EIL Intercultural Learning

¡Hola from Chilecito, Argentina! I've delayed posting this for a few days, because I stupidly stood on my camera lead, and now I can't upload my photos! I'm annoyed because I took lots of great photos to accompany the blog but unfortunately I just can't find a way to get them on the computer! Anyways the show must go on...

My time here is flying by  and I can't believe I've been here for over 4 weeks already!! I'm still getting on really well in my project and with my host family, and learning a little bit more Spanish every day! Things have been a little bit quieter at the comedor for the past two weeks as its the winter holdays from school and its been really cold, so not as many kids have shown up. Its been good though, I've been able to get to know the kids that are around a whole lot better. One of the days, some of the girls pretended that there were the teachers, and gave me some pretty intense Spanish lessons, no breaks allowed, which was good fun! That's another thing thats changed since my last blog, I've finished my 3 weeks of Spanish lessons, so I now have the evenings free, but I've also moved on to trying to keep teaching myself new stuff! I'm sad my lessons are over, I got on really well with my teacher and her family but they only live down the road from me so the friendship will continue!

The winter holidays started with a bank holiday on the 9th of July for Independence day. Taking advantage of the long weekend, one of the other volunteers and I went to Córdoba, which is Argentina's second largest city and a 6-hour bus journey from Chilecito. Its a lovely city with lots of universities (my host sister goes to college there) and lots of lovely architecture. We visited Plaza Saint Martin, the Cathedral, the Jesuit Manzana and the City Museum.  I also went to the Muséo de la Memoria, a chilling memorial to the estimated 30,000 who "disappeared" under Argentina's military dictatorship in the 70s and 80s. The museum is located in an old centre for torture and detention. We also visited a town outside Cordoba called Alta Gracia, where childhood home of the revolutionary Che Guervara, which is now a museum which was interesting. I found out that Guevara had Irish ancestry. (His father's name was Ernesto Guevara Lynch)

I got back to Chilecito on a Sunday and that week the weather got really cold! My Spanish teacher told me that it was due to snow, and to be honest I didn't believe her because as I said in my last blog its really dry here and I hadn't even seen a drop of rain yet! A few snowflakes fell during the day and I thought that would be it. I was very wrong and I woke up on a Friday morning to find the whole town covered in white! The local coordinator had to call us a taxi to get us to the comedor, because we couldn't cycle in the snow. Not that it mattered as no children turned up, nobody wanted to brave the bitter cold! I went to my Spanish teachers house early and I went with her family to a village higher up in the mountains where the snow was much heavier which was great! I never thought I'd see snow in July! The cold was something else though. Central heating is practically unheard of here so its almost as freezing indoors as outdoors most of the time! However the really cold spell passed fairly quickly, within about 2 days most of the snow was melted although you could still see it on the mountains like the nearby El Famatina. I also learned a new word for the cold.. well not so much a word but a sound, equivalent to Brrrr in English!! When its cold everyone makes this noise: CHUUUUUUEEE ... which I find entertaining!

Last Tuesday was "El Dia del Amigo" here, Friend's Day, which I think is a nice idea. Its the same as Mother's or Father's Day, except its a day to appreciate yoru friends! I got met up with some of my new friends here. (the other volunteers, and other wonderful people from Chilecito who have been so nice to me and patient with my bad Spanish!) They organised a "Amigo Invisible", everyone picked a name and had to get that person a present, kind of like Secret Santa. So at the end of the week I got a lovely present, my very own mate cup with my name written on it! We also had a lovely meal for the children in the comedor for Dia del Amigo, we got chicken nuggets in animal shapes at half-price from the butchers because of the day which they really enjoyed! Next up is El Dia del Niño (Childrens Day) in August, and there's a big party planned for the comedor!

Friday and Saturday were exciting days at my project! On Friday it was time for a bit of DIY, painting the outside of the comedor baby blue! This was a bit of work but good fun. I don't think I'll ever get the paint off my runners but the place looks great now!  Then on Saturday we used a donation from a past volunteer to do something special for the kids in the Casita de Quirquincho.. a bouncy castle!! Almost all the children turned up, spirits were high and everyone had good fun! I even had a little go on the bouncy castle myself!

That's all for now! I wish I could share my photos of the snow, the painting and the bouncy castle, but hopefully I can get the up when I get back!