fences and appearances

These two photographs are of the house next door to the Casa Ursulina.  Up until recently, the fence in front of the house was just a rickety bunch of sticks and cardboard and pieces of metal.  This fence rounded the corner and went all down the block.  Little by little over the past month, the sticks have been torn down and the cement wall in the second picture was put up.  I've spent a lot of time thinking about this fence, and how it reflects on the larger reality in Chile.  

Chile is at an interesting point in its development.  Some people think of it as a "3rd world country," whereas others see it as well-developed and stable.  The truth is somewhere between the two.  The reality of Chilean life, as I've experienced it this year, is far from the extreme poverty I saw in Nicaragua and El Salvador.  The country has many more resources and is, at this moment, politically stable (I love Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean president!).  However, there is a facade that hides a lot of Chilean poverty.  

The government provided and built most of the homes in our población.  They are small duplexes that look pleasant from the outside, and it gives the illusion that the people who live in those homes have the basic resources they need to survive.  Go inside of those homes, though, and listen to the people who live there, and you will quickly find that there is a lot of deep and hidden poverty here.

The fences in these photographs are the perfect example of that.  Now, anyone walking by will see the nicely-built fence and assume that the homes behind that fence are similarly well-0ff.  But the reality of the situation really hasn't changed.  There are still multiple cramped houses crammed into one site, and the people who live there will still struggle to put bread on the table.

quick update

It's really amazing how much has happened in the past few weeks.  So much has changed.  Our time in Chile as volunteers is quickly winding to a close, and I have a lot to reflect on.

However, all i have time for here is a quick update.

The new HM volunteers got to Chile at the beginning of September. After spending a couple of weeks at each of the 3 possible sites, they elected to stay in Santiago.  I'm glad they had a choice of where to stay, and were able to find something that feels like a good fit for both of them.  However, that decision has been difficult for us (although I guess more on a selfish level).  We're so starved for social interaction with people our own age, and we were looking forward to having 2 new compañeras.  Also, it's been hard for it to sink in that we're actually leaving, since we don't have "replacements."  There isn't a sense of continuity, and my heart breaks a little bit to think that some of the ministries we've been involved in won't continue.  The abuelitos really seem to depend on our weekly visit, and the pre-teen girls are disappointed that there probably won't be a class for them next year.  BUt, that's the nature of the program.

Another big change is that I am in the process of moving out of my house.  After several big problems with my host family, I've decided to move in with a different family for the remainder of my time in Chillán.  This has been extremely difficult and stressful, and it not the way I was expecting or hoping to end my time here (obviously).  However, one thing being in Chile has taught me is that you really have to be flexible and you also have to know and stand up for what you need.