Greetings! After a long, fulfilling first full week, I finally have a moment to update my blog with all of the new experiences I have had over the past seven days.

On Monday, Trevor and I began our first day as volunteer teaching assistants in the Santa Rosa Schools at both Yerba Buena and the center of Tucumán. The Dominican Sisters here run both of the schools, which are located about 30 minutes from one another. In the mornings, Trevor and I go to the Buena Yerba campus via car – either with one of the sisters or with our trusted taxi driver, Elvio – and in the afternoons, we walk to the central site, which is only about eleven blocks from la Casa Madre. I have enjoyed getting to know the students and teachers in both schools, as well as taking in the beautiful but vastly different architecture at each school. While Santa Rosa at Yerba Buena is a sprawling, open construction with tons of green space, Santa Rosa in the city center is a 114-year-old building with a huge open area in the center. I love the modernity of the Yerba Buena campus, but I think my inner historian has made me fall even more in love with the antique-y feel of the city central school.

Trevor and I finally got to meet the lady who makes this volunteer experience happen: Soledad Vidal, director of English at both Santa Rosa sites. Soledad is warm, welcoming, and speaks beautiful English. I am so thankful to have someone as organized and energetic as our coordinator for this volunteer position!

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Trevor and I have been working in separate classrooms throughout the day and helping out with English lessons. In the mornings at Yerba Buena I help out with two different teachers, Stephanie in primary school and Andres in secondary. I have enjoyed getting to chat with the students about the similarities and differences between the US and Argentina and about their recommendations for what I should do and taste while in Tucumán. Many of the students speak beautiful English and are highly knowledgeable about politics in their own country, as well as in the US. They want to know what I think of Trump’s Wall, the new abortion bill in Alabama, and the climate change situation. I love having these conversations with the students not only because I can help them practice their English pronunciation and sentence structure, but also because I can, in a small way, partake in a cultural exchange between two places that are truly not that different from one another. While it is nice to converse with curious students about the news stories they hear about President Trump, I enjoy hearing them talk about the Argentine political climate and the upcoming elections. The students are so intelligent, polite, friendly and informative, and it is a blessing to be welcomed into their classrooms.

In the afternoons I walk to the city central site to help out in Mariela’s classrooms of first graders (ages five and six) and fifth graders (ages nine and ten). The first graders are absolutely hilarious: energetic, constantly moving, constantly talking, and extremely enthusiastic about the “Baby Shark” song on YouTube. The fifth graders are also sweet and friendly. I enjoyed watching their oral presentations about historical figures of their choosing. I will continue in these same classes at Yerba Buena and the central site through next week, and then Soledad plans to switch Trevor and me to new classrooms so that we can meet more students and English teachers.

Aside from volunteering, Trevor and I have been able to spend some free time with some people our age. Vicu, our lovely friend that we met on our first night here, took us to a merienda on Wednesday night with her friend Martu. Trevor and I each had a submarino, which is warm milk with a big piece of chocolate melted into it, and a medialuna. It is so nice to be able to chat with Martu and Vicu about their experiences as college students here in Argentina, and how those experiences are different from life at PC. They also help us a ton with our Spanish and are so patient when I stumble over words or mess up my conjugations!

On Thursday we reunited with the Santa Catalina fifth graders who we met last Saturday at Benjamín Paz. The girls were so excited to see Trevor and me again, and even brought us some Argentine candies and handmade cards! Miguel, one of the pastoral directors for both Santa Catalina and Santa Rosa, gave us a tour of the school, introduced us to a bunch of faculty, and gave us each a little box with two pins: one for las Hermanas Dominicans del Santísimo Nombre de Jesus and one for the Santa Catalina school. Here I am (trying to not look tired!) wearing the Dominican order pin!

On Saturday we returned to Benjamín Paz with Sister Vicky and Hortensia, another one of the volunteers. Hortensia is a social worker and discussed with Trevor and me the importance of building self-esteem in the children who visit the sisters’ mission site on Saturday afternoons. We had a quiet lunch with Vicky and Hortensia, then some of the women from Benjamín Paz came to chat and brought their children to play in the library. Hortensia led sort of a facilitated discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of the community and what can be done to promote unity among the residents of BP. It was quite eye-opening to listen to the things that the women thought needed to change. They need the municipal government to recognize the rapid growth that the town has undergone in the past 8 years and provide accordingly for the large number of residents. They need an available doctor at the medical clinic more than just 8-4 on weekdays. They need a cardiologist to visit the town once a week so that residents with chronic heart conditions can access specialized care. Hortensia encouraged the women to work together with other residents of the town to voice their grievances and needs to their local government, emphasizing that the collective voice of the town is more powerful than individual letters spaced out over the course of a few months. Hortensia also related this “revolution” of sorts that the women want to take place in BP to the 25th of May holiday celebration, which happened to fall on this particular Saturday. On the 25th of May in 1810, Argentina began revolted in hopes of establishing its own government, independent from Spain. Of course, as a historian, I loved how Hortensia was able to make a historical event both relevant and inspiring for these women. Their faith, patience, and perseverance truly inspires me, and I am blessed to have been able to listen to their hopes and see their commitment to building a better community for their children.

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On Saturday night, Soledad’s niece and nephew, Lulu and Fede, took Trevor and I out to dinner at a brewery place a few blocks from la Casa Madre. We had some great pizza, tried fernet with Coke, and chatted Lulu and Fede about sports, culture and life at university in Argentina. They both spoke perfect English, which was nice because they gave our tired minds a break from speaking so much Spanish! After dinner, I crashed into bed, hoping to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for the big day that we had today!

Vicu, Martu and two of their friends, Lulu and Flor, invited Trevor and me to visit San Javier with them, which is one of the mountain ranges in Tucumán. We got up bright and early to take el colectivo (bus) up the steep mountain roads. Vicu and Flor brought a guitar and ukulele to sing while we hung out at the top of the mountain. We chatted, sang, did some yoga and took photos while taking in the absolutely unbelievable scenery. Of course, I had a big bag of dog food in my backpack, so we had a group of four-legged friends lingering around us the entire time! (Sorry Mom, I pet every single stray that I saw – oops!). I enjoyed taking a moment to breathe deeply, slow down, and see God in every blade of grass, every jagged rock and every breath of air. I can only sum up these views with lyrics from my favorite song, “I Saw God Today” by George Strait: “I know He’s here, but I don’t look near as often as I should. His fingerprints are everywhere, I just slow down to stop and stare. Open my eyes and man I swear, I saw God today.” I have never felt these lyrics ring as true for me as they did today.

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After hanging out by the Jesus Bendicente for a bit, we began walking down the mountain to a park to have lunch. Along the way, the sweetest dog decided he wanted to be our friend. He followed us the entire way, wagging his tail and glancing up at us as we walked. We had a great lunch (thanks to Vicu and her friends for packing such great food!) and took in some sights at the lake. After hanging out for a bit, we took the bus back to the city. It was such a heartwarming day full of memories that I will truly treasure!

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While a lot has been happening for me here, exciting things are also happening in my family back home too. My sister, Kate, and her boyfriend, Noah, got engaged on Thursday during their trip to New Hampshire. Congrats kids and welcome to the fam, Noah!

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! There is so much more I could say about the wonderful people here in Tucumán, but I will save more stories for another post. I am also planning on making a scrapbook of my adventures upon my return home so that I can have something more physical to commemorate this trip. Hoping to share photos of that finished product at some point later in the summer!

Coming up this week: a trip to the Monteros School in the southern part of the province, a two-night retreat to San Pedro from Wednesday to Friday, and a service trip to La Soledad on Saturday. Updates to come!

Peace,

Shannon

Hello again!

I want to reflect on the past few days with a grateful heart. I have experienced so much in such a short period of time, so I will condense it all here so that I don’t end up writing a novel!

Our first night here we met some of the sisters’ former students from Colegio Santa Rosa. Vicky, an 18-year-old studying social work at the university nearby, took Trevor and me for a walk around the city. We chatted a ton and compared stories about life in college in the U.S. versus here in Tucumán. Vicky is so welcoming and friendly; I feel very fortunate to have met her.

After Vicky dropped us off back at la Casa Madre (the convent), another former student, Lourdes, came to visit Trevor and me and took us to dinner with two of her friends from high school (colegio). Lourdes, Josefina and Flor were so patient with Trevor and me as we struggled at times to put our thoughts into Spanish after such a long day of traveling. We sat outside (the weather is lovely here) and had a sampling of different appetizers – chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, french fries, etc. Dinner here is served much later than at home, so we didn’t begin eating until about 10:45pm and did not return to the convent until 12:30 or so! Our meal was so enjoyable, especially because of such great company, but Trevor and I were certainly exhausted when we returned home!

Our first full day here was just that: FULL! Trevor and I had the privilege of joining the fifth graders from the all-girls Santa Catalina School on their first Infancia Misionera trip to the community of Benjamín Paz, which is about a 45-minute bus ride (aka colectivo or bondi) from the city. The Santa Catalina students inspired me with the kindness, energy and faith, and I feel so fortunate to have shared this missions trip with them. I especially loved the message that the girls brought to all of the houses in the impoverished community of Benjamín Paz: “Dios siempre estará contigo – durante lo malo y lo bueno,” which means “God will always be with you – in the bad times and the good.”

Here are some photos from our day!

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On the bus ride home, some of the girls presented me will the sweetest cartitas, pictured below. I have never encountered such a well-behaved, smart, patient group of nine and ten-year-olds. I hope that I get to spend more time with the girls from Santa Catalina and the community in Benjamín Paz!

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After such a joyful, busy day, Trevor and I attended mass at the church that is attached to the convent. Interestingly, the sisters celebrate mass on Saturdays instead of Sundays. I enjoyed the evening mass as a great way to complete the day, but Trevor and I realized that we need to brush up on our responses in Spanish. Sister Alejandra printed us out sheets that provide the prayers in Spanish so next time we won’t be so lost!

After mass, we had a nice dinner with the sisters, including some vino rojo, pizza, and of course, sopa de verduras. The sisters eat soup before every meal, usually with some bread for dipping. I love meal times because I get to listen to the sisters speak to one another in their natural pace, rather than slowed down so Trevor and I can understand. It is a challenge to catch on to what they are discussing sometimes, especially because of the distinct Argentine accents, but I feel as though I am understanding more and more each day.

Sunday truly is a day of rest here! I slept in a bit later than usual, spent some time reading, had spinach ravioli with the sisters for lunch, then found a book in the library that I had been searching for for months for my thesis research. The book is called Los judíos y la Dictadura, and it discusses the experiences of the Argentine Jewish population during the 1976-1983 “National Reorganization Process” under the ultra-right military junta led by Jorge Rafael Videla. For my senior history thesis at PC, I have been investigating a period of Argentine history known as la Década Infame (the Infamous Decade), which spanned the years 1930-1943. Although my primary research is about the nacionalismo movement during these years and the movement’s ties to antisemitism, this book that I found about la dictadura will help me immensely in describing how antisemitism progressed from mostly hateful publications in the 30s and 40s to overt acts of paramilitary violence in the 70s and 80s. I couldn’t find this particular book in the United States, so it was a perfect coincidence (or perhaps divine Providence!) that the sisters happened to have it in plain sight on one of their bookshelves.

After getting in a bit of studying, Sister Alejandra took Trevor and me for a long walk in one of Tucumán’s many parks. We chatted as we walked around the lush green areas of the city, stopping to see la Rosedal, a beautiful garden-like area with columns and rose bushes everywhere. Ale also took us to see a bit of the sugar cane museum in the park as well, which had some interesting information about the importance of the sugar cane industry in Tucumán during the colonial period and beyond.

Ale took us to a small bar in the middle of the park where we had our first real merienda, which is a small meal in the late afternoon. I had the best medialuna (croissant) ever and a café con leche – something I wouldn’t usually order, but I really liked it.

I enjoyed taking this walk with Ale and Trevor because it gave us time to chat in Spanish about the city, school and life in general. The sisters are such a wealth of information, and I am so thankful that I have the chance to listen to their stories and absorb some of their knowledge.

A final note about this weekend: as an animal-lover and “crazy dog person,” the plight of the animals in Tucumán has been very difficult for me to witness. There is a huge stray dog population in the city and surrounding areas, and many are very skinny and sickly looking. I have to resist the temptation to pet the stray dogs and cats (or even take them home with me). In Benjamín Paz, there were hundreds of dogs roaming the streets. Many of the people in the town own the dogs for protection, but others are simply homeless and must rely on garbage and grass to survive. Understandably, the poverty that the human residents of Benjamín Paz face makes it difficult to feed themselves at times, never mind care for the hundreds of four-legged residents as well. I hope that some positive change can come for the people living in these impoverished communities, and then perhaps that prosperity and improvement will trickle down to also help the stray animals.

Here are just a couple of dogs that I saw on the walk around the city yesterday. Please join me in saying a prayer to St. Francis that these dogs, and all other animals who may be suffering, find a warm place to stay and something good to eat tonight!

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All of the pups I have seen make me miss my boy at home, Spot, even more. Happy (American) National Rescue Pet day to my very good boy!

More updates to come soon as we begin our first week of teaching at the Santa Rosa schools!

Ciao!