corrie va a chile

here it is, my travels in south america, centered in chile. see accompanying photos at flickr.com/photos/corriegrrl

Monday, November 29, 2004

nearing the end...sniffle, sniffle

Would you believe me if I told you this is my last week in Santiago? I almost don't believe it. I know everyone says the cliche about time flying, but really, it's not like it has all been peaches and cream for me at this end of the world...but now I'm sadly facing the truth of the close of the semester and the inevitable return to winter in Berkeley.

If anyone ever tells you that a semester is a good amount of time to spend in another country, don't believe them. I suppose I'm biased, but I'll tell you why I say that. It's just such an awkward number of months in which to settle in, make real friends, get to know your surroundings, and improve your language skills--it's almost long enough, and at first it seems like it will maybe be too long--but maybe I just thought that because it was the first time being away from "home" for so long.

There were so many things I kept telling myself I would see and do "some weekend," and now there is barely one weekend left, and I'm missing so much...San Pedro de Atacama, Valparaiso, Blondie's, La Pintana, more of la cordillera. And not to mention the time I could have invested in making friends here--oh, I've been so lazy, I'm lucky I live with sociable people who always have people around, but I'm realizing I don't have many Chilean friends of my own...it's hard enough to take the risks and go out on a limb to make friends, but add the language and cultural differences, and I'm just not the smoothest.

Oh, before I forget to mention it: I was totally wrong about the peaceful nature of the anti-Bush/APEC march and demo--it got hella ugly shortly after I left. The pacos were just waiting by with their water tanks (kinda makes you feel like you're still living under the dictatorship, I imagine), and then when some of the younger and more anarchistically-leaning folks started throwing things at the tanks (poor tanks), and the tear gas and water cannons rolled into action. My friends were ok, but they arrested 5 foreigners, three Germans and two North Americans. Oh, and the bastards also arrested over 600 Chileans over the course of the weekend's protests!!!

But I had a wonderful, wonderful time with the 'rents--we had a whirlwind tour of Buenos Aires last weekend, where we were immersed in the best possible scene for consumeristic enjoyment, as well as excellent tango music (no dancing), food (though I did not partake in the imbibing of Argentina's famous beef, I hear it's good), drink (I'd say the wine's better than Chile's), opera (at Teatro Colon, one of the world's grandest opera-houses; we saw Death in Venice) and crazyness (I refer to the circus atmosphere at the San Telmo antique market on Sundays).

And sad to say, I spent much of the last week slaving over my psycholinguistics research paper. Intended to have it done before they got here, then by Tuesday, the original due date, then by Thursday, the new due date, then by Friday so I could return to sanity. So I pulled two all-nighters during that saga and unfortunately wasn't able to show my parents around Santiago, like I wanted to. I would love to tell you about all the amazing ideas I was absorbed in, since I still can't stop thinking about it, even though I need to move on...it has to do with second language acquisition and code transfering of narrative styles between language cultures. I'm a geek.

Passed out Friday night, skipping out on a going-away party some of the EAP kids were throwing, and Saturday was magical: went to the 31st Festival of International Artesania (crafts) with some new gringa friends, and then to the 6th Latin American Organic Festival/1st ever in Chile. It was like a mini-California day, with the sun beating down and sampling yummy organic goods and finding presents to take home to you!

Then the Chilean part of the day started: went to see some beautiful Chilean music that night, Manuel Garcia, who performed alongside a great Cuban poet, Fidel Ordena (OK, I just made up Fidel's last name, sorry), at one of the dozens of cultural centers in my neighborhood (El Sindicato). And then went out with Alexana, Katie, and Pancho to dance in Bellavista...more like to look for a free place to dance with not unbearable music. Such locales are hard to find. But not so establishments with Happy Hour. Got home at 6am and wrote the worst and longest poem I have ever written in my life...and in Spanish.

Anyway, I have a final exam in my psycholinguistics class tomorrow and a final paper in my lit seminar--more about Eliot's Family Reunion, and I'm out of here next weekend. Going away party on Friday, though all my gringo friends will be gone...Oh, and the hippy class tonight, with Katie. Hopefully I'll be more animated when I tell you about my travel plans. Enjoying the snow and rain? I'll try to send some sun your way.

Friday, November 19, 2004

beautiful life

Just wanted to check in, in case my reading audience was dying of suspense to know what is going on in Santiago these days.

Do you know where "your" President is?

That's right, he and 2000 of his security forces are making evil free trade deals right here in Santiago this weekend, at the APEC Summit (don't you think it's a problem if so many people want you dead that you can't walk the streets without an army to protect you?).

Today was the inaugrual march of the Chilean Social Forum (www.forosocialchileno.cl), which was absolutely amazing. They're estimating 30,000 people, but I think there were way more. The march was beautiful and colorful and noisy with chants and hippie drumming and dancing. It was the first time I had seen so many organized forces on the left in this city, selling their papers and everything. Since the Man has banned EVERY OTHER public protest of APEC, this was the ONLY manifestation that was not severly repressed and resulting in either mass beat-down or arrests. The cops were probably busy with the unauthorized anarchist march on the other side of town--I haven't heard about it, but I hope it wasn't too bloody. Stay tuned for a letter to Socialist Worker (www.socialistworker.org) for more details and analysis!

Sorry, I suppose it's not really right to start out with that, when my family is in town, but sometimes one has to think beyond one's own situation...Yesterday was probably one of the most beautiful days I have spent in Santiago. Picked up Mom, Fred, and Grandma T at the airport in the morning, which came after a night of crazy studying and excitement, which kept me from sleeping. Tears at the airport when hugging Mom, as usual. There's nothing like that hug...

We chatted in the cab on the way to their airport, as it became clear that Chile was also getting them under their spell. Unfortunately, due to APEC, we are currently living in a police state, so that's a bit unpleasant (who knew there were this many cops in this country?), but no matter. OK, it matters, because one feels guilty just breathing these days.

Lunch at the Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende (exactly right around the corner from my house), which was fabulous. Food, of course, but there was the extra treat of me asking the waitor on my Mom's behalf about purchasing the cute little espresso cup for her collection. And being told No, we need them, and then the owner coming over and presenting it to her as a gift: Para usted. Charming.

The museum is amazing, with lots of art donated from all over the world after the 1973 military coup--lots of the art was well hidden during the dictatorship, and they founded the museum about 15 years ago, I think. Right now there is a very intense photo exhibit about the torture centers, based on the experience of one man--the room is set up like a prison camp--it's powerful and chilling.

That tired out my wonderful, eccentric (and Republican!) grandmother, so they all went and took naps at the hotel while I slaved away on my psycholinguistics project (hmmm, which I should be doing right now...) at home.

I got a call from my housemate Luis ("Lucho") saying that he was going to cook dinner for everyone that night and making sure we would all be there--the night before was supposed to be a big "family" dinner at home, but he had to film a night scene (!) and couldn't do it. But these things turn out for the best, because we could all go last night, too (that may not sound very interesting, but it's very, very rare that the four of us are all home at once, let alone spending QT together).

While Lucho's wonderful girlfriend Mané was actually preparing the pizzas for everyone, Mom, Fred, and I went to see 1907, a Chilean play about the miner's strike in the North in that year. It was produced by a very, very talented company called Patogallina (I believe that means something like duck-rooster, but that doesn't sound quite right), and featured great music with a live band, dance, and no text. Beautifully, beautifully done--actually, I went to see it with Marcelo last week and was inspired to take the fam there since there wouldn't be a language barrier. They loved it.

Well, we closed out the utopic evening with a scrumptious dinner with all the housemates, plus our neighbor and good friend Polo, and my parents. Lots and lots of borbonia (I think that's how you spell it), which is wine with fresh fruit and a favorite of Chileans--in this case, red wine with strawberries, and white wine with peaches--until very, very late.

We're going to dinner now, and the to hear jazz in Ñuñoa, and then we leave very, very early to Buenos Aires--lots of security at the airport for APEC, got to get there hella early...Hopefully I am not a total wreck in the coming weeks, because my procrastination is biting me in the ass, and I have to finish my big project and take a test and therefore cannot travel to Valporaiso with the 'rents. Argh. But it will soon pass. And I still get to hang out with them a few days, and even possibly do a nice Thanksgiving thing next week with them.

Do you realize how fast time has flown? I am trying not to get too depressed, but I have to leave this beautiful city and all my amazing friends very, very soon. Luckily, it will be followed by yummy travels, but I am still sad.

Enough of that. Hope you all are súper bien. Cuidese mucho. Wish you were here.

Friday, November 12, 2004

la mañana que disfruto

the delicious spring rain
and the soggy converse i didn't mean to wear today
the señora with the voice of elmo
who sat behind me on the bus with the leaky roof
chatting away with her girlfriend
waking up hungry for breakfast
since i didn't stuff myself at dinner last night
the man's decision to close my campus next week
to pre-empt protest and low attendance
when the imperialists come to town
el juego de tú y usted entre compañeros
que nunca imaginaba
the beautiful no-text play and dance
last night next to friends
tears that flow when they need to
like the pregnant clouds that had to open
even in november
dancing like a crazy hippy and loving it
abrazos ricos sin besos-besos
the fantasy of that touch of mink
every time the micro flies by
and knowing it's ok to dream
losing myself not to you
but to the two languages que me tiran
to the books i have longed to read
anticipating the visit of family
the future travel to know new lands and people
but content with the now now now
that never las------------

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Alternative Perspectives on the Elections

Repost from Counterpunch, expressing an interpretation of why Kerry lost the election that we haven't heard in the media:

The Devil Made Them Do It?
Elections, Religion and the American People
By BRIAN RAINEY

The discussion over the election has been raging here at Harvard Divinity School. Many of the students supported Kerry and they, like many progressives in this country, are angry and confused about this election. The seeming widespread anger at the Bush Administration did not translate into an electoral victory for Kerry and many are wondering what went wrong. Seeing so many "red states" on the map leads some to the conclusion that the country is irredeemably reactionary. In particular, the role of the "religious right" has been the focus of much attention in the media. It seems clear that this bloc of right-wing, evangelical Christian voters turned out in large numbers, as 22 percent of voters cited "moral values" as the most important issue to them. In addition, weekly church goers overwhelmingly voted for Bush (61 percent to 39 percent). The display of power by the "religious right" has caused some people on the religious left to draw all kinds of off-the-wall conclusions. The solutions I've heard range from suggesting that the left be more concerned about "personal morality" to the idea that Americans were too duped by a fanatical religion to vote for their "class interests."

First, a reality check. While voter turnout was 4 percent higher than in 2000, 45 percent of Americans still did not vote showing that a large segment of the population is still not engaged by the political system. In addition, that Bush mobilized his Christian conservative base is clear, but we should not exaggerate the supposed "right-wing" consciousness of the country. Polls have consistently shown a general progressive consciousness in America. An AP-Ipsis Poll showed that as recent as March 2004, 62 percent of respondents said that they would prefer more spending on health care, education and economic development than balancing the budget. A late October CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll showed that 52 percent of Americans believe that the US made a mistake in sending troops into Iraq.

A May 2004 ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 54 percent of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in most cases and another CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found that 81 percent of respondents believe that abortion should be either sometimes or always legal [1]. Suggesting, as Vijay Prashad does, that these kinds of polls "might have been weighted for the coasts and not Kansas," [2] is an outlandish grasping at straws. It reflects an irrational (and elitist) refusal to accept that even people in the Midwest may, indeed, be more progressive than stereotypes of academia and the liberal establishment suggest. It shirks the responsibility that the left has of organizing that sentiment into something concrete and legitimates throwing up our hands at the hopelessness of the "ignorant masses."

So if Americans do have generally progressive viewpoints, why didn't this materialize at the polls? The question actually begs another question: Who says that voting is an accurate expression of the political consciousness of the American people? How can anyone claim that people voted against their "class interests" in this election, when both Kerry and Bush stood diametrically opposed to their class interests? Kerry offered not even the semblance of an alternative to the Bush agenda. When the media talked about something other than what Bush and Kerry did during the Vietnam War, right-wing discourse defined the debate. Kerry and Bush quibbled over how to suppress the Iraqi resistance and Kerry was even more bellicose than Bush on Iran and North Korea! Furthermore, Kerry's obsession with a balanced budget prevented him from making a dynamic case for health care, higher wages, unemployment relief, etc. If the discourse throughout the election season prioritized right-wing issues, why are we surprised that voters prioritized right-wing issues? This campaign was defined by the war on terror, and John "I'm-reporting-for-duty" Kerry did nothing to shift the paradigm--and so terror defined the politics of the electorate. Combine this with the fact that the "religious right," who (unlike the left) has the chutzpah to build a grassroots movement and demand things of the Republican Party, was mobilized, and you have your explanation for the 2004 election.

The disconnect between Americans' political consciousness and the election also has to do with the apolitical nature of elections, rooted in Americans' rightful cynicism at the electoral process and politicians. Since November 3, I have heard a barrage of anecdotes about how someone's Bush-supporting cousin, brother, sister, mother, father, or uncle cared more about the image of leadership that Bush represented, whether or not he was a "family man" or whether or not they could have a beer with him, than actual policy. Students, professors and others decried the fact that many people vote on their "emotions." It's a shame that some of these storytellers were too busy lamenting the "stupidity" of their relatives to ask why someone would have such apolitical reasons for voting in the first place. De-politicization like this is the result of cynicism due to the absence of a real political debate on issues that matter to Americans. Voting on apolitical or "moral" issues is another way of "checking out" of the political system. And Kerry's campaign was not going to reverse this cynicism. On the contrary, he probably enflamed cynicism with his disingenuous, focus-group based campaign which many people saw right through. In fact, real political debate has been absent from elections for so long, and cynicism about government is so high, that elections themselves cannot politicize people. There is widespread recognition among people that no politician will significantly change things like the economy, health care, or jobs and so voting (especially for a sorry Democrat like Kerry) will not be an effective funnel for people's anger at the system. Regardless of how many celebrities scream, "Vote or die," dissatisfied people will continue to either stay at home, as 45 percent did, or vote on apolitical issues (religion, morality, whether a candidate seems like a nice guy, etc.).

It seems as though much of the disappointment of the left stems from the unwarranted expectation that the American people would express their progressive ideas through this election. The left needs to get over that and instead offer an alternative way for people to express progressive consciousness. Katha Pollitt, a writer for The Nation, simply cannot understand what went wrong. After all, the left worked hard to get this pro-war, pro-corporate candidate elected. She could not fathom how Kerry lost when "hundreds of thousands of people--Democrats, leftists, Greens, independents, Deaniacs, even a few stray Republicans--knocked themselves out registering voters, phone-banking, going door to door; for many, like me, this was the first time they'd volunteered for a presidential campaign."

But I wonder what would have happened if people went door to door and phone-banking with just as much zeal and enthusiasm to talk about the war in Iraq, the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal, health care, jobs, wages, etc. Many DNC activists prowled the streets of Cambridge asking me whether or not I "wanted to defeat George W. Bush." They were soliciting donations for Kerry. I'm sure readers in other cities have encountered similar activists on your streets. I wonder what would have happened if after asking this question, they explained to passers-by the need for building a movement, given information about the next local anti-war event and asked for donations to promote anti-war causes. Imagine if just a portion of the millions of dollars raised by MoveOn.org and other 527s for Kerry had gone into an infrastructure to raise awareness of the next big anti-war demonstrations. Indeed, we need to be in the streets asking people to defeat George W. Bush--even now. But we need to propose a real alternative, which is a fighting movement, not Bush-lite. People need to understand how they can fight for change--not through a politician, but for themselves. It is the left's responsibility to help politicize the people. But instead of strengthening a movement that would truly change the political landscape, we tried to take a short cut and put the movement on hold to solicit votes for Kerry. That strategy has clearly failed.

In sum, the polling data suggested that Americans are not as right-wing as many would like to think. For all of the hysteria about the "religious right" in this election, Americans are by and large not supportive of the religious right's agenda. The presence of the religious right in this election is the product of their ability to mobilize in large numbers. The problem was that activists were unable to convince Americans to express their progressive sentiments concretely through voting. This is not because the American people were too ignorant to recognize that their progressive sentiments could be expressed through voting. Rather, it is because people understand that their progressive sentiments actually cannot be expressed through voting. Americans have long abandoned the idea that politicians will provide any significant change to their lives, yet the left continues to rally behind politicians (and really bad ones at that). Kerry not only failed to offer a progressive platform, his hypocrisy and flip-flopping spelled "typical politician" to the American people. The people understandably rejected him either by staying at home or by voting on non-progressive issues. The lesson is: If we continue to expect the American people to express progressive consciousness through the ballot box, without building a movement to politicize Americans, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Brian Rainey is a Master of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School. He can be reached at brian_rainey@alumni.brown.edu

NOTES:1. All statistics can be found at http://www.pollingreport.com
2. Vijay Prashad, "An Election of Misogyny and Homophobia: It's Time to Confront the Theocracy Head On" CounterPunch. 4 November, 2004. URL: http://www.counterpunch.org/prashad11042004.html

Monday, November 08, 2004

A Slice of Inner Peace

Philipians 4:8 - "...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."

The passage was sent to me by my Dad and I think it is an excellent guide for me these days...Things have really been looking up for me, mostly due to a sudden ability to stop dwelling on being blue.

Friday was my usual lay-low kind of day and night, and then Saturday was the real tide-turner: I confirmed my plans to travel with Alexana, a friend from UCLA on EAP with me. So no more tears over going back to the States early. She also convinced me to go see Julieta Venegas that night--do you know her? That was an incredible show at the Estadio Victor Jara, almost three hours. Went with Marcelo (housemate) and met up with the chicas there. Afterwards, he and I caught a micro to his favorite bar, El Clan(destino) in Bellavista. (Hanging out with him is like walking around the Berkeley campus with Snehal or at Davis with John (from what I hear, anyway): he knows *everyone*) So for the first time in quite awhile, I stayed out til dawn dancing my little heart away in earnest, sober fun. Yesterday I went to the punk rock flea market and circus and drank borgonia (white wine with chirimoya--yum yum) with my housemates and assorted visitors...

So I'm just scrambling to get things done for the semester, since I leave Santiago in about four weeks!!! Tomorrow I'm going to the Feria del Libro with my friend Polo to check out all the new titles brought to you by The Man (that's how many people see it, anyway), which should be interesting--to compare it to the book expos I've been to.

Anyway, I suppose there's nothing else to say--just that life's ok again. That's worth reporting, right?

Friday, November 05, 2004

take me out tonight...anywhere i don't care i don't care i don't care

As luck would have it, here I am at the EAP office on a Friday night trying to think of things to tell you about my life these days. I suppose luck has nothing to do with why I'm here, but since I'm thinking of things in terms of luck, I guess I could start with that...

Mostly, the bad luck is about bicycles. The other day, coming down Pedro de Valdivia, a nasty brick-paved, micro-over-run street, my hand was intercepted by a delivery driver shutting the door of his truck, and I almost lost my balance and got run over by a big yellow bus, but I maintained by composure (composure...my middle name) and lived...until later, when I was almost home, I was skirting around a cab stopped a little close to my curb (and in *my* bike lane, at that), my left shoe (one half of my *favorite* pair of shoes) got caught on a pole and broke, and I lost my composure and fell on the ground. I wasn't very happy.

That night, while brooding over the election results and zoning out over eight million episodes of Law and Order, my housemate came and told me that he needed to lend his bike to a cash-strapped friend, and that as of the next day (yesterday), I couldn't use it. Pucha...

So now I'm back to feeling really fat.

Wow, I'm just full of stuff to make you happy, huh?

Here's the good stuff though: I got to see The Mars Volta, PJ Harvey, and Morrissey last night. Since it was practically in the cordillera, way way way in the posh suburbs (at a stadium for the U Católica, built out there so that the families of the players wouldn't have to go into the city and mingle with the rabble to see the games), I went with my housemate Rafa on his motorcycle. Damn, I'm loving haning out with that guy.

It was a funny show--the set-up was a lot like any other huge concert you would go to in the state, but a'la chilena means that it was way less corporate (brought to you by Rock & Pop radio--yes it's in English--and MTV, but not all about selling you crap once you get in--except you have to pay 100 pesos (6cents) to use the port-a-potty), and they don't sell alcohol at the stadium! PJ didn't play nearly long enough, and they started the show an hour early, which is a big shift from how things usually go in this country, starting an hour or two late, usually. And Morrissey...never thought I'd get to see him. It's weird seeing someone who can only make you think of heartbreak and loneliness, and being surrounded by thousands of people for whom that's also true. Singing along (this is how the kids learn English) happily and miserably, but together...

Wow, so I only have FOUR weeks left in the semester! That's not much time to write my big lit paper, do all my psycholinguistics research and report on it, and see more of Chile. And find someone to travel with for after exams...or give up and go back to the States. Argh. The more important count-down, however, is the visit from the fam, in two weeks. Life-saving, I'm sure.