Day 5: Monday, March 24, 2025
By Anjali and Maya
Today, our group got a later start, getting out of bed a whopping two hours after our usual wake up time. We ate a leisurely breakfast of croissants made with almond flour and flax seeds along with many fruits, and some of us had herbal teas and mate (traditional Argentine tea). After that, we headed outside to do some exercises facilitated by leaders from WLS that emphasized the importance of teamwork, leadership, and identity. By then, it was 10:00 a.m. and we needed to head out to the farms we were scheduled to go to today. We gathered outside of our hostel, longingly stared at some stray dogs, and started our 30-minute walk to Conrado’s farm. While walking on the dirt roads, we passed many gorgeous mountains, poplar and pine trees, and wildflowers in vast fields of tall grass.
On Conrado’s farm, we were directed around the crops by Conrado, Jeremy, and two miniature tour guides Teo and Amo, 11-year old boys with experience on the farm. We started at the farmer’s stand at the front of the farm and looked at various popular fruits and vegetables ranging from raspberries to Swiss chard. Then they showed us a machine used by people on the farm to clean carrots. We then looked at greenhouses used for planting seedlings so that they can grow a little bit during their “preseasons.” Following the greenhouses we began to look at the different things that were planted by Conrado and others on the farm while staring at the scenic view nearby. After seeing a wide variety of crops, we began to walk to a different farm down the road so that we could eat lunch and see a berry farm.
Before exploring the berry farm, the group paused for a delicious lunch inside the farm. The lunch comprised of homemade bread, roasted pork or chicken, and seasoned vegetables alongside a myriad of fresh juices made with the fruits grown on the farm. After finishing up lunch, some of us spent time with Teo and Amo sharing our languages, games, and laughs while eating a sweet raspberry dessert of raspberries soaked in raspberry syrup. Following the dessert, the owner of the berry farm, Emilio, gave us a short but very informative tour of his breathtaking farm. He showed us both the raspberries and blackberries, allowing us to pick the fresh fruit and eat it off the plants as we wanted. In fact, he shared that during harvest season, the farm picks around 300 lbs of raspberries and blackberries on a good day.
Following this, we returned back to where we ate lunch to enjoy an exciting tango — a dance originated in Argentina — dance lesson; it was an incredibly enjoyable experience and now we have a talent to bring home!
After enjoying this lesson, we took a 30-minute scenic walk back to our hostel, only staying there for 15 minutes before leaving to go to the artisan market down the street. After spending money on souvenirs to bring home, we were treated to organic ice cream that we’ve been promised since day one.
While eating ice cream, we watched a peaceful protest that was used as a memorial of those lost as a result of the military dictatorship, or “Dirty War” from 1976-1983. This protest was particularly powerful as it was joyous and filled with music and dance — behaviors we rarely see in protests in the US. After walking home, we enjoyed a dinner of vegetables from the farms. We ended the day with our nightly ANCHOR meeting and enjoyed our down time by playing games and talking. We all had an amazing day and are excited for what tomorrow holds!