Pre-Trip Orientation: Argentina - Are we there yet?

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In just 12 days, my group of 30 Texas-wide Hillel students, will be on a plane headed for Buenos Aires, Argentina.

A few weekends ago, we all met in Austin for the first time to attend our orientation session. As one of the students from the University of Texas at Austin, I didn’t have very far to go to UT’s Hillel (in fact, I just had two blocks to walk). However, the other students from the A&M and Dallas Hillels made the trek down I-35 to spend the weekend with us.
The orientation session got off the ground with a complimentary and delicious dinner at Hillel. What better way to bond Jewish people than with some great food? After our bellies were filled, we jumped right into a round (make that 10) of icebreakers to get a little better acquainted.

The next morning began with another load of scrumptious Hillel food while some previous
Argentina Alternative Spring Break (ASB) participants joined us and spoke about their experiences. At least for me, this was when the trip began to feel real. The testimonials relayed the powerful emotions the students had felt on their trip to Buenos Aires. You could tell by the looks on their faces that they were re-living that week in South America- walking into the JDC Baby Help Center with bags bursting with toys, playing with the children, listening to the grateful mothers’ stories.

We moved upstairs where we would spend the next few hours not studying like we (or at least most of us) would on a normal Sunday afternoon. Instead, we learned, planned, and got ourselves motivated for our alternative trip to help those in need in Argentina.

During the afternoon, we had the pleasure of enjoying a special guest speaker, an Argentinean professor from the UT law school. He spoke about the history of Argentina and gave us a glimpse into the beautiful culture and people of this foreign country. As he described the hardships of the 2001 economic crisis, the gravity of the tragic situation began to unfold. It’s difficult to imagine; a thriving community one day, and a poor civilization the next.
Naomi, our wonderful American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJJDC or JDC) rep., further explained the details of the Jewish community’s strife after the economic collapse. I think what stood out to me the most is the fact that many of these families were middle to upper-class citizens who lost everything to the point of poverty. They were forced into a new way of life. One of the hardest parts was learning how to ask for help. I tried to put myself into their shoes.

What would I do if I were suddenly faced with destitution? Would I ask for help- food stamps, donated clothes, money?

We learned how sensitive the JDC has been while helping these formerly prosperous families. For example, instead of using the typical food stamps that everyone can recognize as charity, those in need receive a “credit card” which allows them to maintain their dignity.

Since this day, my group has held two events to raise money, awareness, and in-kind donations (baby bottles, clothes, etc.) to bring to the Baby Help Center in Buenos Aires. In these last two weeks, we are each pushing individually and as a group to raise as much as we can for the babies and their families.

Going on an Alternative Spring Break is a slightly different way (can you read my sarcasm?) to spend our time off from school- there will be no crazy beach parties, insane South by Southwest concerts, or skiing down the slopes of the Colorado mountains.
Instead, we are going to explore a distant culture while experiencing the joy of giving back to the Jewish community.

I think I speak for all of us in the group when I say that we absolutely cannot wait until the moment when our plane hits the ground and our philanthropic journey begins in Buenos Aires, Argentina.





*Pictured above is a few of the Argentina ASB participants sorting through a donation of baby clothes that will be brought to the Baby Help Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From left to right: Michael Krol, Max Rabinovich, Heather Lefkof, Rebecca Weiser, Yoav Wolfson and Naomi Kachel.

Introduction

In March 2008, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), in partnership with University of Texas at Austin Hillel, Texas A&M Hillel, Dallas Hillel, and Hillel of Argentina, will send 30 students to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

There, they will volunteer in various JDC sponsored community projects.

This blog will document their experience.