Seal of the United States Department of State
Seal of the United States Department of State

Cultural Ambassador

Scott’s Fall News Cultural Ambassador to Argentina

Update: Sorry, this page is out of date. You can see all my stories about my adventure as a cultural ambassador here.

By the time most of you receive this news, I’ll be on the plane to Argentina. I have one of my biggest opportunities ever—while traveling during a time of war, I always thought of myself as the bicycling ambassador, and now I’ve been honored by the US Embassy in Argentina as the Cultural Ambassador for the 2011-2012 school year.

I’ll be working with the embassy’s Outreach Program and Argentine school children to produce the Spanish edition of my children’s book, Falling Uphill: The Secret of Life, which is especially exciting since Buenos Aires has been chosen as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 2011 World Book Capital. See Argentina’s celebratory sculpture, The Tower of Babel. I think/hope my book is in there somewhere.

I’m told every place that I will be visiting is very special. I’ll be traveling to at-risk neighborhoods where kids are extremely poor, as well as a foster home for HIV-positive orphans (pictured above is one of many orphanages I saw in Africa), a school for deaf kids, and the two poorest provinces in Argentina. The embassy will be donating 2000-4000 books to children who have never ever owned a book.

It is truly an honor, and I’m very hopeful to inspire so many young adventurers in life with my hard-earned wisdom and a few good laughs. And I’m excited to see the new cultural perspective they bring to the illustrations of “Cayendo Hacia Arriba”.

Makuzi Beach Malawi aids orphanage. A few children stand by a hand painted sign and a sandy road.
Makuzi Beach, Malawi, aids orphanage. One of several that I visited. The sign reads: Orphan Care Centre Aids program. Old Bandawe Mission. Aids is your problem and mine. Avoid HIV. Giving children back their childhood.”

I also get to meet the Buenos Aires city government to talk about bicycling as a way of life and their Mejor en Bici* project (of course, bicycles are the cure to all the evil in the world) and participate in their “bicicleteada” this weekend. So, thanks to Argentina itself. As my friend, who coincidentally just left for an embassy posting in Finland, said: this is a rare opportunity because not all countries would welcome a Cultural Ambassador.

Follow The Adventure
Classroom video phone calls

I plan to make as many updates as possible on my website. Also, teachers, please contact me to arrange a Skype video phone call from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Footnotes

* Mejor en bici. This website has been archived. https://buenosaires.gob.ar/ecobici

Picture of Scott Stoll

Scott Stoll

My claim to fame is that I rode a bicycle around the world and wrote some books. More about me.

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