Finding some green space in BA

As I was walking home two days ago, the bag in which I carried my notebooks to and from school everyday broke. This necessitated one thing: shopping.

Truth be told, I don't really like shopping that much. I get overwhelmed, tired, picky then indecisive, and if I haven't bought anything by the end of the trip, then I feel like I wasted three or four hours I could have been doing something much more stimulating and interesting. Mostly, however, I am just really really cheap. So, shopping can be difficult for me.

However, yesterday, I spent several hours trying to find the perfect bag on Av. Cabildo- a mid-priced area. I was looking for a bag big enough for notebooks, that had a strap to cross my body and was mildly cute. This was harder than you would think. However, after having given up and just strolling with a friend, looking for a good piece of cake- I found a bag that was about $30 USD and fit all of above requirements!

Today in class, we hit home that subjunctive mood yet again, really focusing on the present vs. past tense and temporal relationships of the two verbs in a sentence that uses the subjunctive. When I think about the mechanics of a language, it is really amazing that I even know how to speak one! And to think, you don't even have to actively learn your native language...it just comes.

We also read a story that consisted of the reflections of a man who was a child during the reign of Juan Perón. We had a discussion about the Peronistas and Argentine politics. I really like the story- it had a very ironic tone and some metaphors that I actually understood. Also, I felt like a completely ignorant person for not knowing anything about Argentine politics other than the president's name! Hopefully, the longer I am here and the more class I take, that will change.

After class, I went to Avenida del Libertador, eventually walking to La Recoleta. I took a bus from UB to Las Heras (a street) and then walked to Avenida del Libertador- where there were numerous plazas, parks and museums. It was a beautiful day, and so nice to see well cultivated green space in this city! Highlights of walking around included the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library) which had quite some interesting architecture going on, as well as Plaza of the United Nations, which had a gigante metal flower that "blossoms" or opens every morning at 8 am, and closes every night at dusk.

I really loved seeing all of the porteños just relaxing in the parks and plazas, walking their dogs (DOGS in Buenos Aires- a blog topic for another day), and drinking mate (MAH-tay).

I eventually walked over to La Recoleta, or the famous cemetery in Recoleta where Eva Perón, among other famous Argentines, is buried. One of the reasons that the cemetery is so famous is that each tomb or mausoleum is a small structure. This gives the impression that there are hundreds of small houses in a walled city. People are still buried in this cemetery, according to my guide book...although I am not sure where they would be fit in. After some intense searching, we found the tomb of Evita Perón, decorated with flowers of course.

Tomorrow my class is going on a field trip! We are going to San Isidrio, a suburb to the north of Buenos Aires.

In which I buy some cheap books!

Yesterday afternoon was the Argentina vs. Mexico game. I went, with other ISA-ers, to find a place in Plaza Serrano to watch it with some friends. We could hardly find a table to sit down and see a TV. We went to 5 or 6 restaurants and eventually had to split into smaller groups to find two and three person tables in different restaurants. A friend and I eventually plopped down in a comfy corner in a restaurant just outside of the Plaza, where we actually ended up seeing another group of ISA kids on the other end of the room we were in.

The country goes CRAZY for futbol. Everyone gets so excited, and as I said before, the outside world just stops for two hours. Even today, as I was walking along a main street, 10 or 12 people had congregated on the sidewalk, looking in to a TV store, watching the Brazil vs. China game. Its incredible. After we won on Saturday, again there was confetti in the streets and simply, complete chaos.

Today began the second week of classes. We continued our review of the subjunctive mood, conjugating verbs to no end. The best parts of class are when we digress from the worksheets and have a discussion. Today's discussion was on things we liked and didn't like about the city. Likes included number of things to do & see in BA, the helpfulness of the people here, the informal way the porteños speak (using a specific conjugation for the "you" form of verbs) and the prices (although, truth be told, only select things are less expensive here. Our teacher told us about the unfailing inflation and how that has raised prices significantly since the economic crisis of 2001). Dislikes included the dirtiness & broken state of sidewalks and the streets (no worse than NYC in some places, much worse in others), the unpunctual nature of things here (not uncommon for an hour or more wait), the slow service in restaurants (a cultural adjustment for sure) and the CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY drivers (oh wow, are they crazy).

After our lunch break, we played a word game. We took Spanish words, like HAMBURGUESA (hamburger) or MURCIELAGO (bat) and tried to create smaller words from them. I was pretty terrible, but it was fun to hear what others could come up with.

After class, a friend and I went to Av. Corrientes. Its a main street that intersects with Av. 9 de julio at the Obelisco (a giant pointed statue). Walking down Av. Corrientes felt like I was in NYC. There were stores, theatres, cafes (of course), movie theatres, office buildings...you name it. The reason I want to go down there was that I had heard there were several cheap bookstores where you could get books for under 10 pesos ($2.50 USD). Considering that I am trying to build a life here, and lives involve hobbies, and reading is one of my hobbies, I knew I had to check it out. I ended up buying three books- one that has English on one side and Spanish on the other! Its Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde by Robert Luis Stevenson, and I think the dual language set up will be incredibly helpful. The other two books were just random novels in Spanish that I thought looked interesting. In total, it cost me 17 pesos, or just over $4 !!

The subte back home was crowded beyond all belief. Thats what I get for traveling at rush hour. We were crammed in the car, and I was certainly thankful to get off at my stop and enjoyed the fresh air as I walked my 10 blocks home.

Museums: What I do best with free time in new cities

I have been in Buenos Aires for exactly one week. It certainly feels longer than that! When I think about all that I've learned this week, its incredible that its only been seven days.

I was just having a conversation with a friend about transitioning from tourist to resident. We were visiting "el centro," the Plaza de Mayo, where most of the governmental buildings are located. We toured La Casa Rosada and visited some small museums, clearly touristy activities. Then, I posed the question, "Eventually, when we run out of these tourist activities, what are we going to do?" I certainly don't have the funds to just go shopping endlessly. And this is where it becomes necessary to really understand how Argentines spend their days, what normal activities are, normal spending....its going to be a process of cultural integration! For the meantime, I'm giving myself at least another week or two before I give up being a tourist in BA.

Yesterday, we had a full day of classes- learning about subtleties of the subjunctive. Its difficult because (most of the time) I can do grammar exercises on paper, but its incredibly challenging to try to speak with these complex grammar constructions that we know. Its pretty frustrating to not be able to express complicated ideas in Spanish, but I know I will improve with time.

After class, a few friends and I went to el Barrio Chino- Chinatown! Every city has one, even in South America! It was quite culturally confusing to be in a Spanish-speaking Chinatown, but it was fun to peruse the shops and grocery stores. I then went back to Palermo, stopping in music store and walking to streets to get more familiar with my neighborhood.

Today, I spent several hours en La Plaza de Mayo (see earlier in the post), doing what I do best in a new city: go to museums. As I experienced in Peru, the museums in Latin America are quite different than those in the US. They're less stately, more of a hole-in-the-wall that you stumble upon. Nevertheless, we went to an interesting museum on the anthropological roots of Argentina.

Unfortunately, today was chilly, and then eventually rainy in the afternoon. I don't mind the rain when I'm relaxing at home listening to it fall outside my window...like now, but when I'm walking home and the rain is blowing in my face for 30 min, its less than pleasant.

On my walk home, I was passing by a boutique and saw some girls from my program. I stopped inside to say hi, and they told me how lucky I was to live in such a swanky (my word, not theirs) area. Truth be told, its wayyyy to expensive for me. I can really afford $ 200 USD boots and $350 USD leather jackets, but I love the area, and I love window shopping :)

El Tango!

I woke up early this morning for an appointment to start the process to obtain a student visa. When you enter Argentina, you are given a 90 day tourist visa, which won't be enough for me. So, myself and the other students staying through the fall have to jump through some bureaucratic hoops to get student visas. The first of those hoops was an 8 am appointment for "tránsmite" this morning. While what really happened was a background check (I was fingerprinted!), the word "tránsmite" just translates to paperwork, apparently. Anyhow, I got lost on the journey there (as per usual), turning the complete opposite direction as a left the subte stop. Eventually, I made it to the appropriate place (20 min late) and then traveled back to Universidad de Belgrano via subte.

I got back to UB just in time for class to start at 9:30 hs. I'm really liking class! I've heard others complain about our all-day class, but I really enjoy my teacher and what we're learning. We've started to learn small nuances of the language. In spanish there are two different verbs for "to be" and when used with the same adjective, that adj changes meaning. And subtleties like that are really interesting and learning the connotation of words really enriches understanding of what's said.

For lunch, I went to get some yogurt, bread, and fruit again, at the supermarket nearby UB. I got all of that for $1.49 US dollars!

After lunch, we only have about an hour of class, and we listened to a song, and learned some idiomatic expressions. When class ended, I stopped by the ISA office to do some homework and then stopped home briefly before.....un clase de TANGO! We went to a little place nearby where I live (for once!) and in the basement, they had a class to teach us ISA-ers (and anyone else who came) how to tango. So, we tangoed! And then, we salsa-ed! It was very fun, and I signed up for a couple more lessons/dance times. It only cost $10 USD for 5 lessons, and its so easy to justify spending it haha. I have to be careful, otherwise I will quickly justify a lot more spending...!

Hasta mañana :)

Chao: Goodbye, not Hello

Classes began today!

I arrived at la Universidad de Belgrano just as my class was starting, at 9:30 hs (hs is what follows times in Argentina, and they use military time, so there is no am/pm!). My teacher, Yael, seems really nice. She began the class by having us pair up to introduce each other (who knew that this was a standard ice breaker on every continent). We then learned how to use voseo (the second person singular form used instead of tú in Argentina) and some common vocabulary in both the standard Argentine dialect and lunfardo, which is a Spanish/Italian hybrid that gave birth to much slang used today. Its funny to think about learning slang in a classroom, it seems like that completely defeats the purpose of it! Imagine learning the word "dude" in your ESL class. Doesn't that just seem silly?

We had a break for lunch, and I got some fruit & yogurt from a nearby almecén (grocery store) and our day ended with some review of the past tense. Unfortunately, we did get assigned a little bit of homework. I need to snap out of summer mode! Its back to school time...

Since we got out of class at 14:30 hs (2:30 pm), we had the whole afternoon free! One of my friends and I took this opportunity to explore Palermo (the barrio we live in) in the daylight. We stopped in the botanical garden, got some delicious ice cream (the dulce de leche flavor is Argentina's specialty) and found Plaza Serrano, a happenin' spot nearby my house. It was great just to relax and walk around, trying to get the lay of the land. I really enjoy knowing my surroundings, and today certainly helped with that!

Around dusk, I walked home and Elina opened the door for me. I greeted her with a cheerful "Chao!" But she corrected me, saying that in Italy, chao or ciao is Hello and Goodbye, but in Argentina, its only goodbye!

No wonder all of those store clerks were giving me strange looks...

¡¡¡Vamos Argentina!!!

There is nothing quite like a soccer game in Argentina! But before I get to that...

This morning we had our placement test for levels of Intensive Month Spanish classes at the University of Belgrano, where I will be studying for the duration of my time here in BsAs. I got a little lost going to the University (what else is new!?), but I stopped and asked a nice lady for directions...eventually getting to where I needed to be.

All of the international students were then gathered into a large room, and we all took a 1 page test with fill-in-the-blanks for verb conjugations and other grammar points. I ended up placing into the highest level...yikes! On paper, I'm decent at Spanish, but when it comes to speaking...its a whole 'nother ball game. Anyhow, I do need the Advanced credit to transfer back to OSU, so it actually is a good thing I was placed there.

After our placement exam, we were basically left to go roam free. Number one on the list of things to accomplish was purchasing a cell phone! They are necessary for meeting up with other ISA-ers (and hopefully, new, non-ISAers that we meet) and making plans in general. I never knew how much I relied on my cell phone until I was placed in a foreign city without it.

With my new phone, I headed over to a small cafe to watch the Argentina-Greece game. Its amazing to be in a country so passionate about their team! The cafe was SILENT when the game was on, people almost holding their breath until Argentina scored near the end of the game. When they scored, everyone cheered, standing up and knocking their chairs over, hugging one another. Once Argentina had won, I walked into the previously deserted streets (no one goes out during the game) that quickly filled up with people once again. Confetti was thrown from balconies, and the subtes were so full, that I was practically unable to get off at the correct stop! What an experience! For the next game, vs. Mexico, I want to go to this big Plaza- Plaza San Martin- where there is a giant screen and hundreds of screaming fans :) I can't wait!

Anyhow, classes begin tomorrow- wish me luck!

El Tigre

This morning began with an early wake up, when it was still dark outside! I walked my familiar route to the subte, only to find that it hadn't opened yet! (I know, me and the subte, we have some issues). So I waited a few minutes with some other Argentines, until the subte opened at 8, thank goodness!

After arriving at ISA via subte, our entire group walked to the train station. We took a 30 min train to El Tigre. It was interesting to see areas outside of BA. The train reminded me of the El in Chicago, seeing slums pass by the window. Eventually, we arrived at Tigre.

El Tigre is an area outside of Buenos Aires, that in the late 1800s/early 1900s was a vacation spot for the wealthy Buenos Aires dwellers. Apparently, BA would be crowded and full of disease, because it functioned as a port, and Tigre was a nice get away. Tigre is located right at the delta of the River Paraná. Instead of roads, there is a river and instead of grocery stores, there is a grocery boat, and a school boat instead of a school bus...you get the point. We took an hour long boat tour of the area to get a sense of life in Tigre. We saw a Social Club established in the 1920s and 30s, which is now a museum, among many other houses and buildings. Something interesting as I got off the boat- There was a German man who was speaking to an American man in front of him. The American had said a few words of German to the German man, but was explaining that those were the only words he knew. The German said, "I have never met an American we can have a conversation in a language other than English." This was quite interesting to hear for several reasons. One, it gave a very clear depiction on how people stereotype American ignorance. Two, across the boat from these men were 30 or so kids (us) trying to learn to converse in a second language!

After our boat tour, we walked to an area called Mercado de Frutos, basically an open market that sold touristy items. Although I definitely want to get an Argentine soccer jersey and a mate recipiente y bombilla (bowl and straw), I figure that I have plenty time before I need to buy anything. We had several hours to stroll & eat, and some of the vendors even thought that we were Brazilian! We kept trying to practice our Spanish as much as possible, introducing the Argentine 'sh' into our speech.

We finished at the market, and took a bus to a delightful Parilla (BBQ) restaurant on the river's coast for merienda (snack, the "meal" in between lunch and dinner). We had the most delicious hot chocolate- warm milk that you put solid chocolate in, medialunas - sweet croissants, cookies with dulce de leche (my favorite!), and brownies. This mini-meal was packed with sugar, and definitely reenergized the group. After our merienda, we explored the coast line a bit, spending some quality time outside. As we drove through the rest of Tigre, we saw some affluent areas- including where the

We drove back to BA, spent some time hanging out in Belgrano, the took the subte home to Palermo. At home, I had some delicious vegetable soup for dinner, then a nice long chat and some tea with Elina, my host mom.

Tomorrow we have our placement test for our intensive language month- yikes, I didn't study! And more exciting, I will finally get a cell phone. And most exciting, is Argentina playing Greece in the world cup...I can't wait to see the city's reaction to the game!

¡¡¡VAMOS ARGENTINA!!!

Note to self: Subte IS open on Sunday

Today was spent in Orientation #2 and bus-touring around Buenos Aires.

The morning began with waking up a little late, skipping breakfast, and quickly walking the 10 blocks on Gurruchaga to the Subte station. I saw the gate down on my subte station, and instead of thinking, "I need to try to the other entrance to the station," I thought, "AH! It must be closed because its Sunday. Guess I'll walk?"

Elina, my host mom, had explained how to hypothetically walk from our house to ISA, but I hadn't truly paid attention. Also, I lacked a map of Buenos Aires, which was inconvenient. However, I did remember that the subte linea (line) D ran via Avenida Santa Fe, so I started walking along Santa Fe. About 20 minutes later, I saw another Subte station...that wasn't closed! So I hopped on the subte (I wasted 3 or 4 subte fares by waving my card over the sensor several times. The reason I did this was because when I waved the card, the light turned red, which in the US means: Stop, something is wrong. In Argentina, apparently, it means: Buen Día! Go ride the subte.

And that is exactly what I did!)

I arrived at our ISA Orientation about 45 minutes late (oops). But I still received plenty of information about safety, cultural adjustment, how to identify counterfeit money, and many other gems. The info was supposed to scare us about safety in BA, and it worked! I won't be walking alone at night...ever. Nor will I carry my passport (only valid form of ID down here) or credit/debit cards unnecessarily. However, I do think that with time, and with feeling more comfortable with the city (yet still using street smartz), I will feel better about exploring.

After our Orientation, we got onto two large tour buses to go all around Buenos Aires, and get a sense of some of the nearby barrios, or neighborhoods. We started off by going to Recoleta, an area full of designer stores and boutiques. We stopped at the cemetery, which may not seem like a tourist destination, but absolutely was. The cemetery had monuments the size of small huts built above each grave, so the cemetary was like a maze. It was also fenced in by a brick wall. The most interesting part was that Eva Perón, among other Argentine celebrities were buried there! We didn't have much time to explore, but definitely worth going back to.

Our second stop was the San Telmo (a barrio of BA) Feria (outdoor flea market). I bought my first Argentine coffee! I got a cafe latte, which was the smallest sized coffee drink I have ever seen, and also a small taste of dulce de leche ice cream. It was a perfect snack to keep the day going.

Our third stop was in Plaza de Mayo, the square with El Obelisco (a very tall statue) and some governmental buildings. There was a troupe of actors who entered the square singing and dancing and then set up a performance space to act out the Spanish founding of Argentina. The square was very reminiscent of Plaza Mayor in Lima, Peru, with its colonial style architecture.

Next, we went to La Boca. Coqui, our tour guide/staff person from ISA, told us that it was one of the first places founded in Buenos Aires because its very close to the port. Its one of the cheaper places to live, seeing that all of the houses look as if they're made of scrap metal. The houses are brightly colored however, and the neighborhood is known for tango and fútbol (soccer). We walked around the touristy area and saw some tango performances (how authentic they were, I am not too sure). Our last stop was Puerto Madero, the wealthy newer area built just off the port of BA. Coqui said that it was an expensive area, built simply to show that BA could compete with other cities.

The bus then drove back to ISA, stopping in Palermo along the way, so that myself and the other Palermo-dwellers didn't have to take the subte from ISA to Palermo. Three friends and I stopped in a little place to eat on Avenida Santa Fe, and then everyone walked me home, since it had gotten dark outside. Unfortunately, with the winter weather down here (which is pretty mild) comes early nightfall. This limits when I can walk around! But hopefully, once I get a cell phone and some taxi telephone numbers, it will be less of an issue.

Ok! That was a long post! Tomorrow we are headed to Tigre, a picturesque island north of BA. I'm quite excited!

I Fly South for (a second) Winter

Welcome to my travel blog!

I have the amazing opportunity to be based in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the next 6 months, and although the next few months will undoubtedly bring some incredible adventures, the only thing missing, of course, is my friends and family. So, if you can't be here with me, at least you can read about my travels through Buenos Aires, Argentina, and South America.

Today was my first day in Buenos Aires! Today...well, really, it all began yesterday. Saying goodbye to the fam, I departed Cle for Houston, where I spent a several hour layover. After meeting up with some other students who were also going to be studying abroad through ISA (International Studies Abroad), I slept through most of the 10-hour flight from Houston to Buenos Aires. Although I had slept during the flight, by the time we touched down, I was excited and anxious to get off the plane (I waited to see if anyone clapped when we landed, like when landing in Israel, but no one did...).

All of the students on ISA programs gathered in the airport lobby with one of our friendly program advisors, Paula, until everyone arrived. There were about 50 ISA students who arrived to BsAs (Buenos Aires) today!

We (in such a large, obviously American group) boarded a bus to take us to the Belgrano neighborhood (one of the 48 barrios surrounding BsAs, which is the 12th largest city in the world), where ISA headquarters and Universidad de Belgrano (where I will be taking classes) is located. There, we were called off the bus one-by-one to meet our host families. My name was called and I got off the bus, to meet Elina, the sole constituent of my host family. She was immediately incredibly friendly and welcoming, and concerned that I wasn't dressed warmly enough (it was 50 degrees and sunny). She drove me to her house in Palermo Viejo (a neighboring barrio), where I began unpacking and had a snack- toast with butter and jam and cheese, quesito.

Elina spoke slowly, and I could very much understand what she was saying. I'm not sure if she was speaking slowly for my benefit, or if she talks that way...I suppose time will tell. The Argentinians I have come in contact with so far have spoken in a slow, understandable manner, although the 'sh' pronunciation of 'll' accent will certainly take some getting used to. Elina told me all about her kids (in their late 20s by now, I think), who are at the World Cup in South Africa currently. Then she asked me when USA's next game was, and of course I didn't know. Then she asked me how old I was, and I replied I was ninety (meaning 19). Oops hahaha.

In the afternoon we had a short orientation at the ISA Office. I met 20 or so of the other students and the ISA staff told us a bit about the culture of Buenos Aires, and some practical safety tips. Elina had driven me to ISA, but gave me directions on how to use the subte (subway) to get back to her house. I am proud to say, I was able to follow these simple directions, and I did not get lost on the return trip to Palermo. The street that Elina (and I guess me as well) lives on is quite lively. The walk from the subte station to the house is 10 blocks, so I get a great survey of cafes, bars, shops, hair salons, really anything you can think of! I have a feeling I am going to be doing a lot of subte-riding, and a lot of walking, both of which are alright with me.

I spent the evening unpacking, and relaxing from the long day. Tomorrow is more orientation and a tour of Buenos Aires!

Chao (that is how they say goodbye here) :)