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by Laurie Vaquer
A few months ago, when I moved to Buenos Aires, I didn’t know anyone and it wasn’t the greatest feeling. Although It wasn’t the first time I moved to a new country, it was indeed the first time as an online entrepreneur, meaning I didn’t have colleagues to socialize on a day-to-day basis.
Little by little, I made friends and I really enjoy the city now. I think there’s one thing that helped my integration in Buenos Aires: the MIC. It stands for Multifamily and Intercultural and it’s a weekly meeting held in Palermo where people from different cultures connect with each other and disconnect from their daily life for a couple hours to share life experiences.
Lately, we tend to be hyper-connected, always reachable and with our smartphones close to us just in case we need to check Instagram for the 10th time in the last hour. Therefore, I think the MIC is a great opportunity to disconnect from your digital life and be in the moment.
The Multifamily Psychotherapy was created by Dr Jorje Garcia Badaracco. He believed that all of us are constituted through interdependent relationships and he thought that one can benefit from a group, in a stable and reliable environment. You can read more about the theory of this type of Psychotherapy in this paper presented in Athens in 2016.
Listening with respect and talking true are two basic guidelines that make those meetings fascinating. There is no obligation to share anything if you don’t feel like it, since you can benefit just from listening to those who are sharing something that day. The participants are not the same every week but there are two coordinators who are always present: Dr Alberto Jones and Dr Graciela Bar.
Those weekly reunions started in 2008 and were initially destined to the French Community in Buenos Aires. The main language is Spanish (which is a great way to practice in my opinion!) but it’s also possible to speak in English or French and the coordinators will translate to Spanish so that the other participants understand.
“We’re closer to our inner-selves when we share our experiences in our own mother-tongue.” Graciela Bar.
Graciela Bar and Alberto Jones founded BabelPsi in 1990. It’s an international and interdisciplinary community focusing on intercultural experiences and migrations.
Right now, the MIC is on summer holidays until the 5th of March. Feel free to join whenever you feel like it (first one is free of charge). The meeting starts each Monday (except public holidays) at 8.15pm until 10.30pm. Here’s the address: Güemes 3941 (between Araoz and Scalabrini Ortiz, Palermo) – 1st floor.
I’m available to answer any question you may have about the MIC or BabelPsi, here is my email: laurie.vaquer@gmail.com
See you soon!