“Nice” Sign

On my latest trip to Valparaiso this week I ran across one of the most offensive signs I’ve found in Chile.  Along with the anarchy sign, it reads [in poor grammar]: “Bin Laden had cause against gringo killers”

I was not happy to see this sign.  Furthermore, I noticed right away in Santiago and Valpo that I see about 1-2 swastikas every couple of days as grafitti on the outside of buildings, on the sidewalk, or sometimes scratched into the glass on the metro.  However, most of the time someone has spray painted one and then someone else spray paints over it.  Still, it makes me sick.  Who does this?  Even though anti-semitism doesn’t target me, I am deeply offended, especially when it’s common to see through the city. 

Here’s a far more serious case in point.  In Buenos Aires (BA) in 2005 I distinctly remember seeing a whole line of swastikas painted across a sidewalk with police tape nearby, which really stuck with me.  I think that was one of the first times I remember seeing a big string of swastikas like that in public, since it is generally not tolerated in the US.  In BA in 1994 there was a terrorist attack against a Jewish center, which killed 80+ people and injured hundreds more.  Ultimately the government linked Hezbollah and the Iranian government to the attack.  Also in BA in 1992 a suicide bomber linked to Hezbollah drove a truck full of explosives against the Israeli embassy, killing nearly 30 people and wounding hunreds as the embassy and a nearby Catholic church were destroyed. 

Why are people so hateful?  Haven’t they learned the lessons of history and morality?  And the Iranian government that is linked to these killings?

Protesters fill Tehran this week. You should be reading about this in the press.

As a disclaimer, in Chile I have felt very little discrimination by being a foreigner.  When I was in South America last in 2005, there were scores of anti-American graffiti in Argentina and Paraguay, mostly anti-Bush signs or messages on the walls or buildings saying, “yankee go home.”  It wasn’t ever directed toward me as an individual, but still was not a pleasant thing to be seeing often.  In contrast, this time I came with my Barack Obama shirt and people love Obama and are pro-US. 

Sportin' the Obama shirt

In fact, I’ve found that most people are really interested in me and the reasons why I came to Chile.  The only real disadvantage I’ve encountered, other than having to constantly watch my pockets on public transport, is that you need a national ID number–which I can’t get during my time here–for nearly everything, including getting a grocery store discount card, cell phone, order many products online, etc.  Also, I speak proper Spanish, so it can be hard for Chileans to understand me (zing!).

The long-awaited blog is finally here!

After much insistence from my friends at the International Student House in Washington, and due to the fact that I am starting perhaps the best summer of my life in South America, there’s never been a better time to get a blog going again!  Last time I was in South America (4 years ago as a freshman…) I had a blog and I also used to blog about Mexico for the Foreign Policy Association.  A lot of my friends suggested I start a blog about dating or random stories, since both tend to be highly entertaining, but I am going to start out with a travel blog, since my adventure has just begun.

About me: I’m in my second year of graduate school (yeah!!!!  I can now say that I am a “half master”) at Georgetown University, working on my MA in Latin American Studies.  I moved to Washington in August from Denver (I think Colorado is the best state in the US!  So far I’ve visited 39 states, so that’s quite a bit of the country).  This summer I will be in Santiago de Chile with a Georgetown Program at Universidad Alberto Hurtado, studying globalization, political economy of Chile, and societal inequalities.  I’ll also be putting together a large research project on the country’s sovereign wealth fund for copper (more later – input will greatly be appreciated).

Before heading to Chile I decided to spend time in Paraguay.  Paraguay?  Yes, Paraguay!  (see Wikipedia here and an English-language tourist site here for some great information) I lived here for two months during the North American summer after my first year of college at the University of Colorado.  At the time it was quite a shock to my system being 5000+ miles from home in a very foreign country, but in retrospect it was one of the best decisions of my life.  After being accustomed to living there, I had such a great time that I decided to come back to visit my host family, soak in the culture, see old friends, and eat delicious food!

I arrived in the capital, Asuncion, on Friday, and have been loving every minute of it.  Instead of telling you all about it, these two pictures can basically sum up the past two days:

At a birthday party for my friend Lily. Gosh Paraguayans are so cool!

Eating asado, essentially the best steak in the entire world

This summer is going to be great!  Of course I miss everyone who is reading this blog, and that’s largely why I am writing it.  I will also enjoy the chance to reflect on how my summer is progressing, and hope to continue learning more about myself and this region of the world that I continue to fall in love with.  Until my next post (soon)!