Page 27 - Priorities #49 2011-April/May

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The 2011 Priory Argentina chaperones ter the choir finished, our tour guide,
and students arrived in on Feb. 19th to a hot and humid Buenos Aires. The end of summer energy was palatable, and the students were excited to experience Carnival, as well as the color and flavor that Argentina has to offer.
After getting our rooms and resting
a bit, we set out to explore the city. Our first stop was La Boca, which is a great representation of early European influ- ence. Between 1880 and 1930, approxi- mately 6 million foreign immigrants landed in the port of La Boca and liked what they saw so much that they de- cided to stay. The diversity had a huge effect on this area and its new inhabit- ants due to the different backgrounds of the settlers. As they began constructing homes their supplies were limited, espe- cially their supplies of paint. As a solu- tion, they used any and all leftover paint they could find or afford from the shipyard.
The result of this painting frenzy was a one-of-a-kind neigh- borhood that was adorned with every color of the rainbow. As we walked through the streets, we admired the colorful buildings, local artisans, and tango dancers. Later, we went to a Murga cel- ebration. Murga is a percussion-based rhythm usually performed by a marching band, live on the streets, without amplification and its dance sometimes involves complex aerial, almost acrobatic moves. Cymbals and whistles rang out in the streets while drums kept beat for the colorful dancers in the street. Unexpectedly, lo- cals started spraying us with soap foam. We decided to fight back. By the end of the parade, we were covered from head to toe with soap and wanted to come back every night. What a blast!
The next day, we hopped on a plane to Bariloche, then to Villa la Angostura, which is a small mountain village of about 11,000. Villa la Angostura was a great place to see Patagonia in an “un- touched” state; it is located within the Nahuel Haupi National Park, dedicated to the preservation of the pristine natural envi- ronment. We explored it through canoeing, biking, and hiking. On our last day there, the choir performed for local residents. Af-
Lucía, told us that the town didn’t get many student groups performing for them and that they would remember and cherish this experience. We stayed in Villa la Angostura for four days, and
were reluctant to leave, as it felt like home.
Our next destination was Bariloche, which comes from Vuriloche (“people from behind the mountain”) in the Ma- puche language. This majestic region is formed by abundant precipitations, wide watersheds, exuberant vegetation, a wide variety of natural pastures, and a diverse and rich variety of flora and fau- na. While in the town, we visited some of the biggest chocolate stores we had ever seen. The day after we arrived, we went river rafting. Every time two of our rafts would get near each other, a huge wa- ter fight broke out; we even got the tour
“I loved the Argentina trip so much that at the top of my bucket list I added Live in Argentina for a year.” – Ashley Reyes, 12
“Nine days of awesome”- Matthew Putman, 12
“It was a brilliant experience, and I would go back in a heartbeat if I could.”- Colin Schreiner, 12
“The Murga festival was a surprise; I loved attack- ing my classmates with fake snow”
- Cary Hampton, 12
guides to help us.
return for what Bariloche was most famous for, the ski season.
By the time we left Bariloche, most swore to
When we returned to Buenos Aires, we were excited, but sad that our trip was coming to an end. On our last few days there, we visited Florida Street, a pedestrian-only street filled with street vendors and other shops. That night, we got one of our last tastes of Argentine culture with a tango show and class. The class taught us some of the more simple tango steps. While some found it easy, others could not master this challenging Argentine dance. The show was entertaining, and showed how the tango evolved from a dance that men used to do with each other to a dance now more commonly done between men and women.
Although the trip lasted only nine days, the impressions will last a lifetime. We were all happy to be home with our families, but look forward to when we can return and continue to explore the beauty of Patagonia.