Author: Mallory Kimble

America, Land of Who?

The United States of America or just America, that’s how I and most others refer to these 50 states. Whenever I travel abroad, I refer to myself as an American. I know my customs and traditions to be American. I remember the first time that I was introduced to the concept of “America” meaning more than just the United States of America. It was in one of my introductory Spanish classes at OSU. My professor asked us who was more American, us or someone from Panamá, perhaps. After all, Panamá is located in Central America. Ofcourse I was already aware of the existence of both Central and South America but we, the USA were the Americans, right? It was during that Spanish class that I began to challenge that idea. I was indirectly reminded of this when visiting La Moneda Cultural Center. On the glass walls, the phrase “America, Tierra de Quienes”  was painted. This translates to “America, Land of Who?”. As I was pondering on this, I began to think of the ethnic and cultural background of the people that make up “America”. Let’s think about Latin America in particular since we are in Chile. In 2019, it’s a melting pot like the United States but we know that much of the cultural make up comes from Spainards, enslaved Africans, and Indigenous peoples native to this land. I saw this cultural make up represented in the artwork all over Valparaíso which we visited on day 5. Some of the people depicted on the murals were, in my opinion very clearly of African descent and others indigenous. This experience in Chile has truly brought this concept to life for me and I will continue to learn about and expand on this idea of America being more than the United States of America.The United States of America or just America, that’s how I and most others refer to these 50 states. Whenever I travel abroad, I refer to myself as an American. I know my customs and traditions to be American. I remember the first time that I was introduced to the concept of “America” meaning more than just the United States of America. It was in one of my introductory Spanish classes at OSU. My professor asked us who was more American, us or someone from Panamá, perhaps. After all, Panamá is located in Central America. Ofcourse I was already aware of the existence of both Central and South America but we, the USA were the Americans, right? It was during that Spanish class that I began to challenge that idea. I was indirectly reminded of this when visiting La Moneda Cultural Center. On the glass walls, the phrase “America, Tierra de Quienes”  was painted. This translates to “America, Land of Who?”. As I was pondering on this, I began to think of the ethnic and cultural background of the people that make up “America”. Let’s think about Latin America in particular since we are in Chile. In 2019, it’s a melting pot like the United States but we know that much of the cultural make up comes from Spainards, enslaved Africans, and Indigenous peoples native to this land. I saw this cultural make up represented in the artwork all over Valparaíso which we visited on day 5. Some of the people depicted on the murals were, in my opinion very clearly of African descent and others indigenous. This experience in Chile has truly brought this concept to life for me and I will continue to learn about and expand on this idea of America being more than the United States of America.

America, Land of Who at La Moneda Cultural Center

One of many colorful murals in Valparaíso

Mural in Valparaíso

Working it Out

On Monday after a nice lunch at Mestizo we all got to take a lovely stroll through Parque Bicentenario or Bicentennial Park. The landscape of this Park was mostly flat unlike the infant park that we visited on day 1. While walking through Park Bicentenario, I was able to experience the beauty and serenity of it all. The flamingos were a nice added touch that I am not used to seeing in parks. One element that caught my eye was the workout equipment situated about one fourth of the way through the park. At first glance, it looked like more toys for the children to play on but upon closer inspection, there was a sign that read “15 years and up”. There was a machine that appeared to be an elliptical and leg lift bars among other equipment. This was very interesting to me because this Park was clearly a space for all ages to enjoy. The exercise equipment was not far from a jungle gym area that was neant for children. I thought that the inclusiveness of the  design was very practical. Adults can bring their children to the park and have activities for themselves other than sitting on a bench.

Exercise equipment at Parque Bicentenario

Flamingos

    View of Torre Costanera from Parque Bicentenario

Day 2 PreColombian Art Museum

Chemamulles

Window illuminated with artificial and natural light from the courtyard

    Sketch of stairwell, Chemamulle, and window at Precolombian Art Museum

I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of La Moneda palace with the Chilean flag billowing in the wind later in the afternoon and the hustle and bustle of Plaza de Armas. One aspect of our day that stood out the most for me was the presence and the absence of light in the Precolombian Art Museum designed by Smiljan Radic. On the ground level there was both artificial and natural light. The natural light that came from the courtyard with open roof glowed through the rest of that floor of the building.  There was a window lit from one side with the natural sunlight from the courtyard and lit from the opposite side by a ceiling light fixture. The presence of light in that area contributed to a bright and peaceful atmosphere. There was also soft string music being played that added to the ambiance on the ground level. Moving to the lower level of the museum, “Chile before Chile” the atmosphere changed dramatically to very dark and quiet. The contrast to the ground level seemed very intentional. Not only was there an absence of actual light but the stairs and walls were black. Once all the way downstairs, only the displays were illuminated just enough to read the descriptions. The largest attraction on the level were the Chemamulle wooden statues. Once I learned that the Chemamulles were placed atop graves in hopes of guiding the deceased, the dark atmosphere seemed more appropriate. Walking down the many sets of stairs, I felt as though I could be walking into a grave. Although there were no signs instructing anyone to be quiet , if you heard anyone talking it was only a whisper. I think that the dark look and feeling of the lower level informed this behavior. Walking back upstairs into the sunlight felt like coming back to life.

Mallory’s Pre-Departure Post

I’m super excited to visit Chile and can’t believe that today is the day. This trip seemed so far away at the beginning of the semester but it feels like these weeks have moved rapidly and now here we are. This has been one of the busiest weeks for me regarding school work with assignments due, so I’m very relieved to finally be finished with most of that. I haven’t gotten much rest for the past couple of days so I’m really looking forward to getting some sleep on the plane.

I’m ready to totally immerse myself in Chilean culture. I think that what I’m most excited about changes daily but I am looking forward to visiting the sites that we have learned so much about in class, particularly Torre Costanera and Mestizo. I’m also excited to ride the fernicular and take in the views.

It looks like we are in for such a long journey to get there but I think that on the way in it won’t be that bad; coming back to Ohio will be another story. I’m also pumped about the expected weather, the temperature change should be interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow , well today.