My taxi will be here in 15 minutes. Its a crazy thought to be going home already. I've had a wonderful semester abroad, and I've really learned so much. As I've said before, I'm ready to go back - see family and friends, have a bit more privacy, and go back to Penn. On the other hand, I'm not sure if I'm ready to leave - the city, the friends, the relationships. I'm going to go say goodbye to Bocha. See many of you very soon.
Mis queridos amigos argentinos - realmente fue un placer conocerlos. Tengo tanto suerte. Cuando vengas a los Estados Unidos por favor mandame un mail!
Rebecca
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The end of BA
Glacial fields
Me at the 7 colored mountains
The salt flatsI'm back in BA after a wonderful few weeks of traveling. First, I was lucky enough to have my Mom and grandparents come down to visit. After a fun time in Buenos Aires (and a lot of studying on my part), I took my LAST final exam and immediately got onto a plane. We went to Iguazu falls in the north, and to El Calafate in the south, home to beautiful glaciers. We had a great time and saw some truly beautiful sights. As Papa said, it is important to see the glaciers now, so that I can some day tell my grandchildren all about them because they are rapidly receding from global warming.
After they left, I spent a few days traveling in Northern Argentina in the provinces of Salta and Jujuy with my friend from COPA Laura. The north is different than any other part of the country - it has retained its roots much more than anything else I have seen. For the first time since arriving I truly felt like I was in Latin America - people wearing old fashioned clothes, lots of horses, and gorgeous scenery. The mountains up there aren't like anything I've seen before - due to the minerals, they are all different colors. In the north, we visited small Qechua (modern-day Inca) villages and saw gorgeous scenery. At one point we did the Paseo de 7 Colores (Walk of 7 Colors) - but, only found 5 colors!
Our real story was the Quebrada de Humahuaca (Humahuaca Gorge). The travel books talk about how gorgeous it is, but don't really get into what it is. But, one book mentioned that the best place to view it was from the village of Humahuaca. One day, we got up very early and caught a bus to go to Humahuaca. My friend immediately fell asleep, and I dozed in or out, enjoying the beautiful scenery when I was awake. Once there, we went to the tourism office to talk about seeing the Quebrada... It turns out that Quebrada de Humahuaca is the name of the region, not an actual "thing" and that the best way to see it is the busride up... which we had slept through! After that revelation, we were very careful to find out what things were before we did them!
Another incredible sight were the salinas grandes, the salt flats. Geologists believe that millions of years ago the whole region was a sea. Today, what remains are giant stretches of land covered in a layer of salt. It was very cool to see - it basically looked like everything was covered in snow, but it was 90 degrees out.
Besides seeing the gorgeous scenery, we also spent time in these small villages. I really can't imagine living there personally - they really are pueblitos (little, little towns). However, they were so interesting to see. The pace of life was so much slower, everybody knew everybody else (that part was familiar!), and people looked "Latino." A quick digression - Argentina is a country of immigrants, much like the US. In Buenos Aires, most people are white, and don't look much different than they do in the US. In fact, many of the people who look ethnically Latino are immigrants from neighboring countries. In Jujuy, Laura and I had the experience of being the only white people on a few occasions - it was a strange feeling.
Now I'm wrapping things up in Buenos Aires, seeing friends and visiting the places I still haven't been, along with packing. I can't wait to see everybody when I 'm back in the US soon!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thanksgiving
I have so many potential blog entries to write, I don't even know where to start! I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Uruguay with most of my program. The boatride was about 3 hours (if you pay more you can get there in 1 hour), and unlike anything else I've done. I barely felt like I was in a boat - there are two sections that are set up like airplanes, with lots of chairs in rows, a big game room area which also has small tables with chairs to lounge in, an upstairs deck, a small cafeteria, a HUGE duty free shop (the waters are considered international territory), and a first class area (which I didn't get to see).
We got to Colonia and immediately went to our director's program for Thanksgiving. There were various rumors about how the turkeys got to Uruguay... let's just say that the director has connections (turkey's are not easy to find in Argentina or Uruguay). One student's parents had brought several bags of cranberries with them from the US so we could even have cranberry sauce! The food was good, though Yaya's is better. I was very happy to see pumpkin pie, as its one of my favorite parts. Afterwards, we went on a short tour of the city of Colonia and then hung out in the city for the night. The next morning my friends and I headed out to Punta del Este, one of the most popular beaches in Uruguay. Unfortunately, the weather decided to be rather uncooperative and our beach days were cold and windy :-(. It was still nice to see, and we had a good time together.
The most confusing part of Thanksgiving, was, in fact the weather. Wearing a summer skirt and tshirt to Thanksgiving dinner just didn't make any sense! On Thursday, the weather was in the 80s and we were all wearing sunscreen. I can't even imagine what it would be like to celebrate Christmas here - I'm dreaming of a sunny beach day Christmas?
I'll be seeing everyone soon! Love, Becca
We got to Colonia and immediately went to our director's program for Thanksgiving. There were various rumors about how the turkeys got to Uruguay... let's just say that the director has connections (turkey's are not easy to find in Argentina or Uruguay). One student's parents had brought several bags of cranberries with them from the US so we could even have cranberry sauce! The food was good, though Yaya's is better. I was very happy to see pumpkin pie, as its one of my favorite parts. Afterwards, we went on a short tour of the city of Colonia and then hung out in the city for the night. The next morning my friends and I headed out to Punta del Este, one of the most popular beaches in Uruguay. Unfortunately, the weather decided to be rather uncooperative and our beach days were cold and windy :-(. It was still nice to see, and we had a good time together.
The most confusing part of Thanksgiving, was, in fact the weather. Wearing a summer skirt and tshirt to Thanksgiving dinner just didn't make any sense! On Thursday, the weather was in the 80s and we were all wearing sunscreen. I can't even imagine what it would be like to celebrate Christmas here - I'm dreaming of a sunny beach day Christmas?
I'll be seeing everyone soon! Love, Becca
Sunday, November 18, 2007
So much to do, so little time
I officially have a month left in Buenos Aires. It still seems crazy to think that I've been here for four months. I got here July 15. I still can't believe it. And now I leave in a month. In some ways, I'm getting very ready to come home - ready to see the family and friends, have a "normal" slice of pizza, speak English on a regular basis, and take discussion based classes. On the other hand, I don't know if my "abroad experience" is really over. Every day I feel like I learn something new about this place - I learn a new Spanish phrase, find a cool new art gallery, discover a new Argentine food, or meet a great new person. Today I went to Hillel, and started talking to one of the security guards as I was walking out. Yet another great person...
I hope that everyone at home as a happy Thanksgiving! My entire program is making the 2 (3?) hour trip to Colonia, Uruguay (PASSPORT STAMP!) for the holiday, and I am planning on staying on a bit with friends. I'll be seeing you all so soon!
ADDENDUM (Mon at 10:30 PM): I just bought my plane tickets back to the US... I get into Newark Dec 19!
I hope that everyone at home as a happy Thanksgiving! My entire program is making the 2 (3?) hour trip to Colonia, Uruguay (PASSPORT STAMP!) for the holiday, and I am planning on staying on a bit with friends. I'll be seeing you all so soon!
ADDENDUM (Mon at 10:30 PM): I just bought my plane tickets back to the US... I get into Newark Dec 19!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
In case you didn't believe me
Here's this link, about the coin shortage in Argentina :-)
Off to a busy day of studying. Lots of love!
Off to a busy day of studying. Lots of love!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Election Day!
Last Sunday was Argentina's election day. Cristina Kirchner, wife of the incumbent president Nestor Kirchner, ran and won the election as a part of the party Frente Para la Victoria (Front for Victory), one of the many branches of the modern day Peronist Party. I could give you a whole history of the Peronist party (I'm taking a class on Peronism), but I'll spare everyone the lecture. Basically, they are still considered Peronists, because that is the dominant political party, but today's Peronists' politics are worlds apart from Peron's politics. For some information about Cristina, click here.
Election Day was interesting for several reasons. First of all, the wife of the incumbent president was running. While she won in the province of Buenos Aires, she lost in the city of Buenos Aires, which is called Capital Federal (where I live and all the national government stuff is). Fun fact: the capital of the province of Buenos Aires is not Capital Federal, it is a city called La Plata. Amongst the people I've met (all in BA), she seems to be unpopular, and many people have told me they see her election as a way to keep the couple in power for a long time - Nestor just finished his four years, she will be in office for four years, then she passes the power back to him for four years, and she takes it after him. I'm not sure if I agree with this reading, but thought it was interesting and worth sharing.
In addition, EVERYTHING is closed on Election Day. It is on a Sunday, and all of the bars close at midnight on Saturday night and you cannot serve alcohol. For a city that usually doesn't go out until 2 AM, this was very surprising! Sunday was not much different than a normal Sunday in BA - everything was closed, but everything is always closed on Sunday.
Finally, voting in Argentina is not option, it is obligatory. According to the Argentine Constitution, every person has to vote in elections, unless they have a special circumstances. Election day is on a Sunday, so people don't work and it's easier to get out and vote. Needless to say, they have a very high percentage of people who vote, unlike the US. I was very curious about it, and actually asked in one of my classes what it means that it's obligatory - if you don't vote, can you be punished? The answer is technically, there is a fine. However, it is a strictly enforced policy.
Besides elections, life has continued as normal in BA. Nothing too exciting to report on. I'm getting excited for the family (Mom, Yaya, and Papa) to come down and visit. Over Thanksgiving our program takes us to Colonia, in Uruguay for the day (its a short boatride away), so that should be fun! I'm starting to plan my adventures for the end of the semester, and I'm weighing all my different options for interesting things to do.
Lots and lots of love to the US (and South Africa, and Spain, etc.),
Becca
Election Day was interesting for several reasons. First of all, the wife of the incumbent president was running. While she won in the province of Buenos Aires, she lost in the city of Buenos Aires, which is called Capital Federal (where I live and all the national government stuff is). Fun fact: the capital of the province of Buenos Aires is not Capital Federal, it is a city called La Plata. Amongst the people I've met (all in BA), she seems to be unpopular, and many people have told me they see her election as a way to keep the couple in power for a long time - Nestor just finished his four years, she will be in office for four years, then she passes the power back to him for four years, and she takes it after him. I'm not sure if I agree with this reading, but thought it was interesting and worth sharing.
In addition, EVERYTHING is closed on Election Day. It is on a Sunday, and all of the bars close at midnight on Saturday night and you cannot serve alcohol. For a city that usually doesn't go out until 2 AM, this was very surprising! Sunday was not much different than a normal Sunday in BA - everything was closed, but everything is always closed on Sunday.
Finally, voting in Argentina is not option, it is obligatory. According to the Argentine Constitution, every person has to vote in elections, unless they have a special circumstances. Election day is on a Sunday, so people don't work and it's easier to get out and vote. Needless to say, they have a very high percentage of people who vote, unlike the US. I was very curious about it, and actually asked in one of my classes what it means that it's obligatory - if you don't vote, can you be punished? The answer is technically, there is a fine. However, it is a strictly enforced policy.
Besides elections, life has continued as normal in BA. Nothing too exciting to report on. I'm getting excited for the family (Mom, Yaya, and Papa) to come down and visit. Over Thanksgiving our program takes us to Colonia, in Uruguay for the day (its a short boatride away), so that should be fun! I'm starting to plan my adventures for the end of the semester, and I'm weighing all my different options for interesting things to do.
Lots and lots of love to the US (and South Africa, and Spain, etc.),
Becca
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Making Change
Math is usually something I´m good at... two plus two is four, the square root of negative 1 is i, and the integral of 2x is x squared. but, simple math here confuses me so much! Mostly, its due to the money sytem. Like the US, Argentina uses bills for $100, 50, 20, 10, 5 (called pesos). But, they have a $2 bill and "monedas" (coins) for $1 peso, and for 50, 25, 10, and 5 centavos (cents). So, for example, something costs $12 and you pay with a $20... You´re going to get $2 and $5 bills and a $1 moneda or two for .50. Similarly, if something costs $9 and you pay with $10, you´ll get back a moneda for $1. It suonds simple, but I tend to forget, and try and find my $1 bills, which don´t exist!
To make things more complicated... monedas are highly coveted objects. You need monedas to pay for the colectivo, the buses that you use to travel around the city. In addition, when you buy something that only costs $.75, people tend to get annoyed if you don´t use your monedas, and pay with a bill to try and get back change. Clearly, that is what all of BA is trying to do, so that they can get on the colectivo! According to somebody I met, there is actually a shortage of monedas, and this is what is causing all the problems...
That´s all for today! Today´s moral: count your change and save your monedas!
To make things more complicated... monedas are highly coveted objects. You need monedas to pay for the colectivo, the buses that you use to travel around the city. In addition, when you buy something that only costs $.75, people tend to get annoyed if you don´t use your monedas, and pay with a bill to try and get back change. Clearly, that is what all of BA is trying to do, so that they can get on the colectivo! According to somebody I met, there is actually a shortage of monedas, and this is what is causing all the problems...
That´s all for today! Today´s moral: count your change and save your monedas!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Photos
One of the many FANTASTIC views!
More of our hike, but this time showing all the snow. There was over a meter!Nothing too exciting this week - took a midterm, now I'm working on the takehome part of it. I just saw a fantastic movie, called "Mar Adentro," in English "The Sea Within." It won an Oscar in 2005 for Best Foreign Film. It's from Spain and by Alejandro Amenábar - I highly suggest it, though it is a bit unsettling, as its about a quadriplegic who is petitioning for the right to euthanasia.
Today I'm off to the gym, then a bit of shopping with an Argentine friend. Hope all is well in the US. I'm missing the baby naming of one of my cousin's today - its definitely the event I'm most disappointed to be missing so far. Luckily, they live close to school, so I plan on visiting next semester! For those of you who are there - send me photos!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Bariloche!
I just got back from my group trip to Bariloche. I really don't know if I've ever seen something so beautiful - I felt like I was in a postcard the whole time. Bariloche is a small city in Patagonia, in the lake region. My whole program flew there for the weekend as our group trip - 160 of us! Here's the rundown of what we did (this is a long one!)...
First, we flew there. I was so impressed with how smoothly it went. The flight was uneventful, the only downside was that this airline doesn't have any apple juice. For some reason, I really like to drink apple juice when I fly - it sounds silly, but I always ask for it on flights! Anyway, we got there without any problems and went right to the first activity, a ski lift to the top of a beautiful viewpoint. There I took the first of many, many, many photographs (100 in one weekend!). The link to all my pictures is here. It was absolutely GORGEOUS - lakes, mountains, and beautiful views everywhere. My program director was wearing a Penn sweatshirt, so a group of Penn students took a picture with him. I sent a copy to our study abroad office :-) From there we went to a really pretty beach with another great view. On the bus ride in between our guide gave us a really interesting history/overview of the area. He was very informative and very interesting, though I've never met someone who liked the sound of his own voice that much. He actually told us he became a guide so that he would have people to talk to all day long... That night we went to an Irish pub for dinner, which had "traditional" Bariloche food - we were very confused to find out that traditional food included Nachos.
The next day we got up early to go hiking. We had been told before the trip that one day was hiking, and I was expecting an easy day of walking on a trail, enjoying the scenic views. I brought jeans and sneakers to wear, as did most of my friends. WE CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN! I'm really not kidding. A mountain. Going up was hard - the first half was dry ground and steep, and we were all working pretty hard to get up it. The second half was snow - see my pictures for a progression of the amount of snow that we saw. At the top, there was over a meter and a half (5 ft) of snow! Finding your footing was really difficult, but we got up!
For those of you who have climbed mountains (has anyone who reads this climbed a mountain besides Maddy?), you will know that going up is only half the battle. Going down that mountain was one of the hardest things I've ever done - and I did a decent chunk of it on my tush. Nobody had any balance, and we all took turns falling down and "slip sliding away." Truly, I have never seen pants as dirty as mine were - they were covered in a mix of snow, mud, and grime. It was fun, but halfway through I was exhausted, cold, and a bit grouchy. By the end, my legs were so tired I could barely balance on dry land! Luckily, it was well worth it and I had a really incredible experience. Plus, I can brag that I've climbed a mountain!!!! After going back to the hotel and taking hot showers, we set out for dinner in the city.
The following day we did a bus and boat tour of the mountains. A word of advice: putting a group of 20 year olds on a bus at 9 AM the day after taking them mountain climbing is a dumb idea. It turned out to be a nap with really pretty scenery (and the guide who wouldn't stop talking). I tried to stay awake for as long as I could because the scenery was so incredible, but even I dozed for a while. After our siesta, we got to the highlight of the day, our boat tour! Being out on one of the lakes and seeing the mountains from a different perspective was absolutely breathtaking. We then went to a small island which has a forest of these really cool looking trees. I don't remember all the details, but they were very pretty. I think that they usually only grow to 4 ft or so, but in this forest they grow to over 30 ft. Very cool. We then took the boat back and went to a pretty beach/park to have a picnic lunch. More great views. The park was right near the Chilean border crossing, and on the busride over we actually turned around right near it.
That night we had a free night in town, and my friends and I decided to ask the guides (from mountain climbing) if they wanted to have dinner with us. It was lots of fun speaking in Spanish all night, hearing funny stories about treks, etc. They also took us to the best pasta place in the city - which was delicious and incredibly cheap (the best pasta I've had for less than US $8 a person, including a soda).
The next morning we went into the city of Bariloche to buy chocolate! Bariloche is known for its chocolate, and it's delicious. Two of my friends found a place that offers a discount of 20% if you get a group of 6 or more to buy chocolate, so we all went together. I bought a few to give to friends as gifts and one for myself. Yum! We then went to the airport, flew back, etc.
Uneventful until the end, when my taxi left me off at my apartment and left before I could grab my luggage from the back. Luckily, I had everything important in my carry on (which I was holding) - the only thing that he got was my dirty clothes. He was pretty sketchy from the beginning, driving me around in circles and acting like he couldn't find where I live (I live in a very well known part of the city) to run up the meter. It was really frustrating and upsetting, but not uncommon - almost all of my friends have been robbed here in some way, shape, or form. My program director was great, and actually came over to make sure I was okay afterwards and has helped me find a place to buy some stuff that I lost. A sour note to a end great weekend.
I'm off to bed. Tomorrow I have my first midterm here... I'm nervous, but I've been prepping for it for quite a while. Sending lots and lots of love to the US!
Becca
PS. Pictures are coming soon to the blog, I'm having minor technical problems. Until then, enjoy the photo album.
PSS. Part of the joy of blogging is hearing about all of your lives in exchange! If it's been a while since you've filled me in on what's going on in your world, please please please please please send me an email - I love hearing about what's going in back in the US!
First, we flew there. I was so impressed with how smoothly it went. The flight was uneventful, the only downside was that this airline doesn't have any apple juice. For some reason, I really like to drink apple juice when I fly - it sounds silly, but I always ask for it on flights! Anyway, we got there without any problems and went right to the first activity, a ski lift to the top of a beautiful viewpoint. There I took the first of many, many, many photographs (100 in one weekend!). The link to all my pictures is here. It was absolutely GORGEOUS - lakes, mountains, and beautiful views everywhere. My program director was wearing a Penn sweatshirt, so a group of Penn students took a picture with him. I sent a copy to our study abroad office :-) From there we went to a really pretty beach with another great view. On the bus ride in between our guide gave us a really interesting history/overview of the area. He was very informative and very interesting, though I've never met someone who liked the sound of his own voice that much. He actually told us he became a guide so that he would have people to talk to all day long... That night we went to an Irish pub for dinner, which had "traditional" Bariloche food - we were very confused to find out that traditional food included Nachos.
The next day we got up early to go hiking. We had been told before the trip that one day was hiking, and I was expecting an easy day of walking on a trail, enjoying the scenic views. I brought jeans and sneakers to wear, as did most of my friends. WE CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN! I'm really not kidding. A mountain. Going up was hard - the first half was dry ground and steep, and we were all working pretty hard to get up it. The second half was snow - see my pictures for a progression of the amount of snow that we saw. At the top, there was over a meter and a half (5 ft) of snow! Finding your footing was really difficult, but we got up!
For those of you who have climbed mountains (has anyone who reads this climbed a mountain besides Maddy?), you will know that going up is only half the battle. Going down that mountain was one of the hardest things I've ever done - and I did a decent chunk of it on my tush. Nobody had any balance, and we all took turns falling down and "slip sliding away." Truly, I have never seen pants as dirty as mine were - they were covered in a mix of snow, mud, and grime. It was fun, but halfway through I was exhausted, cold, and a bit grouchy. By the end, my legs were so tired I could barely balance on dry land! Luckily, it was well worth it and I had a really incredible experience. Plus, I can brag that I've climbed a mountain!!!! After going back to the hotel and taking hot showers, we set out for dinner in the city.
The following day we did a bus and boat tour of the mountains. A word of advice: putting a group of 20 year olds on a bus at 9 AM the day after taking them mountain climbing is a dumb idea. It turned out to be a nap with really pretty scenery (and the guide who wouldn't stop talking). I tried to stay awake for as long as I could because the scenery was so incredible, but even I dozed for a while. After our siesta, we got to the highlight of the day, our boat tour! Being out on one of the lakes and seeing the mountains from a different perspective was absolutely breathtaking. We then went to a small island which has a forest of these really cool looking trees. I don't remember all the details, but they were very pretty. I think that they usually only grow to 4 ft or so, but in this forest they grow to over 30 ft. Very cool. We then took the boat back and went to a pretty beach/park to have a picnic lunch. More great views. The park was right near the Chilean border crossing, and on the busride over we actually turned around right near it.
That night we had a free night in town, and my friends and I decided to ask the guides (from mountain climbing) if they wanted to have dinner with us. It was lots of fun speaking in Spanish all night, hearing funny stories about treks, etc. They also took us to the best pasta place in the city - which was delicious and incredibly cheap (the best pasta I've had for less than US $8 a person, including a soda).
The next morning we went into the city of Bariloche to buy chocolate! Bariloche is known for its chocolate, and it's delicious. Two of my friends found a place that offers a discount of 20% if you get a group of 6 or more to buy chocolate, so we all went together. I bought a few to give to friends as gifts and one for myself. Yum! We then went to the airport, flew back, etc.
Uneventful until the end, when my taxi left me off at my apartment and left before I could grab my luggage from the back. Luckily, I had everything important in my carry on (which I was holding) - the only thing that he got was my dirty clothes. He was pretty sketchy from the beginning, driving me around in circles and acting like he couldn't find where I live (I live in a very well known part of the city) to run up the meter. It was really frustrating and upsetting, but not uncommon - almost all of my friends have been robbed here in some way, shape, or form. My program director was great, and actually came over to make sure I was okay afterwards and has helped me find a place to buy some stuff that I lost. A sour note to a end great weekend.
I'm off to bed. Tomorrow I have my first midterm here... I'm nervous, but I've been prepping for it for quite a while. Sending lots and lots of love to the US!
Becca
PS. Pictures are coming soon to the blog, I'm having minor technical problems. Until then, enjoy the photo album.
PSS. Part of the joy of blogging is hearing about all of your lives in exchange! If it's been a while since you've filled me in on what's going on in your world, please please please please please send me an email - I love hearing about what's going in back in the US!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Cordoba!
I just got back from another weekend trip, this time to Cordoba. It's about 9 hours outside of Buenos Aires, the capital city of the province of Cordoba. I went with a pretty big group, a mix of people from my previous trips to Iguazu and Mendoza. I feel so lucky I've found such great people to travel with - everyone is a lot of fun and we spend most of our time laughing and having a great time together!
The first day we went to Oktoberfest, the annual beer festival. It's located 2 hours outside of Cordoba. We got onto a bus (after being on a bus for 9 hours!) in a big city... and two hours later we were in a small German village. I'm not kidding. It's a little bit of Germany in the middle of Argentina. I couldn't help but laugh when I first got there. Anyway, it was Oktoberfest-like... Lots of sausage, lots of beer, lots of folk dancing. Interestingly enough, the folk dancing wasn't all German, or traditional Argentine - it was from all different cultures that are represented in Argentina. There was even some really cool Arab-style dancing. It was a fun day, but I was happy we were only there for a day - I got bored after a while :-)
Sunday we went hiking in the beautiful Parque Condor. The busride there was one of the funniest parts of the trip - we were quite literally left off on the side of the road ,next to a sign for a park. It took us a while to find the actual entrance (everything else was fenced in!), but it was well worth it. We were in the Sierra mountains (I think!) and it was absolutely gorgeous - just rocks and long grass, all completely untouched. I don't think I've ever been somewhere that was so pristine - there was no development to be seen, the most "modern" thing was the Park Ranger's center. The variety of landscape is really incredible - going hiking there was so different from going hiking in Mendoza.
Monday the gods were against us. Half of our group left Sunday night and the other half decided to stay until Monday night, spending Monday seeing the sights of Cordoba. However, we somehow missed that EVERYTHING touristy in Cordoba is closed on Monday - the museums, the churches, etc. Even the museums that are usually open on Mondays were closed. Even the churches that are usually open on Mondays were closed - one of them actually had a sign that the nuns/priests had gone on a retreat that weekend! We ended up going to the Jesuit crypts, a really cool underground place. You walk down the street and all of a sudden there is a staircase in the middle of the street... and when you go down, you enter these old (empty!) crypts. Nobody knew about them for a while until they were found when construction workers were putting in cables or telephone lines. After that we walked around a bit, visited the Plaza, and relaxed. All in all a nice trip.
That's all for now. Lots of work this week and Bariloche next weekend!
Besos,
Becca
PS. For those of you keeping score, the Plaza was the Plaza San Martín. That means that I have been to... at least 3 San Martín streets, 2 San Martín Plazas, a San Martín national park, and seen countless statues of him. He's the liberator of South America, and he's REALLY loved!
and for some pictures....
This reminded me a bit of the villlage from Shrek
How gorgeous!
Me taking a break from hiking.
The first day we went to Oktoberfest, the annual beer festival. It's located 2 hours outside of Cordoba. We got onto a bus (after being on a bus for 9 hours!) in a big city... and two hours later we were in a small German village. I'm not kidding. It's a little bit of Germany in the middle of Argentina. I couldn't help but laugh when I first got there. Anyway, it was Oktoberfest-like... Lots of sausage, lots of beer, lots of folk dancing. Interestingly enough, the folk dancing wasn't all German, or traditional Argentine - it was from all different cultures that are represented in Argentina. There was even some really cool Arab-style dancing. It was a fun day, but I was happy we were only there for a day - I got bored after a while :-)
Sunday we went hiking in the beautiful Parque Condor. The busride there was one of the funniest parts of the trip - we were quite literally left off on the side of the road ,next to a sign for a park. It took us a while to find the actual entrance (everything else was fenced in!), but it was well worth it. We were in the Sierra mountains (I think!) and it was absolutely gorgeous - just rocks and long grass, all completely untouched. I don't think I've ever been somewhere that was so pristine - there was no development to be seen, the most "modern" thing was the Park Ranger's center. The variety of landscape is really incredible - going hiking there was so different from going hiking in Mendoza.
Monday the gods were against us. Half of our group left Sunday night and the other half decided to stay until Monday night, spending Monday seeing the sights of Cordoba. However, we somehow missed that EVERYTHING touristy in Cordoba is closed on Monday - the museums, the churches, etc. Even the museums that are usually open on Mondays were closed. Even the churches that are usually open on Mondays were closed - one of them actually had a sign that the nuns/priests had gone on a retreat that weekend! We ended up going to the Jesuit crypts, a really cool underground place. You walk down the street and all of a sudden there is a staircase in the middle of the street... and when you go down, you enter these old (empty!) crypts. Nobody knew about them for a while until they were found when construction workers were putting in cables or telephone lines. After that we walked around a bit, visited the Plaza, and relaxed. All in all a nice trip.
That's all for now. Lots of work this week and Bariloche next weekend!
Besos,
Becca
PS. For those of you keeping score, the Plaza was the Plaza San Martín. That means that I have been to... at least 3 San Martín streets, 2 San Martín Plazas, a San Martín national park, and seen countless statues of him. He's the liberator of South America, and he's REALLY loved!
and for some pictures....
This reminded me a bit of the villlage from Shrek
How gorgeous!
Me taking a break from hiking.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Grades?
I was told at the beginning of the semester to expect that grades here are very public. I actually saw final grades from last semester posted all over BY NAME. No ID numbers, no private conversations with the professor, no nothing. Today, I had my first experience with this.
Last week I had a take home parcial (midterm-type assignment) for my class on Peronism. Keep in mind this is a class taught at an Argentine University but in a special all foreigner section. We handed in our papers and weren't quite sure what to expect - the professor said to keep it short, but the questions were very broad. Did I do enough?
At the beginning of class today, our professor gave us a general overview of her opinion of our midterms. We understood the general themes, nobody has a good grasp on the Peronist economy, and our use of the different forms of the verb "to be" was pretty lousy. She then proceeded to go through each of our midterms individually, explaining to us what we did right and wrong. IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CLASS! I was really happy I had spent time on mine and that I had given it to my academic tutor to read before I handed it in. Luckily, this wasn't an officially graded assignment, so she couldn't announce what grades each of us had received. I was pretty surprised by the whole thing.
At the end, I just wanted to laugh. It was reassuring to know that I wasn't the only student who mixed up masculine and feminine articles (el/la) and that nobody understood the economics. I do understand the merit of this system, but it felt very strange nonetheless...
Last week I had a take home parcial (midterm-type assignment) for my class on Peronism. Keep in mind this is a class taught at an Argentine University but in a special all foreigner section. We handed in our papers and weren't quite sure what to expect - the professor said to keep it short, but the questions were very broad. Did I do enough?
At the beginning of class today, our professor gave us a general overview of her opinion of our midterms. We understood the general themes, nobody has a good grasp on the Peronist economy, and our use of the different forms of the verb "to be" was pretty lousy. She then proceeded to go through each of our midterms individually, explaining to us what we did right and wrong. IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CLASS! I was really happy I had spent time on mine and that I had given it to my academic tutor to read before I handed it in. Luckily, this wasn't an officially graded assignment, so she couldn't announce what grades each of us had received. I was pretty surprised by the whole thing.
At the end, I just wanted to laugh. It was reassuring to know that I wasn't the only student who mixed up masculine and feminine articles (el/la) and that nobody understood the economics. I do understand the merit of this system, but it felt very strange nonetheless...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Kioscos, Taxistas, and Spanish
Kioscos (kiosks). They come in all different shapes, sizes, and varieties. There is your typical kiosko, about 3 of which can be found on almost any block in Buenos Aires. It sells candy, gum, yogurt, cigarettes, soda, water, crackers, etc. It's great, because you know that a snack is never so far away. They also sell something very important in daily life here - cell phone cards. Rather than paying a monthly bill, many people elect to buy cell phone minutes as they go, and every few days you have to go and buy a new Movistar/CTI/Personell (the different brands) card. Kioscos also exist in other forms... There are kioscos that sell newspapers and kioscos that sell flowers. It's a great system - you can always find something to read, something to eat, and a small gift on every block!
Taxistas (the people who drive taxis). When I'm in a taxi, they are one of my favorite groups of people here. When I'm crossing the street, they are my most feared group of people because they are crazy drivers. Basically, taxistas are a great opportunity to practice my Spanish - we're stuck together in a limited space for 5-20 minutes, why not discuss something? We discuss the weather, politics, my classes, etc. I once had a taxista who was a die-hard Peronist, who decided it was his duty to inform me of the "truths" of Peronism. While I wasn't converted, it was really interesting to see how this political theory that I am studying can be interpreted by different groups of people. They also love to ask me about Bush and what I think of him - one was very curious about why Bush isn't very popular with his own people. I tried explaining it, but I'm not sure how well I did! I've had good luck with honest taxistas - the one time a taxistas missed the turn and the trip took a few extra minutes, he wouldn't accept the $1 extra that the meter charged me.
I was thinking about how much my Spanish (castellano!) has changed over the past two months. Here's a list of my favorite words, most of which are Argentine phrases. It's nice to hear myself using them, it makes me feel like I fit in a bit more :-) If you have a better translation/example, feel free to leave it as a comment!
(1) Vale la pena/no vale la pena. To be worthwhile.
Example:
Me: I really want to go see this movie.
Friend: Don't bother, no vale la pena. The acting is terrible and its boring.
(2) Che! Hey/buddy/yoo-hoo
Friend: What took you so long?
Me: Che! The bus took FOREVER - too much traffic.
(3) Mira vos! Look at you!
Friend: I have a date tomorrow night with an Argentine!
Me: Mira vos! We've only been here two months and you're already dating!
(4) A ver. Literally To see. This is a favorite of my professors. One in particular has a hand motion that goes along with it - something along the lines of "stop in the name of love"
Me: What is the meaning of __________?
Professor: A ver: _________________ (answer)
That's all for today's Spanish lesson. More to come soon, I hope. Life in general continues to be good/uneventful. Yesterday I spent 4 hours in the visa office, and I'm now the proud owner of a visa! However, I currently only have the temporary copy and need to go back in 45 days to pick up the real thing. However, 45 days is the beginning of November and I leave sometime in the middle of December. Oh Argentina.
The other thing I've been thinking about is what it's like to live in the capital city. I walk by the Casa Rosada (Pink House, like our White House) every day, though I have yet to see Kirchner or any other big people. Besides the strike or demonstration going on almost every day, some sort of theater or art event, a sporting event, and a concert is also happening. Its so interesting to live in such a busy, cultural, and political city.
That's all for today folks. For those of you fasting this Saturday I hope you have an easy and meaningful fast. I'm going to be breaking fast at Susana's house with her family and one of my friends, which I've been looking forward to. I'll also be joining her and her family at their synagogue for Neilah (the end of Yom Kippur), where her grandfather went years ago. It should be a very interesting and I feel lucky again to have a family to join for the holidays.
Sending lots of love,
Becca
Taxistas (the people who drive taxis). When I'm in a taxi, they are one of my favorite groups of people here. When I'm crossing the street, they are my most feared group of people because they are crazy drivers. Basically, taxistas are a great opportunity to practice my Spanish - we're stuck together in a limited space for 5-20 minutes, why not discuss something? We discuss the weather, politics, my classes, etc. I once had a taxista who was a die-hard Peronist, who decided it was his duty to inform me of the "truths" of Peronism. While I wasn't converted, it was really interesting to see how this political theory that I am studying can be interpreted by different groups of people. They also love to ask me about Bush and what I think of him - one was very curious about why Bush isn't very popular with his own people. I tried explaining it, but I'm not sure how well I did! I've had good luck with honest taxistas - the one time a taxistas missed the turn and the trip took a few extra minutes, he wouldn't accept the $1 extra that the meter charged me.
I was thinking about how much my Spanish (castellano!) has changed over the past two months. Here's a list of my favorite words, most of which are Argentine phrases. It's nice to hear myself using them, it makes me feel like I fit in a bit more :-) If you have a better translation/example, feel free to leave it as a comment!
(1) Vale la pena/no vale la pena. To be worthwhile.
Example:
Me: I really want to go see this movie.
Friend: Don't bother, no vale la pena. The acting is terrible and its boring.
(2) Che! Hey/buddy/yoo-hoo
Friend: What took you so long?
Me: Che! The bus took FOREVER - too much traffic.
(3) Mira vos! Look at you!
Friend: I have a date tomorrow night with an Argentine!
Me: Mira vos! We've only been here two months and you're already dating!
(4) A ver. Literally To see. This is a favorite of my professors. One in particular has a hand motion that goes along with it - something along the lines of "stop in the name of love"
Me: What is the meaning of __________?
Professor: A ver: _________________ (answer)
That's all for today's Spanish lesson. More to come soon, I hope. Life in general continues to be good/uneventful. Yesterday I spent 4 hours in the visa office, and I'm now the proud owner of a visa! However, I currently only have the temporary copy and need to go back in 45 days to pick up the real thing. However, 45 days is the beginning of November and I leave sometime in the middle of December. Oh Argentina.
The other thing I've been thinking about is what it's like to live in the capital city. I walk by the Casa Rosada (Pink House, like our White House) every day, though I have yet to see Kirchner or any other big people. Besides the strike or demonstration going on almost every day, some sort of theater or art event, a sporting event, and a concert is also happening. Its so interesting to live in such a busy, cultural, and political city.
That's all for today folks. For those of you fasting this Saturday I hope you have an easy and meaningful fast. I'm going to be breaking fast at Susana's house with her family and one of my friends, which I've been looking forward to. I'll also be joining her and her family at their synagogue for Neilah (the end of Yom Kippur), where her grandfather went years ago. It should be a very interesting and I feel lucky again to have a family to join for the holidays.
Sending lots of love,
Becca
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Rosh Hashana
Happy New Year everyone! I just spent my first Rosh Hashana here, which was wonderful, strange, lovely, and everything in between. I have been thinking a lot about everyone at home, and hope that everybody has a sweet new year. It was very strange not to be with the family - none of Mom's brisket, no going to grandma's house, and no seeing EVERYBODY on the first day. That said, I had dinner with two wonderful and warm families who invited me into their homes and really made me feel welcome. I am so lucky to have found such a welcoming community to help me feel so at home.
One of the biggest differences between the way people celebrate is that here services are PACKED at night and only half full during the morning. They used a lot of familiar tunes, but even so they were slightly different. The music was beautiful and I enjoyed hearing their stuff, sometimes I just wanted to sing everything the HP/CJC way, with the tunes I already knew. The other big difference was the instruments. At night they had a keyboard and violin and in the morning they had a keyboard and clarinet/saxophone (he switched back and forth). It was really beautiful and went along well with the general vibe.
I had two favorite parts. The first is that everything was very relaxed - this is something that the American community could definitely learn from. People were nicely dressed, but going in corduroy pants and a short sleeve sweater was fine. A few men wore suits, but almost all the women wore slacks - some even wore jeans. The atmosphere in general was much more laid back and felt less formal than American high holiday services. To me, it seemed like people were there because they wanted to be and because they enjoyed it. Everybody sang along and there was a real sense of community between the people. There was the regular cast of synagogue characters, just like we have at home (the old men who know everybody, the lady with the crazy hair, the little kids running around, etc.) which also made me feel more comfortable!
My second favorite part was the sermon. His speeches were interesting, well written, and related well to what people think about. One was about doubting and the importance of doubt in life. It was very timely and seemed to go over very well with the congregation. The other was related and about what can be learned from the story of the binding of Isaac - roughly, whether Abraham was right to have absolute faith and (almost!) sacrifice his son. Besides from the interesting content, I UNDERSTOOD THE WHOLE THING! This was particularly important for me - the first time I ever heard him speak I understood most of the speech, but when he really started preaching I lost him completely. This time I knew what was going on the whole time and even understood most of the jokes!
I'm off to bed. Next weekend is what Mom likes to call "the big YK" (Yom Kippur). It should be yet another interesting experience!
Sending lots of love and wishes for a happy sweet new year!
~Becca
One of the biggest differences between the way people celebrate is that here services are PACKED at night and only half full during the morning. They used a lot of familiar tunes, but even so they were slightly different. The music was beautiful and I enjoyed hearing their stuff, sometimes I just wanted to sing everything the HP/CJC way, with the tunes I already knew. The other big difference was the instruments. At night they had a keyboard and violin and in the morning they had a keyboard and clarinet/saxophone (he switched back and forth). It was really beautiful and went along well with the general vibe.
I had two favorite parts. The first is that everything was very relaxed - this is something that the American community could definitely learn from. People were nicely dressed, but going in corduroy pants and a short sleeve sweater was fine. A few men wore suits, but almost all the women wore slacks - some even wore jeans. The atmosphere in general was much more laid back and felt less formal than American high holiday services. To me, it seemed like people were there because they wanted to be and because they enjoyed it. Everybody sang along and there was a real sense of community between the people. There was the regular cast of synagogue characters, just like we have at home (the old men who know everybody, the lady with the crazy hair, the little kids running around, etc.) which also made me feel more comfortable!
My second favorite part was the sermon. His speeches were interesting, well written, and related well to what people think about. One was about doubting and the importance of doubt in life. It was very timely and seemed to go over very well with the congregation. The other was related and about what can be learned from the story of the binding of Isaac - roughly, whether Abraham was right to have absolute faith and (almost!) sacrifice his son. Besides from the interesting content, I UNDERSTOOD THE WHOLE THING! This was particularly important for me - the first time I ever heard him speak I understood most of the speech, but when he really started preaching I lost him completely. This time I knew what was going on the whole time and even understood most of the jokes!
I'm off to bed. Next weekend is what Mom likes to call "the big YK" (Yom Kippur). It should be yet another interesting experience!
Sending lots of love and wishes for a happy sweet new year!
~Becca
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Back from Mendoza
Hi All! This update is going to be more newsy, the next one is going to be my reflections on Mendoza :-)
I'm back from Mendoza after a lovely weekend. Mendoza, fyi, is in western Argentina, about 20 minutes from the Andes. The views are completely breathtaking. Thursday night we left and took an uneventful 12 hour busride. We once again got the supercomfy seats, and I had a better than decent night's sleep. I was travelling with one girl, and we met up with a group of 3 others in Mendoza. We got into Mendoza at 9 AM, and by 1:30 we were on a bus, going out to the wine country! We did a program called "bikes and wines," where you ride a bike from one vineyard to the next, where you take tours and learn about the wine making process. Seeing as we got their late we decided to only go to one vineyard and a chocolate factory. It was a lot of fun, and I definitely learned a lot! We explained to the guy in charge that we had done wine tasting before, and he guided us through it - swirl, smell, taste, etc. It was really interesting to have the list of adjectives that he had used and assign them to the different wines as we tasted them. I'm still no big fan of wine, but I definitely see what there is to appreciate.
Saturday two of our friends went to go skiing, so the other three of us went horseback riding! We went to a national park that had some spectacular views. As someone who had never ridden before I was a bit nervous, but my horse was very gentle and the guide was very helpful. Mostly, my horse did whatever the guide's horse did. Speaking of our guide, we actually had two guides - a normal guide, and a 10 year old boy who came along who was PHENOMENAL on a horse. Besides that, he was also dressed in full gaucho clothing! Afterwards, they made an asado, a traditional Argentine bbq. The best part was that it was completely authentic - this is what they do on the weekends, and we just happened to be included (we were also the only women there, so we got out food served to us and such). It was a great way to experience another aspect of Argentine culture, and talk to some local people.
Sunday we had the most exciting day - hiking and rappelling! We went hiking in the Precordilleros, the oldest part of the Andes and then went rappelling down a small part of it. SO much fun! The views were again stunning - these mountains are incredible! After so much activity, we decided to spend the last day at the hot springs. It was nice to soak our tired muscles and relax in the hot water. We made friends with a group of adults who were traveling for their 30th high school reunion - they had made the same trip after graduating. They were really friendly and gave us some other travelling suggestions. Then we went back to the hostel, showered, and got on a bus back to BA.
Tomorrow night Rosh Hashana begins. I hope that everyone has a Shana Tovah, a happy New Year. It should definitely be an interesting way to bring in the new year down here!
Besos,
Becca
The girls wine tasting. Swirl, smell, taste, etc.
Yes, I am really going down this rock! It was incredible.
A view of the Andes. So beautiful!
I'm back from Mendoza after a lovely weekend. Mendoza, fyi, is in western Argentina, about 20 minutes from the Andes. The views are completely breathtaking. Thursday night we left and took an uneventful 12 hour busride. We once again got the supercomfy seats, and I had a better than decent night's sleep. I was travelling with one girl, and we met up with a group of 3 others in Mendoza. We got into Mendoza at 9 AM, and by 1:30 we were on a bus, going out to the wine country! We did a program called "bikes and wines," where you ride a bike from one vineyard to the next, where you take tours and learn about the wine making process. Seeing as we got their late we decided to only go to one vineyard and a chocolate factory. It was a lot of fun, and I definitely learned a lot! We explained to the guy in charge that we had done wine tasting before, and he guided us through it - swirl, smell, taste, etc. It was really interesting to have the list of adjectives that he had used and assign them to the different wines as we tasted them. I'm still no big fan of wine, but I definitely see what there is to appreciate.
Saturday two of our friends went to go skiing, so the other three of us went horseback riding! We went to a national park that had some spectacular views. As someone who had never ridden before I was a bit nervous, but my horse was very gentle and the guide was very helpful. Mostly, my horse did whatever the guide's horse did. Speaking of our guide, we actually had two guides - a normal guide, and a 10 year old boy who came along who was PHENOMENAL on a horse. Besides that, he was also dressed in full gaucho clothing! Afterwards, they made an asado, a traditional Argentine bbq. The best part was that it was completely authentic - this is what they do on the weekends, and we just happened to be included (we were also the only women there, so we got out food served to us and such). It was a great way to experience another aspect of Argentine culture, and talk to some local people.
Sunday we had the most exciting day - hiking and rappelling! We went hiking in the Precordilleros, the oldest part of the Andes and then went rappelling down a small part of it. SO much fun! The views were again stunning - these mountains are incredible! After so much activity, we decided to spend the last day at the hot springs. It was nice to soak our tired muscles and relax in the hot water. We made friends with a group of adults who were traveling for their 30th high school reunion - they had made the same trip after graduating. They were really friendly and gave us some other travelling suggestions. Then we went back to the hostel, showered, and got on a bus back to BA.
Tomorrow night Rosh Hashana begins. I hope that everyone has a Shana Tovah, a happy New Year. It should definitely be an interesting way to bring in the new year down here!
Besos,
Becca
The girls wine tasting. Swirl, smell, taste, etc.
Yes, I am really going down this rock! It was incredible.
A view of the Andes. So beautiful!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Mendoza
Off to Mendoza tonight! Get excited to hear all about my adventures...
for more info, http://www.welcomeargentina.com/mendoza/index_i.html
un besito (a kiss)
Becca
for more info, http://www.welcomeargentina.com/mendoza/index_i.html
un besito (a kiss)
Becca
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Another busy week
I'm taking a break from work, between writing an essay (which I just finished!) and editing it. It's for my film class at UBA - the huge, free, public university. The class is just okay - the professor is very different from what I'm used to. As Mom says, I'm really not at Penn any more! We saw a really interesting movie, Tango Feroz (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108291/). It was a really interesting movie, had great music, and did an interesting job representing and fictionalizing the life of this singer. I had to write an analysis of the movie, synthesizing my own analysis with the work of a few articles we read which deal with film in general. It was an interesting assignment - let's see how I do! One of those things where even after I outlined, more ideas kept coming to me as I wrote the actual assignment.
This week/weekend was very interesting. Friday night my friends and I went to the synagogue that we're going to go to for the High Holidays (its B'nei Jeshurun in NYC's sister synagogue). Afterwards I went to a friends apartment where we watched "The Motorcycle Diares" - IN SPANISH! For those of you who haven't seen it, I highly recommend it - its an excellent movie. Saturday night I officially "went out" for the first time in Buenos Aires. I think I made a good choice by going out with a friend who is a "local" - the place we went to was very laid back and a lot of fun. The difference is that where in the US places CLOSE at 2 AM, here the club didn't even open until 1! We showed up at 1:20 and were the first people there. I planned ahead and took a nap, but I had to leave early because I was tired - lots of people stay out 7 AM. And, as luck would have it, I actually ran into a group of girls I'm friends with from my program at the same place and we shared a cab home. Before going out I went out to dinner with my friend from Hillel and her group of friends. I love social encounters where I am the only American - while its strange to be the only one speaking with a thick accent, everyone here is so warm and friendly! The girls were lovely and we had a really nice and delicious dinner (grilled fish - woo hoo!).
Sunday I went to the Hillel "Friendly Group," a Sunday night hang out activity. They attempted to teach us how to play the classic Argentine card game (I think it's called Trucho) and we had burgers. Overall, a very fun night. A quick funny story - the guy in charge was giving directions, and tried to do it bilingually so that everyone would understand. I ended up getting up and translating for him. He was very silly about the whole thing, and sometimes we swapped languages - he would give the directions in English and I'd translate them into Spanish. We got a bit wacky and everybody was laughing by the end.
In other news Spring has Sprung! It's finally getting warm out, which we've been celebrating by walking everywhere, hanging out in the plazas, and wearing short sleeves. It's such a nice change, though it makes me miss the fall. While the flowers are just growing here the leaves will soon be changing color at home. The change of the seasons makes me realize just how long I've been here - almost 2 months. It seems strange that 2 months ago I was living in the US, speaking English, and living with friends/parents. Now I'm in South America, speaking mostly Spanish, and living with Bocha! So little time and so much has changed. Sometimes it feels like I've been here an eternity, and other times it feels like nothing.
I'm off to edit this essay once more before bed. I leave on Thursday to go to Mendoza (http://www.welcomeargentina.com/mendoza/index_i.html). I will once again be traveling by bus - I think I'm going to borrow Harry Potter in Spanish as bus reading! I'm hoping to take a tour of the Andes and see some of the bodegas, the local wineries. Seeing as I know NOTHING about wine, this should certainly be an adventure! A few friends of mine went and said that they give you lessons along the way. Uncle Sandy, we'll have a discussion about Argentine wines when I get back ;-)
That's all for now. Goodnight!
Love,
Becca
This week/weekend was very interesting. Friday night my friends and I went to the synagogue that we're going to go to for the High Holidays (its B'nei Jeshurun in NYC's sister synagogue). Afterwards I went to a friends apartment where we watched "The Motorcycle Diares" - IN SPANISH! For those of you who haven't seen it, I highly recommend it - its an excellent movie. Saturday night I officially "went out" for the first time in Buenos Aires. I think I made a good choice by going out with a friend who is a "local" - the place we went to was very laid back and a lot of fun. The difference is that where in the US places CLOSE at 2 AM, here the club didn't even open until 1! We showed up at 1:20 and were the first people there. I planned ahead and took a nap, but I had to leave early because I was tired - lots of people stay out 7 AM. And, as luck would have it, I actually ran into a group of girls I'm friends with from my program at the same place and we shared a cab home. Before going out I went out to dinner with my friend from Hillel and her group of friends. I love social encounters where I am the only American - while its strange to be the only one speaking with a thick accent, everyone here is so warm and friendly! The girls were lovely and we had a really nice and delicious dinner (grilled fish - woo hoo!).
Sunday I went to the Hillel "Friendly Group," a Sunday night hang out activity. They attempted to teach us how to play the classic Argentine card game (I think it's called Trucho) and we had burgers. Overall, a very fun night. A quick funny story - the guy in charge was giving directions, and tried to do it bilingually so that everyone would understand. I ended up getting up and translating for him. He was very silly about the whole thing, and sometimes we swapped languages - he would give the directions in English and I'd translate them into Spanish. We got a bit wacky and everybody was laughing by the end.
In other news Spring has Sprung! It's finally getting warm out, which we've been celebrating by walking everywhere, hanging out in the plazas, and wearing short sleeves. It's such a nice change, though it makes me miss the fall. While the flowers are just growing here the leaves will soon be changing color at home. The change of the seasons makes me realize just how long I've been here - almost 2 months. It seems strange that 2 months ago I was living in the US, speaking English, and living with friends/parents. Now I'm in South America, speaking mostly Spanish, and living with Bocha! So little time and so much has changed. Sometimes it feels like I've been here an eternity, and other times it feels like nothing.
I'm off to edit this essay once more before bed. I leave on Thursday to go to Mendoza (http://www.welcomeargentina.com/mendoza/index_i.html). I will once again be traveling by bus - I think I'm going to borrow Harry Potter in Spanish as bus reading! I'm hoping to take a tour of the Andes and see some of the bodegas, the local wineries. Seeing as I know NOTHING about wine, this should certainly be an adventure! A few friends of mine went and said that they give you lessons along the way. Uncle Sandy, we'll have a discussion about Argentine wines when I get back ;-)
That's all for now. Goodnight!
Love,
Becca
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Castellano
Here, Spanish is not Español, it is called Castellano. Slowly but surely, my Spanish is improving. I use "modismos" (idioms, more or less) in every day speech more often, and can understand them. I've changed my accent (I know pronounced y and ll as a cross between a j and sh) and use vos and its various conjugations, their form of tú, which means you. I'm also getting better at understanding people my own age, who are definitely the hardest to follow. Besides the normal slang (called lumfardo, fyi) people my age tend to speak really fast, mumble, and have thicker accents. We also tend to talk about things I just can't discuss in Spanish - like different styles of sneakers, fashion, etc. Describing the pair of sneakers that I want to buy is hard! I don't know how to say high tops and low tops in Spanish, and generally use a mixture of pointing, explaining, and laughing ;-) Luckily, people generally have patience and help me find words I don't know (ie: fuschia = fucsia. The sneakers I want are converse all stars low tops in fuscia - converse are really really popular here!).
I also get a bit frustrated when I hear little kids speaking. I know that they are native speakers and this is their only language, but its not cool that six year olds have better grammar than I do :-) They are actually harder to understand than adults or people my age (do we have a category? young adults? old adolescents? its a funny in between age) because they REALLY mumble! I had a pretty good conversation with an 8 year old on Saturday about what kind of sports she likes and what she does at school. The best part of little kids is that they love showing off their English, and we sing songs together, like "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."
My other frustration is my accent, and specifically my pronunciation. While it is definitely getting a lot better and I no longer speak like such an American, I still hear it sometimes! The worst part is saying my name - due to my inability to roll my r's I can't say "Rebeca" correctly! It makes me feel so silly that I can't even pronounce my own name. Also, Rebecca is not a popular name here, which is SO different from the US and specifically Penn.
Another fun part of Spanish is the friends I make randomly, and the inevitable conversation about the US. Friday night my cab driver and I had a pretty in depth conversation about Bush - he was very curious about my opinion on Bush, the war on Iraq, and why Bush was so unpopular in the US. I also made a friend yesterday while crossing the street, after we almost got hit by a car together (we had the right of way and a car wasn't looking when he turned, so we sprinted across). He was probably Dad's age and he told me all about his daughter who lives in Champaign (sp?), Illinois (which is pronounced phonetically, btw).
Speaking of Dad, I had an Iguazú story I thought you'd all appreciate. Out of my group of 6 friends, I was the only one to run into people that I knew, and felt very much like Dad or Grandma! Our first day there we were leaving a restaurant after lunch, when I heard someone saying "Rebecca? Is that you?" It turns out it was a kid from Penn who is here abroad on a different program! Then, when we were on the bridge looking at La Gargantua del Diablo, I again heard the infamous "Rebecca? Is that really you?" It was the girl who lived with Bocha last semester, who I met when she came to visit! My friends didn't understand how in the world I could run into people that I know in Northern Argentina of all places, but I assured them that is a part of my genetics!
Okay all, it's bedtime!
Hasta Luego.
~Becca
I also get a bit frustrated when I hear little kids speaking. I know that they are native speakers and this is their only language, but its not cool that six year olds have better grammar than I do :-) They are actually harder to understand than adults or people my age (do we have a category? young adults? old adolescents? its a funny in between age) because they REALLY mumble! I had a pretty good conversation with an 8 year old on Saturday about what kind of sports she likes and what she does at school. The best part of little kids is that they love showing off their English, and we sing songs together, like "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."
My other frustration is my accent, and specifically my pronunciation. While it is definitely getting a lot better and I no longer speak like such an American, I still hear it sometimes! The worst part is saying my name - due to my inability to roll my r's I can't say "Rebeca" correctly! It makes me feel so silly that I can't even pronounce my own name. Also, Rebecca is not a popular name here, which is SO different from the US and specifically Penn.
Another fun part of Spanish is the friends I make randomly, and the inevitable conversation about the US. Friday night my cab driver and I had a pretty in depth conversation about Bush - he was very curious about my opinion on Bush, the war on Iraq, and why Bush was so unpopular in the US. I also made a friend yesterday while crossing the street, after we almost got hit by a car together (we had the right of way and a car wasn't looking when he turned, so we sprinted across). He was probably Dad's age and he told me all about his daughter who lives in Champaign (sp?), Illinois (which is pronounced phonetically, btw).
Speaking of Dad, I had an Iguazú story I thought you'd all appreciate. Out of my group of 6 friends, I was the only one to run into people that I knew, and felt very much like Dad or Grandma! Our first day there we were leaving a restaurant after lunch, when I heard someone saying "Rebecca? Is that you?" It turns out it was a kid from Penn who is here abroad on a different program! Then, when we were on the bridge looking at La Gargantua del Diablo, I again heard the infamous "Rebecca? Is that really you?" It was the girl who lived with Bocha last semester, who I met when she came to visit! My friends didn't understand how in the world I could run into people that I know in Northern Argentina of all places, but I assured them that is a part of my genetics!
Okay all, it's bedtime!
Hasta Luego.
~Becca
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Iguazú + BA
I really saw a toucan!!
The pool :-)
Hi all! This week has gone by very quickly, as I settled back into the "real world" after going to Iguazú.
Iguazú was really incredible. As a trip, it was the perfect balance between sightseeing, relaxing, and getting closer with my friends. It was also really great to get out of Buenos Aires and see another part of the country. Travelling in bus really gives you the opportunity to see what a country looks like and how it functions - I can now say that I have seen the "real"Argentina, outside of the cosmopolitan bubble that is Buenos Aires. The falls themselves were spectacular. I can basically break it up into three different parts:
(1) General Iguazú Park - we did a lot of walking/hiking, seeing the falls from several different view points, some close up, some far back, etc. We did one hike that was really spectacular - we took a short boat ride across the river (the falls are at the intersection of two major rivers) then climbed to the top of a small island, la Isla San Martín, where we were right next to the falls - so close that we actually got wet from the spray! It was incredible to see them so close up.
(2) La Gargantua del Diablo (the devil's throat). This is probably the most famous and spectacular view, where according to a guide book, you have a 320 degree panoramic view of the falls. Really incredible.
(3) Our other hike. The second day we did a long hike (pretty easy though) through the woods, where we ended up at a natural pool fed by a single waterfall. It was by far the least crowded (only 10 other people) and was almost entirely people our own age, which was a refreshing break - the park was SWARMED with tourists because it was a long weekend. Monday was Día de San Martín (I can't remember who he was but EVERYTHING is named after him).
After a relatively easy busride home, I had a busy week of class! The highlight was definitely Thursday night, where I went out for dinner and to the movies with a girl I met in one of my classes. We had a really fun time dancing and singing along (we saw Hairspray). However, I was definitely the only one in the theater who understood all the jokes, because sometimes I was laughing all alone!
Tonight I'm off to the World Tango Championships. I'M SO EXCITED!!! Tickets are free, but they are a pain to get, but one of my friends did it! I'll let you all know how it goes :-)
Besos,
Becca
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
longer post to come!
i'm back, still alive, and had a wonderful time. i even survived both bus rides, which were actually very easy and comfortable. unfortunately, this means i return back to the real world of class and homework, and no time to tell stories, so get pumped for a great post later on.
for now, a few photos!
Iguazú Falls. We decided not to do the boat ride (shown in the middle) cause it looked a bit lame.
A close up of the falls.
Me at the Tres Fronteras (three borders). I'm sitting in Argentina. The land behind me to the left is Paraguay, the one to the right is Brazil.
for now, a few photos!
Iguazú Falls. We decided not to do the boat ride (shown in the middle) cause it looked a bit lame.
A close up of the falls.
Me at the Tres Fronteras (three borders). I'm sitting in Argentina. The land behind me to the left is Paraguay, the one to the right is Brazil.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Hasta Luego
I leave tomorrow night for Iguazu... 16 hour busride there, 16 hours back, what will hopefully be an awesome weekend in between. Pictures to come when I get back!
PS. Iguazu info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguazu
PS. Iguazu info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguazu
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Settling In
I have certainly had a busy week! This was the craziest "shopping"week by far - I went to three (different) classes one day. After finding some classes that were so/so, some that were terrible, and others that I just didn't understand, I have finally found classes that I like! So far I am taking a mandatory Spanish class through my program and two classes at the Catholic University. One is a class through their Latin American Studies department on Peronism, which is a class of mostly foreigners (a lot of Americans, a few Brits, etc.) and a few locals, with about twenty students in total. The other class is Theory and Constitutional Law, a second year polisci class focusing on the Argentine Constitution. It is FASCINATING, the professors are really interesting, and I'm the only foreigner in the class. Plus, I have met some really nice students who helped me with words and topics I didn't understand. When I take notes I use two notebooks - one for my class notes, and a small notebook I always keep with me for unknown words. Well, some of the students saw my list of "Palabras Desconocidas"(unknown words) and gave me a few English translations or corrected the ones that I had. I took the subway home with one of the girls one day, and we had a long conversation about school, activities, and our families. Its nice to start having a real schedule and things to do. This week I begin classes at UBA, the public university. I am going to try three different classes, but I **HOPE** I will end up taking a seminar on Latin American Film from 1995-present. And the best part of my schedule? I only have class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday! I purposely chose not to have class on Friday, and it just worked out so that I didn't have any class on Monday either. Hopefully, that will give me a nice bit of time to travel, etc.
Luckily, this week wasn't all class (though sometimes it felt like it!). I saw two movies - "Los Simpson" (The Simpsons - in Spanish!) and "Tocar El Cielo," an Argentine film. One of the things my friends and I like to do is go and see movies in Spanish, both local films and dubbed American films. It's a really good way to practice comprehension and a lot of fun! Plus, it's much cheaper than a movie in the US (a ticket is between $3-6US), and I actually have coupons for a movie + a popcorn for $2.50US. I rented another movie that I'm hoping to watch tonight before bed... I'm not really sure what it's about, but I told the guy in the video rental store that I wanted something funny from Argentina.
I'm also starting to feel like I belong here a bit more. I hardly ever walk around looking at a map, and yesterday someone actually ASKED ME what street he was on, not the other way around (and I knew the answer!). It's a nice feeling to know where you are living and begin to settle in. Plus, I'm starting to recognize faces - there's the nice girl at the front desk of my gym, the guy who works in the gym who makes sure I can get on a machine, the people who work at the laundry place down the street, the man at the kiosk where I buy phone cards, the guy who works in my building, etc. Basically, this place is starting to feel a bit more "homey", which is what I wanted all along!
A bit about what I've been doing... Friday night my friends and I (two Americans and twolocals) tried out yet another synagogue, where I ran into Susanna (Vivian's almost-relative) and her husband! I was thrilled to see them, and really enjoyed talking to them, catching up, and meeting other people there. Afterwards we went out to dinner, then met up with some other friends. Saturday night I saw a movie (Tocar El Cielo, a movie for people thirty or so years older than I am, because Hairspray was sold out. We thought we understood most of it, however the people next to use overheard us talking about the few things we didn't understand and explained them to us. After their explanation the movie made a LOT more sense!), went out to dinner at a fun Middle Eastern restaurant, and then went to a cool place that was a restaurant, bar, and board game place. You order your food/drinks and go over and pick out a game! My friends and I played Tabú, otherwise known as Taboo, girls versus boys and the girls won :-). For those of you who have played Taboo with me and know how much I love it, just imagine what it was like to play it in Spanish!!
Today my friends and I decided to go to Tigre, a city about an hour north of BA. I had already visited once before, when I went to Hacoaj a few weeks ago. This time we did the touristy things in Tigre, which were a LOT of fun! We started off by taking a train to Tigre, which was so easy and inexpensive ($0.60US round trip!). We started walking around and found a boat company that does a two hour tour of the river, and has a restaurant on board - so we had lunch on a boat while riding around and seeing the sights. It was really pretty, though I think it would be even nicer when the weather is better and its not so cold! Afterwards we walked around this city and went to the fruit market, which the city is known for. However, there was not much fruit, seeing as it was the middle of winter! Still, a good time was had by all, and we all went back to Buenos Aires very tired after a full day.
That's all for now - lots of reading to do tomorrow! Sending lots of love back to the US!
Becca
The winning team for Tabú!
Out boat in Tigre
Jenga
Luckily, this week wasn't all class (though sometimes it felt like it!). I saw two movies - "Los Simpson" (The Simpsons - in Spanish!) and "Tocar El Cielo," an Argentine film. One of the things my friends and I like to do is go and see movies in Spanish, both local films and dubbed American films. It's a really good way to practice comprehension and a lot of fun! Plus, it's much cheaper than a movie in the US (a ticket is between $3-6US), and I actually have coupons for a movie + a popcorn for $2.50US. I rented another movie that I'm hoping to watch tonight before bed... I'm not really sure what it's about, but I told the guy in the video rental store that I wanted something funny from Argentina.
I'm also starting to feel like I belong here a bit more. I hardly ever walk around looking at a map, and yesterday someone actually ASKED ME what street he was on, not the other way around (and I knew the answer!). It's a nice feeling to know where you are living and begin to settle in. Plus, I'm starting to recognize faces - there's the nice girl at the front desk of my gym, the guy who works in the gym who makes sure I can get on a machine, the people who work at the laundry place down the street, the man at the kiosk where I buy phone cards, the guy who works in my building, etc. Basically, this place is starting to feel a bit more "homey", which is what I wanted all along!
A bit about what I've been doing... Friday night my friends and I (two Americans and twolocals) tried out yet another synagogue, where I ran into Susanna (Vivian's almost-relative) and her husband! I was thrilled to see them, and really enjoyed talking to them, catching up, and meeting other people there. Afterwards we went out to dinner, then met up with some other friends. Saturday night I saw a movie (Tocar El Cielo, a movie for people thirty or so years older than I am, because Hairspray was sold out. We thought we understood most of it, however the people next to use overheard us talking about the few things we didn't understand and explained them to us. After their explanation the movie made a LOT more sense!), went out to dinner at a fun Middle Eastern restaurant, and then went to a cool place that was a restaurant, bar, and board game place. You order your food/drinks and go over and pick out a game! My friends and I played Tabú, otherwise known as Taboo, girls versus boys and the girls won :-). For those of you who have played Taboo with me and know how much I love it, just imagine what it was like to play it in Spanish!!
Today my friends and I decided to go to Tigre, a city about an hour north of BA. I had already visited once before, when I went to Hacoaj a few weeks ago. This time we did the touristy things in Tigre, which were a LOT of fun! We started off by taking a train to Tigre, which was so easy and inexpensive ($0.60US round trip!). We started walking around and found a boat company that does a two hour tour of the river, and has a restaurant on board - so we had lunch on a boat while riding around and seeing the sights. It was really pretty, though I think it would be even nicer when the weather is better and its not so cold! Afterwards we walked around this city and went to the fruit market, which the city is known for. However, there was not much fruit, seeing as it was the middle of winter! Still, a good time was had by all, and we all went back to Buenos Aires very tired after a full day.
That's all for now - lots of reading to do tomorrow! Sending lots of love back to the US!
Becca
The winning team for Tabú!
Out boat in Tigre
Jenga
Sunday, August 5, 2007
A long post...
Me with a LOT of sausage at the Exposición Rural.
This is by far the biggest cow I've ever seen :-)
BBQ at the food standsAdventures in Buenos Aires continue! This weekend was particularly productive. Thursday night I went out for dinner with Vivian's cousin's cousin's family. They were absolutely lovely, and I had a wonderful time getting to know them and enjoying a delicious meal. I'm so lucky I have so many connections down here and people to get to know!
Friday morning I woke up early to go and take a Spanish exam for one of the universities. Afterwards I went out for lunch with a few friends, went to an orientation session (a recurring theme!), and then to a synagogue for services. It was a very lively and spirited place, and we were sad that we came late and missed Kabbalat Shabbat, due to some problems with the bus. Afterwards we went to a friend's house for dinner, where they had a make your own sushi theme. Lots of fun! Dessert was dulce de leche + banana sushi, which was absolutely delicious. Dinner turned into the major social event and I saw/met lots of very interesting people. The highlight of the night was an in depth conversation with one girl about international law (IN SPANISH!).
Taking a quick break from my schedule, I noticed another recurring theme in my conversations, "maldichos" (lit bad sayings). As a non-native speaker, and someone who is still learning every day Spanish, I accidentally curse rather frequently. Luckily, people realize that I'm just making mistakes and I'm not actually trying to say something rude or inappropriate. Words that are fine in other Spanish speaking countries are curse words here, as are some literal translations from English! It makes for quite the interesting conversation when people try and explain to me what I just told them...
Back to my weekend. Saturday morning went to Jabad, where I met some Israelis who had been travelling and had a long conversation with some interesting (argentine) girls about the different universities in BA. Saturday afternoon I went to the Rural Exposition - there is no good equivalent of it in the states. It's equal parts State Fair, Livestock Show, and Rodeo. One part of it was animals - some of the largest I have ever seen! Another part was crafts and food, and a final part was a horse show. The horses were beautiful. It is very difficult to describe the horse show, so bear with me. There were approximately 8 teams of 10 horses each. However, these horses did not have riders! One horse/rider guided each team, using a horse with a cowbell. With all 8 teams on the field, they had the horses do beautiful and intricate maneuvers. At the end, all 80 horses ran across the field together, a truly beautiful sight.
After a long nap, Saturday night my friends and I went to a Tango Show/Dinner. It was a lot of fun, very delicious, and very interesting. The dancers alternated between Folkdancing and Tango. At the end, the folkdancers take members of the audience to dance with them. Being the wonderful people that they are, my friends decided to volunteer me for this! So I, Rebecca, danced Argentine folk dance in front of a room filled with people! Luckily, the professional dancer I was dancing with was very nice, and had a good time with me :-)
Today was a lazy day that I spent mostly by myself. I got up late, enjoyed a casual afternoon in a cafe, reading and people watching. Then I went to a fair for a little while, but it was a bit too cold outside, so I went to the National Museum of Beautiful Art (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes - anyone have a better translation?) which has a very impressive collection of European painting. I went to see some friends later in the afternoon, and then came back and had dinner with Bocha. Now I'm watching a movie (with Audrey Hepburn, where she's a nun) and enjoying a relaxing night at home.
That's all for now folks! A few shout outs - Yaya, I'm so happy you're reading this! Jordyn, my mom told me you can't write comments, but it's so cool that you're following this! Mom, keep letting me know what's going on at home. AB, Reenie, Maddy, Jake, Desh, etc. - way to be awesome and keep up with me. Everyone keep me informed about life in the US and your own lives.
Besos (kisses),
Becca
PS. A few pictures...
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Some comparison/contrast
I´m still in shock after just signing up for my 10th class. Yes, 10. As I´ve explained, registration here is nuts - rather than having add/drop, you just have lots and lots and lots of drop, after signing up for far too many classes.
Last night I also had my first Freddo. Freddo is the king of all things ice cream. Heavenly. Wonderful. There do not exist enough positive adjectives to describe it. I got a white-milk chocolate swirl and strawberry icecream. The chocolate what wondeful, though Iwas a bit underimpressed with the strawberry. I like more fruit and less sugar, and this was very heavy on the sugar. Next time I´m going to try the Dulce De Leche - as I´ve mentioned before, people here are REALLY into Dulce de Leche!
One of the things I keep thinking about is the differences between BuenosAires and the US. Most of them are fairly straightfoward - the language, the haircuts, etc. Mullets are seen as cool and everyone speaks Spanish with BEAUTIFUL Italian accents. However, there are so many other differences, it´s impossible to describe them all. So... a few
(1) The Gym. In the US you go to the gym to work out. You wear grungy clothes, get very sweaty, and don´t go too close to anyone else. Here nobody seems to get sweaty, they all wear really cute stylish outfits, and generally make me look like I don't belong.
(2) Couples. As I've mentioned before, many students/young people live with their parents until a much older age, well into their 20s. Therefore, they do not have much privacy, and get very affectionate in public. As such, it is normal to see people making out on line in the movies, in the park, in the middle of the sidewalk, on the subway, etc. It's a bit much for me... On a similar note, sexuality is very much out in the open. Whether it is the condom advertisements at almost every bus stop or the highly seductive advertisements for every other product, people here are more open about sexuality. Similarly, magazines like People and Cosmopolitan have racier articles and pornography is openly advertised at nearly every corner kiosk.
(3) The general relationship between girls and boys. In the US, I have lots of friends who are boys. This isn't as common here. Continuing on the subject of boys, I also received my first comment from men in the street this week. It would have been moderately offensive if the boy hadn't been 12 years old. While it was really funny to hear a young boy say something to me (I couldn't understand exactly what he said), I also saw as a really interesting social commentary, that boys so young know that this type of comment is common.
(4) The milk. Skim milk doesn't exist. In addition, it is very common to drink boxed milk, the kind that you keep on the shelf until you want to open it. It doesn't bother me, but I'm a bit confused as to how a country that produces so much (delicious) beef does not have a lot of fresh milk. Also, the popcorn. I haven't tried the salty stuff, but at the movie theater you can order sweet popcorn, which is very similar to carmel corn.
Okay, that's all for now. Lots of love to the US!
~Becca
(2) Couples. As I've mentioned before, many students/young people live with their parents until a much older age, well into their 20s. Therefore, they do not have much privacy, and get very affectionate in public. As such, it is normal to see people making out on line in the movies, in the park, in the middle of the sidewalk, on the subway, etc. It's a bit much for me... On a similar note, sexuality is very much out in the open. Whether it is the condom advertisements at almost every bus stop or the highly seductive advertisements for every other product, people here are more open about sexuality. Similarly, magazines like People and Cosmopolitan have racier articles and pornography is openly advertised at nearly every corner kiosk.
(3) The general relationship between girls and boys. In the US, I have lots of friends who are boys. This isn't as common here. Continuing on the subject of boys, I also received my first comment from men in the street this week. It would have been moderately offensive if the boy hadn't been 12 years old. While it was really funny to hear a young boy say something to me (I couldn't understand exactly what he said), I also saw as a really interesting social commentary, that boys so young know that this type of comment is common.
(4) The milk. Skim milk doesn't exist. In addition, it is very common to drink boxed milk, the kind that you keep on the shelf until you want to open it. It doesn't bother me, but I'm a bit confused as to how a country that produces so much (delicious) beef does not have a lot of fresh milk. Also, the popcorn. I haven't tried the salty stuff, but at the movie theater you can order sweet popcorn, which is very similar to carmel corn.
Okay, that's all for now. Lots of love to the US!
~Becca
Monday, July 30, 2007
Oedipus in BA
If you ever run into Oedipus (from the Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus Tyrannus, or Oedpius the King), advise him that he should NOT go to Buenos Aires. As those of you who took English at NBTHS will remember, Tiresias, the blind prophet told Oedipus not to go to a place where three roads meet. And they seem to be rampant in Buenos Aires! I am very happy I don't have to drive, because I would never figure out how to navigate them - besides the many traffic circles, frequently a crooked street will magically appear, and intersect the other streets in the most inconvenient way. This is further exacerbated by the horrific Argentine drivers, who make New Yorkers and New Jerseyans seem like the most orderly people! Lane lines are seen as mere suggestions, as are things such as stop signs (I've never actually seen anyone stop) and yellow lights. Furthermore, the lights turn yellow again BEFORE they turn green, and many motorcyclists take this as permission to speed through the intersection before anyone else. I have learned quickly to be VERY careful crossing the street, becuase I prefer to keep all of my bones and appendages in tact.
Besides traffic problems, Argentina continues to be wonderful. Thursday night I went to Hillel, because a friend of mine in the US knew someone there and put us in touch. She invited me to go with her and some firends to their club on Sunday. There is no equivalent of these clubs in the US (for those who understand Spanish, visit http://www.hacoaj.org.ar/) . It's some mix of a JCC, day camp, and country club, without the social overtones of any. Essentially, every Sunday people drive an hour out and spend the day at Hacoaj, where hte play tennis, football (soccer), hockey, and row. Besides this there are all sorts of fun social activities and restaurants at the club. It's very difficult to explain the social atmosphere, except that everyone seems to know everyone else. The girls I went with had met at Hacoaj when they were 3 years old (sound familiar?) and continue to be friends today. We had a fun day lounging around, playing a bit of volleyball, and going on a ride in a boat taxi, to another club site which is 10 minutes down the river. A lot of fun, and a great way to make new friends!
As many know, I also began classes today. Needless to say, this was not the highlight of the week! As I have said before, registration here is RIDICULOUS, but it seems to work - I did not like the class I had today, and I'm planning on dropping it tonight. In a class of 20 students, 10 were from the US, and several of the readings were in English. The class was also very boring, and on a topic I've already studied (Latin America during the colonial period). On the up side, I'm planning on taking tango classes (not for credit) with a few American friends! It should be a fun and easy way to get to know some more people, and learn how to dance. Hopefully talent and coordination aren't required...
That's all for today! Tomorrow I start my other class, which I hope will be better. Hasta luego.
Besos,
Becca
Besides traffic problems, Argentina continues to be wonderful. Thursday night I went to Hillel, because a friend of mine in the US knew someone there and put us in touch. She invited me to go with her and some firends to their club on Sunday. There is no equivalent of these clubs in the US (for those who understand Spanish, visit http://www.hacoaj.org.ar/) . It's some mix of a JCC, day camp, and country club, without the social overtones of any. Essentially, every Sunday people drive an hour out and spend the day at Hacoaj, where hte play tennis, football (soccer), hockey, and row. Besides this there are all sorts of fun social activities and restaurants at the club. It's very difficult to explain the social atmosphere, except that everyone seems to know everyone else. The girls I went with had met at Hacoaj when they were 3 years old (sound familiar?) and continue to be friends today. We had a fun day lounging around, playing a bit of volleyball, and going on a ride in a boat taxi, to another club site which is 10 minutes down the river. A lot of fun, and a great way to make new friends!
As many know, I also began classes today. Needless to say, this was not the highlight of the week! As I have said before, registration here is RIDICULOUS, but it seems to work - I did not like the class I had today, and I'm planning on dropping it tonight. In a class of 20 students, 10 were from the US, and several of the readings were in English. The class was also very boring, and on a topic I've already studied (Latin America during the colonial period). On the up side, I'm planning on taking tango classes (not for credit) with a few American friends! It should be a fun and easy way to get to know some more people, and learn how to dance. Hopefully talent and coordination aren't required...
That's all for today! Tomorrow I start my other class, which I hope will be better. Hasta luego.
Besos,
Becca
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Almost done with Orientation!
I am almost done with orientation! It´s very exciting - I´m ready to move on to something else besides actually learning about the city. However, it has certainly been very interesting. Yesterday we had a really fascinating discussion about the difference in freedom between us and our Argentine peers. From what was explained, it seems that most students my age still live at home and are dependent on their parents for their daily needs and often require their permission to go out and do things. However, they work and earn their own money, and are often completely economically independent. In contrast, American students are usually financially dependent on their parents, but live separately and have almost complete freedom in their daily activities. I´m curious to see how true this stereotype is, and how it differentiates me from my peers here.
Today´s orientation focused on newspapers. Besides looking through it(and presenting the horoscope section to my class!), my group also had a really interesting discussion about the difference in the portrayal of Chavez in the US and Argentina. In the US he is usually portrayed VERY negatively, but here the portrayal does seem quite as strong. He is not strongly liked, but he is not shown in the same negative light as the US. We then got into a discussion on his economic ideas, and contrasting them to Reaganomics. Trying to figure out how to explain filtering down "en castellano" was very difficult!!
Last night I went to my first movie, called¨"Los Incorregibles" (lit the Incorrigibles, which means the Unreformables). It was VERY funny - in some ways the humor reminded me of The Inlaws. However, the porteños don´t have the same ideas about laughing loudly as Americans, and I certainly stood out in the theater! We also got "pochoclo," popcorn. However, you have to pick between sweet and salty. We tried to sweet, which tasted a lot like carmel corn. It was good, but I prefer the stuff in the US.
Next I have my first on sight orientation at one of the universities. It should be interesting, mostly because I haven´t visited any of them yet. This is a small private school (University of Tocuato Di Tella) which is known for its economics and political science. I´m not quite sure if I´ll end up taking classes there, but I figure it is good to visit before going.
That´s it for today! I hope everybody has a good day and a nice weekend. We don´t have any orientation tomorrow, and I have plans to go to the mall with a few girls - there are major sales in Buenos Aires now because it is winter vacation, but they end August 1. Hopefully we´ll also make it to one of the "ferias" (fairs) this weekend, if it´s nice outside.
Today´s orientation focused on newspapers. Besides looking through it(and presenting the horoscope section to my class!), my group also had a really interesting discussion about the difference in the portrayal of Chavez in the US and Argentina. In the US he is usually portrayed VERY negatively, but here the portrayal does seem quite as strong. He is not strongly liked, but he is not shown in the same negative light as the US. We then got into a discussion on his economic ideas, and contrasting them to Reaganomics. Trying to figure out how to explain filtering down "en castellano" was very difficult!!
Last night I went to my first movie, called¨"Los Incorregibles" (lit the Incorrigibles, which means the Unreformables). It was VERY funny - in some ways the humor reminded me of The Inlaws. However, the porteños don´t have the same ideas about laughing loudly as Americans, and I certainly stood out in the theater! We also got "pochoclo," popcorn. However, you have to pick between sweet and salty. We tried to sweet, which tasted a lot like carmel corn. It was good, but I prefer the stuff in the US.
Next I have my first on sight orientation at one of the universities. It should be interesting, mostly because I haven´t visited any of them yet. This is a small private school (University of Tocuato Di Tella) which is known for its economics and political science. I´m not quite sure if I´ll end up taking classes there, but I figure it is good to visit before going.
That´s it for today! I hope everybody has a good day and a nice weekend. We don´t have any orientation tomorrow, and I have plans to go to the mall with a few girls - there are major sales in Buenos Aires now because it is winter vacation, but they end August 1. Hopefully we´ll also make it to one of the "ferias" (fairs) this weekend, if it´s nice outside.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Más BA
Everything is still going really well, and I´m having a good time. It´s very overwhelming, I´ll admit - everything is new, and nothing is the same as it is at home. The food, the people, the language, the cultureñ they´re all different. But, I´m enjoying them all. In terms of Spanish (castellano, as they call it), my comprehension has increased infinitely. I´m able to figure out what poeple are saying, even if I´m not always quite sure I´ve got it 100% word for word. On the other hand, my speaking doesn´t feel like it´s increased as much, and I tend to get very frustrated by my own lack of capability. For example... in the COPA building, one of the toilets was running. I tried tot ell the lady that one of them was broken, but I couldn´t explain exactly the problem. It wasn´t a flood, it just needed to get fixed. Those sorts of things are frustrating.
This weekend was a lot of fun. Went to synagogue, and got to talk to people in Spanish! That was fun, because I usually only talk to people who are used to talking to Americans, and therefore talk slowly and speak clearly. A bit harder, but lots of fun. Friday night I went out to dinner iwth my friend Cara from Penn - it was great catching up with her, and hearing about her experience in BA so far (she´s not in my program). Satruday afternoon I went to the mall (Alto Palermo Shopping is it´s name!) and bought Harry Potter with a friend. Then we went to a cafe, ordered some coffee, and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying HP7. If you´ve read it, I want to hear what you think! I finished it Sunday night. I had plans to go to the Fair in San Telmo on Sunday (antique market with tango dancers in the street), but it was gross out. Instead, my friend and I met in another cafe, and then went to the MALBA, the Museum of Latin American Art. Really interesting, and really nice. We only did about 1/3 of it though - it´s free for students, and we´ll go back another week. Then I went back home - it was FREEZING outside, and I had no interest in leaving la casa. So, I hung around and enjoyed the warmth of our heat!
This week is more orientating, with the added fun of registration. I´m debating what kinds of classes I should take. Right off hte bat, there is a mandatory Spanish class that I need. Right now I´m pretty sure I´m goign to take a seminar (40ish people) at the University of Buenos Aires, and 2 classes at the Catholic University, ideally both classes in the same year, same major. That way I´ll get to know the kids in that carrera (the word for major). However, that plan is under some debate, because I´m also thinking about taking a lit class that the program runs instead. Oh, the craziness of registration. luckily, we have a long shopping period, during which we´re encouraged to take as many classes as we want.
Right now, I´m at a locutorio (phone&internet for a charge), because I´m waiting for my pcitures to be processed. I need to get two pictures of myself 4 cm by 4 cm to prove to the government that I´m not a criminal. How these two photos will help them I´m not sure, but it´s supposed to ensure that I won´t get deported (I´m kidding). But seriously, if I don´t take at least 12 credits, I can get deported! Craziness. We had the fun lecture about visas too. Luckily, the program directors go with us to get our visas - we break up into 4 groups, and get to spend a morning in a governemnt office waiting. Think DMV (for non-NJ people, that´s the Department of Motor Vechicles), except DMV gone crazy.
Okay, that´s all for now. And please leave me comments - it lets me know who´s reading :-)
PS. I finally found a place where I can buy pretzels, though I'm still on the lookout for Cheerios and skim milk!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Orientating...
The past few days have been dedicated to Orientation. Besides the normal academic craziness, we also had several issues on security, and my favorite session, dedicated solely to the ¨Guia T.¨ For those who don´t know, La Guía T is a BA tourist´s (or newcomer´s!) best friend! It´s vaguely a bus map, but a lot more than that. The beginning of the book is a list of streets in alphabetical order. You look up the street where you want to go, and then it gives you a map and a square (ie: 7, A3). Then you go to map 7, and somewhere in box A3 is your street. On the page next to that map, there is a list of all the buses (called ¨colectivos¨) that pass through that square. Basically, you compare the square where you are, to the one you want to go to. However... (1) You don´t actually know exactly where the bus stops in teh square. The back has a vague list of all the bus routes, but there are no maps that have the bus routes on them. (2) Because there are lots of 1 way streets, and they aren´t in a grid, just becuase you can take a bus in one direction, doesn´t always mean you can take it in the other. Basically, an adventure!
I have taken the colectivos, and have mastered getting from my apartment to our orientation site. Today I also took the subte (pronounced sube-tay, it´s the subway) for the first time. Taking that, during ¨las horas picas¨ (rush hour) is quite an adventure! All I can say is that the NY subways are not nearly this crowded at rush hour!! Plus, the peopel in next to me were making out the whole time! On a crowded subway! Ah!
We´ve done a bit of touring the past few days. Yesterday we went to see the ¨Paris of South America,¨ the early 1900s nuveau riche who wanted to show off. HUGE houses, in a very french style. Today we went to the Plaza de Mayo, the center of the government (think the balcony scene in Evita). And yes Mom, I bought you a postcard with a picture of it and the Casa Rosada (Pink House) on it! Now all I need to do is find stamps. We also went around San Telmo, the most touristy of all the ¨barrios¨ (neighborhoods). It´s the one where you are supposed to see people dancing the tango in the streets, but I think they all took the morning off. On Sundays they have a huge crafts and antique fair with all the touristy stuff, and I think I´m going to go one weekend! We also walked around the Calle Florida, the major shopping street. Way out of my league, but lots of fun to look at. I have never seen so much leather in my entire life :-) They also have a very big thing for Christian Dior here - we passed at least 6 of his stores.
I think I´m out of stories for today. Everything continues to be excellent, though I miss you all a lot.
Besos,
Rebeca (how it´s spelled here)
I have taken the colectivos, and have mastered getting from my apartment to our orientation site. Today I also took the subte (pronounced sube-tay, it´s the subway) for the first time. Taking that, during ¨las horas picas¨ (rush hour) is quite an adventure! All I can say is that the NY subways are not nearly this crowded at rush hour!! Plus, the peopel in next to me were making out the whole time! On a crowded subway! Ah!
We´ve done a bit of touring the past few days. Yesterday we went to see the ¨Paris of South America,¨ the early 1900s nuveau riche who wanted to show off. HUGE houses, in a very french style. Today we went to the Plaza de Mayo, the center of the government (think the balcony scene in Evita). And yes Mom, I bought you a postcard with a picture of it and the Casa Rosada (Pink House) on it! Now all I need to do is find stamps. We also went around San Telmo, the most touristy of all the ¨barrios¨ (neighborhoods). It´s the one where you are supposed to see people dancing the tango in the streets, but I think they all took the morning off. On Sundays they have a huge crafts and antique fair with all the touristy stuff, and I think I´m going to go one weekend! We also walked around the Calle Florida, the major shopping street. Way out of my league, but lots of fun to look at. I have never seen so much leather in my entire life :-) They also have a very big thing for Christian Dior here - we passed at least 6 of his stores.
I think I´m out of stories for today. Everything continues to be excellent, though I miss you all a lot.
Besos,
Rebeca (how it´s spelled here)
Monday, July 16, 2007
Unpacking in BsAs
Hola!
I'm sitting in my room, looking out the window, and wondering how the heck I got here. Travel is really amazing that way - you get into an airplane, and 9 hours later, you're in a different continent. Craziness!
Anyway, my host is lovely. She's an older woman (70ish?) and I'm her 40th exchange student - she was widowed young, and began doing it after she met a friend who hosted exchange students. She was an art teacher and has beautiful paintings that she did hanging all over her apartment. She's also a vegetarian, who works out rather beautifully!
I started exploring the neighborhood, and really interesting! So much to see and do. I started off just walking, but I'm sure I'll figure out the public transportation soon enough. We start orientation tomorrow, and that's one of the first things they teach us!
I'm going to finish unpacking and whatnot. Hope all is well at home!
Love,
Rebecca
I'm sitting in my room, looking out the window, and wondering how the heck I got here. Travel is really amazing that way - you get into an airplane, and 9 hours later, you're in a different continent. Craziness!
Anyway, my host is lovely. She's an older woman (70ish?) and I'm her 40th exchange student - she was widowed young, and began doing it after she met a friend who hosted exchange students. She was an art teacher and has beautiful paintings that she did hanging all over her apartment. She's also a vegetarian, who works out rather beautifully!
I started exploring the neighborhood, and really interesting! So much to see and do. I started off just walking, but I'm sure I'll figure out the public transportation soon enough. We start orientation tomorrow, and that's one of the first things they teach us!
I'm going to finish unpacking and whatnot. Hope all is well at home!
Love,
Rebecca
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Sitting in the Miami Airport
I'm currently sitting in the Miami airport, contemplating the next five months. I really hope everything goes well and I learn a lot. It's very nerve racking, packing up your life and getting ready to leave! I worked so hard to be organized and ready that I was nervous towards the end, mostly because I didn't have anything left to do :-) I've been reading about Buenos Aires, and so far my list of things I have to do are...
(1) El Museo de Bellas Artes - the National Museum of Art (http://www.mnba.org.ar/ in Spanish). Besides the fact that it's close-ish to where I'm going to be living, I always love an art museum! Hopefully I'll get to go to this one.
(2) Bet Hilel - a cute looking synagogue close to where I'll be living (http://www.bethilel.org.ar/ in Spanish). They have events for university students.
(3) El Museo de Deuda Externa - literally, the Museum of Debt. 'nuf said.
And, there's supposed to be a zoo!
Sending lots of love to everyone!
~Becca
(1) El Museo de Bellas Artes - the National Museum of Art (http://www.mnba.org.ar/ in Spanish). Besides the fact that it's close-ish to where I'm going to be living, I always love an art museum! Hopefully I'll get to go to this one.
(2) Bet Hilel - a cute looking synagogue close to where I'll be living (http://www.bethilel.org.ar/ in Spanish). They have events for university students.
(3) El Museo de Deuda Externa - literally, the Museum of Debt. 'nuf said.
And, there's supposed to be a zoo!
Sending lots of love to everyone!
~Becca
Monday, July 9, 2007
Getting Ready to Go
Right now I'm deep in the craziness of getting ready to leave the US and go halfway around the world for 5 months. I'll be studying abroad in Buenos Aires at the IFSA-Butler program - http://www.ifsa-butler.org/programs/argentina/aup/. Hopefully, I'll try and update this thing periodically so people can keep up with what I'm doing, and you can let me know what's going on with you!
Love,
Becca
PS. Yes, I definitely ripped of the title from Laura...
Love,
Becca
PS. Yes, I definitely ripped of the title from Laura...
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