Buenos Aires, Argentina: Saturday, May 15

Quote for the day: “I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. To reach the port of heaven we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail. And not drift nor lie at anchor.” –Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Tired from the physical, and especially emotional drains of yesterday, we started the day at a little slower pace. The colder weather and grey sky didn’t help either so we decided to exercise in order to awaken our bodies and minds. A couple of us decided to run in the park and around the rose garden near Plaza Italia. It felt great to clear my mind as my legs hit the pavement and the wind caressed my face as I increased speed with each step. My eyes were now wider and my mind clear. As we walked back towards the hotel we were lured into a beautiful bakery by the sight of gorgeous delicacies and the freshly baked sweet smells that gently beckoned us in. The bakery was packed full of people waiting in anticipation and we joined right in, mingling with the locals in their bakery and learning some about the morning culture in Buenos Aires. The pastries were cheap in cost but rich in taste. After our stomachs, as well as our eyes, were satisfied, we showered and got ready. We then headed out the local supermercado to grocery shop for the items needed for our cooking activity. Supplies in hand, we were driven to Plaza De Mayo to meet up with Marcos from GIC Argentina and a group of students from the local university. It was interesting to talk to them and find out that they were from the UK or USA and had various reasons for moving to Buenos Aires. One was a former flight attendant, another a doctor, another an engineer and the others still undergraduates working on their degrees. All were there for a few months to a year to learn Spanish. I was hoping to practice my Spanish with them while connecting deeper as we volunteered.

Our group of ten was soon met by Gustavo who is the director of voluntarios sin fronteras and he led the group to Villa Barrio 3 where the soup kitchen was. Along the way we learned that there are around 300 of these similar barrios within the city. Buenos Aires has a population of around 13 million people with many living in poverty. The small building in Barrio 3 that we arrived at helps to provide food, homework assistance and different workshops for some 200 children daily. It was rainy and cold today and Gustavo told us that there aren’t as many children here because they will stay home when it is cold. The children who were there when we arrived were put into groups and we divided amongst them. Marcos had given us a recipe a traditional Italian pastry, Pasta Frola, and we learned how to make it together. The flour flew everywhere and with sticky fingers, we smiled and laughed together as we baked. The language barrier was overcome by rolling dough together. We baked the desserts, some looking much more appetizing than others, and then ate them as a group. After about three hours with full bellies and leftovers in hand, the children went home and so did we. Soon we were transported from the barrio to our hotel and then to Puerto Madero where we sipped champagne while being entertained by a gorgeous tango show. It was difficult to deal with such a stark transformation of atmosphere within only a few hours. How does one learn to balance gratitude for the blessings in life that money can buy while feeling sad for those who never get to experience them? I suspect I will struggle with this question for the remainder of my life as I continue to try to balance the two. And so I did my best to just let it go and live in the moment. When I was with the children in the barrrio, I tried to be fully with them mentally and physically. The same at the tango show. With only one life to live, perhaps it is best to just invest in wherever life takes you moment by moment.



Pasta Frola
The Pasta Frola (or Pasta Frolla) is, like many classic Argentinean recipes, Italian in origin. Pasta frola consists of a pastry base covered with a topping made of sweetened quince, sweet-potato or of milk and adorned with thin strips of the same pastry, forming a squared pattern. It is an Argentine tradition to eat “pasta frola” with mate in the afternoon. The traditional Italian recipe was not originally prepared with latticework as it is in Argentina, but with a lid pierced with molds in forms of heart or flowers.

Recipe for 6 people:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 stick butter, softened
2 eggs
2-3 tablespoons of milk
500 g of quince paste or quince jam (or the jam of your choice)
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour your pan-this recipe makes enough for a small square or rectangular pan.
Mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Cut the butter in, mixing between your fingers to incorporate the flour mixture and the butter. Keep mixing until it is uniform and resembles sand.
Add the eggs and 2 tablespoons of the milk and mix together until you get a ball of dough that is uniform. It should not be too dry (crumbling apart) and should not be sticky.
Roll out the dough onto a floured surface. The dough should be about half an inch think. Cut the dough and put it in to the pan. It should cover the bottom and go up on the sides only a little bit. Pat the dough down around the edges with the back of your fingers.
Take a few spoonfuls of quince jam and spread it over the dough in the pan. If using quince paste, you may need to add some warm water to soften the paste texture.
Roll out the dough scraps and cut into strips with a pastry cutter or knife. Lay across the top of the jam and dough in a lattice (criss-cross) pattern.
Pop into the oven for a very short time-only about 20 minutes. It should be slightly browned on the top.