back to school!
today i had my first classes at the university! reality check, i’m here to study. thankfully i’m the world’s biggest nerd and love the prospect of learning new things, so i was quite content sitting in my desk. my schedule is still up in the air until september 9, the deadline to finalize courses. but for sure i’m taking classes on spanish language, history and film, and the history of the formation of the latin american nation and state. that last one is quite a mouthful, and is even worse when you try to say it in spanish. our school is not heated, no surprise there, so i was all bundled up as i took notes on the characteristics of the contemporary epoch of literature.
another reason i’m a nerd: i love to share the random facts that i learn. (that may have something to do with why i want to be a teacher.) “did you know…” is one of the first things out of my mouth after i come back from a class. just ask my roommates. luckily for you all, everything i learn here will be in spanish, and it would take far too much effort to translate all that information into english, so you’ll be spared my random facts.
but for now, here’s a little information about the current education situation in chile. you could say we’re in a bit of a pickle down here in the southern hemisphere. two months ago today, students around the country took over their universities and high schools, demanding free and higher quality education. they broke into the buildings at night and blockaded the doors and windows with desks and other furniture, and have been living in the schools ever since. banners and graffiti cover the buildings, and there are frequent marches and demonstrations. the professors and staff have been unable to access their offices since the protest began. at orientation we were given lots of information about the movement, which was referred to as la toma (tomar-to take). i’ve since used that term with my family, and they give me a blank stare every time, but i’m going to keep calling it that anyways.
last night, students and representatives from the government met to discuss a proposal that will hopefully bring a close to the toma. employers won’t give jobs to students and they have been threatened with the cancelation of the rest of the school year, so it is in everyone’s best interest that the toma end.
the toma has had little effect on my study abroad experience. the courses, offices and classrooms necessary for the international program have all been opened so that we can continue business as usual. not that getting welcomed into the building each day by a guard is the usual. the only drawback is that as of now, all my classes are with other international students, not with chileans. however, if and when the school reopens, i will have the opportunity to register for regular university courses. as for now, i have a front row seat for one of the largest social movements in modern chilean history!
below are a few pictures of schools in toma. the first is a high school in olmué where we had orientation. it’s a little crooked because i took it while riding a bike… the second two are of the main building of my university.
