Digital News AFS Reconquista Local Chapter - August 2011

Digital News AFS Reconquista Local Chapter

Number 8, August 2011

‘The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing’.

Albert Einstein

AFS in Reconquista E-mail: rl.reconquista@afs.org.ar  1544-4471

Hildur Sveinsdóttir, student from AFS Iceland in Reconquista, having mates in her backyard - back home in Reykjavik (Iceland’s Capital City)

Connecting lives, Sharing Cultures

Intercultural talk with teachers from Villa Ocampo

Connecting lives, Sharing Cultures

Thanks to the invitation made by the Headmistress, Mrs Olga Grismado de Nocenti, AFS Volunteers and Local Trainers – José Manuel Buyatti and Sergio Sanchez – travelled to this northern town to meet 40 eager and curious teachers from Instituto General Manuel Obligado Nº 9094 School.

Several topics were introduced, such as the theory of various authors like Milton Bennet, Gerard Hofstede and Edward Hall, all of them connected with the concepts of Multiculturalism and Interculturalism. The intention of this session was to introduce AFS to the teachers and school authorities, as well as to give them an overall presentation of what Intercultural Learning/Teaching is. The theory presented is meant to be used with AFS students when they are interacting in our classrooms, for which AFS gives it a practical approach that could be adapted and considered by teachers in their Argentinian classrooms, which are ‘culturally’ diverse.

After showing a brief account of AFS history and introducing the concepts of Intercultural Learning, we shared some special time with Ms Laura Martinez – Teacher of English of the school – and Mrs Olga Grismado de Nocenti – Headmistress – who were really grateful for our visit and invited us to return soon due to the fact that they are really confident the AFS students would feel at home in the community in the near future.

We are planning to visit the town next October or November with our students so as to give Villa Ocampo’s teenagers the chance to experience Interculturalism face to face.

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Sergio & José Manuel giving the talk

Photography of some of the teachers who participated in the session

Some comments we received from the teachers: ‘It was really interesting. I wish it had been longer!’

‘The talk was really interesting and the facilitators used the appropriate vocabulary with concrete examples. It was a very dynamic presentation.’

‘When are you coming back for another talk?’

Franco Lorenzini is already in Finland, living his AFS experience.

After preparing with AFS for a year, Franquito (as we all call him), set sail to Finland last August, 16th where he will have his AFS year experience until July 2012.

Best Wishes Franco in this new enterprise you have just started living. We are all sure you will have a great time there which will help you put in practise all the AFS values you have learned with us. And later, you will help us accomplish the AFS Mission: Creating a Fairer and Peaceful World.

Sending Prgramme Orientation Saturday, 20th August 2011 The preparation process for the Argentinian students who want to go abroad to have their Intercultural Exchange Experience in 2012/2013 goes on. Reconquista Local Chapter is currently preparing 8 young candidates through talks, practical works, and some other activities. They are all intended to prepare them to face the new challenge of living in a new community, host family and school. All of them important participants in the AFS programme.

Connecting lives, Sharing Cultures

3rd AFS Orientation for Host Families Saturday, 20th August 2011

AFS Reconquista gave its last orientation to host families just before the exchange students arrived. Along these last three months, host families and volunteers have worked with various topics which will help then live the AFS experience smoothly.

This time together was also meant to develop and strengthen bonds between volunteers and families, as well as creating a sense of belonging to this big AFS family and team.

Thanks to all the Host Families who have ventured to live this experience, and who have been willing to attend every meeting which was specially prepared for them by AFS Reconquista. Thanks for the long talks and mates shared all this time.

AFS Reconquista wants to kindly thank Dante Alighieri N째 1384 School for letting us use its classrooms for all the family and Sending Programme orientations, thus helping the Organisation spread the word of the Intercultural Learning Experience.

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Connecting lives, Sharing Cultures

Welcome to Reconquista, Avellaneda, Malabrigo & Calchaquí Seven new exchange students have arrived to our Local Chapter

On Sunday, 21st of August, with very low temperature, the new AFS Exchange Students arrived to Reconquista’s Bus Station. Their host families were waiting for them, together with some other AFS students and volunteers, full of balloons, flags and welcoming signs.

One by one, accompanied by Ma. Elena Landi and Ma. Virginia Loza (both volunteers from AFS Reconquista who had Bára (Faroe Islands) is travelled to Buenos Aires to participate in the welcomed by her Argentinian mum Alba.

National Arrival Camp), they got off the coach and met their host families.

Anxiety, nervousness and emotions were all visible.

After months of preparation, waiting and exchanging e-mails, the AFS experience gave a step forward just after Carlo, Augusta, Bára, Jóhanna, Anne, Timothy & Ma. Grazia

walked down the bus into the cold night, but into the warm arms of their families and AFS volunteers.

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The warm welcoming of that cold Sunday will hopefully remain in our hearts and memory for long. Ă lfur from Iceland and Ronja from Germany, both AFS students who have been in Reconquista and Avellaneda for the last six months, got up from their beds as well, just like some other students had done before when they set foot in the bus station in February 2011.

Connecting lives, Sharing Cultures

After retrieving their bags, which are full of dreams, willingness to learn, have fun and grow (apart from their personal belongings), it was time to take a picture of the big AFS family.

This picture shows all host families, AFS exchange students who arrived in February 2011 (Ă lfur & Ronja) and volunteers. They 5 are all together with the seven newly arrived exchangePĂĄgina students.

Connecting lives, Sharing Cultures

AFS Reconquista’s Welcome Dinner

Saturday, 27th August 2011

Just like any Argentinian family would, in AFS Reconquista we like to meet and celebrate. This time we said, what would be a better reason than to gather and welcome into our lives all the new exchange students? The meeting point was Club Atlético Adelante in Reconquista, where all the families and students gathered after 9.30 p.m. Almost 90 people heard each exchange student introduce themselves in a lousy Spanish (for now!). They made a great effort and they even introduced their own host families! After that, it was time to say goodbye to Ma. Laura Buyatti (who is going to Germany). The, Franco Lorenzini’s parents told us some of his experiences in his first days abroad (he’s been in Finland for 2 weeks already). All the 2012-2013 exchange candidates and their families were also present at the party.

After midnight, the AFS volunteers gave the new exchange students the traditional AFS mate and an AFS T-shirt. After that, it was time to enjoy the cake, which was decorated with the flags of all the countries represented in the party.

It was a great evening with friends and family.

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Thanks to all families for their support and trust.

My Argentinian Birkir Bjarnason experience By Álfur (Originally written in Spanish) I still can’t believe myself when I say that 6 months have already gone. They have been the fastest 6 months in my entire life and I cannot think I only have 4 months left.

However, it’s the awful truth.

A year ago, I decided I wanted to go abroad with AFS. I thought New Zealand would make a great choice for an exchange year. Luckily, there were no host families available for me there, so I started thinking: ‘I’ve been to New Zealand many times, actually.

And I don’t need to practice my English. Should I choose somewhere they speak Spanish? But I am not interested in Spain’. So, I chose South America. Someone had told me Argentina was the most beautiful country in America and I believed it, I still do! In December I received an e-mail which said they had found a family for me in Argentina and I couldn’t believe it. Some days later, I realised that I was about to live a year without my family and friends.

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Connecting lives, Sharing Cultures

‘What if...’ I wondered many times. I contacted my host family, but just a bit. I wanted to meet and get to know them face to face, not by mail.

I also started dreaming about my day at the airport, those dreams were sometimes nightmares, but the day finally arrived.

The 25th of February 2011, I said ‘goodbye’ to my mum, dad, younger brother, grandma and aunt; and I said ‘How are you doing’ to the security guard in the terminal.

Six months have passed and I only have four more to go. These six months have been unique and I am really happy I chose Argentina. It is like being born again, but 17 years old and with a family who supports you all the time and in all situations.

I would like to say thanks to all the host families who venture to live this experience and to all those who befriend an exchange student, because they are the ones who give exchange students the chance to have the best year in their lives.

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Connecting lives, Sharing Cultures

‘We have had relations with the AFS organisation since 1983. Both me (Bjarni - Álfur Birkir’s father) and my sister were AFS exchange students and our family hosted a student from Brazil in 1984. We still keep close contact with my AFS family in New Zealand and we have visited them three times since my AFS year.

Given our positive relations with the AFS community, we welcomed Álfur Birkir's interest in becoming an AFS exchange student. We encouraged him to apply for a nonEnglish speaking country, since most Icelanders are fairly good in speaking and understanding English.

The preparation period went well and the AFS office in Iceland gave us all the necessary information.

It was also obvious that the whole procedure is well organized so we did not worry much about the practical issues of the travel to Argentina or other things that you normally organize on your own when travelling abroad.

We were especially pleased with the one-weekendpreparation course that took place a few weeks before departure. It gave us confidence to listen to students that had recently been in Argentina and to have their explanations of the most common “problems” or “differences”.

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Our exchange experience through our son, Álfur… Álfur Birkir Bjarnason’s family share their experience from the other side, that of the sending family, miles away from their child.

Alfur, Baldvin, Anna & Bjarni

It was also obvious that this course helped Álfur Birkir mentally in preparing for what lay ahead.

During the last days before Álfur's departure, the multiple farewell parties had somehow become too much and everybody in the family had become impatient.

Not that we wanted to get rid of him, it was just difficult to have all this hovering over us. But if we thought the last days before departure were difficult, we did not know what we had coming.

The first 2-3 weeks after he left were really strange.

Even if we only received good news from Álfur Birkir and his new family – we somehow felt heartbroken.

This is probably partly since we are only a family of four and thus it is a huge gap when 25% of the family is suddenly missing.

What did help is that it was obvious from day one that he had been extremely lucky with his host family. The Moschén family has welcomed him as if he is their own son.

From the emails and phone calls we get from Álfur it really shows that they are warm and caring people and that they go to great lengths in making him feel at home.

We can not fully express our gratitude for how lucky he has been with his host family.

Connecting lives, Sharing Cultures

It has also been of great value to us that the AFS Chapter in Reconquista is very active, and frequently publishes photos and news on Facebook’.

Baldvin Flóki, Álfur Birkir’s younger brother, describes his thoughts after his brother’s departure in the following words: ‘I started missing my brother after four months, I don’t know if that is normal or not. I guess I know deep inside that he will be back and that means he better not get a girlfriend out there. Every time I think of Álfur, I remember how good he is at being my brother and I can proudly say that I look up to him. I will definitely become an AFS exchange student in the future and I will most likely go to South America’.

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The AFS mate from Island

In this issue’s front page, we can see Hildur Sveinsdóttir having mates in his home’s backyard in Reykjavik (Iceland’s Capital City), which is full of snow. Hildur was a student from AFS Iceland in Reconquista from February 2006 until July 2006, in a semester programme. She lived her AFS experience with Fabián Tortul and Mónica Urbani’s family.

Here we see Signe Barslund, who was an AFS Denmark student in Reconquista from August 2006 until July 2007. During her exchange year in Argentina, she lived with Pablo Nardín and Viviana Nardelli’s family. Once the programme was over, Signe travelled with her Danish family to Iceland. Just like any Argentinian would do, Signe packed her mate to have it along the trip.

In this picture, she is seen with her AFS mate opposite the famous Icelandic Geysir in its daily eruption of hot water.

The name Geysir itself is derived from the Icelandic verb geysa, "to gush", and this has been the one which gave the common name to all the sources of hot springs around the world.

AFS Reconquista Contacts José Manuel Buyatti  1544-4471 María Elena Landi  421350 Claudia Lanteri  424507 Sergio Sanchez  1545-7527 E-mail: rl.reconquista@afs.org.ar www.afs.org.ar AFS RL RECONQUISTA

Connecting lives, Sharing Cultures