Friday, September 11, 2009

September 11th

September 11th takes on a whole new meaning here. In the US we remember 9/11 as the day when the twin towers fell. Every year since then we've thought of this day a little differently. We commemorate the day with a moment of silence.  Today it's 8 years, and I can't believe it's already been so long,  I still can remember exactly where I was in 2001.

Today, September 11th in Chile, I was told that after 5pm I could not leave the house, hence, I'm here in my room on a Friday night. When I mentioned this to family or friends, they were surprised that people in Chile were so moved by the events of our 9/11. But it's not that. Along with being the 8th year anniversary of the day the twin towers fell, today is the 36th anniversary of the coup d'etat and the beginning of Pinochet's almost 17 year rule over Chile. Today marks a day of protests, some peaceful, others not so much.  The school libraries closed at 4:30, and many other stores closed early as well.  One of my classes was cancelled this whole week because the students in my department at la universidad de Chile tend to be extremely politically active.  I was told to avoid certain neighborhoods altogether today, and after 5pm was told not to gather in public places.  My whole family is home tonight, which is something that rarely happens on a weekend night.

I've looked at Chilean newspapers and read about protests in many places that I'm familiar with, and read that at least one person has died in the commotion. I've seen pictures as well, all of protests with banners and photos of Former President Allende, with messages like 'Allende vive' (live Allende), and banners from the socialist party.

It's obvious that this issue is a very sensitive subject, and that this type of activity on the 11th is something that will continue. I was out this morning and afternoon and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but apparently everything happens around this time. Better that I'm home. Get a good night sleep and be ready for things to resume back to normal tomorrow?

1 comment:

  1. OK, two people died, but it's not as terrible as it was before.
    I remember that I never went to school on the 11th. This year was very calm, to tell you the truth. I spent the afternoon downtown (because I go out of work there) and there were few people in the streets, the bar we went to in plaza italia was almost empty and there was silence.

    It is a day of fear, more than a day of rage.

    Oh, and "allende vive" translates better as "Allende lives"

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