A Tour with Nani

This afternoon, Nani met us for lunch at El Paso Sport restaurant. I had an extra meal ticket, so I "treated" her to lunch. Then she treated me and several other students to a wonderful tour of the downtown area. It was an area of the city that we had not previously visited.

We passed by the only synagogue in Rosario while we were walking down Corrientes Street. It was a beautiful structure, so we all started taking pictures. A few minutes later a man came out of the synagogue and another from the side of the building. They informed us that pictures of the synagogue were prohibited and that we had to delete all of the photos we had just taken. They stood by each one of us and watched us as we deleted them. Nani tried to argue a case for us, but the men were insistent.

As we continued along the street, Nani explained to us that there had been some attacks against the Jews in Rosario in the 1990's and that since then they had implemented protective programs for the synagogue and its surrounding areas. She showed us the barriers that had been placed along the side of the road for the protection of the synagogue. She said that if we came back later and not in a group that we could probably sneak pictures from across the street!

Our next stop was at the chocolate shop that Nani used to own. She sold it when she retired two years ago. We were treated to a tasting and a visit to the back room where the chocolates were being made. Then it was on to San Martin square. Nani pointed out the police headquarters and the offices of the army. Nani told us that during the military regime there were many protests in the San Martin square and that many protesters "disappeared." Nani hesitated to spend a great deal of time in this area because she said she lost many friends during this time and the loss was still too fresh. She said there are concerts and shows in the square, but she is unable to attend them because of the emotional response the square still brings.

Then we were off to visit the birth place of Che Guevara. Rosario's claim to fame with Che is that he was born in the city. Eventually he moved on to the city of Cordoba. We took some photos at the house and then we were all off in our separate directions.

Nani told me on our way back to the apartment that she will miss me on Friday when she has to have dinner alone. She gave me a gift, a small drawing with the name Rosario above it, to put in my house so that I would always remember her and my time in Rosario. It's hard to believe that the three weeks have gone by so quickly.