Letters From Chile

Cherishing bravery, a colorful inclination and a political mind as my core values, I breathe into everything around me a political interpretation, whether it be relationships, interactions among humans or the mere existence of anything. I think this preference for politics affords room for me to sit down and reflect the surrounding current state of affairs with a sharper eye and a more sympathetic heart, especially towards the recent civil protest that happened a while ago. 

It was my birthday when the protest arose, everything seemed so hectic. It happened quickly in a chaotic way, and violently. I remembered sitting on my bed one day after my birthday, watching pictures of people suffering. They were choked by policemen on the street, getting shot in their legs and eyes. The military was arresting and killing people in their sight. A sudden increase in metro fare encapsulates all that drove this protest - disappointment towards dictatorship of the government, the ensuing outrage towards unreasonable increased price level that induces inequality in standards of living, and the ultimately inevitable actions to reverse the status quo. I was too frustrated. I wanted to be part of the protest, because, after all, how could each member of a family that earns $300 a month be expected to pay $5 more for metro fare?

Having been the witness to the protest and now I am here as a UWC scholar, I was left contemplating as to how my perspective has transitioned from one to another. At one point, when the protest manifested itself, concurrently with the start of the application process for UWC, the idea of escaping my country with a hope for a better education consumed me. You know, I chased opportunities as I knew there are not many for me there in a public education system which received negligible funding and virtually 70% of education in Chile is privatised. With awareness as such, this aspiration for opportunities had remained dormant and was then intensified by the protest. Yet, after its cessation, I myself was struck by a new stream of thoughts. I realized that my longing is not to escape the reality, of all that happened, but face it with a heart craving to help, to help the place where I belong, not only my family but the people of my country, the population there. I wake up every morning wondering what I could do to step closer to this purpose. I can shout if I need to, I can help people in my power, anything. Now, I am not regarding my being here as a political refugee but as the one who, above all, leverages all the resources available to hone necessary skills and abilities, for me to return home to help my country and change those that I strongly believe should be changed. 

Marina Lobos, Chile.