Rafaela: Weeks 1&2

When your kids return on Sunday, you may want them to describe what's going on in the various scenes of this video. Some blog posts will follow shortly from your children (although at this point we wonder if they've forgotten how to type.)

Holiday Weekend

This weekend Argentina (as the US) celebrated Father's Day, so most family's had a few extra invitees at the dinner table. This weekend also coincides with "Flag Day" in Argentina. So La Plaza did not have classes today. I took some time today to put together the video from our adventures in Buenos Aires. Que lo disfruten. Enjoy it.



Departure plans are set. The Westminster group will bid farewell to their Argentine families late Friday night. We will board the 11:45 colectivo, equipped with "cochecamas" or reclining chairs that resemble a bed. We will arrive in Buenos Aires around 8:00am Saturday morning, stash our luggage at the shuttle depot, spend our last four or five hours in Buenos Aires (last minute purchases, no doubt), then take a shuttle to the airport for our 8:30pm flight.

Tackling serious academic topics

In all seriousness, the kids have been doing a phenomenal job in class with us three to four days per week. We have discussed topics such as immigration, the so-called desaparecidos,the gaucho archetype, the Argentine voseo, and current events in Rafaela and Argentina. In my 10+ years of teaching, these are some of the best conversations that I've had with students.



Your kids are just the right type of students to bring on a trip like this. They take their responsibilities seriously, but they also understand that they are not here to simply take a class with Ted and Anna. They have seemed relaxed, but they are operating with their eyes and ears open.

Not your typical weekend, by Kohler

Friday at school began like any other day at school. We arrived at around 7:30 and spent a few minutes chatting idly with our friends before attending the routine recitation of the anthem. Then, as the Argentine students went about their classes for the first hour and a half of school, we worked in the school’s computer lab on our future presentation of Martin Luther King and his legacy.

Next, after a brief 10 minute break, we moved to the preschoolers building, where we taught three separate classes of children, 1 of 4 year olds and 2 of 5 year olds, typical children’s songs and dances (Hokey Pokey, Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, Simon Says, Heads Up, Seven Up, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Old McDonald, etc). After an hour of that, we had another 10 minute break, during which we were able to catch the first few minutes of the first match of the World Cup.

Next, we had an interesting encounter with some students from another school, as they were part of a dance club and performed the “Gato” dance, a traditional Argentine dance, for us, before welcoming us to join in, which many of us, reluctantly, did. A very interesting experience.

Finally, school ended and we all returned to our respective homes to eat lunch, welcome the arriving Trinity students, and sleep for the rest of the day as there were no afternoon classes and we needed to get some rest before going to the Boliche.

At around 10:00pm, we got up and had a brief dinner before leaving for the “previa” at Mati’s house, a sort of pre-cursor to the Boliche. We hung out there and left for the boliche at around 2:00am.

Upon arriving at the Boliche, we all got back together in a group and entered. Inside it was insane. Music was blaring, it was packed and there were flashing lights and lasers were all over the place. We danced and hung out there til around 6:00am although some left earlier while others left later. We finally got back home and into our super comfy beds at around 6:30, where we slept until about 11:30.

At around 11:30, we got up again and left for Guille’s house, where we met up with all the Argentines and Americans to watch 2 world cup matches (Argentina vs. Nigeria, where Arg. won 1-0, and US vs. England, where they tied 1-1), eat lunch, and play LOTS of soccer. We stayed there til probably around 5:00, before returning home once more to catch up on the remainder of our missing sleep and continue on with our weekend.

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On Monday, we depart for the town of Rosario at 6:00am. Rosario is one of the main towns in the province of Santa Fe. Many kids go to Rosario for university studies after graduating from the secundaria in Rafaela. We will be arriving home around 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening.

The First Week, by Chandler

Hola to friends and family--
We're having a great time here in Rafaela and learning so much about Argentina and Hispanic culture and language. After our flight was delayed a few hours last Wednesday we arrived in Buenos Aires later than expected but were still able to take in some of the sights at Plaza de Mayo, the central area of Argentine government buildings. The accomodations at our hotel in Recoleta, a specific region of the very large city, were excellent and the neighborhood very pretty. In the next days we visited an area know as La Boca, a neighborhoood at the "mouth" of the bay at the Ri'o de la Plata that is know for it's Italian design and vibrant colors, and found some great Messi jerseys just in time for the start of the Soccer World Cup tournament. We also visited and ate in many other areas including a new and trendy region of the city called Puerto Madero, where we ate in a buffet-style restaurant that served many traditional meats, one of which some of the boys tried that resembled some kind of intestine... (ew!) The bus ride to Rafaela on Sunday was very long (about eight hours) but fairly comfortable and we were all excited to meet and leave with our host families at the bus station.

Rafaela is a small but very developed and attractive city. The layout of the city centers around a central plaza which is like a park with a few gazebos and sculptural statues and is made up of blocks. The commercial area of Rafaela is primarily in the five blocks surrounding the plaza. The school, La Escuela de La Plaza, is just a few blocks away from the plaza.

On Monday, we went to school for the first time and were "presented" to the entire school. Then we listened to the national anthem, a tradition the school does a few mornings a week. During school, we have various activities such as hearing lectures about Argentine history or education system, attending classes, or giving presentations about different aspects about life in the United States to English classes. On Tuesday, Dylan and Sam gave an excellent presentation about the evolution of music from the fifties to present day in the United States. At La Plaza, almost everyone goes home for lunch, and so now we do, too! We definitely don't mind though, because the food here is incredible! We eat the caramelly, sweet dulce de leche almost everyday, along with delicious sandwich cookies called alfajores. Argentina is also famous for its meat, and we agree that the asado is exceptional. After school we all usually go over to one of our new Argentine friends' houses and eat more dulces and play soccer or talk.

Thursday we did something different. We went on the turismo rural, a tour of several places in rural Argentina, just a few minutes outside of Rafaela. We toured a nineteeth century house, a dairy farm, and a museum and visited a small public school in the tiny villiage of Presidente Roca. The highlight of the day was our trip to a campo where there were all types of farm animals: cows, sheep, pigs, turkeys, chickens, horses, donkeys, dogs, and one kitten (Kohler's favorite). There we also ate asado and delicious pastries characteristic to rustic Argentina. We went on a wagon ride then individual sled-esque rides on a dried cow hide tied to the farmer's horse, creating an activity similar to tubing on grass.

We have had so much fun learning all about Argentina and are excited about the weeks ahead, especially about the upcoming World Cup games! Hasta Luego, or as is common here: Chow!

El Nuevo Gaucho

The gaucho is an Argentine archetype, not unlike our cowboy, known for his strained duality, forever in conflict. Part savage, part noble warrior, he's known for his equestrian skills, melancholy nature, and unflinching bravery. Seldom seen but rarely ignored, his white shirt, black vest, red silk scarf and black chambergo hat are often seen from behind, since his solitary nature leads him to avoid onlookers, rather than to approach them.

Anthropologists have recently discovered a new strain of this forlorn vagabond wandering the pampas of northern Argentina. His vest, a green hooded sweatshirt, usually with a W on it, his scarf replaced with a lanyard carrying a camera or bottle of antibacterial gel, his dexterity on horseback? Questionable.

The first week of classes at La Escuela de la Plaza was filled with activity. The kids have been getting to know students at all levels by giving brief presentations about life in Atlanta, windows into their daily lives, and for the "young'ins" a demonstration of games, songs, and lullabies from their childhood. (They neglected to mention that only four years ago in my 8th grade classes did they beg me to play "Heads Up, Seven Up" during the last 10 minutes of class--they're not as old as they think.)

Today the students of Westminster and The Walker School went on a joint excursion to el campo, the countryside. They visited a tambo where cows are milked (Rafaela is one of the most productive regions of Argentina in the milk-producing industry). They also visited a casa de campo (country house) that groups and families rent for brief or extended stays to relax from their hectic world. They finished the day visiting another farm in which they were able to meet some of the locals (pigs, chickens, cows, horses, sheep, and a very affable mule). The family that rents the land for tourism and subsistence farming treated us to a DELICIOUS asado, or cookout, followed by a wagon ride.

The implicit lessons of the day were to learn about the importance of the milk and cattle industry in Santa Fe, and the region's recent efforts to promote "rural tourism," which is a very new concept in Argentina. Families usually go to the beach or the mountains for their vacations, neither of which Rafaela or Santa Fe have. So-called "rural tourism" helps to keep tourism pesos within the outlying community, and presents a model for more sustainable vacationing. They had me at asado.

A group of students arrives tomorrow with Michael Barbaro (former W faculty member) from The Trinity School in New York City. The school day will be cut short for a reception in their honor.

Our New Home

We arrived in Rafaela on Sunday afternoon to a very warm welcome from the entire high school student body. The hosts introduced themselves and swept students and chaperones away to get to know their new home. All accounts are that the host families are everything that we have hoped for. The kids are encouraged to think of this family as "their family" and as this home as "their home."

This morning the entire school, from little tykes to 5th year honchos, welcomed us at 7:30 and sang the national song (as they do every morning) as they raised the flag outside. Students were invited to a welcome breakfast, then sat down with Anna, Ted, and Liliana Copetti, Director of the English school and coordinator of the exchange program on the La Plaza end. Liliana talked to the kids about differences in the Argentine educational system as compared to the U.S. For example, kids stay in the same class throughout the day while the teachers change classes. Also, after their fifth and final year in our equivalent of high school, students must decide what career they must follow and apply to the university that will suit their needs. The Westminster group gathered for our class just before the lunchtime break. We debriefed our experiences in Buenos Aires and discussed moments that we will cherish, moments that made us uncomfortable (which is inevitable when travelling abroad), and differences between the US and Argentina.

The kids headed back home (as they will every day) to eat with their families. Then for the afternoon session they sat in on three levels of English classes, from the novice level to intermediate. Hopefully the kids will keep you updated with the goings-on at school each week. But they are still being showered with affection and attention, so the chaperones will continue the news feeds :)

Speaking of attention, the primary school kids, who occupy the ground floor of the school, are awestruck by their newly arrived guests. They peek around corners, dare one another to come up and give us a high-five, then run back to their group embarrassed and swelled with pride. One demure girl of 6 or 7 years walked up to Austin and asked him his name, age, and what sport he likes to play. It was adorable.

But, before we arrived in Rafaela, we spent another two wonderful days in BA. Friday night the group was treated to tango lessons followed by a three-course meal and tango show. The dancers who put on the spectacle were the very same that taught us the steps of the tango. Upon entering, they led us to a dark, dingy basement where it was not difficult to imagine an impassioned tango taking place before captivated spectators for decades preceding. With women on one side, men on another, and the instructors in between, they walked us through the steps as a group, then the male and female instructors practiced with us individually. Everyone caught on quickly, although we were all looking at our feet the entire time, despite the stern warnings from our instructors.

Then finally, we were paired up, couples first, random stragglers second. Apparently we were all random stragglers. I myself was paired with a Brazilian woman in her 50's whose husband refused to dance with her. I would have gotten her name, but she spent the entire time yelling at her husband (pardon the inexact translation) "If you won't do it, I'll find someone who will!!" I'm sure the kids have similar stories. I'd like to ask them to add them to this feed by clicking on the comment link below. ¿¿Por favor??

They did a wonderful job lowering the anxiety level, getting everyone involved, and making it on 10% terrifying and 90% fun. At the end of the lessons and before heading upstairs for dinner, the lead instructor presented us with our tango diplomas and this photograph.

Greetings from Buenos Aires!!

All is going well in Buenos Aires. Thursday we explored historical topics such as the Dirty War ('76-'83) and Jose de San Martin (whose mausoleum is kept under silent guard in the Cathedral). Friday was "all things tango" day, with a visit to San Telmo and La Boca. To the left is a picture of Austin presenting on immigration using the only method suitable for delivering content: the iPhone. We are 21st century scholars in a 19th century city! Following a leisurely but enlightening stroll through La Boca, the gang headed to the Cafe Tortoni, the intellectual "nerve center" since it's founding in 1858. Luminaries such as Gardel, Borges, and Storni spent evenings at corner tables talking about things that would eventually fill textbooks and anthologies--incredible how words and notes can linger if only enough people listen.

Saturday's pace will be more civilized with a visit to the Casa Rosada (Presidential Palace, sort of) and a walking tour of La Recoleta, the cemetery where "anyone who's anyone who's deceased" is interred. We finish up in the posh barrio of Puerto Madero for an authentic dinner at "Siga la Vaca," translated as "Follow the Cow." As you might guess, vegetarians are welcome, but pitied. :)

In the previous post I mentioned that the kids will be running the blog for the most part from now on. That remains true, but they have had two very busy days and need some rest, but we figured you folks would enjoy an update and a few photos.

One parting shot, an adorable photo of the kids at el Obelisco on the Avenida 9 de Julio the main avenue of the city.