Paul K. Goldberg

Ambassadorial scholars and university students working on the new library

When I was awarded the ambassadorial scholarship in the spring of 2006, I was just finishing up my undergraduate degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Realizing that I had over a year-long wait before the start of my scholarship, I began to look for a job abroad. With the help of a past linguistics professor I found a position teaching English at a university in central Chile. Four months of university life from the other side of the podium not only gave me some great insight into Latin American culture, language and politics, but it also allowed me to establish some project ideas that I could pursue during my upcoming year as an ambassadorial scholar.

During my teaching experience one of the things I found alarming was the level of disparity among the rich and the poor. There is a small Chilean population that has capitalized on recent economic growth attributed to foreign investment and a thriving international market focused on the exportation of Chile’s resources including agriculture, copper, and wine. A quick “Chile” Google search will yield an impressive display of articles flaunting this economic growth, photos of booming seaside resorts, incredible geography and a country that appears to be economically stable, but the truth is that the vast majority of the country’s population is relatively poor and often relies on the cheap price of bread as a primary food source.

The stark disparity between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is highlighted in educational opportunities (or lack thereof). Unlike the educational system in the US, the difference between Chilean private and public school is nothing short of night and day. Private schools are only accessible to the small upper class population who can afford monthly payments equivalent to about $500 per child. They often focus on instruction in English, academic resources are plentiful, and the teachers have excellent credentials and training. Public schools, on the other hand, are just the opposite. Students come from shockingly low socio-economic backgrounds, teacher quality is mediocre at best, academic resources are extremely scarce, and violence and social risk are a part of every day life.

Unlike other scholarships and exchange programs that offer one year of study in a foreign country, the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship also encourages involvement in international humanitarian projects and is supported by thousands of Rotarians who are ready and willing to lend a philanthropic hand to a worthwhile cause. When I came back to Chile to begin the Ambassadorial Scholarship in February, I wanted to get involved with a project to help improve the condition of under-funded public schools that can’t offer children the same educational opportunities found at private schools.

Shortly after arriving I met three other Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars who are also studying at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Hannah Kelley, Nathan Gill, Susan Owen and I all sat down to discuss the possibility of developing an organization dedicated to improving academic resources in the poorest public schools in central Chile.

We began by visiting and interviewing the administrators at a dozen public schools both in urban Valparaiso and the outskirts of the city. We identified a group of kindergarten through eighth-grade schools that are in dire need of academic resources necessary for educational success. None of these schools, which each serve hundreds of children, have a library, a sufficient amount of text books, and they are also lacking in many basic educational materials and teaching resources.

After a month of meetings with Rotarians, social workers, and school administrators, we refined our idea and goals for this year and created a Chilean non-profit organization called Scholars for Schools. With the support from numerous Chilean and US Rotary clubs, two Chilean Rotaract clubs, and a host of university volunteers, Scholars for Schools will improve the access to educational resources through the construction of libraries and multimedia rooms in under-funded schools.

After collaborating with the teachers and the school administrators at our first recipient school, we decided to focus on supplementing the students’ required literature and transforming a large storage room into a fully functioning library with twelve computers for academic research and a large amount of age-appropriate literature. Two weeks ago we broke ground on the construction of the library that will serve nearly 300 K-8^th grade students in Valparaiso. About 40 University students, teachers, Rotaract members, and scholars gathered to paint and make repairs in the room that will become the future library.

We have created a website www.scholarsforschools.org to publicize the project and keep people informed on our progress. We are also in the process of finishing a video which explains the organization in its entirety and will be uploaded to the website soon.

The success of Scholars for Schools is completely dependent on the donations from Rotarians and other individuals who are interested in helping improve educational opportunities in Central Chile. More information about the organization and how to donate can be found on the website www.scholarsforschools.org

National protests and strikes for educational reform

One month after classes began the university students throughout the nation began to protest for educational reform, something Chile has been in desperate need of for the past two decades. The protests escalated into a national “Paro” which is a suspension of classes driven by the student body and adhered to by the majority of professors. Apart from educational reform the students also began to fight against a proposed national raise in the discounted student-fare for public transportation. Four weeks of paro escalated once again into a “Toma”, or school take-over, that resulted in the students indefinitely locking themselves in the university and not permitting the entrance of any unauthorized professors, administrators, or students. The Toma was accompanied by heavy protesting and demonstrations that included burning piles of tires and used mattresses strategically placed in the middle of highways and busy roads during rush-hour on Fridays. The ongoing student rebellions attracted an abundance of police presence in Valparaiso that lasted about two weeks.

Finally after almost seven weeks of turmoil, negotiations are in effect and classes have resumed to normal. During this period the University did its best to accommodate the needs of the 300 international students by putting us directly in contact with our professors. In many cases we were able to schedule meetings and lectures, and homework was assigned so we didn’t fall too far behind. We just received a letter from the University president apologizing for the inconvenience and assuring up that the semester would still end as planned on the nineteenth of July.

Students from a local elementary school in Valparaiso

“March madness” is finally over as I wrap up a jam-packed few weeks of school, travel, and rotary events. After a week of orientation and a week of registration, I finally have a school schedule. I am taking five classes including, Pre-Hispanic Latin American literature, Spanish writing, translation and interpretation, Spanish rhetoric, and a viticulture class! All are going well so far and I am expecting a challenging semester.

This past weekend I went backpacking with a Belgian friend Mattieu to a national park called “La Campana”. It’s tucked away in the middle of Chile’s coastal mountain range halfway between Santiago and the coast, and it is a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city life in Valparaíso. With limited equipment and time we set out to summit a peak within the park that offers amazing views on a clear day. When we reached the top we weren’t let down. A glance westward looked like a postcard of Valparaíso and neighboring villages. The view to the east was equally impressive with a clear shot of Aconcagua, the tallest peak in South America, which lies on the border between Chile and Argentina. The hike was nothing short of difficult, but I am sure that after the soreness in my legs is gone I will be eager to go back.

Summit of La Campana overlooking Valparaiso

Aconcagua on the Argentinean border

On Easter Sunday we had a great celebration at my house. Most of my nine roommates traveled to their home towns to spend the long weekend with their families. It was a good opportunity to gather with the international students and the Rotaract club members. We were about twenty in all and represented eight different countries, three different continents, and five different languages. Despite all the great cultural differences, we all had one thing in common…. an Easter celebration with a Mexican feast prepared by a few exchange students from Mexico!

Easter dinner

The two other ambassadorial scholars in Valparaiso and I have been meeting to discuss some perspective ambassadorial project ideas for the year. In talking with Chileans about possible ideas they repeatedly emphasized that some primary schools are lacking in many basic necessities. The last couple weeks I visited a handful of school sites to assess the needs of each school and talk with the administrators about possible future involvement. Needless to say I was well received by all, and each school was indeed lacking in many areas. Our goal as of now is to refine an idea and pool resources from out host Rotary clubs, sponsor Rotary clubs, and possibly the local Rotaract club together in an effort to work on one large project.

Kids from Escuela 21 de mayo enjoying the camera!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the spring!

Abrazos, Paul

Gabriela Mistral museum  

Hola a Todos!                                                                                                                                                                                               Well it has been a great start to much anticipated year of ambassadorial work and study in Chile! I left the US on March 18^th with high expectations and hopes for a great experience.  The first week I traveled to La Serena (where I was living last year) to visit some friends from the University.  Before leaving I was easily convinced to participate in a triathlon that a friend was involved with (click on “triathlon” to see pictures).  Although I didn’t medal (not even close) I achieved my goal of finishing uninjured!  With a week left before school started I migrated back to Valparaiso to find a place to call home for the year.  I was fortunate enough to find a room in a house with nine Chileans, which paved way to an obvious nickname….”el Gringo”. 

Port entrance Valparaiso from my house                                                                                                                                 

The university I am attending (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso or PUCV)  welcomed all the international students with a week of orientation which included various tours and activities to get us acquainted with the cultural differences that international students often encounter in Chile.  Needless to say it was a great time and a wonderful opportunity to meet many Chileans and other students from all around the world.  There are about 300 international students attending the university, of which about 200 are from the US.  It sounded like a lot to me at first, but considering that there are about 15,000 students here we blend in more that I had expected.  I have found  two other Rotary ambassadorial scholars attending PUCV,  Hannah Kelly from Trenton, Michigan, and Susan Owen from Fresno, California.  I anticipate working with them throughout the year on various projects and visiting their host clubs here in Valparaiso. The University has 9 different campuses that are scattered throughout the city.  This week has been a mix of trying to acquire classes and getting to know the city and its diverse culture.  Although I am still waiting to hear back about a couple courses, I am already registered in a two linguistics classes and a literature class that I am expecting to be challenging.

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparíso

I snuck away for a quick three day visit to Argentina to meet up with my brother-in-law Jimmy who is training in Buenos Aires with his MLS team for two weeks.  We had a great time navigating the city, eating good food, and doing some sightseeing.Last week I met my Rotary host advisor Leonel Pérez, and at a night meeting on Tuesday I was very well received by the other fifteen members of the Bella Vista Rotary club.  After a short formal introduction they exhausted me with a lengthy informal question and answer session which covered everything from US culture, politics, and economy to more information about myself.  We had lots of laughs and I couldn’t have asked for a nicer group to work with this year.  This Friday I will be going to a Rotaract meeting with Susan and Hannah to meet the members of the local club.

I am glad I got to visit many of you before leaving, but if we missed each other, visitors are always welcome!!!

I will be posting some photos in the Gallery soon.

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying spring!

Miss you all                                                                                                                                                                                           Abrazos                                                                                                                                                                                                           el Gringo       

Taquile island Lake Titicaca

Hola to all,

It has been awhile since my last update and I have lots to tell!

It seemed like the last month of my job at the university flew by. It was full of going away parties and traveling (and a bit of working too). I made it back to Santiago as a chaperon for a group of tourism students that were doing some research. I was under the impression that traveling with 20 college-aged students was going to be like a vacation but it ended up being quite difficult! I also made it to the nearby wine country and was able to visit some wineries and the Gabriela Mistral museum. After finishing my job I was left with two weeks free before returning to the US, so I decided to backpack northern Chile and southern Peru. I set out with minimal plans (at best) and ended up having quite the adventure. My first stop was San Pedro de Atacama, the driest desert in the world, where in many areas rainfall has never been recorded. I visited two desolate valleys on a bike tour and continued heading north.

After meeting a group of Argentineans who convinced me that I had to make time for Machu Picchu, I decided to head that way. Crossing into Peru I was almost immediately caught in a national strike involving public university employees and miners. It halted all bus traffic in southern Peru, and as a result I spent three nights on a bus in the middle of the desert as demonstrators ensured that traffic didn’t move. I finally arrived at Lake Titicaca and the city of Puno, and all the waiting, lack of sleep, and sore back was completely worth it. Shared between Bolivia and Peru, Lake Titicaca is one of the largest lakes in the world, and at over twelve thousand feet it is also the highest navigable lake. The air was amazingly clear and there was a certain unrivaled calmness (possibly induced by the altitude). Puno proved to be a major backpacker’s destination, mainly for the lake and all it has to offer. By far the main attraction is the “Uros“, a culture who lives on floating islands made exclusively from aquatic reeds. This culture started its floating existence hundreds of years ago in an effort to escape the Spanish conquest and now the only thing they need to escape are the swarms of tourists that they attract. I also took a long boat trip to the island of Taquile where a population of about two thousand people live completely isolated from the rest of Peru. They are a self-governing self-sustaining indigenous culture that is well known for their craftsmanship with textiles. Children as young as two start weaving and creating everything from colorful clothing that depicts islanders’ social and marital status to an abundance of souvenirs for visiting tourists.