Vicaria de la Solidaridad, Solidarity Foundation, and Villa Gremaldi

(a memorial to the victims of the Pinochet regime: on the left, the disappeared; on the right, those murdered; and in the middle, Salvador Allende)

On Friday, we took a trip with ISA to Santiago to look at some of the history of the Human Rights crimes that were committed during the Pinochet regime. Since it has been less than 20 years since Pinochet lost power, this is still a sensitive and polarized subject.

We began out trip with a visit to the Fundacion Vicaria de la Solidaridad, a foundation that worked, during the Pinochet regime with the help of the Catholic Church, to keep records of the people who disappeared, were murdered, or were
tortured by the regime. They have extensive records of what appeared in the media, victim's own statements, the statements of families, and court cases that relate to the violations. As a historian, I think it is amazing that all of these documents are being preserved for future generations to be able to read. However, it is also good for Chile, because these documents have provided many victims and their families with reparations and acknowledgment of what happened to them.

After the Vicaria, we went to the Fundacion Solidaridad, which also began during the imprisonments of the Pinochet regime. In the beginning, they helped prisoners to get artwork they were making in the prisons out to markets in Europe and North America, to be sold to help the prisoners and their families. Today, they help poor artisans all over Chile sell their products to a fair trade market. The artwork they had was absolutely beautiful and I couldn't help buying gifts for friends and family. [From their website, you can browse all of the artwork that is available...]


(one of the original tapestries that was made for the Fundacion Solidaridad to sell)


(carved chicken bones- some of the first artisans' works)

We also visited the general cemetery that was founded by the famous Liberador Bernard O'Higgins (think of him as George Washington for Chileans) in 1821. Here, we saw many tombs of famous Chileans and former Presidents, but we were mainly there to see Patio 29. With the many murders that the Pinochet regime was committing, they needed discreet places to dispose of the bodies. Ironically, one of the places they chose was the cemetery. Patio 29 became a mass grave for many of the victims, and while some were identified, many were identified wrong or not at all.


(some of the old family tombs at the cemetery)


(Salvador Allende's tomb; moved there from Valparaiso after the dictatorship was over)


(walking through the cemetary; notice the difference between these graves and the earlier ones and the ones in the picture that follow - an example of how obvious class difference is in all parts of Chilean society)


(more graves at the back of the cemetery)


(graves on Patio 29 and the sign explaining the significance)

At the end of a long day, we went to Villa Grimaldi, a detention center used by the Chilean secret police to torture political prisoners. Today, it has been turned into a park to memorialize and commemorate the victims and what happened at this center, and in many others throughout Chile.

Our guide is a victim himself, a prisoner of another detention center closer to Valparaiso and the prison in Valparaiso, having suffered through the same treatment as the prisoners at Villa Grimaldi. Having him as guide, and being able to give us his personal experience of what happened was amazing. Instead us just hearing history, we were hearing his story of what had happened to him during these dark times.


(roses to represent the women killed at Villa Grimaldi and in all of Chile from 1973-1989; Michelle Bachelet, current President of Chile, was detained in Villa Grimaldi at the age of 20 with her mother because of her father's support of Allende; both survived and went into exile in Australia after they were released. Soon afterward, she went to East Germany to continue studying medicine)

How the park was designed was also very interesting to me because of how the survivors have chosen to memorialize their experiences. Villa Grimaldi was used until 1978 as a detention camp, when the secret police stopped using it, because it was no longer a hidden location for their activities. Although the regime had begun to destroy the buildings to get rid of the evidence of the camp, most of it was naturally destroyed with the earthquake that hit central Chile in 1985.


(Birch trees planted in the park, representative of the victims - crooked trees whose bark peals, but strong wood that cannot easily be made into something else)

Some of Villa Grimaldi has been rebuilt, such as "La Torre," the tower, and a model cell to show what the conditions of the prisoners were like. Other parts have been made into different types of memorials.

The way that this camp and the crimes have been memorialized and the situation in general remind me a lot of the Nazi crimes, concentration camps, and the way they have been memorialized in Germany; more specifically Berlin, since this was something we focused on during our trip last spring. Many of the concentration camps open as museums for the public to get an idea of what they really were and there are also many memorials throughout Berlin that show where the victims lived, what they did before they were taken away, and the memorial to those who died in the center of Berlin. We had a discussion in Berlin about whether the concentration camps should remain in tact to show the public or whether they should be torn down and replaced by memorials.


(torre and a cell, reconstructed)

I asked our guide whether it was important for him to have rebuilt these buildings in Villa Grimaldi and why it was important for the organization to rebuild these buildings instead of just having the other memorials in the park. He told us that for himself and for the organization, it was extremely important to have the tangible element of the public to see and understand what had happened there. They feel that without this tangible element, visitors can't get the real feeling of what happened, and without that real feeling, the chance that these crimes could happen again is greater. And that is the purpose of the park: to make sure that these crimes never happen again.

And when he put it like that, and I saw the difference and juxtaposition of these memorials, I too felt that it is necessary to have the tangible element of what happened to be able to understand it better.

Los Micros

Although I have been talking a lot about riding the "micros" (which is mee-crows, not my-crows), I'm not sure that I have explained properly what they are.


(a micro in Valparaiso... photo courtesy of Maribeth)

Micros are like min-buses, making them jam-packed at times, but much easier to maneuver, and cost $360 pesos (about $.75 USD) normal price and $130 pesos ($.25 USD) for students. They are the form of public transportation of Valparaiso, Vina, Renaca, ConCon, and Quilpue, but are not really public transportation.

Each micro is operated by the driver, who therefore has the right to do what he wants, basically. This means that a lot of them have decorations and signs that the driver puts up, but it also means that each driver wants you to get on their micro. If you don't know your way, the driver might tell you that his micro is the right one to ride, even if its not. Likewise, late at night when the "pase escolar" (or school pass that gets you a discount to ride the micros) doesn't work, you can ask the driver if you can pay less than full price, since you are obviously a student.

There is also no time table for the micros. They simple come when they come. For more popular routes, this can be ever five minutes during the day. The best part about this is that even if a mirco passes before I get to the corner to catch it, the next one usually isn't far behind. (It's gotten to the point where I am frustrated if I have to wait for the right micro for more than 10 minutes...)

The micros will basically take you anywhere you want to go in this area, that is, if you know which micro to take. In February of this year, they started a new system of numbers and colors of the buses which tell you where they go (i.e., you know the one in the picture is a 600 micro, which tells you generally where it is going).

The key really is though, that you need to know which micro to take. There is no online map of where the micros go or a paper map either for that matter. Mostly, you need to just know what micro to take, or make a guess. Yesterday, I wanted to go to a beach that was between Renaca and Vina, so I took a micro that said "Mirador de Renaca," which I thought would go to Renaca. It turns out that "mirador" means that it goes way up in the hills and not close to the beaches in Renaca at all... But, I got there eventually and now know what micro to take. The system of these buses really is "Live and Learn."

¡Mi Cumpleaños!

Yesterday was my birthday!

I'm not sure if it is Chilean style or not, but my birthday wasn't too hectic. The main focus of the day was making empanadas for the (surprise) guests that were coming over later. A great cooperation between Angelica (who got us all the materials we needed), Scarlett, Sigrid and I (who did various parts of the cooking process), we spent about three hours making lots of different kids of empanadas.

We made: mushroom, cheese and onion; ham, tomato and cheese; spinach and cheese; soy-meat and cheese; banana and chocolate; strawberry and chocolate; and membrillo empandas. You may understand why it took such a long time! I also made my first batch of pebre, which is kind of like Chilean salsa, and the Gaddy-recipe guacamole with fresh Chilean avocados and lemons from our lemon tree!


(Sebastian, Cari, and Ben waiting for us to finish up the empanadas)

For our first time making empanadas, I think that we did a great job! Although there are definitely some things that can be improved on next time. Make and learn... and eat.


(all the empanadas and other food on the table)

After we baked and fried about forty empanadas, we all sat down to eat, and Angelica bought me a cake!


(blowing out the candle on my cake with my fabulous crown)

It was really nice to have people over, but I had been warned that having a birthday on the 20th of September really wasn't the best day. Although, I'm not sure why someone would say that since I can't really change it... But, it is quite true. Since everyone has been partying for such a long time before the 20th, the 20th is the day to recuperate and take it easy. That being said, we went out after the dinner at the house, but it wasn't very face-paced since we were all super tired.

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes! It was fun here, but not the same as being with family and friends!

Las Fiestas Patrias

Basically Las Fiestas Patrias are a time to be with family, have barbecues, and drink.

On Tuesday, some friends and I headed to the Ramadas de Playa Ancha. Playa Ancha is on the other side of Valparaiso from where I live, and has tried to become an independent city many times. The Ramadas are a great tradition. Basically, they are like a fair or a carnival, but better and cheaper. [Sigrid explained that they are called Ramadas because the booths are covered by branches, or ramas.]


(the field where all the booths were set up... jam-packed with people)


(the booths and the branches)

Most of the focus at the Ramadas seemed to be on eating and drinking. Every place was selling basically the same thing: Empanadas and skewered meat.


(Empandas all over the place... although they were mostly Pino empanadas, which are meat filled :( )


(there were also fried goods like churros, french fries and cheese empanadas... if you know me, you know this was too much temptation...)


(sisters Kettwich chowing down on grilled meats)

Of course, there was also a lot of drinks that were being offered. One of the best things about the Fiestas Patrias are all the traditions that it comes with. Not just the tradition of Ramadas and what you do, but also what you eat and drink. One typical drink is the "Terremoto," which literally means earthquake. It is a sweet wine drink with pineapple ice-crem on top. Like a wine float... kinda.


(Drinking some terremotos...)

There is also the Chicha drink. Again, not exactly sure what it is, but it seems to be another type of sweet wine, but is also very reminiscent of apple cider if apple cider were cold, a little bit stronger, and sweeter. A little too sweet for my taste.


(Chicha!!)

Overall, the Ramadas were A LOT of fun, even though I only went once and they had been open since Friday. Doing these typical Chilean things definitely made me happy that I decided to stay here during our break!

Asado

A few pictures from the barbecue we went to in Quilpue, a suburb of Valparaiso.


(at the table...)


(Sigrid and the guinea pig... she informed me that they eat them as a delicacy in Peru... rest assured, this one is a pet)


(oh to be young again and lick the box of ice cream)


(their daughter really likes ice cream)


(super cute dog)


(they had a really cute lab... but it was gordita)


(we kept moving to sit in the sun)


(sitting by the pool)

You know it's getting close to Fiestas Patrias when...

On September 18th and 19th of every year, the Chileans celebrate "fiestas patrias," which make up their independence day, September 18th, and armed forces day, September 19th. We had been told that the Chileans start celebrating and getting ready at the beginning of September, and I have started to notice some things have been different as the holidays approach.

Last week, I believe it was the 11th, I was walking the Jumbo, the Chilean Wal-Mart, when I noticed that there was a group of people, fully clad in traditional clothing dancing the cueca, or Chile's national dance in the middle of the store, at 10 o'clock in the morning. Can you imagine a bunch of people line-dancing in Wal-Mart in late June, getting ready for July 4th?


(dancing the cueca in some very festive costumes...)

The last couple of weeks, I have noticed people, from young boys to full grown men, walking down the street in Chilean traditional costume.

When I went running yesterday, there was a marching band practicing Chile's national anthem on the beach.

Basically any shop, store, restaurant, etc that you walk into has red, white and blue, banners, flags, streamers all over the place.

The micros have red, white and blue ribbons on the front, as well as more Chilean flags than usual.

All of this, plus the fact that we have a week off from school, plus the three barbecues that are planned between now and next Thursday, are making me very excited to experience the Chilean fiestas patrias!

RUGBY!!

I believe it was after a particularly violent rugby match in the spring that my mom turned to my dad and said, "I hope they've never heard of rugby in Chile." This was basically her way of saying that I should take a break from rugby, let my injuries heal, and perhaps grow back some brain cells.

Unfortunately, they have heard of rugby in Chile, and it is much more popular than in the United States. In Valparaiso, and in Chile in general, there was a large English influence due to the fact that Valparaiso is a port city and the English have for a long time controlled a lot of trade in Chile. Of course with them, the English brought rugby, and it is a tradition that continues today. I don't think I need to say that it is not on the level of soccer in terms of popularity, but it might come second...

Right now, the Rugby World Cup is going on in France, and while Chile's national team is not playing, Argentina's is. Most Chileans that are interested in rugby seem to be rooting for the Pumas, to have the pride of a South American team winning. And since rugby is somewhat popular, all the games are televised live on ESPN and then replayed later at night. Our favorite bar, Cafe Journal, also televises all the games, and is giving away prizes. I think I'll be spending a lot of time there between now and October 20th, when the final is.

But most importantly, they have women's leagues here! [although they play 7's and not 15's like I am used to]. Sigrid got me in contact with the University of Playa Ancha's team, a university that is on the other end of Valparaiso from where I live. I had planned on going to a practice two weeks ago, but my ankle injury prevented that. I finally decided that I had to go and at least check it out this week.

I sent a message to the coach, whom they call "Professor" here, to explain who I was and that I wanted to come check out the team. I had gotten the information on how to get to the field where they practice in the form of a description. When I asked here it was, it turned out to be on the very edge of Vina, closer to a suburb called Quilpue. I got on a mirco for Quilpue and simply waited until I saw signs for the other campus of the Santa Maria University. The profe called me back as I was getting off the mirco, and met up with me to take me to the field.

Being totally unprepared that rugby would be a big sport here in Chile and not having that much room to pack things in, I decided to leave all the rugby gear that I had behind in the U.S. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a pair of soccer cleats for practice and I think I might end up buying a cheap pair of cleats to use for the rest of the semester.

As I stepped down onto the field, an amazing rush of excitement came over me. The girls were goofing around, kicking and catching the ball - exactly what my team at home does before practice starts. I had gotten so pumped watching all the world cup games that I couldn't wait to get out there and play again.

A couple of things were fortunate about the UPLA's team. One, all the girls were super nice and friendly and excited about having another player on their team. Two, all the rugby terms are the same in English and in Spanish, so there wasn't anything that was lost in translation. Three, the drills that we did were super similar to the drills that we do back at UMBC. I was especially happy when we practiced the "punch, punch, pass" play that we had been working on last semester at UMBC. (If your on UMBC rugby you should know what I'm talking about, if you're not, I wouldn't worry too much about it :-) ). Finally, although there were only six girls there to practice, the men's team from UPLA was there to help us hold the rucking pads, etc.

It was so great being out there playing rugby again that I'm sad we won't have practice next week because of the vacations... but I'll be back out there after vacations to play more!!

Culture Clashes

[Note: I would write about the significance of September 11th in Chilean history, but that isn't really what has been on my mind. Check Alli's, Brittany's or MaryAnn's blogs for more info, they have done a great job explaining it.]

About a week ago, I had intentions of writing a post about all the things in Chile that I love. I didn't get around to it, you might have noticed. And now I have intentions about writing about the complete opposite. Not that I am not having a great experience here, it is simply that with ups also come downs.

The cultural differences that exist here are beginning to grow on me. Some things that I believed were acceptable or normal I have begun to realize are not. For example, at home there have been many times that I have not called when not coming home to dinner or staying out a friends house for the night. Which, I may be wrong on this too, my parents never thought as a big deal. In Chile, apparently these are bad manners. You may say it is because they are worried about me since I am a foreigner, but I've learned recently that the Chileans do it also. In reality, I think I'm in a much more protective environment than I am used to.

There are also things that are done here that I can't believe aren't considered rude. A simple example is reaching across the table. There is really no "Please pass the butter;" it's just reach across the table and say "Permiso" (excuse me) if you feel like it. For me, the nosiness of others is also very rude. I think I come from a culture where people need their space and privacy, especially when it comes to dealing with new people.

So, I hadn't really thought about these differences until I got really upset about them. Talking to Sigrid and Giorgio about my frustrations and misunderstandings, their words comforted me. They reminded me first to stay calm and not get too worked up. Then Giorgio explained that he had a similar experience when he first lived here. He said that he hadn't thought it important to do some of the things that I've noticed I'm not doing, and also had his own frustrations. He told me that some small concessions were likely to go a long way.

All in all, I'm still not feeling happy/wonderful/giddy, but now I have ideas of how to adapt to the Chilean customs as well as the attitude of the house better. Unfortunately, I know I have to make changes rather than to expect anything else to change.

Pictures!

To view complete picture albums from my various adventures in Chile, check out these links:
(the garden in vina)
(surf, santa maria, and once at our house)
(2nd Isla Negra album)
(1st Isla Negra album)
(general pictures from Chile)
(surfing)

Perritos

Stray dogs in Chile are part of life. Walking down the street, you are bound to come across dogs that just meander around the streets all day. From what I understand, Chileans are not too loving with their dogs, and if they ever feel the dog is too hard to take care of, they just leave it in the street.

Until today, I was very negative about the dogs. Sure, they are cute, and I love dogs, but these dogs bark at you as you run by, poop on the sidewalks, and carry fleas! I didn't like the dogs following me or coming up to me or getting near me.

But today, Selma, Scarlett and I went to the beach where there was a group of dogs that came and sat by us. They were really cute, so we were OK with them staying by us... but I still didn't have any intention of being "nice" to them.

Then, a real flaite (or sketchy character) started coming closer to where we were sitting and started to try to talk to us. Of course, my natural reaction was to ignore first and move away if he kept talking. But, to our rescue came our stray dogs. They started barking at the flaite, defending and protecting us.

I was so surprised! First, that the dogs knew this guy was sketchy and that we did not want to be talking to him and second, that the dogs would defend us as if we were their owners. I did not expect this intelligence and loyalty from dogs we'd known for five minutes. [However, they are similar to Chileans in general - very helpful and friendly.]

From here on, I have a new respect for the Chilean perritos. Although, I'm not sure I'm ready to pet them yet....

This is what we need...

The Chilean students that I live with, if you have been reading other posts, all go to the Santa Maria University, a very well-known engineering school.

These last couple of meal times, they have been talking about a "paro," which from the context I learned was a strike. Although in their heating discussions at the table I really couldn't figured exactly what was going on, I did pick up that there was talk of some sort of strike that would be going on at the university.

I asked Sigrid and Jose Thomas what this was all about. Jose Thomas, who also goes to Santa Maria, explained the complaints that the students at Santa Maria had about the university. For one, the university has been accepting more students than they have room for, which means that classes and labs are always overflowing with people. Secondly, money that students here in Valparaiso are paying for tuition is also going to the campus that they have in Santiago, which they believe is unfair since they need more resources here. Finally, there are some students that do not have to pay, I'm guessing for financial reasons, and the university is failing to give them credit.

Sigrid explained that all the departments of engineering each have their own governing body that interacts directly with the administration of the university. Since the students have this power, they got together in a congress of each department and the students voted whether they would strike or not.

In the end, the students are not going to class today because they are going on strike!

This is what UMBC needs. There have been so many occasions where students complain about the university - from tuition increases, to monopolies on the on-campus housing, to not enough places to live on campus, to disappointment about on-campus food options, etc - but don't do anything about it except complain. It's really a shame that we can't organize to form a strike when the administration of the university does something upsetting to the students. Unfortunately, I don't think that it is in our culture to strike. First, the students wouldn't strike because they wouldn't want to miss class, get in trouble, etc. Second, I'm not sure the administration would even react to a strike; they'd figure we were just wasting our money not going to class.

From my experiences at UMBC and being in the student government there, I don't think this forceful a method could be used to get anything done, nor do I think there is a good way in general to get anything done.

Isla Negra

(view of the house from the beach)

This weekend, we took a trip to Isla Negra with the ISA group. Isla Negra is the 3rd home of Pablo Neruda, that sits by the ocean. Although called Isla Negra, it is, in face, not an island.


(the house again)

Again, Neruda's amazing choice of location, architecture that looks incredibly like the inside of a boat, collections of random, yet beautiful things, and attention to detail were astonishing. Many say that this is the most beautiful house that he owned, but I'm not sure I agree. Maybe the weather had something to do with it, but his house in Santiago might be my favorite.


(amazing view, Pablo)


(the weather was quite cold and dreary)


(Pablo Neruda remains here and in the hearts of the Chileans...)


(collection of glass bottles... other collections in the house included wood carvings that are from the fronts of ships, insects, masks from all over the world, ships in bottles, jars from old apothecaries and more)


(Scarlett, Sigrid, and me outside of the house)


(Selma and me by the fish statue... I believe this is the 'symbol' for Neruda's house at Isla Negra... from what I understand each house has a symbol)


(Selma, Scarlett and me at Isla Negra. People totally think that we are Chileans... why would we stand out?)