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