Bienvenidos a Chile!

Well friends, my time as a Holy Cross OLM has officially begun! It is hard to believe that this is only my fifth day in Chile.  The past few days have been full of introductions and names (many of which I have already forgotten, despite how hard I am trying!), visits to the most popular neighborhood bread stands and fruit markets, two birthday parties, a high school retreat, conversations with the Holy Cross priests, sisters, and volunteers, cups and cups of tea and coffee, and many discussions about the current strikes, marches and protests occurring in Chile over the educational system.  As always, I continue to be humbled and inspired by the hospitality and warm, welcoming spirit of the Chilean people.  My OLM partner, Mike, and I have been thrown right into the community, attending the inauguration of a new Fundamor (one of Holy Cross’s main social action projects in Chile that aims to assist children who have been abandoned or are living in high-risk situations) site in Andacollo (the community in which we live) yesterday, helping to run a retreat for a class of Andacollo High School juniors on Thursday, hanging out with Holy Cross priests for vespers and a “social” last night, and joining students this morning to repaint the kitchen in one of the schools this morning. 

In some ways, it seems as though I have returned to a different city than the one I knew studying abroad.  The social unrest and action against the government regarding the educational policy permeates daily life and discussion.  Most schools (about 180) have been on strike for over 2 months.  School desks and chairs have been thrown out of the schools and stuck into the surrounding fences.  Some students stand guard on the school grounds, others complain that they are tired of sitting around at home and long to return to the classroom.  Marches and protests have been occurring throughout Chile for the past months.  Two days ago the city experienced two large and intense protests, and there were many more throughout the entire country.  Over 500 protesters were detained and several policemen and students were injured.  Some protestors set buses and buildings on fire and were throwing stones and paint, and policemen responded to the crowds by shooting tear gas and water throughout the streets.  What is most jarring is that the images of the protests look so similar to the footage from the years of the dictatorship, especially the large military machines driving through the streets spraying water on protestors.  Additionally, at 9:00 two nights ago people all around Santiago took to the streets banging pots and pans in an expression of unified support for a change in the educational system.  This form of protest was notoriously used during the 80s against the Pinochet dictatorship, and, therefore, its use now obviously surfaces many associations and memories of that time.  Just a few days ago, while riding on a bus through Santiago, I saw people gathered around a big banner with the name and picture of a man detained and disappeared in 1975 asking the government for information about his whereabouts—it is moments like these that call us to question and reflect more deeply on the idea that societies need to “forget about the past and move on” or finish a process of “reconciliation” as quickly as possible to make a definitive break with the past even if this means that a few people and families slip through the cracks.  History consistently shows us that human hurts and wrongs and deep experiences of injustice and personal and communal suffering can sometimes be suppressed for a short period of time, but in moments of instability, unrest, and frustration, they can/will rapidly resurface.  We may have many ideas about words like reconciliation, justice, and compassion, but in practice, we too often fall very short of their most profound and rich meanings, both individually and as communities.  In situations such as the one occurring in Chile, it is easy to quickly form opinions and take sides, but I am trying to learn to listen deeply without judging and to also use this as an opportunity to not only pray for a greater commitment to non-violence and compassion in the hearts and minds of all those involved, but also for the grace and strength to realize the things in my own life that prevent me from fully inhabiting the Gospel understanding of non-violence and compassion.

There are many more things I could say about the multiple and varied moments of grace, contrast, worry, and joy that have shaded these first few days as an OLM in Chile, but, as always, I find myself short on time and humbled by the difficultly of expressing all of the complex layers of life’s encounters in words.  Thanks for getting through this first entry, and I promise that more of this new life will come in bits in pieces in the next days J  For now, I ask that you keep the Chilean people in your prayers and invite you to walk the journey with them and with all people struggling for greater human equality in our world by praying for the ability to critically examine our own hearts and become more compassionate brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Here are some photos taken by one of the Holy Cross priests, Fr. Chris Cox

      

      Neigbhors banging pans in protest

Students hang signs from the Law School building: "Public and Free Education"