El Bolsón

During our week off we got to stay in this wonderful little house in El Bolsón. It was very Swiss Family Robinson-esque!

On this day I hiked with Tim and Davin, two Americans I met at the immersion camps. We headed up towards El Piltriquitron, the mountain you can see in the distance.

Here we are at the hang gliding platform with an amazing Patagonian view of El Bolsón and surrounding areas.

Here we are in town, the next day before we headed up to El Cajon del Azul, a refugio outside of town. El Piltriquitron is in the background. This is a very quaint hippie town that was started by a german man in... the 60's or 70's (can´t remember). He came to this area with a ton of LSD, set up a bunch of tents and had a huge party. And thus began this little gem in the mountains. Now you will find many organic farms, artisans, and amazing homemade jams, sweets, and beer. I didn´t want to leave!

On the hike up to the refugio with Davin from Alaska. He is living in Buenos Aires and teaching English.

Here we are at the refugio, a well kept oasis in the middle of the mountains. We enjoyed a campfire, some free hamburgers left by a school group, and some homemade beer. We met a group of people from Argentina and Spain. It was very refreshing to speak to the girl from Spain because I could understand her so much better. I think their accent is much easier to understand! (Perhaps because that is the accentI learned!)

Atelio, the man who lives at the refugio and is in charge of keeping up the grounds, has done a fantastic job of landscaping and creating a perfect resting place!

Cheers!!!

Carlos Casares Families

Here is the first of my five families in Carlos Casares, the Olhavarriet family. Rudolfo the veterinarian, Marta a biology teacher, Eugenia la technica hemoterapia, and Eli, an incredibly fun, affectionate, and hard-working student (and also my social coordinator for much of my time there!) They were very patient with my spanish speaking skills which were quite rusty when I arrived!















From there I went to the Torchio family. Andrea is a part owner of Los Grobos, a very large and powerful agriculture company with the rest of her family. Walter owns various companies and has been involved with politics, school, and other public organizations. Also in the family are Agustina-17, Delfina-14, Luciano-11, and Paulina-11- shown here on Delfi's birthday. My time with them involved some large family get togethers- there were a ton of them!








Ten days later I moved to the Perez family- a much smaller and more tranquil setting! Violeta is the only child, 14 years old and very intelligent and hardworking. I went with her to one of her drama classes and got to act in a short play with her. Christina and Justo own a car parts shop that is attached to their house. Justo loves to dance and we had a few night time tango sessions!








Next came my time in the church, with the Curto family. Sergio is the pastor of the Evangelical church in town, as well as a new owner of a verduleria, or greengrocers. There were constantly people coming in and out of the house, which gave me the chance to meet many more people! I went to some of his services and was happy that I could understand the majority of his sermons. One night I stood up in front of the church to explain what I was doing in Argentina. I felt like it went pretty well, but some people told me I sounded a bit nervous:) Also in the family are Susy (mom), Veronica-23, Jonathan-19, Ruth-17, and Giuliana-9... all of whom are students, help work in the verduleria, and help with activities in the church. A very fun, active family.

To end my time in Carlos Casares, I stayed with the Mallofre family. Horacio is a teacher and director of a small school in the countryside. He is very knowledgable about current issues and knows a handful of English words, which he would frequently insert into conversation. This led to many interesting discussions! Betty, the mom, and I shared many great talks and mates, and I spent a good deal of time with Vicky, the 16 year old daughter.




So many families in two months, but they all made me feel loved, welcome, and comfortable- very important when you are moving so much!