During my time at Boston University, or even years befote, I had always heard that college was a full-on, life changing experience...that it was more than classes and grades, but it was about community and being part of something, about growing up and learning about yourself, about making friends and developing relationships. What I learned in college, I will never forget; those lessons will stay with me for the rest of my life, and they will continue to shape who I become. My years at BU taught me how to think critically, how to manage my time, how to be a leader, when to be a follower, how to be creative, how to ask questions, how to set goals, how to be spontaneous, how to be a dedicated member of a group, how to be a global citizen, and how to be a friend. There have been times throughout this trip when I have really missed being at BU. I am not one of those people who will live the rest of their lives reliving the ´glory days´ of college; but I am someone who will continue to appreciate all that I learned and experienced during those four years both inside and most importantly outside the classroom.
When the bus drove through Valdivia, Chile a week and a half ago on my way from Pucon to Chiloe, I happened to be in one of those college-reminissing-moods. I had read that Valdivia was a very active college town, and I had met a lot of energetic foreign exchange students who were taking classes at the Austral University in Valdivia. So when I passed through, everything began to remind me of Boston. The old buildings. The young people walking on the streets. The groups of students sitting together on benches and under trees. The museums and cultural attractions. I decided then and there that after Chiloe, I would come back to Valdivia and really see what it was like. So what was it like? Well it is no Boston.
Yes, the city is full of young people—but they are mostly high school students hanging out on street corners and in malls because they have nothing better to do with their time. And yes it has cultural offerings, but mostly these are museums and boat tours aimed at tourists. And yes there are restaurants, bars, and cafes, but these fill up only at nighttime and are not utilized for intense debates or midday study sessions. The university´s presense didn`t trickle down into the foundation of the city, which I think is a shame that this population of free-thinking, enthusiastic, driven students isn´t utilized. Unless of course these students aren`t free-thinking, enthusiastic, or driven. That might be too much to assume. But let`s take a look at the university, then.
I walked through the university on a somewhat rainy afternoon, and was impressed by the layout. Green spaces. Sports courts. Gardens of trees and flowers. Covered walkways between buildings (this is one of the rainiest places in Chile). It is one of the only campuses in Chile that follows that Oxford-American campus model. But the walkways and streets were mostly dead, and I assumed most people were inside classrooms or cafeterias. I headed right for the student center, expecting to walk in to a hall of noise and activity—clubs announcing upcoming events, plays, dances, and discussions, groups handing out flyers or selling baked goods, people speaking passionately for one cause or another. But there was nothing. There were a few students spotting the tables to the right and one lonely bulletin board lining the wall on the left. The board had two pieces of paper—one of which was old. Outside near the busstop there was one group selling tickets to a music festival (just what we need. More regeatone) and one flyer advertising the student communist club (of course they would be the ones to organize). The only class building that appeared to have any life at all was the school of architecture. The dorm buildings and cafeteria—of which there are minimal because most people live and eat off campus with family or friends—were basically empty. One of the few universities in Chile with open space and meeting places, the Austral University had all the potential to be a lively, bustling, motivating place where young people get together and learn how to be members of a community and citizens of the world. If this isn`t happening here...is it happening in other universities in Chile?
Alright, before I get too critical, I`ll get off my high horse for a second. Maybe the ´university as a full-on life experience´ isn´t part of the culture here. Maybe the youth learn leadership in other places, at home or at work. Maybe they are so warm and personal that they don`t need a college to provide them the opporunity to make life-long friends; maybe they do that on their own. And maybe their emphasis on family meals and latenight bar meetings has taught them how to ask questions, listen to opinions, and think critically. Okay. Maybe. But I am not going to bet on it. In the United States, the university is an institutionalized way to transform our youth into adults. It isn`t perfect. I can attest to that. While I learned to think critically and question my surroundings, others learned how to do keg stands and cross the street while talking on their iphone. Regardless, that is life. You get out of it what you want. At least for us, the opportunity to grow and change and learn is available, emphasized, and treasured. By not having this structure built into their social system, Chile may be missing out on a priceless opportunity to make active citizens of its passive youth. But in order for this theory to be worth anything at all, it means that our youth—yes, you guys at home in the States—better step up to the plate. Prove me right and start being active citizens or else all we have is a globalized population of lazy consumers who just spent $200,000 for a piece of paper and liver cancer. Perfect.
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