Visiting “La Perla” concentration camp 1

Today we went to La Perla on a field trip with the students at San Martín. For those who don’t know, La Perla was a prison and execution camp of innocent citizens and political prisoners of Argentina’s past dictator, Videla. On the field trip we walked around the compound, saw photos of the “disappeared” people (people who were assasinated and who’s bodies were not returned), and listened to a guide give us a history lesson about La Perla. He talked very fast, but luckily we had already learned enough about the topic to understand the basics of the presentation. We also got to talk to people from another school who were also on a field trip there! After the tour, we went to a lake, where we ate, danced, and listened to music (both from the U.S. and Argentina). It was a fun AND educational trip!

Addie

It was a very moving experience, seeing where the people were kept, tortured, and killed. The most powerful part of the museum in my opinion was the wall of the photos of Los Desaparecidos. It was incredibly sad to see the smiling pictures of the victims juxtaposed with the harsh and awful reality of their lives in La Perla.

Tara

Today at La Perla, I had the amazing opportunity to learn more about “los desaparecidos” through their photos, timelines, and stories. Being at La Perla today showed me not only the harsh living conditions to which people were subject but also the healing and compassion of the community through commentary and art. “Su dolor, nuestra lucha.”

Alexa

It was very interesting to build off of the work that we have done this year both in spanish class and in Argentina meetings. I learned a lot and was able to compare different types of dictatorships that I am familiar with. Overall, it was an amazing and thought provoking experience. Furthermore, it was very stimulating to discuss the topic of dictatorships with our new friends!

(From an anonymous contributor... Kids don’t always write their names on tests... Or blog posts!)

Comments

Day 5: Los Porteños!

On Thursday, we started our day with a swift breakfast in the hotel and a short walk to the Casa Rosada--workplace of the Argentinian president--where we began a scavenger hunt that was organized by an Argentinian travel company that we have been working with so far on this trip. As we split into groups (los carpinchos, los chocotortas, y los empanadas), we began to walk around the city and complete tasks along the way. These challenges often included talking to friendly strangers or organized actors and asking many questions regarding the daily lives of Argentinians. For example, we asked an actor (our previous tour guide Fernando) and other locals (pedestrians, workers, police officers, etc.) questions about Argentinian football. In turn they taught us facts like how fans of the team River Plate are called “Los millionarios” (the millionaires) because their home stadium, which is el estadio mas monumental of South America, is located in a wealthy neighborhood. In addition, we we...

Day 10: All Good Things

Tuesday, our last full day in Buenos Aires, was as packed as every other. After breakfast at the hotel buffet, we took the bus over to Palermo, where we embarked on a tour of street art and murals. We talked about the importance of street art to the culture of Buenos Aires, visiting murals ranging in subject from Frida Khalo to the LGBTQ community to soccer. It amazed us to see murals in many parts of the city, each symbolizing something different. Many of the murals wowed us with their intertwinement of 2D art with 3D art, incorporating aspects of the building’s architecture into the paintings. After the mural tour, we headed to another graffiti workshop, where we learned to paint a distinctive form of art central to Argentine culture. This style of art, called Fileteado, incorporates colorful components like borders to decorate parts of the city, including buses, signs, taxis, and trucks. At first, we attempted to mimic our maestro’s masterful paint strokes, but eventually diverged i...

Day 9: Day Trip to Colonia

Monday morning was wet and windy. We walked a short way to the ferry station where we caught a boat to Uruguay. Once on the boat, some of us chatted while others slept, and to our pleasant surprise, across the river, we found specks of blue and some sun. Profe. Levin crossed her fingers, hoping that the temperate conditions would hold for the day. Colonia was founded in 1680 by the Portuguese, and for much of its history, the settlement has passed from one controlling power to another. In the 18th century, the Spanish and the Portuguese fought for its possession, and in the 19th century, Argentina and Brazil became its new claimants. Finally, in 1825, Uruguay, along with Colonia del Sacramento, gained its independence. This history of hostilities had a hand in the settlement's design; the Portuguese surrounded the old peninsular town in a thick stone wall, whose battlements held cannons directed at whatever enemy the river might bring. We walked the cobble stone streets, whi...

Poly GIP Argentina 2023-25

Search This Blog