Tag: rmattiola

By rmattiola

It’s time to talk about this. I am perpetually congested here in the beautiful south. I returned from Puerto Saavedra to Temuco on Thursday to play field hockey. Once I arrived, I received a text telling me practice was cancelled due to “environmental emergency”. I asked, what does that mean? My friend explained that all the wood burning stoves and heaters in the towns and city produce so much smoke which gets trapped and can dangerously effect their health if they were to vigorously exercise outdoors for 2 hours. On the bus rides back during the evening, I noticed flumes of smoke hovering over the semi-suburban villages outside the city. I couldn’t help but think about Chile’s carbon footprint. Let’s start with excessive wood burning. Toss in acres and acres of cows—happy cows. Recall the constant tacos (traffic jams) throughout all the cities. Wrap it all up with the fact that recycling is essentially non-existent. Loads of plastic and glass get thrown in with food scraps. It’s infuriating. But remind yourself of the 20 or so wind turbines you saw in the desert to Atacama. And remind yourself that the people are just living the system put in place for them by their government. All this though is especially confusing when I listen to my indigenous interviewees teaching me about their strong connection to naturaleza, and how we are all born from mother earth. What’s even weirder is that plenty of people talk about climate change. Not only do they believe it, but they’re experiencing it. And yet they sit, subversive to their government that’s not mandating clean energy and providing extensive recycling services. I vowed to go back to the U.S. and live as environmentally clean as I can. I plan to go completely vegetarian again… nearly vegan due to my lactose intolerance. I plan to learn more than I already do about recycling and sorting. I’ll ride my bike around Coopersburg, like I did when I was a tween. I’ll eat local crops from my dad’s Co-op and the town farmer’s market. I’ll go out to all those rallies back in DC on the national mall, in front of the white house and congress building, and demand a transition to clean energy. If you know me, you’ve heard this before, so I’ll move on.

...continue reading "Wood Burning Stoves and Anthropological Woes"

By rmattiola

When I came back to Arica 2 weeks ago, I felt like I was seeing it for the first time, free of judgment, with eyes wide open. When I left over a month ago, I was tired of the depressed desert, eager to escape the sand and wind. But now, I’m beginning to feel like I don’t want to leave. Of course, at the end of the journey I am finally comfortable. Today I attended the last group meeting before we travel off to our independent investigation locations. Some of my friends are leaving today to hike the W in Patagonia before starting their project. I’m incredibly surprised they pulled it off. I’ll be even more surprised to hear their stories when we return together. I’m heading out tomorrow on a night bus to the town of San Pedro de Atacama, a desert oasis and geological haven. Also home to some of the largest telescopes/ satellites in the world called ALMA. I expect the sights in both the day and the night to be spectacular.

Today, and only today, did I realize that I made some incredible friends on this journey—without trying. I did not seek out friends; rather I allowed relationships to form organically, almost accidentally. Of course I am going to miss everyone over the next month, but I will be eagerly awaiting my reunion with Catherine, Madeline, Rosie and Minerva. Yes, the Rosie/ Rosie issue developed quite early on, so I decided to go exclusively by Rosalie during my time in Chile. Madeline and Rosie are funny Midwestern runners. Catherine is an upstate New York sweetheart with witty, dry sarcasm. Minerva is a sassy, tranquil, Mexican partier. All are great company one on one or together.

The trip to San Pedro was the most relaxing and exciting trip thus far. Well worth the time and money. I took in spectacular sights with 4 other girls, learned a surprisingly large amount of geographical and cultural information, and met tourists from all over the world. On our second day trip, we formed lovely and all too brief friendships with our tour guide, a 22 year old girl named Andrea from Santiago, and the other 5 tourists.

...continue reading "Vacationing but still Learning"

By rmattiola

Our trip to Santiago seemed a bit like an obligatory stop at a tourist destination. Nonetheless, we acquired more important information regarding public health and traditional cultures. The two most educational aspects of this week were our visit to the Panamerican World Health Organization and a community ruka (traditional hut) in a highly indigenous section of Santiago called La Pintana. Our group was fortunate enough to have been the first of SIT to have this small conference with the Panamerican World Health Organization.

The information was pertinent and well organized, but I’d like to focus this blog on the observations and information gained from our visit to the urban ruka. Unfortunately, for some reason I struggled to understand a large part of the lectures in the ruka. I felt frustrated and disappointed to know that I was missing out on very important material. Regardless, I feel responsible to share the little information I gathered. It is necessary to share these experiences in order to help make the Mapuche voice heard.

There is an obvious clash between the Mapuche and the government. It seems some are even resistant to the laws and organizations put in place to improve their situation. Our director in Makewe (a community outside Temuco) seemed disguisted with PESPI, the government organization that focuses on the health of indigenous people. This well-spoken, intelligent, calm, professional Mapuche leader crinkled his nose and crossed his pointer fingers in the form of an X when he heard we would be lectured from a PESPI leader.

...continue reading "Urban resistance"

By rmattiola

"We are all children of mother earth"

In Chile, there are about 10 recognized indigenous groups, although many others exist. The largest two are the Aymara (or Aimara) of the extreme north (aka the region of Arica and Parinacota) and the Mapuche of the Central- South (Arancunia Region).

During class, we received small details about each group, and we occasionally can pick up on personal opinions, but it seems like the program is encouraging us learn directly from the indigenous, rather than from a secondary source from an outsider’s perspective. We quickly learned the significance of Pacha mama (Mother earth) and Inti (Sun) from various artisans and educators in Arica, but I was craving more information.

I was fascinated by a brief lesson taught in a Spanish class about the Andian Cosmovisión (roughly translates to “world view”). The surviving Andian communities are the Quechua and Aymara who share many aspects of their world beliefs. This ancient group is thought to have migrated from Lake Titicaca in Tiwanhaku, Bolivia to the coast of Chile and Peru well before the conquistadors arrived in Latin America. We learned of the strong community connection rooted in familiar ties between the inhabitants of Aymara towns. Apparently, the hardest and most important work is often shared. The whole community will come together to dig a canal, or plant seeds, or harvest potatoes, and then feast together afterwards. We learned of the belief in 3 worlds:

Uku or Alak pacha: the world below the earth; the roots; where the dead live—but not to be mistaken for “underworld”—uku pacha has a lighter connotation. It is a respectful resting place, rather than a punishment. In fact, apparently the Aymara will pour out a little wine or milk or liquor on the ground for their ancestors (called antepasados) before drinking the beverage themselves.

...continue reading "Putre: “Somos todos hijos de la madre tierra”"

By rmattiola

Thus far, I’ve toured and observed 6 health centers with in the public sector: Two CESFAM (centro de salud familiar: Family Health Center) one CESCOF (centro comunitario de salud familiar: Community Family Health Center) one Posta Rural (rural post), UNACESS (la unidad de atención y control en salud sexual:a sexual health center) and Teleton (a center for children with motor disabilities).

A brief explanation of the private and public system before I begin with my observations and opinions:

The public system is entirely government run. In fact, the level of government involvement in health care is surprising. It is easy to classify their system of health care as “socialized” although it is not universal. However, there is still an obvious connection to social medicine (which studies the social determinants of health). Between 80 and 90% of Chileans have public insurance called FONASA (Fondo Nacional de Salud) which has 4 levels, A, B,C, and D. Those with A and B receive free health care. Those with C and D pay a percentage of their fees to the government for their health care (10% and 30%, respectively). The public sector adequately covers primary care, although the region of Arica and Parincota is seriously lacking in emergency care centers, and specialists. In fact, there is only one SAPU (urgent care center) and one hospital where specialists are difficult to utilize. Apparently, all the specialists are concentrated in Santiago.

Regarding the private system, I only know that insurance is much more expensive, there are more specialists, and wait times are supposedly shorter (there is plenty of justified complaining from locals about wait times in both sectors). As far as I know, the government only regulates the private industry and has no other involvement.

...continue reading "Chilean Health Care 101"

By rmattiola

I am almost bothered by how constantly I am noting cultural variations. I need to actively tell myself to turn off—stop thinking—just enjoy. Here are some of those never ending cultural observations:

• Besos (kisses): Here in Chile, and in most of Latin/ Central America, the greetings are more intimate. Handshakes are reserved for men. I made this mistake early on based on instinct, and felt the discomfort from the other person and those watching. Friends of friends and family of friends are automatically qualified for cheek kisses. I’ve even seen doctors give besos to their patients after the appointment. I was nervous about this new greeting style since my family and friends at home are much more casual with greetings, and I had little to no practice with cheek kisses. But I’ve found it’s much less stressful than I thought--the kiss is merely putting your right cheeks together and making a kissing noise while you half hug or place your hand on the other’s shoulder. The Chileans are smoother than I am, and I sometimes feel like I’m crashing into the other’s cheek rather than gently meeting them. The angle of the kiss changes on the intimacy between the couple. For example, family members and close friends will often turn to actually plant a kiss on the other’s cheek. We were warned to be cautious of how close our “kiss” lands to the other person’s mouth, because if you even remotely get close to a kiss on the lips, you are understood to be making an advance towards the other person.

• Dogs: dogs are everywhere! Most people have one or more dogs, and there is a surplus of street dogs. I hear dog “fights” frequently. Usually these “fights” are more or less playful, and people are unconcerned, but they are very noisy, and last all night.

• Doorbells: When the doorbell rings, it’s not commonplace to get up and answer it right away. They wait, almost ignore it, talk about who it might be, and after a few minutes will get it.

• Time: many of the girls in the group are having a hard time adjusting to Chilean time. I however, am thriving in it. It’s normal--and expected--for locals to arrive 30 minutes to 1 hour late to any event that is not class. I believe that this lateness is actually respectful, because if you arrive on time or early to a party, the host might not be fully prepared.

...continue reading "Field Notes"

By rmattiola

Last Sunday, after the earth briefly shook beneath my feet (my first experience of a tremblor), I found my own thoughts and opinions shaken up a bit as well. A week ago, the program director Brian informed me that there is a strong movement amongst the Aymara (indigenous to northern Chile) to assimilate. At the time, I couldn’t understand why.

Over the past few days, I’ve been asked if I was Chilean or not—if I was a student from the US or one of the host siblings. Of course, I was ecstatic to be asked this. Blending in in a different country or culture is something that I consciously work towards and assign importance to. But why do I feel this way? Why am I happier in my dark, dark, Mediterranean skin than my porcelain American skin? Why is it that I’m almost ashamed of the attention attracted by my American body and accent? The reason is now clear: I have a preconceived notion that Americans are perceived as gluttonous, rude, obnoxious and uncultured. I am aware of my own feelings and attempts to blend in, yet I’m shocked when I hear that natives are trying to assimilate because I feel they have a history and a culture to protect.

In reality though, I’m sure they feel (and have felt for many years) just as I do now; happy to blend in and ashamed to be associated with a poorly connoted group. The indigenous live this struggle their whole life, while I will only experience it here for 4 months. So what should be done and thought about indigenous assimilation? What is ethical? Should we ignorantly allow the indigenous to assimilate so they can transcend discrimination? Should we push for measures that facilitate the maintenance of cultural ties? Or should we establish a system that enables self-empowerment and diminishes the pressure to assimilate? It’s interesting how quickly your opinion can change when you put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Over the last week, classes have really picked up speed. We don’t have homework assignments or true exams, just readings, essays and projects.

...continue reading "Assimilation or Empowerment: to blend in or to stick out"

By rmattiola

Arica is called the city of Eternal Spring, but it has become evident that their Spring is very different from ours. We don’t continuously sweat from 9am to 8pm everyday during Spring, and we’re typically wearing rain boots, not sandals. Here in Arica, you can count on a nice breeze from both the desert and the sea to wick some sweat away, but there is no air conditioning. Regardless, I must say that everyone in the group has been content with sweating and not complaining. However, because it is summer and up to 5 degrees warmer than the rest of the year, even the locals still say “hace mucho calor” (its very hot out) during all parts of the day. The nights are a bit cooler and with the sun covered, and many locals exercise around the soccer stadium.

There are various types of soccer fields outside the stadium, as well as a track around the nice grass field inside. When I take the short-cut through the stadium and the university to my house, I pass many practices and casual games and yearn to join in. I was able to play some soccer on the beach with 2 boys about 15 years old, but still I haven’t had the chance to join a real pichanga. The boys on the beach confirmed that it’s not common for girls to play soccer with boys. Whatever. I am una gringa and visibly culturally different.

Recently though, I’ve received less cat-calls (which are commonplace here unfortunately) and attracted less attention from locals. One woman even told me she thought I was from Santiago and a dude on the beach asked me if I was Brazilian. At an activity day with the host siblings, some of the sister said to me, "Wait, are you chilean? Are you a host sister or a student?" When I have to confess that I’m estadounidense (American), they say, “oh you’re not that gringa!”. My Italian genes have blessed me this time with an ability to tan quickly and my dark, curly (these days wild) hair automatically separates me from gringas rubias (blonde white girls). Due to this, I sometimes think twice about going out or walking around with one of the blonde girls. In reality, I’m almost always with a blonde girl, so I’ve acquired a strong and sassy protective layer to be able to ignore the (sometimes) inappropriate comments and whistles from local men.

Pictured: soccer fields

...continue reading "Am I still a gringa?"

By rmattiola

My week started with environment shock and ended with culture shock. The desert was intimidating. My flight from Santiago to Arica followed the coastline so we landed over a beach. I wondered when the sand would turn to grass, or some other sort of coastal vegetation but it never did. Sand was everywhere. Our bus ride back was a little quiet considering we were a group of teenagers excited to meet each other. Everyone was taking in the surroundings. I noticed, amongst all the emptiness, a few industrial centers and a single field of corn growing miraculously in the sand. Having never spent any of my adult life in a desert, I was surprised by the vastness. This shook me a little, even though I knew all along I would be staying in the most arid desert in the world. The locals say it never rains here, and they are pretty correct, considering the average rainfall in Arica is .03 inches. I felt 3 or 4 drops of rain when I went on a run along the beach. Maybe this will be it for the semester.

Pictured: The Atacama Desert

The city is lively enough, but it only has one movie theatre with one room. I found this endearing. Historically, it was a viceroyalty of Peru for many years and still has many Peruvian influences. For example, in the city’s cathedral (which is closer in size to a church) is a replica of an important church in Peru. But the design is exactly the same; the cathedral of Arica has rain-spouts encased in the face of stone lions even though it never rains here. The original cathedral was destroyed in an earthquake. We’ve been debriefed in the safety procedures for tremblores and terremotos, which happen frequently because the whole coast of Chile rests on a fault line and is therefore the most seismically active country in the world. It is also the longest and most narrow county in the world.

...continue reading "La Primera Semana"

By rmattiola

I turned 21 three days before leaving for Chile. I had a blast. At the end of the night, in a tapas bar, a small Hispanic man came out from the kitchen and presented me with a decadent flourless chocolate cake and a candle. The bar tenders called out, “Con Permiso! Atención!”

The small man who may have been 40 or 70 years old began serenading me with a beautiful Spanish song. I listened intently and was able to understand many of the lyrics. The song was sentimental and commemorative. He sang these romantic words to me as if he was a dear family friend. The next day, I recalled a lovely line from the song translated, “you were born with all the flowers”--ironic since my parents’ family and friends were sure to bring roses for the new baby Rosalie on the day I was born.

After the song ended we exchanged hugs and a sincere “muchisimo gracias”. Then the music restarted and my feet started stomping and I dreamt of the fun I’ll have in Arica.

I keep learning more and more about Arica, the Atacama Desert and Chile in general. For example, the Atacama desert is home to the world’s largest telescope. The nearly cloudless skies and minimal light pollution supposedly create the optimum star gazing experience. This news is super exciting since I will be living close by. I also read about an ancient anthropomorphic geoglyph called the Atacama Giant, thought to represent a diety of the Inca or Tiwanaku. This massive work of art is dug into the side of a mountain in the desert about 3 hours south of Arica. Hopefully, I will get down there to see it myself.

...continue reading "Cumpleaños Feliz!"