After getting out from my internship on Friday, I went over to Parque O' Higgins for an event held by Un Techo Para Chile (One Roof for Chile) that was part of a larger event in which all the youth in chapters from all over Latin America, were gathered both for dialogue and a march to draw attention to the poorest in Latin America. It was certainly inspiring to see all the students gathered there, from literally every country and it was nice to see a more diverse mix of faces than Chile often has to offer. It's fascinating to me how diverse Latin America is in contrast to the American stereotypes of those living to our south.
The majority of the speakers were either government or international financial institution types which was interesting but sort of predictable after a while. They patted themselves on the back for approving the largest social spending budget in Chilean history and talked about the importance of youth as leaders and the need for more economic growth to improve the lot of the poorest of the poor. I stayed for a little while but then I started to feel a little overwhelmed. I used to love going to rallies when I was a bit younger but it's not really my scene anymore: I supposed I've grown to jaded to see the efficacy of it in the big picture, beyond the encouragement that being in a group of similarly minded people gives. And while I can dress up to fit with the institutional scene, I haven't quite gotten to the point yet where I agree entirely with what they're saying. I'm at a middle stage in my personal development, I guess, and I feel like I don't quite have a group to belong to.
With too much on my mind after the morning, I went for a walk around the park. To make a New York analogy, Parque O' Higgins is Central Park, exceptly slightly smaller and somewhat less centrally located. It has a theme park though, a pool, picnic areas, small lakes with little pedal boats and tons of space for just hanging out. It was quite beautiful, sitting at an interesting angle for views of the city and mountains, which I hadn't expected given how crowded it was alleged to be during the Fiestas Patrias. It made me sad to think about all the kids who despite being a metro or bus ride away don't have regular access to nature. For instance, many of the kids who are involved in activities in El Trampolin never really leave their immediate area, not necessarily because of lack of access by transport, but often because it's hard for them to get free time as many of them are charged with the care of siblings and infants from the age of 7 or 8. This is definitely a challenge so many societies face: finding ways to un-shrink the worlds of kids in lower economic brackets.
On Saturday, I went for a run along Tobalaba, where there is a wonderful park. Providencia, one of the most upper class comunas, really is a model for public spaces and exercise. There are bicycles for rent and bike lanes in many areas. Additionally, almost every playground also features exercise parks for adults which are a fantastic idea. People of all ages and exercise levels work out on them and I personally find it less odious than just doing exercises indoors somewhere because it has the positive association of playing on a playground as a kid. This is something that really could be a great way to combat the obesity epidemic in the states.
Emily, los parques de ejercicio para adultos sonido fantástico! Cuando regresa a los Estados, tal vez Usted puede diseñar como un esfuerzo para desafiar la obesidad en esta lista?! Me alegra ver que están bien. La verdad sea dicha, me he perdido un par de semanas de su blog, pero estoy casi atrapado, ahora. Manténgase bien - nos vemos pronto! xo Lainey
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