EngageChile

What I learned at work...

2008-07-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Up until recently, I was quite unsure of what my experience at Adopta un Herman@ had taught, much less what I had been able to offer them. I had gone through my duties pretty well, working at the schools twice a week and writing memo's afterwards. It wasnt until after the week in which I experienced that enormous conflict in Lampa, that everything started to click. I wrote a pretty critical memo of, what I perceived to be, the lack of discipline in the Adopta program. Not surprisingly, this memo caused a bit of worry among my supervisors. I was called in for a meeting with Vivi, the regional director, and Caro, the one in charge of all of the Professional Assesors.

I went in expecting my head to be bitten off...

and I left with my head still attached...

The point of the meeting wasnt to criticize me for the things I had written, but rather to explain to me the reasoning behind the "Informal Education" model of Adopta. Primarily, they explained to me that, the kids we worked with were the kids who were getting expelled and suspended from every institution imaginable and that, Adopta sought to be that one thing whic managed to include them. More importantly, however, they almost took an apologetic tone with me, implying more than once that it was their mistake that they had decided to strategically place me in their most problematic commune. Moreover, they asked me not to dismiss the possibility of me working with kids in the future because of my experiences there. I was shocked, that had never been my intention in writing the memo (perhaps this opened my eyes to the fact that my spanish writing skills still need some honing). It was in the process of explaining to them my intentions that I begun to realize the impact my work in Adopta had on me.

But it wasnt until two days later, when I was interviewing my coordinator, that I finally realized just how much I had learned and changed in the last few weeks. After the interview, she expressed the same concern that I had heard in the meeting, so we sat down and talked about it.

What follows is, roughly, what I told her, and sums up many of the things I have learned and realized in this work experience

I chose to work for Adopta because I had plenty of experience working with kids. I had coached kids in two different sports, acted as a mentor, and even spent a summer as a counselor at a sleep away camp. I knew how to deal with kids, I knew it took patience and understanding, and that, in the end, it always turned out to be rewarding work. The reality that I understand was a starkingly different reality than what I experienced here. That's not to say that it hasnt been rewarding work, because it has, just not in the way that I am accustomed to. However, I feel that the reality of working with kids in situations of poverty and abuse (and here I am referring to a poverty more extreme than what I have encountered personally) is entirely different and that it takes an entirely different level of confidence, patience, and determination to make sure that your work actually makes a difference. In ways, I feel that my efforts here were fruitless because it took exactly two months to understand just how patient and determined I have to be to be effective, however, the pure fact that I learned that lesson is in some way significant. Working with kids, I have found out, is much more than being cool and hanging out with them, it's a job that takes dedication and an ability to recognize that there is no set strategy that will guarantee success.

Needless to say, I had the opportunity to work with an excellent coordinator, truly an expert in her field, whose approach to her kids was awe-inspiring. The kids respected her, but liked her. They listened to her, but also understood that she listened to them. And despite all of the problems we had, they kept coming back to the program because it gave them a space in which they could belong to a group that wouldnt ostrasize them. They loved Adopta not because the coordinator made it fun, but because they knew that they were welcomed and treated with some semblance of respect at every session and, for them, that was something they were unaccustomed to.

Finally, contrary to what my coordinator or bosses think, this experience has left me more willing to work with kids than before. Particularly, I realize the importance of working in an educational context to better the problems of economic inequality that plague our world. Education is the path not only to material enrichment, but to achieving a more well-rounded, understanding, and sincere human being. Money comes and goes, but the abilities to think critically, to set objectives, and to have the capacity to carry out your goals stay with somebody forever. Ultimately, these abilities are the ultimate cure for poverty.

Buenos Aires and the past work week

2008-07-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Buenos Aires was...an entirely different type of fun than Rapa Nui and, although we didnt get to visit much of the city (I only managed to go to like 8 of the 48 communes), we did manage to visit the most important touristic sites of the city. What I did see and experience of Buenos Aires was extremely cool, I really enjoyed Caminitos, the Boca Jr's stadium, and, of course, the delicious meat that was served everywhere. The Argentinian people themselves were, for the most part, very friendly and open-minded, although the people, like the city itself, had a distinct European feel to them.

But after a week of travels, it was time to return to work. I came back to work last week, expecting the Ceremony of Initiation to have transcurred at Polonia, only to find out that due to another professor's strike, the Ceremony had been pushed further back. Furthermore, the kids were now on winter vacation, so attendance at the TG's was expected to drop significantly.

At Polonia TG on Thursday, we showed up to the school to guide the kids to a different school in which we could work (The director wouldnt lend us Polonia during the break). Only three girls, out of the 16 kids signed up, actually came. Needless to say, with only three kids present, it was fairly easy to accomplish all that we had planned for the session (the first time this has happened since I've joined Adopta). The kids worked well, with a few minimal issues, and managed to write up a list of norms they wanted to follow and a system that managed to reward the kids for good behavior and punish them for bad behavior.

The story at the friday TG in Lucero was entirely different. Knowing that the kids would not show up, we decided to go looking for them and bringing them with us to the school. Right away, this seemed like a bad idea. The whole point of a TG is that its voluntary, our actions in picking them up went entirely against the voluntary nature of the program. Additonally, one of our kids had friends over at his house at the time and decided to bring them along. Not only would these friends provide a distraction for our boys (the friends spent their time playing soccer), but also for the girls because, among them was one of the boys who all the girls had a crush on. Additionally, our school was occupied by a group of 100 or so scouts, which forced us to carry out our activities in an entirely different room than the kids are accustomed to. All the signs pointed to a very unsuccessful endeavor and that is exactly what happened. Barely after an hour into the session, the kids had not accomplished anything other than maintain shouting matches between the genders. Claims of boredom attacked us from all sides and every kid expressed a desire to leave. Finally, they decided to stop listening to us and just play outside. Out of frustration, we packed up and left the kids at the school, only to come back half an hour later and see our kids kicked out of the school by the scout headmaster. The kids, obviously, blamed us and stormed off to their homes. We stayed back and talked to the headmaster, who told us he had received exclusive access to the school from the director (which was an obvious lie because we had also received access to the school). We asked him why he had kicked our kids out, to which he replied, "I found it strange to see one of the girls climbing out of one of the windows...Ultimately I'm the one responsible".

Had I seen a girl climbing out of a window at a school before this trip, I also would have thought it to be strange. However, upon hearing the scoutmaster's comments, I found myself thinking, "This dude lives in an entirely different reality...". I've become accustomed to seeing these types of things, which would strike many people dealing with different types of kids as strange, and take them as a part of the everyday life of working with children. The truth of the matter is that, a kid climbing back and forth through a first story window at an after school program is much better than that same kid out on the street doing who knows what. A girl climbing in and out of the classroom through the window is a minimal problem, and is not in any way strange (if you know these kids).

Reflections

2008-07-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

After reading over Mario's last post on Isla de Pascua, there is very little I could say to add on to that. All in all, it was an unforgettable experience. Easter Island was a very interesting mix of both the expected (the moai, of course, lots of hiking, incredibly small town) and unexpected (the amazing beaches, catholic service in espanol/rapa nui, stunning vistas, some of the unfriendly locals, and the incredibly expensive food). I can honestly say that while I have off-roaded before, I've never been the one driving the SUV. And all that takes on a different meaning when you are driving the vehicle about to get stuck in a gigantic mud puddle about 2 1/2 hours walking to the nearest civilization. (although, fortunately, we got unstuck) However, as we've been describing to Daniel (director of Puente Alto AE center) the meaning of baller, I would have to say Isla de Pascua fulfilled every definition of the word.

Our project with the female microentrepreneurs in Puente Alto is also going really well and I have to say that I am getting exactly what I wanted out of it. I came to Santiago and into Accion with the hope of working personally with the microentrepreneurs and talking with them and getting to know more about them. And, I would say interviewing about 10 female microentrepreneurs would fall into that category. I have eaten lunch in their houses, spoke to them about their children and parents, seen them cry when talking about both of the above. In that respect, this project at AE has been an unbelievable experience.

More than that, I am proud of finding a way to help these women. I believe that beyond our interviews, which were cathartic for some of the microentrepreneurs and fun for others, we came up with an idea that achieves all of the goals we had for the project. Having meetings for 6-8 female microentrepreneurs every two weeks provides them with a venue to discuss their businesses and families and problems they may be having with both. It is hard for four gringas to provide Chilean working women with advice on how to better manage their time and resources but other Chilean working women will certainly have insights. And at the first meeting, that is what Katie and Emily witnessed. I am extremely excited for tomorrow's meeting (the second one) and seeing the result of our work in play. (Definitely one of the perks of this project... being witness to the birth and life of our ideas)

RAPA NUIIIIIIII!!!!!

2008-07-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

Yup, you read correctly, I went to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) this past weekend (from saturday to tuesday to be exact). It was an absolutely amazing experience. For those of you that may not know, Rapa Nui is the most isolated place in the world, an island which is famous for the thousands of maoi (giant heads) that are scattered all over the place. Nobody knows the exact purpose of the maoi, although most say that they were representatives of prominent island members who passed away, but one thing is for certain; these maoi are a unique testament to a civilization and culture that destroyed itself.

In fact, the plight of the Rapa Nui carries with it extremely important lessons for our world today. Due to its remoteness, the island's inhabitants had to sustain themselves using the resources available to them on the island. They were extremely good at that, particularly when one realizes that they found the time to build thousands of statues (each about 50+tons) all over the island. The problem is that, due to an enormous pride (embodied in the moai), they depleted their resources, cut down every tree, and overpopulated the island (at one point 10000 people lived on the island, compared to the 3700 that live on it now). Sound familiar? What happened in Rapa Nui centuries ago is a microcosm of what is happening as we speak. Our forests are dissappearing, our resources are running out, and our population keeps rising. Where will it end? For the Rapa Nui, it ended it extremely bloody civil wars that left the once prospering island with a population of 111 at its lowest point. For us, we dont know yet, but given the nature of our predicament, wars in the most impoverished places will almost certainly happen. The lessons of the Rapa Nui, embodied by the testament they have left us in the moai, are extremely relevant to our situation, it would be unwise for us to ignore them.

What's left of the Rapa Nui culture is very little. Nobody can read their writing, nobody knows for sure how the moai were transported from the Rano Raraku volcano to their finally resting spot, and nobody knows where the first Rapa Nui people came from (Polynesia, South America, or New Zealand?). Theirs is a culture of mystery, which is part of the allure of the island. Even the natives themselves have a very vague idea of the culture of their ancestors.

Needless to say, the natural beauty of the island is outstanding. At each corner of the triangular island sits a dormant volcano, with the Rano Kau having the most impressive crater (it really is a breathtaking crater, I couldnt believe how amazing it was). Most of the coastline is cliffs made of volcanic rock, but there are two pristine beaches near the northern end of the island. A lot of flowers adorn the place, but very few trees (remember, they deforested the entire island, it used to be chalk full of trees). At night, the sky lights up with stars, in fact, I saw more shooting stars (3), this past weekend, than my entire life.

But, at the end of the day, what Easter Island is famous for is for their mysterious guards, the moai. Being in their presence leaves one with a feeling of uneasiness, as if these silent sentinels have witnessed the history of the entire world on their own little piece of heaven.

I GO TO BUENOS AIRES TOMMORROW!!!!

Crazy work week

2008-07-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to witness the ability of a great mediator while working in my Thursday TG (Tutoria Grupal) in Polonia Gutierrez. The kids had to prepare for their Ceremony and, to do so, they had to prepare something: a show, a promise, etc...Because it was our last TG before the Ceremony, the kids opted for a promise, so, we helped them prepare artistic promises which they would read out loud on the day of the ceremony (A promise is something like: I promise to come to all of the Adopta gatherings, etc...). It was going pretty well until, the monitors and I decided to get a bit ambitious and create a poster with the Adopta logo splashed all over it. One of the girls in the group, a very shy but well behaved girl, immediately offered to help us (for the purposes of the story, we'll call her Ashley). She did a great job on it, but two of the girls in the group (one of which is her aunt...weird) became extremely jealous. They started mocking her for being a goody two shoes and for always wanting to help the monitors (its true, she always offered herself to help and always participated in the activities to her fullest extent). It started getting out of hand, these two girls stopped working and started chanting "We want Ashley out! We want her out!".

As monitors, we tried to difuse the situation, but to no avail. They kept up their mockery and then, one of the monitors overheard the girls scheming to wait for Ashley after the session and beat her up. Obviously, we couldnt let that happen so, when the girls all of a sudden took off after Ashley, we sprinted into action. We forced the two girls to leave, and waited for the coordinator of our school to come back and drive Ashley home. On the drive home, we ran into the two girls again and our coordinator pulled over and orchestrated the most effective mediation I've ever seen. By the end of it all, the girl who was Ashley's aunt was crying uncontrollably on Ashley's shoulder, asking for forgiveness. It was a truly touching moment in which, these two girls who didnt like one another (even though they were family and neighbors) wound up being friends for the rest of the ride (I'm not sure if it carried over to the next day, I wasnt there to find out).

Then, the next day at Lampa, we ran into another extremely serious affair. The TG at Lampa is famous throughout the Adopta program for its disfunctionality. I hadnt witnessed it yet, but Friday certainly gave me a taste of what it was all about. The problem lies in the basic fact that the boys and the girls of the group cannot stand each other. Even worse, all of the kids in the TG live right next door to each other so that, problems from home get brought into the TG constantly.

I dont recall exactly how it all started. We were trying to calm the kids down so that we could begin the first activity of the day: evaluating the Ceremony carried out in the last session. We never calmed them down. One of the girls, angry that the guys were making fun of her for liking a certain soccer team, stormed out of the session. Obviously, the rest of the girls followed. Since we couldnt let them leave, I went out with the girls and tried to convince to come back, but they wouldnt listen to me due to the fact that I was a newcomer and the fact that I had a Mexican accent. Oh well, I gave up on them and went back inside the classroom. The boys were working extremely well, doing everything we asked of them, until the girls came into the room and started throwing oranges at us (this was entirely surprising to me, usually its the other way around: the boys throw the oranges and the girls work dilligently). The boys, feeling the need to defend themselves, got up and chased the girls around. There was a lot of shoving and pushing going on for about an hour, one girl was slide tackled to the ground by a boy and started crying, we couldnt get her to stop and we couldnt get the guy to apologize. Eventually, we, the monitors, would manage to separate them, and then one boy or one girl would say or throw something and it would start all over again.

Finally, we separated them completely. The girls stayed inside playing games while I took the boys outside and played soccer. The TG ended like that and, when we were leaving, we tried to get the guy who had slide tackled the girl to apologize, which he never did willingly (because he claimed she was faking it...which it was obvious she sort of was). While we tried to convinve this kid to apologize to the girl, some of the professors of the school went to a neighboring lettuce patch and started stealing lettuce, an activity in which most of our kids accompanied them. We couldnt do much about that because, ultimately, the professors have authority over us and if they allow the kids to steal lettuce with them, then we cant do anything about it. Anyways, after a half-hearted apology, we allowed the kids to leave and we headed back to Santiago, absolutely exhausted by having to break up fights.

I constantly ask myself why there are so many problems within the groups. Is it the poverty, the conditions is which these kids live? Could it be that they dont have anyone looking out for them? Every job I have ever had has been working with groups of kids and never have I seen such problems within a group of children. Even more surprising, I have never seen kids so unwilling to ask for forgiveness (most of them claim that asking for forgiveness is equivalent to humiliating yourself like a dog). To me, that indicates the type of dog eat dog mentality these kids have adopted in order to survive in the poverty in which they live. It really is a sad story, because all of these kids have shown flashes of brilliance, politeness, and open-mindedeness, only to have that glimmer of hope erased by a mocking comment from a classmate. But, what has surprised me the most is what I conversed with my coordinator after Friday: the boys in both schools are more willing to work than the girls, they are the ones that are less problematic and, in fact, are more invested in the program. In both schools, my coordinator said, the girls create the drama and expound any problems that exist. My previous experiences had taught me otherwise, I had always found it easier to work with girls than with boys, but the opposite is certainly true in Lampa. I guess its only fitting that this be so because working in Lampa has turned my perceptions of education and working with kids upside down.

La Mañanita

2008-07-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we headed off to Las Robles, a beautiful country town (although it wasnt much of a town at all) for a weekend of...eating. I say eating because, aside from horseback riding and drinking, thats all we did. We ate choripan, vacuna, chicken, potato salad, salad, beans and onion salad, amasada (extra dense bread), blackberry jam, cazuela (aka caldo de pollo, hearty chicken soup), eggs, cheese, ham, corn, creamed peaches, sausage, chips, and nuts. There wasnt a moment in time when we werent either eating something, or being offered more to eat by our extremely gracious hosts.

Speaking of which, the warmth of the family we stayed with (Marlen`s uncle and aunt) was absolutely astounding. They attended to our every need and want, they welcomed as guests of honor, even though we barely knew them. They were extremely friendly and loving people and, because of them, our weekend in "el campo" will be beyond memorable.

Of course, we did much more than just eat. The scenery that surrounded the humble home in which we stayed was breathtaking. Tio Alejandro (the owner of the house) cultivated apples and wheat, but among the rolling hills that surrounded his property, beyond the bare apple trees, we could see sheep, cows, chickens, and ducks wandering around in absolute tranquility. The trees were covered in leaves ranging from orange to yellow to green. A dense fog hung about the place, covering what many people told us was a beautiful view of La Cordillera. They told us that Las Robles was a million times more beautiful without the fog, which I found unbelievable because I was of the opinion that it was gorgeous even with the fog.

A couple of us (Priyanka, Annie, and I) decided, after lunch, to walk around and explore the area. We walked for hours, jumping off tires, trying to touch the cows, and attempting to climb a mountain along the way. We were in search of a specific vista, which we had been told was a bit down the road. We spent hours looking for it, only to realize that the entire trip had been the vista we had been looking for. We came back as darkness settled in, only to realize that everybody was looking for us. Then, we sat down to eat once, despite the fact that none of us was hungry.

Sunday morning came, and after a breakfast that everybody ate (despite our stomach's protests), we rode horses! Don Raul, a local who had lived in the area for years on end, brought us an army of horses, one for each one of us. He helped us mount, told us three instructions (pull back on the rope to stop, left to go right, and right to go left) and then led us on a 2 hour trip around the area. Some of us, like Jared, had crazy horses who would not follow any sort of directions. Others of us were lucky enough to have horses that, after an hour so, started responding to our commands. La Mañanita, my horse, was one of the ones that learned to follow my orders: she trotted when I kicked her sides, turned left or right when I wanted, and stopped immediately when I pulled back on the reins. I felt like an expert horseman by the end of the trip, although still far from the expertise of Don Raul. Speaking of Don Raul, we talked quite a bit. He was extremely excited to hear that I was Mexican, and asked me to sing a corrido or norteña (classic Mexican types of songs). I was surprised to find a fan of traditional Mexican folk song in such a secluded part of Chile, until Don Raul told me that, among the population of campesinos and rancheros Chilenos, traditional Mexican songs were the most popular form of music. Don Raul's favorite group? Los Tigres del Norte, but Vicente and Alejandro Fernandez were definitely up there.

That was the weekend, I am now back to work at Adopta. I have a planification meeting with the monitors of my respective schools tommorrow, and then TG's on Thursday and Friday at Polonia and Lucero respectively. I never mentioned this, but I am glad to be back to work. Two weeks ago, there was a teacher's strike that led to the suspension of all the TG's. Thankfully, that ended and I was able to work last week (see post on June 24th)

2008-06-30T14:12:00.001-07:00

Belated Introduction

2008-06-30T14:06:00.001-07:00

My name's Priyanka Chaurasia, and I'm a rising junior Public Policy Major/History Minor at Duke University. I apologize for the late posting. Mario has definitely been putting the rest of us to shame! To make up for it, here's a link to my personal blog that I've been using to chronicle my time in Santiago, Chile: pri430.wordpress.com

I'm working with AccionEmprendedora, specifically with female microentrepreneurs. My project with Katie and Annie is to create a manual for women who are balancing work life and family life. It will be full of advice, stories, pictures, and exercises for the average Santaguina microentrepreneur who doesn't want to choose between being a mother and a businesswoman. It's for the woman who wants both, who quite frankly needs both. Chile's economy is great for the rich, but especially bleak for the poor. Struggling economic times call for working women, but prevailing machismo culture combined with lack of institutional support means an exhausting reality for Chilean women.

I hope you check out my blog, because it's a better account of my time here. Cheers, and will update soon!

Cariño of Chileans

2008-06-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

I am still thinking about how awesome this past weekend was. I had an amazing time at the campo, made so by the family that we stayed with (and of course the beauty of the Chilean landscape). The asado was incredible! Although there is always waaaayyyy too much food whenever Dukeengage kiddies get together. But, even more than the food, was the kindness and generosity with which we were treated this past weekend. Marlen's family was generous to a fault, always asking what we wanted to eat (and offering way more than humanly possible to actually consume) and just being extremely attentive to anything we could possibly want.

I think one thing that I will always take back with me from Chile is the cariño of the people. It seems that almost anywhere I find myself, there is a Chilean person willing to lend a hand. I cannot even name the number of times that Katie, Priyanka, Emily and I have gotten lost looking for the place we are doing our interviews and have had numerous Chilean people help us out (whether it be by giving directions or talking on the phone to the microentrepreneur we are meeting with because we have no idea what streets they are talking about). I think that has actually been one of my favorite side-effects of our AE project, the interaction with Chileans that we would never have had had we just stayed in the central office.

Anyways, the couple days of countrylife were a perfect getaway from all the smog in Santiago right now! I had a really great time, and it was fun bonding with Dukies (Marlen’s an honorary Dukie). The hike on Saturday was a really great way to get to see the life in that part of Chile as well as making for great photos. And Sunday’s horseback ride was lots of fun, although the first hour definitely more so than the second. :D

All in all, great four weeks and I’m really looking forward to four more!

uh oh

2008-06-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

I am rather glad I have finally managed to make my way to this blog. Mario, I appreciate the kudos in ur last blog post. I don't know if I set out to channel the spirit of dukeengage, but it's nice to know u don't see me as crazy.

Anyways, to backtrack on the past 3 1/2 weeks in Chile (craziness!). The first week was definitely a little intense, with a whole new climate, language and food to adjust to. (all the completos!) I was a little nervous on our first day in AE, since we had only been in the country for 2 days and I wasn't sure if I had gotten adjusted to the Chilean accent (still am not), but it was really a fun experience. They had an awesome breakfast for us (which I actually thought they did every day, so I was rather sad to realize they don't) and got to understand that palta was going to be a mainstay in anything I ate in the country. I actually get sad when I don't have palta every day.

The AE people have only gotten better with time and after a week, it was easy to see how Antonio said that the office has an incredible energy about it. Priyanka, Katie, and I often talk about what our favorite AE office is (there's 4: one on Ramon Carnicer, an office in Santiago Central, one in Puente Alto, and a new one in Valparaiso). All the offices have something really cool, but we all seem to be in acuerdo that the one in Puente Alto is our favorite. (although it's definitely the coldest one too...) It's just fun being around the microentrepreneurs that AE is helping and it is a different environment than any other part of Santiago. Plus, it also has the best and cheapest lunch in Santiago! (And now that we go every day, the lady who owns it is definitely getting fonder of the 'gringas')

What else about my first 3 weeks? It has definitely not been an easy transition to the cold here. I absolutely love Chile,j the food (manjar and palta!!!!) and the mountains and the people, but right as you're getting out of bed in the morning, it's really hard to remember all that. However, after those 10-30 minutes, everything's usually great again. Especially when you're outside and the sun is shining (as it was our first week and a half here), I feel like I'm seeing Chile at its best. And even when I'm not seeing Santiago at its best, I can only imagine how much more beautiful it is in the spring and summer!

So, now, Priyanka and I are very excitedly planning any possible way to go to Isla de Pascua in July. That would be amazing! I remember seeing pictures when I was ridiculously young and thinking that those statues look amazing but I'll probably never go there... so it would be fairly incredible to actually get to do that.

Anyways, I know this has no rhyme or reason, but hopefully future posts will (since I'm not having to backtrack a few weeks...)

Tio, porque hablas asi?

2008-06-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

Finally, after a week of teacher strikes, I was finally able to work in the Group Tutoring Sessions at my two schools in Lampa: Polonia Gutierrez and Lucero. On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to attend my first TG (Tutoria Grupal) at Polonia, and on Thursday I helped my other TG group get ready for their Initiation Ceremony.

So on Wedensday I went to Polonia Gutierrez, it was my first time working in a TG and it was surpsisingly harder than I thought because, to begn with, only 4 kids showed up and one of them (the only boy) was being extremely troublesome. We were supposed to be practicing for the Ceremony of Initiation and the girls wanted to do a dance. However, the mere presence of the boy caused chaos because he would disobey our orders, laugh when the girls started dancing, and would not take part in any of the activities. Of course, the girls did not want to dance if he wasnt taking any part in the activities, so, in our 90 minutes of the TG we accomplished nothing.

On Thursday I went to Lucero, another school in Lampa. They were having their Ceremony of Initiation in which I had the opportunity to meet all of the kids. What was surprising is that they were mostly 12-14 years of age, but most had repeated a year or two of school. I came to the Ceremony bracing myself for problems because I had been told that this group of kids was famous for their legendary fights. The reality was entirely different. That's not to say that the kids werent loud and obnoxious, but they were certainly not problematic on that day (I did see the potential for fights though). In fact, they pulled off the most exciting and humorous Ceremony I have seen to date. The girls danced to reggaeton, in an extrememly provocative way, and the guys did a humorous skit which left everybody in stitches.

For fun, here are a sample of the conversations Ive had in the last few days at work with the kids:
At Polonia

John: Tio, porque hablas asi?
Yo: Como?
John: Pos asi tio!
Yo: Es que soy de Mexico, y asi hablamos alla.
John: Ahhh! (piensa por un rato) y donde queda Mexico tio?
Yo: Muy al norte, casi al otro lado del mundo...
John: Sabes que tio? Yo tengo un primo en Brazil, estais cerca de Brazil?
Yo: Bueno, Brazil esta mas cerca a Mexico que Chile, pero comoquiera esta lejillos...

As the girls were practicing their dance for the Ceremony, they did a really cool step, so I said

Yo: Orale! Me gusto esa..
Chiquillas: Orale tio! Orale! Orale! (se rien)
Yo: Que paso? Se burlan de mi?
Chiquillas: Si po
Yo: OK

Then on Thursday, at Lucero, a group of the kids surrounded me and began asking me questions. The first question they asked was this...

Chiquillo: Tio, de donde es Ud?
Yo: De Mexico
Chiquillo: (voltea a los otros chiquillos) Les dije! El tio habla como el Chavo!
Yo: El Chavo del Ocho!?! Vamos, no es para tanto...
Chiquillos: Oye tio, y huevon como se dice en mexicano?
Yo: Huevon? Pos guey
Chiquillos: Jajajaja (se dicen entre ellos) Orale guey! Que paso guey! Mi guey, vamos a tomar una chela!
Yo: JAJAJJAJA, Calmense chiquillos...
Chiquillos: Oye tio, y primo como se dice?
Yo: Primo? Primo como un amigo?
Chiquillos: Si po
Yo: Pos...primo tambien, o cuate (si estas en el sur)
Chiquillos: JAJAJJAJAA...CUATE!!! JAJAJAJ....(se dicen entre ellos) Oye cuate!! Que paso guey!? Pos nada cuate!!
Tio, tio, y "huerita bonita" que es?
Yo: JAJAJAJA...pos una mina rubia que esta bonita po
Chiquillos: Y usted, cuando ve a una huerita bonita, que le dice pos para que...pos ya sabe pa que...eh tio? ehhh? jajajjaa
Yo: JAJAJJA...a ver, que edad tienen?
Uno de ellos: Yo tengo 17 tio!
Yo: Si como no, de veras...
Chiquillos: Pos entre 12 y 14...
Yo: A bueno, pos no los puedo decir ese tipo de cosas, no tienen la edad suficiente...
Chiquillos: Vamos tio! (el que "tenia" 17 me dice:) Tio, hasta tengo un condon aqui conmigo (saca un globo desinflado)
Yo: JAJAJAJAJAJAJA

(All of a sudden, one of the kids comes running through the hallway, yelling...)

Tengo un gato en mis pantalones!!!
Yo: Y eso que onda?
Ellos: Po es mexicano tio! Tengo un gato en los pantalonessss!! Que significa tio?
Yo: No creo que sea mexicano...
Ellos: Dale tio! Que es?
Yo: Pos, que creen que sea?
Ellos: Pene....JAJJAJAJAJA...Pero el mio es gato silvestre!! Y tu gato se lo comio el perro!! JAJAJAJAJA

For the rest of the day, all they said was: "Tengo un gato en los pantalones guey!"

DukeEngage in Valparaiso: Feeding the world's stray dogs

2008-06-22T16:55:00.001-07:00

We just returned from our trip to Valparaiso, where Annie made it her point to feed a hot dog to every stray dog she saw. It didnt matter that we quickly developed a following of stray dogs, much to Priyanka's chagrin. In all seriousness though, it was probably the most noble thing any of us did this weekend. Congratulations Annie, for carrying the giving spirit of the DukeEngage program with you to Valpo. The weekend itself was amazing! The city is absolutely beautiful. Its composed of 45 cerros and a giant bay where over 30% of Chile's exports and imports are traded. Back in the day, before the Panama Canal, Valparaiso was a mandatory stop for any ships looking to traverse from the Pacific to the Atlantic. It was a hub of culture and, for that, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our time was spent in Cerro Alegre, one of the most quaint and beautiful cerros of the city, and also the gastronomical, bohemian, and cultural center of the city. Our hostel, Hostel Morgan, was supremely comfortable and is highly recommended for anyone looking for a place to stay in Valpo. We arrived on Saturday morning (the trip through the Chilean countryside was absolutely breathtaking...it was a series of mountains, vineyards, and valleys that left one speechless with their beauty). That first day we spent touring the city and taking a boat ride around the bay. We ate an enormous seafood lunch at a restaurant overlooking the bay and then headed to another one of Pablo Neruda's homes: La Sebastiana. Like La Chascona, Neruda's house in Santiago, La Sebastiana was a tribute to this great man. Although it lacked the grandeur of La Chascona, the view from the bedroom was infinitely better than any view in any other home I've visited. Imagine, the first thing Neruda saw upon waking up was all of Valparaiso laid out before him, with a shining bay full of ships in the distance (it should be mentioned that Neruda was a big fan of ships, so that would have made it all the better). That night we ate a chorrillana which is basically a heart attack on a plate (its chopped steak on top of a bed of french fries, egg, and roasted onions) and then went out with a group of Harvard students that we met out here.

The ride back from Valpo was even more beautiful than the ride to Valparaiso. Chile is an extremely beautiful country and I'm starting to think that this trip will not be the only time I ever come to Chile.

Equitative Public Education

2008-06-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

I figure I might as well update this blog with what I consider to be a real substantive reflection: What have I learned almost three weeks into my stay? This is not necessarily a personal reflection of life lessons I have learned, its too early to fully determine those. Rather, this is an account of what I have observed and read in respect to the relationship between education and equality.

The issue of equality has been a recurring theme in my research and observations. It has been present in the academic discourses and blogs I have had the pleasure to read, as well as been somewhat present in the observations I have made (although the observations have been more one sided than I would like...I need to fix that). The question I`ve been asking myself is simple: What does equality imply in an educational context? As humans, we are not equal by nature; each of us has a set of skills, traits, and experiences that differentiate us from other members of the human race. This inequality, according to Rawls (to whom I was introduced here), is one that is good for us to accept as necessary. For example, some people are natural born leaders because of their ability to shoulder great responsibility and, as such, they become more esteemed and set themselves apart from others. The point of equality is that, from the beginning, everybody has the option to be that person. Whether or not they have the traits to be such a leader will be determined by time, not by lack of opportunity.

That's the goal of equitative public education: to provide a level playing field, an equal starting point from which people are given the freedom to choose the path they want to take and deal with the consequences that arise from said path. The people who are able to disinguish themselves do so through personal effort and natural ability, not through unfair advantages. Yet, equitative systems of education are hard to find. The Chilean system suffers from an overall lack of quality, but it is often the case that members of the higher income groups tend to perform better on standardized tests. On the same note, the US system suffers a similar calamity. Due to the school district system, in which families pay taxes that are used as revenues by the school district to which they belong, schools located in areas with high incomes are often able to collect more revenue and spend more per student than schools in lower income districts. What results is that kids living in high income neighborhoods, who are most likely from proseperous families, tend to perform better in school than those from low income neighborhoods.

Y que todos se enamoren de mi vozzzzzzzz

2008-06-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

The title of this post refers to my new favorite "party" song, "La Guitarra" by Los Autenticos Decadentes. Why do I start with this point? Because its an awesome song, and because I heard about a million times last night while celebrating my birthday. My host family and I decided to throw a Chile-Mexico culture clash extravaganza of a birthday party. The food was entirely mexican: tacos, guacamole, salsa. The drinks were a mix: pisco, tequila, beer. The music, also a mix as we had reggaeton, rock, pop, los tigres del norte (jaja) etc... And the company, it was an extremely diverse group of people, we had a bunch of Chileans, the DukeEngagers (which happens to be an very diverse group) plus, an Italian. It was truly a global affair :D

moving on...

Like I said in my previous post, I had my first visit to Lampa on Thursday. I drove there with my coordinator and a Chilean university student working as a mentor for that particular school. Lampa is a rural community, extremely beautiful and surrounded by nature. The school itself is large, with a big, two story classroom compound. It has a patio in its center, which is currently in the process of construction (they're building a roof for it I think). But, like all of the Adopta schools, it is a school that caters to a poor community. The point of our visit was to carry out the family encounter, one of the first steps of Adopta's intervention. This encounter is basically like a PTA meeting: the coordinator explains the program to the kids' parents, the kids' give a little presentation, and the families' are free to ask questions if they like.

However, the encounter almost didnt happen. The vice-principal of the school 'forgot' to tell the principal of our plan. The consequence of this was that the parents would not be allowed into the school because we had not asked for permission. Obviously, we had asked for permission, that was the reason why we told the vice-principal in the first place. The fact that she forgot we were coming, plus the indifferent attitude with which she carried herself, lent us the impression that she really didnt care if our program was carried out or not. Which begged the question: why ask for Adopta's help in the first place? The impression that I came away with (and this is an opinion, I dont mean to judge people's motives or anything of the sort) is that the problems in Chilean education is complex. The government has increased its spending on education tremendously in the last decade, but with no perceivable results. What I observed in Lampa, and in the other schools, is that there is this attitude of indifference present in some members of the administration in each school. Whether this is a countrywide phenomenon escapes me. But if indifference is an issue among school administrators, then the solution is not an increase in spending, but finding out a way to create incentives for adminstrators to take their jobs a bit more seriously. Once again, I want to stress that these are observations I've made after spending a very limited amount of time in these schools. It could just be an isolated event.

More importantly, however, I was impressed with the kids. They are extremely lively, funny, and bright. I found it inspiring that these kids, who live in conditions that I could not imagine, still had an positive outlook on things. Similarly, the parents that did show up proved to be, for the most part, attentive. It appeared that they were really invested in Adopta's work and goals. Of course, not all of the parents showed and we had some pretty sad kids who were expecting Mom or Dad to show up, but instead had a sister attend, or nobody.

The 3 faces of Santiago

2008-06-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

Up until now, we've been hanging out in the area immediately surrounding our respective houses. In other words, the cultural and financial center of Santiago. It's been fun and all, but all along, you know that "carreteando" every weekend and dining in fancy schmanzi places is not something your typical Chileno does, no matter his/her income level.

Which is why I was really excited to attend Adopta un herman@'s official initiation ceremony in Padre Hurtado, an extremely rural and poor community in the suburbs of Santiago. The trip there was simply breath taking. For a while, the panorama was like any other city, nondescript buildings surrounding the highway we were on. As we moved further and further away from the center of Santiago, the houses started to get smaller and more shack-like. All of a sudden, mechanics shops and small convenience stores, all covered in wooden advertisements with misspelled words painted over them, started to pockmark our surroundings. Then, as we turned right, the road became a dirt road and, off to our right, the Andes mountains rose over a beautiful, green field, along which ran a rushing stream. It was one of those images stolen from a postcard, in fact, the trip from here on out was a series of postcard images, the snow-capped Andes overlooking a farm and its rustic shack, the snow-capped Andes standing guard over the quaint-looking school where the celebration was. The school reminded me so much of the school I attended in Mexico, it was small, composed of one classroom building, a small cafeteria, offices, and a large patio that separated the classrooms from the offices and cafeteria. Once again, from the dirt patio, one could see the snow capped Andes (getting old, I know, but I find it hard to suppress my awe for this). The ceremony itself was very formal, the kids did a little presentation, the mayor spoke, and we all ate little snacks afterwards. The drive back was even more beautiful than before, because now the backdrop was the sun setting over the snow capped Andes.

The third face of Santiago I saw today, and this one was a trip into an urban school. We took the metro from the Adopta office to La Granja, another suburb of Santiago. Once there, we had to work our way through a neighborhood which was pretty poor. The houses were small, some of them resembled shacks more than houses. There was rarely any room for a patio, as they were all right up next to each other. There was a soccer field in the middle of it all, but it was a dirt field covered in plastic Coke bottles, and with run-down goalposts at either end. The school itself was larger than the rural one, but it had the same type of set up. The center of it was a cement patio, set up like a soccer field, from which you could see...just guess what you could see...Like the rural school, this school had open air "hallways:, and a small cafeteria, which was where they held their respective initiation ceremony. This one was much less formal. The kids were certainly more the focus of it. One of them did a Michael Jackson impersonation dance (absolutely hilarious), they sang a song to the tune of the Simpsons music, and they produced an absolutely brilliant and touching video. Once again, afterwards, we had snacks, and I hopped on the train back to my apartment, where I just boughy myself an amazing birthday present: a ticket to Buenos Aires in a month.

Those are the 3 faces of Santiago that I have seen. There is not much in common between the center of Santiago, where I am living, and the rural and urban poverty stricken regions that I visited. This speaks volumes about the inequality of income in Chile (its ranked among the 15 worst nations worldwide in income inequality). However, the urban and rural schools were very similar. Aside from the poverty, the people were equally friendly, the kids equally lively, and, in both, we were welcomed with open arms, as if we were family. Obviously, these are my initial impressions, there may be many more differences between these two regions that I havent yet noticed. Either way, every day I grow more excited about the opportunity I have to interact with Chilean youth. Tommorrow, I visit Lampa for the first time, this is the school where I will be working for the next 6 weeks.

Mario

Meetings

2008-06-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

The weekend went extremely well, I wound up playing a 6 v 6 soccer game with my host dad? (he`s 24, so not really my host dad). Scored a goal and tallied two assists in my debut, haha. Later that night we, the DukeEngage group plus some interns from Accion Emprendedora, went out to Bellavista where we decided to try our hand in salsa dancing. Friday, I explored the area surrounding my apartment, which includes all of the national ministries, la Moneda, and dozens of statues commemorating historic figures such as Salvador Allende. I was looking for a statue of Ricardo Lagos, a Duke grad, but its been too soon since he left office...maybe in a few years.

On Saturday, my host family threw me a welcome to Chile asada. The Chilean asada is like most other asadas found throughout the Latin American region: more about the beer and company than about the food. However, the food is nothing to be forgotten either. We had choripan, which is my new favorite Chilean specialty (bread + grilled chorizo sausage + pebre + mayo), pork, steak, corn, salad, and french fries, which were sorely out of place in my opinion, but who am I to judge? Later that night, I accompanied my host family to one of their friend`s birthday party.

Finally, on Sunday some of us DukeEngagers headed off to visit one of Pablo Neruda`s homes here in Santiago. To say that I was impressed is to do a dishonor to the memory of this great man, known to some as "the greatest poet of the 20th century". His house was symbolic in every sense of the word. It had its own insignia, the initials of his lover and him, intertwined. Similarly, the house had a strange likeness to a boat, which spoke volumes about Neruda's fascination with the sea. Most impressively, in my humble of opinion, was that in his library was the Nobel Prize for Literature that he had won in 1971, thanks to his deeply profound and political poetry on indigenous cultures. No joke, I stood in front of that medal, contemplating the magnitude of that symbol, for what seemed to be an eternity.

Today, we returned to work. I was told that I would be working in one of two schools, both located in Lampa. Lampa is a very rural suburb of Santiago, it happens to be extremely far from where I am located, but the fact that it is isolated, and in the mountains, makes me even more excited to start my observation process out there. The more research I do on Chilean educational policy, the more restless I am about actually seeing the situation in Chilean schools.

Some pictures from the last week

2008-06-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

The view of Santiago and the Andes from el
Cerro Santa Lucia.

Immediately after learning my first Chilenismo; taco = traffic jam

DukeEngage in Santiago de Chile

Eating seafood in Bellavista

My neighbor, La Moneda

Some pictures from the last week

2008-06-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

Quality over Quantity

2008-06-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

A beautiful day today, sunny, and just over 60F. Kind of a shame that I spent it in the Adopta office doing research on Chilean educational reform policies in the new millenium. Although, it was quite interesting to see that, despite increasing spending on education 13 fold in the last decade or so, the quality of public education in Chile had not improved at the rate it should have.
Playing soccer tonight with some people, pretty excited about that. Plus, due to the fact that we work 4 days out of the week, my weekend starts right about...now

Ciao
Mario

Bienvenido a Santiagooooo!!

2008-06-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

Three days in Santiago, and already it feels like home. We spent the first few days playing the role of tourists, spending time in all of the historical landmarks, ordering pisco sours (a traditional Chilean drink made with over fermented wine, egg whites, and I think a hint of cinammon, dont quote me on that), and trying to pick up Chilenismos such as taco= traffic jam, cachai=do you understand?, curado=drunk, cagado=too drunk, vacan, chori=super cool, and polol@=boyfriend or girlfriend depending on the ending.
Last night we met our host families for the first time and I was lucky enough to have two 24 year olds, a brother and sister, as my hosts. They´re extremely friendly people from southern Chile who keep an apartment in the center of Santiago. Needless to say, they have assured me that there are plenty of good times to be had in the coming weeks, I dont doubt them at all.
Today, however, we finally got down to business: it was our first day with our NGOs. I am working with Adopta a un herman@, a program that works under La Fundacion para Superar la Pobreza. Adopta´s work focuses around facilitating tutors and mediators, who are typically university students, who then are sent into schools serving marginalized populations in order to provide kids (between 8 and 9 years old) with projects that help them build the academic and social skills necessary to get ahead. Devika and I are neither tutors nor mediators, instead, we will be observing every facet of Adopta´s work, from the field work to the administrative work. Coupled with our own research into the Chilean education system, and the gross income inequality in this country, we are asked to develop a series of reflections of our time here that we have to, ultimately, make into a video. In short, it´s a type of research project that addresses Adopta´s work within the context of the issues in income inequality and Chilean educational policy. I am extremely excited about it because I find educational policy to be an extremely interesting subject.
I know this is long, but there was a lot to say. I have tons of pictures, but no means of putting them up yet. I will soon though! On a side note, there is a number of strikes happening around Santiago. From what I understand, university students, professors, and truck drivers are all on strike for different reasons. We saw some students today marching in front of the Adopta office today, chanting something and carrying different types of banners. Not quite sure what its all about, but I should find out soon enough.
Ciao
Mario

2008-05-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hey, my name is Jared and I'm a rising senior from Beaverton, Oregon. I've never been south of San Diego so I can't wait to touch down in Santiago in a few weeks. Along with three of you I'll be working at Acción Emprendedora. Antonio e-mailed our housing assignments today and Planos.cl—the Chilean Google Maps—reveals my future crib is happily a 10-minute walk from AE's headquarters in Providencia. So no 8:30 a.m. adventures on Transantiago for me.

Until June I'm working in Asheville and refreshing my Spanish by way of Sábado Gigante ("¡Hoy regalamos un Sonata de Hyundai!") and emol.com. I expect that a lot of my work will be done in English since I'm working on increasing AE's profile abroad, but that I'll speak much more Spanish in my non-work hours than I did when I studied in Madrid last fall. Apparently my host mother is a yoga instructor so I also hope to increase my 15" sit-and-reach and prepare for my hardest class next semester.

hello

2008-04-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

After meeting all of you last night and having an opportunity to talk about our upcoming adventure, I can honestly say that I am extremely excited for this summer! I think we have quite an amazing experience lying right in front of us. With that being said, I'll begin with a brief introduction...

My name is Mario Moreno, I am a sophomore political science major and am considering an economics minor. I was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico but currently reside in one of Chicago's many suburbs. I've spent over a decade living here in the United States and have always wanted to return to Latin America for a variety of reasons, among which perfecting my Spanish figures prominently. Yet, that is not the only reason I am looking forward to our Chile experience. I am tremendously excited about the NGO I will be partnering with: Adopta a un hermano/a; as well as our 3 day weekends which I presume will be spent in a number of ways.

The truth of the matter is that this trip has the potential to be quite amazing and I am extremely glad to be sharing it with all of you.

pce
Mario

How to add a slide show to the blog :)

2008-04-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

How can I add a Slide Show into a blog entry on Blogger?

To automatically add a Slide Show to your Blogger page, please follow the steps below:
1. Login to http://www.slide.com
2. Click on 'My Slide' at the top
3. Click on 'Get Code' next to your Slide Show
4. Click on the 'Blogger' link on the left under 'More'
5. Enter your Blogger login information (don't worry, we do not store your login information!), and click on the green 'Add' button
6. After a few moments, your Slide Show will appear as the latest entry in your Blogger account!

To mannually add a Slide Show to a blog entry on Blogger, just follow these steps:
1. Login to www.blogger.com
2. Click on 'New post' under your Blog title
3. Type in your post title in the Title field
4. Click the 'Edit HTML' tab
5. In the box below, paste the code into the box below and click the 'Publish' button and you're done! (Right-click in the box and choose Paste, or just hit Ctrl-V)
6. Click on 'Publish Post'

Introduce Yourselves!

2008-03-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

Hello guys! In preparation for the trip, please take a moment to introduce yourselves to your Chile mates.