COUNTRY: Argentina
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Madeleine Paradise
Mi Casa es su Casa
I feel a little like a broken record. It's been another busy fortnight. It's impossible to be bored in Buenos Aires, even when we feel like we are doing nothing, we're still living on the other side of the world.
Last week, we celebrated my own 19th birthday; somehow (don't ask me how, I just went along with it, and certainly wasn't complaining) making the celebrations last 3, potentially 4, days. From dinner at our favourite restaurant, Las Cabras, or "The Goats", birthday cake and presents on the hostel terrace, more cake and birthday celebrations in the Misiones, and going out at night days later in lieu of my birthday, I've had one of the longest birthdays known to man. I was spoilt and showered with love. It was certainly unforgettable and unique, and I thank my Argentine family profusely.
The Argentine Nine were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit the Misiones and Iguazu. We did this trip with our in-country volunteer company; LIFE. This enabled us to spend 3 days volunteering in the local indigenous community of Peruti Village. Sunny skies and sunny dispositions, our time in Peruti was unforgettable. Tasks we completed during the period included general play, delousing and styling the children's hair, and daily meal and snack preparation and distribution; including making flat bread from scratch - a trying and repetitive task for Issy, Dave, Beck and myself. We were given a village tour by some of the older children, who were keen to show off their community. The communal bath, burial ground and river were just some places we were taken. The river was a beautiful sight, lead down a precarious track; over rocks, dodging trees; we found ourselves at an opening on a cliff edge with water below. The children quickly demonstrated jumping into the water with ease, however we were far more reluctant. Though I'll give credit to Cass and Bron for dipping their feet! In Peruti, we also saw the distribution of donated clothes and shoes, as well as toys that our fundraising helped purchase. Seeing the children tote their new toys around the village was the cherry on top of a dulce de leche drizzled, chocolate ice-cream sundae of a weekend spent in Peruti Village.
Next stop on our week-long adventure was Paraguay. Parag-WHY, more like. In the space of an hour, we went from Argentina, through Brazil, to end in Paraguay. No, the novelty of border crossing with ease has not worn off yet. The city of Ciudad al Este in Paraguay was, interesting, to say the least. We found it to be much like the Southeast-Asian cities of Bangkok, Pnom Penh and Denpasar. Markets, street-side stalls, haggling, and wayward motorcycles in a made-up maze of traffic. This Asian likeness wasn't helped by the fact that we ate at a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Ciudad al Este was, however, an interesting change for the day. Some appreciated it more than others; Lyndon later proclaiming Paraguay to be 'a stain on his brain'.
Staying in Puerto Iguazu, we were destined to visit the incredible Iguazu Falls, and destiny it was. The park in which the falls are located in is spectacular itself, rich in flora and fauna. Monkeys, toucans, beautiful butterflies, and the curious South Aerican coatis all reside in the park's dense jungle. Walking in the heat, over the bridges to the main falls, David and myself couldn't help but sing (okay, I may break out in song often, so it's no real shock) to sum it up;
"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the Argentiiiine Niiiine... Oh in the jungle the Iguazu jungle, the Argentiiiine Niiiine... Weeeee-eee-ee-e-e we see waterfalls... Because weeeee-eee-ee-e-e we walked on a bridge... "
Okay so in hindsight, perhaps you had to be there to appreciate this lyrical genius, but nonetheless, we walked on a bridge, and we saw waterfalls. The waterfalls, in all their wonder, left us in awe. Water falling from a staggering maximum height of 82 metres, over 275 drops, spanning 2.7 kilometres. We experienced the falls in all their glory, not fearing the spray or the "splaaaash" when we perhaps got a little too close to the water. This closeness was inevitable if, like myself, Arj, Dave, Issy, and Bron, you took a boat ride through the base of the falls; effectively saturating yourself in the water of the majestic Iguazu Falls; "WE'RE IN THE FALLS" - yes Arj, yes we are. now, I'd like to take a moment to remember Britt's jandals (they're thongs, mate), that tragically lost their lives that day, being walked to death around Iguazu National Park. They were a good pair of shoes.
We also visited the regional town of San Ignacio; where we got to see much of Northern Argentina's countryside. We trekked through what could be mistaken as Australian bush land to see century old indigenous Argentine carvings of mythical beings, and also to some incredible lookouts.
On the home front, we're still volunteering everyday, Lyndon, Britt and Arj are still attending Spanish lessons - with Dave finishing up this week, and we're still loving living here. It's hard to believe we are now over halfway through our time in Argentina, and soon we will be leaving our temporary home here.
Home is where the heart is. Over the last fortnight, our group has called many a place 'home'. Home has been our hostel, Buenos Aires, an overnight bus, in northern Argentina, and in some shady hostels. But don't worry, respective Mums, Dads, siblings, friends, aunts, uncles, and long-lost twice removed cousins; we still call Australia (or NZ!) home.
Personally, I've been questioning the concept of 'home'; where and what it is. Especially when considering what others consider to be home. Working in slums, with disadvantaged people, we see the stark contrast in standard of living; between their makeshift or amateur built homes, and our homes both here in BA, and in Australia or NZ. We see their homes. We see their modest living. We see their satisfaction with merely have a roof over their heads. By relative comparison, we know different. We know grand homes. We know the desire for a larger roof over our heads.
Taking a Gap Year to travel abroad, let alone to volunteer abroad, challenges your perceptions indefinitely. Not merely just of home, as I've expressed, but also of cost, worth, value, values, ethics, customs and culture - just to name a few. We're all changing a little, becoming increasingly informed young global citizens, developing an understanding of other cultures, communities and concepts. This is not a conscious learning, as a consequence of travel we have had our eyes and minds pried open in the best way possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment