Estadio Centenario, home of the first world cup
Teatro Solis
Palacio Salvo, once South America's Tallest Building
Plaza Independencia
Huge Flea Market
I am about 85% registered for classes. With IFSA-Butler, I am taking two classes. Both are at their office with other American students. I am taking the mandatory castellano (spanish) class. It is actually castellano and an Argentine women concentration. It fits well in my schedule and it doesn’t hurt that I am the only guy in the class. For this class, we have to read 5 argentine books. I have already started one. It is a challenge and I am using my dictionary every other word, but it’s for the best. The other class with IFSA is Argentine and Latin American Literature. I am with many friends and it should be a good class. First day of class, I took the teachers seat. Yeah, I would do that. While she didn’t make me move, she did pretend to exercise every time she went from one end of the room to the other. At the University DiTella, I am taking Philosophical Problems. Yes, philosophy at 8am, in Spanish, learning Greek words. But it is a first year class, I can read Plato in English, I have met some cool Argentine kids, and I think the professor is a good guy. He always makes jokes (I get about half of them). Lastly, I plan on taking an art class with University Del Salvador. I will actually get to draw so I am very happy and I’ve kinda been into that again. I mean I did win an international art contest and have had my work flown around the world (haha Northwest Airlines)…..Still, I need to finalize this class Friday. I had registered for General Anthropology and History and Boringness with USAL, so this definitely needs to change. Schedule is looking good, with no classes Friday and Monday. There are a few holidays coming up too.
UPDATE: Philosophy stinks.
I just returned from Montevideo, Uruguay yesterday. I was able to travel solo just fine and it was a pretty cheap trip too. I took a boat to Colonia, Uruguay. And from there, I took a bus to Montevideo. It was easy. The boat was surprisingly nice with entertainment (opera singers), video games, shopping, food, and a bar. I met my friends at their hotel. There were about 10 people from U of I in Montevideo. It was great seeing everybody and I really felt that I was part of their alternative spring break. I was able to spend the entire time with them, and I even was able to volunteer with them. Saturday night, the group went to Purim party at the Hillel. It was crazy. DJ, drinks, and a ton of people. This could definitely not happen in the States. We left at about 2am, just as the party was getting good. My friends are not accustomed to the nightlife in South America! Sunday, we went to a huge flea market for a few hours. Tons of fresh vegetables, mate cups, and even animals (Dogs for $2? Need a tarantula? How ‘bout a rabbit?). Mostly, it was a sprawl of junk, but we all enjoyed it. We also walked through the old city. The centerpiece of this area is Puerto Mercado. A big converted railroad station that is now home to tens of parillas (grills). We had a good lunch there. I also had fish while in Montevideo because that is something really not found in Buenos Aires. Outside the Mercado, there were more artists and musicians. I liked Montevideo, but nowhere near as much as Buenos Aires. It is much smaller and calmer, but also more boring. Sometimes there was nobody in the street. But, there are way more people drinking mate there. Mate is a herbal tea found in South America. Uruguayans are crazy about mate. Nearly everybody is carrying a thermos and a mate cup. I love it. On the boat to Colonia, I shared mate with some girls I met. I like mate with sugar. Otherwise it’s too bitter. It’s a very cultural and communal experience. I want to drink more mate in Buenos Aires.
I also went with group to a children’s center outside of the city. We painted a wall and played games with the kids. I think they really enjoyed our company, but I feel like we could have done much more. It was nice what we did, but I think it would have been more beneficial to do something more concrete. I don’t know what, but maybe something in regards to education or health. The spring break group is also building an organic greenhouse/school for other children in the country. It is an awesome project. There are maybe 75 of these schools in Uruguay. The kids learn all about farming and at the same time math, science, and business. We watched a video and it was so cool to see kids saying how much they enjoy vegetables and how they try to eat food of every color. I cannot imagine American children learning how to farm, provide for themselves, and eat vegetables. There is a worldwide program called Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF). In exchange for work and maybe a little money, you receive room and board. I hope to WWOOF once or twice with people in Argentina. It supposedly is a great way to travel. And if I really enjoy farming, then I want to come back and increase the family garden (Dad, I might tear up the backyard).
The last day in Montevideo, I was alone because I had to catch my bus and the organicx farm was too far away. I went back to Puerto Mercado for another good meal. Then I walked east through the city. There are a ton of historical and government buildings along this one avenue. I probably walked a mile or two. I visited El Teatro Solaris. It is an unbelievable theater and one of the best in South America. I then took a city bus to El Centenario, the main soccer stadium in Uruguay. I took a small tour, saw many trophies, and learned a lot. The very first World Cup Championship was held in this stadium (Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2). They even had the soccer ball from the game. Some pretty cool stuff. I then walked maybe a mile to the bus terminal. Everything worked out great on this trip. I crashed with my friends and didn’t pay for a hotel, I got some free meals from Hillel, and most importantly had a lot of fun. Any mishaps? Hmm…..well I probably shouldn’t have left my glasses in Buenos Aires…
