I-Search+by+Nicholas

By Nicholas Anastasio
 * Title **
 * Part I--What I already know about my topic **

//Before I decided to choose the topic of Chile, I did not know a lot about the country in South America. I did not know what the population of the country was, how many square miles the country was, or any fact related to those questions. I did know that Chile was one of thirteen countries in South America, and that it's capital was Santiago. I have never been to Chile, but some of my peers have been there. My peers told me that Chile was a beautiful place, especially the coasts of Chile where the beaches are. They said that the sand is soft white sand, and the ocean is crystal blue. They said that the trees are tall, and the rain forests there are some of the best in the world. They also said that the people who live there don't take good care of the country, and because of it there are many animals that are extinct. Those particular details of this country are really overlooked, mainly people don't think that Chile is an important place. //I am doing this I search to prove people wrong about the country. I have many questions that regard the country Chile, but I only have several questions that are very important. One of the questions that I have is why aren't countries like the United States helping Chile recover from the many high magnitude earthquakes they experienced several months ago. When Port au Prince in Haiti was struck with an earthquake, the United States was quick to react. They used there resources to raise millions of dollars to send to Haiti to help the citizens in need. The United States also used orginazations like the "Red Cross," and "Doctors Without Borders," to provide supplies that helped the citizens aquire the basic needs they were not receiving. Tons of gallons of water was sent to help the people of Haiti, as well as food and supplies. If The United States was so helpful to a country they were not the best of friends with, why could they not help the people of Chile, the same way they helped the citizens of Port au Prince. Another question that I have that is a major concern in Chile is why doesn't Chile's government attempt to make it less dangerous for people to live in. In every country, hundreds of crimes probably occur each day, including countries like the United States who are known for being a peaceful nation. After doing some research though, Chile's crime rate is almost doubled the average countries crime rate. In my research, it mentions Chile is a major country in South America that exports drugs all over the world. I don't understand why the government does not try to crack down on the drug cartel's and drug trafficking in Chile. Not that America is perfect, but America makes an effort to try and stop drugs from being made and sold in the fifty states. Since 2000, drugs being made and sold in the United Sates has almost dropped three percent. I know that three percent is not a lot, but at least it is a start in trying to stop drugs in the U.S.A. I don't know why Chile does not make the same effort that the States do.
 * Part II--What I Want to Find Out **

**-The Search ** //I have read many books that regard the Country Chile, but only one that really stands out to me. Several years ago, a scientist named Gustavo Rincon wrote a book about the science of Chile. In this book, it mentions the position of the country Chile, and how the Mantle of the earth may cause natural disasters. I can't help and think to myself how people both scientist and citizens knew how Chile was a major concern for natural disasters, an nobody took the initiative to do something about it. I suppose that nothing can be done to move the position of the country, but Chile did not take the proper precautions to prevent thousands of lives dying. I read an article in a magazine called the "Times." In the article, it discussed the country Chile, and all of its history. The article also mentioned the population in certain areas of the country, and the numbers are amazing. There are many areas in the country that are overpopulated, which is a hazard to the citizens and the country. Now that I think about the impact that that had on the citizens of the country, I can help but think to my self the total casualties in the disaster. The number of lives that were lost, and the homes that were lost. I am doing another project that involves children that are orphans, and I can't bear to think about the number of children that roam the streets looking for there parents and not knowing where they are. Maybe the number of casualties could have been less if there were not so many citizens in the country. I don't know the exact cause of the earthquake, but maybe it had to do with the number of people who were living there. For my last article, I read an article from a magazine called "Time For Kids." I know that it sounds like it is an article that is not appropriate fort this project, and how it may be childish, but hands down this article may have been the article that contained the most information. In the article, there were a lot of pictures. The pictures showed different things. Some showed recreation centers that are there, others showed what a citizens do during the day, and some showed the poverty of some areas in the country. In the capital, there were a lot of torn down buildings, large dirt piles, and citizens lying on the floor with little clothes on. I found this to be a very serious issue, though it may have nothing to do with the topic. I did an interview with a friend of mine, who's native country is Chile. He told me a lot about his hometown, and the culturals that they celebrate. He told me the languages they speak, and what to do there for fun. He told me a lot of ther facts that someone from there would tell you, so I decided to ask him a personal question. I told him that he didn't have t answer the question if he was not comforatable with it. I asked him if he thought that the country Chile was a happy place. I asked him if he was happy when he was there, and if he felt safe. He paused for a moment, and answered me as honest as he could. He told me that he was not happy when he was there, and that a lot of crime went on while he was there. He said that there are nights when he is there and he can not fall asleep because he is afraid of what might happen if he does. I found that to be one of the more sad things that I ever heard, but it was an honest thing that I could use in my research for this project. I wanted to ask him more personal questions, so I could see what Chile was like through the eyes of someone who has been there, but I did not. I did not want to force my friend into a situation he did not want to be in. I thanked him for the interview, and told him that this I search would show people who don't care about Chile to start to care. Even if it only changed the perspective of only one person, I consiider this project to have had a great success. // //I think that there are many important things that I learned about the country Chile, but maybe the most important thing is that you can not judge a place based on what you hear about it. People always think of Chile as a kidnapping, drug using, and overal unsafe area. But the truth of the matter is, Chle is one of the most beautiful and most historic places in South America. I have read that the people who live there are nice and politite, and love to celebrate their religions and customs. I think that every country is like that, whether it is in South America or on the other side of the world. I now realize that Chile is very similar to the United States Of America. The people who live there have the same sort of jobs like here, the government has the same sort of basis, and the people who live there just want to have fun just like here. I think that I have learned a lot about myself since taking on this project, but one thing that I have come to realize I can not be judgemental about things that I know nothing about. I have really stopped to think if the accusations of the statements that I make are true, before I discuss something I may know nothing about. Before this project, I thought of Chile as a boring place, and that it was an unpopular area in South America. I thought that Chile was cast aside by big names like Argentina, and Brazil. I now have come to terms that Chile is just like every other place. It has positive qualities about the country, and flaws in the counrty.// //Works Cited:// ** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ -Chile /. April 20th, 2010. (checked backround to make sure info was reliable)Chile Facts, Casualties.. Results & Statistics at March 28, 2010
 * Part IV--What I Learned **

//More that 5000 citizens dead, 1,062 Seriously Wounded//
//By Deborah White Chile destroyed Monday, October 22, 2007 //[|//http://www.thenation.com/section/anger-and-peace//]// Nation Topics - Anger and Peace

//[|//http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/international/South America2-memo.html?_r=1//]// Action must be taken //[|//DON VAN NATTA//]// Jr. March 5, 2010 Micah L. Sifry, Christopher Cerf. natural disaster reader: history, documents, opinions. New York. 2010. //

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