there is not one thing about this that is not bittersweet. nor is there anything that i can say about it that is not cliche. the thing about cliches is, well, theyre oversaid because a lot of the time they are true. i may have thought that this entire experience was an emotional montaña rusa (rollercoaster), but that was nothing compared to the utter polorization of my current emotional state. how does one say goodbye to an entire chunk of thier life, to people they may never see again? additionally, how does one do it without alienating people on the other side? yeah.
but así es la vida, and aa flight 940 scl -> dfw takes off at 9:40 pm. after connecting, i land at dtw at 2:11 pm tomorrow. that means for 16 hours and 31 minutes i will be in no man´s land. its kind of like the space between when they stamp your passport leaving a country and when the next window stamps it as having entered theirs. i suppose, then, that dallas will be the ultimate purgatory (although generally texas is more like hell). neither here nor there.
whatever
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
please rub in all your sunscreen before being ignorant
so, marissa, anna and i have just returned to stgo from an incredible trip to peru and bolivia. more specifically, cusco,peru then aguas calientes, peru, machu picchu, puno,peru and copacabana, bolivia which are both on lake titicaca, and lastly la paz, bolivia´s de facto capital (it has two). while perhaps not profoundly changing me, the trip did a great deal to open my eyes as well as re-whet my appetite for travel. while there are scarcely words for the things that i have seen and done (and probably not even enough pictures), i can manage to summon up a few phrases about one of the inevitable evils of travel: tourists.
throughout the duration of my semester in chile i have perferred to designate myself as a traveler and not a tourist. perhaps i am flattering myself. it is altogether possible that the distinction exists solely in my head and allows me to think i am better than others. if this is the case so be it. it does not change my opinions on the subject.
on our trip we undoubtedly did touristy things. one can not go to machu picchu and not be a tourist, and one can not go to peru without stopping at machu picchu. i think theres a law. or there should be. we also paid tour groups to take us to other ruins, most notably sacshayhunan (pronounced something like ´sexy woman´, which made marissa giggle more than saying lake titicaca). while at these sites i resented the presence of other tourists in my photographs and blocking my views, i was just as guilty as they. there is a reason that descendants of the incans knew of but did not disclose the whereabouts of the sacred machu picchu site. it took an american, hiram bingham to ´discover´ the ruins, with the help of a very young boy he bribed into taking him there. the people knew exactly what would happen, and, surprise, surprise, it did. now the children and grandchildren of those who kept its location a secret are serving as guides for the masses of foriengers that flock to oogle its unquestionably amazing presence. perhaps he took a liking to us because we were at least struggling through the tour with our spanish, but our guide was honest with us. he told us about how his grandfather was hurt by the treatment of the sacred site. he also claimed that there is another ruined city as yet ´undiscovered´ that puts machu picchu to shame, but that the people who know are trying much harder to protect it. while my curiosity peaked, i let go of the thought that perhaps we could go there. a driver in cusco had similar sentiments. he spoke of how his children do not know a cusco without tourists, how their entire lives they will likely be serving the tourist culture, either through a tour group or a specially geared business or restaurant.
these mild stirrings of disgust came to a head when we visited the floating islands of the uros people in lake titicaca from puno. the uros people fled to the water to escape extinction at the hands of the ayamami (im sure thats spelled wrong) people. they built rafts out of the reeds that grew in the lake, which eventually expanded into entire dwellings. there exist houses on these islands built of reeds that people still live in. but why? the fear of the ayamami has long since disappeared, indeed there is so much mixing between the groups that they have essentially merged into one. these days the uros continue to add reeds to keep their islands afloat as a tourist spectacle. they are always dressed in ´´traditional´´ garb and a visit to the islands is little more than a disturbing caricature of their former selves. there is not a day where tourists do not visit. there is not a child that does not pose politely for a photo and then demand money. their entire life is a business, no better than having your picture taken with mickey mouse. they take people on short rides in ´typical´ reed boats for 5 peruvian soles while they themselves get around in outboard motorboats. im not quite sure what i expected when we went out to these islands, but the three of us stood in shocked revulsion as the other tourists behaved as though they were at a circus, chasing chickens, entering houses, and generally treating the residents like novelties, which, for a price, they were happy to be.
so what does tourism do to a native culture other than exploit what is ´different´ for a few photographs?
question to ponder. ill be home in 2 days. think about it.
throughout the duration of my semester in chile i have perferred to designate myself as a traveler and not a tourist. perhaps i am flattering myself. it is altogether possible that the distinction exists solely in my head and allows me to think i am better than others. if this is the case so be it. it does not change my opinions on the subject.
on our trip we undoubtedly did touristy things. one can not go to machu picchu and not be a tourist, and one can not go to peru without stopping at machu picchu. i think theres a law. or there should be. we also paid tour groups to take us to other ruins, most notably sacshayhunan (pronounced something like ´sexy woman´, which made marissa giggle more than saying lake titicaca). while at these sites i resented the presence of other tourists in my photographs and blocking my views, i was just as guilty as they. there is a reason that descendants of the incans knew of but did not disclose the whereabouts of the sacred machu picchu site. it took an american, hiram bingham to ´discover´ the ruins, with the help of a very young boy he bribed into taking him there. the people knew exactly what would happen, and, surprise, surprise, it did. now the children and grandchildren of those who kept its location a secret are serving as guides for the masses of foriengers that flock to oogle its unquestionably amazing presence. perhaps he took a liking to us because we were at least struggling through the tour with our spanish, but our guide was honest with us. he told us about how his grandfather was hurt by the treatment of the sacred site. he also claimed that there is another ruined city as yet ´undiscovered´ that puts machu picchu to shame, but that the people who know are trying much harder to protect it. while my curiosity peaked, i let go of the thought that perhaps we could go there. a driver in cusco had similar sentiments. he spoke of how his children do not know a cusco without tourists, how their entire lives they will likely be serving the tourist culture, either through a tour group or a specially geared business or restaurant.
these mild stirrings of disgust came to a head when we visited the floating islands of the uros people in lake titicaca from puno. the uros people fled to the water to escape extinction at the hands of the ayamami (im sure thats spelled wrong) people. they built rafts out of the reeds that grew in the lake, which eventually expanded into entire dwellings. there exist houses on these islands built of reeds that people still live in. but why? the fear of the ayamami has long since disappeared, indeed there is so much mixing between the groups that they have essentially merged into one. these days the uros continue to add reeds to keep their islands afloat as a tourist spectacle. they are always dressed in ´´traditional´´ garb and a visit to the islands is little more than a disturbing caricature of their former selves. there is not a day where tourists do not visit. there is not a child that does not pose politely for a photo and then demand money. their entire life is a business, no better than having your picture taken with mickey mouse. they take people on short rides in ´typical´ reed boats for 5 peruvian soles while they themselves get around in outboard motorboats. im not quite sure what i expected when we went out to these islands, but the three of us stood in shocked revulsion as the other tourists behaved as though they were at a circus, chasing chickens, entering houses, and generally treating the residents like novelties, which, for a price, they were happy to be.
so what does tourism do to a native culture other than exploit what is ´different´ for a few photographs?
question to ponder. ill be home in 2 days. think about it.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
greetings from cusco
im in peru right now, therefore this is going to be super-short...basically as long as it takes anna and marissa to finish what they are doing. we have been in cusco about a day and a half now, and are leaving tomorrow morning at 545 to go to macchu piccu. im definitely very excited, although cusco is a city i would love to spend more time in...aside from the fact that i have a new and legitimate fear of the vehicles in the street. yesterday i witnessed one hit a pedestrian. it was strange because they picked him up and put him into the car that hit him and sped off. now, i know the dangers of projecting american opinions onto other cultures, but i dont think that was the best idea. anyway, i hope hes ok. i am, however, being extremely extremely careful around these narrow cobblestoned streets. perhaps too much, but thats ok with me. other than that, we are just hobknobbing around this hip yet traditional city. i absolutely love it. many more stories to come, as i will be home in 11 days (i know, i cant believe it either).
Thursday, June 22, 2006
loading photos takes bloody forever
so, without further ado, the photos as promised of the paro (strike). again, photos are not edited, as color values are shot on this monitor. i can not wait to get my hands on photoshop again.
here sheltered u catolica kids march around campus with signs
and have a sit-in. i have video footage of them chanting and such. its actually pretty cool despite the fact that i think they had no concept of what was really going on.
some of the signs out in front of campus. if you look closely, you can see the jesus statue in the distance embracing all those who enter campus (behind the word geo). i find that ironic, but maybe im the only one.
meanwhile, in front of the u de chile, this was going on. water being shot out of crazy tanks at the masses assembled there in protest. they had stopped tear-gassing because of bad press.
tank like thing. shoots water at great speeds. is scary.
high school students boarded up inside their school watching the chaos.
dave´s ear...and colin´s cigarette...and me, in case you forget what i look like.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
wordplay
so...i am in love with little black girls. seriously, lets break it down... negro = black; negra = black, feminine; -ita = little, feminine; negrita = little cookies that i buy and eat almost every day, aka, little black girls, and damn are they good. phrases like ´´i just ate a little black girl´´ and ´´i absolutely have to get my hands on a little black girl´´ are a part of my daily life here in chile, and, strangely enough, in spanish they have no racist or sexual connotation. this troubles me. also troubling? i once had lunch with a chilean family i didnt know. it was a volunteer program to introduce foreigners to chilean culture. i enjoyed it well enough until the mother made the comment ´´you used to never see black people in santiago, now they are everywhere!´´ aside from the obvious nationalistic righteousness of the phrase, the kicker of it was that, other than one african american student in my program from u of m, i find myself surprised to see more than 3 black people in any given week. and asian or indian people? forget it. everywhere? really? i think you might be exaggerating a bit. what chile is severly lacking is diversity.
granted, for a long time chile had more people fleeing its borders than knocking down its doors trying to get in. a dictatorship does that to you. however, it is a strange feeling to realize that we are the diversity. many people have little, if any, experience with strangers that look differently than they do. i am aware that i look like a foreigner a majority of the time, but it is more my mannerisms and american self-important attitude than my outward appearance. there exist chileans that are whiter, blonder, more freckled or european looking than i am. however, there are little, if any, african chileans.
conversations with the girl on my program have made my respect for her skyrocket. she has been taught her entire american life that she doesnt have to deal with discrimination and prejudice, and yet, for the past four months she has had no other option but to swallow it. all of us get stared at here, its the machismo thing, and yes, its annoying, but for her it is different. at times she is more of a sexual object, at times feared, lusted after, looked down upon, cursed. given the choice, ill stick with wolf whistles and obnoxious ´´que liiiiiiiinda´´ catcalls any day. i do not pretend to understand her experience. not surprisingly, given the strong and optimistic person that she is, she has adopted an amazing attitude. children, for whom it may be their first and only experience with a person of a different race, deserve kind treatment. no one will be served by creating new stereotypes. youths, who need to know better, should be taught. adults, who should know better...well, theres no protection for them.
i initially struggled with the obligation of being a representative of my country and culture. the american stereotypes of fast food and george bush are tough to combat. people dont understand that we are not a people homogeneous in our beliefs or actions, nor do many believe that life in the us is not like the movies. however difficult that may have been for me, it is nothing compared to having to represent an entire race of people, many belonging to cultures she has never seen nor experienced. i am in awe of her inner strength.
and so, while i do love negritas, i would love them more with a different name (in this case a rose by another name would smell sweeter). many chileans (not all, of course) have a long way to go in understanding and appreciating other cultures.
and dont even get me started on the chilean name for a mcdonald´s happy meal.
granted, for a long time chile had more people fleeing its borders than knocking down its doors trying to get in. a dictatorship does that to you. however, it is a strange feeling to realize that we are the diversity. many people have little, if any, experience with strangers that look differently than they do. i am aware that i look like a foreigner a majority of the time, but it is more my mannerisms and american self-important attitude than my outward appearance. there exist chileans that are whiter, blonder, more freckled or european looking than i am. however, there are little, if any, african chileans.
conversations with the girl on my program have made my respect for her skyrocket. she has been taught her entire american life that she doesnt have to deal with discrimination and prejudice, and yet, for the past four months she has had no other option but to swallow it. all of us get stared at here, its the machismo thing, and yes, its annoying, but for her it is different. at times she is more of a sexual object, at times feared, lusted after, looked down upon, cursed. given the choice, ill stick with wolf whistles and obnoxious ´´que liiiiiiiinda´´ catcalls any day. i do not pretend to understand her experience. not surprisingly, given the strong and optimistic person that she is, she has adopted an amazing attitude. children, for whom it may be their first and only experience with a person of a different race, deserve kind treatment. no one will be served by creating new stereotypes. youths, who need to know better, should be taught. adults, who should know better...well, theres no protection for them.
i initially struggled with the obligation of being a representative of my country and culture. the american stereotypes of fast food and george bush are tough to combat. people dont understand that we are not a people homogeneous in our beliefs or actions, nor do many believe that life in the us is not like the movies. however difficult that may have been for me, it is nothing compared to having to represent an entire race of people, many belonging to cultures she has never seen nor experienced. i am in awe of her inner strength.
and so, while i do love negritas, i would love them more with a different name (in this case a rose by another name would smell sweeter). many chileans (not all, of course) have a long way to go in understanding and appreciating other cultures.
and dont even get me started on the chilean name for a mcdonald´s happy meal.
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