Friday, March 29, 2013

Argentina ~ Sueñitos (small dreams)



Our friends George and Robin have been involved for many years with Sueñitos a project located in an impoverished area of Buenos Aires called Ciudad Oculta. Sueñitos' approach to helping end the cycle of poverty is to work with the children from birth while at the same time helping the parents improve their life skills.  So while the parents learn to read and write upstairs Sueñitos provides day care and teaches early childhood skills downstairs.

                      

Sueñitos was just completing the second floor addition when George asked Janet and I if we would be interested in working with the staff to design a mural for the front of the building.  Hey, we've never done a mural before but why not, it should be fun.    


Preliminary Designs

The staff at Sueñitos wanted the mural to be simple, bright and reflecting who they are to the community. Most importantly they wanted it to be a collaborative experience, so that the teachers and families could become involved and ‘own’ their mural. 
  
      
                                       
                                   



Great, after a couple of meetings they came up with a simple, low cost design and a plan for action. Janet and I would paint Sueñitos' name and an image of the sun so that the teachers and families could complete the design.  




Success!!!  Well almost….  Our part of the work has been done for a week now and it is still waiting for the teachers to make the sun rays with their hand prints and to paint the lush intertwining green garden so the kids and parents can add the flowers with their hand-prints.  


Time moves at a different pace here in South America and we’re hoping someday we can add another photo to this post but for now you’ll just have to image how beautiful it will look.


Argentina ~ Urban Art of Buenos Aires


                          

By far, the best art in Buenos Aires is in the streets for all to see. It's magic, you turn a corner and there before you is a masterpiece. It's Fantastic!

           



Making your 'mark' on any wall is totally legal and artists come from around the world to add their 'mark' to the buildings of Buenos Aires.




We joined an art-bike tour (led by an art historian who did her thesis on urban art) to seek out more murals, visit an artist studio and a local graffiti bar where the artists hang out. 

   






The most popular South American past time, everywhere and anywhere! 








      


 








Enjoy the show, we did and still are!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Argentina ~ Exploring Buenos Aires




Our friends George and Robin joined us here in Buenos Aires.  All went well until George injured his back, what a  colossal bummer! Unfortunately it will not be a quick recovery and we've missed our buddy George during our daily exploits. Lo Siento George.

                                              

Where else but Buenos Aires can you find tango on one corner and the new Argentinian Pope on the next?  The Pope's inauguration was at 5 am and thousands crowded the plaza in front of the Cathedral, we wisely slept in and only made it in time to buy the bottle opener which we are sure was blessed by the Pope.

 

Blessed by the Pope


It’s standard in most big cities to have wonderful architecture, theater, and good art .... 

Colon Theater
Theater turned bookstore
 

                             

but it’s the individual events and festivities that happen during travel that make it even more fun.  So, in search of fun we went to the races and the rodeo! The urban horse scene was all a bit too civilized for us and where were those cows to rustle? Only in bronze or on the dinner plate. 

                                   


Biggest horse we have ever seen! 
                                                               

Then we happened to stumble upon the March 24th demonstration to remember the beginning of the dirty war where more than 30,000 people were 'disappeared' in horrific deaths between 1968 - 1983.




Sculpture of a 'Disappeared' at Memorial Park located near the shore where the drugged but not dead victims were dropped from airplanes into the sea; walk around it and the image disappears.

                        

The crowd was huge (over 100,000) and included every human rights organization in Argentina and it was completely friendly. Everyone honored each other and crowd control was cooperatively handled by the people not by any visible police force. Amazing! No guns, no riot squads, no tanks with fire hoses or machine guns mounted on them.... the complete opposite of what we have seen in other South American countries. Apparently demonstrations in Buenos Aires are quite common and totally acceptable.


 

So we got to see all the customs and passions of Argentina in one event...Kids playing soccer, street side 'parrilla' (bar-b-que) and friends sharing 'mate' or enjoying a nice glass of wine while watching the demonstration! 

'Mate' a tea ritual shared with friends

And the best event of the month was Janet's birthday! March 25, 2013!