Despedidas de Todos

First, as I know this is every parent and relative's main concern, I'll mention that we made it back to Colby safely and without incident.

I could talk about how quickly the past week went by, but I won't. I can't do that, because we did everything to the fullest, and that's really all that matters. We learned about the foundations of tango, shopped for fine Argentinian leather, discussed the (positive) effects on tourism from the 2001 currency devaluation, and made older women cry with joy at hearing our performance of Biebl's Ave Maria. We met a 24 year-old Argentinian woman who taught English as well as a man in his 40s or 50s who had taught Spanish in Maine. And the personal relationships we forged and strengthened between ourselves in chorale...well, they simply wouldn't have happened without this trip. In sum, it was a trip as vibrant as the horse pictured above.

There a dozens of thank-yous that should be elaborated here, but I'm only going to mention the most important one - and that's to Paul. I don't want the following to be self-denegrating, but since the following example pertains to the author of this post, it's going to be: young and single males are not an easy group to manage, especially when in a group. They can easily be the most unruly faction, yet Paul was magnificent at turning this seemingly restiveness into passion. And for that specific ability, I give him my personal applause. Paul, thanks for providing us with friends and memories to last a lifetime.

Un abrazo fuerte,
Byron

La Boca

La Milonga

While the original plan was to leave Tandil at 10:00 am on Wednesday morning, our leaders made a wise decision to depart at 7:30 instead. This change maximised those early hours of the day and set our schedule up so that stopping for lunch would not be necessary. We loaded up the luggage only after grabbing a filling breakfast of cereal, pastries, yoghurt, cured ham, cheeses, hot cocoa, coffee, and orange juice. I suppose I shouldn't forget the omnipresent croissant. While the French felt a crescent best described these pastries, they are best known in Latin America as medialunas, or half moons.

Most everyone chose to spend the afternoon living the life of Riley, either by doing some more shopping, soaking up some rays, gorging himself with empanadas, or some combination of the three. Needless to say, 7:45 rolled around quickly and with everybody looking excited to head out, we left for Piazzolla Tango, only blocks away from the Plaza de Mayo. The name of this milonga, or dancehall, gives away Argentina's strong Italian roots and can help in understanding how many different cultures converged (and still do) on Buenos Aires. While it pays tribute to a number of European salon dances, the tango was undoubtedly developed in the Plate River region with strong African influences. In fact, one of the pieces we performed Tuesday night, Candomblé, employs the same Afro-Latino rhythms that can be found in many forms of tango.

The night started off with a delicious three-course meal (steak obviously being the chef's recommendation) and a seemingly unending supply of great Argentinian malbec. With the end of dessert, we transitioned into the show. I cannot claim to know enough about the art form of tango to praise or criticise the performance, but it would have been impossible to miss the fury, romance and energy that went into it all. One could see on their faces the concentration it required to pull off their manoeuvres. Furthermore, the dance is notably exotic, due to its unabashed machismo, a characteristic that is often surprising to our North American attitudes; still, coordination between the two dancers is indispensable. Without a doubt, the chance to see tango performed in a venue like Piazzolla is not one that presents itself often and left us all thoroughly impressed. The photos that I've included will not do the night justice, but hopefully they will provide some visual aid.

Saludos Amistosos,
Byron

Piazzolla Tango

Last Day in Tandil and an Excellent Concert

Things have been busy down here in Argentina with little time to access computers, but we have most certainly been amusing ourselves. Our last day in Tandil (Tuesday, March 24th) was fabulous and extremely eventful. We all met later in the morning to rehearse at the school we would be performing at later that night. Despite the extreme heat in the chapel, the rehearsal was a good one, mostly thanks to the cool stone floors and water that our guide Iggy brought in for us. The little chapel was beautiful though unusual--it was attached to the main school building right next to the courtyard with low, intricately-painted arches and ceilings. We walked back to the hotel after rehearsal to change and drop off our music and then headed to the outskirts of the city in the buses to go for a small hike up a hill that had a great view of the city. We stood on top of a castle-like building and took pictures for a while and then ate a late lunch in the restaurant downstairs. After lunch we were taken to a beautiful lake outside the city which had a small park next to it. About 20 of us decided to stay and spend some time outside and in the sun. We sat with our feet in the cool water for a while and then started up a soccer game with some locals. We played on a sand pitch: Argentina v. USA. The Argentine team had Iggy and men around his age, as well as a bunch of smaller boys, which were surprisingly good for their age--I guess that´s to be expected in a society where soccer is such an integral part of the culture! It was a great way to spend some time with Argentine people--not only was it a great game which gave us the opportunity to get some exercize, but there were also some hilarious moments that really helped bring the two sides together. After we got back to the hotel around 5:30, we were all on our own to grab a small dinner before meeting for the concert around 7:30. The concert was AMAZING. Although most of us were pretty exhausted beforehand, the audience was so enthusiastic and appreciative that we all felt great afterwards. Many of the people in the audience were singing along and even dancing to the Argentine pieces and they even loved the Vigil piece (a contemporary one composed by a Colby professor in which there are no actual notes--only sounds) and they clapped before we were finished with many of the songs. We sang TWO encores for them because they never stopped clapping! It was an amazing experience. Afterwards, we wentto a small reception to celebrate, and we got to know some of the audience members that belonged to a local choir. A great day all around to get to know a more tangeable side of Argentine culture, which is sometimes hard to grasp in the busy life of Buenos Aires!

Susannah

On the Road Again

On Monday morning, we woke up early because we were scheduled to have a concert at the US embassy in Buenos Aires. The embassy is this really ugly gray building that looks as though it used to be a warehouse, so we considered it fortunate when we learned that our concert had been moved to the residence of the ambassador. His home is one of the historic mansions that was built in Buenos Aires during the beginning of the 20th century. With its marble staircases, tapestries, and glass artwork, the house seemed as though it were the manor of a French noble. After we had warmed up, the ambassdor greeted us and discussed Argentinian culture a bit. We sang on the main staircase to a group of about 50 of the ambassador's guests. We were well received and congratulated in both English and Spanish after the concert. Before we said our fairwells, the ambassador's wife gave us a tour of her home. We thanked her for her kindness by singing "Tu Es Petrus" for her, and then we boarded the busses to head for the town of Tandil. Tandil is 6 hours from Buenos Aires, so we had plenty of time to talk, relax, and play cards on the busses. During our trip, we saw cattle grazing and farm workers striking along the sides of the roads. We arrived to Tandil somewhat late so we didn't have time to explore, but we did enjoy a group dinner together. Afterwards, we headed out for an evening of bonding and fun.

Michael

Our First Full Day In Argentina

Our day began at about 8 am with a delicious continental breakfast in the hotel. At 9, we were debriefed about Argentina and at 9:45 we loaded up the busses for a tour of Buenos Aires. We listened to the monologue of our guide Lorena and then took a nap. At 10:20, we we got off the busses to expore the famous Buenos Aires Mausoleum. The Mausoleum was a veritable city of tombs. Every tomb was different - some were made of marble, some of granite, and some of bricks and plaster. They lined the streets of the mauseleum resembling an odd assortment of miniature buildings. We walked up and down the streets in the sun and shadows while Buenos Aires rumbled away outside the stone walls that enclose the maueleum. Upon leaving, we sang "Rise Up" in front of Bilar Church and explored the Ricoleta Market a bit. Then we piled back into the busses and explored the modern part of Buenos Aires, Puerto Madero. A little after noon, we ended our tour with a complimentary lunch at Rio Alba Restaurant. The interior of the Restaurant was painted light yellow and green, and there were comical paintings of English Cows on the walls. We were served grilled vegetables, salad with tomatoes, onions and vinegar, french fries, and huge tender steaks. After lunch, we returned to the Ricoleta Market where we did some bargain shopping and people watching. The afternoon sun was very hot, but it was bearable under the shade of the vendors´ tents. From the market, we headed to our concert at San Pedro Church, which was AMAZING! It was overwhelming hot inside, but we still had fun. San Pedro was highly reminiscent of an Italian cathedral... it was very dark, and its floor and walls were composed of marbles, mosaics, statues and and morbid paintings of Jesus suffering. By 5:30, a very decent crowd had shown up and so we began. They seemed to like us quite a bit!The rest of the day was free time.

Ciao,
Ramsey