7/19-  Asado BBQ with Michelle and Diego!

We attended a traditional Chilean BBQ at Michelle and Diego’s apartment on their rooftop- it was a blast and I truly enjoyed the experience as we ate traditional meat, the sausage, kind of small and spicy, then chicken then steak, all with a lot of red wine of course;-) We also enjoyed avocado dip with various chips and a Chilean salad of tomatoes and onions and a sauce of basil, onions and salt/pepper. One of Diego’s (Michelle’s boyfriend) friends is a professional dancer in Chile and taught us some of the moves and traditional dances- it was too much fun!

To address the theme of this blog, the form of music as an art was displayed tonight.  Along with the fantastic company and wine, traditional Chilean music had the power to enhance our experience and share a part of the creative culture by listening and dancing.  It is a part of this trip that we did not explicitly address in most of our lectures, yet that I appreciate deeply as an essential part of understanding various cultures.  So much emotion, history, and tradition can be discerned from the musical language.

Brilliant! Meet is grilling (Sasha Harrison, 2012)

7/18-  Political Changes in Chile: Dictatorship/Democracy

Dr. Francisco Javier Díaz PhD in Political Science (University of Pittsburg)

Ex-assistant of President Michelle Bachelet

Today’s lecture was from the assistant policy maker and speech-writer of Michelle Bachelet and he was brilliant. Not only was he intelligent, clever and well spoken, he was funny and charismatic, making us feel like we were on the inside making the policies and tasting the government life.  He gave us an emotional yet logical depiction of the strategies used to get his party into power with Michelle Bachelet at the head as the first woman to ever be presidenta (with an a) of Chile.  He is now a Senior Fellow at CIEPLAN and continues to be a member of the Socialist Party.  He was informative about his bias as he gave his presentation.  We were informed that many Chileans, much like other democracies, don’t trust their politicians.  Since the government has chanced so many times, even in the last 40 years with Allende up to 1973, then Pinochet as the military dictator and now to democracy with Pinera- Chileans have experienced a lot of turnover.  His presentation covered how a woman, agnostic, divorced and single mom in a morally conservative country came out as the winner of the presidential elections in 2005.  Through a very thorough campaign strategy, we could see how the party convinced Chileans to vote for her.  The fact that she was “cool”, a mom, had been imprisoned and tortured by Pinochet’s military regime, and was a loving and caring pediatrician all helped her win.  This presentation illuminated the many considerations that must be dealt with in a political campaign, especially with a distrustful public.  Democracy seems to still be a tenuous idea to many in the system as many parties still exist and alternative views still persist among citizens, some of whom agreed with Allende and Pinochet ideals.  What will happen in the future, no one knows.  We do know that Bachelet focused on educational equity for Chilean citizens and that it is a huge piece of the puzzle to fix that will take multiple and cooperative efforts to accomplish.

 

7/17-  Lecture: Education in Chile by Dr. Cristian Bellei PhD in Education (Harvard University)

We had the fortunate experience to attend a lecture and speak with Dr. Bellei, a researcher for CIAE (University of Chile).  The paper we read from him was about the public and private school controversy in Chilean education (Bellei, 2005).  His findings about the neo-liberal policies adopted from the Chicago Boys, of which Milton Friedman was a member, in the United States after the military coup of 1973 were astonishing. Private institutions in all levels of education have become the majority provider in Chile and public schools were seen as a last resort for parents to enroll their children.  This is a sad fact for many academics that agree that it creates a system where social mobility through educational opportunities is decreased.  If one cannot pay to attend elite private institutions, then one’s chances of success in life are limited.  One of the major providers of this private education is the Catholic Church.  There are also schools for women and other religions.  The voucher system seems to have pushed this system further into the grains of society- so many schools will accept or deny students based on factors like income, race, religion, space, scores etc.  Where policymakers thought that market competition would increase the quality of educational facilities for students, it seems that the opposite has occurred.  Faculty members have to take multiple jobs to make enough money to live, otherwise known as “taxicab” professors, because they have to travel to various places of work instead of devoting themselves to one institution and research.  So, while school is available to all members of society, there is a problem with the quality that is offered.  A PISA study that Dr. Bellei presented indicated that the 2009 inclusion index had Chile at below 50%, meaning that it is very segregated.  The neo-liberal agenda espoused by Milton Friedman and the Chicago Boys during the military regime proved to have failed many members of society in Chile.

7/15-  First Day in Chile!

I met Danielle Litak at the airport in Dallas TX yesterday on my layover as I was finishing the previous journal entry.  We had a great chat and then she found the other 8 on that flight from our class and we met before reaching our destination.  It is so lovely to finally meet everyone from my class since we have been sharing an online graduate experience over the past 1.5 years. It really contextualizes people within media and makes me appreciate the technological advances that we have today, along with the ability to connect in person.  I think both are essential- we can’t have just one or the other.  Meeting Danielle also bolstered my appreciation for people in the arts as she is an active member of AFTRA- the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, where she serves as a stunt double in Los Angeles.  Coming from a creative background in the performing and visual arts myself- I was so pleased to meet someone who was active in a different area but in the same industry as myself.  It will be interesting to see where the creative individuals from our program find their niche within the global educational paradigm.

As we all arrive in Santiago, we are all traveled out and exhausted.  But we are here and finally cozied up in a small apartment- nice and clean and on 16^th floor with a great view of the Andes Mountains.  The thing that struck me most today was when we were checking in at the hostel- EVERYONE in the room, instead of socialize g with each other like I usually see at hostels especially, was wrapped up in their electronics.  It was truly bizarre and it struck me as sad that people don’t talk to each other anymore.  Why are our devices so much more interesting than people?  I’ve seen this in other parts of society but not like I did today.  It made me think that all companies and especially people on vacation should take full weekends away from technology.  So they learn to appreciate each other more- appreciate company.  Globalization and internationalization have happened so rapidly that people are sometimes sucked into the Internet zombie zone to connect with others.  This leaves one to one contact limited.

View from my apartment in Santiago, Chile

(Sasha Harrison, 2012)

7/13-  Global Exports

I just read about the wines and wildlife in Chile- of course I’m most excited about the wine;-) Malbec, Carmenere, Sauv Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir etc.- many of the flavors that many global palettes have become accustomed to in the United States and elsewhere.  It makes perfect sense that when the consumption of wine in Chile decreased since locals were enjoying a higher percentage of beers and cocktails- that they tailored the process of how they made Chilean wine for specific export to the US and UK.  They sweetened them up a bit and made them less tannic so that they would appeal to the Western palette.  It's very logical in the context of globalization and internationalization.  It seems inevitable that products that are shipped abroad would be edited for the foreign consumer.  Yet one could feel duped having thought they were getting the real Chilean wine experience outside of Chile!  

As far as wine and local cuisine is concerned,  I like that the Mapocho cuisine has made it back into mainstream and urban Chilean food.  Apparently, the indigenous flavors were considered unsophisticated by many of the urbanites but that approach left the food bland and unappetizing to the outside connoisseur.  The recent influx of these exquisite flavors has brought life back into urban food- along with the addition of high levels of sodium and sugar!

Traditional Grilled Corvina Fish with Sangria!

(Sasha Harrison, 2012)

6/29-  The "Tourist"

Tonight in class, we talked about study abroad and what “touring” can mean.  There is a big difference between a meaningful cultural exchange versus a party abroad.  There are also issues concerning funding available for students because it is such a costly endeavor.  Is the study abroad candidate only one that has the means to do so? What about those that cannot afford the extra expense of these programs- is it merely a tool of the wealthy for the perpetuation of existing social hierarchy?  Of course I understand that there are scholarship opportunities and grants for some students, but those are typically reserved for those with extraordinary academic accomplishments- at least at the University of Virginia they were when I attended until 2005.  The Lincoln Report as well as the other readings pointed to a need for increased study abroad participation (Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program, 2005). This may prove problematic unless specific money is dog-eared from state and national governments to support these programs and students.  Since the current student population that partakes in study abroad programs is mostly caucasian females, perhaps other demographics could be encouraged to participate as well.  The benefits can be great and are worth the investment of time and money- as long as students take the opportunity somewhat seriously and don’t merely view it as a party abroad.   Intercultural exchange has the potential to increase empathy and understanding for other cultures, which is important in an increasingly globalized and interconnected world.

Traditional Fish Soup at Liguria

(Sasha Harrison, 2012)

6/25-  Education for Change

My career choice was honored today, and I agree completely, that the way to accomplish large scale social change is through educational avenues.  On page 60 of the Chile guide, the author recommends that “the key to improvements lies in education” (Insight Guides, 2009).  It is also wise that the author interprets their multiple political views as acknowledging that while various methods can work, it can be slow and depends on great investments- that which the Chilean government seems to be willing to make.  Understanding that education is not only to help humanity survive now- but that it will be even more important for future generations- is indeed salient. 

I was also stunned that in 2002-  a census revealed that over 70% of Chileans were Roman Catholics (p. 69)!  I guess it shouldn’t surprise me- South Korea is over 50% Christian and many other nations that were inundated with Christian missionaries now have established religious followings and systems in place.  Divorce was not legalized in Chile until 2004- a sign that conservative traditions are hard to change in this closely knit society.  I enjoy that the family unit is so strong in Chile, yet am skeptical about what that really means when the paradox is that men are often known to have multiple mistresses on the side.