Chilean Student Protest Deteriorates Into Chaos

By Gwynne Hogan

Santiago Times, Thursday 27 September 2012 21:46

http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/education/25210-chilean-student-protest-deteriorates-into-chaos

 Police report 100 arrests after violent clashes with protesters.

The article is about chilean student protest. The narraton says that thousands of university and high school students marched on Thursday from Central Station of Santiago City, along La Alameda, to express their discomfort with the government.

The protest was organized by the Coordinating Assembly for Secondary Students (ACES), the National Coordination of Secondary Students (CONES) and supported by the umbrella organization the Confederation of Chilean Students (Confech). It was a prelude to the congressional debate over the 2013 budget, which pretends spend a twenty percent of the budget in the education item, but students insists it isn´t enough. It was repeated in cities like Concepción and Valparaíso.

During the protest, ACES tries to convince to boycotting municipal elections at the end of October as response to government inaction. The students know that elections won't change anything, so they are calling to vote null or not vote and they invited to participate in the social movements. “If we want something we have to fight for it." They think that they don´t have more options to express their ideas.

The peaceful protest for education became to a burst of violence, arrested students for launch glass bottles, molotov cocktails, and tear gas and water cannons from the police barricade. The witnesses say that there were too many police this day, which arrested protesters without motives and respect for human rights.  

I “celebrate” the Independence day holidays with my family in Rancagua city. We are not patriots, and we don`t have great traditions neither. My brothers and I travel to Rancagua city to visit to my mother, my grandmother, my nephew and my Little brother.  My brother Nicolás puts up the chilean flag on the roof. My mother and I prepare the costume of my nephew for his performance in the kindergarten. Also, my father comes to visit us and we go together to the “fondas” (a kind of typical chilean tavern).

I like this holiday because my uncles visit to my grandmother, we do a barbacue and my mother and grandmother make "empanadas".

I don`t like the people who remember the traditions only in these dates, and use traditional costumes like a cosplay, everyone eat and drink excessively, as if "the end of the world" came, there are many accidents and many drunk, the reggaeton and cumbia music are the new national anthems and the trade abuse of the concept.

Finally, just barely ends "the 18" people forget everything quickly and completely and the stores already are filled with Halloween decorations. ("The Chilean Way").

For the holidays, I went to see some old friends, I shared with my family and my boyfriend, I visited my in-laws and rested a little. In fact, it was boring.

For me, It doesn’t a significant celebration, but I respect the meaning it has for other people.

My Best Holidays

In the 90´s, when I was a child, my family and I spent our holidays in Mirasol, near Algarrobo, in the Region of Valparaíso.

Mirasol is a beautiful beach of yellow sand and green sea, but children can´t swim there because its waves are very dangerous. There is a place called pirate’s cave next to the beach, which is fun to visit, and young people practice parapente and another extreme sports in this place.

I will never forget those holidays because all my family traveled to our big house there. I remember that house was sorrounded by hortensias and a picket fence. It was a very quiet and relaxing place. I ate food cooked by my grandfather and her cousins (who died a long time ago) and played with my brothers and cousins. I used to walk along the beach and collect shells and algae.

At night, we went to the centre of the town, to visit the handcraft fair. Then, we all played cards and laughed a lot.

I disliked the public transport of the place, because the buses were always full and very slow. But the good thing was we could see all the beachs in that way.

I would really like to go to back to Mirasol someday. It’s a great place to spend the holidays.

A COUNTRY I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT

I would like to visit United Kingdom. This is an unitary state that consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In their places have a lot of medieval architecture, beautiful country sites, castles and an interesting royal guard. 

In England is also famous for its Victorian Literature, great musicians and actors. In this country Joanne K. Rowling inspired to write Harry Potter. Besides, United Kingdom has a great mythology and a very rich culture.

I would like to visit mainly Wales and Scotland because they have another language. I like this accent.

I would like to know about its educational system and its health system. Perhaps, live there a few years and visit my cousin and her family. Also, there are many touristic attractions: parks, museums, galleries, etc.

I would like to eat its typical food, take pictures and walk along the River Thames.

I liked the pictures of that country that i saw on the Internet, especially those exhibited during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

                                             FIRST TERM: GOOD AND BAD POINTS

The first term I learned a lot, but that learning was more concerning to life itself than studies. I had many problems to get a good performance in my career, but nevertheless I had good results.

I made the difficult decision to leave my family to live permanently in Santiago with my boyfriend. We moved to a dangerous neighborhood, we knew nothing about that in this city. Both have health problems. Without job, money or great support from our families, we had to know ourselves in the everyday at domestic situations, which is not easy.

In my case, I dealt with divide my time between University, my job, my sick boyfriend and visiting my family in Rancagua. I felt I couldn’t do it, I had no time for mysef. I thank my friends, who are few, because they never lost faith in me and they always gave me encouragement.

Obviously, I had no free time. especially for exercise. Anyway, I could spend some time on the things I like: food, medieval events and children´s fantasy literature.

This photography was taken by Natalia Carmona, Graphic Designer of Wide Beach University. She also is a member of the female rookie “Tuna” of the same university.
The photography shows the Ladies “Tuna” from the University of Chile, which is a musical group that belongs to the Faculty of Arts. Here, the “Sitas” pose in front of “La Moneda” (The Coin) in a photo shoot for a meeting of “Tunas” and “Estudiantinas” in Colombia.

The photo was taken on 8 and 9 April.

I like this photo, is the typical "disorderly", but shows a lot of happy girls, very talented, they love a lot and they accompany on many adventures. They are an inspiration to me because they show me that even though sometimes things do not go as you want, you can always rise above them, especially when you realize you are not alone. Always you will find people willing to accompany you on the journey that is your own life.

A Tuna is a sisterhood/ brotherhood of college students who carry a combination of old clothes and perform songs from European and Latin American folklore. Its origin appears to be medieval. Already at that time, college students with limited economic resources used his musical skills to cover their studies, the journey from college to their homes when they began the holidays. So cheerful and playful, at night a group went out to serenade, until weary way to the shelters for some food.

The Ladies’ Tuna has filled Santiago City with Serenades and Parades, which always in the tone and sensitivity of Women making honor to the old “Estudiantinas” girl emerged in Chile in the late nineteenth century.

In a manly endeavor as his story, these girls have entered the “tunantesco” environment opening his own space to show a useful combination of femininity, romance, mischief and love for life and travel.

The Netbook.

The Netbook is a portable computer of low cost and small size.

Mi netbook is a Samsung N – 150. My mother gave it to me when I came to live to Santiago, in the middle of last year, because the house that I live have only two personal computers in poor condition for more than fifty girls.

I like my netbook because it weighs very little, It doesn`t occupy very much space and it isn`t well-known, so it isn`t easy to steal. This is ideal when you use the public transport and you are present to many places in the same day.

This object allows me to support the communication with my family, friends and my boyfriend because they are far, in Rancagua. Also distracts me with games, but it facilitates me the access to information quickly from my classroom, too. I can listen to music, play karaoke and it helps me to save money in photocopies and impressions because I can read my texts in the computer. I can use it to relax when I travel and to see cartoons with my nephew.

I use it almost the whole day. I am slightly addicted to his nice design and usefulness. Without my netbook I might not study, do my tasks, or to find a job. I might not communicate with my partners to coordinate things of the university; It`s more economic to communicate for Internet that for cellular.

Finally, I might not read the newspaper neither to be kept informed (since I don`t watch T.V.) and I might know that it happens with the people that I love and that it lives beyond. It would be absolutely (forever) alone.