Nunca Más

I just got back from an exchange student activity entitled "Tango Orchestra," which was without a doubt the most political thing I have seen/heard/been to since arriving here.

About 30,000 people "disappeared," or were killed, under the military dictatorship here between 1976 and 1983. Imagine if your brother or sister or husband or child just suddenly disappeared one day, you had no idea where, and you couldn't go to the authorities because they were probably the ones behind it. I can't. Most of the political history of Argentina since then has evolved around coming to terms with this past. 

Though the junta is such a huge part of Argentine history, our program told us not to bring it up unless it is brought up for you. I haven't, and thus haven't really gotten a sense of what modern Argentines think. Tonight at the concert, however, all the music with lyrics revolved around it. It was extremely powerful to hear the singer say in introduction "this song is dedicated to the generation before us, for whom we are still searching." Though I could only understand phrases here and there, sentences like "I can hear your absence" finally made personal for me what I have been reading about for so long. It is one thing to read about statistics, quite another to be sitting in a smoky cafe listening to a man in a fedora warble about his empty barrio. The Argentine culture has been extremely friendly, warm and welcoming, but there are innumerable layers to uncover. I am so excited to keep exploring and learning about this intensely proud, intensely complex culture.

N

Nothing Gets Done With Dust in Your Gun

What a week. I'm sorry I haven't updated but things got crazy on Monday and haven't slowed down til today. So...

I've decided that transportation here is analogous to the general Argentine psyche in general: chaotic, emotional and disorganized but with the very best of intentions. On Monday we went on a bike tour of the city, that I thought was going to be just a quiet nature tour of the Ecological Reserve. How wrong I was. We ended up dodging buses and motorcycles on highways and overpasses, on cobbled roads and narrow streets, and I think we gave new meaning to the phrase "dumb Americans". The 20 of us must have made quite a sight, rickety orange bicycles in a line trouping down Avenida del Libertador, among other highways. Stopping only for quick photo ops mostly at places I had already seen, the main attraction of this experience was the first hand look at Argentine driving practices. Especially concerning speed limits and traffic lights, they don't follow the rules. Usually in the States vehicles will yield to people on bikes, but not here. Numerous times our group was separated and once I almost got hit by a bus. Our tour guide seemed indifferent to the mortal danger we were all in and rarely looked behind her to see if we were keeping up. The entire debacle was quintessentially Argentine, crazy and chaotic but with the seemingly implicit knowledge that everything would be all right in the end.

I also took the "collectivo" or bus system, for the first time this week. This, too, is a system uniquely porteno. The Subte, or Metro, is not as convenient as in DC because there are 5 lines that all generally start near the Plaza de Mayo and go in straight lines outwards, almost like a hand. So if you don't happen to live near any stops, you take the collectivo. There is a guide to the system called the Guia T which tells you which lines run where and supposedly where the stops are, but to find them you usually have to ask someone. My experience was relatively painless, I got lost but managed to find myself again and get where I was supposed to be. 

On Friday I went to my first tango show!!! Ohmigod. There is nothing I have wanted to learn more in my entire life, except maybe how to waterski. The place we went to was kind of like a dinner theater, with a prix fixe meal and the show after. I'm a sucker for a sparkly extravaganza, and this fit the bill. The whole thing was done in a sort of 40s style costume, and the dresses were incredible. The dancers were amazing as well. Tango is a beautiful dance to watch because the man and woman move so seamlessly together. I will have to overcome my WASPy awkwardness to even be a fraction as good but it will be worth it. Some friends and I are going to a club for lessons on Tuesday. 

Other news... we had our parcial for the intensive course on Thursday. It was easier than I thought it would be, which is good because it means my Spanish is getting better. I have not really made any Argentine friends yet to practice with (everyone in the intensive course is American) but the security guards in my building are super nice and love to talk to me. Surprisingly, taxi drivers are pretty chatty too. I had a great conversation with one on Friday about how much George Bush sucks. Also, for some reason they always ask me if I'm single and when I say yes they start talking about how great Argentine guys are. Super...

I started running again on Tuesday, after a week hiatus. There is no gym at UCA and not one near my apartment building but I feel safe running around the neighborhood since the Naval Prefect guys are everywhere. The Ecological Reserve is as great as I thought it would be for running, also the diques are beautiful to run around and there is always a nice breeze. However, while in the U.S. you would see joggers everywhere in such an area, I am only ever one of a few and always the only woman. For how thin the women are here, I would have thought I'd seen more. I've been told about four times now that Argentina as a country has the highest rate of eating disorders among women, which seems pretty credible to me. There are many girls I've seen who definitely need to start eating more, and have not yet seen an overweight Argentine woman. It is another Argentine paradox: most of the food is meat, carbohydrates and cheese but instead of eating more vegetables I guess the women just don't eat anything. While I guess it's a norm here, it doesn't make it any easier to see and breaks my heart. I'm doing well though since Nancy is relatively health conscious and keeps plenty of fruit and veggies around for me. 

There is so much more to say but this post has gone on too long already. I've realized that you cannot put the experience of being abroad into words, you can just pick experiences and thoughts to expound upon. If it gets boring, or anything you're dying to know about that I haven't written about, let me know!! 

Le extraño muchisimos! (I miss you guys super a lot!) Besos,

N

N.B. title of the post: line from the song "Going North" by Missy Higgins. No, I have not seen any guns here.

Reflections on the First Week

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!!!!!!!!!

I'm sitting in the cafe across the street from my building, since they have wireless internet, marveling at the fact that I've been here over a week. I can't decide whether it feels like forever or a minute since I arrived, but I do know that my days have been full and fun.

Thoughts so far...

Class has been a great constant this week, I am a creature of habit and having a place to be every day at the same time has helped my adjustment to life in BA. The people are cool, my professor is fun and there's not too much work so we have lots of time to explore the rest of the city. On Wednesday we went on a city tour sponsored by UCA and visited La Boca, the Plaza de Mayo and Recoleta. Tangueros wander the streets in La Boca, taking pictures with tourists for pesos. I tried to take a picture of one pair dancing, but the woman took my camera and before I could realize what was happening the man had grabbed me and held me in the tango pose! The woman took what felt like forever to take a picture, and I didnt have any pesos on my to give them. It was probably the most awkward 5 seconds of my life, but also hilarious.

Things have become more and more comfortable with my homestay. The girls visit their father on the weekends so Nancy and I had a great conversation over dinner on Friday about our social lives, the men in Argentina, and college life in the U.S. Since then things between us have been much less formal and more on a friend level than a adult-kid level. As I predicted, the girls are more and more fun to play with as I get more comfortable in the house. They have made up a song concerning my shoes and perform it for me about every day. One day I'll try and get a video of it.

After my first two weekend nights here, I can say that the nightlife is as insane as everyone says. On Friday we went out with my friend Laura's host brother, (who is a model!) and he took us first to a bar to hang out and then to a "boliche" or club which didnt open until 2 am and quickly was packed. I am not much of a club rat but this was the funnest night I've had in awhile, notwithstanding unwelcome attention from sketch Argentines. Everyone is much more focused on the dancing rather than the drinking, and it was fun to see people tangoing and salsaing the night away. I tried to imitate but it will take a few more nights at a boliche to learn these dances. When we left at 7 in the morning the place was still full and showed no signs of slowing down. Saturday night we decided to take it a little more easy and went to the Argentine version of an Irish pub which had all the usual decorations but played techno music. It was great to just chill and chat and get to know Laura and Sailee (the two other GW girls) better.

Today we thought about going to the antiques fair in San Telmo but decided to just take it easy and get ready for the school week. Tomorrow we have a bike tour of Puerto Madero and the Ecological Reserve which I am soo excited for since I haven't been yet. I tried to upload some photos but the bandwith here apparently is not strong enough so I have to figure out how I'm going to upload them in the internet cafe. Hopefully soon!

To my doves who read this, I miss you more than you know. Mom & Dad, I'm sorry Skype hasn't worked out as well as we hoped but hopefully it well get better!!! Soultwin, thanks for the pep talk, I love youu

Besos,
Naty

"mi vieja, gardel y boca"

... just one of the many colloquialisms I have learned from my professor. It apparently represents the three things porteños hold most dear in their consciousness: their mothers; Carlos Gardel, a famous tango singer; and the Boca Juniors soccer team.

The curso intensivo is not as intensive as I thought it would be, we spend a lot of time going around the room repeating vocabulary words she throws at us. I think she´s trying to develop our Argentine accents, which are completely different than most other Spanish I´ve heard. My professor is a cute little grandmother who has a habit of asking questions really fast and then looking at us mischievously to see who understood her, and laughing. I am definitely learning quickly. She is also a lot more laid back than most professors I have encountered: today she answered her cell phone in the middle of class to talk to her cousin. If all professors at UCA are like her I think it´s going to be a fun semester.

This morning I had coffee with the "padrino," or buddy, that UCA assigned to sort of acquaint me with the city. Rodrigo is a business management major who has been a padrino for 3 semesters, so I think I´m in good hands. He told me everything there was to know about UCA bureaucracy, which is good because no one told me that grades are from 0-10, not ABC, and also gave me tips for some fun bars. I think tomorrow we´re going to try them out.

I´ve also been able to explore a little bit more of Palermo and Recoleta, and though everyone I´ve met lives in Recoleta I have to say that I like Puerto Madero a lot better. It´s cleaner and newer and there is much less street noise than in those neighborhoods. Also, the Coast Guard guard it since it´s a port, making it the absolute safest neighborhood in the city. My walk home is along the water ¨diques,¨or dikes, which are beautiful and much better than city traffic. So though I have to take a taxi to Recoleta to meet up with people, it is definitely worth the hassle.

Every day is a continuing adventure and I´m definitely still getting adjusted to the city. I love comments so post away!

¡Besos!
Natty (my new nickname since most porteños have trouble pronouncing "Natalie")

¡Bienvenidos a Buenos Aires!

I have heard that phrase so many times in the last few days! If there was one thing that was not exagerrated about this city, it would be the friendliness of porteños (Argentines who live in Buenos Aires.)

I arrived on Friday morning after a very pleasant flight (I got moved into first class!) and got to the Hotel Etoile where I spent two days exploring the Recoleta neighborhood on my own. I have flown by myself before, but never stayed in a hotel alone, so the experience was novel. I´ll have to say it´s not my favorite. I was relieved to get to orientation yesterday and see the staff and other girls who came early for the intensive program.

We left orientation with our homestay families. This has been the most challenging experience of my (short) time here thus far. I can communicate with my host mom, Nancy, as well as the older girl Oriana, fairly easily though they speak a little fast for me. But the younger girl, Giuliana, speaks rapid fire and in an accent that is even more difficult to understand than usual. I am afraid of offending her but usually I have to just smile and nod whenever she tries to tell me something. It is also going to be more difficult than I imagined to adjust to living with a family. Nancy and the girls are incredibly sweet, but they obviously have different customs, and until I feel more comfortable I am afraid to do anything to mess up their routine. Last night we didn´t eat dinner until 11:30pm and I thought I was going to faint. The girls´room is right next to mine, and they don´t have any qualms about coming in without knocking. Nancy also told me she wants me to tell her where I´m going when I go out, even to school, and when I think I´ll be home. Since I´ve been getting lost about every other block in this city, this might be a problem.

But it´s definitely a cultural thing and I think the benefits of living with them outweigh any annoyances. Nancy is a very open, warm person, and she knows the city well. I´m sure I will be able to appreciate how fun the girls are when I´m not so tired and overwhelmed. My room is beautiful, if small, and I have a picture window with a nice view. We met the rest of the "estudiantes intercambios" today for a placement test for the intensive course, and the ones I met are all very nice. I can´t wait to get to know everyone better and keep exploring this amazing city.

¡Besos!
N

PS: I´ve only been here 3 days and already been to the Recoleta Cemetery and the Plaza de Mayo. New things on the to do list: Understand Giuliana better and finish unpacking.

PPS: I don´t have Internet in my homestay, so until I get more acquainted with the neighborhood (internet cafes, etc.) access is limited.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

I have about a bajillion things to do before my flight tomorrow, but I've been saving this quote for awhile and wanted to share it:

"From experience I know that whatever you imagine a new country to be, reality will adjust your imagination.

It is best to be prepared to be disappointed by what you anticipate, surprised by what you encounter, and delighted by what you find." -- Robert Fulghum

Words to live by. Besos!

N

Top 15 Things to do in BA

Okay, after the first two, these are in no particular order. I'll write in more detail of each one as I experience them, and of course, the "Top 15" might change once I get there.

1) Become fluent in Spanish

2) Take as many tango classes as I possibly can

3) Visit the Casa Rosada and the Plaza de Mayo

The "Pink House" is the Argentine version of the White House and is where Peron and Evita would give speeches from the balcony. The Plaza de Mayo is where it is located and also is where a human rights group known as the "Madres de la Plaza de Mayo" would congregate during the military dictatorship in 1976-1983 to protest the disappearance of their loved ones. They still meet on Thursdays, so that's when I'm going.

4) See an opera at the Teatro Colon

The Teatro Colon was built in 1908 at the height of the Golden Age in Buenos Aires, and apparently is a Beaux Artes masterpiece. It is currently under renovation but the website says that will be done by May, so hopefully they are not delayed. 

5) Have a cafe at the Cafe Tortoni

Cafe Tortoni is where Jorge Luis Borges would come to write and mingle with other literary types, and a protective law passed by the city means its exactly the same as it was in his day.

6) Wander Recoleta Cemetery

Sounds weird, I know, but all my guidebooks hail this as a must-see. Evita is buried there, so I agree.

7) Go to the Sunday antiques fair in San Telmo

My homestay in Puerto Madero is close to the San Telmo neighborhood, so hopefully I will be spending many a lazy Sunday shopping for crafts and antiques. Apparently they also have live impromptu tango shows!

8) Eat at Cabaña las Lilas, and find a great parrilla on my own.

Cabaña las Lilas is praised by the New York Times as the best parrilla (steakhouse) in Buenos Aires, so of course I must go see what the fuss is about. Part of the study abroad experience, however, is "going local" so I want to find my own favorite.

9) See a polo match

I've seen many in Newport, but this is just too cool to miss.

10) Go to a Boca Juniors game

I'm not much of a sports fan, but Argentines love their futbol. Again, I want to get as much of the Argentine experience as possible, and what better way than to take part in one of their favorite pastimes?

11) Visit the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

The Argentine version of the National Gallery. I'm going, hopefully for days at a time.

12) Walk the Caminito in La Boca

If you have seen the pictures of Buenos Aires with brightly painted buildings, those are in this neighborhood. La Boca was the original port in BA, and is where tango originated, but now its sort of a rough neighborhood. Which is why I'm going to go in the daytime and stick to the touristy Caminito ("little walkway").

13) Go running in the Ecological Reserve in Puerto Madero

An ecological reserve was named on the place where trees, flowers and birds took hold on the construction debris dumped in the Rio de la Plata during the development of Buenos Aires. It is fairly close to my homestay so I figured it would make a pretty running route.

14) Read some of Jorge Luis Borges' "Ficciones" en espanol

One of my favorite books, and most of it was written in Buenos Aires. Hopefully after a few weeks there I'll be able to read it more easily in Spanish.

15) Go shopping in Recoleta, preferably finding my dream leather tote

Recoleta has been described to me as the Georgetown of Buenos Aires, with lots of cute, local designer boutiques. I have been on the lookout for a roomy leather tote for awhile now, and since leather is (relatively) cheap and (very) high quality in Buenos Aires I am determined to find one while I'm there.

(16: and of course, get good grades)

One week! Besos!

N