Felíz Año Nuevo!!!!

El Río, "La Playa Cordobesa" where I went last weekend

Today was my last day of camp, what a relief! The kids played "war" with water guns and divided up into teams. Each kid had "5 lives" aka 5 times that they were able to get  wet. Whoever survives for the longest amount of time without getting wet wins, as well as their team. Last week at camp every day was boiling hot with a lot of sun. This week it was gloomy and rained almost every day (luckily not today but there was no sun).

I'm embarrassed to say this, but I went to Walmart to buy a few things for sleep away camp. I wanted to go somewhere where I could find everything in the same place, instead of running around and going to 10 different stores. I bought an air mattress, some clothes (from what I heard, the camp seems to be very primitive and I don't want my clothes to get ruined) and snacks for the long bus ride (we are taking the bus from Córdoba to Villa Gesell, which I heard is a 12 hour bus ride).

This morning I went to the center of the city to buy some last minute things for sleep away camp (I leave monday). I woke up really early because I heard that many businesses were going to close at 12PM.

So in the last blog I mentioned how I had no electricity for 2 days. Sunday night I had no running water and monday morning when I wanted to shower after my swim class there was no hot water. So yea, if I find a better apartment (and hopefully with a roommate) I am moving!

I had my last swim class today which was sad, because I really enjoy it. Todays workout was very difficult, 8 sets of 100 IM, then 4 sets of 200 of each stroke (EX: 50 butterfly kick, 50 butterfly arms, 100 butterfly full stroke...). I can't even remember the rest of the workout but it killed me, butterfly is so difficult! An interesting cultural thing - I live 2 blocks from the swimming pool and everyday I would walk to the pool in flip flops, my bathing suit (not a bikini, a regular swimmers bathing suite) and a towel covering me. The other day, my instructor asked me why I walk around the city in a towel and I explained to her that I live 2 blocks from the pool, and whats the point in getting dressed up if I'm just going to change into my bathing suite? She said that that it is socially unacceptable to walk around the city that way, even if it's just 2 blocks. You bet that today I came to the pool fully dressed. In California I always arrived at the pool that way and it was totally acceptable. But this is Argentina and in general Argentines dress much nicer and put together than Americans.

More quilombo in Argentina, but don't worry, it's just the usual. This is my first time in Argentina around new years (last year I was in Peru) and apparently every year around this time, all of the banks run out of money. Why do they run out of money? Because Argentina is a cash society. People don't trust the banks (Argentina had a huge financial crisis in 2001) and they literally would rather put money under their mattress instead of in the bank ( I know people whose parents do this). So the problem is that now is the high season to go on vacation which means that people are taking out money from the ATM very quickly to spend it on traveling and vacation (which of course is payed with cold hard cash, no credit card or check) and the banks can't keep up. Also, I guess now is when many people get their paychecks so there were long lines at the bank with people waiting to get their paycheck, except that it's cash and I'm guessing they are going home to put it under their mattress...When I heard about what's going on with the banks, I ran to the ATM and was lucky that I was able to withdraw money. I watched many stories on the news that senior citizens were not able to receive their paychecks or their social security check (in cash) and were waiting in the banks for hours in the boiling heat without AC. I also saw many long lines at the banks with frustrated people, because the banks had no more cash. It's moments like this where I think to myself how lucky I am to live in the United States (although I do love Argentina) and although we are in crisis, I can withdraw money anytime I want.  

I've also been hearing rumors that costs will go up, for everything in Argentina (I do remember this, that after new years the prices rise for everything thanks to inflation. I remember when I studied abroad in Buenos Aires in 2008 the starting rate for a taxi was 2.60 pesos and now it's 5.60 pesos...yay inflation). Being that today is the last day of 2010, many people have bought tons of things and have stalked up because January 1, 2011 the price will rise. This phenomenom will also affect the "cospel" the Córdoba bus token, which I knew but for some reason I briefly forgot the consequences of this. Today I went to 5 kiosks to buy bus coins and no one had and at first I couldn't figure out why. Then I remembered that people probably stalked up on cospels and for that reason there are non left, until 2011 when the price will rise (before it was 2 pesos for 1 cospel and I heard it will rise to 2.20).

Tonight is New Years and I was invited to have dinner with the Sefardi family and then later I'm sure I'll linger on over to some party. I'm sure it will be a good time, because Argentines know how to have fun and party!

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!!

Verano!

Las sierras Cordobesas, "The Cordoba Mountains"

As promised, I have finally uploaded a picture from the Cordoba mountains. This is a picture of a maze that I did with a friend within the mountains and it was quite difficult!

Not much is going on at work because of summer but this is what I have been working on...

Hillel: The Hillel House officially closed on December 14th so nothing is going on there until February/March. I still am technically working though, but only through email because we need to finish planning Alternative Spring Break for Juniata College that will be coming in March.

Social welfare center: Things are very quiet there. For now I have been organizing the files of the beneficiaries, taking out old information/documents and putting in new info. Last tuesday I didn't go to work because I had a meeting with the 2 Argentine girls about the trip to Los Angeles. I felt a little guilty about missing work but we achieved a lot in that meeting, and it was the only time they had to meet up.

Macabi: I am working at the day camp there, being a counselor "madrija" for 15 kids between the ages of 9,10,11 years old (the oldest age group at camp). Camp starts at 3PM and ends at 7PM. Basically the schedule is set so that for an hour the kids play sports, the next hour is instructional swim, the next hour is sports again and the last hour is free time in the pool. The structure of this camp is very different from what I am accustomed to. When I went to day camp in the U.S., we did sports and swam in the pool but there were also other activities such as art, theater, cooking, creative writing, mad science ect. This day camp seems to be more focused on sports and when I mentioned the idea of jewelry making I got very weird and surprised looks. I'm having a good time at camp and the kids are great but I'm not going to lie, I often get very frustrated and annoyed because this age group is not my specialty.

Argentina:
- The weekend of December 10th I went to Buenos Aires. I went because I had to renew my visa so I went to Uruguay for the day (it's easier and cheaper to get to Uruguay from Buenos Aires rather than Córdoba). It was FREEZING cold and RAINING in Buenos Aires and Uruguay (I heard it was beautiful weather in Córdoba). Upon my return to Córdoba, I went to a meeting at Macabi which was basically a summary of how the year went. Each department within Macabi gave a presentation about how they thought the year was for their department, challenges, successes and goals for next year. It was an interesting meeting, with lots of people and it was great to learn more about how Macabi functions, to put names to faces and to meet new people.
- Being that it's very quite in Córdoba, both in the city and with work, I thought to myself, hmmm I wonder if I could go back to Buenos Aires next weekend (December 17th). I double and triple checked with all of my jobs to make sure that there was no work, meetings or training and everyone said no so I left again for Buenos Aires the night of December 15th. I wanted to go back again because I felt like I had no time to see my friends (due to my trip to Uruguay) and it was so cold the previous weekend that I felt like I hardly was able to go out and enjoy the city, "no tenia ganas de salir". Plus, I usually have to work weekends so I wanted to take advantage of this free time. It was great going back and I did everything that I wanted to do that I was unable to do the previous weekend, and the weather was glorious!!! I went to the JDC office and had lunch with Zara (a JSC fellow) and met some of the staff (who are great by the way), I briefly met Martin who I will be working with in Buenos Aires for 13/17 program in January, I tried chocolate ginger ice cream which is amazing and my new addiction now (thanks Zara). When I'm in Buenos Aires in January I swear I will eat that ice cream every day!!!
- More protests in Córdoba, I think about the same things as before but I'm not sure (the new education law about teaching religion in public schools). My bus route was cut off by the protestors so I had to walk a little more than I normally would (but only an extra 2 blocks). The other day in the center of the city I saw people chained to bike racks going on a hunger strike (about the education law). You may think that this sounds a bit nuts but the truth is that if these kinds of things were not going on, I would be a bit concerned, because this is Argentina and Argentines love to protest. It's not dangerous at all to walk through the protests (don't worry mom). For me personally, I always think its so interesting to watch the protestors. I get to learn more about Argentina and political and social problems, learn their methods of communication, and watch all different types of people gather together that normally would not associate with each other.
- Friday and saturday the electricity kept going on and off in my building (that's why I am writing the blog today instead of friday). I have no idea why I lost electricity but I heard that during the summer electricity throughout the city could be shut off for a few hours due to the fact that too many AC's are running at once and the power can't handle it. I'm assuming it had something to do with that. Everything is back to normal now
- Yesterday I went to the río, aka the Córdoba beach. Córdoba is not on the ocean but there are many lakes and rivers where "la gente Cordobesa" often go to soak up the sun and go swimming. It was so beautiful, so natural, a laid back and calm atmosphere, filled with families making "asados" (Argentine BBQ) and swimming "en la naturaleza". I have never been to a río before and I REALLY enjoyed it. It was so beautiful, so calm and relaxing and I loved people watching. I took many pictures and I will put one up in the next blog.
- As I've said before, it's summer here and the city definitely feels empty, especially in my neighborhood because before it was filled with university students and now many of them have left to go home. Many businesses are closed, there are less taxis (the other day I waited 10 minutes for a taxi and before all I had to do was walk outside and there would be at least 5) and many businesses have shorter hours. I heard that in January even less is open in Córdoba so luckily I won't be here for that (I'll be working at the sleep away camp in Villa Gesell for 2 weeks and then in Buenos Aires for the rest of January).
- For my swim class I got moved up from the basic class to advance. In the advance class, the people really do swim...a lot and don't stand around and talk to each other (which I prefer, because my thinking is that yes I do like to talk and socialize but I came to the pool to go swimming and get a good workout!). I am the slowest swimmer in the advance class but that doesn't bother me at all.

That's about all that has been going on for now, nothing too exciting but verano es así. I hope to go back to the río next weekend and do more walking around and exploring of Córdoba :-)

Januca!

                                            Celebrating Januca in Buen Pastor, Córdoba, Argentina
                                                                   "Chanukah for everyone"

Hola a todos. My gramma told me that when I write in pink (although it is the best color ever!) it is hard for her to read so now I will write in black. This is all for you gramma!

I'm writing to you today because tomorrow I go to Buenos Aires/Uruguay (to renew my visa) and I don't know when I'll have time to write so better to be safe than sorry and write now.

Bueno, where to start....

Hillel:
- Last week we had dinner at Martíns apartment, the President of Hillel. The president of Hillel, Buenos Aires happened to be there too having dinner with us. The dinner was nice and the apartment had spectacular views of the city. I was very lost during the dinner though, because most of the conversation was about the players/movers and shakers within Hillel Argentina/Uruguay and also about the politics that go along with that. Being that I don't know anyone within that group, I did not have much to say.
- I FINALLY finished translating the 37 page document. What a relief!!! Now I can start my summer vacation ;-)
- Basically Hillel has come to a close until February. I am going to the office today but only for 2 hours. There are no more activities.

Social welfare center:
- I have been given a short document to translate, basically a pamphlet that explains what the social welfare center does and their programs.
- Elsa and I thought of a great project for me to do for next year (March). In the past, the social welfare center had events for the beneficiaries such as birthday and holiday parties and day trips such as Córdoba city tours and trips to the Córdoba mountains. The idea was that the beneficiaries could meet each other, become friends and realize that they are not alone. In other words, that there are other people out there that are having the same challenges, people that understand them, want to help and support them. Unfortunately, a few years ago these events were canceled due to lack of funds. My project for next year is to create a blog (in English) for the social welfare center, translate the pamphlet, translate the "master plan" of the events that Elsa has already written out from before, and talk to organizations, communities, individuals in the United States to see if in any shape or form they could help us. I'm very excited for this project because I will be learning more about Argentina and its social problems, I will be developing job skills (translating, communication, grant writing ect.) and it's all for a good cause. I will be starting this in March but if anyone has any ideas or could give me a head start in who to contact for financial help that would be very much appreciated :-)
- I think I mentioned this in a previous blog, but I've also been thinking about if there is somehow a gateway between me, the beneficiaries and teen programming. Maybe in March I could start a "big brother big sister" program for one of the kids of the beneficiaries. I could be a "big sister" and hang out with the teenager in the city, help with homework, whatever, lo q sea. I talked to Elsa about this and she told me that she doesn't know of any teens but maybe Dolores, the social worker who works in the social  welfare center and who is in constant contact with the beneficiaries and their families, could help me out with this project.

Macabi:
- December 4th was the last day of activities at Macabi. It was a boiling hot day and we were outside all day putting together the stage, chairs, lights, sound system, projector, lifting heavy things...basically doing everything to set up for the ceremony/graduation for the madrijim school (I am very sunburnt). We worked all day, starting from 11AM until around 5PM and in the end we created a beautiful setting to have the ceremony (someone said that it looked like a wedding). However, around 5:30-6PM, it started to rain so in 15 minutes, we disassembled what we worked on all day and moved it into the multipurpose room. Never the less, we were absolutely PISSED at mother nature.
- I called Damian to see if there would be any training or any meetings for the day camp which starts December 20th. He told me that there might be and that he would call me tonight...I hope he does...
The camp is only weekdays (not weekends like regular Macabi activities, or in other words, not saturday) so if there is no meeting/training I would love to take advantage of having no work on saturday and go somewhere for the weekend (December 17th) and then come back and start camp. I'm thinking of either Mendoza or possibly Buenos Aires but I can't even think about making plans until I hear back from Damian.

Argentina:
- I love Argentina. Yes, there are many "quilombos" in Argentina but the language, history and culture is just so rich and I constantly love learning more about it.
- I briefly went to a Chanukah party at Chabad. I was probably there for about 20 minutes because shortly after we had the Hillel dinner at Martíns apartment. In those 20 minutes I did manage to eat some Chanukah gelt, the only Chanukah food I ate during the holiday :-(
- There was another Chanukah party in Buen Pastor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paseo_del_Buen_Pastor) which was opened to the public. The setting was beautiful with lots of lights, water fountains, palm trees and lots of people, most being goys. The Rabbi of the Centro Union said a few words about the story of Chanukah and later the menorah was lit. What was interesting about the menorah lighting is that one representative from each of the the major religions in Córdoba (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) lit a candle as well as the mayor/governor of Córdoba and other important people to the city. When I saw this, I thought to myself, wow what a great way to really tie everyone together. What a great way to really show friendship, unity and peace. I guess you could say that the diversity of "gente" lighting the menorah really struck me and was a bit powerful. After the menorah lighting, a famous clesmer band from Buenos Aires played for about 2 hours. The music was great and it brought me back memories of when my family went to visit my Aunt Lori in New York City and we went to a clesmer concert. The music was great and people were really into it (even the goys). I was just waiting for the black hatters to jump out from behind the curtain and start dancing and make le'chaims...that never happened.
- I went to another Chanukah party at the Sefardi temple. It was more low key but still nice. There was a dinner and then 2 guys from Buenos Aires put on a small show and played the violin and piano.
- I've been investigating taking a Spanish or Portuguese class for the month of December but it's impossible. Starting December 20th, I need to be at Macabi at 1:30PM for the camp and I end at 7PM. I already have swim class from 9-10AM and theres just not enough time for me to shower, get ready, eat and go to Macabi (it's a 20 minute cab ride). I'll look into taking a class in March when the new year starts and I think that during that time there will be more options too.
- Yesterday was another holiday "Día de la Virgin"which I'm assuming has something to do with the Jesus/Marie story. You guessed it, I had no work. That day I took advantage of my free time and walked around the city (many places were still open). At night, there was a free jazz concert done by a Córdoba band in Buen Pastor. The jazz music was different than what we are accustomed to in the United States. It was all drums, a bit of singing and some piano. I was waiting for Bill Clinton and Paul Neustein to break out with a mean saxophone performance but that never happened. I still enjoyed the music though and it's always nice to note those cultural differences.
- After the jazz concert, there was another free folklore (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exY6xn-lNgI) concert (typical music from Northern Argentina) in the Plaza de la Independencia. I really enjoyed that concert, probably more than the jazz because it was very Argentine and people were dancing traditionally to the music. Of course at the end of the concert, there was a mini rally "protest" because apparently fairly recent there was a protest in Buenos Aires (theres always some kind of protest in Buenos Aires) and a 23-year-old was killed so in Plaza de la Independencia there was a rally about security and human rights. No one knows who killed the 23-year-old, if it was the police or an individual.
- The Christmas tree in Plaza España was lit last night, inconveniently at the same time as the jazz concert was going on. There were constant helicopters roaming around in the sky making tons of noise, filming the lighting of the tree so several times the band stopped and waited for the helicopters to go away (they never actually did, they were constantly coming and going). At the end there was a great fireworks show.
- Tomorrow I'm going to BUENOS AIRES! You have no idea how excited I am!!!! I REALLY miss my friends and "the big city". I'm actually going because I need to renew my visa so saturday I'm taking a boat to Uruguay and I'll return to Buenos Aires at 10PM. My friends have already sent me emails telling me that they planned the whole weekend and how they are SO excited for my arrival. This is something that I still don't have in Córdoba, a really tight nit group of friends and it will be nice to be in Buenos Aires and having that feeling again of familiarity and friendship. I feel like I arrived in Córdoba at the worst time (and everyone has told me that), just at the start of exams and what worries me is that by the the time I make a really good friend(s) I'll have to leave shortly after, because I'm only here for a year...Pero bueno, I'm probably thinking about this way too much and everything will work out and will be more comfortable through time and summer is not the best time for that, and I know that.

Ok I feel like this is really long and I don't know what else to say. Have a great weekend everyone!
If you want to  listen to "cuarteto" (musica cordobesa) and see pictures of this beautiful city and witness some of the rich culture, check out this youtube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOfCVGgIEqw

SOY CORDOBÉS!

Almost 2 months!!!!

Sorry again guys but I forgot to upload the pictures from the sierras. Hopefully I'll remember sometime next week and post a picture in the next blog. I just looked at the calendar and it has almost been 2 months since my arrival here, I had no idea (I got to Córdoba October 5, but I arrived in Argentina September 22)!


Heres whats been going on...


Hillel: 
- So it turns out that this weekend we are not going to Buenos Aires. It was just to difficult and very short timing, because we had our end of the year party and then we would have had to go directly from the party to the bus to go to Buenos Aires. Also, bus and flight tickets were very expensive (obviously they would be, booking last minute is always more expensive). I hope there will be more weekend events in the future because I would love to see what Buenos Aires does. 
- Last night we had our end of the year party which was great! We rented out part of a "boliche", a night club and shmoozed, had pizza and beer and just chilled and hung out. We rented the boliche until about 2AM and then we went to the other part of the boliche and joined everyone (the public) and went dancing. I left at 3AM because I had my swim class this morning at 9AM (which I'll explain later) and I'm sure that people probably stayed until 5AM...
- We had a meeting the other day to discuss the year, what were success, challenges and what we need to improve on. I obviously had very little to say being that I arrived in Argentina at the very end of the year (basically Argentina closes from December-February/March). I did think of an idea though for next year (of course I thought of it after the meeting). Many people have been telling me how they would love to take an English class because they would like to learn, or they used to speak it very well and their English is getting rusty and how they would like to practice with me. So I'm thinking, I know that the JSC fellows in Ukraine do a program called "American Coffee" and it's basically an informal English conversation class. Many people come to Hillel and just sit, chill out and watch TV. Maybe I could incorporate American Coffee into this down time? 
- No news with spring break. I am making leads on scheduling a horseback riding day trip. Now I just need to talk to Yanina about prices. 
- I have translated 34 out of 37 pages of that very long, difficult document!!!! I'm quite proud of myself because I have never done anything like that before. It will probably be done by wednesday or thursday!!!!


Social welfare: No news there but all is well. Apparently in the summer there is less work so I need to talk to Elsa about when I should come in December. 


Macabi: 
- I am getting SO excited for International Convention! Everything is falling into place so nicely and almost everything is planned! Heres the itinerary (we still need to work out some details). So the 2 Argentine girls and I would arrive in LA either the 12th or 13th of February, stay with my mom and Morgan (my 16 year old sister) in a hotel in LA and go touring until the 16th, when International Convention Starts. We will be at International Convention until the morning of February 21 and then from there we would go to San Diego and stay there till February 24 or 25 (we still don't have flights). The girls will be coming to my house in San Diego and we will go touring!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited, because I'm living here in Córdoba seeing how their community functions and how "la vida cotidiana", everyday life is and now they can see how I grew up and what my life is like in the U.S. 
- I had a meeting about International Convention with the girls and their parents. The parents told me they wish they can come too and thanked me numerous times for my hospitality, for being so responsible and for keeping and taking care of their needs and their daughters. Guys, I feel like an adult, It's kinda scaring me haha. 
- Tomorrow is the last day of activities at Macabi. It turns out that we will not be making jelly donuts which I'm a bit bummed about. I have no idea when or why it was decided that we were not going to make them, no one told me, even though I asked many times...So because we are not making the donuts I thought of a few other ideas such as playing Chanukkah songs, doing a hebrew word search to find words associated with Channukah and giving the kids gelt at the end of the day. Basically I was trying to think of ideas that the kids could take home with them and do during the holiday. I have no idea if any of my ideas will be implemented at Macabi tomorrow and again I asked many times about this...
- Tomorrow night is the closing event for the Madrijim students, where they receive their diplomas for graduating from the school and then in March they get to be Madrijim, aka lead activities every saturday for a group of kids. I will be attending that event. 
- So it turns out for the month of December I will be in Córdoba. I will be working at the day camp and then in January I'll go to the province of Buenos Aires and work at the sleep away camp in Villa Gesell, a beach town. I'm excited for the sleep away camp, to meet Argentines (and some my age!) from all over Argentina and to learn what camp is like in Argentina (it seems to be very different than my camp experience in the U.S.). From what it sounds like, I'll be working at the canteen, doing administrative work and helping the Madrijim and the Roshim with whatever they need. The camp is from January 4-13 and afterwards I'm going to work in Buenos Aires for two weeks, doing the work that I was going to do initially before I learned about the day camp in Córdoba. 


Argentina: 
- It seems like the whole world is studying for exams, aka my social life is nothing to brag about. And soon many people will be leaving Córdoba to go home to their provinces. Everyone has been telling me that my "vida Cordobesa" will really start and take off in March when the new calendar/school year starts. I really hope they are right, because although I'm really liking Córdoba, being here and the work that I'm doing, socially it has not been the best, because right when I got here is when people started studying for exams. 
- Next weekend I'm going to BUENOS AIRES! I'm really going because I need to go to Uruguay to renew my tourist visa and in order to do that I need to take a boat from Buenos Aires to get there, so I figured why not make a weekend out of it. I'm SO excited, because I REALLY miss my friends and the city. Seriously my plan for Uruguay is to get there, eat lunch, take a nap on the río de la plata, eat dinner and come back to Buenos Aires. I'm going to Colonia, Uruguay and I've been there about 6 times so I've done all the touristy things. I  come back to Córdoba monday morning. 
- So as I mentioned in the previous blog, from what everyone has been telling me, summer time is really dead here, so I've been trying to think of activities to do to fill my time. Yesterday I joined a swim club and I will be doing a masters swim class 3 days a week. I went today for the first time and it was a good workout but interesting, different than my experience swimming in the US. In total about 5 lanes were being used. Everyone was swimming and working out, but sometimes, ok many times, for example someone in lane one would stop in the middle of the pool to talk (really more like scream) to the person swimming in late five. So these two people would be stopped in the middle of the pool, on opposite sides of the pool, talking and starting conversation with other lanes!!! I felt like it was as if they were drinking cafe in the pool, and squeezing in sometime to work out. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not complaining or think they are lazy, I thought it was hilarious! I have never seen or heard of this happening in the U.S. (I used to swim a lot back in the day) and what they were doing totally coincides with the Argentine culture. I really enjoyed the workout and I will be swimming every monday, wednesday and friday. 
- In addition to swimming, I still need more activities to do so I'm looking into taking a Spanish or Portuguese class and some dance classes (either tango or salsa). 
- There is a possibility that I may be moving. I really like my apartment, its very nice and in a great location, but I've just had so many problems with it and it's not fair to me or my colleagues that I've missed/arrived super late to work waiting around for the handy man. The water in the bathroom has been leaking ever since I got here and no one knows why (people have hypothesized but someone has yet to figure out why) and basically for me that drew the line and thats when I decided that I would like to move. I will be looking at apartments probably in about 10 days or so, when everyone will be gone and if I see an apartment that I like better, hopefully I'll be moving. Honestly it's not the end of the world if i don't move, I'll just probably have to miss more work some point in the future waiting around for the handyman, which I don't want to do but if I have to I will. 
- I've said this before (I don't know if I mentioned it in my blog but I've definitely said it to family and friends) and I'll say it again, I have NO idea how Argentines are so skinny! On one of the main avenues by Hillel (Av. Estrada) there are about 5 ice cream parlors in 4 blocks and they are always jammed pack with skinny people eating ice cream. Cordobeses LOVE ice cream and could sit for hours eating it (the porteños do this with café), and everyone is SO skinny! Being that I am trying to adapt to the culture, I too have been eating quite a bit of ice cream (the many flavors of dulce de leche are just to die for). Being that it's summer, I don't know if thats the best idea (bikini season) but its so hard to think like that when the ice cream is so good! 


Anyways I think I basically summed up the week and whats been going on here. Every day I'm more Cordobesa, and I'm liking it :-)  

Sierras!

Sorry but I don't have new pictures to put up. I took pictures in the sierras (I'll explain that later) but I haven't uploaded them yet. 

Heres whats been going on...

Hillel - I've been in touch with a travel agency that Yanina has worked with before to try and figure out and plan the horseback riding. They told me that they are investigating it and will email me and call me when they have more information. 

- The college that will be coming in March (Juniata College) said that probably 2 or 3 more people will be coming to Córdoba. 

- This thursday is the end of the year party for Hillel. There are still a few details that need to be planned but it sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun. Basically I think the idea is that we are going to rent out a "boliche", a night club for the night. I'm especially excited, because it will be a great way to meet new people (I always love meeting new people).  

- This weekend the Hillel of Buenos Aires invited us to come. We still don't know if we can come (because our end of the year party ends friday morning and to get to Buenos Aires we would need to take a bus, which is about 8 hours and there may not be enough time). If we are going to Buenos Aires, I will be one of those people that goes!!! I hope that this trip does happen, because it would be great to meet the Hillel BA crew and exchange ideas (for me I would be curious to know what they will be doing for Alternative Spring Break), as well as get to know people from Hillel Córdoba better. 

- More or less around mid November I was given a 37 page document to translate and so far I have translated 21 pages. On Saturday the person that gave it to me asked me if it could be done by next monday. I told her that maybe more or less it would be done by that time. The problem is that my brain can only handle translating a max of 4 pages per day (and that's a lot of pages) so I think it may take a bit longer...I just really don't want to disappoint anyone but I can't control my brain capacity and when it gets tired. 

Social welfare center - On Wednesday there was a "jornada", our volunteer day event. A professor from Buenos Aires came to Córdoba for the day and spoke about the importance of volunteers, the roll that they play, how to be a volunteer, how to influence people to become volunteers, how volunteers influence the people they are helping ect. It was a very nice event, very interesting and I learned a lot. Elsa did a great job planning it. I think Elsa was expecting at least a 100 people to come, and unfortunately only about 60 people came, but never the less it was a success. 

Macabi - On friday I had a meeting with Damian, the director of Macabi and he told me that I can go to the summer camp in Buenos Aires (January 4-13). What I will be doing we are still unsure about...

- Also on friday, he told me that from December 20-31st there will be a day camp at Macabi for kids ages 3-12 and he wants me to work at the camp. I have no problem working at the camp, but to be honest what frustrated me (and still does) is that I must have asked him and the roshim at least 5 times if there was anything going on at Macabi for kids during the summer and they all told me, "no, go on vacation". So after hearing this response several times and still wanting to work and do something, I contacted the NY and BA JOINT offices and they found me another job in Buenos Aires. Now, I feel like a boluda (the word that I want to use in English I probably can't, so use your imagination and substitute it for another one), for wasting the time of  NY and BA, making them work really hard for me, and for nothing. I'm sure that this type of situation will happen in the future, and probably many many times so the lesson that I have learned from this is that someone may tell me something fairly important at the last minute and I just have to go with it and do it, even if it may be an annoyance and a huge inconvenience for other people. This is my job, and what needs to be done needs to be done by me and only me.

- Saturday I said a little speech to the madrijim, basically explaining who I am, telling them about Thanksgiving and how I am very thankful to be in Córdoba and have the opportunity to work and get to know them (the spirit of Thanksgiving). 

- Also on saturday we talked about planning the training session for future roshim (it changes every year, so in March there will be new people). We talked about giving the candidates a sheet of paper with a topic or word and they need to write words that are related to the given word/topic, roll playing - if they were in the following situation what would they do, their expectations of being a rosh, what challenges they think they may face and how they will overcome them (that was my idea) ect. If I remember correctly, I don't know if we ever came to an agreement about how exactly the training would be, and after all, we still don't have a date to do it. 

- December 4th is the last day of Macabi activities (or is it...after what happened on Friday now I'm having doubts about if it really is the last day...) and the day that the 2nd year madrijim students graduate from the madrijim school. If I go to Buenos Aires, I will be missing this (I was debating if I should stay or leave Córdoba for this, but Damian said that the Buenos Aires trip would be better for me). 

Argentina - Friday night a Sefardi family (the same one as before) invited me over for dinner so I went. The food was amazing, delicious rice, tabuli, hummus, other salads that I did not recognize and...HOMEMADE BAKLAVA! I guess they realized that I really liked it, so they sent me home with 12 of them!!! Oh gosh it's sooo dangerous and I'm so tempted to eat them all in one sitting! 

- Friday night at the temple a bunch of police came, which at first made me very nervous. I kept asking everyone, why are so many police here and what happened?!?! I really thought that something happened, I thought that maybe someone tried to destroy the temple or something like that, why else would all of the Córdoba police be at the temple, they are not Jewish! What I didn't know and was later told is that every year the Córdoba police are invited to the temple to observe the service. After the service, they watch a movie about the holocaust so they have a greater appreciation for the Jewish culture/religion and so that they learn more about discrimination and anti-semitism. Does this happen in San Diego? If it doesn't it should. 

- Sunday I spent the day in the sierras (the Córdoba mountains) with a friend. We went to at least 5 little towns, walked around and went to a few shops. Basically each mountain town has little artesanal shops (shops with things only made in that town), that sell delicious alfajores (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfajor), honey, beer, leather goods ect, all made within the town. In the afternoon we had the "merienda", evening snack and had some  alfajores artesanales  and drank mate. For dinner we went to Carlos Paz, the biggest city in the sierras. It was a great day and nice to get out of the city for a little bit (although I really do enjoy the city). It's amazing how just 30 minutes outside the city you are in a different world, total peace and quiet! 

- Summer is approaching which makes me very nervous. Everyone that I have been talking to has told me that Córdoba is dead during the summer: Everyone goes on vacation, many businesses will be closed, my neighborhood will be dead (it's mostly students) ect. This makes me very nervous, because I don't want to be alone in a new city. Who will I hang out with and how will I fill my time? The day camp is only from 3PM-7PM...Also, the day camp ends on December 31st, where will I go for New Years and with who? I'm VERY nervous about literally being left alone in the city.  

That's basically everything I can think of for now that has gone on. Loving la vida Cordobesa :-) How was your Thanksgiving??!??!?!?!

Lluvia Lluvia Lluvia

                                            Zona de Patio Olmos, Córdoba Capital, Argentina


Chicos, I'm alive! I am no longer sick and I can taste food, no sour throat, no tiredness, no fever, I am cured! 


Where to start...at Hillel I have continued to work with Yanina on Alternative Spring Break. I am trying to put together an activity to go horseback riding through the mountains but it has been a bit of a challenge to get information. I write emails, make phone calls and nothing, "nadie me da bolas." I am going to continue to work on this, and I know that eventually I will get responses and they WILL go horseback riding! 
- Just when I thought I was done translating, on monday I was given a 37 page document to translate from Spanish to English. Translating is not my most favorite thing to do, but each time I translate, I think to myself, at least my language skills are improving...I hope. So far I have translated 10 pages. 
- Tuesday night was the Superclasico (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42mdk8XaoZM), the most important soccer game in Buenos Aires, and probably in Argentina because the 2 most popular teams from Buenos Aires that are rivals, the Boca Juniors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boca_Juniors) and River Plate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Atlético_River_Plate) play against each other. Tickets are very expensive, costing over U$S100. We watched the game at Hillel and I was rooting for Boca, but unfortunately they lost (the score was 1-0, River).
- Wednesday night a professional architect came and spoke at Hillel about the career and his work. His resume was very impressive. He helped design and build MALBA (Museo America Latina Buenos Aires, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MALBA) and design a few buildings in Europe, the US and Abu Dhabi. He showed us his upcoming projects for the city of Córdoba and they are fascinating! Basically his plan is to maintain the historical buildings (Córdoba is a very old city, older than Buenos Aires) and build huge new constructions, as if Córdoba would become a mini Hong Kong, or at least that is how I perceived his plans. 
- The last activity at Hillel will be December 2nd and I think we will be renting out a nightclub, a "boliche" but I'm not sure. Tomorrow we have a meeting and hopefully I'll learn more about it. 


Todo bien in the social welfare center. Tomorrow is Volunteer Day so I will be arriving at around 8AM to help out with whatever they need. I think it will be a very interesting day filled with learning, eye opening events and meeting new people, all sounds good to me! A prominent guy from Buenos Aires (I forgot who, but somehow he is very well connected in the Argentine volunteering world) will be coming to give workshops and lectures about volunteering. In order to prepare for the event, I have been acting as Elsa's secretary, making phone calls to inform the people "la gente" about the event, to get them interested and to make lists of whose coming/not coming. I'm still working in the ropero with the señoras and drinking café with them. 


With Macabi I'm honestly still totally clueless as to what I can do, in terms of interacting with the teens and planning activities. I've already mentioned to you what goes on during the week and on saturdays and for now I see little room for opportunity and growth ( I still can't figure out when the teens have free time). Maybe this is all wrong, and I just need to get to know the community more, maybe I arrived at a bad time and have a skewed sense of what's going on (because it's almost summer and things are slowing down). What I do know is that I think that Macabi is just as confused as I am, and I think that we equally both have no idea what I could be doing. For now I come every saturday, observe activities and help out with whatever needs to be done: helping to clean up, helping with snack time, organizing supplies, putting together the community magazine...but this has nothing to do "nada que ver" with teens, which is what I came here to do. I hope that in the future maybe things will become more clear, for both Macabi and I. I'm not being pessimistic, I'm just saying how things are for now. 
- One thing that I am SO excited about is that I'm making thanksgiving dinner for the Roshim, the leaders of the teen department at Macabi that are about my age. It will be the first time I'll be seeing them outside of the work environment, so I'm excited to interact and get to know them on a social level. How did this all come about? I mentioned at the last meeting what Thanksgiving is, the story,and US customs and traditions related to the holiday. They seemed really interested so I invited them to my apartment for thursday night dinner. Heres whats on the menu: chicken that I will have delivered, NOT make myself (there is no turkey in Argentina), mashed potatoes, homemade applesauce (thanks mom for the recipe!), deviled eggs, grilled cheese (classic American food) and steamed corn with butter and parmesan cheese. For dessert I will make sugar cookies and I bought ice cream. I hate cooking and therefor don't know how, so I really hope the food turns out tasty. I'm really looking forward to the dinner, to get to know the roshim better and I'm also hoping that this will maybe cause a trickle down effect: by making a dinner for them, we will get to talking and I can learn/think of ideas for the teens and maybe one day make a dinner/an activity for them. We'll see how things go, I'll let you know in the next blog. 
- Nothing new has happened with International Convention. I know that the girls and their parents are excited, which makes me really excited. 
- Either this saturday night or December 4th is a dinner for the Madrijim, to honor them and the work they have done for the year. I obviously will be attending, because it will be a good opportunity to meet Madrijim, to learn more about what they are doing and maybe think of a few ideas. I'll tell you more about it in another blog, after I attend the dinner. 


Nothing terribly exciting in Argentina. Today is a holiday, I don't know why exactly but something related to the military government (not sure which one) or the Malvinas. This is a new holiday and I heard a rumor that for 2011 the government will add additional ones...
- As a result of the holiday, I thought I had a Macabi meeting but it turns out it got cancelled, and will be on wednesday instead. 
- Thursday night I went to karaoke, in a local bar 2 blocks away from my apartment. You would think that karaoke would be the same in any country but it was very different. There were NO English songs! I really enjoyed listening to the Latin music, especially cuarteto, musica Cordobesa (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOfCVGgIEqw). 
- A new ice cream parlor "heladería" opened across the street from Hillel. Needless to say, it is VERY dangerous and awfully tempting to go everyday. I went the day it opened and got a chocolate chip dolce de leche ice cream, to die for!!!! 
- It's been raining quite a bit here (that's why the title of this blog is Lluvia Lluvia Lluvia - Rain Rain rain). It rained thursday, sunday and today. This Southern California girl does not like to deal with rain;-)
- I recently found out that for the summer I will be working in Buenos Aires, because there will be nothing for me to do here (I think I mentioned in previous posts that I have been encouraged to go on vacation for 6-8 weeks and I am not ok with that). I will be working in the 13/17 program, "The 13/17 Program, which provides Jewish teenagers with a nurturing Jewish framework for sports and cultural activities during summer and winter school breaks" (from the JDC webpage). I am very excited about this, to be exposed to more JDC programs, to see how another teen community operates, learn new activities and incorporate them into Córdoba and lastly hopefully building bridges and making connections between Córdoba teens and programs with whats going on in BA, regarding both teens and programming. Also, I am excited to meet and work with the staff because I think they could be a good resource for me in the future. Basically I will be arriving in BA sometime around the 10th-15th of December and I will leave either leave the 1st or second week of February, depending on when Córdoba wants me back. 
- I think I mentioned in a previous post about the Jewish camp in Argentina (http://sites.google.com/site/hejalutz/) and how I wanted to go but was getting no responses. Well, today I got a response, which was very complicated to get. I had a meeting a few weeks back with the director of Macabi to see if there was anything I could do at the camp and I talked with the roshim as well. I wasn't getting any responses so I decided to take matters into my own hands and email the camp. I got no responses and I found out why (thank you Viviana for telling me!). Apparently, you can't just email them, you need to have a contact that knows them in order to get any form of communication from the camp (maybe this is for security reasons?). I had no idea about this, because in the US if you are interested in summer camp, all you do is email or call the camp and someone will help you. Apparently it doesn't work like that in Argentina. Anyways, I received an email from Damian, the director of Macabi and he told me that the camp, "majané", would like me to go, which is so awesome! I'll get to see what summer camp is like in Argentina, meet people from all over Argentina and have new experiences. Damian said he will let me know what I will specifically be doing there. 
- Today I had a meeting with Viviana who works at the JDC in Buenos Aires. We talked about how I am acclimating in la vida Cordobesa, what I'm doing at work, tips and advice of more things I could be doing and getting to know people, International Convention ect. The meeting was quite helpful and I will definitely be incorporating her ideas, tips and advice into my work and social life. I expressed my frustration and how it's been a bit difficult interacting with the teens and she thought of a great idea. Many families come to the social welfare center for resources, I could be a "big sister" or "godmother" to those teens. I got really excited about this, and I hope it will work out (I hope there are teens). I think I could really benefit and learn a lot from them and I'm sure the same could happen to them. Also, I would really feel like I would be making a difference, and maybe if this works out my "vision" for working with teens would become more clear? Que se yo!  I really want to work hard, do the best that I can and make a difference here in Córdoba, "Tengo muchas ganas de trabajar y conocer Córdoba y me voy a poner todas las pilas para lograr eso!" 


Bueno, it's 10:43PM and I still have more emails to write and I have to get up early tomorrow for Volunteer Day. Elsa will be picking me up around 7:30AM which means that I should be going to bed soon. Buenas noches and look for my next post in about a week, hopefully friday I'll write another one.  

Sick :-(

   Patio Olmos Shopping, Córdoba, Argentina


Sorry guys, but this is not going to be the most exciting and eventful blog. Basically since last saturday I've been sick, with some kind of cold. I've been super tired, "sin pilas", headache, fever, sour throat and stuffed up and runny nose so I haven't been up to much. I have been taking several naps during the day and when I get home from work all I do is sleep. I'm slowly getting better but I think what I really need to get better is a fed-ex overnight Paul Neustein peacan pie...HINT HINT HINT! 


Last friday night I was invited to have shabbat dinner at a sefardi familys house. The family was very sefardi, super loud, lots of food (meats, rices, little salads) and their ancestors were from Yemen, Syria and Iran, but the family has been in Argentina for 100 years. The family is so sefardi that they even feed their dog a mixture of kibble and rice! That really cracked me up. 


This week at Hillel I finally finished translating the million documents, what a relief!!! Now I'm starting to help Yanina plan more for Alternative Spring Break. We have a group of about 10 people from Juniata College and I have been in contact with them about their travel arrangements, community service project and recreational activities for them to do in Córdoba. The leader of the Juniata trip mentioned that she wanted to do something with horses so I'm looking into a day trip for them to go horseback riding in the Córdoba mountains. For the community service project I would love it if they could do something with the social welfare center. That way, they can get to know members of the community (Elsa is awesome!) while helping the community at the same time. They come in March, so there is still lots of time for planning. Wednesday was the last day of Ciclo de Cine, "Film series". We watched the movie "El Abrazo Partido", an Argentine movie about an Argentine/Polish Jew looking for his family roots and ancestry. The director of the movie, Daniel Burman was supposed to come to Córdoba to analyze the movie but thanks to the airline strikes he couldn't get a flight from Buenos Aires to Córdoba so the event was done without him but I would still say that it was successful. 


At the social welfare center I've been working in the ropero. Many people came on tuesday, I've never seen so many people there before! I've also been helping to organize folders and documents for each beneficiary at the social welfare center because at the end of November/December is when they need to bring their documents in order to receive their resources, so we really need to be organized for that. I started a blog for the social welfare center. Elsa wants to use it to put up fotos and events such as Volunteer Day which will be November 23rd. Hopefully at some point this week I'll get together with Elsa and show her how to use it and how to upload fotos (thanks again Natalie and Larry!). Ah an interesting thing happened on tuesday. We were working, going about our normal business and all of a sudden the electricity went out in the building...and in the entire neighborhood. I asked Ariel, a guy that works at the social welfare center with me, what was going on and he told me that during the spring and summer, it's common that the electricity goes out for a few hours. What happens is that so many air conditioners are running at the same time that the electricity can't handle it and just shuts down. He told me to be prepared for this during the summer because it will happen at least once a day, but he assured me that the electricity wouldn't be off for more than 3 hours. This really surprised me, because I never experienced this in Buenos Aires (maybe I was just lucky or never in my house when it happened) and I certainly have never experienced this in California. But you know, that is la vida Cordobesa and it's just something that I'll have to acclimate to, it could be worse right? 


Macabi I've been attending meetings every monday. We are talking about rapping up the year, planning a great end of the year activity for all the kids on saturday and the awards ceremony dinner for the madrijim, the 17-year-olds that lead and plan the saturday activities. Slowly but shirley I'm starting to meet and get to know a  few of the Madrijim, which is SO difficult because saturday they are busy all  day and same for during the week. I do feel a little bit accomplished though, and I know that through time and patience I'll meet more and eventually work with them, I hope. Something that I am SO proud of is that I have 2 kids for International Convention, the BBYO trip to Los Angeles. Yesterday I met with the girls and their parents and explained to them about International Convention, the idea of it, who goes, where they will be staying, traveling through Los Angeles ect. They had a million questions, which is perfectly fine because if I were them I would have the same questions. The girls are so cute and excited to go to LA. It was so cute, during one of the meetings, while I was explaining the trip to the girl and her parents, the girl took her moms purse and took out the money and put it on the table and said "Here is some money, I'm going to go home and pack my suitcase. I'm ready to go now!" That for me really put a smile on my face, because I'm so glad that I can give these girls this amazing opportunity; to travel to the US, to go to Los Angeles, an amazing city (and my lovely state) and to meet Jewish teens from all over the world. I also mentioned to them that they are the first people ever from Argentina to go to International Convention and that they will be representing the Jewish Community of Córdoba and their country and  from reading the expressions on their faces, I could tell that this made them feel very special, proud and important. I really hope that the trip lives up to their expectations, I mean, how could it not! If I were a teen I would go (and I did go back in the day when I was a teen). Speaking of feeling very important and proud, I realized that taking these two girls to International Convention is probably the biggest responsibility I've ever had in my life. These parents that barely know me are trusting me to watch over the safety, health and wellbeing of their daughters, in another country! These parents who I just met yesterday, are trusting me to travel with their daughters internationally for thousands of miles, to attend an event with BBYO, an organization that they are not familiar with. When I thought about this deeply, it really struck me, Wow, people view me as a responsible, trusting adult, and they barely even know me, that's kinda cool that they have so much faith in me. 


I really can't tell you any news in Argentina. Seriously I've been sleeping in between work and when I get home I've been going to bed really early. The Aeroparque domestic airport in Buenos Aires is still under construction and should be finished by December 1st...we'll see if they finish on time...Aerolineas Argentinas is still on strike, causing a lot of commotion and difficulties traveling domestically and internationally through Argentina. I'm getting a little bit nervous, because I have a flight scheduled to Buenos Aires December 10th and if the airport isn't finished and if airline strikes are still going on I'm going to be kind of screwed...but we'll see what happens, theres still time. The students in the Córdoba public universities are still protesting about the new education law however I have seen a reduction in tents in the center and less signs and less students on the streets protesting and asking for signatures which I think is a good sign. Friday night I had dinner at the sefardi temple because they had a dinner for youth. I was really tired and not feeling up for it but I thought to myself that it may be a good way to meet new people.  I had a nice time and the food was really good. 
Although it's spring, everyone is talking about summer and thats all they think about. My bosses in Hillel, the social welfare center and Macabi all asked me if I have plans for the summer and I told them no. They all told me, oh Ariana, well you should really plan a trip or do something, because from mid December to the end of February everything will be closed and there will be no work for you to do. Although I'm glad to have some vacation time, I'm a little bit nervous about not working for 2 months...what on earth am I going to do (for work), how will I fill my time (recreational activities) and who will be around to hang out with (because apparently everyone is gone for the summer)?!?!?!?!?!?  


That's about all thats been going on. Hopefully next week I'll feel better and have more to write about. 

One Month!!!!

I have been in Córdoba for a month!!!!! As I'm sure you can tell from my blogs, I'm really loving being here. The city has a very young feel to it (college students everywhere) and there are so many restaurants, bars, ice cream parlors (the Cordobeses LOVE ice cream), shopping, buses, taxis, museums, cultural centers, historic buildings (like the picture of the church that I put up) and more! You all should come visit and see for yourself. 


Another fabulous week has passed at Hillel. Last night was the end of the truco tournament and I made it to the semifinals but unfortunately did not win. I'm going to keep practicing and playing and I told everyone that in one year we should have another truco tournament and I will be the winner ;-)
 I've been doing a lot of translating for Hillel, translating from Spanish to English and English to Spanish, an average day translating for 4-5 hours. When I get home I'm so brain dead and all I have energy to do is veg out and watch TV in English for a longgg time. Yanina, my boss told me that next week I will work with her more on planning Alternative Spring Break because we now have a confirmed group of college students from Juniata College that will be coming in March. We are also starting to talk about planning our end of the year/Chanukah party at Hillel. 


This week at the social welfare center I've been working on organizing papers that we will give to our "clients", basically papers saying that they need to bring their medical, financial and Argentine documents in order to receive their resources (medicines, clothing, money, food...). On wednesday I worked in the ropero, organizing the clothes that we will put out for summer and putting away the clothes from fall and winter. Wednesday evening there was a party to celebrate the volunteer work that the women, "las señoras" have done through the year. What they do is get together at the social welfare center and knit blankets, sweaters, gloves, scarves ect. and donate them to poor people and to the villas (shanty towns). Last night they drank café, ate criollos (a Cordobes biscuit commonly eaten for breakfast and with tea and coffee, instead of eating medialunas) and the Tzedek group from Hillel (the community service group) came to thank the women for their hard work and then we got together and sang Hebrew and Spanish songs. The ceremony was very nice and the ladies are so cute and really enjoyed our singing. 


I had some success at Macabi this week!!!! I found 2 teens to be Global Ambassadors for Argentina. Global Ambassadors is a program through BBYO, with the goal of creating a global teen Jewish network by talking through Facebook, Skype, Messenger ect., to share how Judaism is practiced in their countries and what young Jewish life is like throughout the world. There are Global Ambassadors in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia and more countries. 
Last week I had some of the teens at Macabi fill out applications for International Convention. I picked out 4 teens that I liked and now I will talk with the teen department at Macabi and with BBYO in the U.S. to see which teens will go (I can only take 2). 
In January there is a summer camp for 2 weeks in the Province of Buenos Aires for Jewish kids throughout Argentina. I've asked several people about how I can participate in the camp but I have not been successful in getting information (about who leads the camp and what I can do). From what I've been told, it seems like the camp is very much established and all tasks and activities have already been assigned to people to lead and take charge. I asked if any foreigners have taken part in the camp and they said that only Israeli Shlichim come to the camp to teach the kids about Israel. Hopefully I'll strike some luck and find out more information and if there is a place for me at the camp. If not, I was told that there is another camp in July (winter camp) so maybe that would be a better time to go...que se yo! December 4th is the last day of activities at Macabi before starting summer. At the meetings I've really been pushing to do an activity for Chanukah, because it's a fun holiday and any excuse to eat latkas, gelt and jelly donuts works for me :-) I think that we may have all agreed to make jelly donuts on December 4th, we'll see if that actually happens... even if it doesn't happen, at least they got excited about the idea and I think thats progress!!! 


Another interesting and eventful week in Argentina. I was told that at the end of November there will be a new holiday (I have no idea why) so I will have another day off of work. Also for 2011 the government is expecting to add on more holidays...
The other day for the 1st time I tried ice cream from Córdoba and it was goodddd, dulce de leche with chocolate chunks and brownies, YUMMYYYYY
There is a student strike going on now in Córdoba by all of the public universities. They are angry about a law towards education (no idea what the law is) so in every public university, all the classes have been cancelled and students have set up "camp grounds" in the center of the city, filling it with millions of signs, constant marches (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_raVdVKNQPQ&feature=related) , tons of speeches, chanting ect. The students have set up tents in the center of the city, sitting there drinking mate and collecting signatures to rebut against the law (I have no idea if they actually sleep in the tents at night). The link to the youtube video that I put up was actually a protest that went on right outside of Hillel the other day. We were playing truco and this was what we were listening to. Me and two people from Hillel went outside to watch a bit of the protest which was really interesting. By the way, protesting in Argentina is completely normal (and most of the time isn't dangerous). I can't tell you how many times in Buenos Aires I was in Chacarita (it's like I was in Poway/the Bronx) and I had to go downtown for class(like going to the Gaslamp/Wall Street) and the subway randomly went on strike without any warning and I missed class.
Speaking of Buenos Aires and going on strike, the domestic airport, Aeroparque is closed for renovations due to updating and construction. They say that it will be open again on December 1st...and I sure hope it will be because I have a flight booked to Buenos Aires on December 10th...(I'm going to Colonia, Uruguay for the day to renew my visa). The pilots from the airline Aerolineas Argentinas have gone on strike so this has caused some complications with traveling... 


I was invited to attend the Sefardi shul so I'll go to services and then have dinner with a family and I'm very excited for that. 


Not much else has been going on. I'm just loving la vida Cordobesa! 

Almost a Month!

With the help of Larry and Natalie, I think I may have successfully uploaded my first picture onto my blog...THANK YOU! I'll upload more in the next posts. 


I can't believe almost a month has gone by! Whenever I'm walking outside, I'm always laughing and smiling, because I still can't believe I'm here, I'm SO lucky. I'm sure that the Argentines think I'm crazy (because everyone walks outside with a serious and stern face) but no me importa. 


There were two cool events at Hillel this week. There was a Truco tournament, an Argentine card game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truco). I played with my friend Nico, who tried to teach me how to play but I still don't fully understand the game. There are many rules and how they count up/earn points I don't get. Never the less, I had a fun time and I'm going to keep practicing and hopefully before I leave Argentina I'll understand the game and play like a pro. There was also "college day" where high school seniors came to the Hillel house for the first time and spoke with Hillel members about different majors that they could study in university and what each major entails. This was a cool event for me because I got to know people more (what they are studying and why) and I also met a lot of new people. 


Not much is different at the Social Welfare Center. I was told that November is a busy month and I will have a lot of work to do. It's the month where we need to ask the recipients for their information (social security number, passport number, telephone, address...) and they pick up their resources...and there is a lot! I only went to work there on tuesday because wednesday was a holiday (which I'll talk about in a little bit...keep reading!)


At Macabi everything is the same. I had a meeting with Damian, the director of Macabi about what I should be doing, what will happen in the summer, how Macabi functions ect. I think the meeting went well and we both agreed that for now, the best thing for me to do is observe. He told me that because it's the end of the year, people are tired, want to finish the year and are eager for summer to start. He said that in February/March they will start to have meetings and develop programming so he said that would be a good time for me to really start. I guess he's right, and it's true, everywhere I go people are talking about summer. 


Although nothing too exciting happened at work, it has been quite an interesting week in Argentina. Wednesday was a "holiday" declared by the government, because it was national census day and they wanted people to stay home. Government officials went from door to door giving out a census (this happens every 10 years), basically asking questions about economic and living situations (married, single, how many bedrooms, how many bathrooms, how much money do you make...). Someone came to my door and afterwards I felt very Argentine. 


That same day, Nestor Kirchner, the previous President of Argentina and husband of the current president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, past away at 60 years old due to heart problems. It's a good thing that Wednesday was a holiday, because when his death was announced, I felt as if everything shut down. The only thing to watch on TV were news alerts about his death, all the flags were lowered, and it was the only thing that people could talk and think about (I talked about it with my Argentine friends). That night there was an honorary ceremony for Nestor in the Plaza de la Intendencia which I attended. There were people from different political parties and people from all over Argentina gathered together to share their last thought/memory of Nestor. People were marching and singing, I'm assuming patriotic songs or songs that were somehow related to Nestor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7f43c3RfaY). Many people gave speeches which was followed by a roar of clapping and whistling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04J_kOQ_u5E). For me, this was a really cool experience, being an American and witnessing this ceremony, watching people from all colors and backgrounds coming together to mourn. 


Friday, I had the pleasure to speak with Esther, the JSC fellow in Estonia (http://estinestonia.tumblr.com/). It was great comparing notes with her, about our feelings of being lost, confused, not understanding, cultural differences, work, the great food, discovering new places in our cities ect. Friday night I had shabbat dinner at Chabad (I know what you are all thinking...). I had dinner there because a guy from NASA was in town and was giving a lecture about his job and what he's doing in Argentina. He went around the room and asked us (we were about 50 people) if we knew that Argentina has a space program; one person raised their hand. He went around the room and asked us if we knew that Argentina has satellites in space; one person raised their hand. Apparently, the Argentine space program is run in Cordoba and the satellites are launched from here too! Right now he is working with the Argentine government to develop a satellite that will go into space, trying to find new planets and to look for life. Also, together they are building a satellite that will circle the earth to test the ocean, soil and air to find more information about global warming. Did I mention that this guy is an Orthodox Jew that doesn't speak a word of Spanish?! The lecture I thought was quite interesting, and what was even more interesting is that out of the whole group, only one person (who was an astronomer) knew about Argentina's space program! The rabbi and his wife were very nice and welcoming. They are Americans, from Crown Heights and the rabbi is good friends with Rabbi Smoller. 


That's basically the highlights from my week. So excited to start again! 

Mi Tercera Semana

Hello Again! So I was writing another lovely blog post and when I clicked "Publish Post" it got erased. So now I'm trying again...I hope it will get posted...

Another lovely week has passed in la linda city of Córdoba. Last week it was freezing and when I say freezing, it was about 40 degrees, in spring! I have never felt so cold in my life! I don't understand how you guys can live in NY, how do you deal with the cold?! 

I'm starting to get a bit more work than last week but I wouldn't say that "estoy de full" or that I'm super busy. At Hillel I have been working a lot on Alternative Spring Break, when Hillel groups from the U.S. come to Córdoba in March. I've been helping with finding hostels, looking at them to make sure they are adequate, planning recreational activities in the mountains and community service activities with Hillel of Córdoba and the Hillels from the U.S. This has been especially fun for me, because I've read about previous Alternative Spring Break programs and now I'm planning it! Also, I've really enjoyed learning more about Córdoba. I had no idea that just 40 minutes outside the city there is repelling, white water rafting, bungee jumping and more. I'm also translating several documents which is so difficult because Spanish and English are so different, and it's the first time I'm translating long documents. Yesterday I translated for 4 hours and I was so brain dead that I went hope and watched TV in English for 3 hours. But not to worry, now I'm totally refreshed and ready to get back to work but wow, translating is tough! 

This week I wasn't at the social welfare center much. I had a few minor problems with my apartment and unfortunately the only time the handy man could come was during my work time at the social welfare center. I know that they are very eager to teach me the SIC medical online system so I think that will be my main project for next week. The women that I work with in the ropera are adorable. They are always asking me questions about San Diego, they are eager to practice English with me (although many of them only speak a few words) and they always invite me to drink café with them. Tuesdays and wednesdays are the busiest days at the social welfare center because that's when people come to get their resources such as food, clothing, medicine ect. This past tuesday for the little time I was at the social welfare center, something very interesting and eye opening happened to me. A woman that appeared to be around my age came to the ropera to buy clothes. She wanted to buy a pair of jeans for 10 pesos (U$S 2.56) but she said that was too expensive so she didn't buy them. Shortly after, I overheard a conversation that she was having with one of the señoras that works at the ropera. She was explaining how she lives in a villa (a shanty town) and was hit by a car (this is very common in Argentina) and is unable to work because she is injured. This really gave me food for thought, and I thought to myself how lucky I am to have my health, have the ability to work and live in a safe and clean environment. Everyday this woman is battling with life, constantly up against her health, wellbeing and her pursuit to happiness. By living in a villa, this woman is living the poorest, most dangerous and unsanitary living conditions. The other day I didn't go to work because I was waiting for the handy man to fix a few light bulbs and the microwave. I wonder what this woman would think of me if she knew that I missed work for this, and even worse, that I was fretting that these things were not working. I felt a little embarrassed and ashamed of myself, for worrying about something so minor and stupid when everyday she's probably worrying about if she will be able to eat dinner or if she will survive tomorrow. 

Honestly in all the places that I'm working at, I'm the most confused and lost at Macabi, the JCC style center. During the week they have no activities, just meetings which I attend with the roshs', the leaders of the teen movement and the board of Macabi. Saturday is their big day of activities and it's very structured, I have no idea where I fit in and how I can contribute. I've been trying to think outside the box, trying to think of how I can create an environment outside of Macabi so I can get to know the teens. I'm thinking of maybe having a Halloween party or a Thanksgiving dinner at my apartment so I can get to know them and teach them about U.S. customs and culture. But then the question is how do I recruit teens and get the message out that I'm having this event...I am open to any ideas/thoughts/advice…

I'm sure that over time, I will start to feel more comfortable and I will really get into the groove of Macabi. 

Wednesday I attended a Hillel event called "Ciclo de Cine" or "A Series of Movies". The event is open to public and every Wednesday, we watch an Israeli movie and think about how it relates to today’s Jewish identity. At the end of the movie, a professional (usually it's a professor, rabbi or psychologist) analyzes the movie and gives his/her opinions and at the end there is time for questions and answers. It was my second time going and I really enjoyed it. 

I've been trying to figure out how to upload pictures onto my blog so you guys can see what I'm doing and see pictures of Córdoba but I can't figure it out! Can anyone help me please?!?!? Like I said before, I'm so "gila" with technology! 

I'm sure more things have happened during the week but for now I can't remember. I'll write about them in my next blog post...stay tuned for next week! 

My first time blogging...EVER!

Hi everyone. So I decided to make a blog because I think it may be a more fun and interesting way for everyone to read about what I'm doing rather than sending out emails. It's also very much encouraged by previous JSC fellows so I figured I'll try it and see how it goes. Where to start...?


Where in the world am I?!?!?!
 - I'm living in in the city of Córdoba, Argentina, the 2nd largest and most important city in Argentina located about 500 miles north west of the city of Buenos Aires (40 minute flight/ 10 hour car ride). In my opinion, it is the Boston of Argentina, being the hub for university students throughout Latin America. Here in Córdoba (just in the city, not including the province), there are 7 universities, one of them being the famous Universidad Nacional, the oldest, largest and one of the best universities in Latin America. I'm living in the neighborhood of Nueva Córdoba, the neighborhood where most of the students live because it's close to the universities. Everyone that I live by is around my age which is great. There are always people walking around with friends, going to the library, going to drink cafe...basically there are young people everywhere all the time! My neighborhood is also filled with gyms, shopping (lots of shopping), restaurants, coffee shops, bars, nightclubs "boliches" ect. I can walk to anywhere I need to go which is nice. Everyone asks me how Córdoba compares to Buenos Aires and this is my response; How does Boston compare to New York? 


What am I doing here?
   - I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity through the JDC and BBYO to work within the Jewish community of Córdoba, Argentina. I am working at the Hillel, Social welfare center and the Córdoba JCC style center. As of now, there is not much work to do because I am new here and for now they want me to observe until I get the hang of things and then they will put me to work. I am doing some work though, doing a bit of translating for Hillel and I will help them plan for "Alternative Spring Break", when Hillels from the U.S. come to Córdoba for Spring Break. At the Social Welfare center I am working with bubbies, zaidies and eemas, working in the pharmacy, organizing medicines and organizing clothes for the "ropera", the salvation army style clothing store. Soon they will teach me how to use the SIC system, which is a pharmacy/medical system associated with the Argentine government to ask, distribute, and give medicine to the poor people. This probably won't happen for a while, as the system is complicated and the vocabulary is not easy (medical terms in Spanish, oy vey it's hard enough in English!). At the JCC, for now I'm just observing the activities and what they do. The whole social/programming system is very extensive and complicated, and it doesn't help that all the terms that they use are in Hebrew, and thanks to my wonderful Jewish education, the only Hebrew I know is Shalom, Glida and Kessef (although those are very important words). At some point when I feel comfortable, start to get how things work and when they feel comfortable with me, I will do some programming with teens. 


What are people like here??!?!?!
  - The people here are super nice and seem to be real and down to earth (this was hard for me to find in Buenos Aires). People that live in Córdoba are from all over Argentina and Latin America which is awesome, I NEVER hear English! I love how the city is cosmopolitan but in a Latin way, if that makes any sense. When I tell people that I'm from the United States, they get really excited and tell me, "Oh I want to practice my English with you!" or, "Can you teach me English?!"So basically I'm really liking the people here. The Jewish community here is small and intimate (about 10,000 in the city), and I get the feeling that they do EVERYTHING together aka they go to school together, go on vacation together, do extra curricular activities together ect. I could be wrong, but like I said before I need to observe more to learn more... 


There's not much else for me to say. I have taken a few pictures of the city that I will put up once I figure out how to do that. I am terrible with technology or as we say in Argentina I'm "re gila", so it may take a while...
I'm so excited to be here, to explore Córdoba and learn more about Argentina on a deeper level, work within the community and get to know them, make lifelong friendships, learn lifelong skills, make a difference and more!!!!!!!