Frustration, Friends and Fuerza Bruta!

I have been a bad blogger!
I'm seriously trying to improve, but no matter what country you are in, I suppose life has a way of sneaking up on you and snatching away that blogging (or homework-doing) time you have set aside.
So, since this is my homework-doing time, I'm going to use it for blogging! Makes sense?

Last week was quite a busy one! The combination of friends visiting from Chile, a presentation to prepare (on Argentina's economic policies of the 1990s??), a project for my Art History class and a trip to plan, I didn't have much time to reflect, blog, etc.

However, I do want to highlight two points from last week, ok three points (maybe more if I think of them along the way):

1) Frustration.
To mark our attendance for class (we have to maintain 75% attendance for the entire semester) there are magnetic cards that we have to swipe in machine located on the floor that our classroom is located on in the UB tower. This past week was the first week that we had to swipe, since the first two weeks we were essentially "shopping" for classes. For some reason, my card didn't work. No promising green light lit up when I passed my card through. The UB advising team made it clear that teachers could NOT vouch for attendance, so if you didn't swipe, you were absent. Period. Not wanting to be marked absent when I had attended class, after class I went to see my advisor, to explain the situation. My advisor, on the 17th floor, told me to go to the 12th floor. On the 12th floor, I asked about my card (in Spanish) and the administrator replied (in English, which can be frustrating, because its slightly insulting) that I needed to go to the 17th floor again, to a different part. I went to the 17th floor, where another administrator told me to go to the 16th floor. I went to the 16th floor, and asked about my card, and this administrator, who didn't speak English, got rather insulted when I had trouble using words like "swipe" and "demagnetize," but I got through, although he didn't have a solution for my problem. So, I had to go get the guy from the 17th floor and bring him to the 16th floor for more explaining. Finally, I was given a loaner-card until mine is fixed.

Whew. Isn't that exhausting just to read about? Anyhow, its at times like these when I have to remind myself that these annoying little blips occur at home, abroad- anywhere. At Ohio State, I often have to run back and forth between advisors and meetings, etc. granted, all of it is conducted in English.

2) Friends!
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, my friends were visiting after they completed 3 months of teaching in Chile. It was amazing to see Buenos Aires from their perspective, since they had been teaching in very small, rural areas of Southern Chile. They loved BA, and I was so proud to be able to point out some cool live-music venues, areas to walk around, places to visit. Also, as they experiences Buenos Aires, it renewed my appreciation for living in the city. Although it can get tiresome to be a city-dweller- so many people, noises, smells- I love living here! Its so exciting, there is always new music to hear, or a new cafe/restaurant to try, or new art to see, and I know that I am really lucky to live here. (However, more on how the rest of the country views BA in the next post.) I was sad to see my friends go on Wednesday, anyone else up for a visit? I'm an excellent tour guide!!

3) Fuerza Bruta
My friend Bri had heard about a show called Fuerza Bruta, that was described to her as "Cirque de Soleil" but cheaper, and different. With that enticing description, we had to go check it out, and we bought tickets for last Wednesday's show. This show tours to many major cities- and I heard the tickets in NYC go for 90 USD, tickets we got for 15 USD! Its at times like these where I really appreciate the Argentine Peso.
Anyhow, the show was absolutely amazing, and unlike anything I have every seen before. It was an interactive acrobatic, primordial, artistic interpretation. And that doesn't really make sense, but there is no other way to describe it. The audience is standing in a large room, and suddenly a treadmill appears in the middle, with a man running in the center. The man gets "shot" and soon, other people/objects appear on the treadmill. He begins to run, running through walls of cardboard and other materials. Soon, the focus switches over to two women running horizontally on the wall, on silvery mylar. Then the focus switches to a dancing/shrieking group on a stage, who come out and interact with the audience. Then, finally, the coolest part was a plastic pool or water, with a glass bottom lowering itself onto the audience, while several cast-members danced & did some acrobatics inside of it. At the end of the shower, sprinklers turned on and it turned to a giant dance party!
It was one of the strangest/coolest artistic experiences I have had in this city, I highly recommend it!


Upcoming: a post about my weekend trip to Córdoba!