MALBA, Mate & Uruguay

Its been a while since I've updated, sorry to my readers out there! As I read on someone else's blog, its the blog paradox that once you have things to actually write about, you are too busy to write about them!

I guess I'll just give some highlights of the past week or so...

1) MALBA. Last Wednesday, my friend Drew and I went to MALBA (Mueso del arte latinamericano de BA/ Museum of Latinamerican Art in BA). MALBA is known to be one of the best museums in BA, since it was actually built to be a museum, rather than being an older building that was converted into a museum. The main exhibit was a photography exhibit feating the work of Robert Magglethorpe. This exhibit was pretty graphic, and definitely pushed the limits of my understanding of art. However, it was still very engaging to walk through. The rest of the museum was more sedate, featuring non-traditional/modern art from 20th century latinamerica. All in all, a very enjoyable museum, although rather small- only taking about 45 min to pass through.

2) Avatar. Ok, I know that Avatar has nothing to do with Argentina. But my friend bought a pirated copy for a couple pesos, and when I told him that I had never seen the movie, he lent it to me. I stayed up very late Wednesday night watching Avatar...and I LOVED IT. I know that many of my friends/family members were pretty critical of the movie, but for me, it was the perfect mix of Pocahontas and non-scary sci-fi. It was great! (Ok, sorry, I just had to share my review of a 6-month old blockbuster.)

3) Mate (MAH-tay). I finally tried my first mate, traditional Argentine tea. You should google mate so that you can see the copa (little bowl) in which mate leaves are packed and soaked in hot water and the bombilla (straw) that is placed within the leaves, so the water can be sucked up. Argentines can be seen holding these copas along with a thermos of hot water while on the streets, in schools, in the subte- really anywhere. You can drink mate from normal tea bags, but theres no fun in that. Also, mate isn't really drunken in restaurants, so I wasn't sure how to access it. On Thursday, I went over to a friend's apartment after classes, and she had some mate for us! It was pretty bitter and tasted like the earth. Her host mom had told her that Argentines (women especially) drink mate instead of eating, and thats how they stay so thin....

4) On Friday we didn't have classes because it was 9 de julio, Argentine Independence Day. Independence Day here is not such a big deal. Apparently a big celebration occurs on 25 de mayo, which was the day that Argentina, Bolivia and a few other South American countries began to fight Spain for independence. However on 9 de julio, there is a military parade that draws few spectators (so I was told, I didn't attend). I spent my day going to a DELICIOUS, VEGETARIAN restaurant- La Esquina de las flores- (its on my street, and I had passed it every day, finally getting a chance to try out its food) and the botanical garden.

5) On Friday night, I went to another synagogue with Ruthie. We went to one called Bet Hillel. As we tried to enter, we were stopped by security guards- they asked our names, purpose for coming, who we knew inside, our reasons for being in BA, and it went on. Thankfully, Ruthie actually did know someone in the congretation, but it was very much an eye-opening experience. I take for granted being able to walk into a shul at home- no questions asked. I feel very safe as a Jew in America. I've not encountered Anti-Semitism here, but the whole synagogue experience made me a little suspect as to the safety of Jews here. The service was again, reform, and full of lovely music. I love that I still understand Kabbalat Shabbat no matter the country I am in. Its truly a wonderful feeling.

6) Since we had a three day weekend, my friend Bri and I decided to spend Saturday/Sunday in Uruguay! Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay is a hop, skip and a jump from BA (ok, so its a 1 hour ferry ride), and for a $70 USD round trip, how could I resist? Colonia del Sacramento is a tiny town. Mostly built up for tourists, its main attractions are a beach, a historic neighborhood, and renting mopeds/golf carts to ride around. The best part of being in Colonia was its tranquility. It actually felt like we were on a little vacation from the hustle and bustle of BA. We could walk down the middle of the street, or take some turns without the fear of getting lost. It was wonderful. The first day we were there was sunny and clear. We walked along the beach, explored the little town, watched Uruguay lose (unfortunately) in the World Cup match, and saw the sun set over the water. The second day we weren't so lucky- it was rainy and very chilly. We had rented bikes in the morning, before the rain had started, so it was quite an adventure navigating our bicycles in the rain. Ultimately, however, we still found some nice places to walk around and spent a leisurely afternoon before heading to the ferry terminal, where we watched Espana win the World Cup! Some differences from Argentina noted in Uruguay: the speed people spoke, and the currency! People spoke MUCH faster than they do here in BA, it was unbelievable. Also, the currency is very different. 100 uruguayos=20 pesos=5 USD. Hows that for confusing??

On the horizon: my month-long intensive classes end this week...meaning finals are on their way, oh no! 10 day break- where will I end up?? End of July=starting volunteering at an Old Folks Home and a new semester of classes. Also, which synagogue will I try out next?

Stay tuned! :)