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Tracking Changes in Photoperiod Around the Globe Introducing Mystery Class # 1 Buenos Aires, Argentina 34.330 S, 58.500 W Buenos Aires Click on image to enlarge Here goes a brief description of who we are, where we live and what we do. To start with, we aren't really participating as a classroom or representing a school. For Journey North, we could be considered homeschoolers. Basically we are 3 people here: Roby (9), Tommy (6) and myself, their dad/teacher. Roby and Tommy attend 5th and 2nd grade respectively at a school in the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, where they receive a trilingual education in Spanish, our country's language, German and English. Why so many languages? Well, Argentina is a land of immigrants, a melting pot like the USA, where many communities still cultivate some customs brought by their forefathers, mainly from Europe. We are no exception, as Roby's and Tommy's ancestors come from countries like Germany, Austria and Holland. Villa Ballester, the neighborhood where we live, received many people from Germany in the 30s and 40s, who founded schools and a beautiful club, where we do swimming in Summer (just finished) and many other sports. Roby and Tommy chose handball, a game similar to soccer, but as its name reveals, played with the hand. This year Roby will participate for the first time in tournaments with other clubs, but we prefer him to see it as an amusement rather than as a competition. As for their school activities, they can choose among different extras, besides their normal class hours, and they decided on chess. After all, they have a famous name related to this game, as some of you might have heard about Bobby Fischer :-) Ushuaia Click on image to enlarge Regarding Argentina, we can say that it's a relatively big country, second to Brazil in South America, with approx. 2.7 million km2 and 35 million inhabitants, a third of which lives in Buenos Aires and surroundings. We are all predominantly Catholic or Christian. We received our Christian beliefs mainly from Spain, the country that with Portugal colonized Latin America, from Mexico down to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. And as we mention Tierra del Fuego, an Argentinian province, it's worth mentioning that its capital city, Ushuaia, is the southernmost city in the world, looking to the waters of the Beagle channel and further south, the Drake passage, that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Finally, some words about Buenos Aires. The east side of the city lies on the shore of the Rio de la Plata, an estuary that separates us from Uruguay. The capital district itself, has become, like many other big cities, unfriendly and polluted. That's why many people move to the suburbs, where life is more quiet and the air is cleaner. "Maradona" Click on image to enlarge There are lots of pizzerias and cafes (many Italians chose Argentina as their new homeland) and soccer stadions. Soccer is THE game for 99.99 % of Argentinians. Have you ever heard of Maradona? He's a national hero, although unfortunately he lost his physical and spiritual health. What a pity! We also participated in The Space Project, and you can find more information about this program on Mrs. Berger's Web page. Happy Spring to you all and best regards. The Fischers Carlos A. Fischer E-mail: cfischer@cpsarg.com Buenos Aires - ARGENTINA Back To Today's Report Copyright 1998 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.