Author: matt.kelemen

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Alexander Hamilton

by Adela Kelemen

My grandparents came to visit me, my brother, my mom and my dad.  They came about a month ago. They stayed at a hotel not to far from our apartment. They had Thanksgiving with us and it was really fun=]!!! They brought us presents and other things. But also they showed us a great soundtrack from the musical Hamilton. They saw the musical in New York. I really like it because it was not only music, it taught me about Alexander Hamilton and his life. There are songs about his love life, the war and politics. I listen to the music from this soundtrack every day. I have also noticed that my dad really enjoys the music too. I really like that how they make the music rap. It lets them put more words into the musical so they can tell more of the story. It also is very different compared to the more traditional musicals like Cinderella or Wicked. It also attracts more people of younger ages.

Sometimes I imagine how it would be like to live in that time. When America was fighting for freedom. When America was starting a new life. That makes me think about how different it is now compared to when Hamilton lived.  If he had not been alive, this country may still be ruled by a king and queen and the presidency would not be a thing in America. Hamilton made many important changes. He created the American Bank system. He helped our country fight in the war.

I also like how the music tells the story and you can see the perspective of Hamilton and the way he reacts. They also sometimes they switch over to someone else’s perspective and talk about what they think. I like connecting and thinking about how those are connected. I like hearing about the story and learning about America’s history.

Finally, I think that Hamilton the musical is great. I think people can learn from it and also enjoy themselves at the same time. One of my favorite characters is Angelica. I like her because of her backstory and her way of thinking. But you will not find out who she is unless you watch or listen to the musical ? (wink wink).  There are many great songs and raps. I think you would really enjoy them.

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My Trip to Argentina

by Dylan Kelemen

I play for a great soccer team called Católica and they offered me the chance to participate in a huge soccer tournament in San Jerónimo, Argentina. We left at 8:30 in the morning on Tuesday in a very fancy bus with over 40 comfortable seats and a bathroom. The bus also had televisions that flipped down from the ceiling so we could watch movies throughout the ride.

The trip had started, and as we left the city, the landscape changed a lot. Fewer and fewer buildings were on the horizon and the Andes mountains were looming in the distance, casting a dark shadow overhead. At about midday, we reached the Pase Libertadores and crossed the border into Argentina. Luckily, I had no trouble with my passport or other legal documents. Then, we drove for another two hours and stopped for lunch in the outskirts of Mendoza at a buffet place with the option of either chicken or pork. Next, we drove for a solid 16 hours with only one stop for dinner, where we watch the Chile v Uruguay game, which Chile lost badly 0-3. 

The next day, we finally got to San Jerónimo and organized our room. We stayed all 37 of us in one huge room with cots, bathrooms and a kitchen. The bugs came in huge swarms. For every bug I see in Santiago, there were at least 50 in San Jerónimo. In the end, they were tolerable as long as you kept bug spray on. That evening, we went out to a field to get some practice and to let out all the nervousness we had been building up inside as the tournament got closer and closer. In my opinion, the worst part about the place was the heat. It was so much hotter than Santiago and we weren’t prepared one bit.

The next day — Match Day #1 of the tournament — the older age group played first, so we sat in the stands cheering and singing our hearts out while taking in the wonderful soccer atmosphere. There were 14 full-sized fields, most with great grass but others with mediocre grass. There were two baby fields for the Under-8 players. In the first game of the tournament we found out that we were unable to score goals. We tied that game 1-1 with our opponents scoring on their only shot in the whole game. It was a disappointment for us as a team, but we got past it and got ready for the second game, which we also tied (this time 0-0). The next day, we played two games, thankfully winning both of them 1-0 and advancing to the next round. The third day, we played two games in the burning heat, the first one which we won 4-1 in penalties after an intense 0-0 draw with both teams hitting the post and missing opportunities. But in the second game of the day, we weren’t so lucky. We played against a team that has a very interesting strategy of wasting time throughout the whole game and doing very well in the penalties. In that game, we ended up playing eight of the designated 30 minutes (due to the time-wasting of the other team), lost 4-3 in penalties, and were eliminated in the quarterfinals. But after two hours, after the last player finished being sad, we went out for a good dinner, packed up, and were on our way back to Santiago.

In the end, the trip was a great experience and a valuable lesson and learning opportunity for everyone. I had a blast, making new friends and bonding even more with my teammates and coaches.

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The Ideals of America

by Matt Kelemen

A week ago, terrorists attacked Paris and killed 129 people. Among the dead were three Chileans. The attacks dominated the news in Chile for a few days. Facebook friends expressed solidarity with France. Wreaths were laid at the French embassy in Santiago. Opinion-makers weighed in, some calling for retaliation, other reminding readers of the colonialist roots of the conflict in Syria, and everything in between. And then… Chileans returned to their lives and to other pressing political concerns. You can still find updates in the newspapers this week — news that the ringleader had been killed, reports on world reactions to the refugee crisis, etc. But the conversation has moved on. That’s life here, so far away from targets of international terrorism.

In that same attack one American died. That’s two fewer than the number of Chileans. Much of the reaction in the US was the same as in Chile. The condemnation, the solidarity, the reminders of other attacks that had gotten less attention. But there was one big difference: the explosion of vitriol targeted to Muslims. It’s ugly to see and it has me thinking about the sheer number of people who are, in some way or another, aligned with such hate.

Consider this:

There are 220 million people eligible to vote in the US. 92 million of them “lean” Republican. Using current polling data for the 2016 race for the presidency, that means that there are:

— 23 million people who support a candidate (Trump) who thinks we should consider closing mosques, wants to set up a national database to monitor Muslims and had no substantive response when asked how his proposals differed from Nazi tactics

— 20 million people who support a candidate (Carson) who thinks Muslims should be disqualified from the presidency and compared refugees to rabid dogs

— 15 million people who support candidates (Cruz and Bush) who think Christian refugees deserve help, but not Muslim refugees

— 8 million people who support candidates (Kasich, Huckabee, and Christie) who think Syrian refugees should be barred from entry. Kasich even said we should have a Federal agency to promote Judeo-Christian values around the world.

These are all profoundly un-American, even anti-American, ideas. Yet, 66 million people in the United States support candidates who openly espouse them and another 11 million people support a candidate (Rubio) who refused to distance himself from Trump’s idea of closing mosques. That’s a lot of people standing up for hate. And let’s be clear. If you vote for Donald Trump, you’re voting for everything he espouses: the wall to keep Mexicans out, the Muslim watch lists, all of it. To take a more subtle example, if you vote for John Kasich because you like what he did as a Congressman and a Governor, you’re also voting for his New Crusades.

Don’t get me wrong. Not all the hate is coming from Republicans. The Democratic mayor of Roanoke, Virginia invoked the internment of Japanese-Americans in suggesting the need to contain ISIS. And 50 Democratic Congresspeople just voted with the whole Republican caucus to add more barriers to Syrian refugees coming to the United States. But at least the Democratic presidential candidates solidly rejected the xenophobic responses and called on the country to stand by its ideals.

The attacks in Paris were tragic and disgusting. Just as tragic and disgusting as the many acts of savagery committed by ISIS against Syrians who are now fleeing their country and their homes. And there are plenty of legitimate responses to ISIS. I think a Western coalition bombing ISIS is a bad idea, but I respect that others disagree and have good reasons for it. I think we need to take on the root causes of terrorism, but I respect others who want to focus more on the immediate situation. But can we please at least draw the line at sticking to the ideals on which our country was founded? Enough of the hate already.