I just had the most amazing weekend ever in the Misiones province, and I'll get to that in the next post, but I figured I'd make a quick entry on things going on outside of the excursion.
Last week I'd reached sort of a mid-way slump, preoccupied with missing home and friends and realizing I wasn't even halfway with this adventure. That mixed with an inability to skype much with people back home made a bit of a rut for the week after such a fantastic weekend. My mood was also hindered due to frustration with my teacher and the disorganization and lack of productivity in class.
My professor simply belongs in Berkeley. She has an impeccable education, is super left-wing, expects us to learn most of the course on our own, and loves the students that drift off on unimportant tangents with her (think the annoying kid in class that just needs to shut up and go to office hours). I thought I was being sort of whiny in my thoughts/complaints to family, so I addressed some of my concerns to her yesterday about feeling unprepared for our final this Friday since we don't get to covering most of the topics in class. When I mentioned the unruliness of the class, she responded with "I am not a fascist. I do not believe in controlling my students."
Wait what.
So I repeated in English how it's difficult to learn when there isn't much order, and she simply replied with "I don't believe in executing authority in the classroom. If you want things to be organized, it's your responsibility to discipline your classmates." I don't want to get political in this blog but I'll let you soak that one up and maybe understand how much I'm looking forward to the next course with a different professor.
Regardless, last week during the rut my housemate Jessica and I decided to take a day off of class (we get 2 a month) and just sleep in, veg in the park, and shop at the Palermo mall. It was the perfect pick me up at the base of my slump. It's weird that in the mall, clothes were SO much more expensive than the random boutiques on the street- almost the opposite of America. The park was the same park we'd been to before, we just picnicked there this time and has the greatest lazy afternoon.
This week we're stuck in 6 hour days to make up for the amount of vacations we're getting, which also makes things difficult since we get out so late, and I'm so tired to even try and accomplish anything after class. Tonight Jess and I are meeting two other girls at Benihana for dinner to get out of the house. I know, I know, I should be trying out Argentina restaurants the few times I go out... But I have been CRAVING sea food and sushi since Jess dislikes it and asked our housemom not to cook it. Also the happy hour is pretty cheap.
A very sad thing happened which makes being in our house right now very uncomfortable. Our house abuela's friend's daughter (so basically a family friend) was traveling in Uruguay and died in car accident. Our house has kind of become the center for family and friends, and they all mourn in the living room. I feel terrible because I don't want to interrupt or cause any disturbance to their mourning, but it's hard when you have to pass the living room to enter my bedroom every day. There's a definite gloom to the house right now and regardless we want to give them their space and eat out tonight, hopefully giving our house mom a break. I'll be looking up what's the proper gift for condolences in Argentina (what flowers, food, etc) to give them before my Patagonia trip NEXT WEEK!!!
Next post to come soon on IGUAZU FALLS.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
CARNAVAL PARTE DOS
2/21
So Monday I rested in bed all day, originally with the intention of cleaning my room, but my house mom told me that a hired cleaning lady is coming through the house to make it spotless!! Which is fantastic, although she did warn me to hide any and everything just in case. Luckily I'll be gone to Iguazu that weekend, so most likely will have my passport and debit card on person and not in the apartment.
After a good pizza (thank god no more chicken) I took a quick nap before getting ready for the night's festivities. Four of us met up at The Roof bar for a mask party, which turned out being one of the coolest places ever. First of all, drinks were cheap (think 5USD for a long island, 2USD for a shot) and the whole bar was on the roof of a restaurant outside, which added to its laid back atmosphere. Granted, last night it was raining, which kind of hindered the amount of people present, but we had fun none of the less.
They had these egg shells they fill with confetti where you can crack them on someone's head- no idea what kind of tradition it is but it was a fun alternative to the foam fights from Saturday. We ran into a couple more ISA friends, and ended up staying at the bar for three hours before heading elsewhere.
Initially, the group wanted to check out a Brazilian boliche to go in theme with Carnaval, but the distance and price sort of hindered those plans. Two blocks away from the bar was the boliche, Kika, known for a younger crowd (such as ourselves) and good music. Luck struck again with the manager being in the front and letting us girls in for free (the guys had to pay a 15USD cover) and we quickly were dancing to some really good Spanish club music.
Soon enough, as always, I began to get tired, and called it a night around 4am. I walked home with Becca, since Palermo Soho hosts many wanderers in the wee hours of the morning as most of the bars and clubs are situated in this area. I didn't want Becca traveling by herself all the way to Belgrano, so she stayed in Jessica's bed (who was still in Gualeguaychu) just to make sure she didn't get lost/raped/kidnapped/robbed/etc. Better to be safe than sorry :)
Today I just booked my hostel with Elisa (it'll cost around 100USD for the whole week!!) and am heading out to a cafe to meet up with Elisa, Laura, and Becca to discuss hikes and activities to do while we're down there. Chau for now and besos as always :)
All the chicas at The Roof
Got egged!
Sky view of one of the rooms in Kika
Us girls Hilary, Laura, Becca, and me :)
San Telmo!
They all individually design their own costumes- this guy had a rolling stones logo along with a River (local fútbol team) logo
Foam to the face.
So Monday I rested in bed all day, originally with the intention of cleaning my room, but my house mom told me that a hired cleaning lady is coming through the house to make it spotless!! Which is fantastic, although she did warn me to hide any and everything just in case. Luckily I'll be gone to Iguazu that weekend, so most likely will have my passport and debit card on person and not in the apartment.
After a good pizza (thank god no more chicken) I took a quick nap before getting ready for the night's festivities. Four of us met up at The Roof bar for a mask party, which turned out being one of the coolest places ever. First of all, drinks were cheap (think 5USD for a long island, 2USD for a shot) and the whole bar was on the roof of a restaurant outside, which added to its laid back atmosphere. Granted, last night it was raining, which kind of hindered the amount of people present, but we had fun none of the less.
They had these egg shells they fill with confetti where you can crack them on someone's head- no idea what kind of tradition it is but it was a fun alternative to the foam fights from Saturday. We ran into a couple more ISA friends, and ended up staying at the bar for three hours before heading elsewhere.
Initially, the group wanted to check out a Brazilian boliche to go in theme with Carnaval, but the distance and price sort of hindered those plans. Two blocks away from the bar was the boliche, Kika, known for a younger crowd (such as ourselves) and good music. Luck struck again with the manager being in the front and letting us girls in for free (the guys had to pay a 15USD cover) and we quickly were dancing to some really good Spanish club music.
Soon enough, as always, I began to get tired, and called it a night around 4am. I walked home with Becca, since Palermo Soho hosts many wanderers in the wee hours of the morning as most of the bars and clubs are situated in this area. I didn't want Becca traveling by herself all the way to Belgrano, so she stayed in Jessica's bed (who was still in Gualeguaychu) just to make sure she didn't get lost/raped/kidnapped/robbed/etc. Better to be safe than sorry :)
Today I just booked my hostel with Elisa (it'll cost around 100USD for the whole week!!) and am heading out to a cafe to meet up with Elisa, Laura, and Becca to discuss hikes and activities to do while we're down there. Chau for now and besos as always :)
Monday, February 20, 2012
CARNAVAL PARTE UNO
2/20
Hi everyone!! Again, the days just get so busy that I'm struggling to keep up with the updates! (Just see it as no news being good news..)
The week was pretty similar in terms of school, although we got a different profesora since the one before was only a sub until our actual teacher was feeling better. She's a really cool person, but not exactly a great educator. She's very disorganized, and while I hate to sound like such a nerdsnob, I'm here for only four months to learn Spanish, so luckily she's only here for another two weeks before we switch trimesters again.
Past that though, my speaking has greatly improved, and I find myself barely pausing when conversing with my house mom.
Tuesday I celebrated Valentine's Day with my housemate by getting ice cream at the heladeria where we've become friends with the vendedor. A nice additional surprise was getting the package from Bryan I'd been waiting for, filled with way too much candy and gifts. Wednesday I went to a park and laid out with my housemate and another kid from our program, which was a nice break from the monotony of my room. It just gets so hot that I feel incapacitated to do anything in the early afternoons!
Friday:
Friday was our midterm, and it was a bit harder than I had anticipated, primarily since I don't think our profesora prepared us very well. (I even had to actually sit down and study for it, not just converse with a manicurist like last time haha). Afterwards to reward ourselves, I met up with a few girls at 878 Bar, known for it's cocktails and whiskey. It was really cool because originally a speakeasy bar, there was no inclination it existed other than the 878 address next to a large door. Upon entry, the place was filled with Argentines finishing dinners and starting cocktail hour, with solely Spanish music in the background.
After a strong whiskey/ginger ale concoction in a side booth at the front, we went towards the back where ANOTHER secret door led to an entirely different bar! There we sat at the bar for a while, talking over expensive but good drinks until the hour reached 230 and it was time for me to call it a night. I knew this weekend would be a busy one, and I didn't want to throw all my eggs in one basket.
Saturday:
Saturday was a lazy day, where I meandered through Palermo Soho, window shopping for a good thirty minutes on my walk to lunch. I met up with the girls that decided to stay in the city for Carnaval weekend at California Burrito Company (CBC), the South American version of Chipotle. Most of the program traveled to Gualeguaychu, Uruguay, or a couple adventurous peers to Rio for the Carnaval festivals. After my expensive Patagonia ticket, I didn't really care to spend money to travel outside the city for the long weekend. I'm becoming more and more thankful as this weekend continues, since I'm able to see different parts of the city as well as catch up on some sleep I've been needing.
One of the things that has been giving me some trouble in Bs As is the food that my house mother cooks. I love her to death and my apartment is adorable, but her favorite ingredients are oil, grease, and cheese. I finally reached my apex of tolerance Saturday night, when I was served orange paste, a grease ridden fried chicken, and a "salad" that consisted of more oil than vegetables. I know it's rude not to finish your plate here, but I finally had to explain to her that my body just can't handle that much fried and greasy food. I'm hoping that after that disastrous meal (I posted pictures, try not to vom) she can give me something a tiny bit healthier. I hate sounding like a #whitegirlproblems advertisement, but it's getting hard to stand the added pounds of sugar, butter, and oil to the meals.
Sunday:
After waking up, a group of us girls headed to San Telmo for the day/night. San Telmo has one of the best Sunday markets, stretching for miles on one street in the barrio. I bought souvenirs for me as well as gifts for friends, and walked aimlessly through the market for a good few hours. After our legs couldn't take any more, three of us stopped in a restaurant for a late afternoon lunch/dinner combination. I realized how much the last night had upset my stomach when even the light dressing on my salad caused me to be slightly nauseous. We then met up with two girls in my program and shopped until they closed up at 5pm.
Among my purchases was a mask, which I hope to be using tonight at a Carnaval mask party at the bar above CBC. After shopping, we stopped at another speakeasy-type bar (I'm really beginning to like them) called the Puerta Roja, signified only by it's red door on a street in San Telmo. Upstairs they had a great happy hour and great music, and since it was only 630 we were pretty much the only people there.
After 2x1 pints, we headed out into the streets to find the Carnaval Porteño, the street parades that take over avenues in each of the barrios of the city. Probably one of the top nights to date, we watched as locals danced in costume to drums and singing in a wide street of San Telmo. It is customary to have espuma fights in the streets, where children and adults attack one another with foam in spray-can canisters. Becca and I bought one each for ourselves and ran up and down the parade foam fighting with other locals. Drenched and happy, we headed home at around 10pm, exhausted yet satisfied from a great day. My camera died so I'm going to wait for my friends to post photos online and then upload better ones of the parade tomorrow or Wednesday.
Today I'm just hanging out at my apartment, feeling pretty tired from yesterday and hoping to rally for the Carnaval parties tonight. I'm just really looking forward to wearing my mask...
And you thought Americans ate like crap ....yummy
Antique jewelry in the San Telmo market
San Telmo architecture- so pretty!!
My one somewhat decent shot of the carnaval- way more photos to come once my friends upload em to facebook :)
Hi everyone!! Again, the days just get so busy that I'm struggling to keep up with the updates! (Just see it as no news being good news..)
The week was pretty similar in terms of school, although we got a different profesora since the one before was only a sub until our actual teacher was feeling better. She's a really cool person, but not exactly a great educator. She's very disorganized, and while I hate to sound like such a nerdsnob, I'm here for only four months to learn Spanish, so luckily she's only here for another two weeks before we switch trimesters again.
Past that though, my speaking has greatly improved, and I find myself barely pausing when conversing with my house mom.
Tuesday I celebrated Valentine's Day with my housemate by getting ice cream at the heladeria where we've become friends with the vendedor. A nice additional surprise was getting the package from Bryan I'd been waiting for, filled with way too much candy and gifts. Wednesday I went to a park and laid out with my housemate and another kid from our program, which was a nice break from the monotony of my room. It just gets so hot that I feel incapacitated to do anything in the early afternoons!
Friday:
Friday was our midterm, and it was a bit harder than I had anticipated, primarily since I don't think our profesora prepared us very well. (I even had to actually sit down and study for it, not just converse with a manicurist like last time haha). Afterwards to reward ourselves, I met up with a few girls at 878 Bar, known for it's cocktails and whiskey. It was really cool because originally a speakeasy bar, there was no inclination it existed other than the 878 address next to a large door. Upon entry, the place was filled with Argentines finishing dinners and starting cocktail hour, with solely Spanish music in the background.
After a strong whiskey/ginger ale concoction in a side booth at the front, we went towards the back where ANOTHER secret door led to an entirely different bar! There we sat at the bar for a while, talking over expensive but good drinks until the hour reached 230 and it was time for me to call it a night. I knew this weekend would be a busy one, and I didn't want to throw all my eggs in one basket.
Saturday:
Saturday was a lazy day, where I meandered through Palermo Soho, window shopping for a good thirty minutes on my walk to lunch. I met up with the girls that decided to stay in the city for Carnaval weekend at California Burrito Company (CBC), the South American version of Chipotle. Most of the program traveled to Gualeguaychu, Uruguay, or a couple adventurous peers to Rio for the Carnaval festivals. After my expensive Patagonia ticket, I didn't really care to spend money to travel outside the city for the long weekend. I'm becoming more and more thankful as this weekend continues, since I'm able to see different parts of the city as well as catch up on some sleep I've been needing.
One of the things that has been giving me some trouble in Bs As is the food that my house mother cooks. I love her to death and my apartment is adorable, but her favorite ingredients are oil, grease, and cheese. I finally reached my apex of tolerance Saturday night, when I was served orange paste, a grease ridden fried chicken, and a "salad" that consisted of more oil than vegetables. I know it's rude not to finish your plate here, but I finally had to explain to her that my body just can't handle that much fried and greasy food. I'm hoping that after that disastrous meal (I posted pictures, try not to vom) she can give me something a tiny bit healthier. I hate sounding like a #whitegirlproblems advertisement, but it's getting hard to stand the added pounds of sugar, butter, and oil to the meals.
Sunday:
After waking up, a group of us girls headed to San Telmo for the day/night. San Telmo has one of the best Sunday markets, stretching for miles on one street in the barrio. I bought souvenirs for me as well as gifts for friends, and walked aimlessly through the market for a good few hours. After our legs couldn't take any more, three of us stopped in a restaurant for a late afternoon lunch/dinner combination. I realized how much the last night had upset my stomach when even the light dressing on my salad caused me to be slightly nauseous. We then met up with two girls in my program and shopped until they closed up at 5pm.
Among my purchases was a mask, which I hope to be using tonight at a Carnaval mask party at the bar above CBC. After shopping, we stopped at another speakeasy-type bar (I'm really beginning to like them) called the Puerta Roja, signified only by it's red door on a street in San Telmo. Upstairs they had a great happy hour and great music, and since it was only 630 we were pretty much the only people there.
After 2x1 pints, we headed out into the streets to find the Carnaval Porteño, the street parades that take over avenues in each of the barrios of the city. Probably one of the top nights to date, we watched as locals danced in costume to drums and singing in a wide street of San Telmo. It is customary to have espuma fights in the streets, where children and adults attack one another with foam in spray-can canisters. Becca and I bought one each for ourselves and ran up and down the parade foam fighting with other locals. Drenched and happy, we headed home at around 10pm, exhausted yet satisfied from a great day. My camera died so I'm going to wait for my friends to post photos online and then upload better ones of the parade tomorrow or Wednesday.
Today I'm just hanging out at my apartment, feeling pretty tired from yesterday and hoping to rally for the Carnaval parties tonight. I'm just really looking forward to wearing my mask...
Monday, February 13, 2012
Pinamar Revisited.
best trip ever.
Keep in mind I'm actually cooking 4.30 into it... scrambled eggs and yes I may have asked Hilary for help but still.
Keep in mind I'm actually cooking 4.30 into it... scrambled eggs and yes I may have asked Hilary for help but still.
El Día Perfecto
2/13
So for the most part, I was confined in my room/bed this weekend due to a bug that's been going around my classmates/house brother. It wasn't a flu or cold per say, just achy exhaustion. Needless to say, I am more than ecstatic to be done with it, and even walked most of the way home today to take pictures of the city's graffiti.
Friday (not said día)
We were forced to be up at the crack of dawn to get downtown to Retiro, where we finalized our student visa process. I am now a temporary student citizen of Argentina! (which means- cheaper flights to Patagonia! Said flights were then 500 dollars. Eff.) After spending an hour and a half waiting in lines and turning in paperwork (torture) the ISA students in my specific class decided to go out to breakfast to reward ourselves for the long morning. Our teacher knew we were going to be late, so we decided to milk it and get a real breakfast for once. Most of Argentine culture sees breakfast as two crackers and some marmalade/dulce de leche and a shot glass size cup of coffee. Filling.
Elisa got a true American breakfast of scrambled eggs with ham and toast, Adam got some kind of chocolate muffin/hot chocolate, and I was way too excited for my yogurt and cookies. Well. #thirdworldproblems. My yogurt and granola came out, and as I was ready to take a bite, I noticed the granola moving. Actually, several little beetle things moving around in the granola. I quickly got the attention of the server, very crankily, and she came out with not only a new yogurt cup (sin granola) but also toast, marmalade, and buttercream con gratis. Turned out to be a fantastic breakfast after all.
Friday afternoon and all of Saturday I was confined to the dungeon of my room, watching Lord of the Rings and trying not to be too upset I missed out on a full night/day of activities.
Sunday (el día perfecto)
Sunday more than made up for the lack of action due to being enferma. Belen, an Argentine student I met at Cal, invited me and two friends out on her boat near the river of Tigre. With her family and some Brazilian friends, we set out on the river for a lazy afternoon.
It was not only wonderful to get out of the city, but to be on a boat, in the middle of a gorgeous river, on a gorgeous day. BUENISIMO. We jumped off the roof of the boat/yacht into the river, which had such a strong current that we needed to grab onto a lifesaver attached to a rope in order to not float away downstream- comparable to the time I tried to swim across the Colorado River on my junior year trip in HS when Curtis, Austin and I made it across but had to hike 10 minutes back just to even get parallel to where we started.
After good food, conversation, and sun, the day dwindled and too soon we were heading back towards the harbor. It was like a fleet of vacationers heading home once the sun went down, a cool sight for a foreigner to see. After dark, we were quickly hauling ass back to the city, in order for her Brazilian friend to make it to his flight on time (literally at one point we were going 90 on a side street... when in Argentina...)
He made it to the airport sin maletas, but Belen's cousin was retrieving them at the same time as we were dropping him off. Basically just your average logistical nightmare. I was stressed and I had nothing to do with the situation whatsoever (ma- I know you're stressed just reading this). After a bittersweet farewell to a beautiful day, Belen and I agreed to hang out some more while I'm here, and too soon was I walking back home to my apartment.
Today was a typical day of school, and I hope tomorrow I can explore this fountain/park that we passed on our way out of the city (really close to my house- think 20 min walk). Chau for now and besos a todos!
enjoying snacks provided by Belen's familia
jumping off the roof!
hanging out on the rope/lifesaver.. con kayak
Adam, Elisa, and the front of the boat crew during the day (Belen's brother, brother's gf, and the two Brazilians- all good company)
So for the most part, I was confined in my room/bed this weekend due to a bug that's been going around my classmates/house brother. It wasn't a flu or cold per say, just achy exhaustion. Needless to say, I am more than ecstatic to be done with it, and even walked most of the way home today to take pictures of the city's graffiti.
Friday (not said día)
We were forced to be up at the crack of dawn to get downtown to Retiro, where we finalized our student visa process. I am now a temporary student citizen of Argentina! (which means- cheaper flights to Patagonia! Said flights were then 500 dollars. Eff.) After spending an hour and a half waiting in lines and turning in paperwork (torture) the ISA students in my specific class decided to go out to breakfast to reward ourselves for the long morning. Our teacher knew we were going to be late, so we decided to milk it and get a real breakfast for once. Most of Argentine culture sees breakfast as two crackers and some marmalade/dulce de leche and a shot glass size cup of coffee. Filling.
Elisa got a true American breakfast of scrambled eggs with ham and toast, Adam got some kind of chocolate muffin/hot chocolate, and I was way too excited for my yogurt and cookies. Well. #thirdworldproblems. My yogurt and granola came out, and as I was ready to take a bite, I noticed the granola moving. Actually, several little beetle things moving around in the granola. I quickly got the attention of the server, very crankily, and she came out with not only a new yogurt cup (sin granola) but also toast, marmalade, and buttercream con gratis. Turned out to be a fantastic breakfast after all.
Friday afternoon and all of Saturday I was confined to the dungeon of my room, watching Lord of the Rings and trying not to be too upset I missed out on a full night/day of activities.
Sunday (el día perfecto)
Sunday more than made up for the lack of action due to being enferma. Belen, an Argentine student I met at Cal, invited me and two friends out on her boat near the river of Tigre. With her family and some Brazilian friends, we set out on the river for a lazy afternoon.
It was not only wonderful to get out of the city, but to be on a boat, in the middle of a gorgeous river, on a gorgeous day. BUENISIMO. We jumped off the roof of the boat/yacht into the river, which had such a strong current that we needed to grab onto a lifesaver attached to a rope in order to not float away downstream- comparable to the time I tried to swim across the Colorado River on my junior year trip in HS when Curtis, Austin and I made it across but had to hike 10 minutes back just to even get parallel to where we started.
After good food, conversation, and sun, the day dwindled and too soon we were heading back towards the harbor. It was like a fleet of vacationers heading home once the sun went down, a cool sight for a foreigner to see. After dark, we were quickly hauling ass back to the city, in order for her Brazilian friend to make it to his flight on time (literally at one point we were going 90 on a side street... when in Argentina...)
He made it to the airport sin maletas, but Belen's cousin was retrieving them at the same time as we were dropping him off. Basically just your average logistical nightmare. I was stressed and I had nothing to do with the situation whatsoever (ma- I know you're stressed just reading this). After a bittersweet farewell to a beautiful day, Belen and I agreed to hang out some more while I'm here, and too soon was I walking back home to my apartment.
Today was a typical day of school, and I hope tomorrow I can explore this fountain/park that we passed on our way out of the city (really close to my house- think 20 min walk). Chau for now and besos a todos!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
First Sick Day
2/9
Basically the title says it all. Even though I've literally been inhaling water, I think the heat and exhaustion has caught up to me. Abuela to the max right now. We get two sick days off a month, that are usually geared towards 3 day weekends of traveling, so this morning when I woke up ill I felt very guilty for taking the day off for... well... actually being sick. Last night I met up with a Berkeley friend who's studying abroad in Rio at a bar called Post Bar, which had the COOLEST graffiti art around the walls of the interior. I wish I had taken pictures, but I know one of my friends did so I can post them up later. Basically I had to call the night short, though, because I began to feel a little off and thought if I just got sleep I'd be better this morning.
It's been weird adjusting to the influx of American students at the University (of Belgrano). I don't really know how else to put it other than a reverse culture shock, yet still in Argentina. All of the sudden everyone's speaking English, and I'm seeing friends of friends from Cal, or even people who I recognize from classes and it's like wait- I thought I came to BsAs to get away from all of that? I don't mean to sound harsh or anything, in fact, I love meeting new people, but this weekend I'm reaching out to Argentinean friends (one is through an older DG and the other I met last semester at Berkeley) in order to immerse myself in their culture instead of rotate around the same circles as home.
I really have nothing to say today, I'm just bored and confined to my room so thought I'd write a nonsense post.. Chau!
Basically the title says it all. Even though I've literally been inhaling water, I think the heat and exhaustion has caught up to me. Abuela to the max right now. We get two sick days off a month, that are usually geared towards 3 day weekends of traveling, so this morning when I woke up ill I felt very guilty for taking the day off for... well... actually being sick. Last night I met up with a Berkeley friend who's studying abroad in Rio at a bar called Post Bar, which had the COOLEST graffiti art around the walls of the interior. I wish I had taken pictures, but I know one of my friends did so I can post them up later. Basically I had to call the night short, though, because I began to feel a little off and thought if I just got sleep I'd be better this morning.
It's been weird adjusting to the influx of American students at the University (of Belgrano). I don't really know how else to put it other than a reverse culture shock, yet still in Argentina. All of the sudden everyone's speaking English, and I'm seeing friends of friends from Cal, or even people who I recognize from classes and it's like wait- I thought I came to BsAs to get away from all of that? I don't mean to sound harsh or anything, in fact, I love meeting new people, but this weekend I'm reaching out to Argentinean friends (one is through an older DG and the other I met last semester at Berkeley) in order to immerse myself in their culture instead of rotate around the same circles as home.
I really have nothing to say today, I'm just bored and confined to my room so thought I'd write a nonsense post.. Chau!
Monday, February 6, 2012
End of the First Chapter
2/6
I promise to start updating more- but for now just see it as no news being good news! I left off at the Teatro Colon on Tuesday, and I've had a great week since then. I've really adapted well here, and it's amazing that I've already been in the city for a whole month. I didn't really realize how integrated slash how far I have come from my first few days until I met up with some fresh faces for Super Bowl Sunday, but I'll get to that later. In brief, I finished up exams for the first trimester with passing grades (I didn't wait around to get my letter grade since the transfer credits don't matter, but received an email saying I made it to the Advanzo class), and used this three day weekend to celebrate and get some much needed rest.
Wednesday:
With the stress of looming exams, Jess and I decided to head to a salon two blocks from our Apartment where we got our nails done. Salon services are super cheap, and usually a job well done. Unfortunately, my experience reminded me that this is South America, and things are bound to go wrong. For starters, I am 90% sure they were not using sterile tools, so I'm really hoping I haven't picked up any diseases. I loved the girl's personality who was doing the process- I say girl because she looked about two years older than me, but she definitely caused more harm than help. She was from Columbia and had been working in Argentina for three years. Side note of awesomeness- where else would I be able to practice for my exam by conversing with my manicurist? We spoke in Spanish the whole time, and I was surprised by my proficiency (usually I have a lot of struggles getting words out).
But anyways, she went to town on my calluses, using a razor blade (this was sterile- she opened it from a new pack) and what seemed like an electric sander. Gone were my cracked heels in no time, and I was so excited I almost didn't realize how forceful she was getting with my toe hangnails. (FYI it gets a little TMI right now so just deal with it or skip ahead to Thursday)
As she was finishing up, it started to rain, which of course led to a full blown thunderstorm. Not wanting to be stuck there much longer, I hurried out, braving the storm in flip flops and a skirt, thankful for at least the warm temperature. Unfortunately, my lack of hangnails caused an opening to be exposed to the elements of the storm/street, and I quickly got an infection. Luckily I spotted it right away, but resorted to soaking my foot in scalding salt water with antibacterial soap for the next few days in order to drain it out- the LAST thing I want to have to do here is deal with a hospital/medicine. Anyways today it's back to normal, so luckily I fixed it pretty well.
Thursday:
The written final was harder than I imagined, but I finished early enough to enjoy a beautiful walk home (45 min) with one of the guys in my program. We stopped at a botanical garden park in Palermo across from the Zoo, which I vowed to return to to work out/take pictures/read/everything. I also need to start bringing my camera in order to capture the street art- SO many beautiful paintings and graffiti.
Anyways, so I got home and took it easy, reciting the article for my oral exam the next day.
Friday:
My oral exam ended at 10am, so I hopped on a bus home and headed to the park to get FINALLY a work out in. Needless to say, this needs to become more of a habit because I was struggling. Too short of a time later, I headed back to my house, where I rested until attending the Aussie's apartment for the end of exams/goodbye party.
There was a substantial number of people doing just a one-month program, and Friday marked the end of it. I can't really imagine only being here one month- I still feel like I have yet to scratch the surface on the city. Anyways, we went to their apartment where things quickly progressed into a full blown party.
After finishing our glasses/bottles/etc. seven of us headed out into Plaza Cerrano, the main bar area of Palermo, and snagged an upstairs table at some unknown bar. After a great sharing of some french fries, I called it a night and hailed a cab home (only 4 bucks) while four of them moved on towards the boliches. I wanted to make sure to get enough sleep to get myself to the market the next day.
Saturday:
After lunch, Jess and I hopped on a bus to the Recoleta markets in Plaza Francia. We ate choripan sandwiches in a park, where under the shade of the trees we couldn't pick a better place to be. We scaled all of the little artisan booths, purchasing a few gifts for people back home (Henry, my parents, myself) and enjoying the lazy Saturday. Once it reached the afternoon, the heat had peaked and neither of us felt like staying out in our own sweat, so we retreated home. I took the night off because I knew I'd be going out for the Super Bowl.
Sunday:
I had an amazing lazy morning, and caught up on sleep while anxiously awaiting the Super Bowl. I honestly could care less about the Giants or Patriots- in fact I hate both teams, but since the Pats carried a Cal alum I chose my allegiance and headed to an American-friendly bar, Sugar, in downtown Palermo.
While there, I ran into a Cal guy I recognized from around campus, and with him came 20 more Berkeley students with the EAP program. We all got a corner in the bar, luckily since it was starting to fill up, and took advantage of the two drinks per entry with the 40 peso entrance fee to watch it. Some ISA friends met up with me there, and it was nice to relax in a bar and feel back in the States.
Not so nice was the actual game, and the disappointment that the commercials were just Argentine promos and not the hilarious ones from back home. In all honesty, they're kind of the only reason to watch the Super Bowl when teams like the Giants/Pats are playing.
After 5 hours at the bar, I called it a night, and headed home. It was cool to meet a ton of new people, but a reality check kind of hit when I found out this was their first weekend in Argentina. WIth all their questions and eagerness, I realized how far I had come in these four weeks. Instead of bright eyed and paranoid, I was now the expert, giving them advice and calming their nerves about the safety of the city. Again, I find myself loving it more and more here, and it will be hard to adjust to life back home in the city.
Today nothing worth mentioning happened, except I got a choripan from the same family-owned store, and the old guy/father of the family recognized me :) It's cool to have a customer relationship with people here, since they become more friendly and give me more opportunities to practice my Spanish. Tomorrow my classes start late, at 10.30, which is great for sleeping in, but kind of sucks to not have as much free time in the afternoons as before (they end at 3.30 instead of 2.30).
Ciao for now! Attached as always I have pics
the berkeley/colorado crowd
peers from intermedio dos (minnesota/colorado, davis/berkeley, namibia/australia, pasadena/berkeley- it's really cool that everyone is from all over the states/world)
park art
besos!
I promise to start updating more- but for now just see it as no news being good news! I left off at the Teatro Colon on Tuesday, and I've had a great week since then. I've really adapted well here, and it's amazing that I've already been in the city for a whole month. I didn't really realize how integrated slash how far I have come from my first few days until I met up with some fresh faces for Super Bowl Sunday, but I'll get to that later. In brief, I finished up exams for the first trimester with passing grades (I didn't wait around to get my letter grade since the transfer credits don't matter, but received an email saying I made it to the Advanzo class), and used this three day weekend to celebrate and get some much needed rest.
Wednesday:
With the stress of looming exams, Jess and I decided to head to a salon two blocks from our Apartment where we got our nails done. Salon services are super cheap, and usually a job well done. Unfortunately, my experience reminded me that this is South America, and things are bound to go wrong. For starters, I am 90% sure they were not using sterile tools, so I'm really hoping I haven't picked up any diseases. I loved the girl's personality who was doing the process- I say girl because she looked about two years older than me, but she definitely caused more harm than help. She was from Columbia and had been working in Argentina for three years. Side note of awesomeness- where else would I be able to practice for my exam by conversing with my manicurist? We spoke in Spanish the whole time, and I was surprised by my proficiency (usually I have a lot of struggles getting words out).
But anyways, she went to town on my calluses, using a razor blade (this was sterile- she opened it from a new pack) and what seemed like an electric sander. Gone were my cracked heels in no time, and I was so excited I almost didn't realize how forceful she was getting with my toe hangnails. (FYI it gets a little TMI right now so just deal with it or skip ahead to Thursday)
As she was finishing up, it started to rain, which of course led to a full blown thunderstorm. Not wanting to be stuck there much longer, I hurried out, braving the storm in flip flops and a skirt, thankful for at least the warm temperature. Unfortunately, my lack of hangnails caused an opening to be exposed to the elements of the storm/street, and I quickly got an infection. Luckily I spotted it right away, but resorted to soaking my foot in scalding salt water with antibacterial soap for the next few days in order to drain it out- the LAST thing I want to have to do here is deal with a hospital/medicine. Anyways today it's back to normal, so luckily I fixed it pretty well.
Thursday:
The written final was harder than I imagined, but I finished early enough to enjoy a beautiful walk home (45 min) with one of the guys in my program. We stopped at a botanical garden park in Palermo across from the Zoo, which I vowed to return to to work out/take pictures/read/everything. I also need to start bringing my camera in order to capture the street art- SO many beautiful paintings and graffiti.
Anyways, so I got home and took it easy, reciting the article for my oral exam the next day.
Friday:
My oral exam ended at 10am, so I hopped on a bus home and headed to the park to get FINALLY a work out in. Needless to say, this needs to become more of a habit because I was struggling. Too short of a time later, I headed back to my house, where I rested until attending the Aussie's apartment for the end of exams/goodbye party.
There was a substantial number of people doing just a one-month program, and Friday marked the end of it. I can't really imagine only being here one month- I still feel like I have yet to scratch the surface on the city. Anyways, we went to their apartment where things quickly progressed into a full blown party.
After finishing our glasses/bottles/etc. seven of us headed out into Plaza Cerrano, the main bar area of Palermo, and snagged an upstairs table at some unknown bar. After a great sharing of some french fries, I called it a night and hailed a cab home (only 4 bucks) while four of them moved on towards the boliches. I wanted to make sure to get enough sleep to get myself to the market the next day.
Saturday:
After lunch, Jess and I hopped on a bus to the Recoleta markets in Plaza Francia. We ate choripan sandwiches in a park, where under the shade of the trees we couldn't pick a better place to be. We scaled all of the little artisan booths, purchasing a few gifts for people back home (Henry, my parents, myself) and enjoying the lazy Saturday. Once it reached the afternoon, the heat had peaked and neither of us felt like staying out in our own sweat, so we retreated home. I took the night off because I knew I'd be going out for the Super Bowl.
Sunday:
I had an amazing lazy morning, and caught up on sleep while anxiously awaiting the Super Bowl. I honestly could care less about the Giants or Patriots- in fact I hate both teams, but since the Pats carried a Cal alum I chose my allegiance and headed to an American-friendly bar, Sugar, in downtown Palermo.
While there, I ran into a Cal guy I recognized from around campus, and with him came 20 more Berkeley students with the EAP program. We all got a corner in the bar, luckily since it was starting to fill up, and took advantage of the two drinks per entry with the 40 peso entrance fee to watch it. Some ISA friends met up with me there, and it was nice to relax in a bar and feel back in the States.
Not so nice was the actual game, and the disappointment that the commercials were just Argentine promos and not the hilarious ones from back home. In all honesty, they're kind of the only reason to watch the Super Bowl when teams like the Giants/Pats are playing.
After 5 hours at the bar, I called it a night, and headed home. It was cool to meet a ton of new people, but a reality check kind of hit when I found out this was their first weekend in Argentina. WIth all their questions and eagerness, I realized how far I had come in these four weeks. Instead of bright eyed and paranoid, I was now the expert, giving them advice and calming their nerves about the safety of the city. Again, I find myself loving it more and more here, and it will be hard to adjust to life back home in the city.
Today nothing worth mentioning happened, except I got a choripan from the same family-owned store, and the old guy/father of the family recognized me :) It's cool to have a customer relationship with people here, since they become more friendly and give me more opportunities to practice my Spanish. Tomorrow my classes start late, at 10.30, which is great for sleeping in, but kind of sucks to not have as much free time in the afternoons as before (they end at 3.30 instead of 2.30).
Ciao for now! Attached as always I have pics
besos!
#thirdworldproblems
2/6
In such a beautiful, Europeanized city, it's hard to remember that Buenos Aires is considered the developing world. I'm truly adapting to the relaxed, easy going lifestyle, and enjoying simply living minute by minute instead of constantly planning and stressing about what comes next. When things go wrong, we simply say "cultural experience." Got lost? Cultural experience. Robbed? Cultural experience. Hit by a taxi? Cultural experience. I just thought I'd shoot a quick post before my recap of the week on things that definitely make me miss the States. (Sorry in advance for some of the TMI)
Also a little note: this is all meant in good humor, so I hope it comes across with a positive outlook...
Never escaping the heat
Because of the humidity and weather, I find myself constantly sweating, even minutes out of getting out of the shower. I have a fan in my room, but with one outlet (and lets be real I use my computer) it's often more of an oven than a sanctuary. Some adventures in the city are hindered due to a complete drainage of energy after only spending a couple hours under the sun. Restaurants provide small little wax or paper napkins, pretty sure for the sole reason of wiping that upper lip area when you're trying to seem presentable to a hot date. At least I don't have to care about hair/makeup since everyone else is sweating just as profusely.... Although the smell on the colectivos has really no benefit to it at all.
Lack of development
So last week, my host mom traveled to her country home (without telling Jess or I), so coming back from Pinamar I was greeted to an empty house. With no word from her, we quickly resorted to making our own dinner and hoping for the best. A scratchy phone call 24 hours later led us to realize she was stuck in the country due to massive flooding in the area. Since her country home doesn't even have built roads (all dirt/farm area) she had no access to getting out. Also since it was in the outlands of South America, she had very limited communication service, and that would be the only call we would get from her for the duration of her 3 day disappearance. Luckily she made it back safe, with empanadas in hand.
Lack of reliability
Waiting at the bus stop for forty minutes in the middle of the day? Normal. Subway shut down because of a strike? Figures. Freeway blockade preventing you from reaching the airport? Daily routine. Because of the hago que quiero attitude of Argentina, strikes, lackluster efforts, and missteps in scheduling are the norm here. Train is supposed to come at 10? Arrives at 1040. House mom supposed to arrive Sunday? Knocks to be let in Tuesday night. Order a hamburger at a bar during happy hour? Expect it to come two hours later. Patience is a virtue, and it's definitely one thing needed when dealing with daily city life in Bs As.
Lack of hygiene/public health fiend issues
First off- see my next post in describing my nail salon fiasco. But secondly- everything here seems like it could use some good old department of PH influence. The tools at the salons don't seem to be sterilized, and really how hard is it to put some metal in a tub of alcohol? The floor of my apartment may be as dirty as the streets- I literally have to wash my feet and then wear shoes into my room before getting into bed because my soles are close to black from all the dust build up. YUMMM. Again as said previously just the sweat. So much sweat. There's more, such as fruit stands and public transportation and water/puddles in the streets- but those are all problems faced in CA as well, so not really anything different.
Luckily I still have communication, although I think it's been four times now where the internet just decides to not work for hours at a time during the day, and really the only thing we can do according to housemom is "esperar con esperanza."
Speaking of sweat and hygiene, gunna hop in the shower, but afterwards will post an update on what I've been up to!
not that this has anything to do with the third world.. but one communist manifesto to go please?
In such a beautiful, Europeanized city, it's hard to remember that Buenos Aires is considered the developing world. I'm truly adapting to the relaxed, easy going lifestyle, and enjoying simply living minute by minute instead of constantly planning and stressing about what comes next. When things go wrong, we simply say "cultural experience." Got lost? Cultural experience. Robbed? Cultural experience. Hit by a taxi? Cultural experience. I just thought I'd shoot a quick post before my recap of the week on things that definitely make me miss the States. (Sorry in advance for some of the TMI)
Also a little note: this is all meant in good humor, so I hope it comes across with a positive outlook...
Never escaping the heat
Because of the humidity and weather, I find myself constantly sweating, even minutes out of getting out of the shower. I have a fan in my room, but with one outlet (and lets be real I use my computer) it's often more of an oven than a sanctuary. Some adventures in the city are hindered due to a complete drainage of energy after only spending a couple hours under the sun. Restaurants provide small little wax or paper napkins, pretty sure for the sole reason of wiping that upper lip area when you're trying to seem presentable to a hot date. At least I don't have to care about hair/makeup since everyone else is sweating just as profusely.... Although the smell on the colectivos has really no benefit to it at all.
Lack of development
So last week, my host mom traveled to her country home (without telling Jess or I), so coming back from Pinamar I was greeted to an empty house. With no word from her, we quickly resorted to making our own dinner and hoping for the best. A scratchy phone call 24 hours later led us to realize she was stuck in the country due to massive flooding in the area. Since her country home doesn't even have built roads (all dirt/farm area) she had no access to getting out. Also since it was in the outlands of South America, she had very limited communication service, and that would be the only call we would get from her for the duration of her 3 day disappearance. Luckily she made it back safe, with empanadas in hand.
Lack of reliability
Waiting at the bus stop for forty minutes in the middle of the day? Normal. Subway shut down because of a strike? Figures. Freeway blockade preventing you from reaching the airport? Daily routine. Because of the hago que quiero attitude of Argentina, strikes, lackluster efforts, and missteps in scheduling are the norm here. Train is supposed to come at 10? Arrives at 1040. House mom supposed to arrive Sunday? Knocks to be let in Tuesday night. Order a hamburger at a bar during happy hour? Expect it to come two hours later. Patience is a virtue, and it's definitely one thing needed when dealing with daily city life in Bs As.
Lack of hygiene/public health fiend issues
First off- see my next post in describing my nail salon fiasco. But secondly- everything here seems like it could use some good old department of PH influence. The tools at the salons don't seem to be sterilized, and really how hard is it to put some metal in a tub of alcohol? The floor of my apartment may be as dirty as the streets- I literally have to wash my feet and then wear shoes into my room before getting into bed because my soles are close to black from all the dust build up. YUMMM. Again as said previously just the sweat. So much sweat. There's more, such as fruit stands and public transportation and water/puddles in the streets- but those are all problems faced in CA as well, so not really anything different.
Luckily I still have communication, although I think it's been four times now where the internet just decides to not work for hours at a time during the day, and really the only thing we can do according to housemom is "esperar con esperanza."
Speaking of sweat and hygiene, gunna hop in the shower, but afterwards will post an update on what I've been up to!
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