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!!!!!!!