Kyle Berg

What a great day! Saturday was my first excursion to the south of the province of Buenos Aires. Maria Little (my teacher and friend) invited me to spend the afternoon with her family in the suburb of Banfield. Rather than taking a bus, train, and another bus as I had done many times to visit the western suburbs, we took a van service. It was nothing special, but I felt like a king. Only 4 1/2 pesos, much faster, and a guaranteed seat.

What struck me immediately was the tranquil nature of the neighborhood. There was very little noise and the houses were distinct from those of the city. While they all had gates, fences, and barred windows (recent additions due to crime), they had yards and did not share common walls. I also felt the refreshing sense of not having to monitor the neighborhood for thieves. This allowed me to take pictures in a relaxed manner.

We arrived around 4 pm and were instantly greeted by the three boys Juan, Santiago, and the youngest affectionately referred to as Coco or Bebé. Also there were her sister (whose name escapes me at the moment) and their mother Theresa. We chatted for a while as I got to know the women and told them a bit about my experience in Argentina. Soon we were outside taking pictures with the boys and playing. They became restless and, as had become their custom, they asked Maria to take them for ice cream. With boys ages 10, 7, and 3, even walking a few blocks to get ice cream was an adventure. At the ice cream shop the owner marveled at my DSLR camera and talked about his love of photography. After finishing our cones and conversation, we strolled down the cobblestone streets back to the Little residence.

That whole afternoon, I fired away with the camera. Whether it was taking pictures of the boys or trying to capture the neighborhood, I loved every second of it. I took the most pictures of Coco as his curly hair and personality lent themselves naturally to photo ops. Having the camera with me not only provided some nice shots, it also opened up a lot of conversation and helped me get to know the family better. I didn’t get any photos of myself since I was behind the camera the whole time. It shouldn’t be a problem however, as I’m sure I will be returning to Banfield many times.

Later, Pablo and his girlfriend came as well. It was nice to meet him after exchanging several emails and bringing him a computer from the United States. We all gathered in the kitchen, carrying on 2 or 3 conversations simultaneously. After enjoying some delicious Argentine pizza and empanadas, the boys became tired and restless. Pablo entertained them with some stories, but that could only last so long. They had to go home and we followed them soon after.

On the way home in Pablo’s car, we had a nice conversation about my experience in Argentina. Having lived in the U.S. and being a judge here in Argentina, he had some interesting insights into the state of the country and how it compares to the United States (a subject for another article). I returned home tired, but extremely glad to have made some new friends.