Frustration, Protests, and Debate

Looking around the circle, I could see the frustration and hopelessness on my peers' faces. During this 'Consejo de Curso,' a block class once a week devoted to discussion of our concerns about schoolwork and personal issues, we turned to the controversial topic of education. 

Facing the difficult questions and the hard truth

The day before, the majority of the class - including myself - had gone to a forum on education hosted by TECHO, a Latin American volunteer organization that focuses on social consciousness, promotion of social changes, and service especially among young persons working with the affected community to overcome widespread poberty. There, we met with around eight other mostly private schools to learn and discuss the social stratification of the education system (i.e. how the best-performing schools are private schools located in the northwest region of Santiago that is the richest part of the country) and its contribution to Chile's enduring poverty (i.e. how the unfair access to a quality education greatly affects the students' overall performance and ability to enter into a university that will prepare them for a stable, high-earning career). 

Photo Credit: Cesar Rivera

("Public Education on Sale")

We also talked about the lack of diversity in general of Chilean schools. This diversity is lacking on all levels including socioeconomic and sexual, to name a few. The organizers, ranging from university-aged students to young professionals, showed us the above graph to distinguish exclusion, segregation, integration, and inclusion. I found the message of the infographic to be very striking when we divided into groups representing a mix of high schools to write down ideas on how we as students (not the government or other authority figures) could do to improve the Chilean educational system. 

Photo Credit: BBC Mundo

(Left: "There is not bread...to study" and "Education is a right NOT a privilege")

Currently, there is a profound segregation among the socioeconomic classes about the quality of education. The basic principle is that private schools are - by a long shot - the best chance to have a solid education. The other types of schools, the particular semi-private school partially funded by the government and the public school wholly funded by the government. They deliver a sub-par education, in part because there is a lack of resources, organization, and teachers (the teacher-student ratio is something outrageous like 50:1). As a result, those who come from poor backgrounds have a lower chance to change their socioeconomic status because they do not receive a solid educational basis. It is unfair, to say the least. The following pdf with a list of high schools and their average test scores demonstrates a stark parallel between the amount of money paid for school and the test results: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:c5EIOKoIwJUJ:admisionyregistros.uc.cl/component/docman/doc_download/2391-ranking-psu-2014%3FItemid%3D+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=cl 

Photo Credit: leerbook.blogspot.com

(From Condorito, a Chilean-originated Latin American comic book series of more than 64 years. First frame: "Today the teacher taught us to write. I wrote three words on the board."

Second frame: "Oy, yeah? What words?" -"I don't know..."

Third frame: "The teacher still hasn't taught us to read.")

Inclusion is ultimately what Chileans (and I would argue every person, regardless of country of origin) want to achieve, where classrooms have a mix of students coming from different backgrounds, the class sizes are small to have focused teacher-student interaction, and the quality of education is solid for every person. But how can Chile go from segregation to inclusion? Ultimately, we grappled with this both within ourselves and within our group. Some thought of the idea of mandating service days each month to go out into the community and do service to see another socioeconomic situation. But would that be a good long-term solution to a bigger educational program? 

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Some voiced the idea to have the government begin a program to bus students from poorer regions to the richer regions with better schools and vice versa to diversify the student population. This would basically be integration as a means towards inclusion (very much resembling the earlier US attempts to desegregate schools, like Little Rock Nine, and the Chilean attempt se). Again, would this serve as a long-term solution? What would be the social and economic implications? Overall, this was an incredibly difficult activity to do. 

We felt that there was so much to be done but so little that we could do as individuals. The qualities that most people seek in these discussions are a free and good public educational system (which would require more government investment towards the right places), more and better quality professors, more diversity, and smaller teacher-student ratios. After all, a well-educated future generation would produce significant natural capital. 

But there have been countless barriers towards this ideal. For one, the students are held within a private school system that works very very well so do not feel as great an obligation from experience to improve the overall system. One female student in a forum I attended stated during the Q-and-A session that she did not believe that there was a problem with the educational system. Many parents also oppose the idea of introducing inclusion to schools because they do not want their children interacting with other classes (there is much classism present in the society and rarely does one interact with people of other classes). The question always reverts to a frustrated and angry response: what can we, as students, do about this system? There never appears to be a clear-cut way to better the system (but that is probably because such a solution is nonexistent).

(Above: Photo Credit - The Atlantic)

(Left: "Chilean students exiled against education of the [economic] market")

(Right: "No to Chilean educational exile")

Protests and Debate

The topic of the Chilean educational system permeates in every social environment to which I have been exposed. The news features news about a student march or teacher's protest (there was even a teacher's march about their wages this past week and I encountered a student protest on my way home the other day) almost every two weeks, the US Embassy sends me constant notices about protest dates and locations to avoid for safety reasons, we discuss and debate the system as regular conversation topics during class and private conversations (my friends and I even talked about it during my birthday celebration), and there are many public events to discuss ideas for reform among many groups of people. In just three months, I have gone to a city-hall type event with a forum of politicians, protest organizers, and students for an audience of the residents of the region ranging from middle school students to adults and the TECHO forum with high school students described above. Public discussion about this controversial topic occurs everywhere, and I admire that a lot. The educational system in the US is not-so-great, either, but it does not permeate the social atmosphere as much and, thus, there is an even lower chance of improving the system.

Photo Credit: Brittany Peterson

(Meaning: "Education and Health is the best investment that a society can make")

Everyone agrees that the system is bad and dysfunctional, but they disagree about what to do about it. This conversation has gone on for a significant amount of time. Notably, the 2006 student protests in Chile, also known as the March of the Penguins (so-called because of the black/blue-white students' uniforms) carried out across Chile with nearly 800,000 student participants demonstrated the pressing need to reform education. Although President Bachelet has introduced some educational reforms as a result, they are moderate and have not truly influenced the educational landscape.

Overall, this is an ongoing and sometimes very painful subject for me to hear about. We can see how the system is failing the students and the next generation, but it is difficult to imagine and take the risky steps to improve it.

Photo Credit: ilovechile.cl

The 101 of the Chilean Educational System

Disclaimer: I will try to generalize here, but remember that I am speaking from personal experience attending a private school in Santiago. The schooling experience is certainly different in other cities in other types of schools. Even within private schools, there are differences, especially with their attitude towards students' academic achievement (some highly prize it and prioritize having their students achieve the highest test-scores, while others, like my own school, teach for high test scores but in a more relaxed atmosphere).

School Year and Grades

Since Chile is in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are the opposite of the US's schooling season. Thus, the school year begins in March and ends in mid-December. The last two weeks of school in December are devoted to final exams. 

On another note, the grades are on a scale of 2 (being an F) to 7 (being an A+, which is very difficult to achieve). The scale is odd and appears exponential; I still do not understand it completely. The general idea, though, is that a grade of 6,5 (commas are used for decimal placement, and periods are used where commas are used traditionally in the US) is good. If you'd like to take a look, this is what the professors use to grade: http://escaladenotas.cl/ 

There are about eight grades per semester, with heavy weighting for tests and projects with no weighting for homework assignments (especially because daily assignments, aside from math exercises, do not exist at my school). These grades are individually averages. For example, one of the eight grades may be for the first two books we read in Spanish Literature and Grammar class. We did a test for the first book and a roundtable panel-like discussion for the second book; the average of the two grades was a single grade in the book. At the end of the semester, the grades are averaged. If students achieve a 6,5 average or higher for the year, they are "eximidos" or excused from taking the final exam. This is a relatively rare situation; my friends have told me that in all the years they have been in school, only one classmate of the class has been excused from final exams each year.

Preschool to High School

The schooling system is organized into three obligatory periods: preescolar (preschool), enseñanza basica (first grade to eighth grade called "primer básico" to "octavo básico," respectively), and enseñanza media (ninth grade to twelfth grade, called "primer medio" to "cuarto medio," respectively). It is highly rare for students to skip grades. All students in Chile have the same educational standards and government program; the textbooks are written by the government. In tercer and cuarto medio (the equivalent of eleventh and twelfth grades), the educational program is differentiated according to specialty (a sciences or humanities route). 

Uniforms

In general, Chilean students wear uniforms to eliminate the social and economic pressure of clothing choice. Although it depends on the school, girls wear a button down shirt or collared polo shirt with a dark colored skirt or, like me, wear a long-sleeved button down shirt with a stiff knee-long dress (called a jumper) on top with knee-high dark-colored socks and Mary Jane black shoes. The insignia of the school is displayed prominently on the chest of the uniform. Also, some schools require a tie but mine does not. 

Photo Credit: fotolog.com

Males wear khaki pants in either gray, dark blue, or black, and a button down shirt or polo shirt with black dress shoes. For physical education classes (which is mandatory in all grades up until segundo medio in my school), students wear a short sleeved shirt with the school logo in front and a "buso," long gym pants made of thick cotton. Other school rules include not painting one's nails and wearing long earrings (only ones attached closely to the ear are allowed). Jackets must be black or blue and have no school logo. Having a strict uniform has not been a difficult change for me. I like not having to choose what to wear every day, but sometimes it is uncomfortable and hot having to wear the same long-sleeved outfit every day. It also makes it a celebration to have jeans or no-uniform days because everyone donates to the cause to participate and then dresses in their best outfit and takes pictures for the special day.

One Classroom

Instead of going to a different classroom for each period, we stay in a group of twenty-something students (a normal number for private schools, but about half the normal class size for public schools) all day, every day, and the teachers come the class to teach us. It makes it more difficult to meet new people but also develops very close ties with the class. By being together so much and given the fact that most have known each other since kindergarten, we know practically everything that has happened to each other, our weird habits, etc.

Teaching Style

Lastly, the teaching style is best characterized as traditional. Textbooks are heavily used in each subject area and tests - few in number - are given after each unit as the main indicator of comprehension. The teacher usually lectures while writing some notes on the board or uses PowerPoint as an aid. My teachers are very friendly and are always willing to answer questions. Most importantly, students in my class feel comfortable around the teacher; they tell the professor about their day, their problems, and connect their experiences with what is being learned (e.g. in biology class, we are learning about genetics, which has sparked many in-class discussions about students' genetic history and what it means for their parents to be blood type B, etc.) 

What I Appreciate and Admire

My school has two notable teaching aspects that I appreciate. First, work in groups in 'trabajos' are greatly encouraged. There is about as many projects  in the form of posters or PowerPoints as tests. Although they take much time and creativity, they help with public speaking and teamwork. The second part is the use of conceptual maps. Teachers write their notes on the board and students have projects and notes with conceptual maps, indicating broad concepts and connecting them to smaller, more detailed concepts. I think that I will continue to bring this practice with me to university because I like how it allows me to take a step back from the very detailed information being taught and organize it in a logical format based on information I already learned. It reinforces knowledge; after all, the brain remembers more when it makes connections.

PSU: The Source of Stress for Many

Mention the word PSU on any given day and a Chilean student will groan. This is a Chilean national standardized university admissions test that stands for "Prueba de Seleccion Universitaria" ("Test of University Selection") administered at the end of one's fourth year of high school. The points for this multiple-choice test, along with the accumulation of grades in one's high school career, form a number of points. These points are then calculated along with the ranking for a final score, which the universities use to admit students. 

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

(Catholic University of Chile, the most prestigious of the country and among one of the 500 best in the world)

In virtually every country in the world except the US, the university system is more specialized; one enters university with a vocational decision. Thus, the number of points determine the career one can have. The highest scores allow for one to study to be a doctor (with a duration of seven years) while the lowest allow for one to be a teacher (which is one reason why the school system is horrendous). The Catholic University of Chile is the most prestigious (virtually every Chilean student dreams to go there) and the University of Chile is the second most prestigious. In the words of most students I have spoken to, "one needs to get into a good university to get a good job." Also, those with the highest scores in the country (i.e. received nearly perfect or perfect scores) meet the president.

The PSU is divided into four tests. Two of these tests, mathematics and Spanish language, are obligatory, while there are two electives. These electives are "History and Social Sciences" and "Sciences" (a mix of the first two years of high school physics, chemistry, and biology, and the last two years of one's choice of the three sciences). My classmates in the second year of high school are in the process of choosing their electives. For the first time in their lives, they will be taking classes with students not from their immediate classroom. 60% of classes next year will be general classes like Language and Mathematics that will cover PSU topics. 

Photo Credit: Blogspot.com

(Newspaper Article: "What to Study at the Last Hour to not Fail in the PSU")

The four other classes are considered differentiated classes, a concept which is mandated in Decree 220 (Decreto 220) of Chilean law. The first step is to determine that, in addition to taking the obligatory PSU of math and language, if they will take the History or Science PSU. It greatly depends on the students' vocational plan. For example, if they are trying to enter medical school, only the PSU Science is accepted. Thus, it is a time to weigh their abilities, interests, and future plans. As a result, ten hours will be devoted next year to the History/Sciences PSU and there will be three electives, the first and second of which are three hours each (three classes each) and the third called "Transversal" that is two hours (two classes each). 

For example, the distribution varies depending on the individual's choice of a sciences or humanities direction. If one plans to take the Science PSU, the distribution of history and sciences (physics, chemistry, and biology) is 4 hours-6 hours, while the History PSU translates to a course distribution of 6 hours history, 2 hours biology, and 2 hours of applied sciences. These numbers cover the minimum number to cover content in the PSU. (Yes, every part of the curriculum is geared towards preparation for the test, with practice PSU sections at the end of each unit, even.) As a respite from PSU-geared classes, the third elective allows for exploration of a possible unrelated interest, like theater, English, and Physical Education and Health. What a tough curriculum!

Photo Credit: El Naveghable

The overall sentiment of my classmates toward the Chilean university admissions system is that they would rather it be less focused on grades and "more American." I am not sure what I think about this. On the one hand, I think that it is great that the US system tries to look at students more holistically, considering not only the SAT/ACT standardized exams but also the student's essay-writing and extra-curricular activities. The downside to this system is that it is all too common for students to overwork themselves or do activities they do not necessarily like to have it appear "impressive" on the college resume. 

Photo Credit: New York Times

Meanwhile, the Chilean system focuses almost exclusively on test performance. The advantage is students choose to do the activities that inspire them, many learn more for the long-term because the cumulative information appears on the PSU, and they must choose their career path relatively early (which eradicates a few years of American college angst about vocational plans). However, I find that the system takes away much of the joy and art of learning and teaching because teachers teach for the test and students learn, memorize, and stress for the PSU for which they spend their entire senior year studying. If one performs badly, one can retake it in a year but, honestly speaking, bad test-takers have a much lower chance of entering into a career that interests them, a university that they desire, and achieving happiness in their future. These are both imperfect system, understandable because they try to quantify qualitative human characteristics and abilities.

Unique Aspects of School

Convivencia is a term describing a small celebration. We apply it at school every time there is someone's birthday or a special day like Professor's Day. This day, everyone brings something to contribute, including sodas, cookies, cake, and ingredients to make grilled cheese sandwiches (bread, cheese, and a griller). Then, we join all the individual tables together, put a tablecloth on the table, sing happy birthday and give gifts, and eat lots and lots while joking and playing games. It definitely brings us closer and shows the Chilean festive spirit. 

CODECU, what students call short for "Consejo de Curso" (meaning "Advice for the Class"), is a time every week to talk with the "Profesor Jefe" (or Chief Professor) who serves as an advisor for the class about worries and problems. The president of the class leads organizational planning for upcoming events, like Convivencia. This is a time to relax and reflect about our academic and personal situations. We usually do not have any pressing problems so it is most often a nice time to talk as a group and finish up homework.

Photo Credit: Zicasso 

(Easter Island)

Viaje de Estudio (meaning "Study Trip") is a Chilean practice where students in the tercer medio choose and fundraise for a trip as a class. Other schools allow students to choose destinations outside of Chile; my own school has a policy of destinations within Chile so that students can better know their own country. Parents, students, and professors are active in this process. Students in my class this year are planning from their trip the following year. They proposed, debated, and voted on destinations, and sold sweets and baked goods around the school to fundraise. Parents have contributed by volunteering to accompany students on the trip and plan the specific details and itinerary. Meanwhile, professors have talked about their own experiences in these destinations. Ultimately, the class will decide on two professors to accompany them on the five-day adventure next September. It is too bad that I will not be with them!

With two months left in this quickly fading experience, I am beyond happy and appreciative to have been able to be exposed to a completely new schooling environment and reflect about my own learning style. 

Ciao!

Update 13 Nov 2014: I continue being amazed by my classmates' forthrightness and desire for Chile to improve its educational system. Just today, during language class, the subjectiveness of our final practice exams (which are questions from the PSU years before) caused much frustration. They are a series of analytical questions to passages of literature and can have multiple answers. It sparked a class discussion between students and our professor. The students repeatedly expressed their dislike of the continous use of practice tests (we take a PSU practice test for every grammer unit we cover) and the teacher even admitted that it is "bad" that the PSU is the "only instrument that exists" to gauge student aptitude. From a teacher's point-of-view, she said that chile requires much content (information) to be taught, which is a factor for why there is less time that can be devoted to analyzing and developing better methodology and time for teaching students critical thinking skills. We even repeated the common theme of the vicious cycle that lies Chilean educational reform; while there are clearly visible problems, there are barriers, like the high cost of textbooks, the tendency for Chilean parents to focus from the beginning on PSU success and great English skills for their students, and the heavy reliance on the PSU, ranking system, and test scores and grades. It is an immense pity to see such frustration, anger, and a giving-up attitude in my peers. They want to learn and have fun but, in many ways, the school system is removing much of the joy of learning from the experience and colors their overall disposition, especially as we are entering into the two weeks of final exams.

The Atacama Desert

I have just gotten home from travelling nearly 2000 km to the Atacama Desert, north of the capital of Santiago de Chile. It was a splendid trip that served as time to relax with the family, trek around the natural landscape, and stretch myself both mentally and physically.

First things first, you know what surprised me the most? That the desert is actually a desert. To clarify, I understood before my arrival that the Atacama Desert is considered the most arid in the world. However, although my hometown of Albuquerque is considered to be a high altitude desert, it really does not resemble a desert. Albuquerque has trees, a river, and some dirt, but it has never screamed to me as desert (although perhaps I have lived there for some time and have become accustomed). 

Nonetheless, as we were driving into the desert to reach our lodging in the Oasis of the San Pedro Pueblo from the Calama airport, I became awestruck. I felt that I had just been transported to another planet. As far as the eye could see, rock structures in the distance covered by dirt and crater-like terrain formed the landscape. There was a single dirt road that was stretched to the horizon, with no other cars in sight. I truly thought that we had been transported to the Moon.

The Atacama Desert also brings upon the recognition of the power of nature and humanity’s relatively young existence. The place is beyond gorgeous, but it is also empty and, for the most part, uninhabitable. There are few people, few animals, and the conditions are extremely harsh. Although we are still in spring here in Chile, every day in the Atacama was measured at nearly 30 degrees Celsius (high 90 degree Fahrenheit) and there was basically neither shelter nor shade. I dressed in shorts every day but, even after a few hours in the sun, I was exhausted and parched.

You see, San Pedro is an oasis. It is a tiny grid-formatted pueblo town of dusty small roads, adobe houses, and some green trees. Once you travel outside of the town, it transforms into a few one-lane dirt roads branching out in each cardinal direction. There are no houses or other structures along the roads; simply there are terrain and the outline of the mountain range and a few active volcanoes (there are actually five active volcanoes out of the seven total volcanoes). 

These roads stretch for some 50 more kilometers or so to reach iconic places in the desert, like the Valle de la Luna (meaning ‘Valley of the Moon,’ which is a conjunction of high rock structures perfect for climbing and watching the sunset) and Valle de la Muerte (meaning ‘Valley of Death,’ which is a group of rock structures with many sand dunes). 

These two places in particular are striking because the rock formations and sand show the passage of time. The rock structure has morphed and has lines embedded within it from erosion and wind; meanwhile, the high quantity of salt on the sand reminds you that all of this area was once covered by the ocean. It is the ongoing realization that nature came before the birth of humans and will outlast us, as well.

Although the stereotype of a desert is that it is completely gray and full of dirt, I was surprised by the immense variety of landscape and activities that the Atacama Desert offered to the visitor. Among many experiences, I sand-boarded for the first time, biked around in the pueblo, swam - more like floated - in the lagunas which are known for their high salt levels (like the Dead Sea in the Middle East), transformed my black hair into white-streaked ‘grandmother’ hair due to the salt, watched the sunset from the bottom and top of valleys, hiked to archaeological sites, swam in thermal waters located at the bottom of a huge valley, travelled to the Chuquicamata mine which is the largest open pit copper mine in the world, and visited the geysers located at a very high altitude in the freezing dawn. 

I was absolutely fascinated by the colors. The skies were always blue and clear of clouds, following a magnificent and brilliant color gradient. I loved the colors of the doors of the houses and churches, as well, which were usually bright colors. Even the volcanoes and mountains the background had red dark tinges, the salt on the sand almost a pure white, the lagoons always a deep pristine blue, and the pathway to the thermal waters a vibrant reddish wood.

The desert carries an immense cultural and historical history. This was first greatly evident in the facial characteristics of the citizens of San Pedro de Atacama who I saw as shopkeepers and restaurant owners. Many talked about having Incan descent (highly probable especially because the Peruvian border is near to the northern Chilean border) or of having 'atacameno' (meaning 'Atacamenian,' a type of indigenous group that inhabited the desert region). Also, given that the desert is the driest in the world, it has been able to preserve mummies and artifacts well. 

I visited the Tulor archaeological site with my family, where we saw the remaining parts of the homes built more than thousands of years ago. It struck me how similar indigenous homes located in the desert are; the ways that the people adapted, like using adobe as insulation, is remarkably similar when you compare the indigenous homes in the Southwestern US region and those in northern Chile.


On our way to the geysers, which was an hour-long steep drive, we stopped by the tiny pueblo town inhabited by twenty people or so. The town displayed the usual characteristics of a Spanish-occupied indigenous town because in the middle of the town was a prominently featured Catholic church which had been beautifully built. Yet, the people still are holding strong to their community values and culture. They earn their living together, making yarn by hand from wool and barbecuing llama and frying empanadas to sell to tourists. Moreover, it was impressive to see that the people embrace both parts of their identity: the Chilean and the Atacamenian. This was exhibited especially through the display of both flags in every place (The Chilean flag resembles the Texan flag, with colors of red, white, and blue. Meanwhile, the other flag of many colors in squares represents the indigenous groups of Latin America who to this day fight for recognition by the government and society.)

 

I also visited the Pukara de Quitor (meaning the 'Fort of Quitor,' used by a group of Atacamenians to defend from aggressive indigenous groups and the Spanish). We trekked up the huge hill. At the end of the winding trail, we encountered a monument with a cross that said 'My God, why have you abandoned me.' It is meant as commemoration of the hundreds of Atacamenian men who died defending the fort (and along with it, their families) from the Spanish and especially as a way to remember the maltreatment of the natives under Spanish oppression. All along the American continent, this story repeated itself over and over again. As we look into the future, I hope that my peers and I can absorb this lesson and be aware of mistaken sentiments of cultural/religious/political superiority which carry such negative impact.

Overall, I was blessed to be gifted with this trip in a dream-like setting. One day, San Pedro, I will visit you again!

Ciao! :)

An Update: Nearing Summer and Cerro Santa Lucia

Long time no see! As I am writing to you, the weather here is splendid. I still cannot fully comprehend it, but it is bright, sunny, and warm in October and summer break is approaching! My mind is preparing for winter and cold Halloween's and Christmas's as every day I feel the weather becoming warmer. I am excited that summer is approaching but, on the other hand, I am speechless by how much time has gone by. I have lived here with my new family for what-is-to-become half of my exchange experience in a few weeks and I do not even want to begin thinking of how I will have to part with them. But anyway, no matter. That is a more serious subject that I can allow future Michelle to deal with. 

So, I have rediscovered an old love: hiking. For the past few weekends, I have gone to multiple cerros ('hills') with family and friends. I love trekking (as the Chileans call it) up and down staircases or trails and being rewarded by the crisp air and magnificent panoramic view of the city. There, I love testing my knowledge of how much I know the city, pointing out the Costanera (the 'tallest building in Latin America,' I brag to my exchange student friends, although it really is not that tall and a part of its height comes from the metal pole on top) and the Plaza de Armas that is currently in construction. In fact, the entirety of Santiago was built by the Spanish with the Plaza de Armas as the center of the grid layout so that it could serve as a refuge to hand out arms to defenders in case of attack. Due to the same reason of Spanish conquisition, many other Latin American countries like Mexico and Peru have a Plaza de Armas in their capital cities. Even nowadays, the oldest colonial buildings and current government buildings like La Moneda Palace (the Chilean Presidential Palace) are located a few blocks from the Plaza.

In fact, the first cerro that I visited, Cerro Santa Lucia, was built to face the Plaza de Armas. I expected the typical image of a hill: many trees, dirt paths, and the like. Instead, I encountered a remarkable fusion of Spanish colonial architecture with hidden markings of current political unrest in Chile. 

This was the first of many staircases to climb. The orange bus behind me is one of two colors (the other blue) that indicate different directions one may go in the city. Once I ascended the staircase with my Chilean mom, we encountered a large rectangular plaza with cobblestone flooring and a view of this massive European masterpiece with an impeccable lawn full of palm trees.

(Fun fact: I raced up the staircase to recreate the Taylor Swift scene in her music video 'Love Song' and here I am posing)

Here I am in front of the monument. We actually learned from the guide on our personal tour that the sculpture in the center is of Neptune, the Roman god, and was shipped from France around 400 years ago. It has no significance in terms of Chilean history but definitely shows the European taste of the conquistadores and their descendants who served as Santiago's governors years after. 

(Above: The main plaza with the Neptune sculpture, imported from France with not much thought towards its significance, also has almost every species of palm tree.)

(Above: Valdivia who looks like Cervantes)

The other side of the hill, facing the opposite direction, is a more quiet conjunction of gardens with sculptures. The image above includes the sculpture on the right that is supposed to resemble Pedro de Valdivia, considered the conqueror of the hill and, in his mind, the rest of Santiago. We took to calling him Cervantes because, since there was not photographic evidence of his physical appearance, the scupltor created Valdivia from his imagination. In turn, Valdivia looks remarkably similar to Cervantes of the Don Quixote fame. As it was, Valdivia seems to be quite a character, from what I understand of his integral part of creating modern-day Chile (In my opinion, the ironic - and perhaps reprehensible part here - is that history for the American continent is often separated in terms of pre-colonial and colonial times, as if true well-detailed history exists only after European influence.) 

(Above: One of the two forts that is now privately owned when the Chilean government was in economic duress. It nows hosts graduations and weddings, among other things.)

But I digress... The cerro was originally called 'Huelen' by the indigenous population but Valdivia conquered the hill in 1541 and renamed it "Santa Lucia" after the religious day in which he arrived in Santiago. The questionably moral origins of this name has resulted in that in this upcoming election for the government seats in Santiago, the question of maintaining the cerro's name will be voted on. Anyways, after Valdivia served as lieutenant for Pizarro en Peru in the infamous conquest of the Incan empire, he turned his eye towards Chile. Until Valdivia, Chile remained one of the only Latin American countries not yet conquered by the Spanish. Bordered by the Atacama desert (the driest in the world) in the north, the Andes mountain range towards its east, and the Pacific Ocean on all other parts, many Spanish had died trying to cross the Atacama; the Andes were not even a realistic possibility. 

As it was, Valdivia seemed to have taken the fact of all these failed expeditions in stride and crossed the Atacama desert. It holds that he was only successfully able to do this because he gained the indigenous' trust, although they were rightly wary of Spanish maltreatment, and was led through the desert under their guidance. Once he reached Santiago, Valdivia founded the city with a few dozen soldiers and his mistress, the only woman of the group and apparently the first Spanish female to set foot in Chile. Valdivia then established the hill as a lookout post, established plans to build two grand forts, established himself as Chile's first royal governor, and turned his eyes towards the south of Chile where he would try and fail to conquer the Arauco Indians who would maintain their land until the late 1900s (and technically, the Indians never signed an agreement with Chile, so there remains a conflict about this). In later years, the cerro was used as a place for the aristocracy to gather and even later as an official part of the Chilean government as a mainstay of national beautification projects. 

As a part of this process of beautification, when I ascended the staircase of the Neptune plaza, the first site is this archway with the Spanish royalty crest. When looked at closely, there is a marked difference between the red original brick and the duller brown of the restored pieces (pictured above). 

We encountered another plaza on the next 'floor' of the cerro. It was largely a clear grid space. Below is an image of one half of the original cannon built during Valdivia's time. Recently, its base was burned during a brief violent takeover by Araucanian activists.

The same courtyard space houses two wooden sculptures built to resemble pieces that the natives built. The one on the left is an Araucanian male, while the other resembles a female. Earlier this year, there was a violent takeover by a native group and they set fire on the male sculpture to leave a political message. The male body, as a result, is almost broken in half and completely charred.

To the right of these sculptures was more staircases and the following sculpture. Note the native's choice of wear.

Does it seem odd to you? It certainly did for my mom and I. After all, in the frigid Chilean weather (even during summer nights), it does not seem logical to be wearing such scant clothing. It turns out that a Chilean man a few hundred years ago went to a university in the United States to study art. There, he made a sculpture of a North American Indian as a part of his project. This was later donated to the cerro's management. It truly goes to show how Cerro Santa Lucia is a microcosm of the macrocosmic idea that Santiago is a mix of Spanish, North American, and Chilean culture.

Finally, we ascended a series of cobble staircases (which was kind of scary until I realized that handrails exist for a reason) and reached the tiny post with a diameter of a few meters. 

(You can actually see in the left corner the part of the chapel and a white sculpture of the first archbishop of Santiago on the cerro's grounds. The chapel used to be open but now serves as a private family mausoleum. Another interesting fact: The archbishop faces the Plaza de Armas.)

People often ask me why I chose to go to Chile. And with much more clarity, I think one of my answers is for it to give me another view of my own continent and self, turned upside down and on the end of the world, of course! And another reason: The view, especially the skyline. I do not think I will ever be tired of it.