september 11

Even though I'm not in the US, I'm thinking about it on this day. But I'm also grateful for this time in Chile, because it's helping me step outside of myself and realize that September 11 is significant for other people and for other reasons.

In Chile, today is the anniversary of the 1973 coup that overthrew Salvador Allende, the democratically elected Socialist president, and installed Augusto Pinochet, the military dictator who had control over the country for the next 18 years. Chile's September 11th is a painful day for the country. There are protests, demonstrations, and riots in downtown Santiago near Chile's version of the White House. Chileans have mixed feelings over the Pinochet regime, and not everyone you meet will automatically condemn him; however, there is a general sense of uneasiness about Chile's dark past. Now that Chile is a democratic country with the most stable economy in South America and its first female president, it's easy to forget what it was like under Pinochet just 30 years ago -- human rights abuses, censorship, fear. But just like in the US, this is a day to ensure that Chileans don't forget, that they honor their history while simultaneously moving forward.

My afternoon classes at my university are cancelled because my school is located just a mile away from the Chilean White House, and university officials are worried about the demonstrations leading to potential violence. It will be interesting to see what the city is like on this day. This, more than ever, reminds me why I came to South America -- and why it's important not to get wrapped up in a North American view of the world.

Remember the victims of 9/11 -- in the United States and in Chile.