La Despedida

Saludos, everyone!

We’ve finished our time in Valle Grande and returned to la capital, Buenos Aires.

Our last week in Valle Grande was bittersweet. We saw the end of our greenhouse project, hanging up the wire structure and special agricultural plastic designed to trap solar energy. The kids and the community were excited to see the completion of all of our hard work. “I felt very accomplished and was proud of myself,” said Miranda Kalvaria of New York, New York, “because I had never done anything like that before. You could tell that everyone from the village that we working with was really excited and that got me more excited. I felt like we had really made an impact on the community. Looking out at the mountain and the completed structure, I remembered everything from the beginning—how we had started from nothing. I hope that it really benefits the community because I know that I always remember doing it.”

Students also finished up independent projects. Austin King from Lexington, Massachusetts, selected to build a fort for local children to play in and had this to say: “The fort consisted of several different types of materials that I collected from all over Valle Grande. I used thick branches as stakes for the fort, bamboo as the roof, wire to string together the bamboo, rocks to piece together a 3 foot rock wall around the perimeter of ‘Fort Austin,’ and machetes, pickaxes, shovels, and rakes to piece everything together. My independent project was ambitious, but I knew if I completed it, I would have an incredible feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. I thoroughly enjoyed spending my time on this project, and I really hope that this structure will help out Valle Grande.”

Another student, Sam Pottash from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, learned to play a traditional folklore song from the Jujuy Province, Soy de Jujuy. “I wanted to translate the lyrics so I could bring a little of the culture back home,” said Sam. According to Sam, although he didn’t speak much Spanish, he was able to communicate with one of the community members through music. “When I was performing, I was surprised to see that the community was so flattered that I would learn one of their defining songs.”

We enjoyed our last few days, participating in some impromptu performances, heated volleyball matches, and some shared moments with the community before our departure on Saturday morning.

“Leaving Valle Grande was both sad and satisfying,” said Nat Epstein from New York, New York. “I was sad to leave the people I had gotten to know over the course of the month, but I was satisfied to know that we really did help out the community and that they will remember us in a positive light.”

“I thought I was ready to leave Valle Grande, and then I heard 3 young children that we had gotten very close with call our names as we were leaving,” said Ali Gumberg of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “They asked us when we were coming back, and it was then that it hit me that we weren’t. It made me sad, and I also realized the depth of the impact we had had on the community, and the community had had on us.”

We arrived in Buenos Aires on Monday and have been enjoying all that the city has to offer. We’re all looking forward to seeing our friends and family soon.

Con cariño,
Brenna and Zach

Dulce de leche and Pachamama

Saludos a todos!

We had a real adventure this past weekend! The group embarked on a two day hiking trip from our base in Valle Grande and saw some spectacular sights along the way.

We packed up our backpacks and made a big pasta lunch together on Friday afternoon to prepare for two days of hiking over the weekend. We grabbed a few last minute items, and then followed Pablo and Javier out of the city and up into the foothills.

On Friday evening, we headed to Valle Colorado, a neighboring village where many of the Escuela de Alternancia’s students travel from to board during the week. It’s only been in recent years that a road has opened between Valle Grande and Valle Colorado, so during our hike we used the footpaths that people local to this area have used and maintained since the time of the Incas. We walked for a little more than two hours, stopping once at beautiful stream coming out of the rock face bordering the trail, to soak up some sights. We arrived in Valle Colorado just before sunset and took up residence for the night at the primary school located there.

Upon arrival, students participated in a bit of a scavenger hunt—talking to people about their lives and work in Valle Colorado, taking pictures of the unique clothing typical of the area, and looking at the traditional forms of construction people use to build houses and small businesses. Most importantly, teams of students used their free time to put together lunches for the following day’s hike. Teams returned with the staples—bread, cheese, lunch meats, crackers, tuna, and a few treats—dulce de leche, a delicious carmel spread used commonly in Argentina, was seen in more than one group’s provisions!

Dinner that night was prepared by a family in town, and we ate together in the school house before crawling into our sleeping bags to get a good night’s sleep.

We woke up early the next morning, had a quick breakfast (fried bread, te, and café con leche) before donning our backpacks and beginning our hike to Santa Ana, some 8 hours from our start point.

The group hiked remarkably well, working together, and never forgetting to point out the grassy mountain landscapes that surrounded us all the way. Our group continued on parts of the Incan roadway, and students commented that walking over the big blocks of the rocky stairways helped them imagine what it might have been like to walk these paths hundreds of years ago.

“We all helped each other reach the finish point, the final goal if you will,” said Max Sternberg of New York, New York. We trekked through the beautiful landscapes created by the mountains that trap both Valle Grande and Valle Colorado. The hike was both breathtaking because of the views as well as the high altitude!”

At the height of our hike, we found a traveler’s monument that Pablo explained was a site meant to honor the Pachamama, or mother earth. He demonstrated how traveler’s carry and stack rocks on the monument, and also share the food and water they have carried with them on the road—first taking a bite themselves, and then leaving some for the Pachamama—with the idea that their gifts will be returned along their journey. Our students participated in their form of the ritual, sharing their crackers, chocolate bars, or water bottles with the Pachamama.

From this site, we took a slow descent into the village of Santa Ana and were happy to spend the evening with Dona Gabriella, a local woman who put us up in her home and cooked us a delicious soup and dinner. We spent the evening playing cards, singing, and checking out the stars, which so far away from the city, were big, and bright, and rife with falling stars.

The next morning, we rose early and jumped on a bus for a day of traveling. We visited Humauca where we explored and grabbed a quick lunch. From there, we rode to the smaller mountain village of Tilcara. We got a great dinner there—a bit of a reward for all our hiking—and settled in for two nights at Los Mollles, a historic home that now hosts a cute hostel. All the rooms have wood burning stoves, a welcome feature on cold mountain evenings, and big, comfy common areas.

On Monday, we really had an opportunity to explore Tilcara. We visited the Pucará, a reconstructed pre-Columbia fortification. “The ruins were very fascinating because you could picture an ancient civilization living there,” said Justin Haas from Santa Fe, New Mexico.” The scene of brick walls and wooden roofs brought me back to New Mexico with the full adobe house that are built throughout my town. Hiding in the dark houses was, overall, a great experience. I would love to bring my family to these amazing ruins so they can see an ancient treasure.”

In the afternoon, students chose between two activities: a short hike to a canyon on the outskirts of town and a trip to the town’s revered archeological museum which compliments the ruins and is maintained by the University of Buenos Aires. Both groups had a great time and learned more about the region!

We returned to Valle Grande on Tuesday afternoon and are looking forward to our last week of work here!

More soon,

Brenna and Zach

Hard work in Valle Grande

Hello All:

We wanted to report in on our second and extremely successful work week in Valle Grande.

We focused on our primary project of completing the greenhouse at the Escuela de Alternancia, No. 1, and spent the week collecting posts and logs native to the area. After hauling these logs back to our worksite, we debarked them, cut them down to size, and cemented them into the ground to serve as the skeleton of the soon-to-be-finished invernadero.

¨The group really came together this week to help finish the framework for the greenhouse,¨ said Sarah Gibson of Dallas, Texas. ¨The work was sometimes challenging, but the group persevered. By Friday morning, we were done with the posts. We made great progress this week and can´t wait to finish the greenhouse this coming week.¨

The work looks great so far and the students and community of Valle Grande are looking forward to the finished product.

Meanwhile, students have also begun working on exciting independent projects--learning to play regional songs on the guitar, organizing soccer tournaments with their counterparts in the community, and tackling tough subjects of reforestation, a constant source of concern here in the ecologically unique yungas region.

We´ve also been filling our time with some fun evening activities. This past week students pioneered a complicated game of charades, told ghost stories around an indoor ¨campfire,¨ and held Valle Grande´s First Annual Coffee House where students shared their talents for writing, reading, singing, and hamming it up.

¨The Coffee House was great because it gave us a chance to relax from a tough work day and a chance to get to know everyone a bit better,¨ said Olivia Bercow of Miami, Florida. ¨We heard goofy poems, rad raps, serious stories, and even had a sing-a-long. Not to mention that we got to enjoy té while watching. I hope we do the coffee house again this week.¨

Indeed, plans are in the works for another installment of the fun Coffee House and students are already preparing new acts that will top the recitations and duets of last week´s performances.

We´ve just returned back from a weekend of trekking through the region and are looking forward to sharing more stories and photos from our travels soon.

Un abrazo,

Brenna and Zach

A festive weekend in Salta

Dear Families and Friends:

After our first week of work, we enjoyed a very relaxing weekend in and around the city of Salta.

We grabbed some much needed café con leche and tostadas at a local confitería after an early morning bus ride, and then hit one of Salta´s main attraction—the teleférico. This gondola took students up some 1046 meters to a mountaintop above the city center. Students shot photographs of the panoramic views of the city, identified the colonial landmarks in the horizon, and took a leisurely hike back down the mountain.

The group had about an hour of free time in the afternoon and students were able to check e-mail, make phone calls home, and visit the interesting Archeology Museum in Salta´s central plaza. The culmination of this museum´s display is, the Doncella, a mummified Incan child sacrificed during the height of the Incan empire. Students enjoyed learning about the ancient customs and rituals of the area.

In the evening, we marked the 4th of July with one of the best celebrations the city of Salta has to offer—a traditional peña. A peña is a social club where musicians and dancers gather to play traditional folklore music, and practice traditional dances that represent the rich Argentine culture. Putney students visited the Panadería del Chuña, one of the best known venues in the city.

Students M.C. Glover from Falls Church, Virginia, and Becca Fleischman of Lexington, Kentucky wrote this of their experience:

It´s been agreed! There is no better way to celebrate your country´s independence day than immersing yourself in another country´s culture for a night. As we walked into the restaurant, a traditional folk band began to play. We watched acts by several different bands and dancing groups. The highlight? An epic battle between good and evil performed by a group of men dressed in extravagant animal-like costumes. Drums were their weapons and chanting was their battle cry.

Performers at the peña even acknowledged our group with a quick guitar rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and wished students a happy Independence Day!

Sunday was another exciting day as we set out for an excursion to they nearby village of Cafayate. The two hour drive was replete with many stops to take photos and quick walks through the Cafayate Canyons. Students trekked though the Garganta del Diablo, a hollowed out cavern hidden into the rock face, learned about the striated colors in the canyon wall, and saw some of the tallest cacti in the world.

When we arrived to Cafayate, we took quick tours of the oldest organic winery, an artisan cheese shop (kids agreed that the oregano flavored cheese was the best!), and toured the city´s dynamic plaza. Look for some great photos when your students return!

We´ve made the trip back to Valle Grande and will send more photos and updates soon!

Saludos,

Brenna and Zach

Life at the Escuela de Alternancia, No. 1

Hello all!

We’ve just finished up our first work week in the town of Valle Grande, a small village set into the mountains above the jungle-like Parque Nacional Calilegua. Here, even the arrival is spectacular. Students pile into a red and white collectivo bus, and watch the ecology change along with the elevation, from muddy jungles to sandy alitplanos, with breathtaking views from the bus windows all the way.

Our arrival marked the beginning of a wonderful partnership with the Escuela de Alternancia, No. 1, a highschool of some 200 students (who travel up to 8 hours to board at the school during the week) that specializes in agricultural and physical sciences. Putney students have been warmly welcomed by the faculty and students there.

“It was really great to be able to interact with the girls from Valle Grande,” said Heather Feshbach of Port Washington, New York. “When first meeting them, we were originally shy and timid, but we warmed up to each other very quickly. They are awesome people and we are thrilled to have made friends with them!”

Putney students have committed to helping Escuela de Alternancia construct a greenhouse where students can learn growing techniques throughout the year and also harvest fruits and vegetables to be cooked in the school’s kitchen which serves 4 meals a day. This week was spent working side by side with high school students from Valle Grande to level the site the greenhouse is being built on and gather fertile growing soil from the surrounding mountains.

But, as Dona Silvia, the school’s director says, “No todo en la vida es trabajo,” and Putney students have had time each day to share in music, dancing, and sports activities with their counterparts in Valle Grande. Among the most successful activities was a Yoga Ball Soccer tournament, a variation of soccer played with giant exercise balls, a standard of Putney programs traveling throughout the world this summer.

“Throughout our first week in Valle Grande, many of our interactions with the students have been through sports and games,” Ethan Bernstein of Larchmont, New York wrote recently. “With the language barrier, sports have been one of our key modes of communication. From the first day, many of us began playing in pick-up soccer games. With this, we were able to form nice connections and relationships with the students. After the quick game, many volleyball games were organized, followed by more soccer later that night. So far, while our Spanish speaking skills remain a little weak, all of us have been able to form great relationships and even friendships with many of the students in Valle Grande, simply by participating in sports, games, and other organized events.”

“Yoga Ball Soccer is a genius idea,” added Adam Ramirez from Chicago, Illinois. “It was great to be able to learn and teach a new game to students. We’ve had a great time so far.”

We’ve taken a brief reprieve from our work to further explore the city of Salta and celebrate the 4th of July, Argentina style. We’ll update you soon.

Hasta pronto,

Brenna and Zach

Rafting, a canopy tour, and on to Valle Grande

Dear Parents, Families, and Friends:

We’ve had a wonderful beginning of our adventure here in Argentina with a day of rafting and canopy tours North of the city of Salta, on the Juramento River.

We arrived early after a 2 hour ride around the scenic Dique Cabra Corral to be greeted by steaming coffee and tea. Our group split into three teams, donned wet suits and helmets, and after a brief safety talk, boarded rafts and ventured out onto the water.

Al Ades from Sands Point, New York had this to say about our rafting adventure:

Nothing quite like a great day on the wonderful Juramento River in Salta to cure 2 long days of travel. This class III stream is chilly, but after a lot of paddling and riding the rapids for over two hours, it was refreshing to finally jump in. The rapids are great too, not to big, but big enough to get you wet and make me and my new friends extremely happy! I have always loved rafting, and today was another great experience on the river.

When we reached the end of our river trip, we boarded a bus to take us back to Salta Rafting’s home base. Our guides had juice, warm coffee, and cookies for us during the ride. When we arrived back at our starting point, we took quick showers, and enjoyed the sunshine on the banks of the river which is set deep into the mountains.

After enjoying a home cooked parilla and salad bar on the patio of the outfit’s headquarters, we prepared for an afternoon canopy tour which included 4 scenic high wire cable runs over the majestic river valley.

Sophie Dalal of San Francisco, California captures the group’s sentiments here:

How better to cure a fear of heights than to glide over the highest set of ziplines in Argentina. After a rigorous and wet rafting experience, our group trekked a few thousand feet above sea level, following closely behind our gregarious German guide. Though we each may have needed a little encouragement to slip into the harnesses that held us above the valley, almost each Putney student agreed to ride the 4 ziplines that crossed over the river. Ultimately, other than initial nerves, there could have been no better way to start our trip.

We packed up after our canopy tour, and headed back to the city of Salta for a late dinner and bed before traveling to our village, Valle Grande.

We’ve since arrived in Valle Grande, the host village where we´ll be spending most of our time, and look forward to updating you on our work here soon.

Un abrazo,

Brenna and Zach

Saludos from Salta!

Hello Parents, Families, and Friends!

Just a quick note to say, after 3 buses and 2 planes, we’ve arrived safely in the city of Salta in northern Argentina.

When our overnight flight arrived this morning in Buenos Aires, the group spent some time at our home base in the capital city—Hostel Friulete, named for an expert tango step. Students had a chance to shower, enjoy some fruit and medialunas (croissants), and get some much needed rest.

From there, we took advantage of our day long layover, and spent some time walking and taking in the sights of Buenos Aires. We visited the Casa Rosada, the Argentine equivalent of the White House, strolled through the historic Plaza de Mayo, and crossed the iconic Puente de la Mujer (Bridge of the Woman).

We enjoyed lunch in a restaurant called La Bolsa which is said to have one of the best parillas in Buenos Aires. Students chose from a range of Argentine specialties—grilled meats and vegetables, pastas and delicious desserts.

We boarded our second plane of the day this evening and in two hours found ourselves in the colonial city of Salta. We took a quick bus ride back to our hostel and, before a much deserved sleep, enjoyed some traditional empanadas. Some say Salta has the best in Argentina!

The group is looking forward to a full day of rafting and a canopy tour tomorrow. We look forward to writing again soon!

Saludos,

Brenna and Zach