By kbartz34
My family and I woke-up early this morning to tour some of the local castles and palaces that line the Chilean Coastline. In celebration of Patrimony Day, all public buildings that are normally privatized are open for tours. What neat insight into Chilean history and contemporary politics!
By jtmanley
The 25th of May is probably the most important date in Argentine calendar. On May 25, 1810, the citizens of Buenos Aires expelled the Viceroy of the Río de la Plata (roughly modern-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay), Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, established the Primera Junta government, and began the Argentine War of Independence. For 203 years, Argentines have gathered to celebrate this seminal event in world history. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people took to the Plaza de Mayo, the place where all those events occurred, to celebrate "Argentina, the Fatherland, Liberty, and Equality." ...continue reading "The Party at the Plaza de Mayo"
By kbartz34
This weekend my family's apartment was filled to the brim (and then some) with family from all over Chile. In preparation for the big wedding celebration, all 29 members of our side of the family slept in our apartment. I have never heard so much singing and laughter all through the night! The ceremony was just as beautiful as the rest of the festivities. What a blessing to be welcomed into this family!
By jtmanley
I finally got my student visa this week! After two months, I finally received the document that gives my time down here a little bit more legitimacy. In Argentina, exchange students enter into the country as tourists and get their student visa later. The tourist status is good for 90 days and can be renewed. When I returned from Chile, my tourist status started again. As an UCA exchange student, the UCA International Office helped up through the lengthy process, and I am grateful that it is all over.
The first step involved getting a background check (you can't be a criminal and study in Argentina). When I went to the first Migrations office to complete this step, I gave the official my original passport, a copy of the passport page with my personal information, and $40 pesos. The official then gave me a document (a Comprobante del Trámite de Antecedentes) that I had to hold onto for eight days. After those eight days were up, I had to print out my Certificado Digital de Antecedentes Penales to begin the second step of the process. The second step involved me bringing my original passport and a photocopy of all the pages in it, my certificado, a 4-by-4 photo (it was a little bit hard to find places that made these), $300 pesos, and an official note from UCA detailing my status there. ...continue reading "The Student Visa"
By kbartz34
My eldest host sister is in the process of getting married! Here in Chile, this life event turns into more of several days of festivities starting with the civil ceremony. For this week's post, I have included some of the photos from this first event. As my gift to the bride and groom I am acting as the official wedding photographer. The first wedding I ever photographed was in Serbia last summer, so maybe I'll consider a career in international wedding photography!
By nfiszer
This semester, I had the incredible opportunity to get to know various people and communities within Brazil through field study and community engagement. I was able to live in traditional rural communities and a major city, experiencing daily life and comparing the routines and relationships of Brazilian families, with my own life. I also gained access to health clinics and hospitals, getting a chance to study the health system close up through participant observation and interaction with providers. These amazing learning experiences culminated in the three - week period I have to conduct my own research about health here in Brazil. I chose to shadow and understand community perceptions of community health workers - a basic part of the Brazilian health care system that aims to provide preventative care services and human face to the health system for all citizens. The idea of a community health worker is something that has always interested me within public health, as it demonstrates the best of motivated community members taking action to promote health among their friends, families, and communities. By pinpointing which aspects are most necessary and impactful through the lens of community members, I hoped to provide insight into how a program like this can be strengthened, or established from the beginning. ...continue reading "Everything my semester has led up to – public health research!"
By rachels522
My favorite thing that we did in Costa Rica was stay in an indigenous Bri Bri tribe.
To get to the remote tribe we had to take a two hour boat ride upstream. Occasionally we had to get out of the boat to help push it up the river because it was so shallow. After the ride we got to a picture perfect community with thatched huts. The buildings were way bigger than I expected and were completely made of wood and thatched palm. There was no electricity, except for one light in the kitchen area. For the full 4 days we were there we showered by jumping into a river. The tribe is in complete isolation and far upstream, so the river water is pretty much as clean as any water coming from a tap. ...continue reading "Indigenous Living"
By jtmanley
Last Saturday, my friends and I went to the Centro Ana Frank in barrio Belgrano. Having known about the Anne Frank story and the eponymous museum in Amsterdam, I was excited to see what what in store. Surprisingly, the Center was not on any of the tourist maps that I got months earlier, which usually go to great lengths to point out interesting cultural spots around town. After taking the Subte's D line to the terminal stop, Congreso de Tucumán, we walked for 20 minutes until we got to the unassuming yellow house, the front banner of Anne's face greeting us with a smile as we entered. ...continue reading "Anne Frank in Belgrano"
By hkbardo
Working with UMPMRS has been both meaningful and challenging. I wish that the project I initially intended on assisting with was further along in its fruition, but as with many non-profits, and especially the way things work in Brazil, one must be patient and adjust expectations to a more relaxed time frame. That said, my daily experience in and around the organization is always insightful, whether I am actually helping to feed and instruct children, or simply observing the inner workings of the NGO and the myriad obstacles its staff must constantly confront. Walking up and down the favela each time is an eye-opening experience in itself, and listening to the harrowing stories of various residents within the community has been thought-provoking. ...continue reading "Reflecting on Volunteering with UMPMRS"
By jtmanley
Yesterday, a friend and I attend Festival PUMM! Festival Sustentable para un Mundo Mejor. This free, no ticket required event was sponsored by the Government of the City of Buenos Aires and held in the barrio of Belgrano right next to Aeroparque Jorge Newberry. The festival brought together some very big names in Argentine and Brazilian reggae scene to perform some of their hits. We got there a little after 1.00 p.m. when stage tests were still being done. We left a little after 9.00 p.m. Yes, that's 8 hours of standing! It was worth it though.
There were six musical acts in total (three minor acts and three headliners). Argentine reggae band Lacandona Social Sound was the first to perform. They started things out right with good songs. Things backtracked a little bit when Caña de Azúcar got on stage, as they were unable to maintain the audience's attention. Rondamon picked up the ball and impressed me with their interesting addition of electronic elements to the traditional roots reggae sound. Ending the minor act portion of the show, Rondamon paid homage to Bob Marley with a good interpretation of "Buffalo Soldier." I actually bet my friend at the beginning of the show that if any band played a Marley song it would be that one. ...continue reading "Reggae Buenos Aires Style"