August 19: Casa de Los Espiritus

Today we had another Tufts in Chile outing with our "cultural monitors," to see a live theatrical production of the Isabella Allende book "The House of the Spirits." The theater was in Parque Arauco, a gigantic upscale mall in Los Condes. If I thought going to the movies had a sense of non-place, then this was 10 times worse. While it was gorgeous with lights and palm trees, I felt like my sense of place had completely gone out the window since the restaurants, style of dress and probably even speaking were exactly the same as they would have been back home. The production itself was quite enjoyable, as it mixed in really cool effects with screens and lights that added an element of film to live theater. Since I'd read the book, I felt that a lot of characters were too one sided, but the general themes that Allende wanted to address-class, human rights and women's roles were equally, if not more salient. Most of the time, though, I just couldn't help being intrigued by the irony of watching the play's criticism of historical processes and time periods in a space filled with an audience that was a product of what was being criticized. Without the violence behind Pinochet's regime that was one of the main criticisms of the play, who knows if neoliberal economic policies would have been enacted, making way for the super-elite that filled the theater. In this way, I almost felt as if the audience and their reaction to the drama was incorporated into the show itself. It was pretty meta.

Ligero y Peso: July 15th

Today was full of cultural whiplash and varied between being extremely fun and emotionally intense.

After a morning of lectures about the Chilean economy and environment, we went out to see a vineyard, learn about a process that has become a huge part of the Chilean economy in recent years & taste some wines.

Being outside of Santiago was really eye opening. The huge gaps in income and access in Chile are apparent before you even get out of the city, but the countryside in many ways surprised me how low the standard of living appeared for many campesinos. While Chile’s neoliberal economy has been lauded by many, it was fascinating to finally have a visual image of those who have been left behind by growth or who it could be argued are exploited by growth.

On a lighter note, today I had the best meal of my entire life (Sorry Mom!) at San Martino Vineyards where we had a fabulous wine tasting with a huge lunch. The vineyards have been family owned from their initiation, feature artisanal wines and are the only carbon neutral vineyard in South America.

Our wines included:
-Carmenere- from a type of grape that grows exceptionally well in Chile
-Cabernet Sauvignon
-Cabernet Blanc- The best white wine I’ve ever had! I’m not usually a big fan of whites, but this was simply exquisite.

Our tremendously large meal included:
-cerviche: a seafood dish flavored with citrus
-queso fresco- very fresh and delicious seeds
-soup made from a puree of different vegetables
-avocados covered in sesame seeds & tomatoes flavored with lemon
-pan amasada- sort of like a biscuit
-canelones- pasta filled with cheese and jaiva, sweetwater crab that is unique to Chile
-Bouef bourgeon
asparagus
salad with watercress

And for dessert...
-Torta de lucuma- a sumptious treat with merengue and lucuma, a fruit from the North of Chile
-Torta de frambuesa- raspberry tart
-Mousse de mote con huesillos- A unique mousse version of a traditional Chilean dessert drink with peaches and a special grain
-truffle with coconut
-espresso

After touring the wine production on the property, we went to Paine, a community which was proportionally affected the most by the violence of the Pinochet dictatorship. 70 of the 2000 people in the town were "disappeared", mainly because they were active in agrarian land reform moments, which greatly challenged rural social structures. The citizens of the town have created a deeply intimate and personal monument to their desaparecidos, whose fate in many cases remains unknown. We met with one of them, whose father was taken and she explained the moment to us. The design of the monument was very symbolic. 1930 poles of varying heights represent la cordillera (the Andes), as well as the varying ages of the community. 70 poles are missing to represent missing community members. Instead, 70 mosaics, designed by surviving family members stand in memory of those lost. Finally, a tree planted in the center symbolizes how life continues, even in the midst of horrors and uncertainty.

Today reminded me of how much blood has been spilled over the right to have land, whether a simple personal plot or struggles for an entire nation. When you focus on the sadness of a single individual, the big pictures reasons and explanations for conflict make less and less sense.

In the last part of the day, we went to a Mapuche (original people’s) modern dance performance. Despite taking place in what our program’s academic director referred to as a “outdoor experimental shed,” the performance featured very modern lighting, video and audio effects, that included the Mapuche language. The dancing was simultaneously beautiful, fierce, weird and engaging. Seeing how we’ve been talking a ton about the importance of class in Chile, I was really fascinating by the audience, which featured people who were definitely lower class and of Mapuche descent, college students, upper class people and a few children. It really surprised me to see such a wide cross section at one event; it’s not really something you would ever see in the States.