13 years ago today I was in my 6th grade classroom when I got my first real lesson of how violent and cruel this world can be. My dad picked me up from school since all after school activities were cancelled. I remember watching the news all night, until my dad shut it off. I remember scribbling in my journal about what I was seeing. It's crazy to think that that was 13 years ago. It's also crazy to think of how much has changed in the past 13 years as well.
September 11th is not just a day to be remembered in the United States. It also has a place in Chile as well. 41 years ago, in 1973 the Golpe de estado or military coup occurred that ousted the current president of the time, marxist Salvador Allende, (Well, he actually died in the coup... so he never really got ousted) and put into place the dictator Augusto Pinochet (he ruled from 1973-1990). Depending on who you talk to... Chile went through dark times or light time..
During this time many people "disappeared" never to be heard from again. Many people are still missing, and their family's don't know what happened to them, and may never know. This topic is very touchy and Chileans don't really like to talk about it. So it's best to leave it alone, unless someone wants to tell you their story. There are many sides to these 17 years... I don't think we will ever know the full truth as to what happened.
There are still visible signs of what happened during the 17 years that Pinochet ruled. One is that Pinochet put a 17% tax on books that is still around today. That's why books are so expensive in Chile, and many people do not buy them. And many colegios and universities do not use them..I hope Chile takes this off.. I would like to buy a book without having to pay that much tax on it. .
In the end I would like to say I hope nothing like these events ever happen again, but there has been a lot of violence all over the world. Especially lately. I can dream though and hope that someday we can solve out problems without violence of any kind.
But for now all we can do is remember these events and learn from them to help prevent future occurrences from happening.
~Leslie
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