Tears for Education: How I finally felt the pain of the protestors

Assault of my senses. There is no other way to put it. Today, I was supposed to meet up with my new rock climbing gang and head to the wall to have our first go at this whole “escalar” thing. I was told to meet by the bank by the bridge around 3:15. Before this, Erin had given me a call and told me there was another protest going on, but this time on Isla Teja. To be honest, I kind of shrugged it off, the initial appeal of these protests is definitely starting to diminish. So I head for the bridge, which happens to be right by the main entrance to campus. I arrive to hordes of carabineros (policemen) sporting their floor length green coats and militant-like hats. Some even yielded shields…okay…what’s going on…So I whip out my Flip video camera, which I have been carrying everywhere just in case something like this happens I suppose. I approach the school entrance and see that there are quite possibly hundreds of students throwing rocks at the policemen, something had been set on fire, and their was incessant yelling coupled by the piercing screeches of the whistles of the carabineros. This was definitely more intense than the marches and standoffs I had witnessed downtown. 

So I watched for maybe 5 minutes than went to go stand by the bank, not 20 yards away. All of a sudden, the spectators start running towards me, sprinting is actually a better term. Scarves, hands, shirts, covering their mouths and noses in a purely futile attempt to block the oncoming attack: Tear gas. And lots of it. Never in my life did I think that I would experience the chemical riot controller that is tear gas. I grabbed for the hood of my jacket, shielding my mouth and nose, yet to no avail. The ever penetrating gas seeped in through the microscopic pores of my jacket, harassing my nose, my throat, and naturally, my eyes. I could barely keep them open as I joined the race for the bridge. Tears streaming down my cheeks, eyes swelling, throat closing…I opened my eyes every 30 seconds or so and tried to scan the crowd for my friends. Halfway across the bridge I spot them! And we retreat to the opposite side of the bridge, a refuge, a sanctuary, but only temporary because the assault of the tear gas was soon to reach the mainland due to the strong wind associated with this Chilean winter. I really couldn’t believe it. I was in shock! Was this the 1960s? Are we protesting Vietnam? Are we part of the Civil Rights movement? What can be so important that these students remained at the entrance of campus while everyone else ran? What can be so incredibly vital? Education. And that’s what it boils down to.

I’ve thought about it a lot, and to be honest, education is the life blood of society. We simply cannot function without it. And when students understand that they are not being treated justly, they act out. They protest. They, with tears streaming down their faces just as tears stream down mine, continue to throw rocks as if to say, No. No to this system. No to the man. It is not fair. We deserve better. And if you won’t give us the opportunity, we will create it. And to be honest, despite the inconvenience that this has created personally for me, I respect the overarching purpose. They deserve a fundamental right to quality education, higher education at that, and if it is not given to them, they will take it. I relate to the sentiment and although the Chileans grow tired of it, I hold their value for education in the highest esteem.

Now with my contemplative meditation out of the way, I’m gonna be real- tear gas sucks. I am still feeling sick from it and I was exposed over 5 hours ago. My eyes burn and when Rodolfo finally came home, he immediately had me lay down on the couch so he could put drops in my eyes that he promised would help with “el gas de Lacrimógena”. Well clearly this isn’t the first time this has happened. It must be a real nuisance for people who are far removed from the ‘cause of the day’. Well, anyway, my new friends and I walked down the main street for quite some time in an effort to find the climbing wall, but not only could we not find it, but after asking several people, we realized that nobody had even heard of it. Does this place even exist? I hope that it does. I’m going to ask Rodolfo to help me find it, he seems to know where everything is and I’m sure he can hold a candle to this mysteriously MIA climbing wall situation. Either way, it was good to have some bonding time with the girls and we even got icecream/popsicles and went to go sit by the river…that is, until I started spontaneously crying again and realized that the teargas had ventured over to this side of the river with a shift in the wind. We took refuge in a bookstore before we decided to brave the bridge back to Isla Teja. I split with the girls at their cabana and had to find a new way home since the road I live on was closed off by a friendly barricade of carabineros. Now that I think about it, this was the first time I had ever walked by myself and didn’t know where I was. But I realize that if you walk with a purpose, and a sense of direction, the strange looks come much less frequently. So that’s what I did. And even though I stick out in this sea of black and brown haired people, I felt comfortable and at home as I confidently maneuvered the backstreets of Isla Teja. 

After dinner, we watched the news and I bore witness to the much bigger and more violent protests in Santiago, and many other cities throughout Chile. It’s really incredible. One of the things that really moved me  was a little boy, about 8 years old or so, who was interviewed as he meandered through the rubble of his neighborhood, post-education march. He said, rough translation mind you, “I deserve a good education, but we can get there without this violence and destruction”. Such a wise thing to say for such a young soul. Sometimes, I find myself energized and empowered by the anger and passion behind these protests: these students are my age and they are FORCING social change to happen within their respective communities. But, when I hear the wisdom of this young boy, I realize that this social change can happen without the destruction of buildings and businesses, without the ‘rage against the police’ mentality, and of course, without the tear gas. 

And with that, I bid thee goodnight.

**I scattered some links throughout that last paragraph for any of you who want to read up on the recent news and why the protests are happening...perhaps from a more objective source than I :) Also, the above video is from last week when we saw the march through downtown Valdivia. This march and the riot today are two VERY separate events. dually noted? good.