Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Wednesday- our last day
And time really does fly. We flew out this evening for a long, long flight back to the US. This morning we got to visit with the US Ambassador Lino Gutierrez. His daughter goes to William and Mary, so we met her, took pictures, and made our way to the residency, known as the Palacio Bosch.
They gave us a tour and it was really impressive. The U.S. Embassy has restored the Palace's original nineteenth-century look. After the tour we had coffee with the whole family and told them about our research and the things we had done in Argentina. It was a good way to spend our last morning.
We had the rest of the afternoon to hang out before our flight, but it was rainy. Luckily we had a good alternative to being outside because the ambassador recommended a movie to us. We had just enough time to watch the movie and eat before our taxi came to take us to the airport. It was hard to leave the city of which we had all grown so fond, but alas, it was time to return to families, friends, school, etc.
The whole trip was a great experience and I don’t hesitate to say we all learned a lot.
And time really does fly. We flew out this evening for a long, long flight back to the US. This morning we got to visit with the US Ambassador Lino Gutierrez. His daughter goes to William and Mary, so we met her, took pictures, and made our way to the residency, known as the Palacio Bosch.
They gave us a tour and it was really impressive. The U.S. Embassy has restored the Palace's original nineteenth-century look. After the tour we had coffee with the whole family and told them about our research and the things we had done in Argentina. It was a good way to spend our last morning.
We had the rest of the afternoon to hang out before our flight, but it was rainy. Luckily we had a good alternative to being outside because the ambassador recommended a movie to us. We had just enough time to watch the movie and eat before our taxi came to take us to the airport. It was hard to leave the city of which we had all grown so fond, but alas, it was time to return to families, friends, school, etc.
The whole trip was a great experience and I don’t hesitate to say we all learned a lot.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Tuesday
This morning we started our day by returning to el Biblioteca de los Maestros. After doing more research and writing down the bibliographies of books, we met with the director of the library, Dr. Graciela Perrone. She told us about the goals of the library in the coming years. They are working on making their information available online. She placed a huge emphasis on the expansion of distance learning and its prevalence in the current time. She thinks that all of the school libraries, even outside of the Buenos Aires province, should be able to access the public information of el Biblioteca de los Maestros. She also talked about the socialization of knowledge and how that depends on the child’s family. By making this information more accessible it seems as if the library is trying to lessen the gap among different schools. I think she said they are working with 150 schools already, so it is making progress.
That afternoon we visited with the other faction of las Madres de la Plaza in order to see some of the differences. They run a university and have a bookstore. It was very different from the other group of mothers. It was neat to be able to compare and contrast their different approaches.
This morning we started our day by returning to el Biblioteca de los Maestros. After doing more research and writing down the bibliographies of books, we met with the director of the library, Dr. Graciela Perrone. She told us about the goals of the library in the coming years. They are working on making their information available online. She placed a huge emphasis on the expansion of distance learning and its prevalence in the current time. She thinks that all of the school libraries, even outside of the Buenos Aires province, should be able to access the public information of el Biblioteca de los Maestros. She also talked about the socialization of knowledge and how that depends on the child’s family. By making this information more accessible it seems as if the library is trying to lessen the gap among different schools. I think she said they are working with 150 schools already, so it is making progress.
That afternoon we visited with the other faction of las Madres de la Plaza in order to see some of the differences. They run a university and have a bookstore. It was very different from the other group of mothers. It was neat to be able to compare and contrast their different approaches.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Monday
It’s a holiday here, because it’s the anniversary of San Martin’s death. Most things were closed, but we were able to meet María Silvia and her husband for coffee in order to say goodbye (leaving in 2 days! It doesn’t seem like we’ve been in Argentina that long).
Then this afternoon we went to see a cartoon movie about a Tehuelche Indian boy. We met one of María Silvia’s sons, Manuel, there and after the movie we got coffee and a snack. That way we were able to discuss the movie. It was interesting to watch it with Manuel because he pointed out something that the rest of us hadn’t noticed. At the end of the movie, the boy returned home. There is something to say about family values and national identity. It is shown in many things, but it’s really evident in this movie.
We also went to a performance that I briefly mentioned we had learned about last Monday. It was really moving. The performance was based around the disappeared. I’ll tell a little about the first part of the performance (it was divided into 3 parts), but the description won’t do it justice. It was performed by one young woman, and she played two women. One of the women lived with her grandmother and her mother had been a desaparecido while the other had a family. There were different ways to read this play. Either it was different lives of the same person, or it was two people with very different lives depending on what had happened early in her life. The play went back and forth between the characters who each seemed to be telling an autobiography. They kept going back and forth and the audience could see the differences and the struggles of each. It ended with each telling a memory (or dream) about the violence that occurred when they were very young… implying the violence dealing with los desaparecidos.
The acts were all extremely moving, especially the last because it basically consisted people telling true stories about real desaparecidos. The whole premise behind the theater seems to be to get awareness in the community about what really happened in the 70s. It really benefited me because it helped our research with its spin on constructing identity in Argentina, beside the fact that it was really moving.
We only have one more day to do research since tomorrow is our last full day. Hopefully we’ll be able to get a lot of research done.
It’s a holiday here, because it’s the anniversary of San Martin’s death. Most things were closed, but we were able to meet María Silvia and her husband for coffee in order to say goodbye (leaving in 2 days! It doesn’t seem like we’ve been in Argentina that long).
Then this afternoon we went to see a cartoon movie about a Tehuelche Indian boy. We met one of María Silvia’s sons, Manuel, there and after the movie we got coffee and a snack. That way we were able to discuss the movie. It was interesting to watch it with Manuel because he pointed out something that the rest of us hadn’t noticed. At the end of the movie, the boy returned home. There is something to say about family values and national identity. It is shown in many things, but it’s really evident in this movie.
We also went to a performance that I briefly mentioned we had learned about last Monday. It was really moving. The performance was based around the disappeared. I’ll tell a little about the first part of the performance (it was divided into 3 parts), but the description won’t do it justice. It was performed by one young woman, and she played two women. One of the women lived with her grandmother and her mother had been a desaparecido while the other had a family. There were different ways to read this play. Either it was different lives of the same person, or it was two people with very different lives depending on what had happened early in her life. The play went back and forth between the characters who each seemed to be telling an autobiography. They kept going back and forth and the audience could see the differences and the struggles of each. It ended with each telling a memory (or dream) about the violence that occurred when they were very young… implying the violence dealing with los desaparecidos.
The acts were all extremely moving, especially the last because it basically consisted people telling true stories about real desaparecidos. The whole premise behind the theater seems to be to get awareness in the community about what really happened in the 70s. It really benefited me because it helped our research with its spin on constructing identity in Argentina, beside the fact that it was really moving.
We only have one more day to do research since tomorrow is our last full day. Hopefully we’ll be able to get a lot of research done.
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Sunday
Today we got to do a little more souvenir shopping. During the evening we went to Claudia Kohen’s house to visit with her and talk about her experiences in Argentina.
One thing we noticed there was the amount of security. Due to the economic crisis in Argentina, kidnapping is unfortunately rather frequent, so adding security is necessary.
We talked some about her research on Egypt, which is the focus of her doctorate. It’s especially impressive because she’s done her research using both the English and Spanish language, for example many of the sources were in English. We also talked some about the artwork she has and found out about the artists and the origins.
Her daughters joined us and they talked about their lives so we got more of an idea what it’s like to grow up in Argentina.
Today we got to do a little more souvenir shopping. During the evening we went to Claudia Kohen’s house to visit with her and talk about her experiences in Argentina.
One thing we noticed there was the amount of security. Due to the economic crisis in Argentina, kidnapping is unfortunately rather frequent, so adding security is necessary.
We talked some about her research on Egypt, which is the focus of her doctorate. It’s especially impressive because she’s done her research using both the English and Spanish language, for example many of the sources were in English. We also talked some about the artwork she has and found out about the artists and the origins.
Her daughters joined us and they talked about their lives so we got more of an idea what it’s like to grow up in Argentina.
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Saturday
We did get to have some free time on this trip so we weren’t too exhausted coming back to school. We did a little shopping for souvenirs and some site seeing. We went to the cemetery in Recoleta that was closed last Saturday when we tried to go. We got to see a lot of tombs of famous Argentines like Evita and education reformist, Sarmiento.
We did get to have some free time on this trip so we weren’t too exhausted coming back to school. We did a little shopping for souvenirs and some site seeing. We went to the cemetery in Recoleta that was closed last Saturday when we tried to go. We got to see a lot of tombs of famous Argentines like Evita and education reformist, Sarmiento.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Friday
Today we went to La Plata (a city about an hour from Buenos Aires). We went there to visit la Comisión Provincial de la Memoria. This place has archives, videos, etc. about los desaparecidos. They also play a role in the school system of the area as a resource for teachers. We talked to the director for a while to find out more about what they do and we also got to see their archives. They have a huge room of files and we also saw how they are preserving them by cleaning them and scanning them to make them digitally accessible.
One big thing we learned there was that the violence has occurred since the 30s, even though it was more prevalent in the 70s. We also spent some time in their library looking at their publications. These publications had a lot of information about the memory of the past. One of the magazine issues I looked at compared the happenings in Argentina to those of the Holocaust. There were also testimonies from the children of los desaparecidos.
The publications even had an insert called Educación y memoria. Here they broke down history and had a chronological timeline of important events. They would make great teaching tools, and are a good example of the importance of this center.
Before we left La Plata we went to an art museum that had a display on los desaparecidos. The pictures were really graphic and conveyed a strong message about the violence that occurred during the 70s. It was difficult to see, but important in Argentina’s history.
Today we went to La Plata (a city about an hour from Buenos Aires). We went there to visit la Comisión Provincial de la Memoria. This place has archives, videos, etc. about los desaparecidos. They also play a role in the school system of the area as a resource for teachers. We talked to the director for a while to find out more about what they do and we also got to see their archives. They have a huge room of files and we also saw how they are preserving them by cleaning them and scanning them to make them digitally accessible.
One big thing we learned there was that the violence has occurred since the 30s, even though it was more prevalent in the 70s. We also spent some time in their library looking at their publications. These publications had a lot of information about the memory of the past. One of the magazine issues I looked at compared the happenings in Argentina to those of the Holocaust. There were also testimonies from the children of los desaparecidos.
The publications even had an insert called Educación y memoria. Here they broke down history and had a chronological timeline of important events. They would make great teaching tools, and are a good example of the importance of this center.
Before we left La Plata we went to an art museum that had a display on los desaparecidos. The pictures were really graphic and conveyed a strong message about the violence that occurred during the 70s. It was difficult to see, but important in Argentina’s history.
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Thursday
After changing hotels, we had lunch with Natalia Truchi. We went to a place and I got a baked potato that was seriously as big as my head! It was a good thing I got a good amount of food though because I burned off all the calories as we dashed to the subway to make it to la Plaza de San Martín to see las Madres de la Plaza. This group (These groups) of mothers has been marching every Thursday since the late ‘70s to find out what happened to their children during the time of los desaparecidos. During this time, between 10,000 and 30,000 Argentines were taken by the government and tortured, put in concentration camps, killed, you name it. The Mothers want to know what happened.
It was an amazing experience. As I was taking pictures, the rest of the group went to walk with one of the groups of Mothers (the group split into two groups of Mothers, due to some differences in beliefs). Sara Gilmer began to talk with a Father of a desaparecido and we all got invited to go to a coffee shop with them.
We all sat down and each got to talk to at least one of the women marching. I learned a lot about one woman’s past and her thoughts on Argentina’s past. It was wonderful to hear about their experiences and desires for the future as well. I was most touched when I asked if we could take a picture and ALL of the mothers that were there came over.
From there we were invited to their headquarters where we saw pictures of many of los desaparecidos. Many of the victims were so young when they were taken. It was a very difficult thing to see, but a good experience nonetheless. We got to talk to the director and learn even more from the mothers. It was emotionally draining.
We went to dinner at María Silvia’s house and it was really neat because this time we got to talk to her sons about their educational experiences. We also relayed our day’s experience to them and they gave us some input on los desaparecidos.
After changing hotels, we had lunch with Natalia Truchi. We went to a place and I got a baked potato that was seriously as big as my head! It was a good thing I got a good amount of food though because I burned off all the calories as we dashed to the subway to make it to la Plaza de San Martín to see las Madres de la Plaza. This group (These groups) of mothers has been marching every Thursday since the late ‘70s to find out what happened to their children during the time of los desaparecidos. During this time, between 10,000 and 30,000 Argentines were taken by the government and tortured, put in concentration camps, killed, you name it. The Mothers want to know what happened.
It was an amazing experience. As I was taking pictures, the rest of the group went to walk with one of the groups of Mothers (the group split into two groups of Mothers, due to some differences in beliefs). Sara Gilmer began to talk with a Father of a desaparecido and we all got invited to go to a coffee shop with them.
We all sat down and each got to talk to at least one of the women marching. I learned a lot about one woman’s past and her thoughts on Argentina’s past. It was wonderful to hear about their experiences and desires for the future as well. I was most touched when I asked if we could take a picture and ALL of the mothers that were there came over.
From there we were invited to their headquarters where we saw pictures of many of los desaparecidos. Many of the victims were so young when they were taken. It was a very difficult thing to see, but a good experience nonetheless. We got to talk to the director and learn even more from the mothers. It was emotionally draining.
We went to dinner at María Silvia’s house and it was really neat because this time we got to talk to her sons about their educational experiences. We also relayed our day’s experience to them and they gave us some input on los desaparecidos.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Wednesday
Such a long day, but a wonderful day at that!
We went to Berazategi to visit a private school called Dr. Eduardo Braun Menéndez. We went to interview the director, Marta Chialchia, and to visit the classrooms. When we first got there we met a few of the teachers, but then went to see the younger children sing to the flag as it was being raised.
This school is unique because it covers all grades from a preschool through high school all the way to training to become a teacher. The younger children start their day a little earlier and meet in one half of the school, while the older ones have class in the other half of the school. About 20 minutes after the younger children started their day, we went back to the courtyard to see the flag raised a second time. This time the older children stood in silence as the flag was raised.
We spent a good amount of time observing a history class in the oldest grade. They were doing presentations. We saw a group of girls present on World War II, focusing on Nazism. The girl who talked the most was extremely confident and explained their project really well. We were all impressed (which we discussed on the way back to Buenos Aires that afternoon). We also got to see the written work they turned in. They had written what I considered to be a textbook dealing with different forms of government and the effects on World War II of Nazism, Fascism, etc. They had been working on these projects for two months and the final product had about one hundred pages. They included pictures and internet sites, but also a good deal of text.
Lucky for us, we were able to talk to the students because they had a little bit of free time. In all of the older grades, it seemed to me, there were students that were particularly interested in the American government, and its policies. We may not realize the extent of America’s role on the rest of the world, but the rest of the world definitely takes notice of America’s actions. It was interesting to me to see that they were showing Fahrenheit 9/11 in Argentina. I am certain that in America we would never see a politically based documentary about Argentina. Most Americans probably could care less about any political strife in other countries, but other countries are very concerned about what is going on within the US.
That’s just a reality check that I had.
After sitting in on that class, we talked to Marta Chialchia. We asked her to give us the history of the school and some other basic questions. Eventually we narrowed the questions to deal with national identity. I learned even more about the effects of the economic crisis on Argentina’s schools and the progress of the school throughout the years. Fortunately we taped this interview because she gave us so much information it’ll be good to have the reference.
We were even able to interview two of the teachers. They told us things like the importance of teaching values and life principles to their students. They also gave us more insight into the different home situations kids come from. One of the teachers told us about the difference of this school and another one where she teaches (most people have more than one job). It’s a very different life than in America.
Probably the most fun we had was visiting all of the classes. We felt like celebrities as all of the children asked us questions about the US and can I just say, they were all ADORABLE! (even the middle schoolers who asked things like “what’s your sign?”). At the end of the day they gave us flowers and souvenirs. We had no reason not to feel like celebrities.
We made it back to Buenos Aires early in the evening and had an enjoyable dinner with Professor Marchante-Aragon and poet Ariel Schettini. Unfortunately Sara, Sarah, and I had to duck out of dinner early because we were so exhausted, but it was a very fulfilling day.
Such a long day, but a wonderful day at that!
We went to Berazategi to visit a private school called Dr. Eduardo Braun Menéndez. We went to interview the director, Marta Chialchia, and to visit the classrooms. When we first got there we met a few of the teachers, but then went to see the younger children sing to the flag as it was being raised.
This school is unique because it covers all grades from a preschool through high school all the way to training to become a teacher. The younger children start their day a little earlier and meet in one half of the school, while the older ones have class in the other half of the school. About 20 minutes after the younger children started their day, we went back to the courtyard to see the flag raised a second time. This time the older children stood in silence as the flag was raised.
We spent a good amount of time observing a history class in the oldest grade. They were doing presentations. We saw a group of girls present on World War II, focusing on Nazism. The girl who talked the most was extremely confident and explained their project really well. We were all impressed (which we discussed on the way back to Buenos Aires that afternoon). We also got to see the written work they turned in. They had written what I considered to be a textbook dealing with different forms of government and the effects on World War II of Nazism, Fascism, etc. They had been working on these projects for two months and the final product had about one hundred pages. They included pictures and internet sites, but also a good deal of text.
Lucky for us, we were able to talk to the students because they had a little bit of free time. In all of the older grades, it seemed to me, there were students that were particularly interested in the American government, and its policies. We may not realize the extent of America’s role on the rest of the world, but the rest of the world definitely takes notice of America’s actions. It was interesting to me to see that they were showing Fahrenheit 9/11 in Argentina. I am certain that in America we would never see a politically based documentary about Argentina. Most Americans probably could care less about any political strife in other countries, but other countries are very concerned about what is going on within the US.
That’s just a reality check that I had.
After sitting in on that class, we talked to Marta Chialchia. We asked her to give us the history of the school and some other basic questions. Eventually we narrowed the questions to deal with national identity. I learned even more about the effects of the economic crisis on Argentina’s schools and the progress of the school throughout the years. Fortunately we taped this interview because she gave us so much information it’ll be good to have the reference.
We were even able to interview two of the teachers. They told us things like the importance of teaching values and life principles to their students. They also gave us more insight into the different home situations kids come from. One of the teachers told us about the difference of this school and another one where she teaches (most people have more than one job). It’s a very different life than in America.
Probably the most fun we had was visiting all of the classes. We felt like celebrities as all of the children asked us questions about the US and can I just say, they were all ADORABLE! (even the middle schoolers who asked things like “what’s your sign?”). At the end of the day they gave us flowers and souvenirs. We had no reason not to feel like celebrities.
We made it back to Buenos Aires early in the evening and had an enjoyable dinner with Professor Marchante-Aragon and poet Ariel Schettini. Unfortunately Sara, Sarah, and I had to duck out of dinner early because we were so exhausted, but it was a very fulfilling day.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Tuesday
We did more research this morning at the Library. I continued to look through some of the books that I saw yesterday and found a few more. We have been trying to write out the bibliographic information so that they’ll be easily located when more research is being done. We may even buy a few of the most useful.
After lunch (where I had the best eggplant pizza), we went to a bookstore with which Professor Root was well acquainted. The employees were helpful because they directed us to bookstores with schoolbooks. We ventured to those bookstores and looked through some of the schoolbooks to see the angles in which children are being inundated with nationalism. One thing I noticed about the younger grades was the presence of the Argentine flag.
We had a tea date later in the afternoon, so we headed over to Dr. Ruth Corcuera’s studio to talk to her more about her own art collection and the items we had seen on display at el Museo Naciónal de Bellas Artes. She told us more about the Andean Textiles and we looked through some of the books that she had written. She was very hospitable and at the end her husband, Ambassador Mario Corcuera Ibañez, graciously agreed to take pictures of all of us with our many cameras.
We did more research this morning at the Library. I continued to look through some of the books that I saw yesterday and found a few more. We have been trying to write out the bibliographic information so that they’ll be easily located when more research is being done. We may even buy a few of the most useful.
After lunch (where I had the best eggplant pizza), we went to a bookstore with which Professor Root was well acquainted. The employees were helpful because they directed us to bookstores with schoolbooks. We ventured to those bookstores and looked through some of the schoolbooks to see the angles in which children are being inundated with nationalism. One thing I noticed about the younger grades was the presence of the Argentine flag.
We had a tea date later in the afternoon, so we headed over to Dr. Ruth Corcuera’s studio to talk to her more about her own art collection and the items we had seen on display at el Museo Naciónal de Bellas Artes. She told us more about the Andean Textiles and we looked through some of the books that she had written. She was very hospitable and at the end her husband, Ambassador Mario Corcuera Ibañez, graciously agreed to take pictures of all of us with our many cameras.
Monday, August 09, 2004
It seems as if we have been in Argentina a long time because we’ve already done so much, but it’s only Monday. Today we went to la Biblioteca de los Maestros. We had a stack of books that we tackled and took notes on. Here we were able to see some of the theory behind teaching in Argentina. We were also introduced to some of los textos escolares that were featured in some of the books we picked up.
I looked up some books that dealt with education and politics. One of the books looked at the different “visions” for children throughout history, specifically the teacher’s role and obligation of teaching content in that time period. It showed the transformations in these things over time in Argentina. I also picked up a book that dealt with schooling before Argentina actually became a nation, which gave some insight into the influence of Spain as the conquering country. Spain had an education based on the Catholic religion, and some of that was transferred to Argentina. According to this book, at one point Argentina had no secular teachers and the church was a strong force in the schools. This book also talked about the education (or lack thereof) for females. This library is packed with information.
In the afternoon we visited the Fullbright Foundation to talk to the directors about the opportunities available for study there. After an enjoyable visit with them, we headed to theater central to find out what performances were going on. We found a free performance that is the theater for identity, which would be really fun to go to. We’re planning on seeing that next Monday.
I looked up some books that dealt with education and politics. One of the books looked at the different “visions” for children throughout history, specifically the teacher’s role and obligation of teaching content in that time period. It showed the transformations in these things over time in Argentina. I also picked up a book that dealt with schooling before Argentina actually became a nation, which gave some insight into the influence of Spain as the conquering country. Spain had an education based on the Catholic religion, and some of that was transferred to Argentina. According to this book, at one point Argentina had no secular teachers and the church was a strong force in the schools. This book also talked about the education (or lack thereof) for females. This library is packed with information.
In the afternoon we visited the Fullbright Foundation to talk to the directors about the opportunities available for study there. After an enjoyable visit with them, we headed to theater central to find out what performances were going on. We found a free performance that is the theater for identity, which would be really fun to go to. We’re planning on seeing that next Monday.
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Sunday
We got up on Sunday to go to La Boca. La Boca is a working-class neighborhood of Buenos Aires. When we first got there we went to the museum of Quinquela Martín. He lived in La Boca and his house was transformed into the museum. He was a painter who painted scenes of La Boca, but instead of showing the poverty, he painted using vibrant colors. In turn, La Boca was transformed. People had pride in their neighborhood and the houses were all painted with vibrant colors. Martín gave them even more reasons to be proud of their neighborhood because he established schools. It was so neat to walk through their market. It had a lot more artwork (paintings, photographs, etc.) than Recoleta.
That wasn’t the end of our market experience though. We then went to San Telmo where we saw even more stands. These were unique because to me it seemed like more of a big yard sale than handmade goods and art. There were old books, coins, and stamps and other things like that, instead of only being artwork. We also got to see some Tango in San Telmo. In between dances, the man somewhat explained the origin of Tango.
On our way back to the hotel we saw even more street performance. There was a group of children doing a murga that was somewhat like performances of the group “Stomp.” That’s the best way to describe it, but they were really good and energetic. The beat that they performed would actually make you want to join in because it was so catchy. They were doing it because it was “Children’s day” (kind of like how we have Mother’s day). We were all impressed.
We finished up the day by going to see a movie called “Diarios de Motocicleta.” It’s a movie about Che Guevara and his journey around South America with his friend on a motorcycle. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it if it comes to the US.
We got up on Sunday to go to La Boca. La Boca is a working-class neighborhood of Buenos Aires. When we first got there we went to the museum of Quinquela Martín. He lived in La Boca and his house was transformed into the museum. He was a painter who painted scenes of La Boca, but instead of showing the poverty, he painted using vibrant colors. In turn, La Boca was transformed. People had pride in their neighborhood and the houses were all painted with vibrant colors. Martín gave them even more reasons to be proud of their neighborhood because he established schools. It was so neat to walk through their market. It had a lot more artwork (paintings, photographs, etc.) than Recoleta.
That wasn’t the end of our market experience though. We then went to San Telmo where we saw even more stands. These were unique because to me it seemed like more of a big yard sale than handmade goods and art. There were old books, coins, and stamps and other things like that, instead of only being artwork. We also got to see some Tango in San Telmo. In between dances, the man somewhat explained the origin of Tango.
On our way back to the hotel we saw even more street performance. There was a group of children doing a murga that was somewhat like performances of the group “Stomp.” That’s the best way to describe it, but they were really good and energetic. The beat that they performed would actually make you want to join in because it was so catchy. They were doing it because it was “Children’s day” (kind of like how we have Mother’s day). We were all impressed.
We finished up the day by going to see a movie called “Diarios de Motocicleta.” It’s a movie about Che Guevara and his journey around South America with his friend on a motorcycle. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it if it comes to the US.
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Saturday
Today at an artisan's market we found an influx of creativity. Professor Root told us that many believe a cultural boom has followed the economic crisis.
We also visited two museums in the area. One had mostly paintings and sculptures. This museum, el Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, also had Dr. Ruth Corcuera’s exhibit on indigenous textiles. It’s an important first for this museum to recognize indigenous art and an important statement about national identity. As I’ve learned in some of my Sociology classes, ‘recognition’ is the first step to the long process of creating equality among groups.
The other museum was Palace de Glace that had a Quino exhibit on display. Quino is a cartoonist who uses art that normally appeals mostly to children (comics) and often uses them to express world problems and concerns. We were looking at his Mafalda comics. Mafalda is a little girl with big questions. My favorite of her cartoons was one with her mother cutting up onions and tears streaming down here cheeks. In the last frame Mafalda is sitting next to her mother with a globe in front of her saying she really has something to cry about. The cartoon may seem a little harsh, but it really shows Quino’s feelings on the destruction of our world (specifically the moral destruction). If I can find the cartoon online I’ll post it.
There were cheery cartoons in there too. Professor Root and I got our laughs in as we watched the cartoons in one of the rooms. There were some really funny and clever, short cartoons.
We needed to take a short break after seeing those museums, so we stopped at a café… it’s the Argentine way. =) This time we tried Submarinos. These are simple drinks. Warm milk and a bar of chocolate that you get to combine for some chocolately goodness.
After that we quickly walked to see if the cemetery was open, but it was not. We did get to go inside the cathedral briefly, which was beautiful and extravagant. It was dark by this point, but our day was not nearly over. We were lucky enough to have set up time to meet with Natalia Truchi. She works with Greenpeace and went to some Argentine schools, so we decided to ask her about her personal life as a student. We also talked briefly about her ideas on America’s influence on Argentina, because some of our taxi drivers had mentioned their disgust with Halloween. Natalia pointed out other influences such as English words being used (i.e. shopping).
We went to dinner with her and her sister Florencia (aka Flor). They took us to a really good pasta place (I think we will all admit that the food was really good in Argentina—and surprisingly it was the Italian food in Argentina that we liked the best). It was great to just listen to them and find out about their lives.
Today at an artisan's market we found an influx of creativity. Professor Root told us that many believe a cultural boom has followed the economic crisis.
We also visited two museums in the area. One had mostly paintings and sculptures. This museum, el Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, also had Dr. Ruth Corcuera’s exhibit on indigenous textiles. It’s an important first for this museum to recognize indigenous art and an important statement about national identity. As I’ve learned in some of my Sociology classes, ‘recognition’ is the first step to the long process of creating equality among groups.
The other museum was Palace de Glace that had a Quino exhibit on display. Quino is a cartoonist who uses art that normally appeals mostly to children (comics) and often uses them to express world problems and concerns. We were looking at his Mafalda comics. Mafalda is a little girl with big questions. My favorite of her cartoons was one with her mother cutting up onions and tears streaming down here cheeks. In the last frame Mafalda is sitting next to her mother with a globe in front of her saying she really has something to cry about. The cartoon may seem a little harsh, but it really shows Quino’s feelings on the destruction of our world (specifically the moral destruction). If I can find the cartoon online I’ll post it.
There were cheery cartoons in there too. Professor Root and I got our laughs in as we watched the cartoons in one of the rooms. There were some really funny and clever, short cartoons.
We needed to take a short break after seeing those museums, so we stopped at a café… it’s the Argentine way. =) This time we tried Submarinos. These are simple drinks. Warm milk and a bar of chocolate that you get to combine for some chocolately goodness.
After that we quickly walked to see if the cemetery was open, but it was not. We did get to go inside the cathedral briefly, which was beautiful and extravagant. It was dark by this point, but our day was not nearly over. We were lucky enough to have set up time to meet with Natalia Truchi. She works with Greenpeace and went to some Argentine schools, so we decided to ask her about her personal life as a student. We also talked briefly about her ideas on America’s influence on Argentina, because some of our taxi drivers had mentioned their disgust with Halloween. Natalia pointed out other influences such as English words being used (i.e. shopping).
We went to dinner with her and her sister Florencia (aka Flor). They took us to a really good pasta place (I think we will all admit that the food was really good in Argentina—and surprisingly it was the Italian food in Argentina that we liked the best). It was great to just listen to them and find out about their lives.
Friday, August 06, 2004
Friday
Well after the delayed start of our trip due to a flight cancellation, we made it to Argentina. It has been a long day. Our flight got in at 6:15 in the morning, and we had just enough time to get our room situation straight and to shower before we ventured out into Buenos Aires. We didn’t hesitate to jump into the Argentina experience. The first thing we did in the city was go to “Havanna,” which is a coffee/snack shop. We got to try some alfajores (snack cakes… which were definitely needed after the long flight).
We didn’t stay long because we wanted to see a little more of the area before heading to lunch with artist María Silvia Corcuera Terán. It was time for our research to begin. We went to her house and she was able to show us some of her artwork. She has some very complex art pieces that have political undertones and she even does art shows in children’s museums. She was able to give us some insight on her perspective of the Argentine situation and the role of education in constructing a national identity. We were even able to meet two women with whom she is working on a project. This project, although it is still in progress, showed us that the Argentine Constitution is an indicator of national identity. We can possibly look at the constitution through an educational lens to see how students are taught to view the constitution and their country.
Also at lunch we were able to talk with María Silvia’s mother, Dr. Ruth Corcuera , who is a well-known anthropologist. She has been working with indigenous textiles and has a display in el Museo Naciónal de Bellas Artes. Luckily, we’ll get to talk to her even more about her findings later.
After eating we decided to go to the museum of Evita since it was right on the street. It was an interesting exhibit that showed many aspects of Evita’s life. One thing that I found interesting was her experience in a foster care home. Perhaps this inspired her future work with schools and the people of Argentina, which were other things we saw in the exhibit. Overall, the museum glorified Evita’s life. After dinner we went straight to bed, so we could sleep after an exhausting, but fulfilling first day (Argentines don’t eat dinner until 10:30 or later so it wasn’t an early bedtime).
Well after the delayed start of our trip due to a flight cancellation, we made it to Argentina. It has been a long day. Our flight got in at 6:15 in the morning, and we had just enough time to get our room situation straight and to shower before we ventured out into Buenos Aires. We didn’t hesitate to jump into the Argentina experience. The first thing we did in the city was go to “Havanna,” which is a coffee/snack shop. We got to try some alfajores (snack cakes… which were definitely needed after the long flight).
We didn’t stay long because we wanted to see a little more of the area before heading to lunch with artist María Silvia Corcuera Terán. It was time for our research to begin. We went to her house and she was able to show us some of her artwork. She has some very complex art pieces that have political undertones and she even does art shows in children’s museums. She was able to give us some insight on her perspective of the Argentine situation and the role of education in constructing a national identity. We were even able to meet two women with whom she is working on a project. This project, although it is still in progress, showed us that the Argentine Constitution is an indicator of national identity. We can possibly look at the constitution through an educational lens to see how students are taught to view the constitution and their country.
Also at lunch we were able to talk with María Silvia’s mother, Dr. Ruth Corcuera , who is a well-known anthropologist. She has been working with indigenous textiles and has a display in el Museo Naciónal de Bellas Artes. Luckily, we’ll get to talk to her even more about her findings later.
After eating we decided to go to the museum of Evita since it was right on the street. It was an interesting exhibit that showed many aspects of Evita’s life. One thing that I found interesting was her experience in a foster care home. Perhaps this inspired her future work with schools and the people of Argentina, which were other things we saw in the exhibit. Overall, the museum glorified Evita’s life. After dinner we went straight to bed, so we could sleep after an exhausting, but fulfilling first day (Argentines don’t eat dinner until 10:30 or later so it wasn’t an early bedtime).
