D.I.E

Description: A big culture shock to me was the earthquake we experienced. We were told about them so often and learned a lot about them and the location of Chile along the Ring of Fire, but I really did not know if we would actually experience one. I have experienced one earthquake in my life while living in Maryland. I think it came out to be around a 4 on the Richter scale, similar to the one we experienced in Chile.

Interpretation: I think it was mostly so shocking to us Americans because the majority of us come from and have lived in places in the United States that are not prone to earthquakes. Even when we do have them, like the one in Maryland a few years ago, we find them so uncommon that it was a huge deal to us Maryland-ers. Whereas someone from California might not have thought anything of it.

Evaluation: Similarly to someone in California experiencing a small earthquake in Maryland, the Chileans had the same feelings towards the earthquake we experienced during our trip. When we were so intrigued by what had woken us up during the night, the Chileans giggled and let us know that to them, it was only a small tremor, something they did not even consider an earthquake. I do not think about earthquakes as a daily or weekly part of my life here on the east coast of the United States and find it interesting that some people do in other parts of the world.

Final Post

So many kinds of emotion are running through my head! I am so excited to finally be in Chile, as this is the third year I have been wanting to go on this trip. I am also a little bit nervous, only for the flight because I have never been on one that is so long. The longest flight I have been on was only two hours. I am anxious to get there and as if the flight is not already long enough, it will only feel longer. I packed very, very little and I was so proud of myself. I am the queen of over packing so the fact that I fit three weeks of clothes in such a small suitcase was a huge accomplishment for me. I am so excited for some warm weather and sunshine because I am so tired of the cold. Unfortunately, it will be a tough transition going back to the coldness in Lynchburg!

 

Chilean Dance

Cueca is the national dance of Chile. In order to dance the cueca, there must be two people each with a handkerchief. Originally, this dance was performed as a celebratory dance between a man and woman, but changed to a form of protest during the Pinochet regime. There is another version of the cueca called the cueca sola, which is where a woman dances alone in order to represent that a loved one(s) have died or are missing. Another way they would represent the loss of their loved one would be to have a picture of the lost person somewhere on them during the dance, whether it was hung around their neck or pinned onto their outfit.

I really hope we get the opportunity to see this dance in person. I think not only will it be a great cultural experience, but it also gives us the experience of a visual representation of all that we have learned about it!

Chilean Art

Roberto Matta was a Chilean-born artist and a international figure. His work displayed abstraction, figuration and multi-dimensional spaces. He added pieces into his work that demonstrated social and political awareness to his audience. During Pinochet's dictatorship, rather than art in the form of painting, throughout this time, art, specifically political art, was represented in forms of posters, tapestries, and performances. Artists used sensitive political issues using children to represent the milk contamination issue in the 1970's. While some used sensitive topics in politics, others used humor to get their points across. They did this by including masks and cartoons. I am really excited to see some Chilean art in person. In the United States, the only street art I have seen is graffiti. While graffiti can be seen as art, most of what I have seen has been vandalism, so I am excited to see some that people value.

Chilean Music

Violeta Parra was a Chilean musician, poet, and artist who presented her stance on Chilean politics through writing and music. Through her work, Violeta Parra supported a social movement by incorporating lyrics related to social and political issues at the time. Something I found interesting about Parra's way of expressing her views, is that she did not use violence or hate to do so.

Victor Jara was a teacher, director, poet, singer/songwriter, and political activist. Similarly to Violeta Parra, Victor Jara avoided the use of violence in his work. His work was largely focused on the political views on the issues at the time, mostly focused on topics surrounding the election of Allende. Unfortunately, due to his strong political views, he was killed- being tortured and shot. 

Los Prisoneros was a group of three Chilean men forming a rock/pop band. They had a very large and strong musical influence on the country of Chile. Their songs were focused on controversial topics of the time related to Pinochet, such as education, socio-economic issues, economic policies, etc. With a new sound and combination of punk rock, techno, reggae, synthpop, and nueva Ola, Los Prisoneros created a new wave of music.

Ana Tijoux was born in France to Chilean parents. They were both imprisoned, escaped and fled Chile to France due to the Pinochet regime. She was a popular Latin hip-hop/pop artist. Ana Tijoux used her songs to discuss political issues that had happened throughout Chilean history even though she was living in France for the majority of it. Her music focused on feminism, education and politics. Violeta Para and Victor Jara had a large influence on her work and act as her role models. 

Chilean Film

The Bear Story is a short film about a bear who was forcefully taken away from his family by government officials. These officials took in many animals for the circus and unfortunately mistreated them all. The animals were put through harsh conditions, abuse, and torture. During a performance, this particular bear was able to escape and return home. Upon returning home, he noticed that his house was destroyed and assumed his family had vanished. Just as the bear did before being taken from his family, he started to preform puppet shows on the streets again, in order to bring joy and happiness to others. 

Similarly to the bear's mistreatment in the short film, the people of Chile have encountered many forms of mistreatment by their government, such as harsh conditions, abuse, and torture. In the short film, the authorities had absolutely no respect for the families and the negative impacts they would be having on them after their actions. While in this short film, the animals have no power versus the government, that same problem can be felt amongst human beings versus their government. When people are mistreated so horribly, they come out of it with a story to share to others, exactly how the bear did at the end of this short film. 

Link: https://vimeo.com/162858612