Week One
We discussed the basics of the class, such as the syllabus and introductory material. Our reading focused on the impact of the cultural view of visitors and tourists, regardless of the truth of a person’s origin and identification. It was interesting to see the way that individuals are viewed by residents in a given place. We also wrote up letters to ourselves for the future, about our goals and dreams for this class.
Week Two
We discussed the impacts of the tourist and their travels on the residents of the country and city. Tourists are often viewed as loud, obnoxious, and uncultured (and, unfortunately, behave in such a manner). By reading A Small Place and To Hell With Good Intentions, we as a class are focusing on patterns and behaviors to avoid in order to be proper tourists, being respectful of the culture and learning about Chile properly.
Week Three
We began to dig into the implications of the start and rise of dictatorship in Chile, accompanied by the goals, setbacks, and horrors which occurred within Chillean society. This included the goals of government, the coup leading up to Allende’s overthrowing, and the tortures which occurred under the rising Pinochet government.
Week Four
We discussed the itinerary and the upcoming events, as well as diving into the political climate and methods of protest under the dictatorship. One of the most prominent of these was the horrific suicide of Sebastian Acevedo, who burned himself to death in the street in outrage of his childrens’ abduction and placement into torture camps. Another more common one was via Arpilleras, craft art used as quiet protest in an unsuspected medium. This art gave power to the creator, able to vent and get help from fellow mourners with their crafts.
Week Five
We continued to discuss plans for the future, such as going over the itinerary and powerpoints for what to expect. We added to our group contract, began to plan for our safety groups and discussed safety measures.
Week Six
We discussed CADA and continued our Arpierllas.
Week Seven
We studied Zurita and Hector Hernandaz, and studied their different approaches. We also discussed last-minute packing tips and shared our Arperillas.
03/20/19
This journeys trip has helped me discover much of my identity as a global learner. I have been able to determine my comfortability with traveling to new places, socializing with people more confidently, and being able to discover things along the way. This trip helped me establish a voice as well to consider the impact of my actions, and the way I am perceived. It also gave me the realization that I might’ve gotten more out of the trip had I been fluent in the language.
A common aspect of globalization was the introduction of fast food and other food production being available worldwide, as well as certain stores and major businesses. Another was that the styles of clothing abroad were not much different from ours. These were neither positive or negative, although the former aspect does promote heavily on capitalism and the 1%, which does have negative side effects on everything else.
Globalization, while having some positive implications, isn’t always the best. During my trip, I did notice some of my peers being discriminated against due to skin color. A prime example of this was walking up to one of the museums, a woman begged for money, being somewhat aggressive towards some of my peers. Some of them also spoke to me about people giving them hostile looks and staring them down. In accordance to my learning, this was due to discrimination of the Hatian population in Chile, and while we are not a part of that, the stigma still lies with people who look similarly.
I feel that one of the most challenging experiences I faced consistently was actually one which I struggle with in everyday life: talking to people who I’m unfamiliar with. This can vary from just starting up conversations to things like ordering food. With some help from my peers in gaining confidence, I managed to get through this relatively well, and I’m grateful for it.
Overall, I believe that my experiences and feelings on the arts, and my lacking faith in politics back here are significant. I will continue to question the world around me, and develop what I feel is right, and to listen to the experiences of others to take into consideration when I do.
03/26/19
Memory
The waves lap playfully around me, and I can see the sunlight flickering on the shore. Cold water engulfs my feet, and for a time the world seems distant. Sunset. The world has never felt so quiet and peaceful more than it does in this moment. The reddish-orange hue darkens the sky, relinquishing itself to the mercy of the night. I can still hear the crashing of seawater on the beach, mingled with the swift footsteps of a dog bounding from one place to another without a care in the world. Tail wagging, coat gleaming, they gallop through the sand, barreling people over in their wake as they snap at the salty spray of the tides.
It almost feels like a place that’s too beautiful to exist. Together with newfound friends, yet so distant all the same – but in a good way. Wrapped up in that heavenly silence, disrupted by the scraping of sand as I scout for burrowing sand crabs amidst my peers. There’s something about it that’s alluring, and it still is. Something that keeps me going.
Perhaps I will never find peace in my life so strong and pervasive, but at the very least I can dream, and hope for the best.
Week Eight
We learned about Cecilia Vicunia and her works.
Week Ten
Something I remember when I was in Chile was the feeling of my usual insecurities coming to surface. I had some trouble adapting fully to the situation and engaging, although with time I got it. What I remember talking about was talking with Arin and discussing how to make an impact on the world through writing.
The view from the hotel room in Valparaiso resonated with my substantially. Seeing the bright lights and colorful buildings, and the architecture so close yet so far from me left a lasting image. I looked at it for nearly an hour.
Week Eleven
We worked on common themes across global learning, including the movie “Life And Debt” and the Nike business ethic. The themes explored in this were globalization, exploitation of labor forces and the impacts of poor working conditions (or, in Nike’s case, more favorable options to farm labor). While a global market is often associated as a positive thing in the United States, it was vital to see the negative implications it has on the market of other countries, and the work force they contain.
Week Twelve
At the beginning of the semester, our class reflected on our experiences and aspirations prior to the trip. During that time I was just beginning to determine my role as a global learner and as an individual on this trip and beyond, and I had some very vague ideas of what I would see and what emotions I would experience once I was there. Now, however, I believe I do have a much better sense than when I began.
It is not a complete sense, of course; I only know so much about the historical and geographical elements of Chile based on what we learned in our one-semester class. We stayed in very specific cities and did not stray too far from those, and our only exception to that was during the instances of travel, where we saw them on the way back on the bus. Even though we attempted not to be tourists, or at least educated travelers, we were not immune to some of the traditional tourist elements, which were brought to my attention by A Small Place. We still had the luxury of hotels, money provided for meals, and the occasional assistance of tour busses. We had events planned which, while we were there to learn, in many ways made it feel like a vacation. We took photos of the things we saw. We engaged with the art and overall surroundings differently than we would back at home. While we were fully aware and worked to be proactive with avoiding negative interactions, we were, still, here as tourists. Educated tourists, perhaps, but the label remains the same. I am simply glad that I had the exposure to watch out for that.
Through the historical readings and the poetry we read beforehand and even through brief mentions in the movie No, I recognized the impact that my country had on Chile, and I loathe it. Through learning about the historical events which lead to the rising dictatorship, one of the significant ones was indeed the involvement of the United States tampering with the elections. We were so focused on the paranoia of people not following our designated economic standpoint that we were willing to put thousands in danger, which is beyond sickening. Unfortunately, this still happens today, and unless something changes, it still will. I am glad, even if disappointed as a result, that I learned this bit of information I wasn’t given in any of my history classes pertaining to global involvement, swept under the rug as though it were an irrelevant scrap of information.
Travel helped me to learn about places which weren’t just America and Europe. Travel, while anxiety-inducing in places, taught me a lot about myself as well. I knew bits and pieces of my identity, and although I am still developing it, and this trip most definitely contributed. I learned that I am a team player, who while a little confused and scattered in places, could still keep up. I learned that I am appreciated for my input and my quirks, which were things prior to (and even during the trip, when the anxiety was particularly harrowing) the trip I half-loved, half-loathed about myself, afraid that the moment I showed my peculiarities people would turn away, disgusted. I found out that my peers were just as quirky as me, more so in some cases, and therefore the anxiety dropped and my self confidence rose. My interest in writing also strengthened due to the positive exposure to other mediums and authors.
I learned how to take on struggles as they came to me. Admittedly, I was terribly sick during the second half of the trip, but all in all I didn’t let that stop me. I kept participating in the discussion, got the help I needed, and kept going to the activities as much as I was able. I felt proud of my ability to keep going in the midst of hardship, and even if in the future it would be more proactive for me to speak up sooner and clearer, things worked out.
I feel that what I learned the most was just how broad the world is, and how diverse. This was only one small section of the world, but it was very different than anything I had experienced back home, and even when I was traveling abroad in France. I would like to continue to pursue these topics in order to strengthen my knowledge and awareness worldwide, through further readings and research. In the meantime, I will be sure to cultivate the information I learned and work from there on forward to gain a better understanding of the world I live in.
Week Thirteen
The Faulkner quote “what star falls unseen?” Ties back to the disappearances; in the loss and chaos, it is more than likely that people will be forgotten in the fray, and only remembered by certain individuals.
Everything exists in multiple facets, no two alike. Things are not simply two hues which are separated from the rest of the world, or else everything would be simplified too far, two-dimensional. The world exists in multiplicity, so why shouldn’t art?
The book Distant Star portrays characters pre and post exile, pre and post murder. They are portrayed in a light which makes them seem to be your standard, albeit quirky person, and then leads to violence later on. While it may not be the primary focus of the book, Roberto paints humanity with the same stroke; perhaps some people do retain their morals, but humans are prone to killing and violence. The duality shows what lurks behind gentility and civility.
Week Fourteen
- Nazism, while it reached its peak during the Second World War, still exists in current society. To this day we have people running rampant with a lust for bloodshed and murder, and the desire to take down groups of people who are not like them. In relation to Distant Star, the groups which this relates to are the opposing liberal parties and anyone who goes against the ideals of the dictatorship.
- The author is trying to unravel the story behind his acquaintance, the infamous murderer Carlos Weider, and the paths he’s taken during the rest of his life. The reason the ending isn’t satisfying is because we never know the truth of his travels and the reader never gets closure.
- Carlos Weider is after a sort of radical change in life, trying to make art out of violence and bloodshed. He believes himself to be the bringer of change to Chile, and romanticizes death and suffering. He is fighting back against conventional art and replacing it with unethical methods of conveying his ideas.
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Roberto reflects upon the fact that he and Weider have been traveling through the same expanses of time; through the dictatorship and hardship, yet on completely different sides of the torment. While Weider encourages violence, Roberto scorns him as “a criminal, not a poet,” and wants nothing to do with it (Bolano 218). He sees through the act that Carlos Weider attempts in gaining a following and refuses to believe him artistic. Nevertheless, they still have that connection from the poetry class, and thus when it comes to the planned murder of Weider, Roberto is hesitant – even with the knowledge that his past acquaintance is a serial killer. He does little to stop Weider even when he recognizes him, except tell Romero when he’s positive it’s him. Even prior to this Roberto scans for signs of Weider without even realizing it, always trying to keep on the same boat, similar proximity. It is with this effort that the ship sinks and he is free of Weider at last.
Final Entry
Breath
They say that breath is the silent passenger of the lungs.
Breathing in, echoing deeply, they make their way to their destination. Oxygen flows in and carbon dioxide emits into the night.
Sometimes we forget the ways in which our bodies function, out of sight and out of mind; we are always on the outside, never getting a glimpse of what lies within.
It’s hard sometimes to remember that without an interior we would be nothing – how something so overlooked affects our daily life.
And so the lungs continue to work, the heart to beat, the stomach to churn, making our life possible.
Burnished Metal
The burnished metal
Dangles at your neck.
The world parts beneath you,
Swallowing you up in a world of light
And color
And darkness
All present within the same
Inhale and exhale of breath.
I’ve seen the way the creatures follow you
On light, swift feet;
Lapping at your heels and
Basking in your wake.
They are waiting for something.
They know what I do not, and they’ll find it first.
The raucous calls of crows startle me out of my visions,
And the hazy, bloodless figures surround me.
I can see nor feel the sting of their bite,
Or sense the cold like a rush in my veins.
The pendant dangles around my neck now,
And the world seems to part all the same.
Maybe I’ll find you again,
For with this trinket,
Your world is now mine.
Red Capes and Lycanthropy
Huffing, panting, the storm rages on.
Tattered capes, tinted red, the world drifting away in the snowfields.
Beastlike, the wolf roams the woods, their presence a reminder that you are not welcome here. The wolf owns the forest. Not you.
But even still, it’s best to be careful. Watching out for the briars; they’ll tear and rip at garments, if not more than that. Some say that these things litter the gateways to hell. Well, perhaps they’re right. This feels like hell, pursued by that one lone wolf, their eyes dilated and irises bright as the moon that smiles down upon you. Paws pad down the narrow pathways, debating whether to make you stay or to let you go.
For once, the wolf will spare you, basket in hand. For once it’ll allow you passage but the emphasis is on “for once.”
Step back into its domain and it will show you no mercy.
