I can play the charango...kind of.

I have a new (slightly-underdeveloped) talent! Ruly, my host brother, gave me a lesson or two on the charango (like a mandolin) and the wind pipes! I made a video of our recording session. Please don't listen too carefully for mistakes :-)

WATCH VIDEO

Writing? What writing?

Well, here we are again. Another week (or more) gone by, another post. Where in the world is Jenna, you ask? I'm still in Temuco, wrapping up the research portion of the month and just about to head into the writing period! Anybody want to write 20 pages in Spanish for me? That would be great. No.....it shouldn't be too excruciating, I don't think. After all the interviews and conversations I've had and articles I've read, I'm hoping the writing will fly by. Cross your fingers. For the curious among you, I'll let you in on my [not-so-] top-secret research. Consider yourselves lucky. Here we go...

I am researching the current situation of the indigenous Mapuche women: their access to education, discrimination in the work force, and their thoughts on gender equality (If I had to put it into one sentence). The history behind their current struggles is quite fascinating, and I think you'd appreciate a short lesson..... In contrast to the Christian story of creation, the woman was created first in the Mapuche culture, and the man second. The relationship between men and women, however, was never meant to be a domination of one over the other. It is characterized by equilibrium and cooperation. In fact, the concept of "gender" didn't really exist in the original culture. At the end of the 19th century, with the pacification by the Chilean State and the arrival of the Europeans, the situation begins to change. Fast forward about 120 years of wars, domination, and globalization, and you will find that the "equilibrium" between men and women is far from what it used to be, and the majority of the current Mapuche people (approximately 600,000 in Chile) live in poverty and face unimaginable barriers to education and decent work, not to mention the preservation of their culture.

So, to be Mapuche in Chile today is difficult to say the least. To be Mapuche and a woman.....it just doesn't get much worse because they not only encounter discrimination for being and looking Mapuche, but they also encounter the obstacle of being a woman in a "machista" society (sound familiar?). And that's where my research truly begins, trying my best to understand their situation, interviewing leaders of organizations who help these women, getting to know government programs, and reading a lot from an anthropological perspective. As I mentioned in my last post, it’s absolutely exhausting work doing everything in my second, far-from-perfect language. But you know what? I have really enjoyed it, and I say to myself, “Hey, if I can do this kind of work in Spanish, maybe I should consider doing a senior thesis after all.” Big projects with lots of writing always intimidated me, and I think I just assumed it was above my academic level, but I’ve learned a lot about my capabilities during this semester and realized that if it’s a topic that really interests me, it can be—dare I say it—fun.

Well, enough about research and personal reflexion; let’s talk about my social life! Or at least see some pictures to capture the highlights.

Jenna Nackel and I traveled 3 hours south last weekend to Valdivia.

Fresh mariscos (seafood) in the Valdivia market.


I went salsa dancing with my host brother and sister! (notice the height difference)

Remember the vegetarian conversation from my last post? (if not......reference my last post) Well, just to illustrate the fact that I wasn't over exaggerating, here's a picture of a menu from a different restaurant. If you look closely, you'll notice that the vegetarian plate ("vegetariano de la casa") includes "jamón." Translation: ham. There you go.

This weekend Jenna and I are heading back to the campo to visit our rural Mapuche families because we just can't get enough. Then it's a full week of writing! I'll let you know how it goes.

¡Besitos!

A break from research.

Well, I have officially been in Temuco for a week now and have gotten a good start on my research. But to be quite honest, I'm completely exhausted from doing all this work in Spanish (making phone calls is the worst!), so I've decided to save a research-related post for later. My brain needs a serious break. Instead, here are just a few highlights from my time here so far, which seems infinitely longer than a week:

1) "La Cata." That's what they call her---it's short for Catalina. She is the cutest member of my new host family in Temuco. She's three years old and one of the most spoiled kids I've ever met, but how could you ever resist a face like hers? She's like a mini Dora the Explorer, really. She calls Jenna Nackel and me "chiquillas," which, for those of you who don't speak Spanish, is really funny, trust me. She's basically calling us "little girls." Imagine a 3-year-old girl barging into your room saying "hey little girl," and proceding to touch everything you own and ask "is this yours? who gave it to you? can I have this? where did you get it? what is this?" That's Cata.

2) The transportation. As much as I was dreading getting used to yet another transportation system (because believe me, it's quite stressful), I've really enjoyed getting around Temuco. The best part: the colectivos! The colectivos are taxis that run the same route all day long. And they're numbered, just like the buses, so you know that the #21 goes by the mall and the Jumbo grocery store, for example. The best part---and hence the name "colectivo"---is that they're shared, and the people talk to each other! Plus, they're only 50 pesos (8 cents) more expensive than the buses. I just really love public transportation.

3) While trying to find a place to eat lunch and getting offers from every direction in the central market, Jenna Nackel (a vegetarian) and I had the following conversation with a restaurant owner:

*Note: this is not a dramatization

Lady: Come eat in my restaurant!
Me: Do you have any vegetarian plates that aren't salads?
Lady: Oh yes, we have plenty.
Nackel: Like what?
Lady: Well, the ham and cheese sandwich, for example.
Me: Yeah....but that has ham. She doesn't eat meat.
Lady: Well then, maybe the salmon with rice.
Nackel: I don't eat fish either. I'm a vegetarian. No meat. No fish. No seafood.
Lady: You could try the cazuela. It has potatoes, chicken, rice...
Me: Chicken is meat.
Lady: Oh right...well we have empanadas too. Seafood empanadas, meat and cheese empanadas...
Me and Nackel: *FRUSTRATED FACES*
Lady: Well I guess she could always eat one of the salads.
Me and Nackel: Thanks, we'll keep looking. *WALK AWAY*

4) Rural visit! This past weekend I was able to visit my rural Mapuche host family outside of Temuco. We were so excited to see each other again and catch up. Life in the campo is so simple; that's what I love about it. We visit old relatives, drink mate, sing songs, eat sopaipillas with honey, go to church, slaughter chickens, and then eat chicken. What could be any better? Oh, and more on the subject of slaughtering chickens: I didn't actually kill any chickens, but I did help pluck the feathers. It was a new experience for me.

Well, I've got a bit more work to do tonight before I can feel like I've earned the right to sleep. I hope you're all enjoying the start of wonderful summer weather!

Love to you all,
Jenna

My address for the month of May.

I've had a few requests for my address in Temuco, so here it is. I would suggest, however, that if you feel so inclined to send something....do it sooner rather than later. Mail doesn't exactly arrive overnight.

Pehuenches #01035
Villa Pumalal
Temuco, IX Región
Chile

Update on its way :-)

Cuídense,
Jenna

I realized I forgot this picture in my last post---it's my family in Buenos Aires: Mom Cristina, Dad Orlando, Sisters Mariana and Lucia, and Brother Lautaro.

"Brrr, it's chilly." "No, it's Argentina."

A few history lessons, as promised:

During the most recent dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983), just as in Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship, thousands of people with “radical” political affiliations were tortured, killed, and exiled. In Argentina’s case, the estimated number of “desaparecidos” (people who disappeared) is around 30,000. Can you imagine? This past week we got the opportunity to visit one of the major torture centers in Buenos Aires, where an estimated 5,000 people were taken, all but 200 never to be seen again. It was originally a school, and the crazy part is that it remained a school during the years it acted as a torture center, while students still had classes! Somehow, though, it was kept a secret for all those years, even from the students.

We walked through the hallways, saw the torture rooms, read testimonies of survivors, and just stood in awe of the history we were witnessing. It’s hard to describe the sadness I felt while on the tour, especially when we came upon the room where they kept the pregnant women. Our guide told us that when the women gave birth, the men would immediately take the babies and give them to families of the military! To this very day, there are still young adults finding out that they are actually the son or daughter of a torture victim, raised their entire lives in a lie. If I’m not mistaken, there are between 60 and 70 such identified children.

Today, the torture center and school campus is a memorial site for the torture victims and also home to many human rights organizations, a symbol that it will never happen again (“nunca más” is their slogan).

Another big focus of our time here in Buenos Aires—and an extremely powerful reminder of the dictatorship years—has been spending time with the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo. “Las Madres” are, quite literally, the mothers of young men and women who were killed during the dictatorship. They all joined forces 32 years ago to demand justice from the government for the disappearance of their children. Their story is very well-known around the world for their perseverance and defense of human rights. Here’s why: EVERY Thursday at 3:30 in the Plaza de Mayo, the Madres gather and walk around the plaza with pictures of their children, protesting for justice and remembrance. We participated in the 1,599th march with the Madres, some of whom are in their 90s and haven’t missed more than a handful. They do so much more than protest every Thursday, though. They have started schools, built public housing, raised money, and so much more, all with the goal to fulfill the dreams of their children. They are remarkable women, with whom we felt so honored to have spent time.

Between these studies of human rights in Argentina, seminars, and visits to six schools around the city, our time to explore the city has been rather limited. In this past two weeks, however, I have managed to do the following:
1) Lose my debit/credit card.
2) Cancel my debit/credit card.
3) Miss my host mom in Santiago.
4) Tame our dog to the point that she's actually excited to see me when I get home. (So much so that she sometimes pees all over the floor.)
5) Make chocolate chip cookies with my three siblings. It was a success.

I will miss the cafes in Buenos Aires. Especially this one in particular, which gives a free scoop of icecream with an order of coffee.

This is La Boca, a very famous section of Buenos Aires.

And of course, our experience wouldn't be the same without a little tango!

Tomorrow we fly back to Santiago (those of us who aren't staying in Buenos Aires to do our research), and then starts the independent project period of the semester. I will be traveling back to Temuco, Chile, where we stayed with the Mapuche families. This time, however, I'll be in the city, living with a different host family. My project theme involves Mapuche women, education, and gender equality (it's a bit more focused than that, but I know it will evolve into something slightly different once I begin my work). We are all sad to say goodbye to each other for a month yet ready for a change in the program, for more independence with our schedules. I'll try my best to keep the updates coming when I'm in Temuco and let you know how my research is evolving.

Thanks to all who are persevering in following my blog; it means a lot to me.

Jenna

Reporting from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The equation of the week: A new city + a new host family (with three young slash pre-adolescent children) + lots of seminars and school visits + a new accent and set of slang = 24-hour excitement and exhaustion. I really love Buenos Aires, though (dare I say more than Santiago?). It's everything I ever thought a city should be: tons of cafes, taxis, buses, beautiful old buildings, protests in the plazas, theaters, clubs, you name it. It´s definitely a bit more European than Santiago, which is a plus because our group doesn´t stick out as much. There are so many tall and beautiful people here, which is intimidating, but a break from the constant stares and whistles in Chile has been well-appreciated.

A short observation: It’s really difficult to have a fun or interesting personality in another language. I find myself wanting to make jokes, be sarcastic, or just contribute to a conversation, but nothing seems to translate very well. The result: I try to laugh and smile more than usual. It hurts my brain to attempt to be so involved in a conversation that I can’t entirely understand. I have, however, perfected my reaction skills. So, for example, I might not have the slightest idea what my host mom said to me, but I can pick up on how she said it and respond with the appropriate facial expression or the occasional interjection. The only problem is when she asks a question without me realizing. To illustrate, here’s a translation of a conversation we had last night:

Mom: Tomorrow you’ll have to take the metro to meet your group.
Me: Okay, no problem.
Mom: Do you want me to draw you a map of how to get to the station?
Me: No, not yet.
Mom: Later tonight, then?
Me: Tomorrow when I leave I can buy one.
Mom: Buy one of what?
Me: A map.
Mom: No, I asked if you want me to draw you a map.
Me: Oooooooooooh. Riiiiiiiiight. Yes, please.

And on and on it goes…


My family has a dog here. Its name is Paile, and we got off to a great start. We met on Sunday and instantly fell in love (there was licking involved). On Monday, however, everything changed. I was the first in my family to return to the house, so everything was dark. Paile apparently didn’t remember our first day together and thought I was a robber or something. She went crazy. I mean crazy, like fangs and barking and jumping crazy. My heart hasn’t beaten that fast in a while. Unfortunately, this has been a daily trend. For about two hours every day, Paile is just about as scared of me as I am of her. She follows me and barks and scratches my door and gets punished about every 5 minutes. All of a sudden, though, something clicks in her dog brain and she falls to the floor and wants me to pet her. From that point on, it’s like we’re best friends again. It’s the strangest thing. Have you seen the movie “50 First Dates”? I’m living that movie in real life. Only with a dog. Every day I have to convince her that she really loves me but just doesn’t know it yet.

Fast facts:
1) I’m living without a cell phone for these two weeks in Argentina, and it’s more difficult than I anticipated. I don’t like the feeling of being dependent on technology…
2) My host family owns a nearby restaurant called “La Paila,” which serves wonderful Northern-Argentinean food. We’ve only eaten there once, but my host parents are really good cooks, so every night for dinner is basically a gourmet experience.
3) I didn’t think it was possible, but the ice cream is better here.
4) I was right about the Argentinean accent; it has definitely taken some getting used to. I try to speak like my family, but I can’t do it without feeling really strange. I imagine it would be comparable to visiting Alabama and trying to speak with a southern accent. It just doesn’t fit.

In my next entry, I’ll talk about some of the really awesome academic things we’re doing here. It may involve some short history lessons, but I promise they’ll be well worth your time.

Love,
Jenna!

The best of Temuco.

Our SIT group spent the past week in a rural village near Temuco, about 8 hours south of Santiago by bus. We stayed in pairs with indigenous Mapuche families and immursed ourselves as much as possible in the culture. The following is a series of highlights from one of the best weeks of my life, in no particular order:

1) We realized within the first 5 minutes of our visit that "indigenous" didn't necessarily mean living with thatched roofs and dirt floors, like many of us had anticipated (see picture below). Most of our families had electricity, running water, and a television. We did, however, lack hot running water, so I only managed to give myself one cold bucket bath during the week. For those of you who are familiar with my hygiene habits, though, that wasn't too out of the ordinary.

2) Rachel, the other SIT student, and I went to church with our family, and somehow I ended up giving a speech in Spanish to the entire congregation. I managed to produce a few cohesive sentences, and for that I was very thankful. I said something like, "Thank you for having us...we're very excited to be here and to share this experience with you..." Booya! This happened just a few hours after arriving Sunday morning. Talk about first impressions.

3) The food was heavenly yet deadly at the same time. We basically ate an entire cow for lunch and dinner. And lots of sopaipillas (fried dough would be the best way to describe them). We knew we were in for a week of hearty eating on the first day when we asked for "just a little bit of food, something small," and got this:

4) We had a class of Mapudungun, the indigenous language of the Mapuche people. I'm sure you can guess just by the name of the language itself that it's rather difficult. We all struggled with the pronunciation but had a great time trying nonetheless.

5) I taught Rachel and my host siblings (Raul and Mabel) how to play Dutch Blitz, only the best card game ever (and it just so happens to originate in Pennsylvania). They absolutely loved it and were thrilled to receive their own set as a gift.

6) We learned how to play palín, the Mapuche sport. It's very similar to field hockey, only with a much longer and narrower field. We were actually pretty bad in terms of skill but made up for it in aggressiveness. We all came away with a few battle wounds.

7) Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of the week was the music. Raul, my host brother, plays multiple instruments and is currently studying to be a music teacher. He and his four younger cousins formed a music group in 2006 (with Raul as their teacher) that plays a lot of traditional music from Peru and Northern Chile. Rachel and I were lucky enough to see them perform a few times during the week. Even if just a practice or an impromptu performance at a family gathering, they gave me the chills. Did I mention they have a CD? It's incredible. Also, every once in a while after dinner, my host father (whose name also happens to be Raul) and I would sing hymns from the Spanish hymnal. Harmony is a beautiful thing. I can think of very few things I enjoy more than harmonizing with a fellow singer.

THIS IS A VIDEO OF THE MUSIC GROUP

8) I prayed for the first time in Spanish. Out loud. For a large group of people. My host father liked to volunteer me for things like that and catch me off guard. It was like the church speech all over again. Again, I survived, and managed to put together a few sentences that I assume made a bit of sense judging by the intermittent "amens."

9) Every night after dinner, and sometimes more often, we would drink mate (pronounced MAH-tay). It's a huge cultural thing here, almost as popular as in Argentina. It's comparable to tea in taste, but it involves so much more community. There's only one mug for the table, filled with loose herbs and hot water. You drink out of a silver straw that has a filter at the bottom, and once you've finished, the server wipes the straw clean, fills the mug up again, and passes it on to the next person. We would spend at least an hour every night talking over mate. I plan to bring a few mate mugs and straws back home with me and start a new tradition with my friends.

10) Our wonderful family: Raul (father), Lucy (mother), Mabel (sister), and Raul (brother, nicknamed Ruly). They welcomed me and Rachel into their lives with open arms and showed us hospitality like we've never seen before. There wasn't a dry eye in the house on the night of our departure. And to think, we were only there for a week. It's hard to believe.


I think I can speak for the majority of the group when I say that we didn't want to return to Santiago, partly because we knew there was a lot of work (and noise and pollution) waiting for us, but mostly because the week with the Mapuche people was so peaceful. Getting attached to our host families was a contributor, too. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. I'm currently trying to figure out what I can study during the research period in May in order to return to the community, or at least be nearby.

This week we are trying to soak up the last few days in Santiago before flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina on Saturday. We'll be there for two weeks, again staying with host families in pairs. And then before you know it, it will be May, when we conduct our individual research projects. EEK. It's going too fast.

I hope all is well with you! Keep the updates coming :-)