Sunny Fairs full of Culture

Authored By:

Tate Sheppard

Buenos Aires was gifted great weather this past weekend, which for us was perfect! We took the subway for the first time to visit Museo de Bellas Artes (The National Fine Arts Museum) on Friday after classes. On Saturday the students got to sleep in for the first time thus far before we hopped on a colectivo (the name for city buses in Buenos Aires) (and yes - all 22 of us!) and headed to San Telmo, a neighborhood full of historical charm and cultural significance. Students had free time to epxlore the San Telmo market, which was the first market in the city of Buenos Aires and has been running strong ever since. We even caught part of a milonga performance (milonga, in brief, is like an upbeat tango)! After exploring San Telmo we spent time in Parque Mujeres Argentinas (Women of Argentina Park) in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires' newest and fanciest barrio, where students made friends with other Argentine high schoolers.

On Sunday, many students watched the World Cup final before we headed to the Mataderos fair. Mataderos is a neighborhood at the southern edge of Buenos Aires that proudly displays its historical traditions. The neighborhood name literally translates to "slaughterhouses" because this is where cattle came to be transformed into the world famous argentine steaks of the parillas so many people love. Still today it is common to see people dressed as gauchos carrying their knives that the pull out to cut up their meals at lunch. The fair every Sunday incudes live music, traditional dancing, and plenty of local vendors selling traditional argentine foods, products and handmaid gifts.

 

Talk about kindness across cultures! Our students teamed up with some Porteños to help push this woman's car back to life!

 

We got to see some stellar Milonga in San Telmo Market