Giving Thanks in the B.A.

Hello! So officially two weeks from today I will be in Chicago. Isn´t that crazy? I know I must say this a lot in these posts but time really messes with my head. I´m constantly amazed about where I am and what I´ve seen and yet somehow it´s almost December. I can´t even comprehend it. Also I´ve been thinking a lot about how to explain to all of you at home my experiences and I just dont know how I´m going to do it. I see myself in certain situations and I just won´t be able to explain everything, or even remember everything! So be warned, be patient with me...

So it was interesting spending Thanksgiving over here. This week was our case study week, and I was in the Waste group. Interestingly no one wanted to be in the waste group so we were the volunteers that left the other case studies and joined this one. It was a completely different experience though because we had to rely on our guide for everything and we had specific meetings with organizations and people instead of the freedom we are used to with case studies. They had to do it this way because of the language barrier, but it made for a completely different experience than the one I had with HIV. Despite the rigidness of the two and a half days and the daunting sound of Waste, we actually had a very interesting case study. There are so many factors that really go into it and it was more than just the environmental concerns but also so many social, economic and political ones as well. One of the most interesting was the perspective of the cartoneros, people who after the 2001 economic crash started to collect cardboard for a living and sold it back to private companies. Now t heir are cooperatives and collaborations with the government for some of these people but it just completely changes your perspective. I think that´s what really tied in a lot of the factors that we experienced, it made it more real to an everyday perspective. On Thanksgiving we had the day to prepare our presentation for the next day. Hm, yeah, we spend 12 hours creating our presentation which was frustrating, especially on a day when everyone was missing home a bit and we didn´t get done until 10-10:30. But afterward Rashidah, Phoebe and I went out for a delicious steak and wine dinner, you know, Thanksgiving Argentina style! It was wonderful. Great conversation and a good way to release the frustrations of the day. The presentation went well, we did a talk show style to incorporate a dialogue between all the different factors to show that there is more to trash than just trash but at the same time trash is just trash (confusing but it became our slogan).

Now I´m at the internet cafe where I came to write my paper but intead I´m catching up with you all. Ha, it´s hard because this next week is our last week of classes per se. We have a lot due but it´s hard to stay motivated at the end. At the end of this week we leave for La Plata where we have a retreat for a few days and then next week we do a final workshop before we leave to come home. Crazy.

I´m definitely sad about my camera, many tears have been shed. But I´m trying to see a better side of it. In a way it´s kind of good for me because that is the worst thing I could lose, at least in my perspective, and this trip is all about growing. I use pictures a lot, to show other people my experiences as well as to reflect alone but I will have pictures from other people and this way I´m not using them as a crutch. Maybe this is all just a way to make me feel better but I´m definitely going to work on flipping this situation. It will take some time but I´ll get it eventually, just don´t ask to see any pictures when I get home...

I´ve been having fun there though! I mean, it´s definitely a different vibe. I think we are all pretty tired and also have a lot of work so we haven´t been doing as much exploring as we have in other cities, which is frustrating but at the same time I want to enjoy myself! I went to a great show on Friday, it was this dance-theatre performance which was a lot of fun. Very interesting. Also I went back to the Jazz club, even better this time. It´s a strange time of knowing that we are going home soon but not actually realizing it.

I am excited to go home though, not anxious but excited. I want to see you guys, catch up, I think I´ve missed out on a lot. Ok probably time to do this paper. Miss you but will see you very soon...
xoxo