Gol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it finally happened...I went to my first professional soccer game in Argentina yesterday and it was awesome!!! I went to the Velez vs. Boca match at the Velez stadium. They tied 1-1. Boca is one of the two huge soccer clubs in Buenos Aires and is playing currently the Copa Libertadores, which is for all of Latin America. Velez, on the other hand, is a smaller non-profit professional club that does a lot of outreach to the community.That's my kind of team. ;-) Here are some photos of me on my way to becoming an official "hincha" (that's "fan" in Argentine speak) of Velez. Although...I don't think that I will be a true fan until I learn the chant that went something like...yes, yes...we have to beat those SOBs...hmmm...something to practice in between writing term papers... ha ha.

Gustavo, friend and fellow Velez Fan.

Dale dale Velez dale Velez dale...

Acting Away...

Here are some photos of the work that my roomie, Fernando, does. He is an actor and my connection the artist world of Buenos Aires. One of the shows is about General José de San Martin, the Argentine "libertador" from Spanish rule. He is the one playing San Martín and, thus, wearing the general uniform. It is a children's play that he performs in elementary schools throughout the country.

The other is a called Un Guapo de 900 that is a play about a man of his word in the early 1900s in Argentina. You can't really see my roommate in the pictures that I have for this one b/c I was sitting so far away. It was very unique in that they staged the play each showing in a different street corner in Buenos Aires or other cities in Argetina and incorporated actors from those neighborhoods.

La Casa Rosada

Last weekend I had the rare opportunity to have VIP tickets to hear Ignacio Copani, a well-known Argentine singer/songwriter, perform in the "Salón Blanco" of the Casa Rosada, which is the equivalent of the White House. My roommate's best friend, Gustavo, used to be Copani's rep so I had an inside connection. :-) The concert was amazing because Copani writes very powerful lyrics and performs them live with just an acoustic guitar.

Go to You Tube to hear his music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se6ezXRjeW0

Enjoy!!!

A Star is Born...

About three weeks ago, my roommate, who is an actor, told me that I should go to a casting for a commercial for the Spanish beer, San Miguel. I thought...hmm...what the heck. So I went. They took pictures, I smiled, laughed, and danced for the camera. It was great fun. However, the likelihood that they would be pick me was slim. So a few weeks passed and then I got a call...they wanted me...yes...me. I am an "actriz". Okay...so granted...it was just a "group role". Nonetheless, it was more than just an "extra" role.

The day of the filming I arrived to be recognized immediately, greeted by name, and whisked off to costume and make-up. I thought, "Hmmm...maybe I got a bigger part than I was thinking." It turns out that I had a secondary role, which meant that I got to eat at the "important people" breakfast table and was called by my name by the assistant director. The director spoke to the principal actors, the assistant director to me, and the assistant to the assistant to the extras. It's all very heirarchical. ha ha. This what-seemed-to-be elevation in role also means that they may have ripped me off with what I earned. However, as a working actress of the Argentine Association of Actors ;-o, I do have rights so if I appear in the commercial for more than just a passing shot, they may be obligated to reclassify me and pay me more.

I only have this one little photo of the scene of the commercial. I didn't want to take pictures and have people thinking that I was sort of amateur (eek)..ha ha. I needed to maintain my image you know. The funniest thing that happened was when the hair artist from Italy asked me if they had flown me in from the States to film the commercial. "yes, just in B.A. for the day then back to L.A." Just kidding...didn't really say that to him, but it was pretty flattering that he would think that.


So now I am getting photos taken and sending them out to agencies. Being in Buenos Aires is like being in NYC and L.A. at the same time. Lots of opportunity. Who knows...maybe I will be the next telenovela star?


What can I say... I've got to have some fun amist doing comparative discourse analyses on violence related to narcotrafficking in Mexico... :-)

Once the commercial appears on You Tube and my photos are on Freak Model.com, I will send you all the link.


Besos...

Global Action Week 2008 Argentina

The Global Action Week 2008 in Argentina was a huge success last week by calling attention to the continuing challenge of exclusionary practices in the public education system in not only Argentina, but also the world, in general. In Argentina, thousands of children, teachers, education activists, politicians, and journalists participated in activities that brought this issue to the forefront in the media.

I had the opportunity to co-facilitate two lessons with Patricio Cabezas of the Centro de Participation para la Paz y los Derechos Humanos (Center for Participation in Peace and Human Rights) to three sixth grade classes in the Escuela Villa Espada of Municipality of Merlo. This neighborhood has one of the highest rates of poverty, crime, and drop-out rates among students in Gran Buenos Aires. Ensuring that the children of this neighborhood stay in school is fundamental for not only their own personal development, but that of their community as well. For more information about CePaDeHu, please go to: http://cepadehu.blogspot.com/2008/04/la-mayor-leccion-del-mundo-en-merlo.html

On May 7, we took the same students on a field trip to the Buenos Aires (Federal District) to the International Book Fair. For most of these students, it was their first trip to the capital and was an extremely important day for them. Here are some pictures of the day: