I am grateful for education, all kinds of education. From my days in kindergarten and primary school, through elementary, middle and secondary school , to almost two years of an unfinished college education, I am only grateful, regardless of its inadequacies, for formal education. What would we do without it, without public, publicly funded and universally accessible education to ensure a literate public? And to only imagine the long term benefits of completely free, publicly funded post-secondary education. I would have graduated with at least one degree had this been in place.
I have had to resort to a lot of self-education. This is not always the most effective or efficient way of going about it. There is no one around to mentor, encourage, guide or correct. We have to find and search through our own resources and there is little remedy for not stalling in dead end alleys. It's been a very desultory trajectory for me, though I still feel that I've benefited, and more than benefited.
My fluency in Spanish is a shining example of the best things that can happen through self-education. I did have three years of Spanish in high school, and I think this provided me with an essential foundation from which to explore further el idioma de los angeles, or should I say, the language of the angels. I think my passion for the language took charge and I exploited every source, opportunity, nook and cranny and rock underside to learn, improve and amplify my knowledge and ability in the Spanish language. I listened to radio programs in Spanish, bought and studied dictionaries and grammar books, wrote out my own lessons and exercises, bought and read (at first with huge difficulty) novels and other books in Spanish. Whenever I found a bookstore I would go inside and ask for something in Spanish. I would ask people questions and this way I gained access to low cost and free classes and social arrangements for practicing language exchange with native Spanish speakers who wanted to improve their English. As I saved money I began to travel to Costa Rica, Mexico and Colombia where for a month at a time I immersed myself completely in the language of Cervantes. And I practiced, relentlessly, daily, even faking conversations in Spanish on my cell phone. I made friends with Spanish speakers.
This has also opened up my interest in the history and political realities of Latin America. I have learned a lot, through periodical articles, radio broadcasts, YouTube documentaries, books and conversations with Latin Americans. Even if my knowledge seems impressive to some, it is still but elemental, so I have devised a plan. I am going to start reading up on Latin America, on the Internet, one country at a time. I have started today with Uruguay. I have just learned the tragic history of the genocide of the aboriginal people of Uruguay, the Charrua, by the Spanish. In 1833 the last four surviving Charrua were taken to Europe where they were put on public display, as though animals in a zoo exhibit, in Paris. They died soon after. There was a surviving baby, who also died shortly after.
I am dedicating this blogpost to the memory and honour of the Charrua people
The further I go with the Spanish language, the more I learn about Latin America. The more I learn about Latin America, the more I still want to learn. I have reported this previously on these pages, but I think it bears repeating. When I was in Bogota I became quickly aware that many people there have been traumatized by the violence and bloodshed from the bloody fifty year civil war involving FARC and the paramilitaries and the government forces. I have since become interested in the idea of collective trauma and I have come to wonder if this can also include entire nations and cultures, especially those that owe their roots and evolution to constant violence and cruelty, as is the case throughout Latin America.
I also wonder if a lot of the research and reportage here in North America that is done about post traumatic stress disorder might be a little too focussed on the individual and individual experience and pathology and not enough on the collective experience of trauma brought on by forces often beyond our control. Just a thought, Gentle Reader.
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