On foot, on horseback, with cold or snow, it does not give up to reach school and continue studying
Neuquen.- “What I need most is connectivity and transport to go to school.And a bridge for vehicles to get to my house, ”begs Tiziano Alfaro, a 16 -year -old teenager who lives with her grandparents in Pichi Neuquén.It is a small town in the Northern Neuquino away from everything, almost to the boundary with Chile. Todos los días tiene que cruzar un río, caminar una hora o hacer dedo para llegar a la escuela secundaria que queda a 17 kilómetros.
Your family has no motorcycle or your own car.They do everything on foot, on horseback or by bike.As public transport does not reach its town, the province has a truck that will look for it, but it can't get home either.It is located on the other side of the Neuquén River and you can only go through a pedestrian catwalk.
“I have to get up at 6, go to early pichi, when it is still dark, get to the route and wait to see if transport comes or someone takes me.And I do not lose the class day, ”explains Tiziano, dressed in black beret, field bombs. Su sueño, es poder comprarse una moto.
In this place, the 23 families and the 87 inhabitants live completely isolated.They have no telephone signal or internet.Light came just two years ago and kitchen and heating is firewood."Having light changed our lives.Before it was very difficult.We all had to do it with candles and almost consumed things in poor condition because they couldn't keep more.We didn't know what a butter or cheese was because you couldn't have any way.Now we have a refrigerator, ”recalls Marta Alfaro, Tiziano's grandmother.
All are small crianaderos of chivas, cows and sheep and the rhythm of their life is marked by the routine of animals.They also have birds and those who can, put together a greenhouse to have fruits and vegetables.
Rare
“Tiziano is one of those young people who moved to how they have advanced in life. Y por cómo ha acompañado a sus abuelos y sus abuelos a él.It was a round trip. Rescato sus ganas de aprender, de investigar, de estar.He acquired knowledge at school and rurality that makes him prepared to face different situations in the mountain range. Tiene muchas ganas de futuro”, dice Leopoldo Palmieri, coordinador de Amigos de la Frontera (Adelaf), una organización que apoya a las familias y escuelas de la zona, y apuesta por la educación de los chicos.
Today is a special day for the Alfaro family: you have to take to vaccinate cows against Brusselosis and all started early.Tiziano receives the nation above a horse, arriving the cattle to a corral on the other side of the river."I got up at 7, I walk with a little sleep," he says with a spontaneous smile."I have breakfast and I have to help with animals.Make the routine of the day and be looking so that no bug coma, ”adds this teenager who drags the erre when he speaks.
“La familia de Tiziano vive de la cría de animales, son tranhumantes, en esta época están acá durante el invierno y después se van a la veranada. Es un trabajo muy sufrido pero ellos lo hacen porque viene de generación en generación”, cuenta Marta Fuenzalida, directora interina de la Escuela 236 de Pichi Neuquén.
Tiziano is studying 3 years at the Amargo Manzano high school and during the pandemic, the virtural modality caused it to be completely disconnected from high school.The only school that WiFi has- in which the primary did- is 3 kilometers and could not always arrive.In addition, the service is intermittent and cuts every time.“When it snowed or the river was very high it was impossible to cross and I had several previous subjects in the year.Now I could accommodate more or less, some took them forward and others are missing.Sometimes I have virtual practical work, I'm going there and capable that there is no signal.That plays me against and I lose my subjects, ”he adds.
By living in such an isolated area, Tiziano always had to fight to study.As a boy, his grandparents Bernardino Alfaro “Don Baño” and Marta Alfaro accompanied him to cross the catwalk that crosses the Neuquén River to be able to arrive at school challenging any climate.In the background, the "El Frutillar" mountain was witnessing each step.
“Tiziano es una persona maravillosa.I met him in 2018 and already lived with the grandparents.It was very bleak to see it how the river crossed, as it came in the morning on foot with cold, with snow and rain.And he gave everything because he knew that the effort was going to give his reward. Y su historia es digna de contarla porque no todos los jóvenes tienen esas ganas de salir adelante, de ser alguien, de comprometerse con su estudio día a día”, cuenta Fuenzalida emocionada.
In the care of their grandparents
When Tiziano was 2 years old, his mother went to study San Rafael, Mendoza.He spent time in the care of her aunt but when she had her own children, she went to live with her grandparents."It's as if they were my parents.I tell my grandfather "dad" and I tell my grandmother grandmother.I'm going to see my mother when I'm on vacation or sometimes she comes here.But very rarely in the year.Live in Chos Malal, ”says Tiziano.
Don Beño stays controlling vaccination.Tiziano takes the opportunity to approach school 236 that is left alone and connect to the Internet to lower the task. “No estoy pudiendo hacer algunos trabajos porque no tengo computadora y estoy pensando en vender mis chivitos para comprar una”, dice Tiziano, que sueña con ser periodista deportivo o arquitecto.
Like so many other guys from the area, he had to deal with the difficulty of facing only school's duties because his grandparents could not finish school.“For me it is important that Tiziano studied because life in the field is very suffered and we did not have that opportunity due to lack of resources.It is unfortunate when the children come and ask you for help with school and we don't know.I can only help you with some money for photocopies, ”says his grandmother.
Today the Internet signal does not work at school and it is another day that Tiziano is lost to be up to date with his schooling. Adentro, las únicas 4 alumnas están haciendo un trabajo de geografía."Virtuality does not hold because sporadically works internet.The fundamental thing for this place is connectivity.I have sent a lot of notes to get a radio team as an alternative.Today I had a broken student and could not communicate.We have no medical attention.It is difficult because in these places you act in great solitude, ”explains Fuenzalida.
Una de las alumnas es Emiliana Valdez, la prima de Tiziano que tiene 8 años y está pasando unos días con ellos porque su mamá se tuvo que ir a Manzano Amargo. Ella también se levantó temprano, se puso el delantal, se subió a su bici rosa y se fue andando hasta la escuela.On the way, he had to cross the catwalk very carefully because he has several loose boards.
"We are needing a bridge to cross.In the afternoon I helped my grandmother in the garden sowing, making seedlings and with the animals to give them remedies.My desire is to study veterinary and then take care of my family's animals, ”says this girl who would like to have more notebooks and clothing.
At noon Marta starts cooking chivito and bread, while Tiziano helps her fringe the empanadas.They have lunch with family - Don Beño continues with vaccination but Erasmus joins, Tiziano's grandfather who is 78 years old - and then starts playing a football game.Tiziano and Emiliana play against Ericson and Erasmus.
Support winter
They make about 5 degrees and the cold feels throughout the body.To heating the house, they use a firewood stove in which they also cook.Tiziano is in charge of cutting the firewood with an ax and feeding the fire before it goes out.
The whole family speaks with Chilean accent and uses idioms as "fed up" to say a lot, typical of life in the mountain range.In the afternoon, the three cousins throw themselves to the task of giving some chivas a remedy to deworm them.Men make the loop dance in the air to grab them and Emiliana deals with filling the syringe and putting them in their mouths.
En invierno las temperaturas son crueles y cuando nieva fuerte Tiziano y su familia pueden quedarse aislados hasta dos meses sin poder salir de su casa y sin ningún tipo de medio de comunicación.This also endangers animals that often end up dying of cold.
“If something happens to us, we cannot let anyone or anyone know about us.We have to meat and eat our animals, goats, chickens or chickens.Over there they gather eggs and in winter we only have chard and cabbage in the greenhouse.There were winters in which we lost many because their legs are hurt and yes or yes there are losses, ”says grandmother Marta, who has the desire to get a sewing machine to be able to make clothes to her grandchildren.
When he talks about Tiziano, Marta many times says "my son".For him, they had to be a father again, go to school and give themselves fully to their upbringing.“When I went to school I went out to see him until he arrived.He was a studious Tiziano, he never made me deny in the morning that he didn't want to lift.When raising in the field with us we want me to learn from this life.He is very horses and goats.When he is not studying he is with the animals, ”says his grandmother.
At sunset, Tiziano goes out to look for animals to lock them in the pens."If not, the predators who are the pumas, the foxes and the eagles eat it," he explains with a lot of patience.Every time he gets up to the horse, he is afraid of losing his glasses and that is why he wants to make contact lenses.For that, you have to go to Chos Malal that remains 170 kilometers and has no how."I would have to do a review and sell the animals to be able to buy those new," he explains.
The dream of going to university
In the future, Tiziano's idea is to study a university career to Neuquén or Chaco, but his family cannot accompany him from the economic. Además, implicaría enormes desafíos a nivel personal."It would be very difficult for me to go there because I would change everything.It would be complicated because here we have the freedom to go anywhere knowing that one will return to his home.In the city I am afraid but I am willing to do it, ”he says.
Is that the uprooting that implies for these boys adapt to the rhythms and dynamics of the city, often make them need a melee accompaniment.“The adaptation of the boys from the country to the city is very complex.In urban centers or these villages that were growing, where they had the possibility of seeing other idols, other formats and listening to another music, they have another head.Those who live in the rural area may be told "countrymen".Those first months are difficult at the beginning of secondary.In the head is mom, dad and the family that remained, ”explains Palmieri.
Another of Tiziano's passions is the care of the environment and looks concerned with the progress of pollution. “Estamos destruyendo al planeta.There are big dumps and that makes the planet wrong.And someday the world is not going to be supplied and will end.People have to understand that it would be good to take care of a little more and recycle how we do in my house.Animals if they eat plastic or bag, they die, ”he says.
It's time to start preparing dinner and Marta starts cutting the vegetable for soup.The family meets around the fire and starts chatting about the experiences of the day.“I like to help my grandparents as a way of thanks because they raised me, they gave me the study and fought for me.And I try to return it with my help.For now I feel proud of everything I have arrived, ”concludes Tiziano.
How to help
People who want to collaborate with Tiziano and his family can:
