My favorite course of study was a honors course on primate behavior. The course used primate behavior to help explain human conduct and I found it extremely insightful. We can hypothesize the reasons for male aggression, patriarchal society and monogamous relationships by just looking to our closest relatives. We also compared the difference between chimpanzees and bonobos, and discussed the constant debate within the field of whether or not we as humans could form a peaceful matriarchal society like bonobos or we are doomed to our aggressive tendencies like chimpanzees.
2. How many pages was the longest paper you have written? Did it include endnotes and bibliography?
The longest paper that I have written was 15 pages long including footnotes and bibliography.
3. Which was your favorite paper? Please tell us about the topic in a couple of sentences.
My favorite paper was a 12 page research paper in which I did an anthropological study of Día de Todos los Santos in Villa María del Triunfo, Lima. The celebration is the equivalent of the Day of the Dead in Mexican culture. I went to Virgen de Lourdes Cemetery, known as the Cemetery of the Poor and one of the largest in the world and spent the day celebrating dead loved ones through drink, dance and song. When writing this paper, I found that our form of private grieving is purely cultural and some other forms of grief might be beneficial and more healing.
4. Is there a particular kind of writing you love to do?
I really love writing research papers because I truly enjoy the research aspect. I especially like when I am able to do my own original research.
5. Which books have you read lately: art, fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi, poetry, environmental, film? Any comments are welcome.
Lately I've been reading Latin American literature and poetry. I love the literature of Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombian), Julio Ramón Ribeyro (Peruvian), and Julio Cortázar (Argentine). Poetry-wise Pablo Neruda (Chilean) is hands down my favorite.
6. Which artist or writer really impresses you? Why?
I have recently become really impressed by graffiti art. In Valparaiso, Chile, the tradition of mural painting and graffiti has extended to an outdoor museum and an extremely colorful city. I spent a whole day just walking the hills, exploring the small multicolor alleys and examining whole works of arts covering buildings. I was extremely impressed by the community sense of artistry and the fact that these graffiti artworks were not only allowed but promoted.
7. What is your main interest besides writing, art, music, (i.e., the humanities)?
Besides the humanities, I am interested in volunteering. I have volunteered from a very young age and have worked at humane societies, after-school programs, and teaching english to name a select few. This upcoming year I will most likely be working with Spanish speaking children at a family center in Boulder.
8. Please describe briefly an article in a newspaper or a magazine that got you thinking lately.
The Clinic is a Santiago-based satirical newspaper. Although it obviously isn't a good source for local US news, their commentary on international politics is highly enlightening and a great way to look at the globalization outside of the American perspective. This newspaper reminds me of The Onion, although it is more political and ironic.
9. Which recent cultural event has really impressed you? This can be a museum, a concert, or anything like that, but also a sports game (if you consider this a cultural event, for which there are good reasons).
While in Santiago, I visited the Museo de la Memoria which is a museum about the Pinochet dictatorship and the thousands of disappearances that occurred under the military regime. The exhibits are extremely moving and I was overwhelmed by the pain and suffering that was evident throughout the museum. As Americans we are lucky that our political history hasn't been dominated by corruption and oppression. Unfortunately there has been a military dictatorship with associated violence in almost every Latin American country within the last 30 years. This museum made me be thankful for my luck in being born in the States. I spent five and half hours in this museum and wish that I could have spent more time. I recommend it to anyone who goes to Chile, although regrettably the exhibits were only in Spanish and isn't accessible to non-Spanish speakers.
10. Is there another, non-cultural event that has affected you deeply.
On July 9 of this year, South Sudan declared independence from Sudan. Sudan had been ravaged by continuous civil war since its independence from the British empire in 1956. The second civil war, 1983-2005, is the longest civil war the world has seen with similar civilian death tolls to WWII. Roughly two million people died during this period of violence, war-produced famine and disease. Over 4 million people, mostly from southern Sudan were displaced, often repeatedly. South Sudan is now in an extremely precarious situation as the poorest country in the world with the worst health conditions. The CIA has predicted that in the next five years there will be another string of mass killings or genocide in the young country. Although I hope that this prediction will not become true, with the ignorance of the international community to this region's needs, violence might be inevitable.
11. Please share with us a thought or an idea that really widened your intellectual horizon. If possible, give a source for this idea so that those who are interested know where to go.
I went to the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Malba) in Argentina in May. There was a contemporary collection on display by Luis Fernando Benedit. His work the Phytotron, originally displayed in 1972 at the MoMA, tries to replicate the natural world artistically, growing crops without soil. This piece was hard for me to wrap my head around as I saw it more as a micro laboratory than artwork. The greenhouse, an aluminum structure with transparent acrylic glass, encases plants growing in volcanic rocks. The plants are watered regularly with a nutrient solution which is then drained and recycled. To ensure photosynthesis 250 volt bulbs shine over the plants. The Phytotron is an efficient machine for the development of agricultural production. This project not only shows how to close the schism between the fields of art and science but also how they can work together to form new ideas and designs for better living.
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