EIL Intercultural Learning - Argentina

My experience so far in northwest Argentina

Steph Elliott — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:30:36 +0000

Chilecito is a small city with a main plaza. This plaza is where I hang out, drink coffee and meet with my friends. The plaza is only a 5 minute walk from my host house so I am in walking distance from the banks, shops and post office. The landscape is extremely dry here, with the only water supply coming from the Famatina Mountains. I feel very lucky to have been granted the individual travel award to volunteer in this beautiful place. Winning this award has given me the opportunity to travel to the northwest of Argentina an area less travelled by tourists, which is something that really appealed to me about this particular award. The idea of travelling on my own and spending a summer in a strange place did scare me a little at the beginning but this feeling has long left my thoughts. I travelled to Argentina on my own however once I arrived in Chilecito I was surrounded by friends and my new family. I am honestly taken back by how warm and welcoming the people in Chilecito are. My host mum Betty is like a second mother to me now and I really enjoy listening to her stories about her family and Argentina itself. My house is always busy with people coming and going, Betty also owns a little dog that is adorable and waits for me at the door every day. I attend Spanish lessons every evening for 2 hours. Esther has been very patient with me as it is my first time learning a different language with someone who doesn’t speak English. She greets me at the door every day with a warm smile and a big hug, and after our class we sit and drink mate and of course we eat some dulce de leche a delicious delicacy of Argentina. We have become really good friends and I know I will keep in touch with her when I return to Ireland.

Initially when I arrived everything felt strange and different. I didn’t know the language very well or what people were saying to me. I was adapting to a new country, customs and people.However now I can honestly say it feels like home here in Chilecito and I will truly miss the kids from the project and all my friends and host family.

I love waking up every morning and having the amazing view of the Famatina mountains, and soaking up the air and sunshine as I cycle to the neighbouring village San Miguel. San Miguel is a small little village outside chilecito situated in the province of La Rioja, at the foothills of the Andes in the northwest of Argentina and it is where I go to the soup kitchen to work Monday to Friday. I work in a neighbourhood centre where residents gather for classes or celebrating festivities. The centre is basically one big room. In this room we store a sink, cooker, fridge, cupboard for all our cutlery and some tables and chairs for the kids. A lot of work has been completed on the comedor over the past few years and this September the comedor will celebrate its 3rd birthday. Before the renovations began the walls were cold, grey and sad, the floor bumpy. There was only one fridge and two gas stoves; the remaining equipment was limited and very old. However now the walls are painted and new flooring has been put down.

The comedor (soup kitchen) project is named after the Quirquincho which is a regional term for the armadillo living in the province of La Rioja. This animal has a hard protective shell to protect itself from danger. The two girls who founded the project Caddy and Anita believed that the comedor should follow the same ethos, and become a safe and secure place for the kids to come after school, enjoy a hot nutritious meal , receive help with their homework and most importantly be given the opportunity to be kids, play and have fun. It was founded in 2008. When it began, the kids were aged between 6-9 years. However now the kids have grown up and their needs and wants have changed .A game of Ring a Ring o' Roses isn’t going to cut it with 12 and 13 year olds. However this is where the real fun begins. Like with most projects it is necessary to be adaptable and use some creative thinking to help generate an environment that these kids will enjoy and come back to every day.

When I arrived back in July two volunteers from Germany were working in the project for almost a year, so my first 2 weeks involved a lot of learning and work shadowing. The daily routine of the comedor begins when the kids arrive after school. Every day we are flooded with hugs and kisses. The comedor is run by us (the volunteers) and we hold full responsibility for what the kids will eat on a daily basis, the educational activities and games the kids will take part in along with buying the necessary ingredients for their meals. It is a lot of responsibility and a little daunting at the beginning, however I enjoy the challenge and I have learnt so much in such little time. I am glad that I have two great volunteers working by my side. However in a few weeks time the guys are returning home and I will be given the keys to the comedor. I have two weeks working on my own in the comedor before the new volunteers from Germany arrive.

We work hard to prepare a nice meal that the kids will enjoy. They love to play with cards, and really enjoy drawing or painting. They always ask us to draw pictures for them to colour, so my drawing skills have really been put to the test. A room full of kids is packed with noise and banter and every evening I return home exhausted. It is important for us that the kids respect both each other and us, so on a daily basis we teach the kids to respect the comedor by cleaning up after their meal, and ensuring they take responsibility for their things. When our day is over we clean the comedor and pack all the toys and games away for the next day.

So that is my life at the comedor in a nut shell. I have really enjoyed my experience so far and I look forward to putting some of my ideas and hopes for the comedor into action. Speak soon again

Steph

Cordoba city

Steph Elliott — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 22:01:40 +0000

My volunteer placement means that I work Monday to Friday and I have every weekend off. I am using my spare time to travel around this beautiful country and this weekend I travelled to Cordoba which is the second biggest city in Argentina. You can travel all around Argentina by bus, the buses travel throughout the night which is nice. I got the bus Friday night and arrived in Cordoba Saturday morning which was great because I didn’t waste a full day travelling.

I arrived early in the morning and the streets were still full of life. The bus station is quiet big in Cordoba and extremely busy. Lots of cafes were still open so I decided to have a traditional Argentine breakfast of coffee and medialunas. I arrived at Hostel Babilonia which I would strongly recommend. It is really clean and the people are so welcoming. I went to sleep for a while to recuperate after my long bus journey. I was meeting with friends in Cordoba so we decided to stroll around and visit some of the must see tourist attractions in Cordoba.

The city was founded in 1573. It has a combination of Jesuit ruins and great colonial architecture. If you are interested in Colonial architecture head straight for the plaza Martin which is what we did and I have to say it is well worth the visit. In the square you can visit Argentina’s oldest cathedral Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (the Córdoba Cathedral).It is honestly magnificent I also visited the The Universidad Nacional de Córdoba which is the oldest university in Argentina. It was founded in 1613 by the Jesuit Order.

That night on returning from all our sightseeing, some of the guys from Mexico that were staying in the hostel cooked tacos so we all had dinner together and talked long into the night. They were such nice interesting people, I am really glad I met with them. We had an early start the following morning as we booked a full day of horseback riding. We were collected at the hostel and brought just outside Cordoba. Our tour guide was so lovely and we met with a great group of people on our trek. When we arrived to the ranch, we drank mate and ate some cookies. Then we each were given our horse that we would be riding for the day. My horse was so lovely but sadly I cannot remember her name. We were taught how to ride a horse the Argentine way, one hand on the reins and the other one free to work with. We trekked along the foothills of the Sierras Chicas, through rivers and even galloped along this fantastic little track. When we returned we were greeted with the fantastic smell of an asado. We ate lunch together, and then we discovered a zip wire or flying fox in the grounds of the ranch, a lot of fun!!!

We returned to the hostel late in the evening with very sore legs and tired hands. However there is no rest for the wicked and the following day we went for a walking trek in parque nacional Quebrada del condorito. I was lucky enough to see the very famous condor which is the world’s largest flying bird of prey. This park is also home to mammals like the puma and red fox and red-and-black-headed turkey vultures. Thankfully I didn’t see a puma but I was lucky enough to see a vulture which is a truly fantastic creature.

After our trek we returned to the hostel for a bags and went to catch the night bus to Chilecito.I have to say I missed Chilecito, I was really looking forward to see Betty and all the kids in the Comedor. So that’s all for another while... Chat soon again

Steph xx

Vacaciones del invierno en Chilecito

Steph Elliott — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:03:47 +0000

It is winter vacations here in Chilecito. The kids have been off from school for two weeks and as a result fewer kids have been coming to the comedor. It has been lovely to work with a small group of kids and I am getting to know their individual personalities more and more. My cooking is improving every day and I am really enjoying preparing the food for the kids. The kids love it when we cook pure de papa y huevos fritos (mashed potatoes and eggs).

My Spanish lessons are going really well and I enjoy going to my teachers house every evening for two hours. My Spanish is really improving and I am learning so much from her. My teacher arranged that I attend my first basketball training session here in Chilecito,It was a lot of fun and I am going again on Saturday.

One of my fears before coming to Chilecito was that I was going to be alone but it is really not the case in fact it is the complete opposite. I have a really busy schedule and I have made some great friends here. I find the Argentinean people so welcoming and nice and I am continuously overwhelmed by their generosity and openness to me. They are very inquisitive,passionate people and love to speak about politics and history. It has been very interesting for me to see the process of presidential elections here in Argentina and some provincial elections have taken place already. In Argentina everything is celebrated. They even have a day to celebrate your friends... what a lovely idea. On this day everyone receives messages and phone calls from their friends and they get together for coffee or dinner. I went to a friends house for an asado we played cards and ate dinner with friends. My host mum 'Betty' brought me to her nephews house for lunch on Sunday. I spent the majority of the day there listening to folklore music and chatting with the family. It was really nice.

I am just about to leave for the comedor now, It is a beautiful day here in Chilecito, the sun is shining and the sky is clear I am going to take more pictures of my route to San Miguel becasue it is really beautiful. I will update my next blog tomorrow. I have a lot to tell you as I recently ventured to Cordoba for a weekend and it was great.

Steph :) xxx

My First Week in Chilecito

Steph Elliott — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 21:40:50 +0000

Sorry about the delay in getting my blog up for everyone but time is flying by very quickly here in Chilecito and I honestly can’t believe my first week is over already. I have already fallen in love with everything here the people, the food (Dulce de leche... Nina you were right very addictive) and my project. I arrived in Chilecito at 9.00 am Friday the 1st of July. The landscape here is so vast and breathtaking, I have probably taken 100 photos of the Famatina mountains already they are honestly so beautiful.

Betty was at the station to greet me when I arrived, it was so lovely to see a friendly face after my 17hr bus journey (which flew by as I was travelling at night so I slept ALOT). There were toilets on the bus, but some warning for future travellers bring some food, water and tissue paper. Betty brought me to her house by taxi. My room is very nice and I am not sharing with anyone as Betty lives alone. On Friday evening the other volunteers working in the comedor came to meet me at my host house and brought me around Chilecito for the first time. They are both great and I feel so lucky to have their company for a short while.

On Saturday morning I went to the local market with Lea and Leo to ask for some donations for the comedor. The people were very generous and we received a lot of food which will help us to cook some nice meals for the kids. On Sunday I atteneded my first asado at Leo’s host house. I adore the way people here appreciate the importance of the family unit, they welcome everyone into their homes with open arms, and they made me feel right at home!!!After our food settled we played a game of basketball with some friends which was a lot of fun.

My first week of working in the comedor with the kids has been wonderful. They are so kind helping me to learn new Spanish words every day. During the week I was even thought the alphabet by 3 young boys who I truly believe would make great teachers in the future!!! The kids are even writing down new words for me to learn in my little notebook which is really kind. When I arrived I gave them some small gifts of footballs, cards, colouring pencils and coloured paper. It is great to see the walls becoming more and more packed with paintings and pictures every day.I have learnt some great new card games which I cant wait to play when I return home as I think I will be a bit of a pro before my ten weeks are up . On Thursady we had a little party in the comedor as one of the other volunteers Leo is sadly leaving us next week. We ate empanada’s and fruit which all went down a treat with the kids. Every evening when I return home from the comedor I go to my Spanish lessons, my teacher is really nice and patient with me. My spanish lessons will continue for 3-4 weeks.

On Saturday I went on my first excursion in Chilecito. We walked up to the 2nd cable car station....which was pretty amazing. The day was so beautiful we all chilled out when we reached the... and took in the amazing scenery. We all met up on Sunday again to play basket ball which was lovely I am starting to get some of my skills back!!!! :)

I am making the most of my short stay in this beautiful region and I am hoping to travel to Cordobar this weekend and maybe even get in some horse back riding.. I will keep u all posted..

I know it is a very quick synopsis of my first week here but I truly hope it paints a clear picture of how amazing my time has been so far ... speak soon again Steph xxx

First stop.... Buenos Aires

Steph Elliott — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:25:42 +0000

Saludos desde Buenos Aires

So as you have probably guessed I have landed safe and sound in Buenos Aires but before I fill you in about my stay here so far let me first speak about my last few days at home before I set out on this little adventure. I met with all the other volunteers at the pre-departure workshop that was held in Cork. It was so lovely to meet everyone and to hear about their fears and expectations. The workshop was really informative and I was especially grateful of Aislinn (the volunteer from last year) telling me about her experience in Chilecito and answering my hundreds of questions. After this day my emotions were up and down as it really hit me that I was actually leaving in 2 weeks (sounds silly I know). My last 2 weeks at home flew by, I was busy with Spanish, vaccines and buying essentials such as adapters, medicines and some extra warm clothes. I was really lucky to get in touch with Leo the volunteer from Germany who has been volunteering in Chilecito for nearly a year . He gave me some great tips about presents for the kids so I hope they like them!

At the orientation day I was given a pack with all my essential information and also a description of the host family. I will be staying with a woman called Betty (my own mam's name also) who is also the local co-ordinater in Chilecito so I don't need to go very far if I need questions answered. I have been told that Betty is very active and her house is always filled with people and friends. I am really looking forward to meeting her on Friday.

So I said my goodbyes to all my friends and family on Sunday the 26th of June and I must say there were tears (happy tears). Benny drove me to the airport early on Monday morning and my dad Eamonn came along also. It was really tough to say goodbye to everyone but this trip is going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I left Dublin Airport at 6.10pm the flight was an hour and a half. When I landed in Frankfurt I got a drink and some nibbles before I got on my 14hr flight to Buenos Aires. I got a window seat which was a bad idea considering the size of my bladder!!! The flight went by very quickly and the drops that mam bought me really helped me ( thanks mam!) I landed in Buenos Aires at 8.30 am on Tuesday the 28th of June. I filled out my landing card before I got off the plane and made my way to immigrations then customs then to the bagging area. When I got to the arrivals area there was a guy with a sign saying"STEPHANIE ELLIOTT" he directed me to a currency exchange office where I changed US Dollars to Peso as I was unable to get it back home in Ireland as it is a closed currency. I then got a taxi to the hotel Reina. The taxi was organised by the office in Argentina and it is chipped so they knew exactly where you are once you are in the car.

I got to the hotel at 10pm dropped my bags and made my way to a Locotorioto call home and let them know I landed safely. Wonda called the hotel and gave me directions to the experiment officina. I got a little lost on my way to the office but the people here are so friendly and helpful. When I arrived I was greeted with hugs and kisses. Daniel a member of staff preapred a tradional meal called "Empanadas” which were very tasty. They had so much food preapared for me and made me feel very at home. Nina gave me my orientation and I left the office at 3pm.The girls in the office arranged I spend the following day sight seeing with a group of American students who were also taking part in the experiment programme.Nina a volunteer from Germany offered to meet with me my first night in Buenos which was so lovely I was so happy to have plans for the evening. I returned to the Hotel and got ready for my first night in Buenos Aires.Nina and I went for a long walk aorund Buenos Aires and she brought me to Sante fe. We ate in a really nice restaurant called Camana she is so lovely I am even planning on visiting her when I return to Buenos Aires in September

On Wednesday I set off sightseeing.Martin was our tour guide for the day and told us a great deal of history which was really interesting. We went to La Boca which is a neighbourhood or barrio in Buenos Aires and well worth the visit. We also went to the Casa Rosada or the pink house(offices of the president in Argentina).. I returned to the hotel after a long day and relaxed for the evening. The hotel I stayed in has wifi on the first floor which was great as I was on facebook and skype to my friends and family on Wednesday evening. I have four hours to myself tomorrow before Carola a girl from the experiment office comes to pick me up at the hotel and bring me to the bus station. I cant wait to meet everyone and finally arrive in Chilecito. I will speak to you all soon when I land in Chilecito xxx

Life after losing a job

Niamh Kavanagh — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:47:11 +0000

Nora reflects on a wonderful volunteer experience in Argentina:

Losing a full-time job is hard. However, I discovered it can bring exciting new opportunities too, for instance in volunteering. I worked for over 11 years in IT for a bank and was let go in August 2010. Rather than focusing on searching for a new position after losing a ‘secure’ job, I decided to take time out and do some volunteering abroad. So in October and November of last year I found myself living with a family in Argentina and helping out on a local community project for poor children.

I went about finding volunteer work abroad by visiting the Irish Aid Centre in O’Connell Street. I was directed towards EIL Ireland (Experiment in International Living) as it seemed the organisation that best fitted my goal: To work abroad on a deserved community project and to have a real inter-cultural experience by living with a family.

EIL Ireland allocated me to a project for 8 weeks in a large town in North West Argentina called San Juan. I lived with a local family of a father, mother and daughter (Juan Carlos, Beatriz and Paola) and their 3 dogs and 1 cat. I worked every day in a Comador Infantile (kid’s cafe) where poor parents from the neighbourhood could bring their children (ages ranged from 2 to 6) for playschool and free lunch.

My day started with helping the full-time carers settle the infants in, they were as young as 2 or 3 years and this was the group I spent most of my time with. During the morning, there were plenty of fun activities for the kids and I enjoyed helping the infants with games indoors or in the playground. It was challenging for me to communicate with the children and staff in the beginning as I had very poor Spanish, but I persevered and it became easier once my vocabulary improved. In the afternoon, all the children were fed a nutritious lunch and many would be eager for seconds, I quickly learned the word for more is ‘màs’ and meant another trip to the kitchen. The children were amazing; they soon got used to me and my strange sounding Spanish, and greeted me in the morning with hugs and smiles. It was a humbling experience for me, I learned a lot about how happy children can be with the simple things, like playing games, making friends or throwing a ball or hoop around the yard. The carers were inspiring, they made a lot of effort with a small budget towards creating a cheerful environment for the children, and there was colour and music all around. Yes, in true Latin American style, we danced and sang a few tunes every day and we never grew tired of it. A child’s birthday was a ‘fiesta’ for all and no fuss was spared with decorations, hugs and a cake.

I also helped in an English language school 2 or 3 evenings a week. I met students so they could practice their English with me. In the region I was in, it is rare for students to meet English speaking people, so I felt very useful just by conversing with them about everything and anything.

The host family were warm and friendly and made me feel at home. They really took me under their wing, I was thankful as basic things like catching a bus can be challenging without local knowledge. My host mother was a great cook and we had fun when she tried to show me how to cook some local specialities, my meat pies (empanadas) always looked like they could fall apart. I learned a lot about Argentinean social habits, for example, people go out for a night much later than here and always greet with a kiss on the cheek. Everybody seemed to love meeting someone from far away and they really wanted to know more about my country.

While I was there, Ireland was on the news because of the EU/IMF assistance plan. The Argentineans I met were sympathetic; their country had an economic collapse in 2001 and many citizens lost money overnight. It was hard on their pride. I saw it is not easy when money is tight and that recovery takes time, but I learned people are inherently hopeful and things do improve. Also, working with children enforces optimism, it’s not so bad when you can hang out with friends, enjoy a few laughs and maybe have a dance or a sing-song.

Overall, I feel privileged to have had an experience volunteering in Argentina. The hardest part was saying goodbye to my host family and the children and staff in the Comador Infantile. I know if I hadn’t lost my job I wouldn’t have done this, and as one Argentinean friend said ‘a chance to share smiles so far from home’.

El Regreso - Back to Ireland!

aislinn — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:46:47 +0000

Hi everybody! I'm back from Argentina about 3 weeks now and I'm already finding it hard to believe that I was really there! It turns out coming home is almost as hard as leaving in the first place. I'll tell you all a bit about my last few days in Chilecito, the journey home and what its like to be home!

My last few days working at the project were very busy as we had loads more food thanks to a donation from a local catering service. This meant that we were able to cook meals for the children everyday. On my last day in the comedor, we had a party for the other volunteer's birthday and my going away. Some of the local women cooked chicken on the asado (barbeque) and Reina, who helps us in the comedor baked two cakes! It was really great to have such a nice meal with all the children before I left. It was difficult saying goodbye to the kids. It must be hard for them because they are constantly getting to know new volunteers then having to say goodbye to them. I left something to remember me by, a green leprechaun pencil each and some new paints and games!

After I finished work in the comedor, I had the weekend to pack up and say goodbye to my host family, coordinator, the other volunteers and friends. My host family brought me out for a meal and I was overloaded with gifts and cards from all my friends in Chilecito. I was touched that they went to such effort even though I was only there for a relatively short time! Lots of people turned up to see me off at the bus station which was so kind of them! Saying goodbye was hard, but I hope that I can come back to Argentina some day. When I come back, the first place on my list to visit will be Chilecito. Its a small town, with a lot of poverty and located in a province that few foreign tourists visit, but the people there are the some of the kindest and most welcoming I have met anywhere. Before I left I had myself prepared for the fact that I might feel lonely or excluded during my stay, I never imagined that I would feel so welcome.

When I got back to Buenos Aires, I realised how far my Spanish had come. I saw it in small things like 18 hour journey back, I knew when it was safe to get off the bus for a sandwich without being left behind, because I could understand the conductor's announcement. On my last night in Argentina, I stayed in the same hotel in Buenos Aires as my first night. I remember talking to the lady at reception on my first day with a bit of "Spanglish" and lots of hand gestures. On my return I was able to have chats with the same lady with few problems!

It was great to get home and see my family after my long journey, but I also found it more difficult than I thought to settle back into Irish life. I miss my friends in Argentina, but luckily Skype and Facebook make the distance between us seem a little less! I also find it challenging to explain the whole journey to my friends and family here. I guess some of it just can't be told as a story, it has to be experienced!! All I can say is that I have learned so much from my trip, possibly more than in a year in university! I've gained a new language, I feel more independent and I have a fresh perspective of life in Ireland. I attended the EIL Welcome Back Day in Dublin last Saturday which was fantastic. I got to meet other people returning from volunteering around the the world which was great because even though they were in different places to be they understood what it was like to come home after being a volunteer abroad. It was a great day and I would recommend future volunteers to attend.

Thats it from me for now I'd like to finish up this blog by thanking EIL for the Travel Award that made my incredible experience in Argentina this summer possible! :)

Snow in July (!!), Dia del Amigo, Bouncy Castles and a little bit of DIY!

aislinn — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:48:29 +0000

¡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!

Bienvenido a Chilecito

aislinn — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 22:50:05 +0000

Greetings from Argentina, where World Cup disappointment has slightly dampened the mood here in Chilecito!! Argentina´s 4-nil defeat by Germany has not upset me too much after an incredible first week and a bit here!!

I touched down in Buenos Aires last week on a Thurday. I'd never been long-haul flight before (16hours from London Heathrow to Buenos Aires!) but it wasn't so bad, I managed to sleep a good bit and there were lots of movies to keep be entertained. I stayed in a hotel in Buenos Aires for one night and had orientation in the EIL office there. It was nice to have a bit of a rest before the next leg of my journey, and to see a bit of the capital. Buenos Aires is a busy and cosmopolitan city and the traffic is crazy! The Spanish is a bit of a shock to my system, despite all my preparations, on my first day in Buenos Aires i realised how limited my vocabulario español is!

That night I had a choice of pizza or hamburgers for dinner, because I didn't understand anything else on the menu! It was ok though because before I got on my bus to Chilecito I had my first taste of of Argentine food at the EIL office. (and I have a feeling the food here might be a much discussed topic in this blog!!) We had empanadas for lunch which were delicious, pastry turnovers with meat or vegetable fillings. Then I set off on my 18hour bus journey to Chilecito, with one mission: cram as much Spanish into my brain as possible. I think I listen to 4 or 5 Learn Spanish CDs before I eventually nodded off to sleep.

I arrived in Chilecito last Saturday morning, where I was greeted by the Local Coordinator and my host parents. Its like the Wild Wild West of Argentina, really sunny and dry with deserts and mountains and cactuses.(or cacti?) I spent the weekend settling into my host family's house and getting to know my surroundings. On Saturday evening I went for tea at my local coordinators house and met the other two vounteers at my project, both of whom are German. Over the weekend I also discovered more yummy Argentine food: asado which is an Argentine barbeque, alfajores, which are biscuity sandwiches with dulce de leche and mate which is a type of herbal hot drink, a bit of and acquired taste at first but I've already grown to like it! I needed to get used to the climate as well, as its winter here and I had just come from Ireland's June heatwave!It can get quite cold at night, but the sun is always shining during the day so its quite warm and pleasant!

I started my volunteering on Monday. It's a great project, called "La Casita de Quirquincho" which was founded in 2008 by two German volunteers. In the afternoons, children come to "La Casita" or el comedor after school for a snack or lunch and a place to play. We give them a hot meal 2 or 3 days and on the other days a snack of milk and pastries. I'm really enjoying working there so far, all though this week I have been doing a lot of observing how things are done.

The kids that go to the comedor are really cute. Its customary here to greet everyone you meet with a kiss on the cheek or a handshake, so when we arrive at the comedor we get about 20-30 kisses and hugs from all the kids! They call me seño, which is short for señorita because they think I'm a teacher. On my first day we were making banana milkshakes and all the kids wanted to chip into help. That afternoon we played game so I could learn all the kids names which really helped. There's also cards, balls, jigsaws, paints and crayons to keep the kids entertained. On Tuesday we made rice with vegetables and sauce and on Friday, my host mother donated mince meat to the comedor which meant we could make homemade hamburgers which went down a treat!

On Monday I also started my Spanish lessons. My local coordinator brought me to my teachers house, where I will be doing lessons every evening for about 3 weeks. She's really nice, we get on well and I'm learning lots! I've been getting compliments on how fast I'm learning, as on the for the first fews days I was mute because I understood nada. It's amazing what you learn when you are completely immersed in the language. I'm so grateful that everyone is so patient with my questionable language skills; my teacher, my host family, the other volunteers and the kids have all been great! One of the children at my project took it upon himself to teach me, pointing to things outside and telling what they were called which was really sweet! I a still have a long way to go with my Spanish but I am taking pride in little victories, like managing to have small conversations without blushing, mudding my words and stuttering!

We cycle to the project, but walk most of the way back because its uphill and steep! A few of the boys have taken to "helping us with the bikes" ie. cycling for about fifteen minutes on the way home. They really enjoy it so its become a bit of of a routine!

That's all my news so far, I feel I've settled in really well here , and I'm so glad I've got this oppurtunity! I'm looking forward to the next 9 weeks and planning on making the most of them! So ciao for now!

FELIZ DIA DEL NIÑO !!!

Alan Ralph — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:19:17 +0000

Happy Children’s Day! And what a great day it was. Children’s day in Argentina is on the 11th of August but we celebrated it in the comedor on the 16th of August which was yesterday. It was a special day. Families from the neighborhood came to the comedor to eat nice food, play party games and get a present before they went home.

There had been a good build up in the days previous to the celebration as we had to get everything ready. The workers in the comedor all came in to do extra work on the Saturday afternoon. We had to pack loads of sweet bags for the kids, so that took plenty of time but we had a good laugh while we were getting everything ready. We also had to blow up a whole lot of ballons which gave the place a party feel.

Finally Sunday arrived. All the workers met up in the comedor at around 9.30 to start getting things ready. Some students from the local university came down to give us some much needed help. The food for the day was “Chorizo y pan” given the abbreviated name of “choripan”. Chorizo is like a kind of salami sausage and pan is bread. The chorizo is boiled in water for a while until it is well cooked through and then it is put in bread. It is a bit like a hot dog I suppose. There must have been over 1000 chorizo sausages stacked high in the kitchen. People started arriving at around 11am and then the place really started to fill up. I reckon there was about over 500 people at the community centre on the day. The chorizos were all boiled and then put with bread, a tomato sauce and mayonnaise. All the workers formed a big work line and got the food ready. The local priest came and gave the pre dinner blessing and then the food came out. Everyone seemed to love it and we used up every chorizo in the kitchen.

After the food there were games all day long. We had some football games for the kids and there were also tugs of war, musical chairs, karaoke, egg and spoon races and many more games throughout the afternoon. The local kids have a kind of musical band called the “murga” who have four or five big drums which they play. They are accompanied by kids who dance to the music and wave colored flags. It is quite a sight and quite a sound. They came along yesterday and certainly made themselves heard!

In the evening time everyone was given hot chocolate and croissants. Before everyone left, small sweet bags were given out to the kids and toys were also given out to as many kids as possible. The comedor finally closed up around 8pm.

It really was a special day. So many of the families that come to the comedor struggle to provide food for their families and have countless other problems. Having fun days like that put everyone in such good humor and helps them take their mind of things for a while. People of all ages came, from babies to grandparents and everyone had fun. Fair play to the Argentineans, children’s day is a true success. Since we have Father’s day and Mother’s day in Ireland and in light of what I have seen in the comedor I think it would be a nice little idea for us to start having a children’s day in Ireland as well !

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

Alan Ralph — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:45:53 +0000

Interesting times in San Luis at the moment. There is a nice build up for the 16th of August that being the “kids day” when Argentinians have big parties for children and give them presents. The official day was actually last Sunday but we are having the party in the comedor this Sunday. The other workers tell me that there are usually a few hundred children who come for the party !! It is going to be crazy but I am looking forward to it and I think it will be good fun overall.

This morning myself and a few of the workers went to another type of volunteering organisation in San Luis called Caritas. Caritas is an international humanitarian organisation that works with people in need. In San Luis they give out food and clothes to poor people. They allowed us to use their kithcens today and showed us how to make a kind of sweet cereal bar from cereal and caramel. It was quite easy to make and we had great fun making them. We brought our goods back to the comedor which is currently been painted at the moment. The ceiling is being plastered and will then be painted. Before any painting is done on the walls they all need to be cleaned so we were using sand paper all day yesterday to take any marks or dirt of the walls. It you don’t like the sound of someone scratching on a blackboard then this certainly is not the place to be at the moment !

Last night after dinner my host family took me to the near by mountains. It has only rained once since I came so it is extremely dry here. Forest / bush fires often occur and at the moment there are a whole series of fires on the mountain range overlooking San Luis. A fireman and a policeman both died yesterday trying to fight the fire so it is a serious situation but no one in the city of San Luis is in an danger of the fires. Police were blocking access to a number of roads into the mountains but we managed to find a route where we could get a view of the fires. It was a surreal sight as it was night time and we could see the fires from quite a distance. I had never seen anything like it before. Ther mountains were so quite , the whole scene was bizarre. There is actually a village in the mountains called El Volcan and I imagine it is named after these fires which occured as the whole scene genuinely looked like some kind of volcanoe. Quite a sight.

So all good for the moment in San Luis and the kids day is on its way and hopefully it will be good fun.

August in San Luis

Alan Ralph — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:19:23 +0000

I have settled into my work in San Luis at this stage. The comedor ( soup kitchen) is located in a poor area of San Luis and that is where I go each day to work. The food is prepared for the families of that neighbourhood by about twelve workers. Due to the restrictions of the swine flu people can’t stay in the comedor to eat food, instead they come with plastic containers to bring the food home.

The children haven’t been allowed to play here recently due to the restrictions but a few kids still hang about the place each day. They were given plenty of homework to do as the schools were closed for quite a while due to the Swine flu. I tried to help them out as much as I could and it was interesting seeing the different subjects and materials they study. Today the schools finally opened again. Normally the kids would come to the comedor after school to play football, do arts and crafts or do homework but at the moment the ceiling of the building is being painted so once that is finished the kids will be allowed back in.

Quite a few people are talking about the “Dia de los Ninos” that being children’s day. In Argentina there is a day for everyone, father’s day, mother’s day and even children’s day. It is on the 16^th of August and it will be a big day in the comedor as a big party will be held for the kids. Plenty of children are expected to attend and so we will be organising games and activities for them. I think they will also be having some nice food and plenty of sweets to keep them going.

It was quite cold here a few weeks ago and it even snowed one morning. At the moment the weather is nice and warm, but it still gets quite cold in the evening time. I am enjoying my time here and the Argentinian people are really friendly and always very helpful and good fun. The next few weeks should be interesting as the kids will be coming to the comedor each day and we will be very busy.

Alan's Blog: Life in San Luis

Alan Ralph — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:23 +0000

I have been in the town of San Luis in Argentina for about a week now and I am starting to settle in to life here. In the morning time I have spanish classes for an hour an a half and I then go to the “Comedor”. The Comedor is a type of soup kitchen in a poor neighbourhood in San Luis. The building is attached to a church and it consists of a kitchen and a large dinning room area where people come to eat food during the day.

About 12 people work in the Comedor preparing food each day for families in the neighbourhood. Some days they can feed over a 100 people. The children can also come to the comedor and do arts and crafts, but the boys mostly want to play football all day long – they can play for hours without stopping a- football is much loved in Argentina !
The other workers at the Comedor are all very welcoming and friendly and they are good fun as well. They know all the kids who come during the day so there is a good community spirit around the place.

At the moment the whole of Argentina is on high alert about the swine flu – or as it is known down here the “ Grippe A “. They are taking a lot of precautions to try and prevent the spread of this flu ( although I don’t think San Luis has been affected that badly), . This week the children have not been allowed come to the comedor in case the flu might spread in a crowd and so people come in the afternoon to collect the food and eat it at home. These restriction should settle down quite soon- hopefully after this week.

The town of San Luis is quite nice. The population of the town is about 150,000 so it is quite big. People take a siesta in the afternoon and then around 4pm the town comes alive and the shops open. There is a nice atmosphere in the town and the people are friendly and helpful. It is winter here at the moment. It gets dark at 6pm and quite chilly at night but during the day it can be quite warm maybe 17 degrees and nice blue skies.

Overall it has been an interesting week and I am looking forward to getting used to the lifestyle and work here in San Luis.

EIL Argentina visit to Isonza School

Anton — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:30:58 +0000

Volunteer Abroad

Individual volunteering

Argentina

Description:

One of our pet projects is to help these wonderful children who live in a school in the middle of the mountains in Isonza, Salta, Argentina. A group of US students spent some days there with them and this is what came out of it...enjoy!!!....and if you want to help to keep them smiling.....contact me....Love from beautiful BA - Val from EIL Argentina

school

children

Volunteer

EIL Argentina

A letter from Sorcha Grehan a volunteer at the San Francisco school in Santa Fe

Piers Meynell — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:17:22 +0000

Sorcha Grehan is a teacher from Dublin, she wrote to us with news about her volunteering with the San Francisco school in Santa Fe

Hola Anton...

How are you?
How is everything at home? 30 odd degrees here each day so the idea of Christmas seems a long way off!!

Ive wanted to write before but I´m working really hard here and don´t have the time for even keeping in touch with fiends and family hardly. Also there is so much to say and tell that I don´t even know where to start!!

Everything is going really well here in the family. I´ve just really tried to slot in to their lives here and it´s worked really well. They have invited me to spend the holidays with them and they want me to stay for my next placement instead of going to Ecuador...so I guess that´s a good sign :) I prepare the Mate in the mornings before school or at the weekends I get up a bit earlier so I can drink it with them....think Ill have to export it to Ireland before I leave...Ill send you a box to Cork! Love the tradition of drinking it..the way every Tom Dick or Harry (Irish expression) no matter who is invited to drink it...can´t imagine the same tradition with a mug of milky tea being passed about in Ireland..can you? :)

E.G. The other day I was in a little kiosk waiting to so some photocopying for the school and the lady who owns it asked me if I wanted Mate while I was waiting for the photocopies. Now I had never been in this kiosk before, never seen this lady before and had spoken less than 5 words to her and she invites me to drink Mate with her over the counter....amazing...that is what I love...of course I accepted and we chatted and drank Mate like old friends:)

Sometimes I forget where I am...I try to fit in so much that it is life now and I feel comfortable. In the school I'm so busy also that I have to consciously take a few seconds now and again to realise where I am and who I´m with and take everything in. The children are all so loving and affectionate. Many of them have behaviour issues but none of it is their fault. I try to find out as much as I can about their backgrounds so that I can try to understand them better and what life is like for them. In this way I can get closer to them. With many of the most rebellious ones if you spend a bit of extra time with them and give them extra attention they respond a thousand fold!!

I´m teaching classes from Jardin (Junior Infants) to 6to Grado. With many of the classes I´m doing the "Intercambio", exchange of cultures through questions, answers, photos and languages with classes from San Francisco and classes with children of the same age in my school in Dublin. For me, it is something that I want to do because I believe it is creating a great awareness and understanding at both ends for the children. A huge and very important learning experience. I was hoping to be able to do this through Skype and so the class in Ireland and here could literally be talking to eachother and feel a real connection however, there is no wireless connection in the area of the school so this unfortunately was not possible.However, the next best thing we have been doing.
Each week we have been choosing a new theme...I leave it up to them to choose and that way they have more control and interest,
and we discuss it in the class and they write down all the questions they have about the theme and they give it up to me. I read them all after school and translate all the questions they have and put them together into an e-mail for the appropriate class and mail it with the appropriate photos. Each week each of the classes in Ireland respond to the questions and send their own questions and photos. I translate it all, print it and colour photos for the children. Each week we choose a new theme and we compare the theme here for them in San Francisco and their lives and the theme in Ireland for the children there.
Hoping through this that the awareness will have a long lasting affect for both sets of children and the children here can see that life can be different for them outside Santa Fe.

Hope I´m explaining myself...there is so much to tell and so many experiences that it is hard to write but a few.
Now I am going to buy meat for a good barbecue!

Abrazos

Sorchita

Rosetta Reilly, a primary teacher from Co Meath, shares her thoughts on volunteering in Argentina

Piers Meynell — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:20:52 +0000

Rosetta Reilly, a primary teacher from County Meath has written to Anton updating him to how she's getting on with volunteering on a project in Argentina.

Hi Anton,
Rosetta here from a rather hot La Rioja! Happy to say that all is going really well, the project itself is very well received by all the teachers and Im healthy, happy and enjoying the whole experience. I'm working hard preparing workshops for teachers once a week and then visiting their classes where I try to put into practice what I preach! The English classes here seem to be all very text based and therefore not very interesting or stimulating for the children. What I am trying to do is to show the teachers ways to make the language come to life in the class and to have the children speaking the language because they are enjoying the activities and not just filling pages in a workbook. So far it has all been very well received and the children in the classes have proven my point with their response to the activities I do with them. Because they have very little resources here I have bought quite a lot of toys and games for the teachers to use and the children are really so happy to see the puppets etc that they are soon trying to speak to the puppets who only speak and understand English. I have over 500 euros on toys and will leave them all to the schools when I leave. I am working with 9 different schools. I am also putting "teaching packs" together for each of the teachers who have been attending my workshops - including some of the things I used most, puppets, toy animals, giant letters etc. I have asked my family for some money and they are happy to help

I am really enjoying the home stay part too. The family I am with are great and seen to have birthday parties every week- and they go on very late!!

Now I would like to go to volunteer in Ecuador in January and I hope you can arrange a similar placement there.

Hope you're well and look forward to a reply,

Rosetta Reilly

Martina Clarke, a Quality Assurance Specialist from Co. Wicklow, volunteered for 3 months in a welfare project in Argentina

Piers Meynell — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:17:32 +0000

On the 27th Feb I arrived in Buenos Aires with about 40 words of Spanish and a paragraph on what I would be working at. Fortunately the 10 Spanish lessons I had were very good and usually connected in some way to the voluntary work I was going to do so it was very practical. It also helped greatly that the teacher was very patient!

After the 14 hour bus journey to San Juan, I was met by the Martinez family who were extremely friendly and open. My first meal at their house was a barbeque with their whole extended family, there was at least 25 people at it. From that day on I knew I would settle in well into the house.

San Cayetano Comedor where I worked was located in one of the poorer parts of San Juan. I would start work at the Comedor at 9am and would finish at about 4.30. The typical work day would start with cleaning up after breakfast followed by peeling the vegetables and preparing for lunch. Breakfast tended to be warm milk with bread and when food was plentiful there may be cornflakes too. Lunch was usually a soup type dish which was not very tasty. Eleven women worked in the Comedor, all from around the area. They too were very friendly and invited me back to their homes to meet their families. Lunch time would be from 11.30 to 1 and would be just crazy as most of the kids poured into the Comedor all at the same time from the school which was just around the corner. Some days there was dessert which was usually an apple, orange or banana. After lunch and a break for the workers, it would be back to cleaning up - sweeping, washing, hosing. An afternoon snack was given around 3.30pm to the kids and again this tended to be warm milk and bread. On some days there would not be enough food for all the kids and many would have to be turned away. A lot of parents from the area would also come with containers looking for dinner for their families. In total, the Comedor would serve up to 250 people per day. The Comedor also got a lot of clothes donated so some afternoons would be spent going through the clothes and separating them into the different age groups. They would then be given out the next day to the kids. Towards the end, the weather had turned very cold and the food had to be served in the kitchen itself. This wasn't ideal as the kitchen was too small and with all the hot plates and food it was a miracle no one got scalded.

The kids in the Comedor were great, all they wanted was for me to speak English or to play with them. They were generally very happy and content but cheeky too. I enjoyed trying to speak Spanish and having very little Spanish at the beginning was not an obstacle.

Overall the experience was more beneficial for me, I definitely got more out of it than the people in the Comedor. I would recommend it as a great way to see and live the Argentinian way of life, to learn about some local challenges and to give an much needed extra hand to a local project, but I would suggest future volunteers to manage their expectations about making a difference: you do make a difference in the local project where you are placed but it might in a different way from what you expected.

Martina Clarke

Denis Ahern, an accountant from Co. Cork, spent 5 months teaching in Santa Fe, Argentina

Piers Meynell — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:13:44 +0000

Denis Ahern is an accountant from Co. Cork. In 2006 Denis spent 5 months teaching in the Escuela San Francisco in Santa Fe, Argentina.

I arrived here with a very basic knowledge of the Spanish Language, so at the beginning teaching in the school was quite a challenge. But the other teachers in the school really made this challenge a lot easier through their warm and friendly approach. The children in the school have also been amazing helping me feel at home... My experience of life in Escuela San Francisco has been quite a different type of challenge for me. Normally I can express myself in English when I work with children but here, I have to get my point across in a mixture of actions and broken Spanish but for the children here it makes no difference how I speak or where I'm from as long as I'm willing to laugh and have fun!

Denis Ahern

Patrcia Burke, a Travel Award winner, spent there 12 weeks on programme fighting HIV/AIDS and drug addiction in Argentina.

Piers Meynell — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:10:23 +0000

Patrcia Burke is the winner of the EIL Travel Awards 2007 to Argentina. She spent there 12 weeks on programme fighting HIV/AIDS and drug addiction.

My first impressions of Argentina were that it is a very beautiful country. It is a country that has everything. Fantastic scenery, good food, lots of culture and various activities on offer something to suit everyone. But when you go just a few yards from all of this beauty there are people living in a completely different world in both Buenos Aires and Tucuman. I remember getting on the Subway in Buenos Aires and getting off somewhere else and it was like two different worlds rich and poor.

The population in Argentina is very big in comparison to Ireland. In San Miguel de Tucuman where I was on placement, the population in the whole province is 3 million and to the Argentines this is a fairly small. There are millions of people living in poverty with no running water, no toilets and very bad conditions because of this and so many people living so close together in one house AIDS, HIV and other infections are on the uprise.

Everywhere you go there are people sorting through the bins, this is their job. The most upsetting thing for me one day was walking through the town where I was on placement and there was a little boy about 7 or 8 eating from the bins, this was his food for the day, heartbreaking. This is very common. Everywhere I went with my work and to the poorest neighbourhoods I visited I was always received well and the children were always so happy to see me, so warm, open and interested, it was lovely.

The Argentines have had many struggles economically, this too is very sad and frustrating which seem to be continuing but this has not by any means deterred their generosity. The Argentines shared everything with me their food, their culture, opened their hearts, spoke about problems, helped me to learn the language and had patience with me when I couldn't speak their language.

The experience has made me more aware of the struggles of people in other countries, How we waste resources here like water, food, electricity etc. Here we are very rich economically and all things considered we have a good standard of living. Then because of this we have lost a lot such as the importance of people, family, friends, relaxation etc compared to Argentina where family and people are very important, life is a lot less organised and relaxed and it is common to see women knitting while waiting in queues. Obviously this is just a taster of my experience as their have been so many different experiences over the last 3 months. My volunteer experience has been fantastic even though at times difficult but it has been so rewarding. I have learned so much about myself, our culture and thier culture, and way of life of the Argetnines.

Patricia Burke