Argentina – (ARG) – June 29th – July 26th

Welcome Global Works travelers, parents and friends.  We are excited to share with you trip updates from around the world.  As our main office receives updates from the trips we will update the page as we receive news from the field.

Update #1:
Day One – 6/30/10 – by Rachel Sanderson
Bienvenidos a Buenos Aires!  After eight hours on the plane, we finally made our descent into our long-awaited destination, Buenos Aires.  As a group, we hustled through customs, claimed our luggage, and finally met out other leader, Chris, who generously greeted us with medialunas (sweet croissants commonly eaten for breakfast in Argentina).  Soon after, we were on a bus traveling into Buenos Aries, where our hostel awaited.  All of us were exhausted, but eager to see the capital city.  Upon arriving at the hostel, we all wanted to go to sleep, but we were quickly back on our feet taking a walk to a traditional Argentine restaurant for lunch.

Our first meal in Argentina was a full three-course meal and it hit the spot for us hungry travelers.  For many, the meal consisted of steak, chicken, pasta, fish, and to finish it off, flan.  With food in our stomachs, we made it back to the hostel for a little bit of time to rest and recuperate from the long day.  After relaxing, we walked around the streets of Buenos Aires to a park where we played group games and practiced our Spanish.  All of us were extremely hungry after games, despite our fairly large lunch, so we walked until we came across a restaurant that was open early enough to serve us (traditionally restaurants don’t open up until later at night).  We settled down to eat pizza and empanadas and then journeyed back to the hostel and fell into a deep slumber.

Buenos Aires is a beautiful and vibrant city, and after just one day of being here, I can tell our group is going to have an amazing time in Argentina.

Day Two – 7/1/10 – by Samantha Teiger
Today we went on a bus tour where we were able to explore the incredible city of Buenos Aires.  Our guide spoke in Spanish and English so that we had the opportunity to practice our Spanish while still being able to understand the history of the city.

We stopped in La Boca, where we got to walk in and out of shops and talk to locals.  We had a very exciting night because we had tango lessons!  I was initially nervous to learn the dance, but the teachers made it easy and fun.  Our lessons were followed by a very nice dinner and amazing live music.  Today was especially great because we were able to learn a lot about the culture of Buenos Aires by seeing how people live throughout the city and experiencing it through music and dance.

Day Three – 7/2/10 – by Becca Feldman
I don’t think I could sum up today in words nearly as well as our circle did tonight.  From our stories about helping someone make their way through the airport to speaking to a local and coming closer to understanding the world from their perspective, I think we all came to understand why we are here and the meaning of our hard work today.  While some of the day was spent entranced by Holland’s victory and saddened by Ghana’s loss (well, some of us at least…) the majority of the day was spent on our service project.

We traveled to the outskirts of Buenos Aires and visited a small, more rural village called San Fernando.  There we visited un jardin de ninos, or kindergarten, where we were greeted by applauding children and teachers.  After exchanging songs and names, and receiving gifts that the children had made and cake with homemade dulce de leche, we got to work.  Some of us shoveled sand to help replace the sand in their sandbox while others painted one of the classrooms.  By the end of our workday, we had all made new friends, spoken with the locals, played with the children (particularly the lovable Pablo), and gained a new understanding of some of the struggles people face in Argentina and across the globe.  I think it is safe to say the day left a larger mark on us than just the green paint on our hands.

 

Update #2:
Day Four – 7/3/10 – by Nico Ravitch

Today was a very special day… today was the day when Argentina faced Germany in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.  It was also the first day on the trip where we got to sleep in.  After waking up at 10am, we had a delicious breakfast and gathered in the basement of our hostel to watch Argentina play Alemania (Germany) with some locals.

The game did not turn out well, resulting in a 4-0 loss for Argentina.  We were all very upset, but the game inspired us to go out and play some real futbol.  After leaving the basement, we quickly changed our clothes and walked to one of the many parks in Buenos Aires.  Before playing soccer, we practiced out Spanish for the upcoming homestays, which are going to be a lot of fun.  We then noticed some local boys playing soccer and asked to join their game.  Unfortunately, we lost pretty badly, but it was still fun.

After exhausting ourselves during the soccer game, everyone was ready to relax and get some rest.  Luckily, we were headed to the Buenos Aires Bus Terminal to take a 12-hour bus ride to our homestay town in the northern province of Misiones.  The bus was extremely comfortable and everyone had a good night’s rest.

Day Five – 7/4/10 – by Lisa Huynh

After a long twelve hours on a double-decker bus, we stopped in Posadas to switch buses.  Shortly after, we arrived in our homestay community, Bonpland.  We knew immediately that we would grow quite comfortable in this quaint little town.  As we got off the bus, we were welcomed with open arms by our families.  They greeted us with bright smiles and the customary greeting of two kisses on the cheek.  We spent the rest of the day getting to know our new families.

As expected, the first day was a bit awkward as we brushed up on our Spanish and settled into our new homes.  However, the awkwardness gradually faded as we bonded over the delicious meals our families prepared.  Later that day, everyone met up for a walking tour around out new community.  As we discovered, we are all in walking distance from one another, which makes things much easier.  The weather in Bonpland is much warmer than Buenos Aires.

After the tour, the group parted ways and continued bonding with the locals.  It’s safe to say that we are all looking forward to more adventures and learning more about how the people live in Bonpland.

Day Six – 7/5/10 – by Mackenzie Baker

Our first full day in Bonpland began at 7am.  Many of us enjoyed a wonderful breakfast consisting of bread, fruit, and dulce de leche.  Afterwards, we wandered over to the municipal building to meet our leaders and start our service projects.  We all walked over to the vocational/agricultural high school and we were very excited to meet the local teenagers.  We all played a name game called El Bandito to get to know the kids better.  They were very kind and gave us a tour of their farm where they learn skills and raise animals to help pay for their school’s expenses.  We saw huge pigs, fuzzy bunnys, chickens, and they even had their own fishpond with three different kinds of fish.

For lunch, instead of going back to our homestays, we went to the boys’ dormitory.  They served us a delicious pasta dish.  Then we had a break and some of us went to the park while others gathered at different houses to hang out.  In the afternoon, we went to the local farm and helped in the greenhouses.  We split into two groups, one group tied tomato plants to their support beams while the other group planted fertilizer.

After the work was done, we all felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment.  We spent the evening at one of our homestays playing futbol, gazing at the stars, and enjoying the company of each other and our family members.

Day Seven – 7/6/10 – by Colby Reed

Today was our third day in Bonpland.  We got to sleep in an hour later than the day before which was nice.  After a quick breakfast (which the Argentines don’t really eat) we headed to our meeting spot to find out what our service projects would be for the day.  We went back to the farm from the previous day to help put a roof on one of the greenhouses.  After we finished, it was cool to know that even though it seemed like a small job to us, it really helped them a lot.

After finishing our community service work, we headed back to the boys dorm of the local boarding school to watch the game between Uruguay and Holland.  It was cool to see how into the game all of the local boys were and how important it was to them.  After the game, we all went back and spent more time with our homestay families.  For some reason, it seemed like today was the day that everyone really connected with their homestay families.  All in all, it was a good day.

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We will write more soon and enjoy our photos!

 

Update #3: Our homestays in Bonpland continue!
Day Eight – 7/7/10 – by Teal Reopelle
Today, we woke up at an ungodly hour and after some deliciousness for breakfast, we headed to the local elementary escuela where we met hoards of tiny devilish children.  Actually, the morning group wasn’t that bad.  The kids broke up into three groups and a few Global Works kids worked with each group playing games like Duck, Duck, Goose and Simon Says.  Then, it was time to head into school to start teaching English.  With two of us in each room, we taught the children greetings, clothing, and colors in English.  They enjoyed the lessons a lot.  Before going home, the kids had us sign autographs.  Next, we all headed home for lunch and a siesta. Later, we went back to the school to teach and play games with the afternoon kids.  Now these were the devilish children.  They had far too much energy for sitting and listening to a lesson, but nonetheless, they enjoyed our visit to their classes. After signing more autographs, we all headed to Nico’s house to watch Germany lose to Spain in the World Cup.  We finished the night by having dinner with our families and having our nightly meeting in the house of one our homestay families.  We had an eventful and tiring day that made some of us think twice about having kids in the future.

Day Nine – 7/8/10 – by Simon Gottesfeld
Today was another great day of homestays in Argentina.  In the morning, the group split into two and half went to work at the farm while the other half stayed in town to paint one of the municipal buildings.  The group that went to the farm helped build the frame of a new greenhouse and they got to play soccer with some of the local farmers.  They also got a tour of Don Fernando’s chicken coup, where he raises chickens to help feed his family. In the afternoon, the whole group worked on the painting project and then we took a break to get ready for the talent show.  The talent show was a huge success.  We enjoyed many performances from the local kids, including a full tango routine and a performance of the regional chamame music by some of the boys from the technical school.  We also shared some songs of our own.  Everyone had a great time.

Day Ten – El Bicentenario de Argentina! – 7/9/10 – by Meera Shah
Today we met at the Municipalidad at 8:30am to start painting the salón (community center).  At 10am, we took a break from painting and walked to the elementary school, where a ceremony for Independence Day took place.  Today marks 200 years since Argentina gained its independence from Spain.  We watched as the children performed songs and plays depicting the history of Argentina.  After the ceremony, we returned to our respective houses for lunch. After lunch, we put on a carnival for the local kids in the school.  We played Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Musical Chairs, did some face painting, made some bracelets, bobbed for apples, and played an epic game of Red Rover en español .  The kids had a great time.  Then tonight we had a social event with some of the local teenagers.  After a few icebreaker games, we all headed to the plaza to hang out and practice our Spanish.

Day Eleven – 7/10/10 – by Adam Sokol
Today was Samantha’s birthday!  We woke up once again in Bonpland this morning, but today we were heading to the city.  We caught the 8:30am bus to Posadas.  When we arrived, we hopped on the public bus to the center of the city.  We designated a shopping mall as our meeting spot and split into groups.  We had a couple hours to shop and have lunch in our groups.  At 2pm, we all went to the movie theater to see Karate Kid, which to our surprise was completely in Spanish.

After the movie, we walked down to the river where we could see Paraguay.  We had our evening meeting and then we did some grocery shopping for our despedida (Goodbye Party) dinner.  We also got a chance to haggle for souvenirs and gifts at the flea market.   Later, we caught the bus back to Bonpland.  We went to the comedor for a “meeting,” which turned out to be a surprise party for Samantha, thrown by all of our homestay families.  We danced and had our fill of birthday cake and cookies.  Afterwards, we went to the plaza to hang out with the local teenagers, who are always fun and welcoming.

Day Twelve – 7/11/10 – by Sarah Gervasi
This day was one of my favorite days of the entire trip because it was the first day I didn’t have to set an alarm!  We slept in until about 11am and then went to the comedor to meet all of our homestay families for a traditional asado (Argentine barbeque).  I have never seen so much meat in my life!

After lunch, everyone went to Nico’s house to watch Spain’s victory in the World Cup Finals.  After the game, everyone went home to their respective families for some much-needed family bonding.

 

Update #4
Day 13 – 7/12/10 – by Daniel Stauffer
Today we slept in as a result of a storm that knocked out the power all over town.  We woke up around 10am, well rested and ready to work.  We went to a big room that is used for large ceremonies in Bonpland and we painted it purple.  I think we all appreciated the opportunity to contribute something lasting to this community that has given us so much.  We all went home after service work to relax and eat dinner with our families.

Day 14 – 7/13/10 – by Kristina Xiang
This morning we all got up early at 8am to finish painting and cleaning up the room we have been painting for a few days.  After three hours of hard work, we went back home for lunch and then went over to each other’s homes to cook and prepare a special dinner for the community.  Our homestay families have been asking us what we typically eat at home, so we decided to make them some “American” food.  We prepared macaroni & cheese, salad, hamburgers, hot dogs, baked ziti, and cheesecake.  After enjoying our meal and conversing with our families, each Global Works student read appreciations they had prepared in Spanish for their homestay families and the community.  It was bittersweet in that we knew it was the last night we’d spend with them, but we also realized that we have made lifelong friends.

After the appreciations, we all got energized and danced to the live band that Chris had hired to play the party.  We laughed and danced for hours until it was finally time to wind down and return to our homes to go to bed.  It was definitely an unforgettable night with both tears and laughter.  We all knew we had to leave the next day, but we also knew that we had been accepted into this wonderful and loving community with whom we created memories we’ll never forget.

Day 15 – 7/14/10 – by Becca Feldman
Today began with a tearful and bitterly cold start as we headed out to the Municipalidad to say our goodbyes to our homestay families.  After countless photos, hugs, and kisses, we were en route to Iguazu.  We made a few quick bathroom and candy stops before our longer stop at the crystal mines in Wanda.  Here we took a tour of the jewel-filled tunnels and purchased some of our own souvenirs.  Then we had a nice lunch of empanadas and milanesas.  An hour or so later, we arrived to our cabanas outside of Iguazu and settled in.  After a few hours rest, we headed in to the town of Iguazu to exchange money, use the internet and phones, and do some shopping.  By then we were all hungry and tired, so we headed to dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant.  We all enjoyed something a little less fried and with a few more veggies than we are used to (although I’m not sure it could be called “veggie mania” as Chris described it).  Our day ended with a trip to the grocery store in preparation for our Iron Chef competition.  It was a long day with mixed emotions, but our group was excited to move on and visit Iguazu.

Day 16 – 7/15/10 – by Samantha Teiger
Today we had the incredible opportunity to visit one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Iguazu Falls.  We took a lot of pictures with the beautiful falls in the background.  The view was amazing, and we also got to see Brazil across the water.  Not only did we get to see the falls from above on the deck, but we also got to take a boat ride in the water.  Soaking wet, we got off the boat, changed our clothes, and took the bus back to our cabins.  After a two-hour break, we prepared for our Iron Chef competition.  We were split into three groups, and each one was given and hour to cook in the hopes of impressing our celebrity judges, Ian McGelnegoff and Aunt Val (aka Darren & Lola) with a fantastic dinner.

In the end, everyone did an impressive job.  Group One made a tower of grilled cheeses, Group Two made an assortment of breakfast food, and Group Three served homemade salsa and “Mexican Pizzas.”  We were judged based on taste, presentation, creativity, and use of the secret ingredient (mango).  We all enjoyed hearing the judges’ hilarious interpretation of our work.  Today was a very exciting day, and when we went over our high points at the end of the day, most of the group had multiple things to share.

Day 17 – 7/16/10 – by Nico Ravitch
Today was our travel day from Iguazu Falls back to Buenos Aires.  We got to sleep in to a reasonable hour, then had a quick breakfast and headed to the airport.  While in the airport, we ate some more and shared some delicious milkshakes.  The flight to Buenos Aires was an hour and a half, then we met back up with our tour guide, Carolina, once we landed.  Reunited again with our hostel, we had a couple hours to use the internet, watch TV, and hang out.  After a couple hours of settling in, we were ready to hit the streets.  We were all very hungry, so the group went out for dinner and ordered a ton of pizzas and empanadas.  Then, we took the subway to a different neighborhood and walked down streets filled with vendors and shopkeepers.  After a couple hours of fun, the group went back to the hostel and fell right asleep.

Day 18 – 7/17/10 – by Rachel Sanderson
After a fulfilling night of rest and a day of traveling and settling in, we were off to Avenida Santa Fe to buy necessities for the cold temperatures that we would soon be facing in Mendoza.  We walked the street and ventured into the many stores buying leggings, socks, sweaters, and sweatpants.  We all ate lunch and then took the subway back to our hostel where we dropped off our purchases and then headed to a public bus to take a graffiti/street art tour.  During the tour, we walked by various walls decked out in graffiti painted by crews from across the globe and also walls skillfully painted by street artists.  In addition to viewing the walls, we toured a few art galleries with work from local artists.  After the unique tour, we traveled back to the hostel and settled in for the night because we knew we would have an early morning traveling to Mendoza.

 

Photo Update:

 

Update #5:
Day 19 – 7/18/10 – by Adam Sokol
This morning we woke up at 4:30am for the flight to Mendoza.  Unfortunately, a note that had been slipped under the door by Lola informed us that the flight was canceled due to bad weather.  After some more sleep, all the kids ate breakfast at different times.  It was pouting rain outside, so there wasn’t much to do, but Darren and Lola gave us a choice of activities for the afternoon.  One group went to a Chinese buffet with Darren and the other went to the mall with Lola to shop and eat lunch.  The two groups met back at the hostel to pack.  It turned out that Chris, who had been out all day looking for alternative transportation to Mendoza, had scheduled an overnight bus.  We went to the bus terminal.  After an hour on the bus, the bus stopped at another station.  It turned out that the bus had broken down.  We transferred buses and before we knew it, we were on our way to Mendoza!

Day 20 – 7/19/10 – by Simon Gottesfeld
As today was our first official day in the mountains, we spent a lot of time enjoying all of the beautiful views.  The day started with the end of a very long bus ride to Mendoza and a transfer to our Ecohostel in Malargue, where we will be staying for the next three nights.  The Ecohostel was nothing like any of us had ever seen.  The walls are made of adobe and they used recycled glass and plastic for the windows.  It is heated naturally, with a fireplace that is attached to a pipe going through the hostel.  The hostel looks like a very big mountain cabin because of its wooden frame and countless views.  After we arrived at the Ecohostel, the group enjoyed some “chill beans” time while waiting for dinner.  We all were able to enjoy some Direct TV, which is a rare treat on our trip.  Afterwards, we thoroughly enjoyed an amazing dinner of Shepherd’s Pie.  Since we were all exhausted from the long travel, we were more than excited to go to bed early after a short group meeting.

Day 21 – 7/20/10 – by Teal Reopelle
This morning, we woke up for our first morning at the Ecohostel.  At about 7:30, we ate breakfast at the hostel and then a bus took us into Malargue to the old folks home for a day of service work.  After spending some time with the old folks, we all got right to work by sanding the walls of the main sitting area.  Then, we painted the walls a lovely shade of Creamsicle orange, a nice change from the original flesh-colored peeling walls.  After working for the morning, we all gathered for a delish lunch of steak and other tasty foods.  We spent the afternoon continuing our painting and we worked on painting the ceiling white.  As it got colder, a suspiciously large number of people were painting the area above the heater… Later in the day, groups of us went to the ski rental place to get our snow gear for skiing & snowboarding in the mountains.   After cleaning up after our beautiful paint job, we headed back to the hostel where we ate a delicious din-din of mashed potatoes & meat pie.  We just chilled for the night at the hostel and went to bed early in preparation for a big day in the mountains.

Day 22 – 7/21/10 – by Colby Reed
Today was our first full day in Malargue and our first day of skiing.  We woke up early today around 7ish, had a quick breakfast, and then boarded the bus for the hour-long drive to Las Leñas.  The bus ride gave us all a good view of the mountains, which were like nothing we’d seen in the U.S.  Once we reached Las Leñas we did some last-minute equipment rental and then hit the slopes.  We split up into three groups:  advanced, intermediate, and beginner.  The advanced group headed to the tough trails, while the intermediates stayed on the greens & blues, and the beginners stayed on the bunny hill.  After a few runs, we met up at the bus to regroup and eat lunch and then we headed right back out.  And as for conditions, it was cold, windy, and snowing.  All the trails had good, fresh show on them, but some of the upper trails and lifts were still closed because of the wind and poor visibility.  The skiing and snowboarding was like nothing found in the States, or at least on the East Coast.  We skied until 5:30 and then boarded the bus to head back to the hostel.  After a delicious dinner, we got a quick avalanche lesson from Darren and got to see some of his pictures from Alaska.  All in all, it was another great day.

Day 23 – 7/22/10 – by Mackenzie Baker
Today was our second day of skiing at Las Leñas and it started out fairly early.  We were all up at 7am and we had breakfast at 7:30am.  It was a delicious breakfast of yogurt, granola, cereal, fruit, and coffee.  Then we headed to the bus to get to the slopes, which was really beautiful since it was a sunny day.  Once we reached the mountains, everyone was excited to see how perfect it was outside, so we rushed to put all our gear on.  Finally, when we were all ready to go, people split into different groups to go skiing and snowboarding.  Some went on greens, blues, reds, and even off the trails, the powder was amazing and it was so sunny out.  Towards the end of the day I realized how lucky we all were, because what teenager can say that they went skiing in the Andes in the middle of July?  At the end of the day, we were all ecstatic, yet tired from a great day of skiing.  When we got back, a delicious dinner of hamburgers, mashed potatoes, and salad was waiting for us at the Ecohostel.  Also, it was Celeste’s birthday, so we made her a card and sang Happy Birthday in Spanish.

Day 24 – 7/23/10 – by Lisa Huynh
After three full days in the mountains, it was time to finally say goodbye to Malargue.  We woke up at 8am, just in time for breakfast.  Once everyone was done eating, about half the group went shopping at a local artisan’s shop while everyone else stayed back at the hostel.  Those who went to check out the artisan’s goods ended up being very pleased with their finds.  After the last-minute purchases, we headed back to the hostel for lunch.  Everyone chowed down on some delicious pizza, making sure our stomachs were full for the travel day ahead.  After lunch, we said our goodbyes to our friends that we had made during our stay in Malargue and got on the bus.  Although the five-hour bus ride was long and dull at times, we made the best of it by playing games and telling riddles.  Before we knew it, we had arrived at the airport, just in time for check-in.  The airplane ride was short and comfortable.  When we got back to the hostel, we had some delicious rotisserie chicken for dinner and then headed to bed in preparation for our last couple of days in Buenos Aires.

Day 25 – 7/24/10 – by Meera Shah
Today we were able to sleep in and then, after breakfast, we went to the park for our final circle where we shared our highlights and favorite moments of the trip.  Afterwards, we walked around Palermo and did some shopping.  Then around 5pm, we came back to the hostel to get ready for dinner and the Fuerza Bruta show.  We had an amazing dinner of traditional Argentine food and then went to see the show.  It was like nothing we had ever seen, they even had people in a giant plastic swimming pool suspended over the crowd.  Everyone really enjoyed the show.  Then, we went out dancing to celebrate our final night in Argentina.

Day 26 – 7/25/10 – by Darren Ovitsky
After a wonderful night of celebration, the group slept in today and had a late breakfast.  In the afternoon, we went to the world-famous San Telmo fair to enjoy our last taste of Argentine food and search for some last-minute gifts.  The rainy weather was appropriate for the impending bittersweet despedida.  Then we made our way back to the hostel and got ready to head to the airport.  Once there, we all exchanged phone numbers and emails and took some last-minute photos with one another.  It was hard to say goodbye after a month of sharing so many memorable experiences, but I rest assured that we are all leaving this experience with a new perspective on the world and our place in it.  We have made so many friends and shared experiences that we will never forget.  We leave here with a sense of connection to the people and the culture of Argentina that will last throughout our lives.