Very busy days at work. March 24th was the anniversary of the latest coup d'etat in 1976. The dictatorship that was established is the reason why today hidden detention centers are open as museums and why hundreds of thousands of people live in poverty with friends and family disappeared. The dictatorship made the blooming industry of Argentina hit rock bottom. The dictatorship of the 70's is actually partly the reason why my life is the way it is here in Argentina. What a curious thought...
On Saturday the 24th the memory centers in Cordoba (meaning former detention centers, Campo de La Ribera being one of three) organized a concert of Leon Gieco, a long time superstar in Argentina. We had 15 000 people present that day. Later in the evening a peaceful march was organized in the center. Without any official number to present, the people participating in the march filled the lenght of 8 blocks of the avenue. Thousands.
On Monday in the tribunal of Cordoba 3 ex police officers got condemned for crimes committed during the dictatorship. More specifically what happened was that 3 politically active students were kidnapped in 1976. They were forced into a car (one was shot in the back already then). They were driven to a remote location where the police killed these people with 172 bullets in total. The defence alleged that these students had driven to a check post where they had started shooting at the police, which means that the 172 bullets were shot in self defence. The court sentenced these police officers for life in prison, in Argentina equaling apparently around 20 years. It was beautiful. People were hugging eachother, laghing, crying, jumping together. It was a day of justice.
For the ones interested, what they're doing here with accusing people over 30 years later is actually quite clever, look it up. Plus there's no international tribunal, it's all Argentinian work.
On Thursday a group of students came to Campo de La Ribera for a volunteer day. Wall painting, cleaning, planting flowers, stamping books... We had choripanes for lunch and in the afternoon a discussion and a tour. In the evening I was given a very appreciated class on how to barbecue the Argentinian way. Five kinds of meat, salads, potatoes, bread, eggplants, drinks and later on coctails with condensed milk, fruits... All this for 7 euros per person! And now I have some tricks up my sleeve.
So this was my week. The next days I'll be in Chile and Mendoza in western Argentina. I have to renew my visa which makes a perfect excuse. Hectic but fun days.
lauantai 31. maaliskuuta 2012
lauantai 24. maaliskuuta 2012
Fall is here
Now it is officially fall. How do I know? Because this is the first night I keep my windows closed? Because there is rainfall? Because it's chillier? Nope. I know we're experiencing fall because we passed March 21st.
Apparently in several countries seasons of the year are defined by exact dates, dictated by the equinox. So, fall starts on March 21st, winter on June 21st, spring on September 21st and winter on December 21st. The 21st of this month Facebook-updates were mainly about the fall. On the radio the hosts talked about how warm the climate will be during the first weeks of the fall. It was a given fact. Summer was gone.
In Finland they're experiencing now a wonderful weather. +5 - +7'C, sunshine, melting snow... How do we know that it's spring? Because the sun is shining. The climate is getting warmer. It's unlikely that it will snow anymore. Spring comes when it chooses to, usually in February, March or April. (As a sidenote here - Usually temperature in most places in the world stays above zero. Therefore there is no need to stress the fact that the temperature is above freezing point. On the contrary we Finns do stress that difference. Usually we say that it's "plus 10 degrees", "plus 3 degrees" and so on.)
So now the upper and the lower hemisphere have stepped into the next season. A wonderful and beautiful season with soft sunlight, colors and more agreeable weather, whichever season it may be.
Apparently in several countries seasons of the year are defined by exact dates, dictated by the equinox. So, fall starts on March 21st, winter on June 21st, spring on September 21st and winter on December 21st. The 21st of this month Facebook-updates were mainly about the fall. On the radio the hosts talked about how warm the climate will be during the first weeks of the fall. It was a given fact. Summer was gone.
In Finland they're experiencing now a wonderful weather. +5 - +7'C, sunshine, melting snow... How do we know that it's spring? Because the sun is shining. The climate is getting warmer. It's unlikely that it will snow anymore. Spring comes when it chooses to, usually in February, March or April. (As a sidenote here - Usually temperature in most places in the world stays above zero. Therefore there is no need to stress the fact that the temperature is above freezing point. On the contrary we Finns do stress that difference. Usually we say that it's "plus 10 degrees", "plus 3 degrees" and so on.)
So now the upper and the lower hemisphere have stepped into the next season. A wonderful and beautiful season with soft sunlight, colors and more agreeable weather, whichever season it may be.
tiistai 20. maaliskuuta 2012
Oh no..
... I'm trying to fight it but sometimes it escapes me. I'm involuntarily starting to do the countdown. "Only XX days left in Córdoba", "only XX weekends left to spend with nice people and explore beautiful places", "only XX tango classes left"... For god's sake, I'm staying here for 3 months, not 3 days. Let go, relax, enjoy the ride.
There's one thing that is making this worse. I'm starting to like it here.
There's one thing that is making this worse. I'm starting to like it here.
Alive and much more
This weekend I went to San Marcos Sierras, a hippie village in nothern Cordoba (the province). Supposedly it's located on one of the spiritual epicenters of South America. The others are Macchu Picchu in Peru and a farm called Aurorita in Uruguay.
Although I made a very slight effort to get company for this trip, in the end I sat in the bus alone. On my way back I understood that it was for the best. San Marcos is my little secret and the place where many interesting things happened. One especially noteworthy event was the following.
I wanted to take advantage of my last day in San Marcos so I woke up at sunrise and started walking to a river some 5 km away. I thought about hitchhiking. It's something that I've never done, although I've given rides to complete strangers and also stepped into a car where I was the only white/female person. Potentially dangerous but sofar so good. So, when walking on that dirt road a car stopped offering a ride, I went for it.
Matias and Juan were returning from a party. Juan was faily drunk but Matias had wanted to go to "his" place by the river, to be with nature for a while. A bit foolishly (I trust people way more than I should) I didn't get off at the main entrance to the river but continued a few kilometers further. With the car and the sleeping Juan left behind, Matias led me to the river, to some exquisite land and rock formations, through the forest and to higher grounds.
Many times I wondered if this was a good idea. There were no people anywhere nearby, so my cries for help would have been useless. My main reassurance was that if Matias was unarmed, I could probably beat him in a struggle. But none of that was necessary. We talked about his family, nature, drugs and Mother Earth. We challenged eachother and climbed higher to places making our own path through the vegetation (the current status of my shoes and my legs is evidence of that). We sat in silence and had geckoes and hummingbirds approach us. Mother Nature was present indeed.
I thought about Leakhena, a girl I met in Cambodia (there's an entire text about her in May 2010). There are people out there who make everything worth while. All our doubts, our questions, our hesitations are washed away when that right person crosses our path. I will probably never see Matias or Leakhena again, but I will remember them as people who showed me why I chose to live this way.
Although I made a very slight effort to get company for this trip, in the end I sat in the bus alone. On my way back I understood that it was for the best. San Marcos is my little secret and the place where many interesting things happened. One especially noteworthy event was the following.
I wanted to take advantage of my last day in San Marcos so I woke up at sunrise and started walking to a river some 5 km away. I thought about hitchhiking. It's something that I've never done, although I've given rides to complete strangers and also stepped into a car where I was the only white/female person. Potentially dangerous but sofar so good. So, when walking on that dirt road a car stopped offering a ride, I went for it.
Matias and Juan were returning from a party. Juan was faily drunk but Matias had wanted to go to "his" place by the river, to be with nature for a while. A bit foolishly (I trust people way more than I should) I didn't get off at the main entrance to the river but continued a few kilometers further. With the car and the sleeping Juan left behind, Matias led me to the river, to some exquisite land and rock formations, through the forest and to higher grounds.
Many times I wondered if this was a good idea. There were no people anywhere nearby, so my cries for help would have been useless. My main reassurance was that if Matias was unarmed, I could probably beat him in a struggle. But none of that was necessary. We talked about his family, nature, drugs and Mother Earth. We challenged eachother and climbed higher to places making our own path through the vegetation (the current status of my shoes and my legs is evidence of that). We sat in silence and had geckoes and hummingbirds approach us. Mother Nature was present indeed.
I thought about Leakhena, a girl I met in Cambodia (there's an entire text about her in May 2010). There are people out there who make everything worth while. All our doubts, our questions, our hesitations are washed away when that right person crosses our path. I will probably never see Matias or Leakhena again, but I will remember them as people who showed me why I chose to live this way.
perjantai 16. maaliskuuta 2012
Cool
Today we got a refrigerator at work. A brand new one. Some funds had finally been given to us and improvement of the kitchen was a priority. Seriously, you should have heard the applause, laughter and happy shouts that the arrival of the refrigerator caused. Because there is no shop anywhere nearby the Campo de La Ribera, all food we have eaten sofar has been anything that doesn't get bad easily. Modern technology came to the rescue.
The refrigerator not only caused happiness but also yet another reason to admire the locals. The refrigerator cost 2800 Argentinian pesos, equivalent to around 500 euros. For many people, that is one months salary. In Finland a machine like that costs about 350-400 euros and it would take on an average about one week to earn that money.
For us a refrigerator is a necessity, something everybody is entitled to. Like a freezer, a wash machine, a television, the Internet... In different countries the different "qualities of life" dictate what is expected. Yet I wonder, if it is so much easier to buy these machines in Finland, would an Argentinian voluntarily move to that cold country given the possibility?
The refrigerator not only caused happiness but also yet another reason to admire the locals. The refrigerator cost 2800 Argentinian pesos, equivalent to around 500 euros. For many people, that is one months salary. In Finland a machine like that costs about 350-400 euros and it would take on an average about one week to earn that money.
For us a refrigerator is a necessity, something everybody is entitled to. Like a freezer, a wash machine, a television, the Internet... In different countries the different "qualities of life" dictate what is expected. Yet I wonder, if it is so much easier to buy these machines in Finland, would an Argentinian voluntarily move to that cold country given the possibility?
keskiviikko 14. maaliskuuta 2012
The ways of getting attention
Scandinavian attention addicts should come to Latin America. Although the attention is attracted by mere femininity and fair skin and expressed with shouts like "gringa", "güera" or "rubia", it's sometimes nice to be noticed.
The men here in Argentina are much more subtle than in other Latin countries I've been to so walking around here is calmer. Yet people tend to know that I'm a foreigner and occasionally shout "hello" or "Alemania". It's a bit of a mystery how they know that but sofar I'm guessing it's my haircut that reveals me. [Edit. note: Sarcasm. I do look very typically Scandinavian.]
Here I have two objects that seem to attract attention for sure. One is a necklace that a good friend gave to me once. It has a green Lego building block. People here tend to notice it very quickly and comment it in various ways. "Is that really a Lego block?", "So cool!", "I want that too!", "Why on earth do you have a Lego block as a necklace?". Nice attention that usually leads to a conversation.
The other object is a dress I bought in Rio. Simply put it's a dress made of the Brazilian flag. It's colorful, bright and really nice. In Brazil I wore it twice and many people complimented it. Here I wore it once and will not wear it again.
It was a Friday afternoon. About 3 seconds after entering the street the construction workers next door started shouting "Brazil, Brazil!". Making my way to a meeting, taxi drivers whistled, male drivers stopped next to me, bypassers started singing something and some young men followed me. In the meeting everybody thought I was Brazilian. Later in the evening we went to a carnival event (that's why I had put the dress on in the first place) and the same show around me continued.
In the end I couldn't take it anymore and tucked the dress so that it became a miniskirt/dress and put my scarf on the blue globe that's in the Brazilian flag. Somehow it felt funny that the evening was suddenly much more peaceful when I was showing half of my thighs, rather than wearing anything that reminds people of Brazil.
Nowdays I wear the dress at home. People who come here like the dress very much and start talking about football (the house is the meeting place of a foundation so during weekdays there's about 10 people around). Being a European who doesn't watch football, this association didn't cross my mind. Now I see the dress as a symbol of my ignorance and think of non-catholic people who wear the Holy Rosary because it looks cool. How differently we see the world and interpret the symbols in it.
Life is about learning. Lesson of the day: more Lego blocks, less Brazilian flags. Oh yes, and more nice Argentinians with good manners and smooth compliments.
The men here in Argentina are much more subtle than in other Latin countries I've been to so walking around here is calmer. Yet people tend to know that I'm a foreigner and occasionally shout "hello" or "Alemania". It's a bit of a mystery how they know that but sofar I'm guessing it's my haircut that reveals me. [Edit. note: Sarcasm. I do look very typically Scandinavian.]
Here I have two objects that seem to attract attention for sure. One is a necklace that a good friend gave to me once. It has a green Lego building block. People here tend to notice it very quickly and comment it in various ways. "Is that really a Lego block?", "So cool!", "I want that too!", "Why on earth do you have a Lego block as a necklace?". Nice attention that usually leads to a conversation.
The other object is a dress I bought in Rio. Simply put it's a dress made of the Brazilian flag. It's colorful, bright and really nice. In Brazil I wore it twice and many people complimented it. Here I wore it once and will not wear it again.
It was a Friday afternoon. About 3 seconds after entering the street the construction workers next door started shouting "Brazil, Brazil!". Making my way to a meeting, taxi drivers whistled, male drivers stopped next to me, bypassers started singing something and some young men followed me. In the meeting everybody thought I was Brazilian. Later in the evening we went to a carnival event (that's why I had put the dress on in the first place) and the same show around me continued.
In the end I couldn't take it anymore and tucked the dress so that it became a miniskirt/dress and put my scarf on the blue globe that's in the Brazilian flag. Somehow it felt funny that the evening was suddenly much more peaceful when I was showing half of my thighs, rather than wearing anything that reminds people of Brazil.
Nowdays I wear the dress at home. People who come here like the dress very much and start talking about football (the house is the meeting place of a foundation so during weekdays there's about 10 people around). Being a European who doesn't watch football, this association didn't cross my mind. Now I see the dress as a symbol of my ignorance and think of non-catholic people who wear the Holy Rosary because it looks cool. How differently we see the world and interpret the symbols in it.
Life is about learning. Lesson of the day: more Lego blocks, less Brazilian flags. Oh yes, and more nice Argentinians with good manners and smooth compliments.
torstai 8. maaliskuuta 2012
One woman's life
For the International Women's Day let me tell you the story of a girl named "Liliana".
Liliana was born to a very poor family that lived in a simple house next to the Campo de La Ribera. Liliana and her older brother went to a local school and lived their lives in poverty but peace. Liliana participated in the workshops at Campo de La Ribera and her father worked there occasionally cutting grass and cleaning the yard.
When Liliana was 15, she found out she was 3 months pregnant. She was living with her boyfriend at the time. They had only been together for 2 months sofar so the boyfriend knew that the child wasn't his. He made it clear that he would not participate in any way in raising this child. That night, on the eve of her fathers 58th birthday, Liliana went home and shot herself.
This happened on Wednesday. Because the family didn't have a phone, we at La Ribera helped the family to get a free coffin and assisted them in finding a free burial ground. The burial took place this afternoon.
Abortion is illegal in Argentina. In January an 11-year-old girl who had been raped was denied abortion. The provincial health minister stated that if the girl was able to get pregnant, she was also able to become a mother. Abortion is only allowed if the life of the mother is in danger or if the pregnancy is the result of rape of a mentally disabled woman. Even in these cases doctors usually deny abortion because of moral or uncertainty of how to interpret the law. Needless to say, therea are about 500.000-700.000 illegal abortions per year. Although wealthier women can afford safe abortion, the steadily growing poorer classes have to settle with knitting needles and coathangers.
This year the governement most likely will vote on legalizing abortion in some cases. Yet the result is unpredictable. The lobbying against abortion is strong and e.g. the family of the 11-year-old girl mentioned above has been harrassed by Catholic groups for supporting abotion. In a country with probably the best health care system in Latin America, who would have thought?
This text is dedicated to all the women who have died or committed suicide because of a ban on abortion. Pro-life!
Liliana was born to a very poor family that lived in a simple house next to the Campo de La Ribera. Liliana and her older brother went to a local school and lived their lives in poverty but peace. Liliana participated in the workshops at Campo de La Ribera and her father worked there occasionally cutting grass and cleaning the yard.
When Liliana was 15, she found out she was 3 months pregnant. She was living with her boyfriend at the time. They had only been together for 2 months sofar so the boyfriend knew that the child wasn't his. He made it clear that he would not participate in any way in raising this child. That night, on the eve of her fathers 58th birthday, Liliana went home and shot herself.
This happened on Wednesday. Because the family didn't have a phone, we at La Ribera helped the family to get a free coffin and assisted them in finding a free burial ground. The burial took place this afternoon.
Abortion is illegal in Argentina. In January an 11-year-old girl who had been raped was denied abortion. The provincial health minister stated that if the girl was able to get pregnant, she was also able to become a mother. Abortion is only allowed if the life of the mother is in danger or if the pregnancy is the result of rape of a mentally disabled woman. Even in these cases doctors usually deny abortion because of moral or uncertainty of how to interpret the law. Needless to say, therea are about 500.000-700.000 illegal abortions per year. Although wealthier women can afford safe abortion, the steadily growing poorer classes have to settle with knitting needles and coathangers.
This year the governement most likely will vote on legalizing abortion in some cases. Yet the result is unpredictable. The lobbying against abortion is strong and e.g. the family of the 11-year-old girl mentioned above has been harrassed by Catholic groups for supporting abotion. In a country with probably the best health care system in Latin America, who would have thought?
This text is dedicated to all the women who have died or committed suicide because of a ban on abortion. Pro-life!
maanantai 5. maaliskuuta 2012
The "latinos"
There are certain things that Finns know about Argentina. They know tango is a popular dance, that the country produces a lot of meat and that especially due to the World Wars many Germans and Italians fled to Argentina. The extensive immigration of Europeans started with Spaniards and Portuguese during the colonial era and continued strong until the early 20th century. This means that Argentinians don't have the average Pancho Villa look. People from many ethnic backgrounds inhabit this country.
All of this I knew before coming here. Nevertheless, I had no conception of the versality of people's appearance here. Even I could go for an Argentinian. Here I meet people who are more blond than me and have the brightest blue eyes, and I'm ready to bet my money on them being German. No no, their parents, their grandparents, all are Argentinians. Sigh.
After less than a week here, I stopped guessing where people come from by their appearance. These "latinos" are tall and short, dark and fair, thin and chubby. One thing they do have in common though. They're quite knowledgeable about their roots. One is 1/4 Peruvian and 3/4 Spanish, the other is 1/2 Italian and 1/2 German
This ethnic versatility also has an impact on nationality. Shortly put, some people can have e.g. Italian nationality because one of the parents has Italian nationality too, even if the child is born in Argentinian territory.
So, as you can see, Argentina is a melting pot just like the US. So what is truly Argentinian? The peoples love for meat.
All of this I knew before coming here. Nevertheless, I had no conception of the versality of people's appearance here. Even I could go for an Argentinian. Here I meet people who are more blond than me and have the brightest blue eyes, and I'm ready to bet my money on them being German. No no, their parents, their grandparents, all are Argentinians. Sigh.
After less than a week here, I stopped guessing where people come from by their appearance. These "latinos" are tall and short, dark and fair, thin and chubby. One thing they do have in common though. They're quite knowledgeable about their roots. One is 1/4 Peruvian and 3/4 Spanish, the other is 1/2 Italian and 1/2 German
This ethnic versatility also has an impact on nationality. Shortly put, some people can have e.g. Italian nationality because one of the parents has Italian nationality too, even if the child is born in Argentinian territory.
So, as you can see, Argentina is a melting pot just like the US. So what is truly Argentinian? The peoples love for meat.
lauantai 3. maaliskuuta 2012
Work and work
Work started on Thursday at Campo de la Ribera. I'll tell you the longer history of the place once it's explained to me too but for now I'll tell you that it used to be a military prison. Then during the dictatorship it was a political prison and a "concentration camp". Many people who entered never got out alive. About 200m away is a cemetery where a mass grave was found last year.
Today Ribera is a Center for the Memory, a place organizing activities that are somehow vinculated with reminding people of the country's terrible past. There are games, toys, after-school activities, handicrafts classes, sewing classes etc etc. The only problem is that Ribera is closed at the moment. Two reasons. 1. The building is dangerous. The main issues are the electricity cables and a roof that leaks a lot. 2. There is no water at the moment. The school next door is also out of water but nobody seems to know why. Being in Argentina, the workers aren't too confident that it will be fixed anytime soon.
So, why don't we fix the cables and the roof? The project gets its funding from the government, except for last year there was some hassle and no money was received at all. The director sighed when explaining this to me. Maybe we'll have money, maybe not.
What increases the hassle is that local elections were held a few months ago. The ruling political party changed, so what is happening now is that most public officials are being fired and replaced by new people belonging to the "right" party. This of course pauses basically everything, including the flow of funds. Even 15 of the neighborhood's 19 grass cutters were fired and now they will be replaced too.
I was told this is probably the worst time for me to arrive but with 15 employees and an important mission I hope Ribera will prosper some day. My role is still a complete mystery. Let's see where we are in 3 months.
Today Ribera is a Center for the Memory, a place organizing activities that are somehow vinculated with reminding people of the country's terrible past. There are games, toys, after-school activities, handicrafts classes, sewing classes etc etc. The only problem is that Ribera is closed at the moment. Two reasons. 1. The building is dangerous. The main issues are the electricity cables and a roof that leaks a lot. 2. There is no water at the moment. The school next door is also out of water but nobody seems to know why. Being in Argentina, the workers aren't too confident that it will be fixed anytime soon.
So, why don't we fix the cables and the roof? The project gets its funding from the government, except for last year there was some hassle and no money was received at all. The director sighed when explaining this to me. Maybe we'll have money, maybe not.
What increases the hassle is that local elections were held a few months ago. The ruling political party changed, so what is happening now is that most public officials are being fired and replaced by new people belonging to the "right" party. This of course pauses basically everything, including the flow of funds. Even 15 of the neighborhood's 19 grass cutters were fired and now they will be replaced too.
I was told this is probably the worst time for me to arrive but with 15 employees and an important mission I hope Ribera will prosper some day. My role is still a complete mystery. Let's see where we are in 3 months.
torstai 1. maaliskuuta 2012
Hola Córdoba!
Today I saw Córdoba, my new home town for the first time. I arrived with the night bus from Buenos Aires. Two weeks have passed in South America. With my mum we saw Rio and the carnival; Iguazu (Argentina) and Iguacu (Brazil); and Buenos Aires and tango. Mum went home on Monday, I went to Uruguay on Tuesday and now I'm here. Tomorrow is my first day at work. I will be the first foreign worker/volunteer at Campo de la Ribera. Apparently the organization is suffering from some financial difficulties so it will be interesting to see if I can actually be of any help. My address is Dean Funes 1046 and my telephone number is 351 39 31 855
(I still have to figure out how it should be dialed from abroad).
This is the beginning of a life changing experience, one of many.
A lot to talk about, a lot to be grateful for (like this minilaptop that is worth way more than the 100€ I paid for it). I watched a short video tonight and it presented the idea of 3 gratitudes. Every day be grateful for 3 new things and your brain will learn to see the positive in stead of the negative. Today I am grateful for my minilaptop, for arriving safe and sound to Córdoba and for hearing that mum returned home safely. What are you grateful for today?
This is the beginning of a life changing experience, one of many.
A lot to talk about, a lot to be grateful for (like this minilaptop that is worth way more than the 100€ I paid for it). I watched a short video tonight and it presented the idea of 3 gratitudes. Every day be grateful for 3 new things and your brain will learn to see the positive in stead of the negative. Today I am grateful for my minilaptop, for arriving safe and sound to Córdoba and for hearing that mum returned home safely. What are you grateful for today?
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