April + May

May Ligas!! 

Our second Ligas of 2025!! Just like April Ligas, I helped Erika out with a ton of the behind-the-scenes prep work for the craft station— this month focused on hot gluing popsicle sticks together to make little face frames, which then Erika painted yellow for the kiddos to make into emojis. I also printed and cut out different shapes (such as hearts, tears, tongues, circles, and stars) and emoji-faces for the kiddos to decorate their popsicle stick emojis. 

For Ligas itself, I accompanied a group of 24 third graders along with Fran, another young adult from El Redentor and one of my closest friends here — the two of us will be paired together and always be with the third graders so the kiddos have consistent leaders each Ligas, and also then we get to know the kiddos on a deeper level. I knew quite a few of the kiddos from First Communion classes, as well as Taller de Pascua and the April Ligas, which made it all the more exciting! Highlights included kiddos showing off their cookie stacks at snack time, comforting a homesick crying kiddo (sad but also so many hugs), helping with bracelets during craft time, and one of our high school helpers picking out all the beads for me to make a bracelet myself (featuring my name and IEA for the school!).

I visited Plaza de Mayo on Día de la Patria (May 25th), which is the huge plaza in front of the Casa Rosada (Presidential Office). The name of the plaza itself pays homage to the Revolución de Mayo de 1810 (May Revolution in 1810), which occurred in this same plaza, and was the birthplace of the first national government [known as the First Junta], marking the start of the process of Argentina's independence. The plaza was full of people, vendors selling banderas (flags) and escarapela (rosette) pins, as well as keychains and magnets! It was exciting to see all the Argentinian flags everywhere and hear people yelling "¡¡Viva la patria!!" across the street at random strangers. The national pride, sense of togetherness and community, and overwhelming sense of joy brought me so much peace amidst the chaos of downtown Buenos Aires, adding to an already quite culturally rich and patriotic experience. 

I got the opportunity to go to another fútbol game, this time with two of my cohortmates (Tom and Maggie) and their housemate. It was an international game: Vélez (the Argentinian team we were rooting for) versus San Antonio Bulo Bulo (the visiting team from Bolivia). Vélez dominated throughout the game and won 3—0, which was super exciting! The stadium was filled with joy and cheers, and the energy was infectious!

📍 El Ateneo Grand Splendid - Recoleta, Buenos Aires

A former theatre now turned bookstore and coffee shop, El Ateneo Grand Splendid has to be one of my favorite spots in Buenos Aires. Pictures honestly can't do it justice — the space itself is so incredibly open, the artwork and architecture are stunning, and the selection of books is extensive! I had saved pictures of this exact library on Pinterest years ago without realizing it was in Buenos Aires, so it was wild to visit with a friend from my host community for the first time back in November. It's such a tranquil, inviting space, and as someone who loves and appreciates architecture, theatre, and books, it's a space I know I'll miss a ton.

Semana Santa (Holy Week) continued with Jueves Santo (Maundy Thursday). El Redentor hosts a cena pasual (Passover supper) in conjunction with liturgy, Bible readings, and singing for Jueves Santo. I helped prepare the different parts of the cena pascual alongside Erika and Celeste (her daughter). It was fascinating to see both sides of Jueves Santo service, alongside knowing this is a yearly tradition here. Service taking place with all of us sitting around the same table was really powerful, reinforcing the idea of community and togetherness I reflect on so often throughout my year here, and is an experience I'm so incredibly grateful for.  

At the end of service on Thursday, everything was taken off the altar and out of the church, and a black cloth was hung on the cross in preparation for Viernes Santo (Good Friday). We did the Vía Crucis (Stations of the Cross) for Viernes Santo — each station was accompanied by a Bible reading, a reflection by someone from the congregation, and a different artistic depiction of Jesus on the cross. My reflection was on the 4th station: Jesús encuentra a su madre // Jesus meets His mother, along with the Bible reading of Luke 2:35. Reflecting on when Simon tells Mary that "a sword will pierce through your own heart also" made me consider how Mary — like all parents — know that their children will suffer at some point in their lives: it's part of being human and simply a part of life. But how painful it must have been to think about this when Jesus was still an infant, and at the same time learn that she was going to feel the same pain that her son would feel.

Donde hay amor, hay dolor. // Where there is love, there is pain.

Pope Francis (Papa Francisco) passed away Easter Monday. He was from Buenos Aires, and was archbishop in the Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires // Metropolitan Cathedral in the heart of downtown Buenos Aires before he became a cardinal in the Vatican. With Argentina being a Catholic country and the Pope being Argentinian, the grief here has been heavy. I visited the Metropolitan Cathedral on the Wednesday after his death, and was met with all the candles, flowers, notes, and tributes paid on the front steps of the cathedral. There was also a memorial for Papa Francisco at the front of the cathedral, with a desk and papers for people to write their last words to the Pope. Mass was also really moving: while it was different than a service at El Redentor, I was comforted in understanding the sermon and being able to recite the Padrenuestro (Lord's Prayer). Accompanying my friends amidst their grief has also impacted me a lot. One of my friends told me, "yo aún no puedo creer que haya muerto nuestro papa" // "I still can't believe that our Pope died" — the national pride that the Pope was Argentinian, as well as stood up for the marginalized and the environment, means that his death leaves quite a hole.