A Co-Chaperone's Final Reflection on the Matter

Our "Atlas," holding up the sky for everyone!

You know the exhaustion that can be accompanied by a sense of joy, well-being, and gratitude? That's how I felt every day of the Argentina trip. From the moment we arrived at LAX on June 9th after graduation to the moment we hugged and shared goodbye smiles this past Wednesday afternoon, I felt part of a very special experience. Were there challenging moments along the way? Absolutely! I am grateful for the physical and emotional experiences we navigated, absorbed, and let flow through us. We grew as individuals and as a group, bouncing along and back from moments that demanded our intense presence and best selves to emerge. I write this post with profound appreciation and respect for Patricia Levin, our brilliant leader, and want to dedicate my words to her. Her elegant, humorous, decisive, and competent leadership made every student and chaperon feel safe, cared for, seen and heard, and aware that we were on a well-planned, intentional, emotional, hands-on journey. We came away with more than we could have imagined: a love for new friends and the culture, an in-your-face recognition of the fragility of democracy and how we must stand strong against fascism, and how quickly we can recover from bumpy moments when we truly care for each other and have the greater good of the team in mind. I return to Los Angeles with much respect and gratitude for our students and community. Thank you Poly, Rick, Ann, John, José, Edgar, parents, and every single one of our "chiques"!

-Renée Larios

Comments

Profe Levin said…

¡Gracias, Renée!
I’m honored and humbled by your words.
During this trip I came to really appreciate the saying: “There’s no I in team”… Nothing would have been possible without yours and Profe Arceo’s extremely professional and loving participation.
¡Hasta la próxima aventura!

June 23, 2023 at 6:15 PM

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 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 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

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