Argentina Tour, "Fulbright" style: Stop IV Corrientes

I'm excited to report that about a week ago I was able to continue my self-made tour of other Fulbrighters' universities and institutions by attending a class with my Northeastern Argentina partner in crime, Hannah Dalporto. As I think I've mentioned previously in several blog posts, Hannah lives just a 40 minute bus ride away on the other side of the Río Paraná, separating Chaco from her province and city, Corrientes. Thus, while I was still on vacation last week, I decided to take advantage of the fact that Hannah had already returned to work and was more than willing to have me as a visitor in one of her classes.

Thursday afternoon we went to her institute, Josefina Conte, for a language and grammar course with her second year students. Although I imagine the students and teachers often feel pressed for space, I have to say that I liked the layout of the institute and its facilities. It certainly matched the rest of Corrientes, which is marked by its narrow streets and sidewalks and colonial architecture. Tucked neatly away on a street corner, we find Josefina Conte not far from the city center and even closer to Corrientes' beloved costanera. And while the institute may be limited on space, I shouldn't have been surprised to find that it features, like every other school I've been to here in Argentina, an open air patio that acts too as a sort of atrium for the otherwise enclosed-on-all-sides facility.

A view from the third floor balcony down into the patio of Josefina Conte

Hannah and I first went to her language and grammar class where I was pleasantly surprised to observe that the classroom was equipped with a computer. No, you're not hallucinating; I tell you there was a real/you can touch me/I have Internet and other useful programs/bona fide computer. While I don't know for certain if all the classrooms at Josefina Conte are technologically outfitted with such equipment, I do have to confess that I'm a bit jealous of Hannah for having the aforementioned computer technology in her classroom. For the particular day that I visited, Hannah had prepared a lesson featuring discussion on a portion of an NPR broadcast from This American Life. In my first semester experiences at San Fernando, I took my netbook to class just a handful of times to show a short video clip and/or read sections of downloaded articles. However, my computer's tiny speakers only reach so far in a class of 15-20 students and to have an in-class computer would totally change the way that I approach teaching certain subjects. I'm not claiming that technology (in this case computers and Internet access) is fundamental to sound teaching. On the contrary, I believe that technology, unfortunately, can easily aid teachers who wish to skirt the necessities of communicating well with their students and providing at least one variation of their initial explanations to ensure a comprehensive understanding of class materials. For me, access to cultural capital including music, sound bites featuring examples of other native English speakers, and real images from other places and cultures is the real issue at stake regarding technology in the classroom. Internet access via a computer can, with the inclusion of these elements plus analytical discussions, serve as a transformative element in the classroom.

As I live Chaco, the provincial neighbor of Corrientes, it was interesting to hear the opinions that Hannah's students have about Resistencia and my institute, San Fernando Rey. They didn't share anything that seemed too out of the ordinary about Resistencia, however, I was was surprised to hear several of them say that they they were very jealous of our facility at San Fernando. I found it humorous that several of these comments revolved around the poor status of Josefina Conte's restroom facilities and how those at SF must be in better condition; likewise, I teased the students a bit that they should probably all immediately switch schools, since a restroom is clearly the defining element of an educational institution's caliber.

Other comparisons made by the students reflected on the size of their classrooms. Josefina Conte's classrooms were comparably smaller than those of San Fer; however, I will also note that I do not necessarily observe this "structural limitation" (as noted by the students) to be a bad thing. You see, at San Fer, students in each year of the program are all grouped together in one classroom (with the exception of first year students who are divided into two large groups, the 2nd years students in one classroom, 3rd years in another, etc. ) for the entirety of their studies each day. This means that, with everyone in attendance, students are often sitting in a class with 25 (or 30+ in some instances) of their peers. As a strong advocate of smaller class sizes for a variety of reasons (more participatory discussions, opportunities for more intentional student-professor interactions and relationships, etc.), I could see where the size limitations at Josefina Conte might work to the students' benefit in relation to the environment created by a class' size.

After Hannah's language and grammar class, she took me on a short tour of the rest of the institute which houses several other programs in addition to the English teacher training studies, a few administrative offices and teacher lounges, and a small library and study area. Of all the educational institutions that I have visited thus far in my Fulbright "tour," Josefina Conte is the one that has reminded me most of the institution where I work. I know this is partly due to its small size (vs. the other, much larger universities I have visited of other assistants) but I also think the students and general atmosphere of the institute more closely resemble what I have experienced at San Fer. I don't know if I can describe this feeling of similarity any better than the above description (at this moment anyways), but I am fully reassured that I have a colleague just across the river who knows more or less what is happening in my life without her ever having to be here.

The take-away from this most recent, more local continuation of my Fulbright tour: I have the blessing and valuable opportunity to share teaching experiences and receive thoughtful insight on a (generally) weekly basis when Hannah and I see one another. And Fulbright thought our midterm seminar in Montevideo, Uruguay would be "all that" (ok, it was. hehe).... check it out: Chaco and Corrientes with some tag team English teaching assistant efforts, trying to collectively navigate this vaguely defined English teaching and cultural exchange process.

Vamos, vamos Argentina!

Wow, I have a lot that has happened recently in my life that I would like to share. I'll tackle those things one post at a time...starting today with something that I did one week ago, last Wednesday evening.

Last Wednesday I welcomed the opportunity to go and watch some of the best volleyball athletes in South America. When I found out at the beginning of the week that an international volleyball tournament was being held at the athletic club where I play basketball, I pondered the prospects of my attendance as a spectator. When I found out that tickets cost just over the equivalent of six US dollars, I knew that I would be going to a game. The three teams playing in the round robin tournament included Argentina, Colombia and Japan. Wednesday night's contest featured Argentina vs. Colombia and boy, was I in for a show, not only in regards to the players and their talent but also related to the general ambiance of the game and other spectators in attendance.

I arrived for the game nearly an hour early, nervous that I might not be able to still buy a ticket as it was Argentina's own national selection team playing. I needn't have been concerned as I purchased my ticket at the gate and entered the gymnasium to still find it a little less than half full. Both teams were already out on the floor playing...soccer!?! Yes, I arrived to find both the Argentine and Colombian teams on their respective sides of the court, kicking a volleyball amongst themselves in a sort of monkey-in-the-middle style soccer game. Below, I've included a video of the players engaging in their innovative warm-up game during a time where I was sure they would be stretching or warming up in a way more "related" to volleyball. I suppose this was a gentle cultural reminder that there are always ways to rethink the playing of a sport, even if I've played or watched it being played for many, many years.

The rules of their soccer/volleyball game seemed to be that if you kicked the ball beyond the circle or if the individuals in the middle could touch your pass, you had to become one of the people who were "it" in the middle. Enjoy...

Eventually both teams did move on to stretching and other drills that I would consider basic parts of volleyball warm-ups. In the meantime, the gym slowly filled up with people, until it was nearly full. Music pulsated from the loudspeaker system but was incomparable to what I would soon experience with the "pep band" that arrived and stationed itself just to the left of my seating section in the bleachers. I don't exactly know where this pep band came from (i.e. I couldn't establish that it was associated with a specific organization per say), but it consisted of three trumpet players, a very loud base drum and a lot of other miscellaneous percussion instruments. They could play an impressive number of current, popular songs that I have come to learn in the time I have already spent in Argentina. Their feature, however, seemed to be the first 15 seconds of this song, titled Vamos, vamos Argentina, which seems to be a national rally cry in the world of sports, especially of course in soccer; I heard this portion of the song played by the band at least a couple dozen times throughout the course of the evening.

I realize this isn't the most well-lit photo but it shows the pep band as they played some of the crowd's favorite tunes, quite enthusiastically and loudly.

Men's volleyball has always amazed me in light of the sheer power that the players bring to the court. When a team has a chance to set up an ideal attack, your defense had better be in position or chau, the ball will be decidedly hitting the floor to end the play. This game between Argentina and Colombia was no different in that respect of players' powerful presence on the court. I've included another video below of the players in their warm-up hitting lines. However, I will note that once started, the game's trajectory was a bit disappointing; Argentina won rather easily in just three sets and after the first set, Colombia seemed to have neither excitement nor fight left in their court presence. Of course, I was happy to see Argentina win (and, while I couldn't go, they also went on to win their game the following night against Japan in 4 sets) and content to do a little crowd-observing throughout the match as well. Fans were excited, but I think they would have been even more enthusiastic had Colombia played better and maintained a higher level of competitiveness.

Argentina's selection team lined up court-side before the game

Colombia on their side of the court in Club Atlético Sarmiento

A little jump serve action going on...

Yes, some of the players throw the ball up this high for their jump serves (i.e. look at the very top of the photograph to find the volleyball).

Yeah, I'm thinking that'll be another kill for team Argentina. It was a fairly easy win against Colombia, who I was told was a rather young team.

Hopefully I will be bringing another post your way tomorrow (or rather, maybe later today, Thursday), on my visit last Thursday to the Josefina Conte teacher training institute in Corrientes where fellow Fulbrighter Hannah Dalporto is working for the duration of our grants. I'm excited to share this experience as the latest installment (Part IV!) of my Grand Argentina Tour: Fulbright style...

Headlines: Basketball Teammates Take on Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña

I returned to Resistencia a week ago for the specific reason that I was dearly missing everyone that I know here. Despite this strong psychological pull, I had no sentimental qualms in leaving again last weekend. I suppose the counterargument might be valid that this trip was actually taken with friends and had a definite ending point, unlike my other most recent travels. Friday evening I departed Resistencia with two of my basketball teammates, Yaneth and Gabi, for the small city of Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña, located about 173 kilometers or just over 107 miles northwest of Resistencia in the Chaco province. Gabi is originally from Sáenz Peña and moved to Resistencia three years ago. However, she has not officially changed her address and therefore is required to vote in her hometown. As Sunday was a day for primary elections here in Argentina, she made the trip to fulfill her civic obligation; I was happy to tag along when she extended an invitation to visit this lovely place where she grew up. (Side note: Yaneth is from Resistencia but obviously could not vote on Sunday as we did not return until late in the evening. Supposedly voting is obligatory here in Argentina; supposedly the government can/will revoke the validity of your passport if you wish to travel internationally and have not fulfilled your voting responsibilities [multiple times?]. I’m not really sure what’s true and what’s not but clearly “obligatory voting” here has its own connotations.)

We boarded the day’s last colectivo destined for Sáenz Peña at 10:30 pm on Friday evening and pulled into town just after 1:00 am. I had a fleeting thought that we would be calling it a night shortly thereafter as both Gabi and Yaneth seemed rather tired on the bus. However, I don't I have been any farther from being wrong! Therein began a weekend of a lot of dancing and not much sleep. I will admit that if there is anything that I have not truly become accustomed to in Argentina, it’s the all night partying that happens on the weekends for young people. After arriving Friday night (or, rather, early early Saturday morning) we ate a bit at Gabi’s friend Gisela’s house, where we stayed for the weekend, and then went out to a boliche to get our dance on. I’ll spare further details, but know that Saturday was basically a repeat of Friday night with the addition of seeing Sunday morning's sunrise at the conclusion of our dance club “adventures.”

Primary avenue in Sáenz Peña

After pulling ourselves out of bed on Saturday and having some lunch, we went with several of Gabi's friends from Sáenz Peña to the provincial zoo, located just a couple kilometers out of town. I have always enjoyed visiting zoos and believe they can be an informational learning environment for people of all ages. However, given living conditions constructed within the zoo that are less-than-ideal and clear neglect for the animals' spatial, physical, and social needs, among others, certain zoos could be quite possibly humankind’s most cruel punishment toward the animal kingdom. I’m saddened to say that I think I experienced many of the aforementioned conditions in my visit to the provincial zoo on Saturday. Some of the most notable, deplorable conditions included the birds’ cages where there were clearly too many birds in the space allotted to a particular species, the lions’ cage where they lived amidst an area primarily covered by cement, and the physical status of the large population of jaguars that the zoo houses. It was evident that the jaguars (and lions) were both unhappy and disturbed, as the great majority of them constantly paced restlessly back and forth along the front wall of their cages, and malnourished as their flesh around their stomach and leg regions sagged in unexpected ways. I didn’t anticipate seeing fat jaguars persay, but these animals were clearly lacking muscle definition that we see in pictures of healthy members of the species.

A couple of beautiful parrots at the zoo. There were certainly some gorgeous birds among the animals here.

A rather impressive, and massive, hippopotamus

A lioness appearing rather bored. This grass behind her was both sparse and rare among the lions' quarters.

The alpha male lion also looking bored in his cement floor cage.

A very skinny bengal tiger pacing back and forth in the cage.

Maybe rather difficult to tell from this picture but this jaguar was so skinny, lacking any sort of muscle definition

 I’m not a person who will be running off to join PETA anytime soon. However, I believe that it is an injustice for zoos to neglect animals' needs (intentionally or unintentionally) and be able to continue in these harmful operations without repercussions. I also realize how this experience and my argument may arrive rather watered down in its content to any readers in the United States (or, really anyone outside of Chaco who has not seen this zoo). I actually had an extended discussion last semester with my fourth year students about this zoo and its subpar conditions. They had emphasized some of the things which I described above and I thought at the time that I understood what they were saying to me. However, I don’t think I really felt the severity of this situation until I was at this place, seeing the animals and their artificial habitats just meters in front of me. Just something to keep in mind as you are reading and seeing the few photographic images I have decided to post. Also, I've decided I shall never complain again about a zoo entrance fee; if I can see that the animals are well treated and placed in near-natural, albeit man-made, habitats, I will be more than happy to pay a fee that helps to ensure these conditions.

Continuing with the weekend, Saturday evening included an asado at Gisela’s boyfriend’s house and, as karaoke was set up, I sang a couple of American tunes to appease the rather unrelenting requests of new friends. As I already mentioned, the rest of Saturday consisted of some serious boliche action. There were a couple of particularly hilarious boliche moments for me throughout the weekend. The first occurred while dancing on Friday night: both Barbara Ann (The Beach Boys) and Y.M.C.A. (The Village People) were played by the dj. Gisela also found it quite humorous when I shared that we don’t hear Y.M.C.A blasted in a club/bar when we go out in the U.S., albeit during wedding receptions. My second side-splitting boliche moment came on Saturday night when one of Gabi’s friends thought it would be appropriate to act out all the lyrics of the songs being played so that I could understand and learn them. While I do find people’s exaggerated hand gestures and slower rate of speech unnerving periodically (I occasionally find myself thinking, “I’ll ask you to slow down if I don’t understand… how is it that you think I’ve survived here independently for 5 months if I don’t understand Spanish?” Excuse my rant.), this young woman’s dramatic nature was an absolute riot. I know, context is paramount when we decide how we feel in these situations. I’ll leave it at that and let you decide as to why I might have been so keenly amused.

Sunday consisted of another asado (I was feeling real Argentine by the end of the weekend with all this meat, boliche-ing, and lots of mate with Gabi’s friends) with Gisela’s super-welcoming family, a short drive around town, and a failed attempt to take pictures at the local train station after guards told us that it was prohibited in light of “preserving the station’s security.” Seriously? The things that are actually enforced as rules here baffle me sometimes. We eventually headed back to the station on Sunday evening and boarded our colectivo for Resistencia. The more of life I have the opportunity to experience here from my native friends’ points of view, the more questions I find myself asking about any and every nuance of culture that remain unanswered in my sphere of Argentine exposure .  Of course, this leads me to pursue whatever crazy adventure crosses my plate next—what a “vicious” cycle of inquiry. ;)

The "forbidden" train station

Traversing Sáenz Peña. Wonder where these feet are headed next...

Argentina Tour, "Fulbright" style: Stop III Córdoba (Villa Maria & Río Cuarto)

*Written on Monday evening, August 8th

I arrived on Saturday morning in Villa Maria and was sleepily greeted by not only Jen Dooper but also Fulbrighter Alex Gibson who was also on his vacation from his teaching assignment in Bahía Blanca (several hours south of Mar del Plata in the Buenos Aires province). Jen’s close friend Silvana joined us for lunch and then I got to see a bit of Villa Maria as we all went to have mate along the costanera. While I didn’t see a lot of Villa Maria, I was pleasantly surprised with that which I was able to take in on my short visit. A rather small city of just over 100,000 people, Villa Maria appeared both quaint and rather well-maintained, relative to many other cities and towns that I have visited throughout the country.  Unfortuately, I didn’t have a chance to visit Jen’s university in Villa Maria because we left later that afternoon for Rio Cuarto, another town in the Córdoba province where Fulbrighter Grant Berry is living and working for the duration of our grants. However, Grant did inform me later that Jen works at an extremely nice, newly constructed, well-equipped university, thanks due quite possibly to the fact that Córdoba's present governor is good friends with Argentina’s president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. While it really shouldn't come as a surprise, the blatantly showy monetary influences/bribes/“public projects” initiated by politicians at all levels of government still amaze me at some level. I certainly don’t think it’s a bad thing that Villa Maria has a new university, and I’m happy that Jen has a place to work hopefully more equipped at multiple levels than many of the institutions where other Fulbrighters are working in rather less-than-ideal conditions. Nonetheless, it’s hard for me to escape the notion that the fulfillment of needs could be so heavily, and transparently, defined by which politicians are friends with each other mostly in their interests of career advancement.

Picture-perfect day: three Fulbrighters, drinking mate along the costanera, Argentine flag flying boldly in the background.

Jen scaling a tree on the costanera, her favorite spot in Villa Maria.

Anyhow, Jen, Alex, Silvana and I traveled on Saturday afternoon to Río Cuarto, another Córdoba city of just over 100,000 people, to visit the infamous Grant Berry. Upon entering Grant’s apartment, we were greeted with the most wonderful smells of fried empanadas which easily won the title of "empanaughties" that Grant usually attributes to his empanada creations. Post-dinner, we had the pleasure of meeting a variety of Grant’s students and friends who came to his apartment for a party that carried on in fine fashion until…well, I’ll just leave you with the knowledge that we partied well into Sunday. Interestingly enough, the entirety of the party had to take place there in Grant's apartment because Sunday was a voting day in Córdoba. You might ask what our partying has to do with voting; well, as voting is obligatory in Argentina, boliches are closed the night before elections and stores cannot sell alcohol after a certain hour leading up to election day (i.e. Argentina's preventative measures to avoid drunken young folk at the polls). 

Unfortunately, Silvana and Jen had to leave early the next day after pulling themselves out of bed; Silvana because she had to return to Villa Maria to vote and Jen because she had to prepare a variety of things for her classes that commenced again on Monday. As Alex and I were staying in Río Cuarto, we enjoyed some wonderful breakfast burritos (made, again, by Grant) of scrambled eggs, peppers, and cheese wrapped up in (drumroll, please…) flour tortillas! *Tortillas essentially do not exist here in Argentina, at least as far as I have experienced life thus far. Grant informed us that the tortillas have been a recent addition to the larger supermarket near his home, only on the shelves for the first time in the last month.* Then it was off to the Andino, a deserted train station, to have mate and do what Argentines do best on a Sunday afternoon: nothing. 

Photos from the Andino. Pretty cool even if it is rusting, deserted and relatively covered with graffiti

The rest of our day consisted of having an ice cream with one of Grant’s students who I had met the night before at the party, going out for dinner at an absolutely divine restaurant in town and seeing a movie at the local “shopping.” First, it should be mentioned that “shopping” is the word that Argentines generally use for what we refer to in the U.S. as a mall, only said with a Spanish accent. Second, you’ve probably noticed that most of my activities this weekend in Río Cuarto have revolved around food. I won’t deny this, nor say that it was necessarily a bad thing as Grant is both a superb cook and knowledgeable connoisseur of his city’s eating establishments. 

Finally we reach Monday morning and my visit to Grant’s university. After approximately a half-hour bus ride to this institution situated on the edge of Río Cuarto, I had my first glimpses of the third institution that I have had the honor of visiting on my self-made tour. Arriving a little early for his first meeting, Grant took a few moments to show off the comedor (university cafeteria) which, as he remarked, gives off sort of a U.S. high school cafeteria vibe. Then we headed inside the humanities building where I had the pleasure of exchanging greetings with several professors in the English program. I sat in with Grant on two short meetings, visited the university library, and was the happy recipient of a very brief guided campus tour, which also houses facilities for veterinary science and equestrian studies, among other things. 

I just couldn't resist including a photo of the back of my bus ticket to Grant's university. Sort of like what we might expect on fortune cookies in the United States, the back of the tickets in Río Cuarto have short sayings or "words of wisdom." I've never seen this on bus tickets before in Argentina. My particular ticket said, "I experienced grief because I did not have shoes, until I saw those who didn't have feet. -Anonymous" Deep. I know. :)

 In visiting this campus, I was thoroughly impressed with their library facilities. Up to this point, anything I have experienced in Argentina pales in comparison with even the smallest libraries I have visited in the U.S. (As you may have inferred from some of my previous posts...) However, the libraries at both Grant and Maja’s universities were exponentially more comprehensive than that which I find at my institution in Resistencia. Given any sort of opportunity, I know that my students would change this about their facility in a heartbeat. What student doesn’t want literature and reference materials that are both relevant and updated in a communal resource bank like a library? I find myself becoming a stronger believer in this issue of resource access every day that I live in Argentina. On my own running list of characteristics that I find less-than-favorable in the educational institutions I have encountered, resource availability is one of the primary things, if not the first, that I would alter.

Grant’s university also featured some interesting graffiti. Here, you see Grant proudly standing in a courtyard as we enter the humanities area and me blissfully embracing some “welcoming words” for individuals from the U.S.

This graffiti basically says, "Get out Yankees!" Grant informed me that it is mainly in response to North Americans who are buying out large tracts of land in Patagonia, not in retaliation of people like Fulbrighters. A relief in a way...I suppose.

After Grant concluded his logistical tasks for the day in meetings and we both socialized with some of his friends in the comedor, it was back to his apartment to make a quick lunch and pack up my things before making one last important Río Cuarto stop. Just in case I hadn’t eaten enough all weekend, Grant urged that café Luis Maria was a must as a result of his previous encounters with their fine desserts. To our delight, we encountered on their menu a plate titled “Disgutación-something," which meant that we were brought (*imagine stereotypical infomercial voice announcing the following…) twelve small pieces of various cakes, tarts and other fine desserts accompanied by two great coffees, all for the low, low price of forty pesos, or the U.S. equivalent of five dollars per person, as the dish is crafted to be shared by two. Clearly Grant and I enjoyed our sweet feast and welcomed Alex to help us finish off the desserts well-worthy of the praise that Grant had lavished on them prior to our café visit. 

If you think this looks pretty excellent in the picture, you should have seen/experienced it in person. Cafe Luis Maria stole my heart, and my stomach.

We’d again arrived at Río Cuarto’s bus station, which would ultimately lead me to where I am now, on a bus back to Resistencia. I imagine some of you might be asking, “But Teresa, you’ve only visited five of the seventeen cities where there are Fulbrighters this year and only three of the universities/terciarios that you said were to be a part of your “Grand Tour!” What happened? Why is your “tour” being cut so short with two weeks left of vacation?! To be perfectly honest, I’ve come to a point where I dearly miss all the people I’ve come to know as my colleagues, students and friends in Resistencia; I would rather return home in this moment than be out traversing the country (and spending lots of hours in buses). 

I’m ready to have mate with friends again, live in my own room rather than out of my backpack, invite people to my home to cook together, plan things for the upcoming semester (that doesn’t start for another two weeks…), play basketball with my club team, and enjoy life in Resistencia where I still have so much yet left to learn and experience. After my two weeks away, I imagine the next few days will be full of happy reunions and catching up on life. My adventures are certainly not ending with the conclusion of these vacations. I can’t wait.

Argentina Tour, "Fulbright" style: Stop II Mar del Plata

I arrived in Mar del Plata and fellow Fulbrighter Maja Petersen’s apartment on Wednesday evening. Mar del Plata (MdP) is a beach town whose population apparently doubles in the summer months with vacationers of all ages. Obviously I wasn't arriving in high season. Nonetheless, I was excited to enjoy some ocean landscapes for a couple days despite the fact that it was rather (ok, really) cold in various moments as we weathered the dead of winter on the coast. Not to worry, though, as Maja was ready to show off the best of MdP. Wednesday evening after my arrival we ventured out to get some dinner and saw a typical Argentine peatonal…after the afternoon’s rainstorm. For those who might not know, a peatonal is a pedestrian-only street and one which is almost always deserted if there is/has been any type of rain. Some things just don’t vary much from city to city. The peatonal in Resistencia is just as eerily abandoned after a rainstorm as this one that we encountered in MdP on Wednesday evening.

Thursday morning we started first with a visit to the city’s water tower.  There are truly some great views to be had at the top of this tower that can claim 88.4 meters (about 96 yards) as its height and a total water capacity of 13.5 million liters (about 3,566,323 gallons), stored in its two cisterns and an elevated tank. It serves the greater part of the central city’s water needs. An old-school, but smooth elevator ride to the top made our visit that much more memorable; you know what I’m talking about, the elevators that don’t raise or lower until you manually close the inside gate.

Majestic, castle-like water tower in MdP.

View from the water tower's look-out terrace toward the ocean.

Our second stop of the day was the port where Mar del Plata’s infamous sea lion, or lobo, colony lives. Over 800 in number and all males, according to Lonely Planet, these fascinating creatures put on a real show for my visit (yes, I believe they did all the following especially because I was there visiting MdP). Names are interesting; lobo translates directly to “wolf” in English. I imagine this comes from the lobos’ tendency to raise and hold their faces toward the sky, just as a wolf does when it howls.  The first section of the port that we visited is where the great majority of the fishing boats dock. Here, we saw a few lobos lounging as well as a few stray dogs prancing around, and then the real entertainment began. A few of the dogs ganged up on one lobo and were barking at him at a dangerously close distance. While I’m not entirely sure why, these dogs seemed to want to attack the lobo’s fins. Their torture of the lobo seemed to be a type of game for the dogs. The scene was rather unreal, both in terms of what was happening between the lobos and the dogs and how unbelievably close Maja and I were to all the action. I could go on describing the scene at the port but I think I’ll just let this video that I recorded speak for itself.

 

We walked a bit farther down the port to where a larger group of lobos proved slightly less entertaining but, nonetheless, pretty astounding to observe. While I took only one collegiate biology course, I imagine that these creatures would be fascinating to study. After we had our fill of watching in awe and taking pictures, Maja and I headed back up from the outermost reaches of the port to eat a late lunch, appropriately some fried and seasoned calamari and a mix of seafood with rice. We walked around the city a bit more to end our day and spent a chill evening in Maja’s apartment for dinner.

Friday's adventures were highlighted by a visit to the two institutions where Maja works. The first of these was the city university. MdP's university was similar to that of Sam Kalish’s in La Plata in many ways, especially regarding visible student political activism in the graffiti found on walls, stairs, floors and anyplace in between. Fascinating though, was the history that Maja shared about her university with me. Like many other [ugly] buildings that you might be able to guess were constructed in the 70’s, this complex had numerous rooms with wall-to-wall windows. (Anyone familiar with Denison's campus, think Shephardson Hall style and you'd be close.) Maybe less obvious to folks from the U.S., though, might be the reason(s) for the excessive windows at the university. Apparently, these windows, both externally and on classroom doors, as well as significant half-inch cracks built into classroom walls, served the military dictatorship well to ensure that secret meetings of an anti-government nature were not taking place here. Rather amusing to me were the signs on the front lawn of the university that instructed people to not walk on the grass and throw their garbage in the trash cans. Obviously I was not amused in the sense that these would be ridiculous requests of any institution, I found highly entertaining the clear results from people not following the signs' instructions...

Intense graffiti/wall art in the university

Maja in front of the super confusing directory for classes and offices

Crack built into the wall through which you can see and hear what is going on in the classroom on the other side.

"Do you use me?" I wish I'd taken a picture of the rest of this university's yard which was littered with all kinds of trash.

Shortly thereafter Maja and I also visited the language institute, a branch facility of the city university, where she has helped in a few language classes with people of all ages. I never quite figured out how this institute works as Maja told me that it is a part of the city university, a public institution that provides free education in line with national policy, but that the students there do have to pay a small monthly fee for their classes, as someone would have to do at a private institution. Class fees were less for students of the university, but each student at the institute did have to pay tuition. Still pondering that one... 

After our visits to the institutions, Maja and I grabbed a late lunch and strolled a bit more along the ocean before I eventually headed for the bus station. And thus continues my Argentine Fulbright tour as I boarded a bus for Córdoba's little town of Villa Maria to visit Miss Jennifer Dooper (with plans shortly thereafter to also visit Grant Berry in Córdoba's Río Cuarto).