I am sorry this did not get posted last night, but I could not find internet connection.
Classes were nice, nothing out of the ordinary. I found a little kiosk near the school where I can buy crackers which are a great snack during the school day. They have essentially no glycemic index and therefore no sugar high or crash.
After the school day ended, I hung around talking with Paula and Flor in the office. I had no where that I needed to be, and it is nice talking with them because we can use Spanish and English fluidly; any questions I have they can answer, and occasionally vice versa. We made plans to go out on Saturday night in Palermo Hollywood (the name is definitely intriguing, no?). Paula was creating homemade version of Taboo, which I am very excited to play, I love the English version.
In the evening there was a soccer game between Boca and Estudiantes. Estudiantes is a much younger team, but they held their own and managed to score a goal during the final minutes of the second half tying the score at 1:1. It was quite exciting. The game started at 9.15p and at 10.00 on a different channel was a professional Argentinean men's volleyball game. So during the soccer game's half-time, I watched the volleyball match. Some of the players were 20 years old! I cannot imagine being 20 and on a professional athletics team. Well, I flipped back and forth between games. The volleyball match was between Boca (as well) and Dean Bolivar, the later won in 4 sets. It made me want to play super badly.
Well, it was a fairy low-key Friday night, Luke went out with some friends from his program, and invited me, but I opted sleep over socializing.
Short post for Friday, but it was a simple day.
Chao.
27 February 2010
25 February 2010
Day 26: The Recoleta Trip
This morning was the most extreme subway experience I have ever had in my life. It is difficult to describe how busy it was. I entered the station early this morning at 08.35 with the delusion that I might get to school early and read a bit before class started and there were quite a few people waiting, already. Well, I just thought that the next train would be coming soon, as the station always fills up right before the next train; but it turned out that the subway trains were running behind that morning and instead of coming under 5 minutes apart, they were coming more like every 7 or 8. Now that is not a huge difference in the grand scheme of things, but during mid-morning rush hour it is significant. Quickly the station filled completely. There were long rows of people waiting on the platform for the next train, I was luckily in the third row. The station would have cleared quickly had there been room on the incoming trains, but I had to wait more than half an hour to be right at the platform edge. And once there the next 2 trains were completely full. Completely full means that when the doors opened at the station, the people in the doorway essentially fell out from the pressure of the other passengers. I ended up waiting more than 45 minutes before I squeezed (well, also I was sort of jammed in by those behind me) into a train and I exited the subway at about 09.35. Classes start at 09.30 and I have to walk about 10 minutes from the station. Quite the ride.
After comparatively uneventful classes, with still no sign of the phantom "James," I joined Marcelo's weekly tour of Bs. As. to the Museo de Bellas Artes in the Recoleta district. We took an 8 minute bus ride to the museum, which was free of charge. On the ground floor were a lot of personal collections of old Argentinean artwork, paintings and some sculptures. The mediums and styles varied quite a bit, but there were a few pieces that I really loved. Upstairs was a little more "modern" art although some of it dated back quite a few years. This I enjoyed less. I do like some modern art, but not much of this collection caught my interest. All in all the museum was wonderful, a definite must-see for any visitor.
I had left the school group while in the museum, as I like to experience art at my own pace, so I left the museum after everyone else. I decided to look around the area some more, since there are a few other touristy locations in that area that I wanted to see. I first went to the National Library, Biblioteca Nacional, which is a very interesting building made of concrete with four supports holding up the library a good 50 feet in the air. I decided not to actually go up into the library because they had a very extensive security screening process and I would not want to stay that long anyhow. So, I walked back to the cemetery that I visited a few days ago to walk around the cafés. I realized that we had entered the little church next to the cemetery last week during the tour, but I had forgotten. Regardless, I wanted to check out the cultural center that was right next door. This building had a little plaza that was a butterfly sanctuary, two modern art galleries (not very big, and not terribly impressive), but upstairs was an interactive science museum. I paid the 15 peso entrance fee and spent quite a while exploring natural phenomenon, physics, mechanics, natural sciences and optics with a bunch of Argentinean families. The logo of the museum was "Prohibido no tocar" which means you were not allowed to not touch and experience everything. It was very enjoyable. I wish I had been exposed to some of those exhibits during my high school classes. They made everything a lot more fun.
Once I returned to the sarcasm and 'realism' of teenagerhood and left the museum, I walked back to Av. Corrientes, a goodly ways, and took the subway home. It was still more busy than I had expected at that time, a bit before 6.00p. Summer vacations are winding down, and the world is using the subway.
Luke and I ate some empanadas for dinner, Betty was out and about with one of her friends, and after finishing the largest batch of homework I have received yet, I am aiming for an early night. So, a little bit of Harry Potter, and then some serious mental preparation for tomorrow's subway escapade. I seriously need to start preparing 12 hours in advance. Welcome to the real city experience, Dylan.
Chao.
Day 25: The Cool Day
To my delight, and my arteries' horror, I discovered a little pastry shop right on my way to school, about a block away. Today I had two croissants, and I also brought one to Paula who had returned today after feeling ill quite the day before. I will not allow this to become a daily tradition, even I (I think) can get a sweet-toothache. But for now and then, the little facturas make for an excellent mid-morning munch.
Classes were fine today, not superb, not awful; I had a moment of excitement this morning when I arrived early and saw that a new student was taking the placement test (which somehow I never took...), but he was assigned to the group that is right behind me, textbook-wise. Now I believe that the majority of the student body is from the USA or Canada. Of the students I see regularly, I can think of 7 English speakers (including an Irish lad) and 3 "foreigners" and there are a couple of students with whom I have only said "Hola" to in the hallway, an insufficient interaction for origin placement.
After school I went to the Correo Argentina, more specifically the Correo Central, which is more for local postal matters, since I figured that the package would have started floating around the city after a failed attempt to make a landing at the apartment, but apparently (as I found after waiting in two different lines in two different buildings) the package as modified its flight plans and has rerouted back to the US of A. Therefore, Mom, I think you can expect a package from yourself in the nearby future. It came so close, to my literal doorstep.
Tonight Betty had a friend over for dinner, we had homemade empanadas, a tort (which to me has a strange, sweet taste), some slight variation of guacamole with apple pieces and crackers, some tortilla (which here is essentially a cheese-based quiche deal) and we topped it off with some apple pie and cream while watching a TV program about the current political situations, lies told by the news stations and papers, and I'm sure other things which I missed since everyone on the show talks rapidly and uses words that I am not used to or expecting to hear. So, I catch words and phrases, not intention or context. That makes for a slightly frustrating experience. I wish I could remember all the vocabulary I have been exposed to, and could use it and recognize it. Why can I not be a genius? I wish you could improve your IQ by doing pushups or squats. If that were the case I could get in shape and dominate the language learning experience.
Today was actually "chilly" in the shade. I woke up and found that the overhead fan was making me cold. I was shocked. And pleased. The subway was only hot, versus sweltering, and the cool air did not burn off with the day. Even on my way home from school I found myself putting my hands in my pockets or crossing my arms. It was lovely. Very nice. "¡Muuuuuy bien!" as the Argentineans say.
Anyways, in case you had not picked up on my current state of sleepiness by tonight's ramblings, I think it is time for bed. 6 hours of private lessons definitely is a different experience than a group class, I think the change is taking its toll on my mind's battery capacity. I will go to sleep with the image of that silly package snuggled cozily on a plane riding over the waves under the moonlight.
Chao.
23 February 2010
Day 24: The International Run
School was again 6 hours of private lessons, since the mysterious "James" has not made an appearance, and I am the most "advanced" student currently at the school (!!!) so they will not transfer any students from a different group into mine. I have graduated to the Book 3b, which is exciting, as is all visible progress. I am doing a lot of reading, out loud, and my comprehension level is improving noticeably. This week's school outing is planned for the Museo de Bellas Artes, which is perfect for me. Marcelo, who organizes each outing, was thinking out loud this morning about where we should go, since most of the students are new, and so I suggested Bellas Artes. I also made contact with an indirect friend (a former exchange student to my school in Austin) who lives in northern Bs. As. and so I think that I will be going to a couple more interesting places this weekend. I feel like the more I experience the city, the more I realize how little of it to which I am exposed.
There has been a tragic subplot to the novel of my life here, that of the infamous package. Shortly after I arrived my Mom sent me a small package from the United States of some practical items. It took a long time to reach Argentina, and Buenos Aires, and when it finally came I was at school and Betty was at work. The cleaning lady was in the apartment, but she had forgotten my name, so she did not accept the package. The courier did not leave any sort of paper here, and since we do not have a phone line currently, I had been optimistically hoping the courier would try again. Well, I asked at the school what they thought the best plan-of-action would be (the issue being that my Mom did not automatically receive a tracking number since she did not need to insure the package), and I was directed to the Correo Internacional which is located essentially directly north of the school very close to the water.
So that I where I went this afternoon. It was about a 10 minute walk, I passed the Sheraton and in those 5 seconds was tired of hearing loud American tourists, and after crossing several hairy intersections (thank goodness I was taught the 'look right, then left, then right again' method so well as a child), I arrived at the building. I took my number and waited in line feeling like I was in that horrible dream where you forget to wear clothes to school because I was the only one in the line without my little paper and number. I did not have to wait long, and I was told rather abruptly that without a number my package was "perdido," lost. Feeling a bit less optimistic, my hope was restored when a nice lady waiting at the next counter pointed out that the USPS would have assigned the package a number, regardless of if the number was given to my Mother. So, I asked my Mom to look into the matter, and I can happily announce that, ladies and gentlemen, señoras y señores, I am the proud owner of a very nice and official-looking number. So, I can go tomorrow on what will, hopefully, be the final page of this package chapter without any severe plot twists.
In other news, I am in rather dire need of a haircut, but Betty is swearing by her hairdresser who only works a few days a week (because he is still on his summer vacation schedule) and so I think I will be continuing this lion's mane look for a day or so more.
Luke is still out, I have not seen him since this morning, I just finished my piece of apple pie and I now need to start/finish my homework because I have no hope that someone else in the class will be called upon to read the answers.
Chao.
There has been a tragic subplot to the novel of my life here, that of the infamous package. Shortly after I arrived my Mom sent me a small package from the United States of some practical items. It took a long time to reach Argentina, and Buenos Aires, and when it finally came I was at school and Betty was at work. The cleaning lady was in the apartment, but she had forgotten my name, so she did not accept the package. The courier did not leave any sort of paper here, and since we do not have a phone line currently, I had been optimistically hoping the courier would try again. Well, I asked at the school what they thought the best plan-of-action would be (the issue being that my Mom did not automatically receive a tracking number since she did not need to insure the package), and I was directed to the Correo Internacional which is located essentially directly north of the school very close to the water.
So that I where I went this afternoon. It was about a 10 minute walk, I passed the Sheraton and in those 5 seconds was tired of hearing loud American tourists, and after crossing several hairy intersections (thank goodness I was taught the 'look right, then left, then right again' method so well as a child), I arrived at the building. I took my number and waited in line feeling like I was in that horrible dream where you forget to wear clothes to school because I was the only one in the line without my little paper and number. I did not have to wait long, and I was told rather abruptly that without a number my package was "perdido," lost. Feeling a bit less optimistic, my hope was restored when a nice lady waiting at the next counter pointed out that the USPS would have assigned the package a number, regardless of if the number was given to my Mother. So, I asked my Mom to look into the matter, and I can happily announce that, ladies and gentlemen, señoras y señores, I am the proud owner of a very nice and official-looking number. So, I can go tomorrow on what will, hopefully, be the final page of this package chapter without any severe plot twists.
In other news, I am in rather dire need of a haircut, but Betty is swearing by her hairdresser who only works a few days a week (because he is still on his summer vacation schedule) and so I think I will be continuing this lion's mane look for a day or so more.
Luke is still out, I have not seen him since this morning, I just finished my piece of apple pie and I now need to start/finish my homework because I have no hope that someone else in the class will be called upon to read the answers.
Chao.
Day 23: The Private Day
Today was a strange day at school. Ruth, Andi and Peter all left after Friday, along with a lot of the other students that were around my level. This morning there were a lot of new faces, but there was only one other man who was in my group. This guy, however, had other plans it seemed, because he never showed and so I had 3 private lessons today, two during the "group" classes, and then my normal private lesson after lunch. It was interesting. Marta thought it could be a great opportunity for me if James, the other guy, does not end up coming, to really work hard and advance quickly. She wants me to write more in the classes and at home, she thinks that will help me lots.
With Marcelo we did a lot of conversional work as well as reading out loud. He is happy to talk about anything and everything, and he is good about always correcting me when I read. With German we worked on some grammatical stuff and then told fairytales in Spanish. Very amusing. Apparently a common ending to the fairytales in Argentina (like "And they lived happily ever after...") translates literally to "and they lived happily and ate little birds." !! I think they use it because the phrases rhyme, but it still a little disturbing. Today's photo is of German's drawing (of which he does a lot, and very carefully) while I was recounting the story of the three pigs, the wolf, and the whole blowing the house down deal.
German is an avid fan of the fútbol team "Estudiantes" from Rio Plata a smaller city to the east on the coast, he has an Estudiantes watch, and the team played tonight. Last time they played I missed the game, but was told by Marta the next morning that they had lost 4-1 to a team from Peru. So, I wrote a sign saying "¿Estudiantes? ¡¡4-1!!" and hung it outside his classroom in the morning. Marta did not approve, though all the students thought it was amusing, because fútbol etiquette states that you are only allowed to tease a team before the match. Not after. Well, tonight Estudiantes won 2-0 over Húracan so I will hang a similar sign tomorrow to show my support and apologies.
The big news today was the arrival of Luke. He flew in at about 11.00 this morning, was welcomed in by Ana the housecleaner because Betty was still at work, and when I came home he was just finishing up his post-flight nap. He is just a bit older than me and is with the University of Minnesota, though he is originally from Wisconsin. He is part of a large group, around 120 people I believe, and he will be in Bs. As. until July. He will be taking some Spanish classes in addition to attending one of the universities here. He is very nice, I can sympathize with his issues acclimating to the accent here, but he speaks enough Spanish that he can communicate well. Our only issue so far is that he actually enjoys the sport of Curling. As in he does not find it hysterical to watch, he actually likes it. Strange.
He will get to experience the subway initiation ceremony tomorrow morning as he goes to his school on the same line as me. Today, because more people are now returning to work after their summer vacations, the subway was incredibly full. I had to miss the first one that came because the two people in front of me squeezed in like contortionists. Zero personal space. Everyone is just trying to breathe and of course it is always the person at the other end who needs to leave at the next station. The process of allowing someone through reminds me of those scrambled tile puzzles where you move one, then move another into the open space. Ridiculous.
Well, a little Olympic action after the Estudiantes v. Húracan game, saw some pair figure skating and women's hockey. Now it's off to bed, I am interested to see of the mysterious James appears tomorrow.
Chao.
With Marcelo we did a lot of conversional work as well as reading out loud. He is happy to talk about anything and everything, and he is good about always correcting me when I read. With German we worked on some grammatical stuff and then told fairytales in Spanish. Very amusing. Apparently a common ending to the fairytales in Argentina (like "And they lived happily ever after...") translates literally to "and they lived happily and ate little birds." !! I think they use it because the phrases rhyme, but it still a little disturbing. Today's photo is of German's drawing (of which he does a lot, and very carefully) while I was recounting the story of the three pigs, the wolf, and the whole blowing the house down deal.
Look closely and you can see his Estudiantes watch too
German is an avid fan of the fútbol team "Estudiantes" from Rio Plata a smaller city to the east on the coast, he has an Estudiantes watch, and the team played tonight. Last time they played I missed the game, but was told by Marta the next morning that they had lost 4-1 to a team from Peru. So, I wrote a sign saying "¿Estudiantes? ¡¡4-1!!" and hung it outside his classroom in the morning. Marta did not approve, though all the students thought it was amusing, because fútbol etiquette states that you are only allowed to tease a team before the match. Not after. Well, tonight Estudiantes won 2-0 over Húracan so I will hang a similar sign tomorrow to show my support and apologies.
The big news today was the arrival of Luke. He flew in at about 11.00 this morning, was welcomed in by Ana the housecleaner because Betty was still at work, and when I came home he was just finishing up his post-flight nap. He is just a bit older than me and is with the University of Minnesota, though he is originally from Wisconsin. He is part of a large group, around 120 people I believe, and he will be in Bs. As. until July. He will be taking some Spanish classes in addition to attending one of the universities here. He is very nice, I can sympathize with his issues acclimating to the accent here, but he speaks enough Spanish that he can communicate well. Our only issue so far is that he actually enjoys the sport of Curling. As in he does not find it hysterical to watch, he actually likes it. Strange.
He will get to experience the subway initiation ceremony tomorrow morning as he goes to his school on the same line as me. Today, because more people are now returning to work after their summer vacations, the subway was incredibly full. I had to miss the first one that came because the two people in front of me squeezed in like contortionists. Zero personal space. Everyone is just trying to breathe and of course it is always the person at the other end who needs to leave at the next station. The process of allowing someone through reminds me of those scrambled tile puzzles where you move one, then move another into the open space. Ridiculous.
Well, a little Olympic action after the Estudiantes v. Húracan game, saw some pair figure skating and women's hockey. Now it's off to bed, I am interested to see of the mysterious James appears tomorrow.
Chao.
21 February 2010
Day 22: The Terrible Cesar Salad
Today I went to the River stadium again with Andi. We met again at 5.30p by the Monument Tower and took the bus to the stadium. When we got there we were really surprised by how little people were milling around the base. When we had gone last time there had been people everywhere. We approached the ticket stands and saw that they were closed. Apparently the game had started about an hour before we got there. We had been going off the time posted at our school on the bulletin board (or what we thought it said, now we're not so sure) which was 19.10 same as last time. Well, we could not get in. We asked around, but apparently there's no late entry and there were police and other security personnel at each entrance/exit.
So a little disappointed we walked along the main street in search of a restaurant. If you can not watch soccer, you might as well eat, right? The only problem was that since it was about 6.30p not many restaurants were open; it was far too early. We passed many that were completely shut, and a few that were just setting up the tables. Finally we found a "café" which was really more of a pub that was serving some food. They had a good-sized menu, but they were not serving anything but sandwiches and salads. So, we got hamburgers and split a salad. We at the burgers first, and I got a fruit shake (strawberry and nectarine). When we started on the cesar salad we both laughed at how terrible it was. Now, it is quite difficult to 'burn' a salad, but this had soggy bread, cold hunks of poor quality chicken, and a pretty sad dressing. The lettuce was okay, but there was not much of it.
Andi is starting his working experience this next week, working in a gym first in reception and then back in the marketing department. He is studying Economics in university. He is going to check on the membership prices for me, because I thought having a friend working at a gym would be excellent motivation to go regularly. And although I have not had ice cream since I last posted about it, I really should exercise more frequently.
The only news left to tell is that I will be meeting a bunch of new people this week. My group class will be filled with new people (assuming new people come...) and a boy is coming to live in Judy's room here in Betty's house. From what Betty tells me he is going to school in Minnesota and is called Luke Joseph. He is part of a large group of people and will either arrive on a flight at 09.00 or 11.00 tomorrow. He is not going to the same school as me, but it will be neat to meet a new person.
Here is a video that I took during the hard rains. I had not been able to upload it until now because the internet has been so sketchy and it is about 50 seconds. It is taken from outside the window of the apartment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-3mB3KTKZ0
Chao.
So a little disappointed we walked along the main street in search of a restaurant. If you can not watch soccer, you might as well eat, right? The only problem was that since it was about 6.30p not many restaurants were open; it was far too early. We passed many that were completely shut, and a few that were just setting up the tables. Finally we found a "café" which was really more of a pub that was serving some food. They had a good-sized menu, but they were not serving anything but sandwiches and salads. So, we got hamburgers and split a salad. We at the burgers first, and I got a fruit shake (strawberry and nectarine). When we started on the cesar salad we both laughed at how terrible it was. Now, it is quite difficult to 'burn' a salad, but this had soggy bread, cold hunks of poor quality chicken, and a pretty sad dressing. The lettuce was okay, but there was not much of it.
Andi is starting his working experience this next week, working in a gym first in reception and then back in the marketing department. He is studying Economics in university. He is going to check on the membership prices for me, because I thought having a friend working at a gym would be excellent motivation to go regularly. And although I have not had ice cream since I last posted about it, I really should exercise more frequently.
The only news left to tell is that I will be meeting a bunch of new people this week. My group class will be filled with new people (assuming new people come...) and a boy is coming to live in Judy's room here in Betty's house. From what Betty tells me he is going to school in Minnesota and is called Luke Joseph. He is part of a large group of people and will either arrive on a flight at 09.00 or 11.00 tomorrow. He is not going to the same school as me, but it will be neat to meet a new person.
Here is a video that I took during the hard rains. I had not been able to upload it until now because the internet has been so sketchy and it is about 50 seconds. It is taken from outside the window of the apartment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-3mB3KTKZ0
Chao.
Day 21: The Plaza de Mayo
This afternoon I took the subway east to the Plaza de Mayo, a square around which is a lot of cultural and religious history. I first went into the Cathedral that is on the north-eastern corner of the plaza. It was very impressive. Very nice architecture, not Gothic (which I really like), but it had lots of alcoves with figures and paintings. Complimenting the gold was a dirty red (not light or dark, but with a tint of rusty brown) that in my opinion made the apparent age of the building much older. The only downside was that it was quite full of tourists who had out their cameras. So instead of feeling the pensive, somber mood of the church, it was more of a tourist destination. I do have a few pictures from inside, but I would like to state for the record that I was not one of the annoying tourists using flash (or multiple flashes).
After exiting the Cathedral I walked over to the Casa Rosada, on the eastern side. It was sprinkling all the while, or more like misting. The only drops came from the trees and gutters. I entered the Casa Rosada thinking I would not be able to see much, since it is still a functioning building. This is the building from which President Peron and his wife Eva addressed the masses (for those of you thinking of Buenos Aires in terms of the musical Evita). Once I walked inside (through the x-ray security) I joined a small group in a timed tour of some of the publicly accessible rooms. At each stage were uniformed guards, think The Vatican or Buckingham Palace, but a little less ridiculously dressed or impersonate, respectably. I saw a room with the most important women in Argentinean history, including medical, social, political pioneers, and many marble, and quite life-like, busts. I got to stand on that famous balcony, yes, I waved imperially at the scattered tourists below. At each stage we were not able to dawdle because guards kept us moving in a timely manner to accommodate for frequent tours. I also saw some of the rooms used more modernly, including rooms in which speeches are given, all decorated ostentatiously of course.
I next meandered in the direction of a museum I had seen on my map. On my way I encountered another church, tucked away in the city grid, very inconspicuous, but it was long and took up an entire block of its own. There was a man outside who ushered me inside the empty and very quite interior. This church had a simple, but large, tapestry hanging behind the alter, with a cross hanging in the air in front. I sat inside for a few minutes in complete silence. Then a few other people entered behind me, so I got up and left. It was a very nice contemplative interlude to my afternoon.
It turns out that the museum is just literally across the street from the entrance to the church, so I popped in there with the admission price of 1 peso (the currant exchange rate is about USD1 = ARP3.8). The museum was pretty interesting, nothing spectacular, it was essentially a collection of antiques covering the genres of toys, music, clothing, all with a slightly musty smell and an ample amount of dust.
After the museum, I decided to walk the maybe 8 blocks to the Obelisco mentioned in a previous post. There was going to be a Aires Buenos Aires public performance later, and I wanted to grab a bite to eat beforehand. I got a window table in a small corner restaurant with a nice ambiance and white shirted waiters. I got some water and a pizza while people watching. After paying I walked to the stage.
I should explain the layout of the Obelisco and surrounding roads: The Avenida 9 de Julio is a north-south road that has the directions of traffic separated by an open median. The lanes widen around the base of the Obelisco which is the centerpiece to a rather busy and complicated intersection. The stage was just south of the Obelisco on the median between the road Av. 9 de Julio. I got there early enough to grab a chair with a great view of the stage, facing north, with the Obelisco rising out from behind.
The night was a night of Tango performances. There were four acts that I saw: two female singers, one of which I liked, one not so much, and then a dancing group, ended with a six-person music band. The first woman had a great voice and stage presence. There were two large screens on either side of the stage, but I was close enough to see quite well without their assistance. The second woman was (in only my opinion) a tad less talented, her voice did not quite match up with the first. The dance group was about 8 pairs and they were very good. They did group pieces and duos. I liked the duos better since they were more violent, quick, aggressive, and impressive. The tango musicians were fantastic, with two very old men playing violin with wonderful passion. With all of the Italian blood in their roots, some of the Argentineans could not stay in their seats and started to dance themselves around the edges of the audience. When I left because the live music was over, they played a mix of tango music to which lots of couples danced. A circle formed around a bunch of dancers, and it was very interesting to see the mix of ages, abilities, and genders (Tango can and is danced with male/male, male/female, and less frequently female/female couples). A lot of older men seemed to be having the time of their lives dancing away with all of the attention.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nkE-hR1oKQ
Humming to myself I took the subway home. There was only one "interesting" part to the journey, when at one stop after opening the doors the train shut down, the lights went off, and we all waited in the dark and heat for a while before resuming our trip.
I had a really nice day; I got to see some of the more important Buenos Aires tourist locations, and although I was alone, I enjoyed myself immensely.
Chao.
After exiting the Cathedral I walked over to the Casa Rosada, on the eastern side. It was sprinkling all the while, or more like misting. The only drops came from the trees and gutters. I entered the Casa Rosada thinking I would not be able to see much, since it is still a functioning building. This is the building from which President Peron and his wife Eva addressed the masses (for those of you thinking of Buenos Aires in terms of the musical Evita). Once I walked inside (through the x-ray security) I joined a small group in a timed tour of some of the publicly accessible rooms. At each stage were uniformed guards, think The Vatican or Buckingham Palace, but a little less ridiculously dressed or impersonate, respectably. I saw a room with the most important women in Argentinean history, including medical, social, political pioneers, and many marble, and quite life-like, busts. I got to stand on that famous balcony, yes, I waved imperially at the scattered tourists below. At each stage we were not able to dawdle because guards kept us moving in a timely manner to accommodate for frequent tours. I also saw some of the rooms used more modernly, including rooms in which speeches are given, all decorated ostentatiously of course.
I left the Casa Rosada (I do hope everyone has caught the connection to the White House), and sat in the middle of the square where there is a flag and two statues (one bearing the date 25 Mayo 1810). I ate two facturas which I had brought from home that morning.
I next meandered in the direction of a museum I had seen on my map. On my way I encountered another church, tucked away in the city grid, very inconspicuous, but it was long and took up an entire block of its own. There was a man outside who ushered me inside the empty and very quite interior. This church had a simple, but large, tapestry hanging behind the alter, with a cross hanging in the air in front. I sat inside for a few minutes in complete silence. Then a few other people entered behind me, so I got up and left. It was a very nice contemplative interlude to my afternoon.
It turns out that the museum is just literally across the street from the entrance to the church, so I popped in there with the admission price of 1 peso (the currant exchange rate is about USD1 = ARP3.8). The museum was pretty interesting, nothing spectacular, it was essentially a collection of antiques covering the genres of toys, music, clothing, all with a slightly musty smell and an ample amount of dust.
After the museum, I decided to walk the maybe 8 blocks to the Obelisco mentioned in a previous post. There was going to be a Aires Buenos Aires public performance later, and I wanted to grab a bite to eat beforehand. I got a window table in a small corner restaurant with a nice ambiance and white shirted waiters. I got some water and a pizza while people watching. After paying I walked to the stage.
I should explain the layout of the Obelisco and surrounding roads: The Avenida 9 de Julio is a north-south road that has the directions of traffic separated by an open median. The lanes widen around the base of the Obelisco which is the centerpiece to a rather busy and complicated intersection. The stage was just south of the Obelisco on the median between the road Av. 9 de Julio. I got there early enough to grab a chair with a great view of the stage, facing north, with the Obelisco rising out from behind.
The night was a night of Tango performances. There were four acts that I saw: two female singers, one of which I liked, one not so much, and then a dancing group, ended with a six-person music band. The first woman had a great voice and stage presence. There were two large screens on either side of the stage, but I was close enough to see quite well without their assistance. The second woman was (in only my opinion) a tad less talented, her voice did not quite match up with the first. The dance group was about 8 pairs and they were very good. They did group pieces and duos. I liked the duos better since they were more violent, quick, aggressive, and impressive. The tango musicians were fantastic, with two very old men playing violin with wonderful passion. With all of the Italian blood in their roots, some of the Argentineans could not stay in their seats and started to dance themselves around the edges of the audience. When I left because the live music was over, they played a mix of tango music to which lots of couples danced. A circle formed around a bunch of dancers, and it was very interesting to see the mix of ages, abilities, and genders (Tango can and is danced with male/male, male/female, and less frequently female/female couples). A lot of older men seemed to be having the time of their lives dancing away with all of the attention.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nkE-hR1oKQ
Humming to myself I took the subway home. There was only one "interesting" part to the journey, when at one stop after opening the doors the train shut down, the lights went off, and we all waited in the dark and heat for a while before resuming our trip.
I had a really nice day; I got to see some of the more important Buenos Aires tourist locations, and although I was alone, I enjoyed myself immensely.
Chao.
20 February 2010
Day 20: The Poly-Farewell
I am still lacking in internet, but I have decided to continue my blog on Word and just post whatever I can when I get access to the Web. I just posted my entry for the last few nights as well.
This afternoon essentially when I finished my private lesson it started raining. It was not hard at first, but when I exited the subway station, it was really coming down. A little while later I got to see in the daylight what I had missed while sleeping a couple nights before. The streets outside flooded up to waist height. Cars and motorbikes left wakes and people waded from street to street. Shop owners congregated at their doorways to slow/prevent the water entering their buildings. I took lots of pictures and a video. Although it was dramatic, it was not as extreme as earlier this week, after a while the flooding subsided without cutting off light or water to our building. Although there was a fair amount of trash in the streets, the drainage systems worked well. Other neighborhoods and regions were not so lucky.
This evening, Betty and I ate some delicious leftovers, meat with rice and a rich red sauce and a carrot and cheese salad. Very yummy, especially when accompanied with Olympic competition: skeleton, ice dancing, luge, and curling at which Betty and I had a good laugh.
School today was great, partly due to the fact that I had lots of energy (after sleeping loads), and everything seemed to work out really well. I had 3 facturas with breakfast, which gave me a happy start to the morning, the subway ride was not too crowded, and I got to school with 10 minutes to spare.
It was my last day with all of my classmates because Andy is starting his work practical (he will still be in Buenos Aires for a bit, just not at the school), Ruth and her husband are off around the country, and Peter is going home, if he is not delayed by the Luftstanze strike. He is standby, and so he is hoping to be able to fly out on Sunday. Never fear, I have sad photos of them all. Ruth and Peter refused to adapt a sad face, but I got what I could.
We are both super tired after this week, so we plan to sleep straight until Sunday, when I plan on attending another fútbol game at River Stadium with Andy. It is supposed to rain a lot tomorrow, for a change, so I think it will be a relatively uneventful day. Of course now that I have jinxed it, something incredible will happen. Good.
Chao.
Days 16-19: The Invisible Darkness
So, it has been few days since I have posted on my blog, but I assure you it has not been because I grew tired of blogging. On Monday evening, it began to rain. Rain really hard. The papers the next day said that it rained about 99 MM in just 10 minutes. The street outside the apartment flooded, as the drainage systems were inadequate.
Unfortunately, every night at about 8.00p everyone puts their evening's trash on the curb for pickup, and when the rain started at about 9.00p there was trash everywhere. The trash was swept along with the current, and firefighters scrambled across the city to unclog the drainage pipes from all of the garbage. Firefighters also helped people cross the street who were unable to unassisted. People were trapped in their cars, all the cars parked in the street outside the apartment were swept away into the intersection at the end of the block.
Strangely, I only personally saw the beginning of the night's events. And the aftermath, naturally. Betty and I had been out on the streets looking to see if there was a murga a few blocks from the house, and the rain started about 15 minutes after we returned to the house (having found no murga). The next morning, Betty told me everything she had seen out the window, how she had gone downstairs and seen the water level with the building's door (which you have to climb 4-5 steps to open). And it rose further after she returned upstairs. All of the buildings on the block flooded, the bottom floor, the basements, there was one building with an underground parking garage in which the cars were completely submerged.
A few hours before the rain started, on Monday, there was a super loud explosion outside. Magnify the sound of a car backfiring a few times, and I thought someone had set off a small cannon in the street. Naturally, everyone immediately appeared in the doorways and at the windows, looking for the source. The police came and blocked off the road, and a fire department crew came by. From the window, I had a tree perfectly blocking my view of the road, so I could not see what was happening. Later (on the way to the nonexistent murga) we found out that the electric phone box on the side of the road had essentially exploded, chewing up a section of the sidewalk. So when the rain started, we did not have a working phone line.
Tuesday morning, I woke up to no electricity, running water, or phone/internet connection. After school, I returned home to see the basement being drained through a pump and hose into the street. That night, there were some rioters in the streets protesting the power outage (since the electric company is private, not government run). They had set up fires in the streets and were yelling and banging drums and blowing whistles. Apparently, the electric company was doing nothing/very little to remedy the situation, and everyone was experiencing the same frustrating loss of all perishable items at home, many of which were still wet, and so tempers were flaring accordingly.
Wednesday, we got electricity back after the basement had been drained and the power would not cause an explosion in the foundation. We also got running water, just not any hot water. We were so relieved that we did not mind that we did not have hot water, we were so thankful for the apartment owner (and his family) who worked for hours and hours to drain the building.
After school on Wednesday, I joined a group from school on a trip to the national cemetery. All of the deceased were buried in above-ground tombs (although some had "basements), which made the appearance very unusual for a cemetery. The Americans in the group compared it to New Orleans, Louisiana. Buried there were all of the old, rich, famous people of Buenos Aires, often along with their families. The tombs ranged from modern, to antiquated and dilapidated. I recognized quite a few names from streets and subway stations. Apparently not many people are still buried there, the rich opting for burials outside the city limits, but there was a double funeral in process while we were leaving the cemetery.
As we were walking to the exit, we found it had been blocked off by security personnel, and there was a large congregation that followed a casket through the entrance of the cemetery and into a building. We suspected that the deceased was a police officer or member of the military as there were a lot of uniforms present, including about 20 solders with guns who marched into the cemetery in pairs (in descending height order). As we left the cemetery out of a different entrance/exit, there was a second funeral car was pulling up to the entrance.
This morning, Thursday, I woke up to an absence of water. We had light (the telephones have still not been repaired, thank goodness for cell phones), but no running water. We decided to eat out for breakfast so that we could use the restroom, and I brushed my teeth etc. when I got to school early. We asked downstairs about the water, and the lady there said that it was not an issue with the motor/pump in the basement, but a problem with the company. Fortunately, we currently have water and electricity.
Besides the weather drama and associated chaos, school has been great. The lessons have been going smoothly, and I am getting along really well with the people there. Come Monday, though, I do not know how things are going to be since most of my group is leaving. I'll explain tomorrow when I have the sad photos.
The only other story-worthy experience was last night. I went out with some people from the school (including a teacher and a girl from the office) to a restaurant/bar in Palermo. I took the subway there, and met up with some of them at the door. It turned out that it was a private event that night, celebrating the new BMW Nuevo Fox car (of which there were 5 display cars). Still, Paula managed to talk our way in, and after a slight hiccup with my confusing ID from ¡Texas! we had a great time. When the dancing started, I was quite amused at the choice of music. In addition to the expected popular, modern tunes (from the Latin-American countries, the U.S., and England), they played 'Take A Chance on Me' and 'I Will Survive.' Quite funny. My departure resulted in another exciting adventure when I took the correct number bus in the incorrect direction and ended up waaay far away from home. So, I took a taxi (once I flagged on that was willing to make the drive) and paid the enormous sum of USD 6.00. I got home late (time reference intentionally censored for motherly benefit), and I was greeted this morning by the absence of water.
I am having quite the Argentinean adventure, but I have still enjoyed everything. No offense to all of you lovely readers, but I almost enjoyed being cut off from the all-to-familiar Internet. It made for a different experience. I will add photos, hopefully, at a later date since everyone is using the Internet (in lieu of the phones) and so the connection is extremely weak.
Chao. Chao. Chao. Chao. (One for each day that this blog is covering.
Unfortunately, every night at about 8.00p everyone puts their evening's trash on the curb for pickup, and when the rain started at about 9.00p there was trash everywhere. The trash was swept along with the current, and firefighters scrambled across the city to unclog the drainage pipes from all of the garbage. Firefighters also helped people cross the street who were unable to unassisted. People were trapped in their cars, all the cars parked in the street outside the apartment were swept away into the intersection at the end of the block.
Strangely, I only personally saw the beginning of the night's events. And the aftermath, naturally. Betty and I had been out on the streets looking to see if there was a murga a few blocks from the house, and the rain started about 15 minutes after we returned to the house (having found no murga). The next morning, Betty told me everything she had seen out the window, how she had gone downstairs and seen the water level with the building's door (which you have to climb 4-5 steps to open). And it rose further after she returned upstairs. All of the buildings on the block flooded, the bottom floor, the basements, there was one building with an underground parking garage in which the cars were completely submerged.
A few hours before the rain started, on Monday, there was a super loud explosion outside. Magnify the sound of a car backfiring a few times, and I thought someone had set off a small cannon in the street. Naturally, everyone immediately appeared in the doorways and at the windows, looking for the source. The police came and blocked off the road, and a fire department crew came by. From the window, I had a tree perfectly blocking my view of the road, so I could not see what was happening. Later (on the way to the nonexistent murga) we found out that the electric phone box on the side of the road had essentially exploded, chewing up a section of the sidewalk. So when the rain started, we did not have a working phone line.
Tuesday morning, I woke up to no electricity, running water, or phone/internet connection. After school, I returned home to see the basement being drained through a pump and hose into the street. That night, there were some rioters in the streets protesting the power outage (since the electric company is private, not government run). They had set up fires in the streets and were yelling and banging drums and blowing whistles. Apparently, the electric company was doing nothing/very little to remedy the situation, and everyone was experiencing the same frustrating loss of all perishable items at home, many of which were still wet, and so tempers were flaring accordingly.
Wednesday, we got electricity back after the basement had been drained and the power would not cause an explosion in the foundation. We also got running water, just not any hot water. We were so relieved that we did not mind that we did not have hot water, we were so thankful for the apartment owner (and his family) who worked for hours and hours to drain the building.
After school on Wednesday, I joined a group from school on a trip to the national cemetery. All of the deceased were buried in above-ground tombs (although some had "basements), which made the appearance very unusual for a cemetery. The Americans in the group compared it to New Orleans, Louisiana. Buried there were all of the old, rich, famous people of Buenos Aires, often along with their families. The tombs ranged from modern, to antiquated and dilapidated. I recognized quite a few names from streets and subway stations. Apparently not many people are still buried there, the rich opting for burials outside the city limits, but there was a double funeral in process while we were leaving the cemetery.
As we were walking to the exit, we found it had been blocked off by security personnel, and there was a large congregation that followed a casket through the entrance of the cemetery and into a building. We suspected that the deceased was a police officer or member of the military as there were a lot of uniforms present, including about 20 solders with guns who marched into the cemetery in pairs (in descending height order). As we left the cemetery out of a different entrance/exit, there was a second funeral car was pulling up to the entrance.
This morning, Thursday, I woke up to an absence of water. We had light (the telephones have still not been repaired, thank goodness for cell phones), but no running water. We decided to eat out for breakfast so that we could use the restroom, and I brushed my teeth etc. when I got to school early. We asked downstairs about the water, and the lady there said that it was not an issue with the motor/pump in the basement, but a problem with the company. Fortunately, we currently have water and electricity.
Besides the weather drama and associated chaos, school has been great. The lessons have been going smoothly, and I am getting along really well with the people there. Come Monday, though, I do not know how things are going to be since most of my group is leaving. I'll explain tomorrow when I have the sad photos.
The only other story-worthy experience was last night. I went out with some people from the school (including a teacher and a girl from the office) to a restaurant/bar in Palermo. I took the subway there, and met up with some of them at the door. It turned out that it was a private event that night, celebrating the new BMW Nuevo Fox car (of which there were 5 display cars). Still, Paula managed to talk our way in, and after a slight hiccup with my confusing ID from ¡Texas! we had a great time. When the dancing started, I was quite amused at the choice of music. In addition to the expected popular, modern tunes (from the Latin-American countries, the U.S., and England), they played 'Take A Chance on Me' and 'I Will Survive.' Quite funny. My departure resulted in another exciting adventure when I took the correct number bus in the incorrect direction and ended up waaay far away from home. So, I took a taxi (once I flagged on that was willing to make the drive) and paid the enormous sum of USD 6.00. I got home late (time reference intentionally censored for motherly benefit), and I was greeted this morning by the absence of water.
I am having quite the Argentinean adventure, but I have still enjoyed everything. No offense to all of you lovely readers, but I almost enjoyed being cut off from the all-to-familiar Internet. It made for a different experience. I will add photos, hopefully, at a later date since everyone is using the Internet (in lieu of the phones) and so the connection is extremely weak.
Chao. Chao. Chao. Chao. (One for each day that this blog is covering.
15 February 2010
Day 15: The Murga
I apologize for the lateness of this post, my only excuse is watching the Olympics...
Judy left this morning, she should now be settled in her hotel after her short flight this afternoon. The most exciting part of today took place after the sun had set.
The "murgas," as I briefly described earlier, are street celebrations during the weeks of Carnaval. The majority of them take place on the weekend nights, but there is supposed to be one tomorrow night as well. The one I went to was no more than 5 or 6 blocks away, a very easy walk. The police had three blocks of the street barricaded off for the traffic, and people were crawling all over the street. All ages were represented, all gathering around the sides of the street in preparation for the parade that was to shortly come marching through. I arrived around 9.30p and I think I had missed the beginnings of the celebrations, but just when I arrived a parade was lined up ready to dance their way to the final block where there was a small stage, a mic and speakers, and brighter lights.
All of the performers were dressed in a light satin-like material that was pink, black and white in all manner of stripes, frills, spots and squares. Sequins and other shiny jewels decorated the costumes, the female dancers in the front of the parade were wearing coattails that had personalized adornments on the back, along with frilled-brimmed hats and slitted pants. All these women in the front would dance for a while then signaled by whistles in the front, would begin 45-70 second choreographed routines that involved high and aggressive kicks, and a very hip-hop/break dancing theme.
Behind these women were umbrella twirling people and some men who were dancing in front of the musicians who followed. There were about 6 or 7 brass instruments and 10 drummers with traditional marching-band drums, but with the addition of symbols attached to the top (just for the extra noise). At the rear were four men bearing different sized flags.
From origins currently unknown, there seems to be a long-lived tradition at these murgas for the attendants to bring (and/or purchase on the streets) shaving cream canisters. Although shaving cream evaporates quite quickly (without staining) some people, well actually a lot of people, were literally caked in it. Expired bottles lined the gutters and sidewalks, and a common pocket-item (which I will bring next time I go to a murga) is a handkerchief or a hand towel to wipe the eyes, ears, and nose where the shaving cream is least welcome. Yes, I got my fair share of spray, so I am now satisfactorily sticky, even though the spots have dried.
I have two clips up on "youtube," I hope that the fútbol one worked as well as possible, again, I'm sorry that you have to leave the blog to view them. Hopefully the video/audio quality is good enough to give a feel for the experience.
Here are the URLs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZQtJJGR998
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psdgQRfkPUI
Now, I must be off to bed immediately, because I have to get up in about 4.5 hours!! The Olympics are strenuous to watch....let alone be a participant.
Chao.
Judy left this morning, she should now be settled in her hotel after her short flight this afternoon. The most exciting part of today took place after the sun had set.
The "murgas," as I briefly described earlier, are street celebrations during the weeks of Carnaval. The majority of them take place on the weekend nights, but there is supposed to be one tomorrow night as well. The one I went to was no more than 5 or 6 blocks away, a very easy walk. The police had three blocks of the street barricaded off for the traffic, and people were crawling all over the street. All ages were represented, all gathering around the sides of the street in preparation for the parade that was to shortly come marching through. I arrived around 9.30p and I think I had missed the beginnings of the celebrations, but just when I arrived a parade was lined up ready to dance their way to the final block where there was a small stage, a mic and speakers, and brighter lights.
All of the performers were dressed in a light satin-like material that was pink, black and white in all manner of stripes, frills, spots and squares. Sequins and other shiny jewels decorated the costumes, the female dancers in the front of the parade were wearing coattails that had personalized adornments on the back, along with frilled-brimmed hats and slitted pants. All these women in the front would dance for a while then signaled by whistles in the front, would begin 45-70 second choreographed routines that involved high and aggressive kicks, and a very hip-hop/break dancing theme.
Behind these women were umbrella twirling people and some men who were dancing in front of the musicians who followed. There were about 6 or 7 brass instruments and 10 drummers with traditional marching-band drums, but with the addition of symbols attached to the top (just for the extra noise). At the rear were four men bearing different sized flags.
From origins currently unknown, there seems to be a long-lived tradition at these murgas for the attendants to bring (and/or purchase on the streets) shaving cream canisters. Although shaving cream evaporates quite quickly (without staining) some people, well actually a lot of people, were literally caked in it. Expired bottles lined the gutters and sidewalks, and a common pocket-item (which I will bring next time I go to a murga) is a handkerchief or a hand towel to wipe the eyes, ears, and nose where the shaving cream is least welcome. Yes, I got my fair share of spray, so I am now satisfactorily sticky, even though the spots have dried.
I have two clips up on "youtube," I hope that the fútbol one worked as well as possible, again, I'm sorry that you have to leave the blog to view them. Hopefully the video/audio quality is good enough to give a feel for the experience.
Here are the URLs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZQtJJGR998
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psdgQRfkPUI
Now, I must be off to bed immediately, because I have to get up in about 4.5 hours!! The Olympics are strenuous to watch....let alone be a participant.
Chao.
13 February 2010
Day 14: The Win
Today was very low-key. I slept quite late, probably because my body was protesting the previous night's strain, and so I had breakfast and lunch within about an hour of each other. For lunch, Betty cooked up some pasta with pesto sauce that was wonderful.
I watched some of the Olympic games on the TV Público because they were covering it for a couple of hours, but then (probably wisely) they changed to local fútbol to please the majority of the audience. So, I only saw a little bit of the distance speed skating, quite a lot of the cross-country skiing with the two gun/target stations to complicate things, and then just a bit of the ski ramp jumping. I think that I am more familiar with the summer sports (summer for the Northern Hemisphere), than these in Vancouver. But they were still exciting to watch.
My major accomplishment of the day will most likely be lost on all of my readers who are not immediate family, but I will do my best to explain. All last summer as well as this past winter break, I have been trying and trying to win a simple game of Solitaire. I felt like I was forever doomed to lose; but this afternoon, I decided to just play a round to pass the time - and I won first try! I cannot believe it. So, now it is official: Dylan can win Solitaire. Just only in Argentina. Or every 19 years...
This evening a close friend of Betty's called Roberto came over along with the eldest of Betty's grandchildren (she has 3, Manuel, and two younger twins). So when Judy came back from her day trip to Tigre (a town to the north of us that hugs the coast and I have been told I absolutely must see at some point), we all walked to the ice cream parlor with which I am now quite familiar. I tried some new flavors, a chocolate that had nuts and fruit, and a lemon that had strawberries (I think) and chocolate flakes. Very yummy. I tried some of Betty's, though, and I will have to get her's next time I go, it was chocolate and orange. Afterwards, we walked down the block to an Italian restaurant where we (they) had coffee, Manuel had a little toasted sandwich, and I cleaned up the leftover pound cake slices that came with the coffees.
Now, Roberto, Betty and Manuel are watching the film that we saw last night about the creation of a Tango orchestra in Buenos Aires. It was very nice, with of course lovely music, but I do not feel the urge to watch it again, tonight. Judy is packing her things, because she is taking off on the rest of her Argentinean journey. She has planned out quite a nice trip that will take her down south.
Well, I shall try and get to sleep early so I can see Judy off in the morning. It's been great going to classes with her each morning. Even though we were in different groups, it will feel very different on Monday morning.
I watched some of the Olympic games on the TV Público because they were covering it for a couple of hours, but then (probably wisely) they changed to local fútbol to please the majority of the audience. So, I only saw a little bit of the distance speed skating, quite a lot of the cross-country skiing with the two gun/target stations to complicate things, and then just a bit of the ski ramp jumping. I think that I am more familiar with the summer sports (summer for the Northern Hemisphere), than these in Vancouver. But they were still exciting to watch.
My major accomplishment of the day will most likely be lost on all of my readers who are not immediate family, but I will do my best to explain. All last summer as well as this past winter break, I have been trying and trying to win a simple game of Solitaire. I felt like I was forever doomed to lose; but this afternoon, I decided to just play a round to pass the time - and I won first try! I cannot believe it. So, now it is official: Dylan can win Solitaire. Just only in Argentina. Or every 19 years...
This evening a close friend of Betty's called Roberto came over along with the eldest of Betty's grandchildren (she has 3, Manuel, and two younger twins). So when Judy came back from her day trip to Tigre (a town to the north of us that hugs the coast and I have been told I absolutely must see at some point), we all walked to the ice cream parlor with which I am now quite familiar. I tried some new flavors, a chocolate that had nuts and fruit, and a lemon that had strawberries (I think) and chocolate flakes. Very yummy. I tried some of Betty's, though, and I will have to get her's next time I go, it was chocolate and orange. Afterwards, we walked down the block to an Italian restaurant where we (they) had coffee, Manuel had a little toasted sandwich, and I cleaned up the leftover pound cake slices that came with the coffees.
Now, Roberto, Betty and Manuel are watching the film that we saw last night about the creation of a Tango orchestra in Buenos Aires. It was very nice, with of course lovely music, but I do not feel the urge to watch it again, tonight. Judy is packing her things, because she is taking off on the rest of her Argentinean journey. She has planned out quite a nice trip that will take her down south.
Well, I shall try and get to sleep early so I can see Judy off in the morning. It's been great going to classes with her each morning. Even though we were in different groups, it will feel very different on Monday morning.
Day 13: The Second Farewell
School was good today. Nothing brand new, exactly, but we moved forwards in the book that we take our lessons from, which is exciting. We have many more books to go...
I am getting used to the exciting experience that is simply walking from the school to the subway station. The pedestrian road that I walk is full of people, artists, vendors, with all of the shops pouring air conditioning out their doors, enticing costumers inside. Both in the morning and the afternoon, there are people handing out small cards with store promotions, sales, and advertisements for shops, bars and clubs. There are two daily papers, one of which I usually pick up on the way to school right outside the subway exit.
It was quite warm, per usual, when I got back to the apartment, so I did not do much for a few hours, I had a little siesta. But, I had the idea of going for a run in my mind all day, so at about 8.00p I walked over to the Parque del Centenario with my iPod. The temperature was quite nice then, still warm and humid, but it was essentially dark, so I did not have to worry about being fried on the go. I walked a lap, ran a lap, walked one, ran one and then walked half, stretched and then ran the rest. It was very nice, the total distance was bout 4.6 miles (7500 meters) and it felt very good. Of course my body is not accustomed to running, so tomorrow I will feel like a weak decathlete. But, I would like to start running regularly. It is a great environment, as well as fantastic exercise.
I did have a very interesting, new, experience when I was entering the apartment building on the ground floor. I must say, to start with, that it is hard to explain the entire situation without it sounding extreme. I felt, however, remarkably calm throughout. So, I was closing the door behind me, when a kid (no more than 16 or 17 years old) blocked the door and started to talking to me rapidly in Spanish. He was wearing quite dirty clothing, and I quickly picked up that he was asking for money. Now, I only had my keys and iPod on me, and so I repeated multiple times that I had nothing on me. He was, however, quite insistent, and he pulled out this little butter knife with the tip cut off square. I raised my hands, and eyebrows, and repeated that I really had nothing on me, sorry, and he patted one of my pockets and felt that it was quite empty. A second later, he backed off, saying something along the lines of "alright, ok" and he turned around and left. The entire exchange took no more than 1 minute.
I told Betty and Judy about the experience afterwards, and Betty suggested that every time I enter the building, that I should call up via the intercom, so that whoever is above will know that I am about to enter the building. Apparently, those kids have learned that some foreigners live in the area. I have never felt unsafe though, and at the park, the streetlights illuminate everything and there are lots and lots of people all around. It was an interesting experience, and I think I learned from it: that it does not just happen to other people, not just a quick cut of the strap or swipe of the wallet on the subway or in a busy market. I could easily have lost my iPod had he patted my other pocket. Not that the loss would have been too horrible, and iPod is just a thing, nothing essential. I think that the reasons that I was such a bizarrely tranquil experience, was that he was just a bit younger than me, and that he was not using any drug (that was directly obvious) that might have provoked a more violent encounter.
Well, I hate to end a blog on such a strange note, but I guess I can change the subject by saying that I had some chocolate torta tonight. Betty keeps it in the freezer, and the chilled chocolate is ridiculously good. I really should get the recipe...
Well, I am going to end here, because the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics are going to start in under a half hour, and I am eagerly anticipating the events in the next couple of weeks. I just hope the times are not only during the afternoon, so I can watch some in the evenings next week. I suppose I need to support Argentina, but I think that I can compromise by supporting the United States in the Olympics, and then supporting Argentina during the soccer World Cup later this semester.
Chao.
11 February 2010
Day 12: The Roller Coaster
Today was a day of ups and downs.
This morning, I took my dirty clothing to the laundromat right across the street, but because of complications we had to scramble to get to school, caught a later subway train, and we were a little late.
In the first lesson, we had a new teacher called Malina, who was very nice, and who presented some new material to us in a wonderfully clear and structured manner. The next class, with Marcelo, was for me my worst class thus far. I felt completely inadequate, I did not understand the reasoning behind multiple answers to problems, and I got quite frustrated. Marcelo said I should not get frustrated because "the material is hard for everyone," but I felt like we have been studying it for two weeks, and the guidelines are very straightforward. I guess I felt like I should have a better grasp on it my now. Anyways, I used the lunch break to cool down, unwind, and realize that I am enjoying learning Spanish, and that I will have bad moments.
The private lesson was great, we started working a bit with some medical terminology, and using imperative command conjugations with advice etc. It was nice to work with anatomical words, because I like that subject, and so it is fun to learn it in a different language. I think it is going to get hard pretty quickly though...
Betty, Judith and I had planned on going to a Murga tonight at the park, a celebration during the time of Carnaval, but we had some complications with the admission. Although the murga is free of charge, you needed to acquire a ticket beforehand so that the government could control the amount of people there. Apparently before this idea was implemented, the crowds were vast and even aggressive. Betty had been told that we could get the tickets starting at 6.00p for the performance at 8.00p, but when we got to the park gate, we were told that the tickets had actually been offered starting at 2.00p and were all gone. So, instead of returning later to see if we could enter after the ticket-holders had been admitted, we decided to go have some ice cream. Fantastic comfort food. Judith treated us to the ice cream, and we sat in the store (that open to the street), and chatted while watching people walking by. As we were sitting there, a man came in and peeled off the price stickers and replaced them with a 1-2 peso increase. We were essentially the last people to purchase ice cream at the old price. How exciting.
I just finished my homework, some of which was confusing because it was so simple, yet I had issues, but I think I got the exercises correct that I had failed during Marcelo's class. So that is nice, of course tomorrow I will know how I really did....
Well, that is about it. I am ready for Saturday, so that I can sleep in and go for a run. Also, I will be able to really read for a good amount of time. For some reason, I always too tired to read at 1.00 in the morning... and also confused as to how on earth it is all of a sudden 1.00 in the morning. I think that my body is so used to eating dinner at around 6.30-7.00p at home that eating at 9.00p+ is throwing my internal clock off track.
Well, this roller coaster of a day is winding down, I am on the final, gentle decent down to the station. Despite all of my emotional fluctuations, I must say that the Argentinean people are consistently friendly people. I have only had contact with one person who was less than happy, helpful, and hospitable.
Chao.
This morning, I took my dirty clothing to the laundromat right across the street, but because of complications we had to scramble to get to school, caught a later subway train, and we were a little late.
In the first lesson, we had a new teacher called Malina, who was very nice, and who presented some new material to us in a wonderfully clear and structured manner. The next class, with Marcelo, was for me my worst class thus far. I felt completely inadequate, I did not understand the reasoning behind multiple answers to problems, and I got quite frustrated. Marcelo said I should not get frustrated because "the material is hard for everyone," but I felt like we have been studying it for two weeks, and the guidelines are very straightforward. I guess I felt like I should have a better grasp on it my now. Anyways, I used the lunch break to cool down, unwind, and realize that I am enjoying learning Spanish, and that I will have bad moments.
The private lesson was great, we started working a bit with some medical terminology, and using imperative command conjugations with advice etc. It was nice to work with anatomical words, because I like that subject, and so it is fun to learn it in a different language. I think it is going to get hard pretty quickly though...
Betty, Judith and I had planned on going to a Murga tonight at the park, a celebration during the time of Carnaval, but we had some complications with the admission. Although the murga is free of charge, you needed to acquire a ticket beforehand so that the government could control the amount of people there. Apparently before this idea was implemented, the crowds were vast and even aggressive. Betty had been told that we could get the tickets starting at 6.00p for the performance at 8.00p, but when we got to the park gate, we were told that the tickets had actually been offered starting at 2.00p and were all gone. So, instead of returning later to see if we could enter after the ticket-holders had been admitted, we decided to go have some ice cream. Fantastic comfort food. Judith treated us to the ice cream, and we sat in the store (that open to the street), and chatted while watching people walking by. As we were sitting there, a man came in and peeled off the price stickers and replaced them with a 1-2 peso increase. We were essentially the last people to purchase ice cream at the old price. How exciting.
I just finished my homework, some of which was confusing because it was so simple, yet I had issues, but I think I got the exercises correct that I had failed during Marcelo's class. So that is nice, of course tomorrow I will know how I really did....
Well, that is about it. I am ready for Saturday, so that I can sleep in and go for a run. Also, I will be able to really read for a good amount of time. For some reason, I always too tired to read at 1.00 in the morning... and also confused as to how on earth it is all of a sudden 1.00 in the morning. I think that my body is so used to eating dinner at around 6.30-7.00p at home that eating at 9.00p+ is throwing my internal clock off track.
Well, this roller coaster of a day is winding down, I am on the final, gentle decent down to the station. Despite all of my emotional fluctuations, I must say that the Argentinean people are consistently friendly people. I have only had contact with one person who was less than happy, helpful, and hospitable.
Chao.
Day 11: The Malba
I was super hot when I reached Florida street, so I stepped into a book store for a little while to read the Spanish version of Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" and cool off. While riding the subway home, I thought that this was quite the appropriate time to have some ice cream, and there just happens to be a fantastic ice cream shop on the same block as Betty's house. How perfect. There were just under a million flavor choices, so I asked the guy working there what his favorite was and trusted his judgement. Once he discovered (right away) that I was not a native Argentinean, he wanted to use his English with me. So I spoke Spanish, he spoke English, and we both sounded woefully foreign. But, I left the shop with a little cup of excellent ice cream. It was vanilla with a caramel swirl and a few malteasers (a chocolate, cookie-like sweet, very common in England). I think that I shall return.
Floralis Generica: a giant silver flower that opens and closes with the daylight
I feel obligated to once again mention food, since Betty made a chocolate "torta" that is absolutely deadly. It is the size of a large pizza, very thin, and delicious. I think between the ice cream, dulce de leche, and this "torta," I will need a forklift to assist me in and out of bed. I would love to go running in the mornings, but right now I am up too late to get up at 06.00. I will need to adjust my schedule.
The Dessert
Well, "sweet" dreams everyone in cyberland. One final observation: I love not having the American pop music in my head. Tango is much better.
Chao.
09 February 2010
Day 10: The Alfajor
Today was a second day of beautiful weather. I wish we could have our classes outside, because it was gorgeous. Judy and I were actually a little early today, having made the 09.00 subway train, versus the 09.10. I made sure that everyone noted our arrival, since I have had to dart in more than once very close to the beginning of class. It is always a bad sign when you arrive on the 3rd floor and they have already closed the door and you have ring the doorbell (of shame) and wait while someone grants you access.
We had a new teacher today instead of Marta, who was at the doctor's office. Her name is Gabriella, but she goes by "Gabi," and she was very nice, quite young with a more modern haircut and flair. Probably her best attribute that I picked up in our two hours of class was her very slow speech and careful enunciation. She did not get excited and whirl off in a string of rapid Spanish like the Marta and Marcelo frequently do...although that might be because she had a little bit of a sour throat. Peter had been her student before, and he said she was usually very loud, especially with students new to her classes. I guess for me her careful speech was the silver lining to her cold. She gave us a new perspective on the topics at hand and gave us the amusing and interesting assignment of writing up a description of our Christmas experience as a young child.
Tomorrow, instead of my private lesson, the school is going on a field trip to the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA). I am very excited because not only is a famous museum on the "must see" list in my guide book, but it is reduced price admission on Wednesdays. I will have to talk to the school about rearranging my private lesson to a different day/time. Also at school, I found out that there will be two more "sad" photos this week. We are loosing Andy and Lauren before Monday, so we will probably get more new students since a two person group lesson is almost contradictory.
Oh, I almost forgot to give you all the answer to the "acertijo" from yesterday: The answer is that since the trains are crossing each others' paths, they are both the same distance from Madrid (and Barcelona). Now, you cannot overanalyze this puzzle by saying that only for a split second are the trains exactly the same distance from the cities. It is a puzzle, and face it, you probably did not know the answer. Oh, that's right, of course you did. My error.
I have failed in my attempts to add my video clip of the River vs. Rosario Ctrl. game onto blogger.com. Before you all go and try and "help" me out, I watched all the tutorials etc, and I think that I am merely missing the link that is used to "Add a Video" that ought to be located directly next to my "Add a Photo" link. But, I have an alternate method of presenting the video, although it is sort of outsourcing. I uploaded the video to the website www.youtube.com and you can find my clip at the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCRrg7gNJPQ
It is only 20 seconds long, but it displays the enthusiastic cheering that ensued when River Plate team was awarded a penalty kick.
I had a small dinner because Betty went to her weekly cinema club, so I ate leftovers alone. But I did have a new experience earlier today while walking home from school: I stopped by a "Havanna" store (a store similar to Starbucks, but with more typical Argentinean items) and bought myself an Alfajor. Alfajors are pastries that have a slightly chalky layer sandwiching (I think I just made that word up...) a layer of, in my case, dulce de leche. It was quite sweet, yummy, crumbly, and quite difficult to eat while entering the subway, but I managed. I think I might have had a chocolate smear or two across my face for the subway ride, I am not sure. People stare at me quite often because I am obviously a foreigner, so I do not know if it was because I was a sloppy foreigner or just a foreigner today.
I think that I shall head off to bed "early" tonight (aka before 12.30-01.00) because I was dead tired this morning. I find that it is quite a feat to yawn and eat simultaneously. Possibly an acquired talent.
Chao.
We had a new teacher today instead of Marta, who was at the doctor's office. Her name is Gabriella, but she goes by "Gabi," and she was very nice, quite young with a more modern haircut and flair. Probably her best attribute that I picked up in our two hours of class was her very slow speech and careful enunciation. She did not get excited and whirl off in a string of rapid Spanish like the Marta and Marcelo frequently do...although that might be because she had a little bit of a sour throat. Peter had been her student before, and he said she was usually very loud, especially with students new to her classes. I guess for me her careful speech was the silver lining to her cold. She gave us a new perspective on the topics at hand and gave us the amusing and interesting assignment of writing up a description of our Christmas experience as a young child.
Tomorrow, instead of my private lesson, the school is going on a field trip to the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA). I am very excited because not only is a famous museum on the "must see" list in my guide book, but it is reduced price admission on Wednesdays. I will have to talk to the school about rearranging my private lesson to a different day/time. Also at school, I found out that there will be two more "sad" photos this week. We are loosing Andy and Lauren before Monday, so we will probably get more new students since a two person group lesson is almost contradictory.
Oh, I almost forgot to give you all the answer to the "acertijo" from yesterday: The answer is that since the trains are crossing each others' paths, they are both the same distance from Madrid (and Barcelona). Now, you cannot overanalyze this puzzle by saying that only for a split second are the trains exactly the same distance from the cities. It is a puzzle, and face it, you probably did not know the answer. Oh, that's right, of course you did. My error.
I have failed in my attempts to add my video clip of the River vs. Rosario Ctrl. game onto blogger.com. Before you all go and try and "help" me out, I watched all the tutorials etc, and I think that I am merely missing the link that is used to "Add a Video" that ought to be located directly next to my "Add a Photo" link. But, I have an alternate method of presenting the video, although it is sort of outsourcing. I uploaded the video to the website www.youtube.com and you can find my clip at the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCRrg7gNJPQ
It is only 20 seconds long, but it displays the enthusiastic cheering that ensued when River Plate team was awarded a penalty kick.
I had a small dinner because Betty went to her weekly cinema club, so I ate leftovers alone. But I did have a new experience earlier today while walking home from school: I stopped by a "Havanna" store (a store similar to Starbucks, but with more typical Argentinean items) and bought myself an Alfajor. Alfajors are pastries that have a slightly chalky layer sandwiching (I think I just made that word up...) a layer of, in my case, dulce de leche. It was quite sweet, yummy, crumbly, and quite difficult to eat while entering the subway, but I managed. I think I might have had a chocolate smear or two across my face for the subway ride, I am not sure. People stare at me quite often because I am obviously a foreigner, so I do not know if it was because I was a sloppy foreigner or just a foreigner today.
I think that I shall head off to bed "early" tonight (aka before 12.30-01.00) because I was dead tired this morning. I find that it is quite a feat to yawn and eat simultaneously. Possibly an acquired talent.
Chao.
Day 9: The Chase
Today was quite low key, a little sleepy perhaps, but a pretty good Monday overall. Classes were great, although we did not cover any new material. I am almost at the point now with our current subjects that I either need more challenging problems, or a new topic, but I will wait to see what we do tomorrow before asking about changing anything. Andy was ill today and missed both of the group classes. Everyone in our group joked that he must have been hungover (within the realms of possibility for him), but I think he was actually a little sick, because we got back fairly late on Sunday night from the soccer game and he said he still needed to do his homework. Anyway, I hope he feels better tomorrow. When there are only four people in a group (since we lost Layla), one person's absence is much more noticeable.
In my private lesson with Germán, he brought in a few riddles/puzzles that were in Spanish for the end of the class. We had been playing "Guess Who" for the last week, but the puzzles are quite fun, and they are all very frustratingly easy once the answer was found/given. I'll give you guys one so that you guys can participate in my life too, instead of just reading about it. Here's the riddle in Spanish:
Un tren sale de Madrid a Barcelona a las 0 horas, a una velocidad constante de 60 Km/h. Otro tren sale de Barcelona a Madrid a la misma hora, a una velocidad constante de 40 Km/h. Sabiendo que la distancia entre ambas ciudades es 600 km y que el tren que salió de Madrid hizo una parada de media hora, cuando se cruzaron ¿cuál estaba más cerca de Madrid?
A rough translation to English:
One train leaves Madrid for Barcelona at one o'clock at a constant velocity of 60 km/h. Another train leaves Barcelona for Madrid at the same time, at a constant velocity of 40 km/h. If the distance between the two cities is 600 km and the train leaving Madrid stops one time for a half an hour, when they meet, which train is closer to Madrid? (1 km/h = approx. 0.62 mi/h)
For those of you whom are not mathematically inclined, this problem is more logic than arithmetic. No need to hate on the word problems. I will give the answer in my next post.
I had a minor fiasco with the banks today, trying for over an hour to visit, and talk, with a local J.P.Morgan Chase representative, only to be told at the end of a roller-coaster of backs and forths that there were no Chase ATMs or branches in Argentina, and that no one in the local, noncommercial J.P.Morgan corporate building knew if any of the local ATMs were in any way associated with Chase. It was a little complicated, and not terribly exciting to experience, nor to relate, so I will not bore you with accurate storytelling. Why there is a corporate J.P.Morgan office in Buenos Aires makes no sense to me, but who am I to fathom the corporate banking logistical planning. I was kindly given an abroad Customer Service number and a smile, but at the end of the day I was a little put out. Still the perfect weather today meant that pretty much everything could have gone badly today, and I would have enjoyed the experience. It was fantastic.
This evening Judy and I walked to a park that is quite nearby called Plaza Irlanda. Tonight there was a performance of "Cultura para respirar" a program that holds various free cultural events in different locations around town, all in "aire libre," the open air. We were a little late after having a couple minor navigational complications (aka we got lost only once or twice), and the entire performance was less than an hour long, so it seemed a little shorter than satisfactory. But it was a musical performed by a cast of four with lights, music, singing, and dancing. It was quite entertaining. It was also nice to see that a lot of the audience was local Argentineans, not only tourist folk. There are a few more events this week, including a Tango performance by a group that is also en aire libre. And with the school planning on visiting a museum this week on Wednesday or Thursday, I think that I will be able to feel less pressure to tour the city on the weekend, and I can relax a bit more, maybe go for a run or walk around the park closest to the apartment.
Well, since it is a school night, I should be off to bed. I always seem to begin my posts right when I really ought to be going to sleep, but I'm willing to sacrifice my sanity in the next morning for the multitude of fans that I know are waiting eagerly for my pearls of wisdom each night.
Chao.
In my private lesson with Germán, he brought in a few riddles/puzzles that were in Spanish for the end of the class. We had been playing "Guess Who" for the last week, but the puzzles are quite fun, and they are all very frustratingly easy once the answer was found/given. I'll give you guys one so that you guys can participate in my life too, instead of just reading about it. Here's the riddle in Spanish:
Un tren sale de Madrid a Barcelona a las 0 horas, a una velocidad constante de 60 Km/h. Otro tren sale de Barcelona a Madrid a la misma hora, a una velocidad constante de 40 Km/h. Sabiendo que la distancia entre ambas ciudades es 600 km y que el tren que salió de Madrid hizo una parada de media hora, cuando se cruzaron ¿cuál estaba más cerca de Madrid?
A rough translation to English:
One train leaves Madrid for Barcelona at one o'clock at a constant velocity of 60 km/h. Another train leaves Barcelona for Madrid at the same time, at a constant velocity of 40 km/h. If the distance between the two cities is 600 km and the train leaving Madrid stops one time for a half an hour, when they meet, which train is closer to Madrid? (1 km/h = approx. 0.62 mi/h)
For those of you whom are not mathematically inclined, this problem is more logic than arithmetic. No need to hate on the word problems. I will give the answer in my next post.
I had a minor fiasco with the banks today, trying for over an hour to visit, and talk, with a local J.P.Morgan Chase representative, only to be told at the end of a roller-coaster of backs and forths that there were no Chase ATMs or branches in Argentina, and that no one in the local, noncommercial J.P.Morgan corporate building knew if any of the local ATMs were in any way associated with Chase. It was a little complicated, and not terribly exciting to experience, nor to relate, so I will not bore you with accurate storytelling. Why there is a corporate J.P.Morgan office in Buenos Aires makes no sense to me, but who am I to fathom the corporate banking logistical planning. I was kindly given an abroad Customer Service number and a smile, but at the end of the day I was a little put out. Still the perfect weather today meant that pretty much everything could have gone badly today, and I would have enjoyed the experience. It was fantastic.
This evening Judy and I walked to a park that is quite nearby called Plaza Irlanda. Tonight there was a performance of "Cultura para respirar" a program that holds various free cultural events in different locations around town, all in "aire libre," the open air. We were a little late after having a couple minor navigational complications (aka we got lost only once or twice), and the entire performance was less than an hour long, so it seemed a little shorter than satisfactory. But it was a musical performed by a cast of four with lights, music, singing, and dancing. It was quite entertaining. It was also nice to see that a lot of the audience was local Argentineans, not only tourist folk. There are a few more events this week, including a Tango performance by a group that is also en aire libre. And with the school planning on visiting a museum this week on Wednesday or Thursday, I think that I will be able to feel less pressure to tour the city on the weekend, and I can relax a bit more, maybe go for a run or walk around the park closest to the apartment.
Well, since it is a school night, I should be off to bed. I always seem to begin my posts right when I really ought to be going to sleep, but I'm willing to sacrifice my sanity in the next morning for the multitude of fans that I know are waiting eagerly for my pearls of wisdom each night.
Chao.
08 February 2010
Day 8: The "Fútbol" Game
The fútbol, soccer, game today was pretty much the highlight of the day. I had a very relaxed morning, I chatted with Betty for quite a while, Judith had gone out earlier. She belongs to a women's society in Canada that had international contacts, and she was able to arrange a lunch date with a woman, and they also went touring a bit. I left the house at about 4.30 with a cellphone that Betty lent me. I had to stop in a corner store to top up the minutes on the phone and stop by the "Farmacity" to buy a couple things before getting onto the subway. I had to change lines for the first time, but I had no problems. I rode the blue "C" line up north to Retiro station were I met up with Andy by the Red Tower.
We took a bus from outside the train station, we took one of the dozens of buses that had stops there. It was quite confusing. The bus was a grand total of 1.20 pesos, and we were able to ride it within a 3 minute walk of the stadium. We bought tickets for 80 pesos (which we will not do again, since there are cheaper seats higher up where there are more enthusiastic fans with drums, whistles etc.). But we could see the field very well from our seats and it was a great experience. There must have been about 30,000 people there, and there was plenty of room for more; I think that the stadium can hold close to 50,000 people.
The game was very exciting, it was between the teams "River" y "Rosario Central." River was the home team, so we were supporting them along with all of the other red and white wearing fans. There were a large amount of men with tattoos of their team on their shoulders and backs. Betty says that is the new and cool way to support your team....forever. The game in general was a little sad because the final score was 0:0, but River played very well and had multiple close calls. I have quite a few pictures that I want to share because I think that will give a better feel of the experience:
The energy of the fans, the noise, the colors, was great. The crowd really acted as one singing songs for a large part of the game, yelling objections, whistling, drumming, clapping, and waving their arms from the elbow down in a sort of wave that was a combination of a beckoning shake and a dumbbell curl. A bit like the stereotypical Italian hand gesture but without the fingers pinched.
I will try to add a short video clip tomorrow, because tonight the internet connection is really slow. It shows the chanting and waving quite well.
Chao.
07 February 2010
Day 7: The Book Market
So, before I talk about today's events I will describe my experiences from last night. I called one of the men from the school, who is called Kai, who said that the plan was to meet at Plaza Serrano at about 12.30pm. Plaza Serrano is a small square within walking distance from where I am staying, and it has quite a few restaurants and bars around its perimeter and on the radiating streets. When I left the house at about 12.00 it was raining quite hard. It had stopped between 10pm and 11.30, but I was wearing a raincoat and using an umbrella when I left. I chose to wear tennis shoes because I thought they might be more water resistant, but I was nevertheless thoroughly soaked from the knee down after the first few blocks. The sidewalks in Buenos Aires are not paved with the large slabs used in the United States. Here they are small, retangular blocks that are much more noticeably uneven when it is raining. I was a little disorientated as I had never been in this section of town before, but I found my way the 25 or so blocks to the square where just before I got to the Plaza itself, I bumped into a couple who I recognized from the school, but not my class. They were standing under a veranda filming the large amount of water flowing down the side of the street. They were from Holland and had never seen any rainfall of that strength before. We walked together into the square where we went to the restaurant/bar at which some people had met on a previous occasion, but we did not recognize any of our friends. After waiting for about 10-15 minutes, scanning the plaza through the rain, we decided to just go sit down in one of the other, less busy, restaurants for a while.
We found a table in a restaurant called Espacio Dada which had a great rough urban ambience. The walls were rugged with curious objects (like a larger-than-life mannequin that had an arm detached but on the wall a few feet away) and a non-functioning (we assumed) toilet basin next to one of the wooden, picnic-esque tables. There were some interesting light fixtures that had a wide collection of everyday metal objects and scrap metal too fused in a half sphere that directed light downwards and also cast dramatic shadow on the walls.
We started talking, in English, and I found out that they were a couple from Amsterdam who had come to Buenos Aires three weeks ago with no prior knowledge of the Spanish language. In the three weeks they had been in the city, they had learned quite a lot, from classes and everyday life, but they found it much more comfortable to talk in English (a language they had learned in high school and at which they were, I though, exceptionally proficient).
After talking for quite a while, we suddenly realized (separately, yet almost instantaneously) that we had not even introduced ourselves. I found out that they were called Anique and Thÿs (l-r above). Now, I believe I have spelled their names correctly, but I will change them if I find out otherwise. After a few more hours of talking about Buenos Aires, Holland, and the United States, we decided to go out once more and look for our group. We had no luck, and after looking at another restaurant we decided to return to our original table. We stayed and talked for a few hours more until the business closed. Anique and Thÿs were going to leave Saturday to start their tour of Argentina and then continue on to quite a few other Latin-American destinations. They are spending an entire year abroad.
On the walk home at about 04.30, I thought about how interesting my night had been. I had just made acquaintances, friends even with two very intelligent and vibrant people, spent just under 5 hours with them, and I very well might not see them again. They did speak, however, about coming to America some time in the more distant future, so I cannot say we will "never" meet again.
Thankfully, the rain had stopped, so my trip home was much more quick, and I did not get any more wet. I started walking much faster when, to my horror, I saw that there were a large number of store owners beginning to open and clean their business for the next morning! "I really need to get to bed" I thought to myself. When I did it was close to 05.00 and I promptly fell asleep and did not wake until 11 hours later. Apparently my first week had been more tiring than I had known.
When I climbed out of bed at about 16.00 I was entirely disoriented. The sun was gently shining and it was a great temperature, it could have been 11.30 in the morning. I was so disappointed that I had been unconscious for the majority of my first weekend day that I quickly grabbed some bread for breakfast and walked down the 12 blocks to the park where I had been told to look for the Harry Potter book.
The park is called "Parque Rivadavia" and it is a lovely green belt about three blocks long and at the end was a small book, magazine, CD and DVD market. Most of the good were second hand, with a large gradient in quality, all sold at little green metal stands that were literally plastered with books and displays (below). There must have been close to 45 stalls, and in the area not used by the market was a large congregation of local teenagers with skateboards and iPods and around three tables were quite a few old men (left) playing groups of men playing poker for what looked like macadamia nuts or white beans.
I was able to purchase "Harry Potter y la Cámara Secrata" for 20 pesos along with a pocket-sized map of Buenos Aires that had been recommended to me by a fellow student for having nearly every street name, a street index, and bus routes. On my way back I bought two pastries from a fancy little bakery, which I ate after my dinner this evening.
Betty was out and about so I had some chicken roast leftovers with rice and orange juice and a very nice conversation with Judith about Buenos Aires, languages in general, different countries and even Waldorf schools and theater. I think I have rambled on long enough for tonight, and I have an exciting day lined up for tomorrow, so I want to sleep well tonight. I'll leave you with this cliffhanger so you feel the need to read tomorrow night's entry:
GGGGGOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chao.
05 February 2010
Day 6: The First Farewell
I am posting this a little earlier tonight because I plan on going out... Last night I got some disgruntled fan-mail when my update was later than usual. This morning Betty thought it would not rain, and so I did not bring my raincoat with me to school. Naturally, it rained. Luckily for me it was only light and when I was coming home from classes. The hard rain started essentially just when I got inside and it has continued for the last three hours.Today was the first day of my time here that we said "goodbye" to one of the group. Laila (left) is meeting up with a friend and touring other provinces in Argentina. She'll stay for the first part of next week for a private lesson in the afternoons, but we will not have her with us in the mornings. I asked her to pose with a "sad" face for her photo, I think that I shall capture all the group members in this manner when they leave. That way it is a little like "The Weakest Link" and they lose while I win. Winning is nice feeling.
Classes were good today. I am loving the first period lesson with Marta (I found out I have been spelling her name incorrectly). She is full of energy, loves to hear what everyone has to say, and is great at encouraging and praising every effort. We laugh so much during those first 2 hours. The second 2 hours are a little less comical, yet still fun. Marcelo, as a couple of us have noticed lately, likes to hear himself talk. Most of the class consists of him rambling on about current local/global events, historical facts, or anything else, and then he squeezes a little bit of grammar and reading into the last 20-25 minutes. Still, I am learning a lot about Argentina and the Argentinean perspective on the world so I do not find his lessons boring or a waste of my time at all. I think it is in the private lessons, however, that I am learning the most new material. In the group classes most of the material is stuff I had forgotten, or expanding on something which I already know, but I am learning a ton of new vocabulary with Germán in the afternoons. I think today I filled about a page and a half with new words with synonyms the same line. It is so interesting that with each word I learn, even if I do not remember/know them all instantly, I immediately start hearing them in everyday speech. I feel like I am understanding conversation even more so at an individual-word basis. And this is after just a week!
Tonight I plan on going to a plaza that is supposed to be literally lined on all sides by bars and clubs. I am meeting up with a group from the school at 23.00 so I will post about how that went in tomorrow's blog.
I hope to have a super busy weekend: I want to go do some of the more touristy activities, going the Cathedral, different plazas, maybe a museum or two, a market, and there are open air free music concerts in a park both Saturday and Sunday nights. I know that I could spread it out over a few weekends, but I want to sample everything now (including mate, a classic drink in Argentina that I have yet to try, much to Marta's dismay), and I can always revisit places at my leisure. Andy from school also wants to go to a fútbol game with me at some point, since some of the tournament games are hosted locally.
I am happy that I am here for February through April because I get to experience two large festivals: Carnival and St. Patrick's Day. It is true that Carnival is bigger in Brazil, but there is supposed to be a great amount of activity on certain streets with music. dancing, and of course drinking. But drinking is supposed to be, naturally, much more prevalent to the holiday of St. Patrick's Day. With a decent amount of Irish immigrants here in Buenos Aires, St. Patrick's Day is supposed to be crazy. Within the 2 blocks around which the partying revolves, there are supposed to be thousands and thousands of people all dressed in green. I am excited.
Off for a little calm reading before tonight.
Chau. (The Argentinean version of the Mexican "Chao" which is a version of the Italian "Ciao")
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