Day of Remembrance

Argentina had its Day of Remembrance on March 24. It is a day to reflect on the past, and, specifically to remember the people who have suffered under actions of the government. Argentines remember well the excesses of their government, especially under the military governments of the late 1970s and are determined to not let it happen again. Eliana invited us to go along with her and Diego to witness the protest first hand, and about half the group came.

We walked about half a mile with a LOT of people, and the crowd stopped in front of a Catholic church near the Flag Monument. Why congregate in front of the church? Because many of the worst atrocities carried out by the government in the late 1970s took place with no opposition from the church. The feeling among the crowd is that the church didn't do enough to stop the government. There were some people with torches, but the protest was peaceful. I actually saw a lot of families with small children in the crowd.

Yes, there were a lot of people carrying banners.

More signs and flags.

This is on a platform right in front of the flag monument. A number of people spoke, and read the names of some of the people who, the government said, had "disappeared," never to be seen again.

As we left the Flag Monument we walked past the church again, and noticed that some paint balls had been thrown at the front door. I walked by this area the following week and the paint was all gone. Life returns to normal once more in Argentina.

JP

A visit to Alta Gracia

A few weeks ago I went with a few of the students to the city of Cordoba. About 30 kilometres outside of Cordoba is the town of Alta Gracia. Nick, Devin and I found the bus station in Cordoba (in the basement of the meat market!) and bought tickets for Alta Gracia.

One of Alta Gracia's most famous residents was Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Che was born in Rosario, but because of his asthma and the humidity of Rosario (it can get humid here because of the Parana River) his family moved to Alta Gracia when he was 4. The house where he lived has been turned into a museum. The house was nice (Che's father was a physician).



Inside the house there is a replica of the kind of motorcycle Che rode when he took his famous motorcycle tour around South America to witness firsthand the poverty that common people were enduring. The film, Motorcyle Diaries, with Gael Garcia Bernal documents Che's trip.
Here are pictures of Che when he was a young man, and when he was a boy.

Oftentimes, people don't know that Che was married and had a family. I didn't see any discussion of his home life in the museum, although since he spent extended periods of time outside of Argentina, I don't know how much time he spent at home. I would think it very difficult to be a revolutionary, a husband and a father all at the same time.

By the time Che wanted to enter Bolivia to work with the resistance movement there, he was a well-known figure. In order to enter the country, he disguised himself as a businessman. Here is a picture of his disguise.

Gracias,

JP

Sunday Asado

Argentina is based on traditions, and one of the most classic traditions is asado. Asado is an assortment of grilled meats and meat products like sausages. I love asado, as it is basically meat grilled, with salt. You NEVER use ketchup on Asado. (that would be like putting salsa on an ear of corn!) And I have not seen a single restaurant with A1 steak sauce. I think if I asked for it I would be escorted out the door! :)

Eliana reserved an area along the river, and we enjoyed a leisurely Sunday afternoon . Here are some of us sitting at a picnic table. There was wine, as well as Pepsi and water for people to choose from.


Here are some more members of the group, along with Rosario, one of our UCEL student ambassadors in the front left of the picture. After the asado she went with some of us to one of the outdoor markets to do some shopping.

Aaah, los hombres. Eliana's husband Diego (he's in the white t-shirt) was so kind to cook for us. It isn't easy grilling meat for 30 people! But he did a fantastic job as an asador (the cook of asado)!!! Here he is with a friend and Eliana's brother on the right. Yup, Sunday was a glorious day.

A morning at La Paz

Poverty in Latin America hits you right between the eyes, in part because income is very unequally distributed, so the contrast is strong. As one of our group activities, Eliana arranged for us to visit the La Paz school, a grade school serving children in an economically depressed area of the city. Many of the students come from very troubled homes. They do outstanding work here.

Here is a class in progress. We visited a few of them during our time there. The children have a LOT of energy! During their recess, the noise was deafening! Some students in our group are volunteering their time at La Paz over the next two months, and I am very proud of them for doing so.

JP

Dinner with an Argentine Family

Nick invited Devin and me over for dinner with his host family to help celebrate Nick's birthday. Here the family is sitting down getting ready to eat. The food was WONDERFUL, and I managed to hold my own in the Spanish department. I'm always amazed at how people will find ways to communicate when they really want to communicate.



Of course, no birthday would be complete without a birthday cake, and we had TWO!

Let's do some dancing! Here, Devin and Nick are "busting some moves." They were both very good dancers, far better than a certain economics professor! :)

Dinner with an Argentine Family

On Saturday night I had dinner with Nick, one of our students, and his host family at their house. It was a wonderful time and the food was fabulous -- chicken cooked on the grill with a lot of chimichurri (a kind of marinade with olive oil, herbs, salt, etc.) and good salads (they made one with only arugula (rucula en Espanol) and a tasty pasta salad. And of course, we had some nice Argentine wine to go along with it. Afterwards, we danced and talked about rock music!

I'll upload some pictures in a bit.

Jim

JP interviews on a local radio station!

I was asked by Ceci Castelli, a local DJ on FM Meridiano here in Rosario, to come on the air and talk about economics. She's a very talented interviewer and asked me some pretty tough questions. It was so much fun! I hope I didn't bore her audience too much. :)

After the interview, I saw a protest in the street outside the radio studio. In the picture below you can see a common protest activity -- burning a tire in the street.

Cordoba

The picture above shows the cabildo at night.

Intercity buses are used quite heavily in Argentina, and the system seems to work quite efficiently. Over the weekend I went to the city of Cordoba, a city much older than Rosario and a center of Jesuit activity. The city center around Plaza San Martin is beautiful! Here is the beautiful church at night.

JP

More pictures from our Saturday event at UCEL

Before the festivities began, we waited outside in front of UCEL.

In every group of students I have traveled with, there is ALWAYS somebody who does not like to be photographed (I'm kind of like that, too). In our group, it's Robyn, revealing her camera shyness. Amy is a good friend providing moral support.

Yes, you can actually get college students to wear something OTHER than jeans, occasionally, although it's difficult.

Andrea struck up a conversation with Angel, a UCEL faculty member.

Chau, JP

Saturday event at UCEL

Last Saturday UCEL had their big "kickoff" event for the new semester (early March is like early September back home and is when classes begin!) Here are some pictures from the event. A good time was had by everyone!

Mate in Rosario

Drinking Mate (pronounced "ma tay") is one of the joys of being here. It's a kind of tea that is commonly enjoyed throughout Argentina and other parts of South America. It's very strong, and a whole ritual is involved. Here you can see your humble blogger with Cassie and Eliana. Eliana works with UCEL and has provided amazing support for our group. She is not just someone I work with; she is also a very good friend!

Adapting to our new culture

I think adapting to a different culture varies tremendously from person to person. For me, being used to living in or near large urban areas, I feel quite at home with the size and pace of Rosario. It is a good-sized city, a bit more than 1.2 million, but doesn’t seem gigantic. And I’m used to taking public transportation and taxis to get around.

My biggest challenge has been with respect to communication. Over the last decade or so, I feel like I have developed a much deeper sense of the subtleties of language. Small word changes can have huge changes in meaning. I find fascinating, for example, how language changes, morphs and develops to reflect the broader society. For example, do you notice how often we adopt terms from computer technologies in everyday usage (the first image in your mind when you hear “Spam” is no longer the meat product in the can)? I think it’s interesting that we don’t have “problems” anymore, but instead we have “issues.” In any event, I've grown to appreciate the finer points of English.

When you try to use a new language, the finer points of communication go completely out the window, and you’re left with trying to communicate in very basic ways. You speak simply, use the present tense, and often incorporate hand and facial gestures. It’s hard when you are in your late teens to do this. It’s even more difficult for an ol’ Economics professor. I have had, and will continue to have, many situations where I simply don’t understand what people are saying to me and I am not able to express what I want to say. For a word nerd, that’s a hard thing to accept.

But all is not without hope. UCEL has terrific instructors who understand the difficulties we are facing and they are providing us with excellent support. Moreover, because we’re here a full semester, tomorrow is another day, and if today was tough, we can give it another try tomorrow. And I suppose that’s how language is learned – not in a few “aha” moments, but instead a long, series of small advances, with a pinch of movement here and a dash of retreat there.

JP

Protests

One thing you learn very quickly in Argentina is that there are countless groups that protest here. Sometimes the protests are large, organized and regularly scheduled (for example, the well-known Mothers of the Disappeared in Buenos Aires, every Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Plaza de Mayo). Often, however, protests just kind of happen. They can be loud and very large, or, as happened on Friday, consisted of 5 people who were banging on drums and blowing whistles as they walked outside my apartment building at 7:30 a.m. It's just one of those occurrences that happen here.

JP

Our first week

Well, we have finished our first week of classes at UCEL. I have to say this has been one heck of a week. I am excited about the next four months, but the first week reinforced for me how limited my Spanish is. I am amazed at people who can learn another language without living in a country where that language is spoken. This will be one BUSY, BUSY semester.

Jim

First week of classes

We are well into our first week of classes. I have to say that UCEL is a very busy place, with a lot of activity. It starts early and ends very late, although the Simpson students only have their Spanish language classes during the day. We have a few students who are taking regular UCEL classes, which take place in the evening.

I'm taking (at least for the moment) all of the Spanish language classes -- Intermediate Spanish, Advanced Spanish, Written and Oral communication in Spanish, and History and Culture of Argentina. This is in addition to the two classes I'm teaching. Yikes, I'm going to be very busy these next four months!

JP

Some pictures from La Boca in Buenos Aires

We are all well in Rosario

Hello everyone. I wanted to make a special blog entry to tell everyone we are fine and back home. Even though there was a terrible earthquake in Chile, life in Buenos Aires and Rosario seems normal, with another sunny and warm day. We start classes this week, and will settle into a normal class routine.

Jim

More pictures from BA - Recoleta Cemetary and Plaza de Mayo

Enjoyable time in Buenos Aires

We returned to Rosario from Buenos Aires Saturday evening. Although there were earthquakes in Chile, Buenos Aires and Rosario are fine (some high-rise buildings in BA were evacuated, but other than that, the city was functioning normally). All the students are in Rosario and living with their host families.

Here are some pictures from our time in BA.

BA the beautiful

Today we went to the La Boca area of BA. This is the area that was famous for a high concentration of Italian immigrants. With little money and a need for quick shelter, many homes were constructed with corrugated metal as exterior walls. To cheer up the buildings, the homes were painted bright (I mean, REALLY BRIGHT) colors. The area now is mainly a tourist attraction (too kitschy for my taste) but itś a well-known place and I knew the students would like it.

In the afternoon we went to the march of the Mothers of the Disappeared at 3:30 p.m. in Plaza de Mayo. Itś a very moving experience, as the mothers of some of those 30-50,000 people who ¨disappeared¨ in the 1970s according to the government march around the Plaza. Itś a difficult part of Argentine history, when the government turned on many of itś own citizens.

After the march, I took the students to Cafe Tortoni, THE classic cafe in Buenos Aires. Itś a fun place that harkens back to the days when Buenos Aires was at the forefront of literature and politics.

Jim

The group in BA

We are in Buenos Aires!!! Yes, we took the bus from Rosario to BA (thatś what they call Buenos Aires here) yesterday. Already we have walked along the Puerto Madero area, as well as seen the Casa Rosada and the Plaza de Mayo.

I know that some of you will be coming to Argentina over the next few months. I think thatś a great idea. After these days in BA, the students will know how to take the bus from Rosario, ride the subway in BA, and have a good general knowledge of the biggest things to see. I told them when family members come to visit THEY should plan to show YOU around and act as YOUR tour guide. Although they have classes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (and the advanced students on Friday morning) there is nothing required for Saturday through Monday, so they can get away for extended weekends.

The weather is beautiful here -- lots of sun, with highs in the upper 70s. I will not ask how the weather is back home.

Hasta luego,

Jim

Two steps forward, one step back

Trying to communicate in a language you didn't grow up with is difficult, and it gets even harder the older you are. I had one of those moments this evening at the supermarket. When I was checking out, one of the items I was buying was on a discount, but I needed a coupon, which I didn't have. So the cashier started talking to me, the woman behind me in line was talking to me, and everyone was staring, probably wondering why I wasn't responding. Finally, the woman behind me in line said to the cashier, "El es norteamericano."

So the secret was out and I couldn't hide it. But I figured with my broken Spanish I could at least explain where I was from and what I was doing in Rosario. We did what all people do to break the ice -- talk about the weather, and they knew that Iowa has been cold with a lot of snow. We all started laughing, and when I left they said "goodbye," the only English I heard my whole time in the store.

It's going to take me awhile before I start relaxing with Spanish. I don't know when it will happen, but I know it will!

Hasta luego,

J.

Meat in Argentina

Argentina has the highest per capita consumption of meat in the world. They love to eat meat here, and it's very, very good. The traditional form of meat consumed here is called asado, which is basically an Argentine version of barbecue. Today, the dean of the UCEL business school took me to lunch and I opted for asado.

Unlike in the U.S. where we typically eat one BIG piece of meat, often steak, asado is an assortment of meats, eaten in smaller portions. Today, I had:

Morcilla (pronounced "more-see-zha") (basically a blood sausage)
Chorizo - a sausage, like the chorizo you might be used to
Costilla - (pronounced "co-stee-zha") (beef short ribs)

There are a lot of other meats that can come with an asado. This site summarizes them quite well.

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/article/Argentina/Beef-Cuts-of-Meat/473

Most asado meats are very simply grilled, with salt. I can guarantee that you will not find steak sauce on your table, and if you asked for it I don't think they would know what you were talking about. Ketchup is available in Argentina, but ONLY for french fries. I suspect that if you tried to use ketchup on asado here, you would get a LOT of strange looks. Really, you don't want to put it on the meat since it is so tasty on its own.

So for those of you coming down to visit, if you like meat you HAVE to try asado.

JP

Sunday

First, a note on my blog. I changed one of my settings so that you don't have to be registered on the blog to make comments. I look forward to hearing your comments.

We have been here 4 days now. From my experience leading students abroad, as well as from our representatives at UCEL, at first it's good for the students to spend more time with me, for me to show them around, etc. As time goes on, however, it's important for the students to develop friendships with others their own age. This is one of the great strengths of partnering with UCEL. There are a lot of students here interested in meeting and communicating with non-native Spanish speakers in both Spanish and as a way to improve their English skills. And I feel better that the UCEL students are well known.

After we return from Buenos Aires, our students will start their classes a week before the regular UCEL students start. This will allow them to get used to taking classes and feeling comfortable around the campus before things get busier on campus.

Chau,

Jim

Walking Tour of the city of Rosario

I think the best way to get to know a city is by walking in it. Today we spent a few hours walking around the major pedestrian shopping area on Cordoba street. It was so much fun, and people enjoyed finding new things. Here are some pics from today of the Flag Monument (the Argentine flag was created here).

At our first day of orientation at UCEL (still a bit jet-lagged, but looking great!)

Al aeropuerto de Des Moines

Estamos en la Argentina!!!

WE HAVE ARRIVED!!! Our flight connections were fine and we all made it to Rosario. All of the students have moved in with their host families, and we had our full-day of orientation at UCEL, the university where we will have our classes. On Saturday we will take a walking tour of Rosario.

It is hot here -- yesterday in the low 90s, with rather high humidity (remember, we're south of the equator, so it is summer here), but a big thunderstorm last night seems to have cooled things down.

Jim

Less than a month before we go!!!

Welcome to Simpson College's Semester in Argentina blog!!!