Gave a test today

So I gave a test to one of my classes, one that is a little more demanding to manage. It is quite interesting being on the other side in a class. I remember taking so many classes growing up where I just zoned out and didn´t pay attention to anything. I also remember my Spanish class with Martha Perez, and how she would tell me I needed to study more, but I didn´t listen. Now I´m the one handing students a test, knowing they didnk´t study and wondering how on earth the expect to learn anything if they don´t dedicate a little time to studying English! Sitting on the other side in the class really gives me more perspective on why the teachers that were able to reach me, were able to do it. The Spanish class I took at Kirkwood Community College might not have taught me a lot in the class its self, but it did lead me eventually to Antigua, a trip that opened my eyes, and opened my mind in ways I could´ve never imagined. There is no way I would be here right now had I not gone on that trip to Guatemala, it was a life altering experience. It was also so different from what I´m doing now, I wouldn´t have been ready to live in another country for any extended amount of time at that point, it just wasn´t something that I was thinking about.

In other news, the Chilean courts indicted Pinochet today, a historic day for Chile. Yesterday I visited one of the main cemeteries in Santiago. There was a large memorial to all the people who are still missing from that era. Many, many names, and next to it is a place where the remains are housed when and if they are located. Nothing can rewrite history, but it is good that Chileans are dealing with that portion of their history. Torture, what a horrid business, maybe one day Americans will be able to deal with the reality that seems to be unfolding with our own torture practices, after all, Pinochet had the full support of the United States, and we would be wise not to get our selves involved in such ventures in the future. However Bush and co don´t seem convinced that torture is really that bad at all, Abu Gharib and Gutanamo staining all of our hands.