Murga

The shouts of children rang over the crowd and the banging of the drums. Women sat in the grass under the shade of the summer trees painting the faces of the Murga dancers. Bright covered costumes which appeared to be remnants of whatever could be salvaged created a backdrop of color. Street venders moved their stands to the park center in hopes of profiting off the event. I sat in a circle in the grass with a group of friends and tried to take it all in. Murga a dance form originating from Uruguay has historic connections to movements of popular resistance. Originating from Uruguay’s dictatorship in the 1970’s groups such as the Araca de Cana used the dance as a form of protest. Now it is communally found during carnival a South American celebration.

The Lamp Post

For the most part Argentina’s dark history has been swept into a dustbin. Most choose to forget their collective grievances. But there times when 30,000 names cannot just be placed into a bag, tied to a brick and sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic like their bodies. Everyone is aware of what happened during Argentina’s dictatorship, the countless loss of loved ones, the oppression, and the torture. And for the most part I forget too. Only when I see an old green Ford Falcon the same used during the dictatorship am I reminded. I wonder who might have been blindfolded and thrown into the back seat. The other day I passed a lamp post; the disappeared person sign wouldn’t have aroused any suspicion if it wasn’t for the fact of how old the picture was. At first glance I didn’t cross my mind. Not until I saw the date reading 1976 printed on the bottom. These were no ordinary disappeared people these were those of Argentina’s dirty war. Crinkled and yellow they stood as a reminder to all, on the lonely street corner on a warm summer night.

The Thanksgiving Adventure

After talking to my good friend in Finland she convinced me that I should do something for Thanksgiving. So at 7:30 in the evening I set out to buy a chicken (The closest thing to a Turkey I could find). I’m pretty sure my last minute decision would be considered sacrilegious coming from a family where my father starts cooking two days in advanced. With a recipe for stuffing provided by my friend viva skype, I set out to make my first full chicken and thanksgiving dinner. The mashed potatoes took forever to cook. The broccoli was a little funky but yum. Asparagus accompanied the broccoli. The stuffing was my favorite part and considering I could barely hear my friend in Finland shouting the recipe at me it came out well. I also made a garlic cream sauce with mushrooms which my cousin devoured; and the chicken was a golden brown. At 9:30 all my cousins and I gathered in the kitchen. We opened a bottle wine and I explained to them the tradition of toasting to the things you were grateful for in life. Everyone was curious to what in the world we were celebrating for. I explained to them all about the pilgrims and the Native Americans, harvest season, and sitting around sharing a meal. Shortly latter I was asked if these were the same Native Americans my government had killed off shortly after. Which opened a whole other can of beans and a lot of explaining. My cousins contributed to the dinner by providing ice cream for dessert. I thought a lot of my family back home and what they were doing for the celebration. At the same time I was happier to be here in Argentina and share a little part of my culture with my new family.

The New Home

As time passes rapidly I now find myself living with my second host family. Cousins to my first host family they reside on the east side of the city. A lovely two story home with quaint little garden in the back to have asados (BBQs) in. They are Armenian Argentineans and living with them is sort of like the recreation of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, well of course except for the fact that they are Armenian. The whole family lives on the same block. My cousin and her boyfriend who is also Armenian live in the house in front of me. My aunt and uncle and their two children live in the house to out left which we share a wall with. My sister’s boyfriend lives 15 blocks away who is also Armenian. And not to forget the grandmother that lives ten blocks away. We are one block away from the street called Armenia and seven blocks from the Armenian school, church and club. All the Armenians’ took refuge in Argentina after the genocide and have now formed a large community. If there is one thing my mother loves to do it is to cook, I feel like we are always eating. The younger generation of cousins also get together a lot to eat. Saturday we had dinner together which started a 1:30 at night, might I add. We took a cardboard box and made a table in the grass. For chairs we cut up little pieces of cardboard. Sunday we gathered in the house of my cousins to the left with all their boyfriends and girlfriends and made pasta from scratch. It was real yum! My sister is named Silvina but everyone just calls her the Chili she is twenty four and very studious. She spent the last year working in New Zealand and traveling South East Asia. She is an English major. The back bedroom has been turned into a study were she teaches children English two times a week. My brother Simon is very adventures and enjoys all sorts of sports his favorite including sailing. He also helps my father with his shoe business; a common business for Armenians according to my first host mother. My father Juan is very proud of his Armenian heritage and gave a fifteen minute PowerPoint about Armenia upon my arrival. He also enjoys reading the back of the newspaper everyday where he intently scans the car section. My mother Patty lives for her cooking and also helps with the family business. I’m very content with my new family. I get the best of both worlds as I learn about Argentine and Armenian culture. Each new host family has something new to offer and a load of new memories to create. As much as I miss my first I know I will have the opportunity to visit a lot.

The Last Days of School

As the days got hotter students scrambled beneath the shade of the trees, our dreaded finals were around the corner. I had missed the past two and half weeks of school to travel to the south. I scrambled to study all my materials. At night I would take my papers and sit out in the grass using the street lamp as my light. Everyone was stressed at school. I was happy to see my classmates two and a half weeks felt like forever. I brought everyone back little seashells form Puerta Madryn. Here in Argentina when you finish your classes you have a two week period of finals. Each day you are given one test; you go to school for an hour and a half only. I was to pass my five materials… gym, history, geography, French, and English. History came easily to me. I scored an 80% on my last history test which came as a surprise considering I did better than most the students in my class; and due to the fact that I was able to talk about fascism and the ramifications of World War II all in Spanish. But I’ve always been sort of a nerd for History. Geography consisted more of history. I studied about populism in Latin America and the political, economic, and social connections of Latin America with capitalistic societies. Gym consisted of a volleyball game which I passed successfully. Everyone laughs when I say I choose gym for one of my 5 classes but I’m missing the credits due to the fact that gym is not offered at DCIS. I was surprised what I learned in English. It’s one thing when a language is your native tongue but to learn it from another perspective is very interesting. Often my classmates know more about the grammatical rules of English then I do, for me it just comes naturally. How I managed to pass French is beyond me; learning another language in another language is just about one of the most confusing things I have ever done. The students have three opportunities to take the finals. I passed all mine on the first try and am now on summer break till March. Originally I thought I would die of boredom but have been surprisingly busy. Everywhere I turn I have an invitation to do something. Tomorrow I will be heading to the main plaza to talk politics with a few classmates. We have set forth the topics to Cuba and communism as well as Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. Others might laugh, but I enjoy sipping warm mate from a bombilla and arguing politics with a group of friends a common pass time here in Argentina.

Southern Most Journey Continued

October 28, 2009
Upon boarding the bus everyone cuddled into their blankets and feel asleep. We woke to the passport control and boarder security to Chile. I have never gone through passport security so fast. Chile sort of looked like what I imagine Ireland to look like, green long grass, sheep, and cliff sides that lead out to the ocean. After about two hours of driving through Chiles Southern countryside we had to get out and board a ferry with the bus to cross over into the Tierra De Fuego, the Southern most province of Argentina. On the bus for lunch I ate canned peaches. We were very limited to what we could bring into the country. Within a few hours I was in the breathtaking mountains of Ushuaia. Upon arrival they brought us to a all you can eat Chinese buffet this time warning us not to get sick off the food.
October 29,2009
When I woke the next morning I was greeted by one of the most profound vistas in my life. The little town of Ushuaia stood on a hill side as the houses led down to the waterside. The snow top mountains created a little nest for the town and in the distance you could see Chile’s mountain range. The afternoon we had free to do as we like. A group of friends and I decided to take taxi’s up to the foot of a mountain. From there we hiked for about an hour on what was a deserted spring ski slope. At points bitter cold snow was up to our knees and quickly drenched our shoes. At the top was a small ski cabin and the end of the ski lift. We climbed into the ski lifts safety nets like hammocks. Latter we decided to start a campfire on the mountain side. We sat around singing songs as we struggled to keep or fire lit. The boys had decided to go see what was past timberline. You could see all of Ushuaia from our little hideout. When the sun began to set behind the mountain we headed back towards town. Shoes soaked and hands chilled we slid down the mountain side. It took us nearly half the time to get down. At the bottom we encountered a little tea house. Quaintly decorated like a doll house we gathered around a windowsill table as it began to snow and drank chocolate submarines.
October 30, 2009
We woke early; somehow we came up with the crazy idea to go swimming in the sea. After placing our bathing suits under our winter jackets we headed down to the port. It was just one of those things you have to say you did at the end of the world was our idea. By the time we got there the snow began to fall hard. I was already freezing. At this point there was no way I was going to go swimming. I guess that we just have to be one thing I didn’t do at the end of the world. In the afternoon we took a small bus to the national forest. The forest was green and lush similar to those of the east coast in the US. Our first stop was at an old train station and home to the southernmost prison in the world. The worst of the worst were sent here yet was closed in the 1950’s and now serves for a museum. Our second stop was the southernmost post office. A little shack that stood out on the waterside a green snow covered mountain side laid as its back drop. A little old man worked inside. On the back wall hung pictures of Che and Evita two national heroes, and in the right hand corner stood a little shrine of the virgin marry. We where each given our passports to get a special stamp from the southernmost post office. Our third stop was a beautiful lake covered in mist; you couldn’t see to the other side as things faded into the darkness. We sat and skipped rocks on the water side. Our final destination was the end of route three; a very famous route that travels from the tip of Alaska to the end of Argentina. In the night rotary took us to a bar restaurant like thing to celebrate Bernie’s 18th birthday.
October 31,2009
Today we woke early at four to drive to Esquel a town in the province of Santa Cruz. In the process we crossed back into Chile while leaving the Tierra de Fuego. The day was spent traveling on the bus. At night me and my friend Dylan could not sleep so we decided to pull some Halloween pranks on everybody. We placed sugar in the mouths of those who slept with their mouths open; glued paper to peoples face and to the leader’s bald spot. We also placed lotion on people’s hands and tickled their faces so that when they woke they whipped the lotion all over their faces.
November 1, 2009
Today we arrived in Esquel. It felt like a summer afternoon, we were greeted by a beautiful garden and little cabins. Lena and I ventured around taking pictures of the flowers and searching for a apple tree. The afternoon was spent in the grass with friends. Some wrote in their journals while others sunbathed and played the guitar. After everyone had showered we headed for the center where we bought stuff of make chocolate bananas for that nights campfire. We also bought a little cake and sat on the dusty sidewalk eating. As the Kiwis say it was real yum! We passed by a guacho an Argentine cowboy. We stopped him and asked to take pictures with him and his horse. I’m pretty sure he thought we were crazy. I still can’t get over how beautiful of a day it was. Here we were in sundresses as we looked out upon snow covered mountain tops. At night with a little bottle of Suzan’s rubbing alcohol we managed to start a fire. We cut open the bananas and placed chocolate inside and proceeded to roast them over the fire. Others soon began to gather around the fire side and we told scary stories through the night.
November 2, 2009
The next morning we loaded the bus for our journey to Bariloche. We ate breakfast in a cabin that also served as the receptionist’s home. I ate the best media lunas in my entire life (croissants direct translation half moons). Our arrival time was set for shortly before dinner. Bariloche is also nestled upon a mountain side the overlooks a lake. The street in front of our hotel was very similar to that of Lombard in San Francisco as it winded down to the waterside. At dinner another group of students began to cheer. “Oh o oh bari bari bariloche”. When students complete their secondary schooling in Argentina they travel to Bariloche for a little over a week to celebrate. To some extent it’s like Las Vegas. That night we went out dancing the place was packed as students from all over Argentina gathered
November 3, 2009
We woke in time for lunch the next day. We were one of the last groups there. We would have most likely slept through it if it wasn’t for the fact that Rocia came knocking on our door. The day was spent visiting the little town. Bariloche is famous for its chocolate and we stopped in all the little stores for samples.
November 4, 2009
The next day we drove around the city and to various lookouts. Rain sprinkled a little as we looked out onto Bariloches waterside. In the middle of the lake stood little green islands. I feel in love with the scenery and wish we had more time to go hiking. In the afternoon we drove to San Martin de Los Andes. We took a scenic route called the Seven Lakes. It took a lot longer but it was gorgeous. We stopped to take pictures at many of the lakes. We were supposed to have a picnic at one but do to the snow we ended up having our picnic on the bus. San Martin de Los Andes also sat on a lake side. We stayed in a little hotel on the southern part of the town. It was really cue. The bathroom was all one piece of plastic from the cling to the floor it sort of felt like a airplane. We walked around town taking pictures and drinking tea with friends. We ran into a interesting couple from France that had traveled all over the world and stopped to talk. Our final night was spent gathering with friends and reminiscing about all our adventures during the trip. I was sad to see the trip come to an end. But I made great new friends, traveled to far off places, and a handful of memories that I will forever store close to my heart.

The Southern Most Journey

The last week I was pulled out of class and asked to proceed to the front office. I sat and tried to think what I could have possibly done wrong. As I entered the office guided by a friend a wave of fear came over me. I was directed to a telephone. On the other side of the line was Marta from Rotary. What came next left me speechless, she informed me that the Rotary club had all pitched in to pay for my trip to the South of Argentina and Chile, with all the other exchange students. I was in utter shock with an overwhelming feeling of greatness. She informed me that the trip was departing the next day and that I needed to work fast to get paperwork signed. I was still in shock as I tried to take in all she was telling me. Shortly after we hung up I looked over at the school sectary and gave her a huge hug. I’m pretty sure she is afraid of me now. My friend was looking at me all weird as well but I was just so overwhelming happy. I proceeded home to prepare my things. I’m not going to lie I cried sitting there alone on the bus. I just couldn’t believe how fortunate I had been.
The next day all the exchange students from the provinces of Cordoba and Catamarca met in the center suitcases in hand packed full of sweaters and scarf’s we were set out for the South. These next seventeen days would end up being some of my life’s best memories, but little did I know. We would travel through two countries and over 8,500 km. A group of girls from New Zealand (which I would latter befriend) had laid out an extensive photo scavenger hunt including things such as…
· Dance tango on the roof of a car
· By something at a Kiosko (convenient store) and give it back as a gift to the person behind the counter
· Make a meal in a restaurant
· Ride in a garbage truck
· Supporting gay rights (be creative)
· A sign in Spanish that means something funny in your native language
This list went on for over 200 items and provided us with endless fun throughout the trip.
The following our excerpts from my travel diary ….
October 22, 2009
Coming to you from our little apartment in Puerto Madryn, my roommate from New Zealand lolly’s angel like voice rings over the sweet sound of a acoustic guitar. The atmosphere is very tranquil. I’m so thankful to be here; I don’t think I will every truly be able to express my thanks to Rotary. Today I woke up on the bus and was greeted by the barren Patagonian land. We pulled into Peninsula Valdez around lunch time, a little town which bases its economy of whale watching. The ocean fog formed a blanket over the town. We ate lunch in a little café on the cloudy beach side. Afterwards I ran down to the beach to soak my feet and take pictures. Forty Five of us crammed onto a boat in our stylish orange safety vests; we were off to see whales. As the boat began to pick up speed the cold Atlantic water splashed across my face. The water was dark making it difficult to spot the whales, but as they came up to breech for air the whole boat stood there in amazement. We even spotted an albino whale which was very interesting. The feeling that comes over you when you are surrounded by such large beings is indescribable; it’s hard to believe that we share the same earth. The wind was not to obad but with the splashes of salt water a bitter chill began to form. Latter in the afternoon we arrived in Puerto Madryn were we were each given keys to our little apartments. We all took some time to relax and prepare for dinner, which included an involuntary ice cold shower…
October 23, 2009
Today we woke early and prepared for breakfast a word that virtually does not exist in Argentina. We were off to see the sea lions in Peninsula Valdez. The natural reserve was about three hours from Puerta Madryn. Upon entering the bus everyone cuddled up and went back to sleep. We stopped half way through the journey at and overlook were both sides of the Peninsula could be spotted. Let me tell you now sea lions are some of the funniest animals I have ever seen. A baby sea lions sneeze is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen. ….That night after dinner a group of friends and I were sitting around talking in the restaurant after everyone else had left, when another group of friends entered. Originally there was an extra excursion on the trip to hike the Moreno Glacier in Califate. I didn’t think many others were going to do it because of the extra cost; but I guess me and a girl from Germany were the only ones. In result the entire group pitched in so we could participate. Now I really couldn’t get over how unfortunate I was. I hugged everyone but when I got to my friend Lena all I could do was cry.
October 25, 2009
The morning started early as the bus rolled up to a little roadside café. Little motivation was collected from the group to get off the bus, we were all still about half awake. I decided after lasts night’s events of getting sick over cold empanadas it was probably a safe idea to skip breakfast. Upon retreat to the bus I quickly fell back asleep and within forty five minutes I woke to the distant view of snow covered mountains. As we descended from the mountain side into the little town of Califate Argentina’s European influence became more and more apparent. We were given two hours to explore the little village but I felt very week and ill. For lunch we ate all you can eat Chinese food, which I found out we would be eating for the next six days in Califate and Ushuaia, lunch and dinner. If you think Americanized Chinese food is interesting you need to try Argentinianized Chinese food. Dumplings are rather empandas in disguise. We stayed in little “A” frame cabins just outside the main city plaza. I cooked the worst crepes in my life that night. I don’t know what it was but no matter how hard I tried they would just fell apart. Sadly the reason behind making them was to say thank you too the group for all chipping in; although they seemed to enjoy them whether or not they resembled a crepe.
October 26, 2009
With a bucket of pasta in hand which me and my friend had made the night before for dinner we boarded the bus. Looking out the bus window I watched the green landscape drip with snow. I was surprised to still have been in Argentina, it’s not exactly what you think of when you think South America. I was unprepared for how cold it was as we descended from the bus in front of the Moreno Glacier. I have never seen such a vibrant blue in nature before as I stood out over an overlook. Tourist from all over came to see the glacier. Standing down at a lower point I heard a large crack in the ice and a huge chunk fell into the cold water creating an enormous splash. Everyone stood in silence. We were given two hours to explore the glacier which I utilized to take photographs. Upon retreat to our cabins that afternoon we prepared for tea time in our little “A” frame cabin, an Argentine ritual. In the evening we walked to the grocery store to buy supplies to make fried rice for tomorrow afternoon. We spent the night relaxing and chopping veggies for our huge pot of fried rice.
October 27, 2009
In the morning we finished cooking our fried rice. We made a ton of rice but still managed to devour it all upon our arrival. We boarded a boat to which took us to the other side of the lake. On the other side we were greeted by a gorgeous spring forest. We hiked through the forest and across the lakes beach side to the glacier front. We were each given spikes to place on the bottom of our shoes called “cramp-ons”. It was hard to walk in them and they cut into the back of my feet causing them to bleed, but I was too preoccupied to care. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the ice, the snow covered mountains to my left and the green mountain side to my right were a waterfall trickled down from, not to forget the beautiful lake that stood in front of me. I knelt down and drank the water from the glacier, it was very cold and refreshing. At the end of the trek we came to a little table and chairs which had been set up on the glacier. We were each given cookies and whisky served with glacier ice. That night we cooked a cake for my good friend Antoine’s eighteenth birthday. We wrote his name in Rocklets (AKA M and M’s) on the front and took and old carrot and stuffed it with matches for a candle. The carrot was quite gross I’m not going to lie, you can imagine how soft it must have been for us to be able to stick matches into it. Latter in the night a group of friends and I dragged our blankets into the grass to star gaze. We were leaving Califate at four in the next morning and didn’t see the point behind trying to sleep.
To be continued….

Droplets of Spring Rain

Coming to you from the cold tile floor of the front door entrance to her little Argentine home; the spring rain splashes its droplets onto my blank pages and flashes of lightening illuminate my words as the smell of spring flowers and rain is brought up from the southern Pampa winds. For the most part the sound is drowned out by the city traffic as the compact Argentine cars splash through the puddles beginning to form. I can slightly hear my family cheer in the background as the Argentine soccer team scores against Peru. I reminisce on the sweet taste of dulce de leche left over in my mouth from the cake I baked freshly today for my host mother’s birthday. I have begun to forget my life back home; like entering a tunnel the light becomes more and more obscure and distant. This little country in South America has opened its arms to me and I have worked hard to embrace everything it has to offer. Each morning I’m reminded of how lucky I am to be given this opportunity as I watch the sunrise over Cordoba’s skyline from my hilltop barrio. The old man in the blue windbreaker greats me with buenos dias and a little smile. I look forward to his little greeting each morning; he is always persistent but never says more just smiles. I wonder where he could be going each morning at seven. In the morning the city is quiet, boards and bars cover the windows of the homes and store fronts and each home is securely guarded by a gate. They say it is for security but at the same time I don’t think the city is as dangerous as the Argentine people make it out to be. I think this fear has just been instilled into the minds and has formed now what is a part of their culture. For me it provokes a mystery, you never know what may be lying behind those bars; I’m usually surprised to see what Argentina hides behind it tough exterior. Argentina is full of little mysteries even with a year I don’t think I will be able to unravel them all. The rain is starting to lighten up as the night begins to pass. Tomorrow I will be greeted by fresh clean street ways as I walk to greet the sunrise at my little corner bus stop.

Rotaract

Last night I attended a meeting for the Rotaract club of Cordoba. My friends Antoine from Belgium, George from Sweden, and Oliver from Switzerland and I met up in front of Patio Almos (a shopping center in downtown Córdoba) where we met a few of the Rotaract students. From there we walked to an apartment in the Nueva Cordoba . We were greeted by a group of young adults from the all over the city. We had the opportunity to learn about how the club was contributing to the community and how we could get involved. Afterwards around 12 we went to get dinner I had a great time sitting around and getting to know the students.

Olimpiadas

The last week of school all the students participated in what is known as the Olimpiadas. A weeklong celebration of sports and games, softball futbal, handball, volleyball, dancing, swimming, and the list goes on. Sad to say that my class came in last but I’m ok with it we all had a lot of fun, and that’s what counts. My favorite part of the week was the music. Argentineans are talented in EVERYTHING. One group played rock music with a mescal of classical instruments such as the violin; I was blown away.
The following Monday was Dia de La Estudiante. All students were given the day off school. For the most part everyone travels to Carlos Paz for the day. A group of friends and I took the bus to Carlos Paz and had a picnic. We also ate ice cream and watched different bands perform on a large stage placed in the center of the town. The town was packed as students of all ages celebrated the holiday.

Catamarca

The past weekend I traveled to Catamarca a province in the North West of Argentina. I was in a small town called Fimbila seven kilometers from the border of Chile; I could literally see the mountains of Chile in the distance. The little town based its economy of vineyards and the hot springs nestled up against the bare mountains. In the center lay the plaza key to all communities in Argentina. Surrounding the plaza where commercial buildings which consisted mostly of little convenient stores, a bakery, a butcher, and a police station. On the West side of the plaza laid the church also key to Argentine culture.
We had traveled during the night and arrived shortly after the sun had risen. We, being a group of about 200 Rotarians, inbound and outbound exchange students from all over the world. We got the busses and the townspeople came to great us. I think we doubled the population within seconds. Exchange students began to wrap their flags over their shoulders to shield themselves from the cold. The towns marching band was there to greet us as we paraded into the center of the town. I’m sure anyone that didn’t know what was going on would have thought we were all crazy. Flags from all over the world waved in the crisp winter air and languages from all over filled the silence of the little town. I think everyone that day experienced some sort of culture shock. As we gathered in the plaza the town leaders met to greet us. The women of the town put together little goodie bags of sweets. That day we visited the termas (hot springs). The termas where nestled up against the mountain and water trickled down into little pools which each had different temperatures. We ate bread and drank tea a traditional part of the gaucho (Argentine cowboys) culture.
That evening the town gathered in the school the women of the little town cooked for us and the children dance and sang traditional gaucho style. A sense of community rang in the air. We all sat around talking about our experiences so far and exchanging pins from our countries. That night I was asked to walk. I didn’t really understand but said sure. A nice boy from Germany walked me up to the stage with about 20 other girls. I proceeded to walk off the stage when everyone started to yell at me. I was so confused. We all twirled around a few more times than once again I proceeded to walk off the stage and again everyone in the crowd yelled at me to stay on stage. Then it accrued to me what we were doing; it was a beauty contest and we were being graded. At this point I felt so embarrassed. Yet surprisingly I won Miss Elegancia (Elegance). Four other girls and I were given little sashes. I have no idea how I won considering I walked of the stage just about four times; oh well something took look back and laugh at. I had a fantastic time and am very grateful; not only for how welcoming the community was but for Rotaries hard work to organize the event.

Teacher's Day

Today is Teachers Day in Argentina. School didn’t start till 11:30, and when it did the students gathered for an assembly to celebrate the holiday. Students got up and talked about the value of teachers in society and their gratitude towards all the hard work they do. Some students even performed for the teachers by singing, dancing, and reciting poetry. For me the most exciting part took place at the end of the day. Septimo and Octavo, the too highest grades in secondary school equivalent to 12th and 13th grade (Manuel Belgrano has an extra year) carried huge flags out onto the street. Green and yellow for septimo, and blue and white for octavo. The flags covered the entire street; I have never seen such a big flag in my life. At first traffic stopped but soon cars began to drive under the flags, like little kids untangling themselves from the sheets in the morning the cars dispersed at the other end. Student’s shouts and the loud bang of fireworks filled the streets. Argentineans really know how to party! Septimo and octavo are secret rivals and today it really showed. After about an hour the students began to disperse and the street fell silent for the long weekend ahead.

Comida (Food)

Argentineans diet consists mainly of meat. Not only do they consume a lot of it but it is one of the main sources of income for the economy. Unlike other countries meat is a part of diet no matter what you’r social status is. Before I go on I wanted to take the time to say hello to all the DCIS students. I have gotten word that some classes have been reading my blog and hope you’re all enjoying it. Let me know if you have any questions I would be more than willing to answer them, you can leave them as a comment on the blog. Argentineans also have an obsession for mayonnaise, its apart of almost EVERY meal. This afternoon I was talking with one of my brothers he was on his way out to McDonalds (note the globalization Ms. Sims would say, just kidding Dar Dar). Here you pay a little over $5 (19 pesos) for a Big Mac. I was appalled. I don’t eat fast food in the US but I knew that was a lot more than Americans paid; so me and my brother got on the computer and found out that in the US Americans pay about 2.99 for a Big Mac. A Big Tasty (some sort of burger not exactly sure what) here cost $23 pesos which is the equivalent of $6 dollars. I also really miss vegetables. Fruit and vegetables are very expensive and don’t play a large role in the Argentine diet. The price of fruits and vegetables fluctuat based on whether or not the farmers are on strike. Unlike the US you don’t have a melting pot of foods, Argentine diet is based of what’s cheap, accessible, and fits their lifestyle primarily breads, meat, and pastas…yum yum

Winter Walks

Mate

On Saturday I went with a friend to meet his English class. He takes English in school as well as at a special school two times a week. We all sat around and talked about American and Argentinean culture, the recent legalization of Marijuana in Argentina, and politics. We sat in the backyard which held a beautiful garden and pool and drank mate. It was my first time drinking mate and let’s just say I’m very glad they put sugar in the cup. I learned some important rules about drinking mate; one never stir the yerba ( the tea like item) with the bombilla (straw). Two if the mate is to hot stroke you fingers at the bottom of the cup. ALWAYS pass the mate to the right, and never place sugar in a man’s cup of mate it becomes forever contaminated. That night around two me and my brother Tomas went to a disco with his friends. The disco was full though so we went to a bar (I don’t drink) and sat around and talked to about five. Even at 5:30 in the morning the streets were packed; and when we got home Tomas and I snuck into the kitchen and ate ice cream on the kitchen floor. As far as cultural lessons go I learned the reason behind Christina Fernandez’s (the president of Argentina) scarf obsession. My brother explained to me that she wears the scarf to cover up the two times she had liposuction done on her neck and chin. If you thought President Bush had a low approval rating you should come to Argentina; I haven’t heard a person talk fondly about her yet. There are also two types of taxi’s here, the yellow taxi’s pick you up on the street and the green tax’s called Remy’s pick you up directly from your home and are not allowed to pick up passengers on the street. There is a big controversy in the city between the Remy drivers and the taxi drivers because the Remy drivers now want to be able to pick people up from the curbside. Politics are always being discussed here. Lately there has been an almost 50% tax on milk essentially the stores pay 2 pesos for a litter of milk and one of those pesos goes to the government. Many of the farmers have gone on strike. I also learned that here when you get pulled over for speeding you don’t just get a ticket you have to wait in your car on the side of the road for an hour, the whole time is money concept. I think this is a great idea and should be applied in the States. Lastly I learned about the Afilador man. One morning while having tea with my family I thought I heard what sounded like the ice cream man. My mom explained that the man ringing the bell walked the streets and people would pay him to sharpen their kitchen knives. That’s all for now!
¡Chau!

Graduation (eggs, ketchup, and scissors)

Luciano and Friends

This Saturday my family and I celebrated my brother Luciano’s graduation from a college in Buenos Aires. Here when you graduate from college your friends attack you with eggs, flower, ketchup, and scissors. It is quite fun to be honest. We had a pizza party in the backyard (that of course didn’t start till 10) , my sister’s boyfriend cooked pizza over a grill. Here the put all sorts of things on the pizza including graded egg, it’s not half bad. After Luciano’s hair was just about destroyed and looked like he had stuck his hair in a blender we took turn at shaving it off. This is by far one of the funniest rites of passage I have ever watched, and am glad I won’t be here to graduate from college.

Pablo's Letter

Dear Brooke,
Due to my interest in South America, I will be asking you intermittent (and sometimes sarcastic) questions about Argentina. My first three questions are: How are you? Doe's the Coriolis effect really work in sinks and toilets? and Lastly, my sarcastic question: When you see a cute guy, does the Coriolis effect work on the way you turn your head to check him out?
Thanks,
Pablo

Black and White

Today I walked out on to the schools patio with my friend Diego to look over the river that runs through the city. I noticed a mural to the left painted against the schools wall, I immediately observed the faces whose eyes had been covered with a piece of cloth. I quickly linked this with the disappearances in the 1970’s. The mural was made up of large puzzle pieces some in color and others in black in white. The black and white represented Argentina’s dark history and the colored Argentina’s present. I knew what the black and white pieces where for but for some reason I found myself playing stupid. I turned to Diego asking why the faces had been blindfolded. I guess I felt was better to claim ignorance when it came to this touchy subject. He began to tell me the sad story that I already knew inside and out; but unlike most people I had talked he didn’t seem to have as much hesitation in his voice. I decided to ask more. According to Diego Manuel Belgrano is a very liberal school open to many different political ideologies. In the 1970’s the headmaster decided to rat out some of the students who’s political beliefs where dangerous and threatened society. One day the military flooded the school halls and 13 students’s disappeared forever. Many other students and teachers new they were in danger and fled the country. It’s hard to believe that every day I walk the hallways every day, studying Argentina’s dark history has become a lot more than a few books and movies but a part of my daily life. The mural stands in the back of the school as a reminder just like the one Argentineans carry in the hearts. The mural is still present but lies in its own quite place in a lonely corridor.

“The disappeared a very insistent in my imagination, very clear, while the solider, the guards. The secret police all have one face, the same eyes, move to the beat of the same heart. I think that is because they dream of power, the narrowness of their souls, leaves no room for the person the individual. The case overtakes the man as easily as the hawk swoops out of the sky and takes the foolish sparrow in its talons.” –Lawerence Thorton, Imagining Argentina.

Candy Money

I have learned a lot in the last couple of days. On top of breaking the sink and a bottle of wine I managed to start a fire in the kitchen, when a towel was placed a little too close to the stove. My family is always making fun of me; my one brother calls me Eugene from Hey Arnold (for those of you 90’s kids). Eugene was the one that was always breaking something. Luciano my eldest brother even suggest that I take an o out of my name to spell broke.
In Argentina when a tienda (store) doesn’t have the equivalent of a penny they give you a piece of candy, essentially candy money. I don’t recommend you eat them there more like a really bad cough drop. I also observed on the bus that there is a vender most the time they sell things like little bobby pins with Chinese writing on the label. The funny part is that they just don’t ask you if you want to purchase them they hand them to everyone on the bus and then announce to everyone on the bus the price. They usually cost about 50 cent or 2 pesos. Then they go back around the bus collecting the bobby pins and the money then exit the colectivo (bus) to do it all over again.
I also took my first adventure a lone in the city. I love to walk the streets here with fruit venders and the panaderias (bakeries) on every block. Here stores are customized for a certain item. For example you go to a store just to by meat then another for bread and another for school supplies. You can find this in the United States too but most of the time people just go to Target. Here people take their time and travel from tienda to tienda. The streets are filled as school gets out and people begin to fill the street cafes for tea time. I traveled to a bank to change my money from dollars to pesos, and I got a little turned around in the Plaza de San Martin but the people are really nice here and walked me straight to the door.
Oh future reference tea taza does not mean tea cup but rather breast. I learned that one the hard way one day during breakfast with my family. I’m getting better at volleyball to! Every time I hit the ball here the girls cheer, I think they feel like I don’t understand them and cheering is universal, it’s quite entertaining to tell the truth.
¡Chau!

Lago San Ruque

In Argentina Sundays are spent with the family, today my family traveled thirty minutes to a beautiful lake in the mountains called Largo San Roque in the town of Carlos Pax. I have begun to notice some interesting things about the barrios here. Here a very rich barrio might be next to the slums or a very poor barrio. In the States there appears to be a slow gradation between neighborhoods and there social status; it’s of no importance solely an interesting observation. As the wind began to pick up latter in the afternoon the lake filled with sailboats. It was relaxing just to sit and enjoy the afternoon. I had empanadas with my family for the first time; my mom explained to me that the different type of empanadas depended on the province they had come from. An empanada is sort of a mix between a dumpling and calzone, stuffed with meat and veggies and fried they are delicious, but beware they can be a little messy.

Life in Argentina
The Family...

The People...

The Night Sky of Cordoba...

City Church's...

A late night stroll in the park...

Friends

Friday my brother Luciano took the bus with me to school he had to go to his Aunt’s house to fix her computer. English was my first class of the day. We watched FORST GUMP! They only have one TV in the school, if a class wants to use it they have to go to a special room. I forgot to mention that here they don’t have toilette paper at school you have to carry your own. On Fridays lunch is short because they try to squeeze in an extra history class. After school I went to the shopping with the classmates. We climbed to the roof and looked over the city. It’s hard to believe that this is real, and that this is where I will be living for the next year; it’s gorgeous. After I took the bus home and latter in the afternoon a friend from school named Lau called asking If I wanted to go to have a BBQ with the class and spend the night at another friends .Most all my classmate where at the BBQ although here there BBQ’s don’t start till ten. The reagaton and cumbia boomed out of a boombox and the boys faught over the soccer game on the TV.It was a lot of fun and around two me a three other girls from my class left and took a taxi home. There really doesn’t seem to be an organized system to their driving here but they all seem to know what they are doing.
¡Chau!

The Second Family

In Argentina the students are with the same class of students for all of high school. The know everything about each other and are essentially a second family. Its actually and interesting concept and has it negative and positive aspects. Today there was a big assembly to greet the Brazilian exchange students. At Manuel Belgrano Secondary School each year some of the Argentinean students go to Brazil and the Brazilians come here for three months. The students flooded the plaza at the Brazilian and Argentinean anthems rang in the air. For lunch the students eat across the street at a bar restaurant type of thing, the place is packed as students sit down to eat what is considered the most important meal of the day here. After lunch I had French I can hardly believe I’m trying to learn French in Spanish.
Je-Yo-I
Tu-Tu-You
Il/Elle-Elle/El-She/He
Nous-Nosotros-We
Essentially its just a lot more work I have to translate everything from French to Spanish and Spanish to English. After school my friends walked me to the bus stop; I’m proud to announce that I have conquered the bus system here. I’m even starting to remember street names.

First Day of School

Wednesday was my first day of school, I don’t think I have ever been kissed this much. The students are very welcoming. To get to school mom says we have to walk through the Bolivian and Peruvian barrio. I can tell there is tension in her voice. She continues to say that the houses used to be abandon but now the Peruvians and the Bolivians took residence in them, she looks down at the dirty sidewalk and mentions how they don’t take good care of the area. After my first class I figured we changed classes like back home but here the teachers change rooms. They all stand before the teacher enters and sits once they the teacher says Buenos Dias. The teaching style is different here it’s a lot of lecturing. I’m an economics major in school. The bare classrooms don’t have heat and it is very cold. Everyone wanted to know where I came from, if I had been to Disney Land, if I drove, if I was an American cheerleader like they had seen on TV. It was quite entertaining to be honest. They all invited me to have lunch with them but I had to go to a Rotary meeting. I meet up with Thomas and walked across the city to old building near the Plaza de San Martin the city was really alive today as it was the first day back from the long weekend. The building was gorgeous on the inside, lined with a gold staircase. The Rotarians were all very sweet, they wanted to know all about life here so far. There was only other exchange student in the city and she is from Denmark, it was her seventeenth birthday. I was surprised to see how little Spanish she spoke and she has been here for two weeks. I have only been here for five days and have learned so much!
¡Chao!

El Centro

After lunch today we visited the centro (downtown). I will attend school in the center of the city; its walls are lined with old buildings obtaining intricate designs. The city is full of young people as it is home to one of the largest and best colleges in the country. In mid afternoon the students head for the different plazas, they drink mate and play the guitar. In Argentina life is slow even my host mom pointed out that I walked to fast. Argentineans never forget to make time for romance; everywhere you turn you will spot couples joyfully parading down the street. In one plaza there was a memorial for the disappeared, pictures of women wore pasted on post around what used to be an old jail. On the ground below the windows were drawings of foot prints and the shadows of the jail bars. One day the women that were being detained in the jail tied ropes to trucks on the street and broke free. Twenty six escaped but nine where disappeared.
Later on we visited a shopping mall which used to be an old school, we stopped for tea time. The busses are always busy here; most all the people ride the bus. At night the city shines with a gold glow from the street lamps. And as we headed home for most this was just the start of the their night, this truly is the country that NEVER sleeps.
¡Chao!

Primero Dias

There is a certain smell about Argentina I can’t describe it but it is very comforting. Things are simplistic here a sort of lifestyle that appears to become lost in America. I live in a little barrio it takes me a half hour by bus to get to the center of the city. At night the city lights illuminate the south side of the city and sweet Spanish music rings in the air. Today loud cheering passed by the window, my brother Pablo explained that it was a group of people on their way to the soccer game. My room is modest and cozy prior to my arrival it held the TV (even though I have never seen the TV been turned on since I have been here). There is a small bed, a chair, and a little bedside table. In the living room orange leather couches line the wall and mom places her previous student’s artwork on the wall. There are three other rooms the green one for mom and dad, the blue Pablo and Luciano share, and Tomas’ is purple. The sun is casting light as it begins to fall behind the sky rise of buildings. Cold winds blow into the pampas from the south and the ground is baron as it is winter. Today lunch took place at three in the afternoon it consisted of chicken, potatoes, and a salad covered with lemon. Pablo tried to explain to me that is was beater for the longest time which I eventually realized he meant bitter. Within the first few hours of being here I managed to break the sink and a bottle of wine, now my host brothers always give me trouble. I have started to acquire a taste for tea but it is pretty hard not to it’s a part of every meal. The second day we had an asado (BBQ) with the whole family. I ate some sort of meat that was soaked in blood I’m glad I’m not longer a vegetarian. The asado was a fairly big ordeal with tea and ice cream they love to sit and talk here. ¡Chao!

Of The Essence

The days are of the essence, time is speeding by. As luggage lays sprawled upon the floor and the posters have been removed from walls I realize that this it. As I close one door I open another an overwhelming bust of excitement.

My Journey:

The following Blog will follow my journey to Argentina over the next year. Please enjoy and check up on it as you want. My trip starts on August 14th 2009 arriving in Cordoba Argentina. I will arrive in the household of the Avila’s; a sweet family living in the outskirts of downtown Cordoba. My mother is the art teacher in my school. My father is a carpenter and his workshop is located in the house. I also have four older brothers Luciano, Pablo, Mariano, and Thomas. I will right another post upon arrival in Argentina. Till then take care :)(The following picture is that of downtown Cordoba)