Orientation, Daily Life in Buenos Aires, Barioloche

Hi all, orientation is now over and classes are finally about to start. It has been about 3 months since finals, so I'm definitely ready for some academia. Orientation was interesting and somewhat boring. We read newspapers, learned about history, the economy, and I got plenty of time to practice my drawing. We also practiced our spanish. We learned the Argentine way to speak (vos. vs. tu). Basically, it has changed almost everything I have learned over the past 7 years. The other day, I recieved two compliments from strangers on my Spanish. Some days are definitely better than others, in regard to speaking. It is difficult to wake up and go right into speaking spanish. It takes some adjusting for my brain.

I am going to take one class at the University Di Tella. It is private and small like a high school. I am signed up for philosophical problems, a first year class. Di Tella is a 15 mintue walk from my house. I am going to take one class at the University Del Salvador, another private school. But I haven't registered yet. Classes start Monday at this university and we have a couple weeks to try to the classes out. I have until April 6 to drop classes at all universities! I then will take two classes with the program at their offices. I'm thinking they will be a little easier and will most definitely transfer to uiuc.

It is imperative that you need patience if you are to live in Buenos Aires. It otherwise is just too frustrating. There is a problem with the monedas, or the coin system. There is simply not enough going around, but it is the only way to pay for the bus. A one peso coin is far more valuable than a 2 peso bill. Sometimes you need to buy candy or something to get coins for the bus. Another problem that I have encountered is that nobody wants to make change for a 100 peso note. Businesses simply don't accept them. In Barioloche, I had to go to three places before I could make change for a taxi. Furthermore, the 100 peso note is what you get when you take out money from the ATM. Oh well. Another issue is that businesses are closed at what could be considered peak hours. On the last day, I had an hour to walk around Barioloche and get some souveniers but almost every place was closed. This was 4pm on a Monday!

We spent three days in Barioloche, and I wish we could've spent a week there. It is in Patagonia, very close to the Chilean border. It clearly resembles a town in Switzerland. It is surrounded by lakes and mountains and they have fantastic chocolate. The first day there, we a short hike and even took a chairlift up to the top of one of the mountains - Cerro Campanario. The view was spectaculur. The next day, we had a free day. I would have loved to go rafting, but it was actually chilly and kinda rainy. Instead, a few friends and I took a bus to El Bolson, a town about 2 hours south. It is a big backpacker town. We did some hiking and even went to a local brewery. But because it was a Sunday, everything was closed. On the last day, the group hiked in the Andes to Cerro Lopez. We were hiking from 830am to 4pm. It was so cool. About 7km to the refuge at the top. We ate at the top. I brought some fruit and snacks because the food at the top of a mountain is certainly going to be more expensive. It was pretty hardcore hiking. A lot more intense than anyone thought. I think I liked going up more than going down. Yes Mom, my knees were fine. Great experience overall. It is a 2 hour flight from Buenos Aires. Otherwise it is a 24 hour bus ride. I plan on spending more time in Patagonia in the south.

I finally met my host family! They were in Uruguay for a while. They seem friendly. Raul is a little more reserved than his wife Elana. But they are interested in me and are helping with my spanish. It is pretty cool speaking to other Americans in spanish and actually have a meaningful conversation going. I really hope to be fluent by the end of this.

Things are still pretty cheap and the dollar is rising down here. Yesterday for lunch, I had two sandwiches (I was hungry), fries, and wine for about $6. Take that people studying in Europe! I also have been having a good time going out with people. I caught the first subte train at 630am Friday morning haha. We went to a bar called Jobs. A lot of pool tables, foosball, television. They even have board games, playstation, and archery. Something doesn't seem right about shooting arrows while drinking.

Miss and love you all.

D

First Weekend in Buenos Aires

It's been a little bit, but that is what you get for not having internet in the house. So, still haven't met my family yet. They are in Uruguay for at least a week longer. Apparently, my Senor had a 5way heart bypass. Not sure what that is called, but wow. These days, I hear he just reads a lot. Next - I'm damn good at taking the subway and buses. I can make combinations and connections and corrections (bam - alliteration). Most people aren't that suave yet, but I live in Belgrano which is far away so I am forced to excel. BA is big city, but I know my way around decently. I miss walking around with music/headphones. Too many people have had things stolen, so I won't do that. People have even been attacked when walking home. Maybe I will get some "protection." I went guitar shopping, but didn't buy anything. I hope I will get one soon - I'm going crazy! Even, the Hello Kitty was more money than guitars I was looking at!

I have met so many people. I have been having meals, coffee, and everything with different people each day. People from NYC, Massachusetts, California, Texas, all over. I also met people in my barrio and they all seem like good guys. Friday I went out with some girls from Chicago and had a lot of fun. We went to about three bars/dance clubs. As I came home at 7am with the sun coming up, it really hit me that this was Buenos Aires. I just started laughing. Saturday was also fun. I walked around my neighborhood more and really began to get a feel for things. We had a very nice dinner (steak, wine, etc) and a pretty popular place. Only $15 more or less - not bad! But at night, it poured. It was humid all week so we knew this was coming. Oh well. I probably should buy an umbrella. And notebooks. And shaving cream. And....well I've been really busy. Sunday was more walking around. There is a really nice garden/museum next to my house. I will write and do homework there.

I also went to the San Telmo Fair on Sunday. It is a huge weekly flea market and I love those types of things. I went by myself, and really enjoyed walking around, people watching, and seeing what goods were for sale. It was very bohemian. Somethings were very nice like the leather, some very chinsy like flattened glass bottles (ooo!). They realy had everything, including the kitchen sink! I definitely plan on going back. I also ate at a fantastic hole in the wall restaurant. It was tiny, standing room only. The grill took up half the place. But it was one of the best meals I have had here. People from around the world wrote on the wall and raved about the place. Even some football players ate there. I also was walking on a random street and a Beatles sign caught my eye. I went in the door (which you had to bend over to get in, like Willy Wonka) and looked around. They had an awesome 100 year old Russian 7 string acoustic guitar (most guitars have 6 strings). It was really something I have never seen before, but a tad out of my price range.

Sometimes the best things are unexpected.

Villa Gessel – Sandboarding, “captured” debit card, and a very long night at the bus terminal

Villa Gessel was much more chill than Mar Del Plata. Pretty friendly people and it was easy to move around. We had no trouble getting our bearings. At one point, a women at a small restaurant saved my drink and put it back in the freezer when I went out for a few minutes. At night, everyone crowds in the street and it becomes a perfect place for people watching. In Argentina, the mullet is still in effect. After dinner the first night, we just strolled along the beach. Besides fisherman, there were packs of stray dogs – some rolling 15 deep (for the elders, this means a group of 15 dogs). Saturday was an awesome day. For about $15, we got an entire day of activity. We took a dual level truck along the shore for some time, until we reached some sand dunes. We went sandboarding for about an hour. It is like sledding. You sit on a board and slide down. We went solo and in pairs. It was so fun. Usually when you go down in pairs, the board will turn over. It was pretty hilarious to see the group eat sand. We then took the truck to an old lighthouse - Faro Querandi. It is on the beach, but in the middle of the forest, and is about 100 years old. Very cool to walk up.

The next day, we planned to leave and buy bus tickets. After I bought my ticket for the 11pm bus, I went to get money from the ATM. I went with my Argentine friend so she could translate some words for me. Despite entering my code and doing everything correctly, the ATM wouldn’t let me do anything. The machine soon ate my card! I immediately got on the phone and canceled my card and set up a new one to be sent from me. I stayed pretty reasonable throughout it all. Shit happens.

Oh, but it didn’t end there. We arrived at the bus station at 1015 - 45 minutes early. Turns out the bus broke and there would not be a new one until 3 in the morning. Fantastic. We couldn’t go anywhere and had to wait. We couldn’t even sleep because of our packs. Anyways, a bus finally showed up at 430!!! For the those keeping track at home, that is over 6 hours of waiting. I think the highlight were the 4am Doritos. The temperature on the bus was colder than that outside. Lastly, because there weren’t many people on the dual level bus, we could sit anywhere and not pay attention to the seat assignments. There was like 40 open seats on the bus. Still, some guy gets on the bus and decides to sit with me. He could have sat anywhere - like the open seats next to his friends. But no, he sits with me. At that point, I was simply too tired to move or care. Only me.

Mar Del Plata – The Summer Destination

The endless coast, casino, and ice cream filled boardwalks make Mar Del Plata the choice of porteños on summer break. The beach was absolutely packed. After a quick lunch of empanadas in Buenos Aires, we began our five-hour bus ride. The ride was scenic and far more interesting than long drives in the Midwest. We saw many horses and some gauchos. We arrived at our hostel as the sun set. It cooled off a lot at night. We ate dinner at a tenedor libre – a buffet style restaurant. We got to try all types of meat, empanadas, and sides. Very good, but I know it wasn’t the best parilla I’ll have. We walked along a boardwalk that had street vendors and entertainers. There were dancers, guitar players, a comedy show, drag queens, and some other stuff. The comedy show was very hard to understand because the microphones were bad, it was loud, the comedians used slang, and they talked fast. The crowd really enjoyed it, but it was over my head.

We spent the next day at a beach about 25 minutes south of Mar Del Plata. My two friends and I went with three Chilean girls and a couple Argentines that we met at the hostel. It was so relaxing and there was a nice breeze too. Despite ample sun tan lotion, I got burned. The worst was on the top of my feet and ankles. They turned a nice purplish color. The girls at the beach were beautiful. There were so many and their bathing suits were minimal. I really don’t know how else to describe it. People in Argentina don’t care how they look in a bathing suit, for the absolute best or absolute worst. Trust me – I saw both.

We took a nap, ate a quick dinner at midnight, and at night (3 am) almost our entire hostel went out to a discoteca. It was outdoor, but there were two bars to go back and forth from. I met people from Argentina, Chile, Peru, Australia, and Canada. It was a lot of fun and we didn’t get back until 7am! You really don’t need that much time in Mar Del Plata - there are just so many people.

Dog Poop

A lot of it - in the city, on my shoe.


I am definitely getting adjusted to the city. I understand why people stay out so late. Most people work until 6. It is still light outside, so they will have coffee and relax for a few hours. Then around 1030, they will eat dinner followed by some more coffee (besides meat, the diet here is coffee and cigarettes). And then they will go out to the bars. I will report more on this later, but basically its rock and roll all night and party everyday. Speaking of which, KISS will be playing at the Quilmes Rock Festival in a few weeks. They will be playing with Radiohead and Argentine bands, so there is a good chance I will be going. My cousin is in a band here and has a show in a few weeks also. He said he will jam with me and help me find a guitar.

Tomorrow, I am traveling to Mar del Plata with some friends. I will write more later - time to enjoy the humidity.

DIO

Arrival

Wow.

After some exciting events, I am safely in Buenos Aires. Flew from Chicago to La Guardia no problem. Transferred to JFK no problem. Checked in, went through security, and found my gate no problem. After some time I noticed the other people at the gate becoming frantic and talking fast in Spanish. Turns out our flight was cancelled and we had to run to the American Airlines desk. When it was my turn at the desk, the guy started becoming angry and was called "el diablo.¨ Whatever, he got my a ticket and said I better run to the gate because the plane was leaving now ¡ fantastic. Went through security again, sprinted the length of the airport, bounded down 2 flights on the escalator, sprinted some more, climbed 2 flights on the escalator, and finally made it to the gate. What fun! The flight was fine, just slept. When I arrived in Buenos Aires and went to baggage claim, I heard my name being called. I found my cousin Damian (he works for Delta airlines). I was told they lost my bags and would not get them for another day. This did not surprise at all!

For the rest of the day, I hung out with Damian, his brother Gustavo, and Gustavo´s girlfriend Jackie. We had lunch, went to the mall to buy a shirt for me, and took a nap. That night, the entire family ate dinner together. Lito and Juanita, Miguel and Faustina, Ruben, Damian, Gustavo, Jackie, Sarita, Juanita´s mom, and some other woman....It was all very nice and we talked about the families. My spanish has been very good. They understand. I just have to work on my vocab and they obviously speak much faster than I do. For those that care, I had pasta with meat sauce. I say this becuase all of the food in Buenos Aires is amazing. Some of the city looks familiar too. I am even by the blockbuster/Chabad that I was near two years ago. Last night, Damian and I rented a movie - Nine Frances. It was very good and was about corruption and bribes in Argentina. Damian said it was very representative of society.

I am at an internet cafe now and have the day to myself. Everything is great. I am going to get some lunch, walk around, and enjoy the warm weather.

Ciao!

Departure

I bringing a pound of candy, shirts, pictures, and numerous chatchkis to my family in Buenos Aires. Of course this is necessary. What better way to utilize space needed for five months than with three bags of candy and pads of paper? But you see, I understand why this is. Gifts are tradition. It establishes the connection between families. The thing with Argentines, especially Jews, is that everbody is family. I am going to Argentina partly because of my family and the culture.

Anyways, no more making Turkey Toms at Jimmy Johns (#4) and no more shoveling snow in freezing temperatures. I am going to Buenos Aires, Argentina!