I Hate Goodbyes

Here we are at the EZE airport for my 10:30 pm flight home. We wrapped my 49.6 pound suitcase in bright green saran wrap to appease my host mother, which ended up making the search for my luggage at Dallas customs nearly impossible. With backpack and pillow and vase in tow, I said my tearful goodbyes (a severe understatement) to Mamá Eugenia, Euge and Fernando before venturing through the security checkpoint, but not before some last words caught on camera. We made promises to keep in touch, email and skype often, and plan future visits. It was difficult to leave Buenos Aires and missing people and places is always unpleasant, but I've realized that it truly is a good thing. It proves you've made a connection. That something matters. And that you care.

Hasta luego, Buenos Aires! Nos vemos super pronto...

A Family Occasion

The other night we went to a nearby Italian restaurant to celebrate my host mother's birthday. It was the whole crew: Diego, Eugenia, Fernando, Euge, Nico and I. We spent the evening eating pasta and tiramisu and taking random photos and videos and talking about customs and cultures and laughing. I didn't want it to end.

Here I should mention how amazing my host family is. I am unbelievably fortunate. Everyone is so warm, patient, kind and happy to be of any help to me at any time. Family is a priority and they have made every effort to include me in theirs. It is remarkable how close I have become to them in just a month.

Love these people.

In the following videos, try to ignore my constant laugh. I couldn't help myself. Note their "hellos" to "Carolina y Roberto, Guillermo y Colin, Curtis y Chep". The last video is an attempt to capture my pathetic pronunciation of the verb "ronronear" (meaning "purr"). Not so easy, and a little embarrassing, but I'm happy to provide some entertainment.

May I Stay a Bit Longer?

Calling mom to ask: 34 pesos
Fee to change an international flight: $300
Difference in airfares: $1000
The feeling of wanting to spend an extra week with new friends & family in a beautiful city: Priceless

No go :(

The Bedroom I'll Miss Dearly

...complete with my adorable little teddy bear, Anthony. I've been through a lot with that little guy. You should also know that my room is never this tidy.

Thunder Storms and a Few Odd Dreams

The thunder storms here are truly impressive and I love falling asleep and waking up to the sound of pouring rain and roaring thunder and lightning that creates daylight at midnight. And I've woken up twice now to the cat, Salem, scratching at my window to escape the flooded streets. But getting to and from school is not a walk in the park. Taxi companies run out of cars because nobody wants to take public transportation if it means spending the whole day cold and wet. I don't mind much, though. I'll take thunder storms to the constant drizzle that permeates Seattle skies.

One day I learned from my host brother, Fernando, that smoke detectors are not used here. This got me thinking. I know nothing about heaters, but can see an open flame at the bottom of the one in my bedroom and figure that it is a potential fire hazard. My host mother insists that it's better to keep it on during the night in order to prevent an unhealthily cold morning. So I went to bed that night after turning the knob to the very minimum and was kept up thinking about the bars on my windows and what one could possibly do in the case of a fire. Pretty much nothing. Nevertheless, I finally got to sleep...only to be frighteningly awakened by the sound of my own scream. Not shout. SCREAM. I had a vivid dream (with an identified origin) in which my heater set fire to my bed, trapping me from the door and leaving me no option for escape but my barred window.

El Dia del Amigo

"Friend Day" exists! Whether this holiday in Argentina is actually of any historical/cultural importance is up for debate. Some say it's just another excuse to get together and celebrate, but--whatever the case--I enjoyed the day! I went with Euge to her friend's house and spent the evening with a group of her best friends from high school. We listened to reggaeton, ate tapas, took loads of pictures and played a game called "juego de la llave". The game involved a long list of characteristics to be secretly assigned to different members of the group. I was slightly hesitant at first, as some of the adjectives weren't exactly positive (clumsiest, most likely to make poor decisions drunk, most awkward...) but it was all in good humor. My name ended up under "best English speaker" (surprise, surprise!), "most indecisive" (these people really know me) and a few others. It was a good time and Euge and I were sorry to say goodbye at the end of the evening...

Puerto Madero

Puerto Madero is the new, ritzy part of the city. I went with my host mother and Euge and met up with Jennifer and Adrienne. We had a blast wandering around and took lots of pictures around the Tango bridge. The bridge that looks like a Tango dancer. If you don't see it, look closer.

"Nos pisan seguro." --Euge Travaglini

Tango Porteño

Here's to another sophisticated evening dedicated to Tango! Impressive.

After School...

La primera promocion, por favor. Y una coca.

Coby el Cobayo

Soooooooo cute.

Swine Flu

I am amazed by how big a deal the swine flu (la gripe porcina) is here. All schools have been closed to prevent it from spreading. That includes San Andres! But, as the director of our program says, "the show must go on". We moved to different classrooms (much bigger and much, much colder) and must sit far apart from each other during class. Anti-bacterial hand gel is being used obsessively. And we've been warned against using public transportation during "rush hour". Some people have even experienced temperature tests entering boliches!

Chinatown

The afternoon trip to Belgrano started with a purpose: Euge and I were going to get matching cartilage piercings. So we took the train into the city and found a random shopping area that happened to have several tattoo and piercing shops. After looking around for a few minutes (getting cold feet in the meantime), we decided that 50 pesos (about 13 US dollars) was just too much. On to Plan B. We met up with Darren, Emily and Jen in Chinatown! Chinatown in Buenos Aires really consists of about two blocks of Chinese shops, restaurants and grocery stores. So we wandered for a bit before finding ourselves (once again!) in a cafe.

Morcilla

Yes, people. I tried blood sausage. It is EXACTLY what is sounds like: coagulated blood, chopped onion, and animal fat stuffed into a sausage casing. Want to taste?

La estancia

One brilliantly cold Friday (the day following Argentina's independence day), we took a group trip to a ranch outside of Buenos Aires. Horses, dancing, leather, silver, space...

What I Miss

1) family and friends
2) having a cell phone plan and not paying 2 pesos/minute
3) free water in restaurants
4) summer
5) guidelines and rubrics for classes

Colonia, Uruguay

There's nothing like a last-minute weekend trip, especially when it's to Uruguay! From the time I arrived, my host mother had told me that Colonia is worth the time and money. I would have to agree. Jen, Willa, Emily, Cande and I packed our bags and headed out to catch a buquebus across the river. After checking into our adorable little hostel ($11 per person per night!) called "El Español", we found a creperia and came prepared with coupons for free liqueur. Time passes quickly when you're amongst good food and good company. After a nearly three-hour meal, we finally asked for the bill and completed the first of many long math puzzles (we paid with Uruguayan pesos, Argentine pesos, and US dollars while in Colonia).

Later Saturday, we explored the small, colonial-style town (hence the name), watched the sun set over the river, and found an adorable cafe where we spent another good amount of time. I had the best submarino of the trip there (submarino: hot chocolate made literally with warm milk and a chunk of chocolate). Then, on our way back to the hostel, we happened upon a jazz concert!

Oh! Almost forgot that we celebrated the 4th of July in Colonia!

The following day, we woke up early to catch some photos of the sunrise. It was a bit overcast, but still beautiful and amazingly quiet. It's easy to forget how fast-paced and over-stimulating the big city can be!

Later Sunday, Cande, Willa and Emily went horseback riding outside of Colonia. Instead of partcipating in that adventure, Jennifer and I found a place that rented golf carts and go-carts out to visitors. It was unreal. We got a go-cart (me without a license!) and literally drove it down the highway along the coast, passing and being passed by regular traffic. Only in South America...

Favorite Argentine Foods

1) dulce de leche in ANY form
2) ice cream (to be ordered to the house!)
3) cafe con leche, especially with medialunas
4) empanadas con queso solo o con queso y cebolla
5) alfajores
6) zapallo (squash)
7) blood sausage (kidding, kidding)
8) dulce de leche

Tango Night

Tango is a huge part of the Argentine culture and the history of Buenos Aires. So our group of 15 gave it a shot one night at a tango club called "El niño bien". Starting with some rather glamorous white masks to protect against the swine flu, we took a thirty minute lesson, which reminded me vaguely of awkward 8th grade dances. We then left it to the more advanced dancers, returning to what we know best (orange juice and fernet, Willa?). Much to my surprise, an older man came to the table looking for a willing soul to strike the dance floor. How'd he know that I can never seem to say no? Let's just say that that little adventure provided a great deal of entertainment for onlookers...

Empanada Party

One night, we had an empanada party (yum) with lots of family to celebrate my host father's birthday. TONS of empanadas of all flavors. My host family tried to prepare me for the craziness that would exist when everyone got together and then congratulated me for surviving afterward. I tried my best to explain that my family is just as crazy (como se dice "food fights" en espanol?) and that I am quite accustomed to these fun, insane reunions.

Nightlife

To be fair, nightlife in Buenos Aires deserves its own blog, not just a single post. But I'll try to do it justice here.

Porteños know how to party. In a pretty classy way. They know how to dance (guys and girls alike) and how to have a good time.

Clubs in Buenos Aires open no earlier than midnight and lines don't really form until around 2:00 am. Then it's a time warp with bands and lights and dj's and dancing. Closing time isn't until sometime between 7:00 and 9:00 am and it is perfectly normal for the average Argentine to stay out that late (early, rather) and catch a train home with commuters off to work. And then sleep the next day away... Fortunately for many students, classes at the public university often start in the late afternoon; this schedule caters well to a thriving nightlife.

I will never forget my first morning in Argentina, when I struggled to get out of bed before noon. I finally awoke and took a hurried shower, worried about being rude and making a terrible first impression. When I found my host mother, I apologized for sleeping so late. The confused expression on her face was priceless. She informed me that noon was not late at all. In fact, she had just woken up and the rest of the family was still sound asleep. I figured this was something I could get used to...

A Trip to Tigre!

We took the train a few stops to Tigre, a beautiful town to the north of Beccar.

Manu, me, and Euge (from left to right) on a bridge across the Rio de la Plata.

My first asado! Niko and Manu and lots of interesting cuts of meat...

Here's a shot from the Puerto de Frutos, an artesan market at Tigre where I bought plenty of recuerdos to bring back to the United States!

San Isidro

I could (and do) spend hours and hours wandering around this cute neighborhood. Tons of cafes, a cathedral and random shops (bebe's & cia ?!?!).

La Boca

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Boca

Starting School at San Andres

Curso de Castellano: Profesoras Marina Rems (arte y cultura) y Laura Isola (literatura). Lunes a jueves 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. Sean punctuales!

On the Day I Arrived...

1) Found man holding sign that read "Allison Stewart"
2) Drove 4o minutes to house and met family!
3) Unpacked and called home
4) Went to listen to host brother's band (awesome!)
5) Went out to party with host sister (fun!)
6) Tried dulce de leche and fernet
7) Decided at 3:30 after being up for nearly 48 hours that it was time to get some sleep

Off to Buenos Aires

The morning started with some last-minute, rushed packing and an unusually long car ride to Seattle. Morning traffic made things interesting and the electronic check-in even more so. Note to self: read bolded words Slide Passport Here before asking the hostile attendant where to slide passport. And saying goodbye before security warranted some funny stares. But I got in line (and stayed there, thanks to Abby on the other end of a train-wreck phone call).

Then, going through security, I provided everyone with a morning’s dose of entertainment. I loaded everything (shoes, jacket, computer, purse, and backpack) onto the belt, sent it through, and then attempted to walk through the scanner, only to be stopped by the guard who insisted there was something under my shirt. Yes, he had seen my money belt and told me to take it off and put it through. The rest of my personal belongings were long gone and, though I felt uneasy sending a small pouch full of cash and my passport alone to be examined, I did as I was told and began to remove the money belt. This thing was not about to cooperate. It clung hopelessly to me. I tried to unwrap the straps, only causing more knots, frustration, and questionable words under my breath. So I stood in front of this enormous line of people and practically stripped in order to find the beginning and end of the pouch. I was furious and about ready to rip off my shirt when the security guard laughed at me and suggested a pat-down, which I agreed to.

I suppose the moral of this story is that, while the purpose of a money belt is to hide and protect valuables, it seems to have the opposite effect for me. I basically screamed, “Look at me…I have a bunch of cash and a passport and other identification that I don’t want you to know about.” Even now, everyone can totally see the abnormal bulge through my turquoise shirt. Never again.

But I’ve made it to Dallas with all of my personal belongings intact. And I’ve decided that maybe I should just stay here in Texas for my dose of culture. Honestly. It’s a whole new language. Barbeque everywhere. Cowboy hats and boots instead of fleece jackets and flip-flops. Incredible.

Mi Familia Argentina