Chilean Miners are rescued!

Scenes of elation erupted on the surface of the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile’s northern Atacama Desert on 13th October 2010, one of the most important days for not only Chile but the rest of the world as millions of people across the world tuned into watch live TV coverage of the rescue.

At the time of writing this article 24 out of 33 miners had been rescued after being trapped 2,275ft underground for 69 days. Officials hope to have completed the rescue mission by the end of the day.

One by one, the trapped miners climbed into a narrow steel cage, equipped with a gas mask and escape hatches and took their journey through the escape shaft to freedom, where emotional family members and even the Chilean President Sebastian Pinera greeted them. The first miner to be rescued was Samuel Avalos Acuna the 31-year-old second-in-command of the miners because he was deemed to be in the best condition. As Avalos strode out of his capsule, onlookers cheered with the chant ‘Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!’. The 3 next fittest miners followed, the next group of 10 included the miners with health problems. The last group was the rescue workers who joined the trapped miners prior to their rescue.

Many worry that the miners’ journey up the steel shaft is only the beginning of their recovery, as they face months of temper physical and psychological rehabilitation. At first, the miners will be very tired and weak and will need intense medical attention as they adjust to light and fresh air, an expert warns.

In the capital, Santiago, a chorus of motorists’ horns could be heard throughout the day. In the nearby Capiapo, from where 24 of the miners come from, the mayor cancelled school so both parents and children could observe the rescue. Even as we write this in Buenos Aires, the joyful sound of playful beeping can be heard, lifting the mood of all. Here at Elebaires, we wish the miners well on their journey back to recovery!

Latin America gets a Nobel Prize!

Mario Vargos Llosa is a Peruvian writer who over the years has written about political corruption and military dictatorships in Latin America. The Nobel Prize in Literature 2010 was awarded to Mr Llosa ‘for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of his individual’s resistance, revolt, and defeat’ according to the Swedish Academy on their website.

Vargos Llosa’s rise to fame came after the release of several novels The Time of the Hero (La ciudad y los perros), The Green House (La Case Verde) and the monumental Conversation in the Cathedral (Conversación en la Catedral). Llosa has covered many different literary genres in his novels including: comedies, murder mysteries, historical novels, and political thrillers.

Llosa has also been politically active throughout his career; over the course of his life, he has made a gradual shift from the political left towards the right. While at first he supported the Cuban revolutionary government of Fidel Castro, Vargas Llosa later became embittered. He ran for the Peruvian presidency in 1990 with the center-right Frente Democrático (FREDEMO) coalition.

At a press conference in New York, Vargos Llosa claimed that he thought the early-morning phone call notifying him of his nobel prize was a prank. He carried on by saying ‘I am very grateful to the Swedish Academy’. ‘It is a realy surprise’. Vargos Llosa said he thought the prize was being given not only to him but to the Spanish Language, ‘a very energetic, creative language,’.

We completely agree! Why not study this energetic, creative language here in Buenos Aires. Get to know the continent that Vargos Llosa is so proud of.

Trying to kick that coffee habit?

If your one of those people that cannot function early in the morning without that cup of coffee and have developed an addiction that you can´t kick, maybe its time to look for some alternatives.

Mate is the drink for you. Today at Elebaires, Valeria taught the students about one of the national drink of Argentina, Mate. The health benefits associated with Mate make it the clear alternative to the post caffeine crash many get with coffee. Vendors claim it can, "boost immunity, restore youthful hair color, delay aging, combat fatigue, control the appetite and eliminate insomnia,"

Mate (pronounced mah-tey) in Spanish is a tea-like beverage made from steeping dried leaves of yerba mate in hot water. Mate is served with a metal straw (la bombilla) in a hollow gourd. The end of la bombilla is flared, with small holes or slots that allow the brewed liquid in.

What interested the students the most, was the rules associated with drinking mate. Mate is traditionally drunk in a particular social setting, such as family gatherings or with friends. The whole group uses the same gourd and bombilla. The person who serves the mate is called el cebador. Typically, el cebador fills the gourd and drinks the mate completely to ensure it is of good quality. In some areas, if you pass the first gourd to another person it is considered bad manners. The gourd is then refilled and passed to the drinker on the right of el cebador. The second person drinks all of the mate and there is no need to thank el cebador. La bombilla makes a loud sucking noise if there is no liquid left. This is not considered rude. When someone decides they have had their correct sufficiency of mate, they thank el cebador and hand the gourd back to them.

After learning all about the rules, the students went on to try this new drink. Many faces looked slightly disgruntled after their first sip but were willing to give it another go. Hop down to one of Buenos Aires’ famous souvenir markets and get yourself a gourd!

The end of the week is the beginning of the weekend!

In Argentina many porteños are about to embark on their separate adventures for their long weekend, the last long weekend before December. Almost everyone is taking the most of this opportunity and is off to recuperate in various hotspots around the country.

Recuperation may not be the case for some, especially here at Elebaires. We realized this after discussing everyone’s plans in class, many students are certainly not using this time to relax. A couple of students are off to celebrate Spring Break in Mar del Plata. The coast will be heaving with students from hundreds of different colleges. When trying to research what to expect in Mar del Plata this weekend, all that came up on our search was the ‘bootilicious bikini contest!’, Enjoy!

A camping trip to Gualeguaychu in the Nadubaysal forest was another trip organised by Pablo and the students are thrilled for the adventure! Drinks, food and songs around the campfire! Have a good time guys!

Others were off to Cordoba for their version of a South American Oktoberfest, to be surrounded by people in Lederhosen and national costumes, German music, food and beer. Lots of beer. We hope you all have a great time and take some pictures!

Finally can we take the chance to say farewell to all the students who completed their course today!! We had six fantastic students complete there stay at ELEBAIRES and were excited to receive their diplomas. Thank you all for your great participation in our school, we love you guys!
We hope you enjoy the rest of your travels and please keep in touch!

What to do in Buenos Aires?

As usual, we have a big week planned here at Elebaires! Tonight, a large group of the pupils and teachers are off to La Bomba de Tiempo. This live, improvised drum show is absolutely incredible, very energetic, and a MUST see in Buenos Aires. It is enjoyed by both locals and tourists and there is almost always something to do afterwards. Due to its vast popularity, there are sometimes difficulties in getting tickets, so it´s always a good idea to book in advance, which you can easily do by contacting us.

This afternoon, Jouliette took a few pupils on a cycling tour around the city for about an hour. Always fun if you’re new to the city and useful to get your bearings! Thanks Jouliette!

Tomorrow, some of us are really getting in to the Argentinean spirit and we are off to learn how to play Polo. Argentine polo is considered to be the best in the world. We will leave after Spanish lessons and after a few hours of lessons we will have a match. Good to get the practice in before the season begins!

Wednesday, we are going to learn how to be a true porteño by learning how to salsa. A great way to get to know your new classmates a better! There is nothing more fun than learning to dance with Argentines, they work all day and party all night.

On Thursday its time to explore the Museo de Plate stadium. If your not a huge football fan, no problem, you can stroll with the rest of us around the city to see what the streets, plazas, buildings and paintings tell us about the last 60 years of argentinian history and its current political and social status.

On Friday, the weekend begins!!! What better way to celebrate the end of the week than to join our pub crawl. We are off to San Telmo, where the night begins with an hour of free pizza, beer and wine – all you can drink! From then on, you will receive a free shot at every bar and then free entrance into a popular club. Always a lot of fun! Pictures to follow soon!!

On Saturday, you can cure that hangover with playing a bit of football with us or come with us to Tigre, just 30 minutes away from Buenos Aires. It is a popular getaway for weary porteños and travelers alike. Tigre is well known for its delta. You can explore the areas with boat rides to peek at local stilt houses and colonial mansions. Or other water-related activity includes kayaking, wakeboarding, canoeing or even sculling!

Join in the fun and we hope to see you sometime this week!

Spring Day

Here in Argentina it is customary to celebrate the first day of spring, so here in Elebaires we did just that. All the students did a treasure hunt where they had to go out and use their spanish in the streets in order to find the answers to the questions! Check out our pictures on facebook; http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=580801170 or for more information about classes or other upcoming events in elebaires check out our website; www.elebaires.com