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September @ El Redentor - Villa del Parque, Buenos Aires
September 18—30, 2024September @ El Redentor - Villa del Parque, Buenos Aires
Here's a peek into my first week at my site placement! I'm serving in both the church (El Redentor) and their Lutheran private school (Instituto Evangélico Americano), which has been truly fulfilling as it diversifies both who I'm working with and the work that I'm doing. I've also had the opportunity to explore around my new housing in Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, which has been exciting getting to know and feel at home in a new part of the city.
Ligas!
I got to accompany the first graders from station to station which was a lot of fun. The craft was decorating little notebooks to look like smartphones as we discussed the importance of being present and creative. It was exciting to see their creative side and help find the craft supplies they needed to put their creative vision together.
Snack time was also a huge hit! Each student brought their own packaged snack to share with everyone which was fun to see what everyone brought. Two girls brought it upon themselves to stack a bunch of different ones in my hands because they wanted me to try all their favorite snacks which was really wholsome.
"A lot of small people in small places are doing small things that can change the world"
I joined in on Friday night Bible Study with members of my host congregation. It was my first time meeting most of them, and it provided an opportunity to learn more about my community in a smaller, more informal setting than Sunday morning worship. I got to help prepare and set out the picada (mix of meats, cheeses, olives, chips, and bread!) and appreciated the welcoming environment.
After service my first Sunday with my host congregation, a group of members invited me to join them for lunch. I gladly accepted, and spent most of the afternoon with them sharing food, coffee, stories, and time together.
Some more prep for the next Ligas in October, plus some pretty views from the congregational house and the sunset seen from the skybridge over the train tracks.
Adventuring around San Nicolás, Buenos Aires
Adventuring around San Nicolás, Buenos Aires
In-Country Orientation - Buenos Aires, Argentina
August 28—September 17, 2024In-Country Orientation - Buenos Aires, Argentina
From all-YAGM orientation in Chicago, we flew in with our country cohorts to our country placements for more context-specific orientation. The Argentina/Uruguay program orientation was held at the IELU offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We learned more about the history and culture of Argentina and Uruguay, learned and practiced how to use public transportation, cooked traditional Argentinian food, and worked on our Spanish language skills as we ordered food at restaurants and cafes. We also did team bonding and reflective exercises as a cohort to build community, learn more about each other, and gain a deeper understanding of the work we'd be doing over the next year!
Meet the cohort!!
The four of us (Mitzy, Maggie, Tom, and myself) got pretty close throughout orientation. Even though we have individual site placements, there's a sense of "we're all in this together" as we navigate a new language, contexts, and cultures. Having our country coordinator Paola as a resource, point of contact, and mentor was (and is!!) such a blessing as we learned more about the history, culture, food, transportation, and society in Argentina and Uruguay.
📍 Plaza de Mayo + Casa Rosada - Buenos Aires
Taking public transport as a cohort, we got to walk around the heart of Buenos Aires. In the process, we learned a lot about the history of Argentina and various resistance marches held on the Plaza de Mayo during the Argentine dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. The Plaza is right in front of the Casa Rosada, the president's office.
📍 El Caminito - La Boca, Buenos Aires
Originally migrant housing, El Caminito is now a preserved tourist site, filled with brightly painted houses. We visited on a Saturday and it was so incredibly immersive to see the streets filled with ferias (market stalls), food, music, and dancing!
📍 Olivos and Vicente López, Buenos Aires
We walked around quite a bit as a cohort and got both familiar and comfortable with the neighborhoods and areas surrounding the IELU office where we lived during orientation.
All-YAGM Orientation - Chicago, Illinois
August 19—27, 2024All-YAGM Orientation - Chicago, Illinois
The ELCA flew the whole 2024—2025 YAGM cadre to Chicago for all-YAGM orientation before we deployed to our country program placements. Most of orientation consisted of sessions with topics ranging from race, power, & privilege, to intercultural competencies and ethical storytelling, but we also spent time in devotions and small groups as we built a sense of whole-YAGM community before breaking off into our smaller country cohorts.
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