Bariloche part 1: media excursions

Although we were only in Bariloche for 44 hours, it was nothing short of action-packed.  Our media portion of the trip began bright and early Tuesday morning at the lovely hour of 7:45 a.m.  If you think that sounds early, Bianca and I actually woke up at 5:45 to catch the sunrise, which didn't occur until around 8 anyways.  Silly us.  Either way, it was nice to wake up to mint tea and yoga on the balcony while taking in the magnificent landscape.  Luckily, I had a cozy night in Monday, making the most of my JACUZZI tub at the fantastic four-star lodge nestled in the mountains, Nido del Condor.  Another plus was the best breakfast I've had since being in Buenos Aires.  It was a buffet of sweet treats and gluttony with some fruit thrown in.

our favorite German-Argentine, Hans

Anyways, back to the media excursion.  We piled in the van to Canal Seis, Bariloche's most important news station where we met Hans, the best city guide. Ever. Because he was born in Bariloche in 1955 when the population was a mere 30,000 or so, he "grew with the town," so he said, to its current population of almost 150,000.  He knew all the prettiest places to see, best places to dine, most cultural experiences not to miss, and most certainly, everyone in the town.  His charismatic commentary kept us intrigued and always wanting more.  But more on Hans later.  Back to Canal Seis...

We followed around one of their field reporters Matias and a cameraman as they gathered the morning's news.  We stopped at places including the City Council, the police station, an electric co-op, and the Civic Center.  All but the electric co-op were in the town's main square.  While the buildings exude the charm of a snowy mountain town, the same can't be said for the police station on the other side of the square.

 In 2010, the police shot and killed a young person who had stolen something.  Not only did they kill him, he was shot in the back from about six feet away.  The grieving community protested the wrongful death in the town square, where police shot and killed two more people.  The heartbroken, and now infuriated town set fire to the police station in an act of vigilante justice.  The police then left the damage to be seen as an example.  

So along with ending police corruption, what are other important topics in Bariloche? Most we saw had to do with the growing population.  More prevalent than immigration, the rate and age at which lower-income residents are having children is causing rapid internal growth.  40% of the population lives in poverty, and many don't have a safe place to live, especially when the rain and snow seasons come.  Therefore, housing is a hot topic right now.  Also, the city is interested in finding ways to provide enough energy for this growing population, hence the interview with the electric co-op.  

Later that afternoon, we returned to Canal Seis to watch the news go live.  I'm not a broadcast student and I've toured KOMU in Columbia, so it wasn't all that exciting, but it was interesting to see what news they picked to show and to see the fruits of our labor, well Matias' labor, on-screen.  

Oh yeah!  I got interviewed for the radio too! En español! I had a nervous pit in my stomach, feeling they were going to pick me.  With the mic suddenly in my face, I turned bright red and tried to blurt out the most relevant thing I could think of in Spanish.  My Spanish is pretty darn good, but when you're on the spot, things are a bit more tricky.  Hopefully I represented Missouri well and didn't butcher the language too bad.  I have yet to hear the interview.  

The news station concluded the media activities that day, but fear not, we started early again Wednesday.  I'll admit, I was not feeling well and was more excited to soak up nature than spend time doing whatever else Carolina had in store, but man was I surprised.  We visited the housing projects we'd heard about in the interview the day before.  Due to the desolate conditions about 150 families were living in right in the center of town and the danger they were facing as the winter weather loomed near, the organization of the Mothers of the Disappeared used private funds to build new houses for every single family.  

After walking through the newly constructed homes, we took a deeper look inside the slums.  I felt as though I was invading the residents' privacy, embarrassed to be the privileged American looking in on them.  Carolina, our director, assured us it was okay since we were with the director of the housing project who knows the families very well. 

The houses these families lived in before (and many still do) didn't have water or gas.  They barely even had walls.  Several people lived in a one room building constructed of plywood, aluminum scraps, or whatever other materials were available.  As part of this project, the new houses were custom built depending on the size of the family.  The workers have constructed 16 houses in 3 months.  It's incredible really.  

Of course there is poverty in the United States, but we seem to have so much more help.  We have low-income housing, welfare assistance, and shelters for the homeless.  The impoverished in Argentina are often invisibilisados, forgotten.  They are left to make do with nothing.  The irony of their situation was sickening; the town's water supply was located across the street from the shantytown where people lived every day without water.  So close, but so far away.  

After the housing project is complete, there already plans to incorporate these debilitated families back into society.  The house is provided free of charge.  Theirs to keep. Forever.  Personal property is something they have never really known.  Therefore, they will be responsible for paying for water and utilities.  Also, the children will be sent to a separate school, just for them. This sounds segregated, but as they have been left home alone for years of their childhood with no social interaction while their parents are at work, their development has been severely delayed.  Once they catch up, the goal is to start integrating them into public schools. The parents will also be given resources to find and keep jobs.  

It was an inspirational trip that only fueled my desire to find a job that helps the common good when I graduate. 

In between these educational and eye-opening endeavors, there were equally inspiring views that can not be put into words.  However, I'll try in Bariloche part 2: pretty as a postcard. To be continued...