Recently, I was invited, along with my friend and colleague, Claudio, to give a presentation at a conference for students in the natural science (ciencias naturales). The conference was for students (losestudiantes) who are studying to be teachers in high schools in the areas of Biology, Chemistry or Physics. The theme (el tema) of the conference was similar to others I have attended in Chile, but the audience was a new group of students who happened to attend (asistir) a number of universities located some distance south of Santiago. The conference itself was held in the city of Chillán, east of the city of Concepción and north of the city of Los Angeles, and some 375kilometers south (al sur) of Santiago.
In order to get there (allá), we had to take a bus that left early in the morning (en la mañana) on the day of our presentation. Due to our work schedules and the date and time of our presentation, there was only time to be there for the day, which meant having to travel (viajar) all the way to Chillán, attend the conference briefly, give our presentation, and then work to return (regresar) back the same day to Santiago. In reality, this meant leaving home (la casa) by 7 AM to make it to the bus by 8 AM, and then to arrive in Chillán around 1 PM in time for lunch. As I set out for the local bus to go to the Metro to catch the bus to Chillán, I knew that I was in for at least a 10 hour total travel day with some 4 hours actually at the conference. At some point, I asked myself, "Why? (¿Por qué?)"
As an educator, I am one who believes that the process (el proceso) of education is more important then the product (el producto), and with working with students, this is critical, as each student's progress helps to shape (formar) their learning, and their experiences provide the anchors (las anclas) to understand and utilize concepts inpractical and meaningful ways. As a person who happens to be a professor, I know that my most effective personal characteristics are my persistence (perseverancia) to tasks and my willingness to take risks as an educator. This journey seemingly embodied both ideas, as the drive to spend 10 hours in total on the bus was not to give the presentation, but to experience (experimentar) the entire day, to live the process, and not focus on the product, which in the case would be the actual 1 hour presentation.
For me, the brisk walk in the morning to catch (tomar) the bus and the Metro, symbolized my motivation that I was set on taking an adventure, not merely on delivering a talk. On the bus, we were able to discuss (discutir) things about our work, to talk (hablar) about our lives, to read (leer) the paper and to revise (revisar) some ongoing writings. I was able to see the rolling countryside of Chile, a setting that had once seemed so foreign (extraño), and now looked familiar and inviting all at once. As we made our way into Chillán, the time to meet with other professors and discuss life and work (la vida y el trabajo), to relate to their perspectives on living and teaching in Chile, was a benefit (un beneficio) not seen at the outset, a learning opportunity not scripted, and possibly a part of the process that would have been missed, if the focus and been solely on the product.
The presentation went fine and the discussions with students were an added benefit that cemented the reason (la razón) for being there at all, to make connections with students and to help offer them someideas for their future as educators. With a stroll (un camino) around the plaza and through the Mercado, it was time to get back on the bus and head back the 5 hours to Santiago. After reaching the Bus terminal around Midnight, and catching a cab to get back to my apartment (mi departamento), I walked in the door at home around 1 AM, some 18 hours from when I left (después).
Yet, the day was not a burden, but a blessing (una bendición), and the emphasis on the process and not on the product, made for a more enriching and far-reaching experience than I could have imagined (me habría imaginado).
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