Los Rodriguez Life

Casa Azafrán & Congratulations Conexión Americas!

Oh hallelujah. The end of the semester is in sight. Today I turned in one of my two final papers – the other one is due on Monday. It’s been a crazy semester! It will probably be a pretty busy holiday too, but not quite like the “busy” we had last year when the Rodriguez family was here from Chile. We are definitely going to miss them this year…I hate it when we spend the holidays apart! We probably won’t see them til next Christmas – so far away. Oh alleluia! El fin del semestre esta a mi alcance. Hoy entregue uno de mis dos papeles finales – el otro debe ser entregado el lunes. Ha sido un semestre de locos! Lo mas seguro es que será una vacación de invierno muy ocupada también, pero no tanto como lo fue con la familia Rodriguez de visita desde Chile. Los vamos a extrañar este ano…no me gusta no poder estar juntos durante las fiestas! Lo mas seguro es que no los veremos hasta la próxima Navidad – queda mucho.

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Anyway, last weekend Javier and I took a break from work for a couple hours to go celebrate with the good folks at Conexión Americas at the grand opening of their new headquarters Casa Azafrán! Conexión is one of Nashville’s treasures – it’s a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Nashville’s Latino immigrant community and building bridges between the immigrant and native-born residents in the city. They opened ten years ago and to celebrate their 10th year in the city they built this new headquarters on Nolensville road, which is also home to various other nonprofit organizations in Nashville. From the Conexión website:

“Casa Azafrán will serve all area residents. It will be a place for education, health services, entrepreneurship training, culinary and artistic expression, volunteerism, community building, events. It also is a smart way for nonprofits to share resources, meeting and training spaces and opportunities.”

 Pero bueno, el fin de semana pasado Javier y yo nos tomamos un descanso del trabajo por un par de horas para ir a celebrar con la buena gente de Conexión Americas en la inauguración de su nuevo cuartel general, la Casa Azafrán! Conexión es un tesoro de Nashville – una organización sin fines de lucro dedicada a  apoyar a comunidad inmigrante de latinos en Nashville y a crear lazos entre inmigrantes y los residentes nativos de la ciudad. La organización comenzó 10 anos atrás y para celebrar el décimo aniversario en la ciudad construyeron su nueva casa en la avenida Nolensville, que también es la casa de varias otras organizaciones sin fines de lucro en Nashville. Sacado del sitio web de Conexión: 

“Casa Azafrán servira a todos los residentes del area. Sera un lugar de educación, servicios de salud, entrenamiento para emprendedores, expresión artística y culinaria, trabajo voluntario, construcción de comunidad, eventos. Es también una manera inteligente para las organizaciones sin fines de lucro de compartir recursos, reuniones y lugares de entrenamiento y oportunidades.”

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Javier and I arrived at the Casa Azafrán grand opening and the new headquarters blew us away!! It’s a huge facility (28,000 sq. ft!) and it’s gorgeous. The halls are decked with art and photography from the locals (two of my photos are up on the walls!!) and the crown jewel is a gigantic 30-ft by 12-ft colorful mosaic dubbed “Migration,” designed by and commissioned to local Nashville artist Jairo Prado. I got to chat briefly with Jairo Prado about the mosaic and I couldn’t agree more with his comment that art in Nashville needs to be spread around the city, not just concentrated in the center. This mosaic is going to brighten up Nolensville Road once it’s finally placed on the building’s front! Javier y yo llegamos a la inauguración de la casa Azafrán y los cuarteles generales nos impresionaron!! Es un tremendo edificio (28,000 pies cuadrados) y es preciosa.  Los pasillos están decorados con arte y fotografias de gente local (dos de mis fotos están enmarcadas en las murallas!!) y la joya maxima es un mosaico muy colorido gigante de 30 pies for 12 pies llamado “Migración”, diseñado y comisionado al artista local Jairo Prado. Pude conversar con Jairo Prado por unos segundos sobre el mosaico y no puedo estar mas de acuerdo con su comentario de que el arte de Nashville necesita esta dispersa por la ciudad y no solo en el centro. Este mosaico va a iluminar la avenida Nolensville una vez que sea instalado en el frente del edificio!

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One of my photos from a Brazilian / American wedding I shot a couple years ago!

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the above pic of the kids wearing hats is mine!

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So – CONGRATULATIONS Conexión Americas on the fabulous new space!! We can’t wait to see how it continues to help Nashville live up to its welcoming reputation and I hope we get to participate in more events in the future at the new facility. Felicitaciones! Así que – FELICITACIONES Conexión Americas por su fabuloso nuevo espacio!! Nos podemos esperar a ver como continua ayudando a Nashville a mantener su reputación de bienvenida y espero poder participar en mas eventos en el futuro en este edificio. Felicitaciones!

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18 responses to “Casa Azafrán & Congratulations Conexión Americas!”

  3. This place looks so great… my friend, Nicole, who lived in Ecuador with me, has been volunteering at some of their events… and I think she might have been at this one. The tag line you mentioned, “building bridges between native-born residents and their immigrant neighbors,” is EXACTLY what I’m doing here in CHicago with AmeriCorps (that is actually our tag line, as well!). Our program is called Uniting America, and it was implemented by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugee Rights. It makes me happy to know this work is being done in my favorite city in the whole-wide world, NASHVILLE 🙂

    Reply

    • That’s awesome Rachel! I bet that’s amazing in Chicago! Uniting America, Conexión Americas – sounds like sister organizations! It’s important work for sure!

      Reply

  6. LESLIE RODRIGUEZ YOUR PICTURES MAKE ME SO HAPPY!!!! i sadly couldnt be there on Saturday, but I’m happy to have seen it through your eyes! I miss you!

    Reply

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