el vínculo entre Hebraica y BBYO / partnership between Hebraica & BBYO

A few weeks ago I wrote a short piece for Hebraica's board to learn about their partnership with the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO), what the Hebraica teens have done with BBYO teens so far, and to let them know that we will be traveling to BBYO's International Convention in Dallas next week. Below is the original piece as well as a translated English versión to give you an idea of how the partnership began and what we have been up to since I arrived. Our teens are so excited to travel to Dallas and get to interact with over 2,000 Jewish teens from all over the world during the next couple weeks. I will be sure to fill you all in on our adventure!

  

En Español:

El año pasado, el departamento de juventud empezó un vínculo con la B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO). BBYO es un movimiento judío pluralista para jóvenes, la organización tiene más de 20.000 jóvenes, la mayoría en los EEUU y otras también. Los jóvenes planean todas las actividades y proyectos en sus propios ciudades y países cada semana. También ellos tienen seminarios y campamentos para juntarse y conocerse otros jóvenes. Su objetivo es crear experiencias significativas judías para jóvenes judíos alrededor el mundo. 

El vínculo empezó con ocho janijim del EDMA que hablaron con jóvenes en los EEUU a través de video conferencia y seis fueron a la internacional convención de BBYO en Washington DC para realizarse este vínculo. Este año hubo una continuación del vínculo entre BBYO y Hebraica. 

Cada lunes de este año, cerca de 20 janijim del primer y segundo año del EDMA hicieron actividades en nuestro grupo y a través de video conferencias con jóvenes en los EEUU con el objetivo de intercambiar y aprender sobre el judaísmo en otras países. También los janijim hablaron con los jóvenes judíos en otros países incluyeron India, Bulgaria, Estonia, Turquía, Macedonia, Eslovaquia y más. 

 

En noviembre, los janijim participaron en "Shabat Mundial" de BBYO en la que jóvenes alrededor del mundo festejaron Shabat en sus propios países al mismo tiempo. Allí los janijim cenaron juntos y hicieron una video conferencia para prender las velas de Shabat y decir las brajot de jalá y kiddush. 

 

En febrero, algunos de los janijim viajarán a Dallas, Texas para participar en la convención internacional de BBYO en la que participarán alrededor de 2000 adolescentes de diferentes partes de los EEUU, Europa, Sudamérica e Israel. 

 

 In English:

Last year, Hebraica, a Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and specifically their Youth Department began a partnership with the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO). BBYO is a Jewish pluralistic teen movement with over 20,000 teens

around the world (although mainly in the US). Teens plan activities and projects in their cities/countries each week. Also they have conventions and camps to connect the teens from around the world. Their mission is to create meaningful Jewish experiences for Jewish teens around the world.

The partnership began last year with eight teens in Hebraica's Madrichim School that spoke weekly to teens in the US through video conferences and then six traveled to BBYO's International Convention in Washington DC to further implement the partnership. This year the partnership between BBYO and Hebraica continued.

Each Monday this year, close to 20 teens in Hebraica's Madrichim School came together for activities within the group and also to talk with teens from the US through video conference with the objective of exchanging and learning about Judaism in other countries. The group also spoke with Jewish teens in other places around the world including India, Bulgaria, Estonia, Turkey, Macedonia, Slovakia, and more.

In November, the group participated in BBYO's Global Shabbat where teens around the world celebrate Shabbat at the same time in their own cities. There the teens ate a Shabbat dinner together and participated in a video conference with teens in Boston, Massachusetts to light the Shabbat candles and say the kiddush and challah blessings.

In February, some of Hebraica's teens from Buenos Aires, Argentina will travel to Dallas, Texas to participate in BBYO's International Convention with over 2,000 teens from the United States, Europe, South America, and Israel.

amiga en argentina / friend in argentina

This past week one of my good friends from the University of Virginia came to visit me in Buenos Aires. When I asked Katherine why she came, she said the first reason was the sun and escaping the polar vortex currently in the US, the second was drinking lots of good Argentine wine, and the third was to see me. I knew it was going to be a fun week full of sun and wine!

After spending a couple days in Buenos Aires doing the obligatory sightseeing, we took a trip to Mendoza, Argentina's main wine region. You might remember that I took a trip to Mendoza back in October so it was fun going back to a couple vineyards I had loved and also exploring new ones. We spent two wonderful days biking through wine country, one in the Lujan Valley and the other in Maipu Valley. My friend Rishan also joined us for part of the trip! Where did we go exactly:

Lujan Valley:

• Carmelo Patti: They have free tastings and the vineyard is run by a friendly and passionate man who does all of his business "boca a boca" (by word of mouth). There wasn't even a sign to let us know we were at the vineyard
• Favorite wine: Gran Assemblage (blend)
• Pulmary: We ate a lunch of empanadas and did the wine tasting. Great good and wine
• Favorite wine: Torrontes
• A la Antigua (chocolate, liqueurs, and olive products): delicious snacks and large selection of liqueurs 
• Favorite snack: Dulce de Leche with Chocolate spread 
• Alta Vista: Beautiful vineyard with great wine, ask to try their Alto wine if you go and definitely include this vineyard on your trip 
• Favorite wine: Alto (blend)

Maipu Valley:

• Trapiche: huge vineyard and bilingual tour, we got to taste some of the Malbec grapes. I'd opt for one of their premium tastings which we wished we had done
• Favorite Wine: Malbec 
• Tempus Alba: Beautiful boutique vineyard with a great patio. Delicious wine, opt for the tasting that includes their Pleno wine
• Favorite wine: Pleno (blend)
• Mevi: I had gone to Mevi last time and it was just as good as I remembered. We ate empanadas for lunch and wine tasted (I suggest splitting a varietal tasting and premium tasting so you can taste more)
• Favorite Wine: Malbec Reserva 
• Cerveceria: Cute artesanal beer garden with great patio
• Favorite Beer: Honey Golden

After a wonderful couple days in Mendoza we headed back to Buenos Aires with only one small glitch of a delayed bus and having to then switch buses in the middle of the night due to a blown tire. I had taught Katherine one of my favorite sayings and she used it when the tire blew: TIA, This Is Argentina...

We spent Katherine's last couple days visiting the rose gardens, sunbathing in parks in Palermo and Recoleta, and meeting some more of my friends. It was so fun having her here and I can't wait for more of my friends to come visit! 

las cosas culturas: fuerza bruta / cultural things: fuerza bruta

Think of a more energetic cirque du soleil, a show with no seats nor single stage but an ever-moving area of performance, every second is a surprise (what will come next?), abstract but beautiful art, art that allows you to insert yourself into it, and as you can see, extremely difficult to describe in words. Last night I went to see Fuerza Bruta, a show full of incredible art, music that wants to make you jump up and down, and exhibits that leave you with your mouth wide open in awe. The show opened with singing and drums followed by a group of five people flying over our heads and water spraying at us from every direction. One of my favorite sets was a swimming pool above our heads full of dancers that slowly came closer and closer to us, so close that we could touch it. At one point the entire area got encircled in a silvery sheathy material and two dancers high above started twirling, flipping, twisting, and dancing around us above. Another time a few of the actors urged the audience to kneel down on the ground and when the music amped up the entire audience started jumping up and down dancing.  The show ended after about an hour and a half and I had a huge smile on my face. If you have the opportunity to see Fuerza Bruta, whether in Argentina, New York, London, or anywhere else, GO...you will not be disappointed!

el verano / summer

This city is hot. And I don't mean "yay it's time for shorts, tank tops, and summer dresses" hot. I mean walk out your door and you're already sweating hot, stick to the subway seat hot, only want to sit at a pool or inside with air conditioning hot.

This past month Buenos Aires has hit some new heat records and it didn't just last a few days, but a few weeks. This led to blackouts all over the city as everyone turned on their air conditioning in an electricity infrastructure not strong enough to allow everyone to do that without breaking down. Many people went days or even weeks without electricity or hot water. There were news articles about families with children sleeping in their cars because their children couldn't sleep in their 40 Celsius degree home (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. 

When my family and I flew back from Santiago, we were met by our car driver with a worried expression on his face. He told us that because of the "corta de luz", blackouts, part of the highway was shut down so instead of a twenty-five minute ride to our hotel, we should be prepared for an hour to two hour car ride. That was fun...

A few days ago I was taking a taxi from a restaurant to my apartment after dinner. Ahead of us we could see four police cars stopped with their lights on and in front of them, something that looked like fire in the road. I asked the taxi driver what was going on and he said people were upset because of all the "cortas de luz" so they were setting fires in the streets to protest and we'd have to take a different route. Great. 

At least the heat has had one positive effect, everyone that can has left the city for summer vacations so the city is much more quiet than normal. I can almost always find a seat on the subway, don't have to wait at restaurants, and don't have to worry about literally bumping into people on the street as I'm walking. I was walking outside a couple days ago and went three blocks without seeing a single person, that is unheard of in this city! 

It's been really interesting experiencing the season changes here in Buenos Aires. It was winter when I arrived in August, everyone was bundled up and drinking lots of warm drinks. Next we moved into spring with purple flowers blooming all over the city and lots more movement on the streets. Each season has had a distinct feeling and  atmosphere, it has been wonderful to experience all the changes. 

los campamentos / camps

10 days. 24 hour bus ride (each way). 240 teens. Bread 4 times a day. 8 hour hikes. 2 bonfires. 1 badly sprained ankle. Endless beautiful views. 20 madrichim. 4 directors. 1 American. Welcome to Jewish Argentine summer camp!

I spent the past ten days with over 200 teens in beautiful Bariloche in the Patagonia region of Argentina. After a long 24 hour bus ride (we were 5 buses traveling together) we arrived in Safariland (what a great name!), our home for the next ten days. Teens between the ages of twelve and sixteen were divided by age in groups and each group had a slightly different schedule. The youngest ones would be going on two short hikes, spending two nights in a refuge at the top of a mountain and the oldest ones would be spending five nights in five different mountains and valleys. The rest of the time was spent at the base camp, Safariland. The teens were staying in tents for the next ten days so the first task was dividing the teens into tents and setting up all the tents. The next morning, I set off with all of the thirteen year olds (eighty of us in total) to hike to Mount Jacob (sha-cobe en castellano). After a long and difficult eight hours, we arrived at the top covered in dirt, dust, and sweat, exhausted with smiles on our faces. We spent the night in the refugio, a beautiful cottage at the top of Jacob, overlooking Lake Jacob and the surrounding mountains. The refugio was one-of-a-kind...no electricity (aka candlelight dinners), incredible views, and time to relax and reflect. 

After the wonderful two nights there, we set off on our seven hour descent back to Safariland. 150 meters into our 18 kilometer hike at a part with lots of unsecured rocks, I twisted my ankle. Now if you know me, you might know that I have extremely high pain tolerance.  A pain tolerance that has taken me through lots of sprained ankles, wrists, etc. in the past without shedding a tear. My first reaction was OWWWW this really hurts. After the shooting pain stopped I stood up and attempted to walk. Tears starting coming down my face, I had never been in this much pain in my life. If you know me, you know that I am also stubborn and proud...no matter what it took I was going to get down that mountain. The medic bandaged my foot, I found a walking stick, and I continued (slowly) with the rest of the group and our seven hour hike. On our way up the mountain, there were times the teens would stop and say "no puedo más". I would say to them "soy vieja. si yo puedo, todos pueden" (I'm old. if I can, everyone can). One of the girls on the way down said to me, "Kate, remember on the way up you told us if you could do it, we all could do it? It's really true now with your foot, if you can do it, we all can do it" (it made me smile). We arrived at the bottom, this time covered in dirt, dust, and sweat, exhausted with a smile only because I didn't have to walk anymore. A bit later I went to the clinic to get an x-ray, because my ankle had a huevo (egg) as the teens told me, and we wanted to make sure it was just a sprain. After waiting in the waiting room for over two hours (thank you Argentine bureaucracy and public healthcare), I finally saw a doctor and he assured me it was just a sprain although it was going to hurt more than usual because I had hiked on it for a long time after I hurt it. Ice, elevation, and some muscle-relaxers and I would be good to go in no time! 

The next days of camp we spent at Safariland, taking small trips to nearby Lake Moreno, playing tug-o-war, fútbol (soccer), learning Spanish camp songs, singing around the bonfire (although they don't have s'mores in Argentina), welcoming the other groups as they came back from their hikes, and taking part in fun activities the madrichim had planned. 

I loved my first Argentine summer camp. Although I came back exhausted physically and mentally from all of the Spanish I had been speaking and listening to, I am so glad I got to take in part in Hebraica's Ofakim summer camp. The camp deepened my experience and impressions of Jewish life in Argentina. Interacting non-stop with Argentine teens for ten days by listening to their conversations, taking part in their activities, and observing their interactions has broadened my understanding of their culture, their importance of relationships and community, and their passionate and kind demeanor. 

Thank you Hebraica for letting me experience the wonders of Ofakim!

el año nuevo / the new year

Feliz Año!

Sorry it has been awhile since I've written, I have been quite busy! I spent the last twelve days at a summer camp in the south of Argentina but first I want to tell you about bringing in the new years in Buenos Aires.

When I think of New Years in the United States, I think of the ball dropping in Times Square, going out dancing and celebrating with my friends and family, drinking champagne, couples kissing at midnight, and counting down the New Year. 

New Years in Argentina is much more family oriented. Families get together for late dinners and watch firework shows like we (in the United States) would watch on July 4th. 

I was invited to spend New Years with my cousins in Buenos Aires and boy did we have fun! I arrived at their house around 9:30 for dinner and after a delicious meal, we filled our cups with champagne and got ready to toast the new year. After the diez (10) second countdown (DIEZ NUEVE OCHO SIETE SEIS CINCO CUATRO TRES DOS UNO Feliz Año!...have you been practicing your Spanish?), we went around to wish everyone a happy new year with a hug and kiss (there were 20 of us so it took a little while). 

After we headed outside to watch fireworks and take part in their family's personal New Years tradition. When we got outside, there were tons of people in the streets shooting off firecrackers and small fireworks and when you looked up, the sky was full of a huge fireworks show. All the cousins were intrigued why we (in the US) don't have lots of fireworks on New Years until I reminded them that most of the US is in winter with lots of snow for New Years. Mario (patriarch of the family) turned on his car and started blasting music while the rest of us starting dancing and singing in the streets.

Next Amalia (matriach of the family) brought out a bottle of cider, plastic cups, and a cake and the rest of the cousins started flagging down the bus that was headed our way. The bus stopped and the cousins rushed on the bus, handed the driver a cup of cider and cake, and wished him a happy new year. What a fun tradition! Apparently they have been doing this for years and flag down all the bus drivers that drive on their street for the first couple hours of the new year to wish them a happy new year even though they have to work. I joined in for the rest of the time in between dancing in the streets. 

Next thing I knew it was 3am and everyone starting saying goodbye and happy new year again. Celebrating New Years in Buenos Aires was a whirlwind and so much fun!