A School Trip

I couldn´t help but feel how priviliged I am to be a part of so many fantastic experiences.
This morning I took the taxi into town at 7.30am and caught the bus to Bariloche. The buses here are very comfortable and many of them have beds as the distances covered are huge.

I got off the bus at La Escuela 150, most of the public schools here go by number!! It was about 8.25 and I was alone for 10 minutes but soon the sounds of school were evident. The bus arrived at 8.40 and the teachers soon after.

The children were very excited as they were going on a trip that day and I was to go with them. At the beginning of every day all schools raise the flag and play the national anthem, then at the end of the day they lower it. All the children had mate (a type of tea) or hot milk and a piece of bread with jam (if they want it) before the seniors went into school and the juniors lined up to get on the bus. We were accompanied by the junior teacher, an indigenous Maths teacher and the music teacher. The indigenous teacher was leading the trip as she was teaching the children about the trees and plants, how to recognise them and what they are used for.

We climbed up a mountain following a wellworn path. It was so dusty!! The children raced ahead disappearing in a hazy cloud of dust like a herd of cattle. It was so like a trip at home, the children were very well organised in groups and lots of stopping to count heads. The teachers are very enthusiastic and lovely with the children.

I learnt about some of the plants, many of them seem to be used for teas. We were joined by another male indigenous teacher and he led us on to the sacred area at the end of our walk. It was a little like going on to a marae, I walked with him at the front, then the girls behind, then the boys followed by the male teacher. The structure was made of wood similar to manuka, it was built in a semi circular shape, with a roof of sticks, then the side of the structure was covered in branches from the trees. This was built to one side of the area. In the centre was a large branch of a tree and this represented the centre of the world. We walked around in a circle a few times and I really wished I could understand more. I understood that the women and children sleep next to the wall of the structure, then there were pits where fires had been burning, then he said the men sleep behind that to protect the women and children.

I must try to find out more about the ceremonies that take place here. He said they would be here for three days. Like children all over the world going down was much easier so we were soon back at the bus.

The children all receive a meal at school, we had mashed potatoes, meat, lettuce and tomatoes. It was very tasty, they certainly look after the children. I´ll have to add the photos another day as my trusty WiFi connection isn´t working today so I couldn´t use my computor.

I came back to El Bolson in the school bus. The children on the bus were very friendly. A wonderful experience!!

Bariloche

On Saturday, Nancy and Marcello (AFS volunteer and husband) took Tahlia (an AFS student) and myself to visit Bariloche. It really is a beautiful place and reminds me of Queenstown in our South Island. We had a visit with Clarissa, who is an Français teacher in Bariloche. She spoke Spanish so beautifully we had a lovely visit. She was able to tell me about some Spanish songs that are suitable for teaching junior children. She even sung for me!

Llao Llao Hotel

We drove around the lake to Llao Llao, Which is a hotel that belongs to the Leading Hotels of the World group so very exclusive!! It is in the most beautiful setting, surrounded by water, mountains, trees and a golf course. Quite spectacular! From there we went into a National Park, the trees and flora were interesting, again some fantastic views.

While Marcello went to a meeting the ladies went shopping. Bariloche is known for its chocolate so it was very interesting to see all the window displays. The chocolate was impossible to resist! The shopping centers were very modern and lots of goods, Although many of them are obviously for tourists. I bought a couple of T Shirts, some CD's and some chocolate.

A Giant Easter Egg. Feliz Pascale.

We arrived home about 10.30pm, I was quite exhausted but my host was ready to go dancing! I do not know how these Argentineans keep up the pace!!

Asado Time!

Today is a holiday, the day of remembrance for the time that the military ruled the country. It is a perfect day, weather wise and I'm at the Jauja cafe downtown. Maria doesn't have the internet at home so they are becoming very used to me being here!! They make fabulous ice cream and chocolate so it's no hardship to be here.

We went out for lunch, we met up with a group of Maria's friends for an asado, the famous Argentinean BBQ. The home we went to had a special room for asado with a giant fireplace. The wood was burnt to one side and the coals were spread very sparingly under the frame, it took over an hour to cook the beef, pork and sausage that we ate. There were a variety of salads, coleslaw, potato and lettuce. The meat was quite delicious and the locals sure can eat lots of it. My head was spinning by the time the afternoon was over, I could understand some of what was spoken but really I struggled to understand the detail!! Never mind I must have patience!!

Lessons I've learnt!!

One of the first things you learn is the importance of the kiss!! Un beso. Every time you meet someone it's one kiss-cheek to cheek and even if you only chat for two minutes you kiss the same way to say Good bye. The expression that I love and you pick up very quickly is Chau which everyone seems to use to say, see you!

Mate is a very important part of the culture and some Argentineans seem to drink it continuously. They have a special container and a special pipe-like metal straw. The mate powder is put into the container, usually with sugar and then hot(not boiling) water is poured on to it. The unusual part for us is that it is a communal activity and the mate container is passed around from person to person. This can go on when riding in the car, in school, at work or just when sitting around in the afternoon. When you have had enough and don't want to be offered any more, then you say Gracias or Thank you.

Meal time are very different here. We start with breakfast or desayuno about 7.30am, it is usually a couple of pieces of french bread toasted, crackers, jam, cheese and coffee. In many places they also have pastries for breakfast.
Most people have a two or three hour siesta or break in the middle of the day, so lunch is quite important, we have had pasta and empanadas so far, both served with salad. Empanadas are delicious, basically a light pastry filled with chopped up beef with onion and other bits and pieces, or ham and cheese.
Dinner is served anywhere between 8.30 and 11.00pm!! It can be a variety of things, chicken, meat, potato chips, often followed by fruit.

The late meals do take a bit of getting used to!! My host, Maria lives a few kilometers out of town so I don't go home for lunch or siesta, I ahve been going to Vicky's, she is an AFS volunteer who has a Russian student, Jono the kiwi student often seems to be around as well.

Settling in!!

Here I am in El Bolson, I´ve survived my first classes!! I visited two schools this morning, both were Secondary Schools, one public and one private. There were about 30 students in the public school class and about 25 in the other school. All had been studying English so I managed to answer questions in a mixture of English and Spanish-Spanglish!!

The two AFS volunteers are very kind and try very hard to help. One of them, Nancy was my guide this morning and I am at Vicky´s for lunch, then she will take me to a bi lingual school this afternoon. Hopefully that will be a primary school.

Now, to back up a little-I arrived in Buenos Aires Friday afternoon, there were five NZ teachers so it was great to have a night together. An AFS volunteer met us at the airport and we came by van back to a hostel where we were to spend the night. We had an orientation at the head office, then another couple of volunteers took us on a walking tour of BA. We went down to the Port, crossed the Bridge of the Women, Puente de los Madres, walked past the presidential palace (The Pink Palace), past the National Bank and various statues, finally sitting down to dinner about 10.30pm. I had a big piece of meat with potato chips (a very traditional meal), it was only about $6.00.

Jo and Christine left to go to the Bus Station at 8.00am and Suzanne and I were taken to the national airport at 10.00am. I was welcomed at Bariloche with a big welcome sign by Maria, my host, Vicky(AFS) and Gigi, a friend of Maria´s daughter.