We left Tats to rest at the Lavender farm, and headed off into town to get a few groceries and check out the OCEAN!!! (click any photo to enlarge)
The boys found a trampoline jumpy sort of thing that they just HAD to try out, and then we met Jeanette and Dany at the supermarket. After dinner, our hosts surprised us with a home-made birthday apple crumble! Dany and Patricia, our hosts here in Patagonia, are Argentineans who have left the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires and made the Patagonian steppe their home. Proud owners of the world’s southernmost lavender (and olive!) farm for the past five years, Dany and Patricia have built a mini-paradise amidst the wonders of nature to be found here. Three small co-joined cabins allow visitors to come and experience a yoga and nature retreat here near Puerto Madryn, or to glean an insight into how lavender is harvested twice a year. The painfully slow internet, available only in the main building (where breakfast is also served) is made up for by the incredible oasis of plants and animals right outside the windows. The boys discovered several enormous and colourful insects, as well as grapes and a variety of prickly plants, some fluffy grey birds (road runners? Grouse?), several birds of prey and some small rodents. All animals but the three family dogs, however, were too quick for my slugglish photography skills, and only these lazy, sleepy heads were willing to be caught on camera. Our host has agreed to become our driver for tomorrow, and take us to Punta Tombo, famous for its penguin colony, followed by tea at the Welsh village of Gaiman. Then, on Friday, we will spend the day with a local driver, who will take us to Punta Ninfas, where the elephant seals hang out.
Unlike our trip to Iguazu, during which we splurged for first class bus tickets with Crucero del Norte (highly recommended, btw, and still pretty cheap!), the journey to Patagonia found us in two rows of “Ejectivo” (second class) seats on a slightly, er, a-hem “older” bus… the seats did not recline fully, the washroom was disgusting at best, and the “pillows” were more like thin sheets of Styrofoam. The biggest problem, however, was that there were several large, centrally-shared TV screens. Try putting two 9-year-old boys to bed while some sort of gory monster movie is playing three feet ahead of them! Even without sound (of which there were short, random bursts, despite the fact that one needed to plug headphones into a special jack to properly hear the full movie), the visuals were riveting, and not in a good way. My frequent attempts at redirection failed; I was convinced that their consumption of this crap would lead to bad dreams, which inevitably meant I, too, would not get much sleep this night; but one cannot reasonably force a person to close his eyes! Eventually, sleepiness won out over on-screen action, and the boys drifted off, giving me some time to myself to properly mourn the loss of my vest* -- which I had stupidly left on a chair at the bus terminal in Buenos Aires -- while waiting for dinner; the latter was served in typical Argentinean fashion, at 10:30 p.m. Jeanette had plugged in and was watching the monster sci-fi horror flick, and Tats -- whose ticket we had purchased at the last minute due to the prior week’s health uncertainties -- was far away from us, tucked into a window seat at the back of the bus with two large canisters of tea and a big, warm blanket. This left me to enjoy the twilight view out the window, in the foreground fields of green and gold and the occasional herd of cattle, in the distant background, the mountains. What a change from the concrete jungle of Buenos Aires, I mused as I stared out onto a crimson sunset, and wondered what tomorrow morning’s landscape, in Puerto Madryn, would hold. The blankets, at least, were decent, and after consuming what non-animal and marginally edible foodstuffs I could locate on my plate and relinquishing the rest of my tray, I wrapped myself in said blanket, and drifted off to sleep The next morning, we celebrated Jeanette’s birthday on the bus. The boys had made her a card, and we had brought along some balloons, silly glasses and a few small gifts. It was not much longer now until Puerto Madryn, and the landscape outside reflected the change from Buenos Aires and even the surrounding countryside. We were definitely in the desert now, and the dry Patagonian steppe stretched for miles around us. The last 20 minutes of a 20-hour bus ride are definitely the most challenging, and we were all eager to get off the bus once we had arrived safely in Puerto Madryn!
Dany, the co-owner of the lavender farm where we were staying, was there to greet us and pick us up; he and his partner Patricia are already proving to be gracious hosts… The internet here is a bit slow and sketchy, but stay tuned for more photos soon! * In case anyone feels sorry for me and is wondering what to get for my birthday (March 30!!!), feel freel -- they don't seem to have the maroon colour anymore. :( But any brilliantly warm and super lightweight vest I will be truly thankful for -- women's size large, please, lol! It's time to head south, to Patagonia. This trip is the primary reason we chose Argentina, and the reason my surrogate mother joined us for a few weeks at this time of year -- we heard there were PENGUINS to be seen in Jan/Feb! We've been planning our journey to Patagonia for months, and it's been quite an ordeal in the last few weeks: Firstly, Tats -- who arrived on the 5th -- is sick with pnuemonia (and FINALLY, after some scary days, is responding to the antibiotics prescribed at the hospital). Secondly, the rains here in BsAs have been torrential and relentless, and we wondered if we could even get out of the city due to flooding. Finally, finding five seats near one another on the same bus was more of a challenge than anticipated. (And actually, we only bought four, beacause we weren't even sure if we would all be going, what with Tats so sick and all.) But if this post is published, that means that Tats is feeling well enough to travel Tuesday, and we are about to head out the door with our bags and our passports and a few extra pesos to the bus terminal in hopes of finding one more seat... and we'll soon be on our way.) We're hopeful for some internet access while down south, but in case not, stay tuned penguin pictures after the 16th, when we return! The internet is a beautiful thing! I was sure I had packed cuisinaire rods for this year's home schooling adventures; alas, when we needed them for this morning's lesson on the length model of fractions, there were none to be found! Undeterred, I had the boys search the NLVM site for some online rods. Nothing! Desperate to stick to the lesson, we searched online for another interactive cuisinaire rod, and stumbled across nrich.maths.org -- and they had virtual cuisinare rods! FREE!
Although our primary cultural goal in coming to Argentina this year was to learn more about South America in general and Argenineans in particular, it turns out I am also learning a lot about our neighbours to the south (south of Canada, I mean). There are many American ex-pats living temporarily or permanently in Buenos Aires, and here are two things I have learned about them:
Case in point, I recently went to a public hospital (interestingly, Argentina has a co-existing public and a private health system), and after ruling out a particular infection, the doctor there strongly suggested I see a specialist. (I won't bore the reader with the particular type of specialist since, after all, this blog is intended in part for cultural sharing, rather than disclosing my complete and personal health history!) The services of such a specialist, quoth the good doctor, were available through the public clinic there at the hospital, "but you wait a long time". It was his advice that I go to find a private specialist. Later that afternoon, I perused one of the expat sites I frequent, and was very fortunate to connect with a woman who not only shared the name of a private specialist, but even took the liberty of booking an appointment for me by telephone -- with luck, I was able to get in to see this specialist (who turned out to be excellent, btw) within the week! I was very grateful for the help of my new online friend, and intrigued at her perspective on the health care systems here. She commented that now I had experienced both the public health system with its run-down buildings and overworked doctors and the far superior private system, and almost chastised me for not purchasing a local health insurance package while here, so that the kids could have free dental check ups and our whole family could enjoy access to various private health care services without worrying about the cost. But worrying about money is exactly one of the reasons we came here! I am well aware that in North America, I live a life of privilege. Although as a public school teacher and currently the primary breadwinner in my family, I will never be "wealthy" compared with some of my dual-income, privately-employed, business-exec-type friends and neighbours, I also know that I am miles ahead of the majority, who work long hours at low-paying jobs that do not fulfill them. I am very fortunate in that I love my profession, and I can afford rent on a decently-sized apartment, RRSP contributions and other savings (most years), and a co-owned summer home in PEI. Although I don't always have extra money lying around, I can generally afford to send my kids to a decent summer camp for a few weeks, and I can walk into any bank and successfully apply for a personal line of credit. I don't necessarily want a credit card and its associated debt, but I rest secure in the knowledge that no credit card company would deny my application, and indeed would happily offer me a largish opening credit limit. I did not "earn" any of this privilege, but rather, was lucky enough to be able to access it, based on where I happened to be born, what the colour of my skin happens to be, what kind of a family I happened to be born into, and what my mother tongue happens to be. I want my children to grow up understanding their good fortune and unearned privilege (and their responsibility to others who find themselves less lucky), and although it is in some sense a contrived situation, this year in Argentina is part of helping them learn that lesson. Here we live week to week; our savings stowed in cash envelopes clearly marked with dates. We are not impoverished, but we are living more frugally than we do at home, and the kids understand that lot depends on inflation at the blue rate on any given exchange date. At home, we're not often concerned about minor unanticipated emergencies, or being down to our last few dollars, because we know that the following Friday, another paycheque will magically arrive in the bank account. Here we know that once our finite amt of $ is gone, it's gone. So, that's the first reason we did not buy a local health insurance package. The second reason is that we wanted to experience -- at least in part -- the public health care system here. We had read that the buildings were old and run down, but that the doctors were excellent. We have found both to be true. Thirdly, I should confess that we do have travel insurance for dire emergencies, and we also are not here for a full year, but rather, two shorter chunks (a three- and a four-month leg, with five weeks home at Christmas), so I knew that we would still have access to our imperfect but free, Canadian system if needed -- the boys both availed themselves of this, as they each had pneumonia (in different weeks) while home at Christmas! Their hospital visits were free of course, and their medications were covered by their dad's extended health benefits. Our jobs also include dental, and so both the boys and I have our annual appts at the dentist booked for as soon as we get home in May. The truth is that I am a cultural tourist... I am sampling the culture here, secure in the knowledge that barring catastophic circumstances, I have a pretty reasonable safety net. So, in some sense, I guess I am a bit of a hypocrite. But it's an honest character flaw... I am trying to learn and push my boundaries, but while still maintaining some sense of personal safety. And I'm dependent on the cooperation of my children's co-parent, who lives at home in Canada, and vested enormous trust in me this year. What else can I do? One thing is certain... living this year is forcing me to reexamine my own beliefs. I'm interested, or example, in the fact that although I could have waited to see a specialist, I dug into our "emergency" budget to pay for a private specialist so I could go NOW! I am thinking about why I believe in public health care, and what parts of it I am committed to and why, and whether there might be some merit to private health care, or at least, to a two-tiered system, and if not, why not. Learning to stretch one's thinking and clarify one's core values... isn't that what travel is all about?
We reviewed the features of an explanation, co-created criteria, and I set them loose. They were so excited, they even worked through recess and free time in the afternoon! The fruits of their labours required minimal editing. I've tried to convert them to PDFs, below. Enjoy....
While waiting for one of my sessions to begin this afternoon, I had the opportunity to learn a little more about Mate... the ubiquitous Mate gourd and thermos were not foreign to the teacher candidates, and one of them shared her Mate with me, while others gave me the low-down:
I also learned that to cure a mate gourd, one should fill it with mate and hot water, and let it stand for some time (3-5 days). Then it is ready to be used for drinking. In general, "mate suave" is tastier; care should also taken to brew using water at the correct temperature. Water which is too hot may burn the mate leaves. Mate apparently curbs appetite; poorer families may only have one meal a day, and drink lots of mate the rest of the day. Seminario de Verano In January and February, a 4-week session is held for the new teachers recruited by Enseno por Argentina. After the first two weeks of classes, the pre-service teachers are paired with 1-2 other student teachers as well as a mentor teacher, and they then teach a 2-week summer school, using their brand-new skills! The school is open to 5th- to 8th-grade students in the community, who register voluntarily. The program runs for 3.5 hours (three 1-hour classes plus two 15-minute breaks) in the afternoons. The teacher candidates teach one-hour classes each day in language, math or English. When they are not teaching, they continue to attend sessions, such as the ESL workshops I presented today. Classroom Set-up As I do for every session I teach, children to adults, I took some time to prepare the learning space as best I could with the limited materials on hand... Elizabeth Coelho had been kind enough to donate two copies of her book, "Adding English", which I shared in my workshop, and gave away as prizes afterwards! The NGO also had some magazines and other supplies available, and I eagerly set these up in the classroom, so that we could prepare some picture cards for various ESL activities. The limited (i.e. no) technology in the classroom ensured that my session would be practical and hands-on; I prepared an image from the National Museum ahead of time for a PWIM activity and a field trip pep talk! Lunch After setting up, it was time for lunch. I followed an EPA staff member through the grounds to the other side of the school, where lunch was being served. This gave me the opportunity to see some more of the school -- I was particularly intrigued by what appeared to be a small swimming pool in the courtyard of the Kindergarten class. (Sure beats the tiny water tables in our Canadian kindergarten classes, lol!) I ate lunch with a former civil engineer from Shell, a former accountant and a someone who had done international relations work. All were excited by the prospect of teaching, but--just like the preservice program I used to teach with in Toronto--they were already blown away with the breakneck pace of the teaching profession, into which they had only just been immersed for a few weeks. There were exasperated sighs and signs of frustrated exhaustion at the lunch table. But these were balanced with healthy doses of optimism and determination, and the student teachers spoke enthusiastically about their experiences to date, and asked me relevant and meaningful questions about my own classroom experience, too. After lunch, the children began to arrive, and many of the teacher candidates left to prepare for the classes they were teaching, or to help with registering the students. School Begins The afternoon began with all the students and teachers gathering in the courtyard for some opening exercises, including a cross-grade warm-up activity (not unlike the Tribes sort of thing we might do at home). Then it was time for raising the flag. I was amazed at how -- after participating so boisterously in the warm-up activity -- the 100 or so students stood perfectly still at the raising of the Argentinean flag! They seem to posess a keen sense of national pride. Even the stray dog that trotted to and fro throughout the afternoon did not seem to distract the students during this important time! "Engaging English Language Learners" Now it was time for my two sessions on engaging English language learners. The practical and transferable strategies in both sessions were well received, as were the "Canada" pencils I had brought along as workshop swag! Reflection Time Later in the day, after the children had left, the student teachers participated in a closing reflection activity designed and run by a group of four of them. The activity involved three teams, each with a blindfolded leader, being led in a path around and between various obstacles (chairs with large signs on them--financial hardship, lack of motivation, etc.) when each team had reached the goal (the flagpole), everyone cheered. The School Bus Finally, it was time to head home on the bus; a schoolbus travels to four central locales, dropping people off thoughout the city. (Many of the teachers then take additional buses or trains out to the suburbs. The suburbs, as I learned, are generally built around a big park with a primary school, church and govt office building, surrounded by smaller parks, and smaller parks still. Houses line streets that run on a diagonal out from the big, central park. ) Our transport was supposed to arrive at 6 pm... By 6:43 pm, we were finally seated on said transport, and were on our way!
While waiting for and riding the bus, I was able to chat and learn from several more teacher candidates, making for an interesting close to an already fascinating day. The generous and hospitable spirits of the people involved with this project filled me once again with hope and optimism. I feel very fortunate to have been invited to participate in this incredible opportunity. |
About Vera...Canadian, vegetarian, PPL, certified teacher and mother of twins, home schooling for the year, in Argentina!
Visit me online at www.verateschow.ca Archives
May 2014
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