Today I would like to introduce you to Snow Day’s amigo latino: “¡Paro!” (“Strike!”). The students of my high school are on strike. They have demands they want to see met: they want improved educational facilities and they want a better education. Tuesday morning about 25% of the student body joined together, marched through the town streets to the Department of Education and the Municipality offices requesting a meeting to discuss their complaints. A meeting was organized for Wednesday afternoon with the teachers, mayor, head of the Dept. of Ed., and the delegation from each class at the high school. (No students came to school, but teachers were here working, of course!) Strikes are not an uncommon occurrence here in Chile (or Latin America in general). Just before I arrived the teachers of Chile ended a month long strike. Soon after I arrived, some bus drivers went on strike. Just a few weeks ago, the workers of the Civil Registry have also gone on strike. At the beginning of this week, the school cooks went on strike.
This is quite a cultural difference, and one that I definitely appreciate (even if my upbringing causes me to wonder about the necessity). If a group of Chileans believe they are being wronged, they want to be heard. I love the camaraderie it brings and support they show each other. In a discussion in the teacher’s room on Monday afternoon, most teachers agreed with the students having a strike, even if they didn’t agree with all of their demands. In one rather heated moment, a teacher stood and declared: “We were on strike for a month and that had an effect on the life of the students...how can we not back them up now when they want to be heard too?!” I almost jumped up clapping, ready to shout “¡Amén!”. Almost. But I didn’t...because I’m a reserved girl from the midwest. But hey, who knows, {cue emotional music} maybe someday I’ll share a picture with you. And in that picture I’ll be holding a sign. And I’ll be standing with a group of people, chanting for our demands to be heard by others. Sigh. A girl can dream, right?
1 Comment
Sue Proeber
11/5/2015 12:35:39 pm
I don't know that you can exactly call yourself "reserved." (I have seen you in action!) Think about it ... maybe you are there to make a difference!! (In more ways than one.)
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