"¡Sonamos muchachos! ¡Resulta que si uno no se apura a cambiar el mundo, después es el mundo el que lo cambia a uno!" “We’ve had it, boys! It turns out that if you don't hurry to change the world, it's the world that changes you!”

You may have seen this little dark haired girl around Buenos Aires, perhaps in San Telmo, or in the the Subte stop ‘Lima’. But, if you haven’t had a chance to meet her yet, we formally introduce you to Argentina’s beloved Mafalda.

Created by the Argentine cartoonist Quino (pseudonym of Joaquín Salvador Lavado), Mafalda is a comic strip that ran between 1964 and 1973. It is about an spirited 6 year old girl who cares deeply about the state of humanity, is on a mission for world peace and hates soup. She persistently baffles her parents by questioning them about complex and ‘grown-up’ ideas, such as communism in China, and will always take the side of the underdog.

Quino created the lively young lady for socio-political motives, using a comical take on a child’s imagination. Nevertheless, the comic was never closely based on the current events at the time of publication.

Mafalda’s conscientiousness and direct nature made her an immediate hit in Latin America and parts of Europe. In fact, Quino believed the strip never had much success with the English speaking population because it was too Latin America. Despite this innate Latin American quality, the depth, clarity and humor of Quino’s words mean we can all learn a little from Mafalda.

Here are some of her most famous lines:

“¿Por donde hay que empujar este país para llevarlo adelante?”

“Where do you have a push this country to make it move forward?”

 "Y, claro, el drama de ser presidente es que si uno se pone a resolver los problemas de estado no le queda tiempo para gobernar.”

“And, of course, the issue with being president is that if you try to resolve the problems with the state, there’s no time to govern.”

“La vida es linda, lo malo es que muchos confunden lindo con fácil.”

“Life is beautiful, the problem is that so many people confuse beauty with simplicity.”

“La cosa es tomar lo artificial con naturalidad”

“The idea is to take artificiality with naturalness”

"Como siempre: lo urgente no deja tiempo para lo Importante."

“As always: the most urgent things don’t leave time for the most important”

"No es cierto que todo tiempo pasado fue mejor. Lo que pasaba era que los que estaban peor todavía no se habían dado cuenta..."

“It’s not true that the past was better. What happened was that those who were getting worse still hadn’t realised”

“Comienza tu día con una sonrisa y verás lo divertido que es ir por ahí desentonando con todo el mundo”

“Start your day with a smile and you will see how fun it is to go around and be at odds with the world”

"Paren al mundo, que me quiero bajar"

“Stop the world, I want to get off”

¿Pensaron alguna vez que si no fuera por todos nadie sería nada?

“Have you ever thought that if it wasn’t for everyone, nobody would be nothing?”

“El problema de las mentes cerradas, es que siempre tienen la boca abierta!”

“The problem with closed minded people, is that they always have their mouth open!”

Students who seek “non-traditional” study abroad or international service-learning experiences frequently have to sacrifice intellectual rigor to get them. Existing companies offer standardized volunteerism opportunities at high costs, and typically provide little or no educational framework. Omprakash EdGE is a new kind of abroad experience that offers students a unique range of features:

An extensive curriculum. Omprakash has collaborated with experts in the field of international development and education, as well as university administrators, to create a rigorous 12-week online curriculum. Students will learn about the history, ethics, and economics of international aid and volunteering, leaving them well-prepared for their subsequent internship abroad.

Customizability. Omprakash is a network of over 140 grassroots organizations all over the globe. EdGE students will be able to customize their internship experience based upon the location, focus, and needs of their organization of interest. Omprakash encourages and facilitates communication between students and organizations, ensuring that both parties know what to expect.

Unlimited resources and mentorship. With a one-time modest tuition payment, students will have access to EdGE’s online classroom and vast collection of online resources. Omprakash staff members will also provide one-on-one mentoring throughout the entire experience.

University credit. Omprakash works with university administrators to create opportunities for EdGE students to receive academic credit for their work. EdGE culminates with the completion of a researchbased capstone project, which, in addition to being published on the Omprakash network, is designed to be evaluated for university credit.

Affordability. Omprakash seeks to expand access to formative international experiences to students of all backgrounds, so EdGE is designed to be a distinctly affordable opportunity. Students pay a one-time tuition fee of $750 for full access to Omprakash’s online classroom and resources. Omprakash does not charge overhead fees for internships, and offers travel grants for exceptional candidates to defray the cost of flights and lodging.

With Omprakash EdGE, we hope to usher in a new era of international volunteerism that is coupled with structured education and preparation. In this way, we aim to help students maximize their learning opportunities when they choose to volunteer or intern abroad. We are currently running our pilot season in three universities and are looking to expand our existing partnerships.

We encourage you to learn more online at www.omprakash.org or contact Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!

Argentina presents no particular threat to foreigners, and travelers should not be discouraged from travelling throughout the country. Argentina is one of the safest countries in Latin America. However, there are still periodic outbreaks of social unrest and demonstrations. Visitors are, therefore, advised to keep abreast with news to know whether any political disturbances are expected.

SAFETY ON THE STREET

• Do not attract attention to yourself by speaking English loudly in public spaces or wearing expensive looking jewelry. These mannerisms will certainly attract thieves, or worse.

• Keep a low profile and avoid loud conversations or arguments. Do not discuss travel plans or other personal matters with strangers.

• Try to seem purposeful when you move about. Even if you are lost, act as if you know where you are going. When possible, ask directions only from individuals in authority.

• Don't use shortcuts, narrow alleys or poorly lit streets. Try not to travel alone at night.

• Avoid scam artists. Beware of strangers who approach you, offering bargains or to be your guide.

• Be alert for bag snatchers, pickpockets and con men, particularly in crowded areas in Buenos Aires, on public transport (buses, the subway, bus and train stations) and in popular tourist haunts (especially in market places and festivals).

• Beware of pickpockets. They often have an accomplice who will: jostle you, ask you for directions or the time, point to something spilled on your clothing, or distract you by creating a disturbance.

• Wear the shoulder strap of your bag across your chest and walk with the bag away from the curb to avoid drive-by purse-snatchers.

• Do not carry your actual passport with you—just carry a copy and leave your passport safely stored at either your host family’s house or your guesthouse.

• Learn a few phrases in Spanish so you can signal your need for help, the police, or a doctor. Make a note of emergency telephone numbers you may need: police, fire, your accommodation, and your nearest embassy or consulate.

• If you are confronted, don't fight back. Give up your valuables. Your money and passport can be replaced, but you cannot.

HOW TO HANDLE MONEY SAFELY

• Beware that ATMs limit your withdrawal, in some cases only giving you 1000 pesos per day. If you need to take out more than that, you’ll have to do two transactions and you’ll be charged a fee for both.

• Do not flash large amounts of money when paying a bill. Make sure your credit card is returned to you after each transaction.

• Deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money, buy airline tickets or purchase souvenirs. Do not change money on the black market.

• If your possessions are lost or stolen, report the loss immediately to the local police. Keep a copy of the police report for insurance claims and as an explanation of your plight. After reporting missing items to the police, report the loss or theft of:

  Traveler’s cheques to the nearest agent of the issuing company,

  Credit cards to the issuing company,

  Airline tickets to the airline or travel agent,

  Passport to the nearest embassy or consulate.

LEGAL MATTERS

When you are in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws and are under its jurisdiction - NOT the protection of the laws of your home country i.e. you can be arrested overseas for actions that may be either legal or considered minor infractions in your country. 

Police can demand identification at any moment and for whatever reason. Carry a photocopy of your passport at all times and be courteous and cooperative.

The legal drinking age is 18.

Marijuana as well as cocaine are illegal in Argentina and can land you in jail. DO NOT become involved with the local drug culture in any way. Besides the legal dangers, there are also the dangers posed by dealing with any illegal organizations. 

The Spanish spoken in Argentina is called Rioplatense, a dialect found mainly in the basin of the Rio de la Plata. While some influences from Amerindian languages exist, Spanish in Argentina has mostly been affected by European languages, particularly Italian (especially in the intonation, such as the emphasis on the last syllable of 2nd person conjugations: vos querés). ‘Voseo’ is so common in Argentina that “tú” is hardly used in common speech, and Argentinian Spanish is the only form that uses it officially.

“Vos” is a very important part of Argentine Spanish and has its own conjugation in the simple present tense. Although using “tu” is obviously understood here, we’d like to fill you in on this difference in Castellano.

Examples

Instead of “tu eres” Argentines say “vos sos”

Instead of “tu tienes” Argentines say “vos tenés”

Instead of “tu vienes” Argentines say “vos venís”

Instead of “tu puedes” Argentines say “vos podés”

Instead of “tu hablas” Argentines say “vos hablás”

With a verb, like “decir” for instance, you take the infinitive form, drop the “r”, and add an “s” and stress the last syllable= decís. Very simple, try it!

The idea behind the project

At the moment, "la huerta" [the garden] is still mainly a building site with a small garden located in Pacheco, north of Buenos Aires. However, there are big plans for the future. The idea is to create a garden for young people to spend time in, learn new things and be involved in a community. There are two villas [= poor neighbourhoods] about 10quaters away. Youngsters from those areas are a target group. In the future, there should be the opportunity to borrow equipment for gardening, so that they can be used elsewhere. This will also be a chance for youngsters to earn some money with helping out in other gardens.

"La huerta" should also function as an example garden for other organisations so they can replicate it in their own grounds. Workshops and lectures would be taught here, and different methods of gardening could be tried out and viewed.

There should also be a plant production, where other projects could get seedlings for free. Just as a little info: in Argentina you can't just buy tomato plants or herbs in a supermarket, as you could in Germany or Switzerland. There are shops that only sell seeds, or some garden centres where you could buy seedlings. However the selection is very limited and it seems to be a lot harder to get seedlings. An accommodation for future volunteers is also being built, as the idea is that future volunteers will help to maintain the garden, work with the young people and there is a lot of place for more ideas.

The area

Pacheco is outside the city of Buenos Aires and it takes about two hours to get to the project. I use the underground and a bus and walk 10min. The neighbourhood around the project is pretty safe. There are mainly houses with big gardens, some used as holiday homes. As a rough guess there are two dogs per house. Some of them have secret holes in the fence to get in and out. 

Funding

The project is funded by Voluntario Global. When a volunteer donates, part of the money is spent in the project they are working for, on sustaining Voluntario Global and some is saved for bigger long-term projects like this one. A great project that was started with the money saved is  "The Laundry Project". This is a laundry shop, where young people from the neighborhood can work and study at the same time. The shifts are shorter than they would normally be so they can accommodate this with their university schedule. This makes it possible to work and study at the same time, which is very important for many young people here.

My tasks

At the moment I spend two days a week in the project and some more time for research at home. In January, when the changing rooms are finished, I will spend more time there and organise some events. My task now is to make a plan for the future layout of the garden. I am also responsible to make a list of plants that includes how much sunlight is needed, which family they belong to, and how they are best planted. Ideally. The idea is to give explanations from sawing over growing up to the harvest. It is not yet clear wether that is possible within the given time and also the graphics that would be necessary.