No Cars Allowed!

My favorite way to pass time in Rosario, Argentina is by exploring the city’s lively streets. I have to be careful because a lot of activity constantly happens. There are always a lot of people hustling and bustling about. I have been warned many times about robbers. I never fell in danger, but I need to be alert and aware that things do happen. Living in a big city is probably the most noticeable difference for me.

I think all of us noticed that the traffic “laws” here act more like guideline. I have not seen anyone pulled over for speeding during my time here in Argentina. The police choose to use their efforts on other things. Talking to locals has informed me the activities the police choose to participate in usually do not benefit the citizens. The absence of enforcement leaves the traffic up to the people to decide. With a lack of many street signs as a guide, pedestrians share the right of way even at the crosswalks. The locals know you must be very careful crossing the street. I have been warned many times that drivers do not stop for you.

Luckily, there are streets where no cars are allowed. These pedestrian streets are called “peatonales”. The street that I live on (Córdoba) is a central street in Rosario. A couple blocks down from my apartment there is a plaza where Córdoba turns into a peatonal. This road designated for people runs for eight blocks down to the flag monument. Many locals choose this walking only area for the place to stroll and window shop. Recently on a nice day, I walked down to the park in between the monument and the river. On the weekends there are a lot of people just hanging out drinking the regional tea (Mate) or playing. Many local craftsmen set up booths along the side walk, which provides a nice opportunity to mingle and enjoy some beautiful work.

The sign designating walkers only.

Learning to Rebel

The sun reflected off the river as I walked along the low fence hugging its bank. The cold wind canceled out any heat that I would have received from the shining sun. I don’t know if the longing to rebel is in the blood of the people from Rosario. The birth place of Che Guevara also breeds many strikes and a social system where people challenge rules. Once again, I noticed someone casually breaking a law in probably the most adorable way possible. I man was teaching his son to fish directly next to a “Fishing is Prohibited” sign. I guess that the citizens here just grow up learning to not obey signs. Instead, they find their own system that works for them.

Best Bandit Ever!

Flowers in a Stroller

As I continued, I noticed a man playing a guitar shirtless with three bottles of local beer next to him. He was soon joined by a girl that came and sat by him. As I was watching him, a group of what looked like tourist passed. I tried to figure out where they were from without being too much of a creep. Then out of nowhere I hear a voice asking me in Spanish if I want to buy a flower for the lady. I responded saying I didn’t even know her and tried to avert the situation, but I heard him ask in English if I spoke English. I turned and said that I did and he asked me where I was from. I told him the United States, so he wondered which part. This turned into a very long conversation in Spanish that I really enjoyed. He was a very enthusiastic and curious man that had a bunch of flowers he was selling out of a stroller. We ended up talking for a very long time about life and whatever else came up. Eventually, he said he needed to get going to sell to flowers, so he could eat. I thought I would buy a flower for his time. I knew my host mom would love it anyway. He was delighted and this purchase spurred us into another very long conversation. I appreciated his patients and enthusiasm. He said if I ever saw him again to make sure and say hi.

I enjoyed a very long conversation with the man selling flowers from a stroller.

I continued on my journey looking along the little booths and making small talk with the artisans. There were beautiful handmade crafts of wood, leather, fabric, and metal. There were also some not so great things for sale. I rested on a bench of a while watching the kids play in the park. There were swings, monkey bars, and even teeter totters. I now realize why teeter totters are hard to find in the states as I watched an older brother keep his wailing younger and much smaller brother lifted on the other end of the bench. Later, I worried a little boy would accidently get his face smashed in as he casually held onto the opposite in of the board as other hyperactive children ran around it. I could also hear the chime of the carousel nearby. After a nice rest, I wondered around to booths for the last time. As I was about to leave, I saw my friend with the flowers again, so of course this lead to another wonderful long conversation before I went up back to the monument.

Kids play the same around the world.

I paused to take in the greatness of the monument once again. Long shadows cast on the massive amounts of beautifully sculpted stones from the Andes Mountains as the sun started to slide behind the towers of Rosario. I could hear the sound of the native flutes nearby. The music lured me over to where a group was practicing. I sat down in what remained of the sun to enjoy their songs in harmony. After a while, I decided to continue my journey home.

The group enjoying playing native music in the sun.

“Am I A Man? Or Am I A MUPPET?”

A lot of people wondered Córdoba at this time. All of a sudden, the sea of people turned into a wall. A whorl pool of attention was created by something in the middle drawing everyone in. When I navigated through the people I could see there was a man with a marionette putting on a show choreographed to the famous “Imagine” by The Beatles. After that, his marionette snuck around to the theme to “Pink Panther”. On the ground he had written “Hay dos cosas cambian el mundo, las Armas y las Bellas Artes.” (There are two things that change the world, Armed Forces and the Fine Arts.) Children enjoyed putting money in his can as the puppet waved thank you. I continued watching until he started is routine over and went on my way.

The puppeteer putting on a show in the middle of the peatonal.

Free Hugs!

At the plaza at the end of the peatonal there was a group. They had signs that said, “Abrazos Gratis” (Free Hugs). I thought this was pretty amusing, so I went over by them and of course cashed in my free hug. They noticed I was taking pictures and one of the leaders came over. Because I am so tall, she got up on a step to give me a hug, which they thought was pretty funny. Then she gave me a book called “La Gran Esperanza” (The Great Hope). I said thank you and walked off looking through the book, but when I saw an address and times written in the cover, my curiosity got the better of me. I went back around to someone sitting by the box of books and asked her if she could explain what it was about. I told her that I was a student studying Spanish and was actually looking for a church. I pointed out the address in the cover and asked if it was a church. She told me that they were a Christian church and actually had a service that evening for the youth in about half an hour. I was curious and wanted to experience more, so I got directions and said I would go by my house then to their church.

Me giving a hug to a friendly little stranger.

The directions they gave me worked perfectly. I found the church no problem and recognized quite a few people. I sat by the lady who I asked about the book and her son for service. Her name was Brenda and she made sure that I was comfortable. After the service, I was quite the spectacle. Everyone wanted to meet me, (kiss me), and tell me about how happy they were I joined them. After the excitement settled down a little bit, I went outside and walked with Brenda and her son a little while on my way home. I found out that she is a nurse the works with children that have cancer. I told her about my amazing older brother the serviced cancer at a young age and found out that she is a breast cancer survivor like my mom as well. She gave me her information to contact her, so that we could get together later and the times of the church services. I thanked her and went home for dinner after a long exciting day.

Vaya con Dios!

Cain

I have been in Argentina for 6 weeks and I just went on a guided tour of the city. We were at Iguazu the last time the tour was offered so we missed it. I only have a week left so it seemed kind of pointless, but I am glad that I went. The tour guide pointed out some nice art museums that I definitely want to visit next week. It was interesting to hear and see all the old buildings that were donated to the city to be preserved. I could see the changes in architecture as the years went on.

We ended our tour at the Flag Monument. This monument is what I was most eager to learn about on our tour. Its whole complex is 10,000 square meters and is built mostly out of stone from the Andes.

The monument has 3 parts: the tower, which commemorates the Revolution of 1810, the civic courtyard, which symbolizes the effort of the organization of the state, and the Triumphal Propylaeum representing the Nation as organized after the 1853 constitution. We got to climb the tower and look out and see some magnificent views of Rosario and the Parana River. It only cost 5 pesos which is like $1.25 so it was a must. We only walked like three flights of stairs and then there were no more stairs, so an elevator was the only way to get to the top. It seemed quite odd. Once at the top it was amazing, I felt like I could see the whole city. Rosario is filled with tall buildings and I could actually see the tops of some! I am so glad that we made the journey and got to experience the city from above.

Melissa

I have met a wonderful friend named Fede

Last Sunday afternoon we went out driving

Listening to Keane

And drinking the sun

It was a wonderful experience to see Rosario

Going 35 miles an hour

through the speckled windshield

It was a completely different perspective

Than walking, which is the only other way I can travel in this city

Sunday afternoons are different in Rosario.

All of the shops are closed

People gather together in groups of friends and family to drink Mate

and take their kids to the park

No one is alone

And the downtown, which is usually hustling and bustling every which way

Is strangely silent

We drove everywhere

To the suburbs, down by the river, to the outskirts of the shopping center

The traffic was crazy, especially by the river

It felt like the whole city drove to spend the afternoon in the little piece of nature the city has

“On Sundays people don’t know what to do with themselves,”Fede said, as he patiently stopped for mobs of people to cross the street, “So they just get together and sit around.”

He was right

People in every which way sitting on the grass, playing with their dogs, playing soccer, watching street performers, smoking, playing guitar, selling jewelry.

Fede’s comments always stick with me

Because although they tend to be a little anti-social

They’re also very introspective and wise

He sees things a little differently

And together, we discuss people and culture in it’s different forms

As we drive and drive with no ending destination

I’m reading the visual text of the city

The architecture, the sporadic trees, the graffiti, the expressions on faces of people walking

I’m taking pictures of everything I see

Not just the impressive things

But the space in between

Pictures of the real Rosario

The interesting things

And the not interesting things

Capturing tiny moments of the stuff no one pays attention to

Streets and lights and broken beer bottles

And I start to realize that the “unimportant” things

are so beautiful

Not trying to be anything special

Just being

Whether any one sees or not

Tiny moments of reality that we usually just dismiss

But when we actually look, the beauty awaits

The small things really are the big things

The unimportant really is the most important

[slideshow]

My time in Argentina has been so busy. I feel as though I have no time to stop and think. We have had so many excursions and wonderful outings to learn new things. My brain feels like it may explode at any moment. Might I add that I am learning all this new information in another language as well. So it adds on to my tiredness.

I finally had a whole day to relax and practically do nothing. Of course there was still learning involved but it was not as intensive as the previous outings. We got to attend a Gaucho Party. We rode a bus to an Estancia, in the middle of nowhere and had a relaxing day. The folks who lived their prepared lunch for us. We had carne asada, which is a type of cooked meat. It was delicious. We also had green salad and potato salad. They served us wine and soda to drink.

After lunch we got to ride horses. I love horses and haven’t rode one since I was little. So this was treat for me. This house is surrounded by fields, but for some reason we could only ride around the yard. So there wasn’t very much room to explore. I think it’s because we had such a big group and they didn’t have enough horses for everyone plus the guides. But it was still fun anyways. My horse was ready to run once I got on him. So we made due with the small space that we had.

Later we got to watch a Gaucho dance. It was very interesting. The movements that they do and the passion that is involved was great to watch. The guys were very protective of their girls and one guy even stabbed a knife into the ground to scare some other guys off. It was an eventful day and we even got to see the city from the outside on our way back. All the other times that we had left the city I was sleeping. So this was the first time in 4 weeks that I had actually seen the city from outside city limits!

Melissa

Gaucho Party!

My journey started by crossing the Paraná River. I left the city of Rosario and crossed into the province conveniently named Entre Rios (Between Rivers) because two rivers form its borders. Swamp lands scattered with cows scrolled out the window of our private bus. We finally arrived at a ranch that sat at the top of a hill. It was so nice to get out of the city and breathe country air. I loved being able to see the horizon as my eyes stretched along the rolling hills. The horizon in Argentina is not painted by the beautiful Rocky Mountains like in the Pacific Northwest, but there was still a vast beauty the spread for miles around our peaceful spot on the hill.

 We walked around taking pictures as we got settled. A group of us went over to two horses tied up on a fence. The dark one on the left had its ears down and seemed tense, so I left her alone and pet the pretty lady to the right.

Although we did have to sign waivers, this was to most unorganized horse riding I have ever heard of. There was only one person helping our whole group, so people that had never ridden before were on their own. I helped some people and I even adjusted someone’s stirrups. When a girl got on to that dark horse, it spun around anxiously taking her in a circle. Neither of them were comfortable and the girl asked to come down. The one worker helped her down, but then offered the horse to someone else like nothing happened. This time, a guy got on and the horse spun again, but he kept his composure as the ranch hand calmed the horse down. He continued to ride the dark horse around for a while, but you could tell who was boss (the horse). I waited for a while until all the people with jitters got worn out. The guy riding the dark horse did well, but was done quickly and asked if I wanted to relieve him. There was a taller horse I had my eye on because I am tall, but what this horse lacked in height she made up in attitude. I have only ridden horses a hand full of times and there was always someone guiding, but I remained confident from the beginning. I got the horse going with a simple kissing noise and a little nudge. Most people had to resort to kicking their horses to get them to even budge. Most of the horses were classic pony ride horses that are so calm they might as well be passed out.

I was glad I got the dark diva.

For my first time riding solo, I felt like I handled everything as well as anyone could hope for. After a couple laps around the shed people were complementing me on how well I was doing. Mostly because I was actually moving I’m sure. I took my horse from guiding her walk to nudging her with a couple firm kisses up into a trot. Being at a steady brisk pace felt really nice. We couldn’t go far before we reached the small boundary we were limited to. Probably not a bad thing since they most of the horses didn’t go anyway. On the way back I opened up a little more encouraging her to “Giddy up”. We went from a trot into a steady canter before we slowed back down into a trot and then walked around a little more. I did as many laps as I could before it was finally time for lunch. I thanked the dark diva for an incredible ride. I had butterflies stirring, but I remand cool and confident.

Our lunch cooking over hot coals.

For lunch we had amazing barbecue! We got to enjoy different cuts of meat that were all carefully prepared over the coals of an open fire. My personal favorite was the ribs. They were a little tough, but they were so flavorful I could take a small bite and work on it for a while and enjoy its rich flavor the whole time. Before we stuffed our faces with meat, our entre was a traditional food called “empanadas”. They are like mini calzones that can be filled with different kinds of food. The most common I have had are ham and cheese or beef and egg with green olives. They are very delicious and a great way to get your appetite going.

My attempted dancing a traditional dance from Argentina.

After lunch, we enjoyed watching traditional Argentine Dance. This was not the tango born for the cities of Argentina, but the folk dance of the gauchos who were the cowboys in the country. I was under the impression the dancers were going to teach us, but right before intermission they said they were going to pick some people out of the crowd to dance. Of course, I got picked and did my best, but there was no instruction. I enjoyed trying to pick up the dance from a pretty little local girl. After the dance show, we got to eat some delicious dessert. We ate some traditional pastries like flan and another mass off yellow that looked like eggs because it was eggs mixed with sugar and lemon. After we enjoyed our dessert, we relaxed a little bit before our bus ride home.

Chau for now,

Cain

The Batman premier in Denver, Colorado shook the world. Sitting in a restaurant in Argentina watching the news, I saw the headline in Spanish, “Masacre en un Cine” (Massacre en a Movie Theater). The subtitle went on to explain that people 12 died. Thoughts of condolences flooded my mind as I tried to take in this event. I soon realized this event took place in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., my home country. This tragedy quickly found sympathizers around the world. Moments of heartbreak force us to confront our feelings. Consciously or not, many people live by the motto “ignorance is bliss.” In reality, ignorance is by definition: “The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uniformed.” If “knowledge is power”, ignorance is weakness.

Spending time outside of my familiar life has allowed me to grow immensely. In this time of heightened sensitivity, my profound reflective processing of the world occurs frequently. Now is a time of action for me. Worrying wastes effort. I can use this energy to live a fuller life instead. Life is short. Living in a society that emphasizes being youthful causes many people to deny this fact, but numerous cases including myself testify this reality with our lives that have come within hours of not existing on this earth any more. I now use my story to encourage people to not waste their lives. Take advantage of our unique ability to live every moment to the fullest. I strive to live in the present and prepare for the future.

The Museum of the Memory

Recently, an experience here confronted me and my knowledge of the world. We visited “Museo de la Memoria” (Museum of the Memory). This building is dedicated to remembrance of the “Dirty War” that happened in Argentina very recently. So recently in fact, effects of the government genocide still resonate today. I can’t explain the whole tragedy, but as I walk through parts of the museum, information about the disappearance of tens of thousands of people will be revealed.

The “Museum of the Memory” is located right across the street from where I have classes in the morning. Every day, I look out the window at this beautiful building. After class, we walk across the street close enough to touch the white fringe of the museum as we go to lunch next store. For weeks, I walked by this building impressed by its beauty, but completely unaware of its ugly past. For 25 years, this building acted as a place of military power for the 2^nd Army Corps. Government officials sat in its rooms craftily plotting the extermination of over 30,000 of its own citizens. In 1976, suspected opponents of the government began to “disappear”. They were kidnapped from their homes in the middle of the night and taken to detention centers to be tortured and killed. Some people tried to flee the country, but they government would easily capture them when they applied for a passport. One of the first cases was a lady who handed her baby to a friend and walked into the building to get her passport. She was never seen again. Instead, a military officer walked out and asked where they child of the lady that walked in was. Her friend said, “Here”. The officer took the baby inside and it was never seen again either.

A painting of a scarf from one of the Mothers of the Plaza

One of the first places we saw in the Museum was “Round”. This piece symbolizes the marches of the “Madres de la Plaza de Mayo” (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo). Soon after the disappearing started, people realized loved ones were missing. Some of these victims even pregnant women and babies. Some of these babies were illegally given to other families of government sympathizers with forged adoption papers. The mothers and grandmothers gathered in protest in the Plaza de Mayo, which is directly in front of the “Casa Rosada” (Pink house), which is equivalent to the United States’ White House. There were laws against loitering. The mothers would get in trouble of standing, so they started to march. This march of resistance to the last military dictatorship continues on today every Thursday. They wear white scarves on their heads symbolizing their missing babies’ diapers. I fortunately witnessed this march when I visited the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires.

The Mothers of the Plaza still marching after 35 years

A memorial for those who have been found lays as a puzzle on one of the walls of the museum. One wall represents people those that have found their true identity; the other wall those who have an identity, but remain lost. Many people come to this museum if they have doubts about their identity or want help finding a loved one. The search to find even more of the disappeared continues. Many people travel to the museum to see the name of their loved ones on the “Pillars of Memory”. These are large metal pillars engraved with the names of known victims. The last sections of the pillars remain free, so that names of those who continue to be found can be added.

Emily looking at the pillars of memory

This experience presented so much information and raw emotion to take in. I still grapple with the feeling given to me walking through this place of remembrance. I had to record this feeling and share this information with the world. I know that I did not address everything. I hope that if you have questions about anything, you will investigate them more for yourself. Do not allow yourself to be ignorant of the events around the world and in your community. There is strength in numbers. Building connections and unifying with one another, we can accomplish more than we ever thought possible. I would not be where I am today without the support of many. We were not made to live this life alone. By design, humans long to be in relationship. During this Olympic time, countrymen gather to support their home lands. Let us not forget that we all share a global community. This museum is part of the collation for human rights around the world not only in Argentina. If nothing else, remember. Don’t forget the victims and their families. I support the recognition of the victims of Denver shooting. So many times the killers become famous when we should remember the heroes!

This blog is in memory of:

Jessica Ghawi, 24

Veronica Moser, 6

Matt McQuinn, 27

Alex Sullivan, 27

Micayla Medek, 23

John Larimer, 27

Jesse Childress, 29

Gordon W. Cowden, 51

Jonathan T. Blunk, 26

Rebecca Ann Wingo, 32

Alexander C. Teves, 24

Alexander J. Boik, 18

God Bless,

Cain

For the first time in 3 weeks, I experienced the night life in Argentina. I could consider it the morning life as well. It was Annie’s last night in Rosario so of course we had to let her go out with a bang. We all decided that we should go to a Boliche (dance club). Annie and Emily had experienced the Boliche on the previous Thursday, and recommended that it was a must. So we all decided to go and have our last moments of fun in Rosario with Annie.

When I initially told my host mom and sister that I was going to a Boliche, they said, “Okay we will see you tomorrow.” I asked them why and they said that the boliche doesn’t open until 2am and then they don’t even close till about 7am. This idea seemed crazy to me but I had to go. I would see how tired I got as the night went on.

My first surprise was the cost to get in. It was only 20 pesos, but I got in for cheaper because I was 21 and a girl in line gave me a V.I.P pass. So it was only 10 pesos for me. Then I checked my coat and that was 10 pesos as well. So it was a total of 20 pesos, which is around $5. It amazed me at how cheap it was.

The Boliche was wild and so were the people in it. I know that it was a dance club and all but if you could have seen what some of the girls were wearing. It was crazy! They had dresses on that were so short I didn’t know how they were going to be able to dance without their bottoms falling out. I was wearing jeans and a dress shirt so I initially felt out of place. But once we all got in and started dancing it didn’t matter. I don’t even think anyone noticed what I was wearing. We were all dancing and having fun.

Throughout the night/morning, some things got a little strange. Some of the guys thought that they could touch you wherever they wanted, and of course that was not okay with me. I would walk through the club and guys would pounce and you and grab your arm and pull you towards them. At first it was okay cause I was there to dance after all. But when I was trying to look for my friends, that’s when it got annoying. It was a little more contact dancing than I am used to. But I am in another country, and I have to embrace different cultural ways of doing things. That is why I am here, to experience new things. So besides a couple of differences, my whole night was a blast. I ended up returning home at 7am. So my host mom was right. I swear the time flew in the club. I didn’t even realize how early it was. All in all, I had the time of my life. I love to dance and it was nice to let loose and have some fun with my friends. I definitely want to go back a couple more times before I leave.

Melissa

We finally went on a weekend excursion! All the students who are studying abroad in Argentina traveled to Cordoba, the 2nd largest city in Argentina. This is a place where families usually go for vacation during the summer time. We left at 3 in the morning…yeah I know crazy right? We all piled onto a bus that didn’t have a bathroom, and rode for 6 hours to our new destination.

We finally arrived at 9am and our journey began. We took a tour of the city which was not what anyone was expecting, but we got to drive on a road with 100 curves so it was worth it! After our tour we went to Villa Carlos Paz where we got to zipline and practice archery. Our day ended with us walking up a mountain to the monumento de le Cruz. This climb was 1.5 miles and included walking on sharp rocks and loose dirt. Along the way there were mini crosses signifying each of the 14 stations of the cross. Once reaching the top, it was well worth the climb. This cross is 15ft high and is located in the highest point in Carlos Paz. It got built in 1934 when a group of neighbors wanted to make a replica of Jesus Christ of Calvary. On the cross reads ” Christus Vivit Regnat et Imperat,” which means “Christ lives and reigns queen.”

I don’t know about anybody else, but I grew up with cuckoo clocks covering my walls at home. So when we witnessed the reloj cu-cu, it was truly wonderful! I guess this clock is the hallmark of the city and many tourists visit Carlos Paz to see this clock chime. It just so happens that we got there right at 12:00 so we heard the bird chirp 12 times. It stands 7 meters high, and is definitely the biggest cuckoo clock I have ever seen. My family will appreciate this picture for sure!

Melissa