La Llegada

I arrived in Buenos Aires Friday afternoon, after a transfer from Lima. My cabbie immediately began chatting me up, in the friendly, Argentine manner, complimenting my Spanish and showing off the infamous Latin charm (“Jennifer? Like Jennifer Lopez? But much prettier! You don’t hear that all the time? They must have bad eyes, not to realize this!”)

The air was icy and drizzling as I made my way by a charming, old (decrepit?) train to La Plata, where I’d be spending the coming year. I arrived at the San Marco Hotel, which FSD had booked for the orientation, only to find they had no record of me, nor FSD. The staff was as helpful as possible, considering I had no contact information for FSD in La Plata. Finally, I found the introductory pages in my handbook, with complete names and pictures of the staff, which the hotel was able to match with a reservation. She called the office, and explained to the staff that a woman had arrive, without a reservation or contact information “solo fotos!”--perhaps she hasn’t worked with many non-profits??

The hotel is comfy, with an erratic toilet (picture of flushing mechanism above), and everyone has been incredibly friendly, including my fellow volunteers. Tomorrow, we begin a series of workshops on local culture, health and safety, Spanish language, and sustainable development, which will continue through our five -day orientation (and on throughout the course of our work in La Plata).

La Plata's Cathedral and Town Hall, facing each other, per Argentine tradition: the unification of church and state.