Global Teachers – Chile 2023
Day 2: Saturday, June 17
The teachers awoke refreshed and excited for their first full day in Chile, they loaded the bus and departed for a day trip to the coastal city of Valparaiso. The group was greeted by local guides upon arrival and taken on city graffiti tours in small groups to learn about the tradition of street art in Chile and how it has been utilized to protest military rule and demand social change. After the tour everyone enjoyed a group lunch at Cafe Turri with a beautiful view of the sea and had free time to explore the city. After departing Valparaiso, the group stopped at Veramonte Vineyards on the way back to Santiago, where they were given a tour, and learned about the vineyard, wine industry in Chile and how Veramonte Vineyard implements sustainable agriculture practices into their business.
Today was our first full day in Chile and Go Global NC’s global educators were excited to visit the gorgeous town of Valparaíso together! On our bus ride there, Vivi told us about the stunning views we would see, but we still weren’t truly prepared for the beauty of this coastal Chilean town and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
First on our agenda was a city tour of Valparaíso. Our guide Sebastian showed us several important landmarks in Plaza Sotomayor like the Armada de Chile and the Monumento a Los Heroes while teaching us about the rich history of this important seaport.
Then, Sebastian took us on Ascensor Concepcion (a funicular) so we could begin our tour of Valparaíso’s street art! We learned that under the dictatorship of Pinochet, all forms of political art were banned. Despite the immense danger, artists in Valparaíso persisted and used street art to express themselves and their beliefs. After the country’s return to democracy in the 1990s, Valparaíso embraced this art form as a celebrated means of self-expression by officially legalizing it within the town. Everywhere we looked, we were greeted by intricate masterpieces with stories to tell and messages to send. My favorite of the day was a mural that was painted on a stairway by an artist named Maxi Zamora (@maxi.zamora.r on Instagram).
After lunch, we had about an hour of free time that my small group took advantage of by hiking to see a former prison during Pinochet’s regime that has since been transformed into a park and cultural center. After climbing many steps to get there, our small group could feel the healing energy occupying this space in Valparaíso. We left the town feeling inspired by its artistry, perseverance, and resilience in the face of censorship and adversity.”
Saturday was my first full day in a completely foreign culture I have never experienced. I have spent time in Canada with my family and despite many people speaking French there, the majority is bilingual in English which makes communications easy despite being abroad. This was not the case on Saturday when we visited Valparaiso. As a teacher of English Language Learners in a sheltered setting I frequently struggle communicating with these students despite training, scaffolding, and my hang out sessions with the green owl (Duolingo). In one singular interaction, I was for once on the other side of the language barrier trying to acquire something that I lacked the necessary skills to acquire. After a tour of street art, we were given 50 minutes to peruse the local market. As we walked, I watched from afar as many of my group mates bought goods and art from vendors, however I refrained from purchasing because of a lack of small bills but also because of hesitancy over my inability to interact. Finally, as we passed an ice cream store my stomach dictated my next moves as I attempted my first true multilingual transaction.
At the counter I had a 3-minute transaction which felt like a 20-minute trial. What I imagined was the hard part went surprisingly easy. I walked up to the counter, pointed at the mango, and asked for dos scoops. Then in Spanish the woman asked “sugar cone or bowl” whilst motioning which helped me respond correctly. Then I had to pay.
This was my first credit card transaction, and it gave me a first-hand perspective on how a simple task can be difficult when the necessary language is lacking. I swiped my visa without saying a word however, when the card reader popped up with an additional prompt I froze. I read it twice, but the words were gibberish in a mind that was already panicking. In retrospect it was asking me if I wanted to accept a charge for a foreign transaction and I guessed correctly.
However, for that moment it was processing how I assume many of my students can feel on a daily basis. Required to do tasks which might seem simple but when lacking the vocabulary even those requests can be out of reach.
The transaction did go through, I did eat mango ice cream but I also learned a valuable lesson about the utility of picture examples so next year’s students do not need to rely on the words bouncing around their head, and can instead have clear vocabulary as a base of the lesson for the day.
Valparaiso -This city of street art is a cornucopia of color. From the houses covering the hillsides (kind of like San Francisco) to the graffiti and paintings on every other surface you see, Valpo is a wonderland of art. As we explored this magical city on the Pacific’s edge, there was a different artist’s story on every wall.
We started the morning with a walking tour with an incredibly knowledgeable guide, Sebastian (one of two of our guides with the same name.) The hillsides of the city were mosaics of color and countless architectural styles blended together so beautifully. I cannot get over the artwork, graffiti, and painted buildings such a collaboration of color and design. We walked all over the lower portion of the city and then took the funicular to the more expressive upper streets of the city. At times you could see 10 pieces within one wall.
The “rule follower” in me is amazed with the assumed acceptance and pride in all this work, even in the graffiti. No one seems to want to do away with the paintings all along their building side. I wonder if there is some sort of permission granted or just an acknowledgement that there will be opinions displayed on every outside wall. What if you disagree with your art piece? What if you want to change it? How long will this stay before another artist comes to add or cover what is there? The murals and the graffiti seem to keep to themselves not contradicting each other but somehow complimenting the other.
The “theatre educator” in me asks about these stories. When did the messages come about? How old is this gallery of works? With a little research I found that Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, brought street artists to the city and then in 1973 under the dictatorship it became outlawed. In 1990 with the fall of the Pinochet, the murals came out from the underground and flourished all over Valpo.
We took hundreds of photographs and met a couple of dogs along the way, ( there are friendly strays everywhere). And then as we sat in our beautiful cafe overlooking the ocean, we watched the fog roll in and cover the town like a blanket. Wow! So many symbols, so much to take in. I need days to explore this magical city of art and to really learn the stories that are being told all over the streets.