Hi everyone. Glad to see you all again! I’m on the road with a couple friends right now going from hostel to hostel along the coast of Chile. This is a puppy that was staying at our last hostel in Vina del Mar. We’re in a town called Valparaiso right now. It’s amazing. The entire town is build up giant hills and the housing is just built right into it.
The internet is Chile seems to be incredibly bad because I can’t seem to get online very often. Sorry if my replies come a little slow!
This is real, and yes it tastes terrible.
This is Maria, our tour guide for our trip through Iguazú. She told us a little bit about the effect of the waterfalls on the indigenous people. The indigenous people of the far north of Argentina are called the Guaraníes. The indigenous people of Argentina have, at time had similar experiences to the Native Americans of the US. Especially in the southern parts of the Argentina where expansion in the late 19th century led to many battles over the land as the government of Argentina claimed the native people land. In the north, this effect was less severe and perhaps because of this there are still pockets of indigenous people. Some of these people do not consider themselves part of the Argentine society and therefore don’t accept the socialized services such as free medical clinics, free education or financial services. As you can imagine they are a very poor people and often make their money by producing and selling crafts.
Bead crafts and wood carved animals are particularly popular however other crafts made and sold by the indigenous people include Mate gourds, toy bow and arrows, wind chimes, drums, jewelry and small leather goods. I wanted to buy this giant wood alligator but decided that the two weeks of traveling I’m doing after the program would surely be it’s demise.
I tried to take a few pictures of the Guaraníes but they all politely declined to be photographed. I asked Maria about this and apparently some believe that having one’s photo taken is undesirable. She didn’t elaborate much but I got that idea that for a people without much technology it is perhaps strange, invasive and perhaps a bit offense. Some people feel that having their photo taken is like making a spectacle out of them, which could be highly disrespectful. Needless to say, I just put my camera away.
I did get the idea however that the Guaraníes I talked to considered the tourism to be a positive thing because it gave them a way to make money for themselves in a way they consider to be acceptable (instead of just being given money by a government they feel does not represent them.) Keep in mind that many of the tourists to Iguazú Falls are Argentines, not people from other countries. I think this makes it much more palatable for the indigenous people because Argentines know more about them and sometimes share ancestry with them.
Bueno. I hope everything is going well back in Portland! I only have one more week of classes here! After finals I’ll be traveling around Argentina a bit with some friends before returning to “normal” life back home. Ciao!
Hola todos. This week we’re all headed to see some of the most amazing waterfalls, Iguazu Falls. We actually just stepped off the bus (AFTER 18 HOURS) in Misiones. Misiones’ (the province in green there) northern border is formed by the Iguazu and Parana Rivers. See that point at the top where the two rivers meet? That’s where I’m at right now. Okay, so after 18 hours on a bus I’m going to take a shower, nap and eat dinner but I’ll be back in a few days to upload some photos and tell you all more about this area of Argentina. Ciao.
“Esta es Mi Villa” is a TV show here in which the host goes to different villas around the country and interviews people. This is a clip from the episode that takes place in the province of Chubut outside of the popular vacation town Bariloche. (I’m all the way up in Santa Fe if you’ve forgotten.) Argentina’s size and spread gives it a diverse selection of climates. As you travel north towards the equator you of course get warmer, and as you head south (to Bariloche for example) you end up in the snow. If you get bored of not knowing what the narrater is saying just skip the first minute or so until he walks into the house of a woman named Rosa. Take a look at her house, especially her makeshift door and outdoor bathroom.
Hola todos!
I just wanted to share a couple more photos from our Gaucho Party last weekend. In the spirit of the prairie we all got to take turns riding horses. This is my friend Lauren riding the smallest horse. This was my first time riding a horse and I thought it was a pretty hilarious. I really had no idea what I was doing. I kept saying “C’mon,” and “Let’s go!” when I was trying to get the her to move but she didn’t do anything. Finally my professor laughed and told me had to speak to it in Spanish. I thought it was a joke but a soon as I let out a commanding “Anda!” she got going.
Here’s a picture of the Gauchos they brought in to perform a traditional folk dance for us. Interesting attire, no?
Hola amigos. This weekend we all went out to the pasture to spend time as gauchos would have. Gauchos are the argentine equivalent of a cowboy. They are similarly romanticized. They existed mostly in the 19th century as a large portion of the rural population. Think gritty, horseback riding, poncho wearing cattlemen, actually stop thinking, here’s a picture:
This is from wikipedia, click the picture if you want to read more about the history of the gauchos. At our Gaucho Party we enjoyed a giant barbecue on a outdoor grill similar to one that would have traditionally been used.
We mostly ate steak and pork sausages like this one. To be honest I’m not a big fan of pork. Luckily I made a friend who was rather interested in my scraps:
Okay, I’ve got to get to class but I’m going to fill you all in on this party a little bit more when I get a chance.
By the way, I love all the comments I’m getting from you all. Please keep it up! Now that we’re all able to chat a bit I want to know if there is anything in particular you want me to investigate for you here in Rosario, or pertaining to Argentina in general.
Also, before I go I want to know if you all know what’s going on in Argentina right now. We just had a major event a few days ago. Does anyone know what happened? I’ll give you a big hint: It’s political.
Did I mention that I jumped out of a plane this week?
Some friends and I found this place which billed it self as the cheapest place to skydive in Argentina. Although I understand that bargain hunting isn’t a great idea when you plan to free fall for 30 seconds, it turned out to be a great and safe experience. For your first few jumps you have to be attached to a professional, my guy here is Lucas. He kept pretending he didn’t speak any English when he was giving me directions, funny guy.
This is right after we pulled the shoot. Notice him laughing and flashing a peace sign while I’m trying not to have a heart attack?
My friend on the ground took this one for me:
This is probably my favorite thing that I’ve done here, it was just a really fun day. There were several groups of people waiting to go up in the little airplane so we ended up talking to a bunch of locals. We even bonded a bit over pretending not to be freaked out over the impending plunge. The instructors were hilarious. We kept catching them making jokes about “The Americans,” because they didn’t think we spoke any Spanish. Not to mention the adrenalin rush you get from jumping out of an airplane and staring at the earth as it gets ever closer and closer is incredible.
Hola amigos,
Look what we made in class today!
This should put to rest any concerns over the academic rigor of study abroad programs. As a follow up to my post about the food in Argentina I decided to ask a few of the locals what their favorite food was. My grammar professor, Anália, took perhaps half a second to respond with “Empanadas!” So for class today we made empanadas in the kitchen at school. This the rest of the class making the filling out of beef, onions, green onion and garlic.
That’s Anália in the middle there. She wanted me to clarify that she gave us a ton of grammar homework to make up for this class. Ok, ciao chicos!
Just got back from Uruguay a few hours ago. Look what we found in Punta del Este. Monumento al Ahogado (or Monumento to the Drowned) is a statue by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal from the early 80s. It’s one of the most well known landmarks in Uruguay and as it turns out a fine place to take a break from driving all day.
Reporting Live from Rosario, Argentina 