Best Foot Forward: Buenos Aires 1.0

This is the first time a week has really flown by. It feels like I just got here yesterday. The week has been busy with getting settled, grocery store shopping, volunteering and spending some time with friends Ashkon & Stephanie. The highlight (other than finding a burrito) was having cafe con churros at Cafe Tortoni. Founded in 1858, Cafe Tortoni is the oldest cafe in Argentina. Celebrities, dignitaries and everyone in between has walked through the doors of the cafe. There was a line when we arrived but we managed to get a table after about 15 minutes. It was well worth the wait!

My purpose for the next few weeks in BA is to volunteer. I have hooked up with L.I.F.E. Argentina, an NGO operating here in Buenos Aires. LIFE stands for Luchemos para una Infancia Feliz y con Esperanza or...we strive for a childhood with happiness and hope. Their primary focus is helping poverty stricken children between the ages of 5-13. Currently, over one million people live in approximately 1,000 "villas miseria" or misery villas just outside of Buenos Aires. We are talking only 20-45 minutes outside the city. These villas miseria settlements are similar to the favelas of Rio. They are extremely dangerous and very poor. LIFE Argentina has built four community centers within these shanty towns as a safe haven for the children to get help with school work (if they go to school), learn English, math and have some play time off the streets.

Last Friday was my first day and of course it was pouring cats and dogs and extremely cold! Our group met at the LIFE office and we drove over together in a van sporting our LIFE t-shirts. These t-shirts are not a souvenir for our work, it's for our survival! While we are not guaranteed complete safety, the shirts communicate our place in the community and for the most part we should be left alone. I hope to share more photos as I progress with my work with LIFE...will keep you updated.