Today was my last day at el comedor. I was looking forward to seeing the kids and seeing their reactions to the mural. They all LOVED it! They spent forever looking at all the tiles and searching for their own! But then the strangest thing happened…
We sat down to eat, we ate lunch, and then they all left. They just ate and left—no goodbyes, no nothing. I was shocked. They knew it was my last day (or I thought they did) and they also knew I was THERE, which means the classroom could be unlocked to play with all the toys/books/games.
So I was in the classroom with about four kids and we sat in a circle and played UNO for an hour. Low-key, no stress, no screaming kids, and everyone put away their toys after playing with it. But in reality, no one was really there.
So I told the handful that actually WAS there that we were going on a fieldtrip to find the other kids. I wanted a photo with the kids, the mural, and me and gosh darn if I wasn’t going to travel around the entire neighborhood to find my kids! And that’s exactly what we did. I traveled to four different houses and successfully rounded up a majority of my “regulars.”
We got back to el comedor, and they were cleaning the floor (of course)…so we had to wait. So they played quietly in the classroom and I took quite a few pictures. Then the photo shoot started. Half the kids didn’t even want to be in the photo! It was so disappointing. But I have a few shots of me and a group of the younger girls with the mural and none of the girls wanted to smile for the camera either. So it looks like they were threatened to be in the photo.
Then, to top it all off, as soon as the camera was turned off the kids just ran out! I heard a few “ciaos,” but no hugs or anything. I did convince the two twin girls to give me a hug, so it made me feel a little better, but within minutes, they were all gone and that was that.
The mothers were much more affectionate and I received a hug and best wishes from all of them. Maria even walked me down to the bus stop to chat a little bit more before I left.
But it was a weird goodbye…
Monday, August 10, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Overcoming Boredom
Today was a long, boring day. I found out that the kids are not allowed to come back until MONDAY! Their first day back is my last day—and I’ll need to leave earlier than usual since I have to get home to finish packing and not miss my flight. Also, they aren’t celebrating El Dia de Los Niños with a big fiesta until the 16th of August, so I’ll miss out, which is a bummer.
To pass the time, I wrote out the directions for taking care of the mural (basically, only clean with a feather duster, and DON’T TOUCH IT). I also delivered the extra unused (but painted) tiles to their respective homes—so I got a nice walk around the neighborhood.
However, after all this it still wasn’t 1pm. The mothers took extra long today to cook, and we weren’t handing out food to the families until 2:15pm. We had a small set back when no one had yet cut the cheese (no pun intended) to put with the batata. So there was a quick frenzy of cutting thin slices appropriate enough to feed everyone and to not delay the food serving any longer.
So tomorrow and Friday will be spent doing very little, but I’ll still go to help when I can (especially with regards to the photos in the dining hall).
The day ended with fun news. Maria Rodriguez, the mother closest to me in age (she’s 23 and already has 3 kids), invited me to join her and the other mothers on a girl’s night out on Friday. I’m definitely going and am very curious to see how the evening with go. The youngest mother is 23, but everyone else is 28 or above. All have at least three children if not more (except one mother who has two). I'll have to see how these parents party!
A quick side note: I posted another photo on the bottom of the webpage with me in it, so you get a better idea of the size of the mural…
To pass the time, I wrote out the directions for taking care of the mural (basically, only clean with a feather duster, and DON’T TOUCH IT). I also delivered the extra unused (but painted) tiles to their respective homes—so I got a nice walk around the neighborhood.
However, after all this it still wasn’t 1pm. The mothers took extra long today to cook, and we weren’t handing out food to the families until 2:15pm. We had a small set back when no one had yet cut the cheese (no pun intended) to put with the batata. So there was a quick frenzy of cutting thin slices appropriate enough to feed everyone and to not delay the food serving any longer.
So tomorrow and Friday will be spent doing very little, but I’ll still go to help when I can (especially with regards to the photos in the dining hall).
The day ended with fun news. Maria Rodriguez, the mother closest to me in age (she’s 23 and already has 3 kids), invited me to join her and the other mothers on a girl’s night out on Friday. I’m definitely going and am very curious to see how the evening with go. The youngest mother is 23, but everyone else is 28 or above. All have at least three children if not more (except one mother who has two). I'll have to see how these parents party!
A quick side note: I posted another photo on the bottom of the webpage with me in it, so you get a better idea of the size of the mural…
La Historia de La Floresta
This soup kitchen (comedor) was started fifteen years ago. It is officially called “Centro Infantial La Floresta” or “Floresta Centro” (because there is also a Floresta Norte and Floresta Sur). The women I cook with every day were the same women who constructed the entire comedor, brick by brick.
It originally had a small orchard/farm in the back with vegetables, chickens, and even rabbits. However, over time, they weren’t able to keep it up and it made more sense to have the food delivered—for both greater quantities and most likely better quality.
The dining hall used to be the classroom and had paintings on the walls of Disney characters (ex. Woody the woodpecker and Simba) and basic numbers (1, 2, 3). The room in the back, where the outdoor kitchen is was a recent addition, constructed entirely by the volunteering mothers.
It also has recently received a paint job; recently in the sense that it happened in the past five years, since the “new” paint has already worn off in many areas. The bottom half of all the walls used to be blue, but is now a dark brown.
La Floresta has overcome many changes in the past fifteen years, and they still have plans to improve it. They want to install wooden bookshelves in the classroom to create a more “professional” library. They also want to install a door (picture a garage door) for the fourth wall of the classroom. Tomorrow and Friday, I plan to help Amalia put up pictures from the past years along the walls of the dining hall to compliment the mural.
It originally had a small orchard/farm in the back with vegetables, chickens, and even rabbits. However, over time, they weren’t able to keep it up and it made more sense to have the food delivered—for both greater quantities and most likely better quality.
The dining hall used to be the classroom and had paintings on the walls of Disney characters (ex. Woody the woodpecker and Simba) and basic numbers (1, 2, 3). The room in the back, where the outdoor kitchen is was a recent addition, constructed entirely by the volunteering mothers.
It also has recently received a paint job; recently in the sense that it happened in the past five years, since the “new” paint has already worn off in many areas. The bottom half of all the walls used to be blue, but is now a dark brown.
La Floresta has overcome many changes in the past fifteen years, and they still have plans to improve it. They want to install wooden bookshelves in the classroom to create a more “professional” library. They also want to install a door (picture a garage door) for the fourth wall of the classroom. Tomorrow and Friday, I plan to help Amalia put up pictures from the past years along the walls of the dining hall to compliment the mural.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Lack of Children
I had imagined a crazy day. All the kids returning, screaming, throwing things, each one wanting to do a different thing…I knew I’d be exhausted, but it would be worth it, because today was going to be the grand day when everyone saw the mural!
As should be expected, nothing ever goes quite as planned. In fact, no children came today. A member of the Health Ministry needs to come to el comedor and officially reopen it before families are allowed to eat there and kids are allowed to come. And no one knows when that will be. It could be tomorrow, it could be late this week, and it could be after I leave. So today was spent chopping onions, garlic, and preparing today’s postre—batata and queso—delicious. We’ll just have to wait until the government decides to show up.
As should be expected, nothing ever goes quite as planned. In fact, no children came today. A member of the Health Ministry needs to come to el comedor and officially reopen it before families are allowed to eat there and kids are allowed to come. And no one knows when that will be. It could be tomorrow, it could be late this week, and it could be after I leave. So today was spent chopping onions, garlic, and preparing today’s postre—batata and queso—delicious. We’ll just have to wait until the government decides to show up.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
El Dia de la Pachamama
Yesterday was a holiday celebrating Mother Earth (la Madre de la Tierra). Laura and Miguel had a small fiesta to celebrate and to demonstrate the ceremony that is done. Since it is a day to celebrate Mother Earth, who provides for us throughout the year, the ceremony is our chance to give back and show our thanks. So in one of the patios, Miguel dug a small hole. Within the hole, they pour water and wine. They also spread incense, and put in coca leaves, cigarettes, fake money, rice, and other types of food (everything in very small quantities of course). After each person has given back to Mother Earth, they cover up the hole and leave it there for the next year to represent their thanks and devotion to the abundance Mother Earth provides annually.
I was told this tradition originated from the indigenous tribes of this area and is not celebrated throughout Argentina.
Miguel also had friends over to help us celebrate. They were a family who lives out in the mountains and had come into town for the past two weeks for the winter vacation’s feria, selling their goods. I had actually bought a blanket from them made from llama’s wool earlier that day. And for the main meal, our guests had brought llama meat. So last night, I ate llama.
It did not taste like chicken. It tasted similar to beef, but was less greasy, and very tasty. Also, in order to make sure everyone ate together, we didn’t end up eating until 11:30pm (which is a record for me) and while I only lasted until about 1:30am, I believe the party kept going for a while after.
It was one of more interesting “religious” ceremonies I’ve been to, since it’s the only one that isn’t based on a monotheistic textbook religion that is normally taught. It is a community’s religious practice based primarily on what they are given, since that is what keeps them living. While a majority is Catholic, each province of Argentina is a different kind of Catholic. I don’t mean separate denominations, but each area uses Catholicism differently. Some rarely practice it. Others are extremely devoted and regularly attend religious services. Some practice it daily by doing the motions of a cross every time they pass by a church (which I see often on the bus). While others, such as Miguel, incorporate their ancestral traditions and create a new religion—a combination of the Catholic influence and one’s own religious heritage.
I was told this tradition originated from the indigenous tribes of this area and is not celebrated throughout Argentina.
Miguel also had friends over to help us celebrate. They were a family who lives out in the mountains and had come into town for the past two weeks for the winter vacation’s feria, selling their goods. I had actually bought a blanket from them made from llama’s wool earlier that day. And for the main meal, our guests had brought llama meat. So last night, I ate llama.
It did not taste like chicken. It tasted similar to beef, but was less greasy, and very tasty. Also, in order to make sure everyone ate together, we didn’t end up eating until 11:30pm (which is a record for me) and while I only lasted until about 1:30am, I believe the party kept going for a while after.
It was one of more interesting “religious” ceremonies I’ve been to, since it’s the only one that isn’t based on a monotheistic textbook religion that is normally taught. It is a community’s religious practice based primarily on what they are given, since that is what keeps them living. While a majority is Catholic, each province of Argentina is a different kind of Catholic. I don’t mean separate denominations, but each area uses Catholicism differently. Some rarely practice it. Others are extremely devoted and regularly attend religious services. Some practice it daily by doing the motions of a cross every time they pass by a church (which I see often on the bus). While others, such as Miguel, incorporate their ancestral traditions and create a new religion—a combination of the Catholic influence and one’s own religious heritage.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
It's Done
I have no words to sufficiently describe the feelings of relief and happiness I have now that it’s all done.
A photo is at the bottom of the web page.
A photo is at the bottom of the web page.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Still Not Done
Today was extremely stressful. It turns out the varnish ruined a handful of the tiles. We tried it on a spare, and it seemed to work fine, but we didn’t take into account that the tile is standing upright, and gravity will make the marker run. I can’t even begin to explain how upset I was (and am), especially knowing there is nothing I can do. In addition, we still haven’t finished, and today I went out to buy lamination paper to put over it. Don Flores says this is the only other option—so tomorrow, on Saturday, I’m off to el comedor to finish this mural. I could wait until Sunday morning to do it, since tomorrow is el Dia de la Pachamama and I should be celebrating, but I’m too driven and frustrated to wait another day. It’s going to happen tomorrow, end of story.
I may try and fix up a few of the biggest mistakes on the ruined tiles—at least where it’s most important with names being unreadable. But when told something was wrong, Amalia couldn’t find the mistake—so I guess it’s not as bad as I seem to make it. Laura also tried to make me feel better that even if there are a few blips, in the end I accomplished a lot more than past volunteers, so the motivation and initiative will be truly appreciated for years to come (since I hope this mural stays up for quite some time).
After a stressful beginning, I took my frustration out on helping the mothers cook, which kept my mind occupied. I had also baked cookies for dessert especially for the mothers to thank them for all of their help. During lunch we chatted about all sorts of things. They asked questions about whether or not Americans had a problem with Obama being black (I said the discussion was more about whether or not he was Muslim), what was a marshmallow (they asked if it was a fruit), and what is peanut butter (and what do we use it for). Most of their questions concerning American culture and food came from what they’ve seen on the Simpsons. Then, Amalia asked if soup kitchens existed—which they do—and she was surprised that a first-world country like the U.S. would still have enough poor people to need soup kitchens. Also, Adela talked about what she heard concerning the U.S. kicking the Native Americans out of their homelands, and even the rumors that the government kicked them out of the country entirely.
It was an extremely interesting meal, and it was one of the first times they had asked so many questions about where I come from. And it ended with oohs and ahhs and requests for the recipe of the chocolate chip cookies. They were all gone within 15 minutes!
I just hope tomorrow goes smoothly. This has been my longest week since I’ve been here and I want it to end. The fact that its dragging into a Saturday isn’t helping either.
I may try and fix up a few of the biggest mistakes on the ruined tiles—at least where it’s most important with names being unreadable. But when told something was wrong, Amalia couldn’t find the mistake—so I guess it’s not as bad as I seem to make it. Laura also tried to make me feel better that even if there are a few blips, in the end I accomplished a lot more than past volunteers, so the motivation and initiative will be truly appreciated for years to come (since I hope this mural stays up for quite some time).
After a stressful beginning, I took my frustration out on helping the mothers cook, which kept my mind occupied. I had also baked cookies for dessert especially for the mothers to thank them for all of their help. During lunch we chatted about all sorts of things. They asked questions about whether or not Americans had a problem with Obama being black (I said the discussion was more about whether or not he was Muslim), what was a marshmallow (they asked if it was a fruit), and what is peanut butter (and what do we use it for). Most of their questions concerning American culture and food came from what they’ve seen on the Simpsons. Then, Amalia asked if soup kitchens existed—which they do—and she was surprised that a first-world country like the U.S. would still have enough poor people to need soup kitchens. Also, Adela talked about what she heard concerning the U.S. kicking the Native Americans out of their homelands, and even the rumors that the government kicked them out of the country entirely.
It was an extremely interesting meal, and it was one of the first times they had asked so many questions about where I come from. And it ended with oohs and ahhs and requests for the recipe of the chocolate chip cookies. They were all gone within 15 minutes!
I just hope tomorrow goes smoothly. This has been my longest week since I’ve been here and I want it to end. The fact that its dragging into a Saturday isn’t helping either.
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