The Hidden City

We went to a very poverty-stricken area called, Shantitown (Oculta Ciudad - The Hidden City). Here all of the houses are made from materials found around the town, like pieces of metal and things like that. The roads are not paved and there are dogs roaming everywhere. Also, the main part of Buenos Aries does not visit the Shantitown and the people of Shantitown are not welcomed to the outside either. It is a very dangerous place; however, I did not feel that scared. We worked with an organization called L.I.F.E., who has been working there for a few years. L.I.F.E. basically helps the town with basic needs and supplies and also visits the town every so often; they are very respected there. This is the reason I was not that scared. Since the locals saw we were with this organization that they didn’t bother us. We painted, tutored local children, and also helped to prepare a meal for around 300 people. Being there, though it was scary at times, meant a lot. This was the poorest place that I have ever seen in person and it was very sad to actually see people living that way. I think that they really appreciated our help, because I know that any service that we could provide benefitted the community. It was definitely an eye opening experience.

Rachel Lamanna

As a Jew I am now motivated to learn my further understanding of other Jews living around the world as well as the history and culture of the geographic region in which they now live. Although we do have Israel as our foundation or home, the Jewish are still very much separated. It is our responsibility as a Jew to seek out our other Jewish people and connect with them so that we can feel as one, and prove to the world that we are one despite the distance.

Kelly Fineman

Since coming to Argentina it has been an eye opening experience to see the way people live and how different it is from my life in America. Some worry day to day if they can feed their families when all I worry about is if I’ll have time to do my homework , grab some food on campus and go to the gym before I go out and have fun with my friends. Seeing and learning about these hard ships has put life into a different perspective for me and I would really like to give back to other communities more often.

Arielle Rumore