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

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.

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

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

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 stands


Adventures 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