because Chileans and European tourists don’t like doing the fun stuff. Anyway, the craziest part came when we got to a Class VI waterfall. Apparently, there’s a rule against taking novices over waterfalls that big (it was about 15 ft.), so we had to portage. That didn’t stop Jaime, though. While most of the guides went around the waterfall, Jaime went down by himself (twice!). The coolest part was that the only way back into the water was to jump off a 5-meter cliff.
We returned to our cabins (which we more like full-blown houses), but mine was locked so I couldn’t change or, unfortunately, get my camera before we headed off to zip-line.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Colo Colo Gano
I´m in a cheap hotel in the center of Santiago for the weekend. There is free (and consistent, which is the problem at home) internet access, so I should be able to catch up on my posting at night. Check back between now and Sunday and there should be new updates.
The event of the day was the ¨Spectacular Triumph of Colo Colo,¨ as one sports show is calling it. The best club futbol team in Chile, Colo Colo, just finished beating the best club team in Argentina, Boca Juniors, by a score of 2-0. It was a huge game, as Boca Juniors is the defending champion for the Copa Libertadores, the South American club futbol championship. When the game ended, you could hear the Colo Colo anthem being sung in every bar and restaurant in the neighborhood.
The event of the day was the ¨Spectacular Triumph of Colo Colo,¨ as one sports show is calling it. The best club futbol team in Chile, Colo Colo, just finished beating the best club team in Argentina, Boca Juniors, by a score of 2-0. It was a huge game, as Boca Juniors is the defending champion for the Copa Libertadores, the South American club futbol championship. When the game ended, you could hear the Colo Colo anthem being sung in every bar and restaurant in the neighborhood.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
La Vida en Vina/Valpo y Respuestas a Preguntas
I've been in Vina (it's going to frustrate me to no end every time I write that if I can't figure out how to put a tilda "~" on it) for a week now and I've received a good number of questions from my previous post. I'll try to get to as much stuff as I can before the internet goes out.
Last week was orientation for all of the foreign students at PUCV (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso). Of the 60 students I mentioned before, about 55 of us are attending PUCV, with a small contingent at UVM (Universidad de Vina del Mar). We are all Americans (except for a Nicaraguan who goes to the University of Nebraska), and we're only a fraction of the roughly 230 foreign students at PUCV for the semester. More than 2/3 of that ~230 are gringos, but there are significant numbers of Germans, Spanish, and a few other nationalities. The confusion of orientation week, combined with the ISA tours nearly afternoon left most of us exhausted every night.
My roommate with my host family is a fellow Sun Devil named Tommy Lavelle. He's a Brophy High grad, Supply Chain Management major, a former frat president, and a Republican. At first glance not the type you expect to meet on a Study Abroad trip. But in reality, he's actually a great guy and we get along really well. With two of his buddies, he founded and runs a non-profit called GreenAssist that installs efficient light bulbs and shower heads in poor neighborhoods around the Valley.
Our host mom (Maria Teresa) is great and holy crap can she cook! The food is friggin' amazing. Normally, Chilean food is bland, usually chicken or fish with rice and potatoes, with no spices other than a ton of salt. Suffice it to say that Maria doesn't cook traditionally. We've had spaghetti, fajitas, and pesto. But don't worry that I'm not getting traditional Chilean food, too. She's made pastel de choclo, reyneta frita, and lots of palta (the Chilean word for avocado). Oh, and the pebre. Wow. We have a 23 year old host brother named Francisco who studies Astronomy and Engineering at PUCV. The other night he took us out to a bar nearby to meet some of his friends. It seems like Chileans are pretty chill most of the time and would be just as happy sitting at a bar with friends as they would be dancing in a fancy club (you know that's good for me, if you've seen me dance). Our house is on top of a hill (a bunch of people live up in the hills, including almost all of the middle class). The walk up sucks, but it'll help me get in shape if I do it at least once a day.
How do I describe Vina and Valpo? Hmm, well, I guess it would be best to do one at a time. They are twin cities (I live in Vina, but PUCV is centered in Valpo) and up in the hills I don't think there's a real border. In each city, you can tell roughly you are based on topography. No matter where you go, you'll have the bay on one side and the hills on the other.
Last week was orientation for all of the foreign students at PUCV (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso). Of the 60 students I mentioned before, about 55 of us are attending PUCV, with a small contingent at UVM (Universidad de Vina del Mar). We are all Americans (except for a Nicaraguan who goes to the University of Nebraska), and we're only a fraction of the roughly 230 foreign students at PUCV for the semester. More than 2/3 of that ~230 are gringos, but there are significant numbers of Germans, Spanish, and a few other nationalities. The confusion of orientation week, combined with the ISA tours nearly afternoon left most of us exhausted every night.
My roommate with my host family is a fellow Sun Devil named Tommy Lavelle. He's a Brophy High grad, Supply Chain Management major, a former frat president, and a Republican. At first glance not the type you expect to meet on a Study Abroad trip. But in reality, he's actually a great guy and we get along really well. With two of his buddies, he founded and runs a non-profit called GreenAssist that installs efficient light bulbs and shower heads in poor neighborhoods around the Valley.
Our host mom (Maria Teresa) is great and holy crap can she cook! The food is friggin' amazing. Normally, Chilean food is bland, usually chicken or fish with rice and potatoes, with no spices other than a ton of salt. Suffice it to say that Maria doesn't cook traditionally. We've had spaghetti, fajitas, and pesto. But don't worry that I'm not getting traditional Chilean food, too. She's made pastel de choclo, reyneta frita, and lots of palta (the Chilean word for avocado). Oh, and the pebre. Wow. We have a 23 year old host brother named Francisco who studies Astronomy and Engineering at PUCV. The other night he took us out to a bar nearby to meet some of his friends. It seems like Chileans are pretty chill most of the time and would be just as happy sitting at a bar with friends as they would be dancing in a fancy club (you know that's good for me, if you've seen me dance). Our house is on top of a hill (a bunch of people live up in the hills, including almost all of the middle class). The walk up sucks, but it'll help me get in shape if I do it at least once a day.
How do I describe Vina and Valpo? Hmm, well, I guess it would be best to do one at a time. They are twin cities (I live in Vina, but PUCV is centered in Valpo) and up in the hills I don't think there's a real border. In each city, you can tell roughly you are based on topography. No matter where you go, you'll have the bay on one side and the hills on the other.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Por Fin, Tengo Tiempo Libre Para Escribir Algo Aqui
The poor wireless connection here (I think they use the neighbors') has been frustrating my efforts over the past couple of days to get something up here. I apologize if there are any typos or any other weird problems due to that.
I have a lot of ground to cover in this first post, so here we go.
I have a lot of ground to cover in this first post, so here we go.
View from the Hotel in Santiago
The first couple of days were mostly spent getting to know everyone in my group. There are about 60 of us (the largest group ISA has ever had here), so that took some time. The ISA staff hurried us from sight to sight on tours of Santiago, but I can't say that I have any clue how to get around the capital city. Here are highlights from those tours:
Spot Where Salvador Allende Gossens Shot Himself During the 1973 Coup
Pablo Neruda's House
The first couple of days were mostly spent getting to know everyone in my group. There are about 60 of us (the largest group ISA has ever had here), so that took some time. The ISA staff hurried us from sight to sight on tours of Santiago, but I can't say that I have any clue how to get around the capital city. Here are highlights from those tours:
La Virgen atop Cerro (hill) San Cristobal
Cabinet Minister Giving a Press Conference at the Presidential Palace
Changing of the Guard at the Presidential Palace
We took a Teleferico to the top of Cerro (hill) San Cristobal, which has a great view of the city. We saw the changing of the guard at the presidential palace, and toured the palace itself. Such openness around the president's residence is a sign of the country's continuing (and understandable) mistruct of executive power after Pinochet. We got to see the various reception halls and the like (we even saw the room where Presidenta Bachelet addresses the nation!), but the most exciting part was probably being there during a press conference being held by one of the cabinet ministers. I'm not sure which one he was, but he kinda looked like Foreign Affairs Minister Alejandro Foxley. The most chilling moment was when we stood where Salvador Allende shot himself in the midst of the 1973 coup. I couldn't help but feel awkward about standing with Chileans in a room where our (Nixon and the CIA) efforts to destroy their democracy came to fruition. Somehow, acknowledging that we had a role in the military coup and that we sustained Pinochet's regime is not enough. Apologies are not enough. How do you apologize for doing that to another country? On to other things, I learned who Pablo Neruda was when we toured his sweet house in Santiago (built so he could sneak away with his mistress and named after her uncontrollably wild hair), which was designed to feel like a boat when one is inside it.
Cabinet Minister Giving a Press Conference at the Presidential PalaceChanging of the Guard at the Presidential Palace
Spot Where Salvador Allende Gossens Shot Himself During the 1973 Coup
Pablo Neruda's House
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)