Politics, Lions, and Polo Players

I have just been so busy, I have completely (and rudely) neglected my blog. Anywayyy where to begin!?

As time goes on, I fall more and more in love with my time abroad. Not necessarily the city itself (lets just say I am longing to go back to the peaceful mountains of Vermont) however, I have been up to some very cool things and have met some very amazing people along the way.

First of all just to catch you all up, I have been in midterm mode for two weeks now. So there was kind of a lag of events, so my blog was not missing that much action.

However, I have caught up on my share of experiences this past week....

Let me start this post with some political boringness. First of all, the Brazilian Embassy HATES Americans. As some of you know WEDNESDAYY (I cannot wait) I am going to Rio and Buzios Brazil for 7 days!!!!!!!!!!!!! For those of you who want to know why, please search the 10 day forecast in Buzios, Brazil..... But jeezz what a pain in the ass getting a visa as an American citizen is.

Second of all, sending in my absentee ballot another headache. I go to the international Correo Argentino (mail service) to send in my ballot. There is very specific directions to put the ballot in a smaller envalope, sealed and put into a larger envalope with the directions. Well trying to tell the lady all of this in Spanish was an epic fail. She told me "no" and handed me a hot pink, spanish, loony toon, tiny envalope. Loony toon characters and hearts all over. So I try to jam in all the paper in there, ripped the envelope. I asked for another, again she told me no. She handed me a piece of scotch tape and i taped up the side, and there it was.....

My first Presidential ballot, being sent from afar in a hot pink, ripped up the side, loony toon, spanish, valentines day envelope. Well if they dont call in a bomb squad to make sure I did not send them anthrax, they are going to be laughing and simply discard my ballo dismissing it as some sort of joke. Hey- at least I tried. And to be honest, both hopefuls suck anyway.

If you google "the world's most dangerous zoo" you will be directed to all of these links to the Lujan Zoo in Buenos Aires. It is the only zoo where you are allowed to play with the animals. Talk about a crazy experience. It was amazing, however very very sad. It was literally what you would imagine a third world zoo to look like. No glitz and glam like zoo's in the US. Just 2X4 chain link fenses around animals.

Yesterday I got to go horseback riding in the country side at a mansion that served us a big bbq "asado". It was the most amazing day I have had since I have been here. My riding skills even caught the attention of the owner's son who let me ride with him, and he showed me how to play polo.

That is all I have for now. Ivette is okay, same as always....crazy and wine happy. Olivia is still my crazy wing women who influences me to do crazy things.

The City of Opinions

Two weeks ago I sat at my little desk completing my homework, when a murmer of noise began in the distance. It made its way from a low grumble to a dull roar. I had no idea what this noise was, but it was like a wave and it was making its way closer and closer to my apartment. Suddenly, Ivette was yelling for me. She pushed a pan into my hands, as well as a wooden spoon. She pulled me outside onto the terrace. As I stood there alongside here, a pot and spoon in hand I felt ridiculous. I looked around from my second story apartment and as I looked up, all of the decks and patios off of the high rises that surrounded were full of people. They are all banging on pots and pans too. They were howling and yelling in frustration. Ivette tells me that they are protesting the "terrorista" of a president, Cristina Kirchner. The city has errupted and all across the city people are banging and yelling. Ivette calls her an isolationist and socialist (in spanish of course). "Que Disastre" she says about the presidency as she shakes her head.... "What a disaster". The feeling of unrest is felt everyday in Buenos Aires and is heating up.

Cristina Kirchner has some claims to fame. At the time of her re-election in 2011 the Argentine economy was undergoing a period of rapid growth, and a rapidly decreasing unemployment rate.

However here are a list of some things many citizens will tell u has made her an absolute nightmare...
*She has tried to silence the media by passing down heavy handed restrictions.
*She has virtually cut Argentines off from the US dollar.
*She has banned the importation of books from certain countries.
*Argentines are mad about her relentless socialist spending.
*She nationalized the countries leading energy producer...scaring away foreign investment

The people here are more politically minded, open and boisterous with their opinions than in the United States. They do not avoid the topic of politics. They will outright tell you how they feel.

And tonight the banging continues, as one of the biggest rallies and protests since 2001 takes place. People have mobilized through email and the people have gathered in plazas across the city. The banging on the pots has resumed and the honking, yelling and blow horns  show no sign of slowing down. For a political geek like me, it is so exciting to witness such feeling and pride in ones country. But the outside world may never hear about this, because the media is so restricted.

 SO while you all are watching insatiable attack adds and listening to ignorant politicians balk at one another across party lines, I am happily banging on my pan. Witnessing an angry group of people take physical and direct action, how exciting is that? 

Iguanas, Tucans, New Friends and Warm Places

The 19 hour bus ride was so worth it....

 

Every second of it. 

For a country girl, this big old city can be a little overwhelming. Crowded, confusing, bustling and expensive. The lack of green can make a girl from New England pretty sad.

Just 19 hours north of here is literally a whole new world. A tropical world full of warmth and exotic nature. I have been told that this is one of the prettiest places on earth. One of the most amazing things Argentina has to offer, after all it is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. I can cross "seeing a wonder of the world" off my bucket list. I can also cross off "being in three places at once" as I was able to stand at the point where three countries meet, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. I saw monkeys, coaties, iguanas, tucans, and cat fish the size of a small shark. I do not think my pictures do the place justice. It literally was the most amazing place I have ever been. It was the most amazing place I have ever seen. 

The group of friends I went with were equally as amazing. We had family dinners every night in the hostel to cut down on costs. We have turned into quite the Argentines. Chorizo one night and milenessas de pollo the next. We made friends from all over the world in the hostel, who joined us for some late night card games and laughs. We drank Quilmes and Malbec and enjoyed the sounds and surroundings of nature. 

On the last night we "splurged" and went to one of the nicest restuarants in town for dinner to try some river fish. 107 US dollars for 6 people.... talk about a steal. Three of us chose Serubi. We had no idea was to expect but it was a dense white fish that was quite good. Mine was served with palm hearts and shrimp sauce. Best meal since I have left the US. I might be biased though, because I have been craving fish (a very rare commodity in Buenos Aires). 

Back home in Buenos Aires, I have finally found a routine and a confidence in my language abilities. Ivette complimented my spanish just the other night. For a crazy woman, I am really learning to like her. Her OCD does get on every last nerve of mine, but after all these hostel stays....I really appreciate her obsessive cleaning and weird habits. She has been increasingly more relaxed now that her daughter and grandson are here for a month from Costa Rica. She even bought me a giant cookie for the ride to Buenos Aires. She really does care in her own strange way. She has even stopped putting mayo on my food. Thank God. And she now makes my favorite meal once a week, a veggie soup that is just delicious. And muy sano....very healthy. 

I am going into midterms next week. YIKES. So I have a very busy week of studying ahead. Its official less than two months left. And it is such a bittersweet feeling. I am starting to love it here. To love my independence and my routines. However, I have never been so appreciative of home. 

Chau my friends. 

A New Week

This week proved to be an interesting one....

      Just about every tourism guide raves about Thursday nights at Niceto Club. Thursday night the club takes on the name, Club 69, a drag "show". When we heard "show," we thought FUN! However, we surely did not expect what this "show" entailed...

     False preconceived notions have become a very common occurrence for my friends and I. I have never received more "surprises" than I have in Buenos Aires. From day one, Buenos Aires has not been what I thought. I have found that most foreigners think in this same exact way. We expect a warm winter: false. No rain:false. Beaches and views of the water:false. These are just SOME of the expectations my friends and I had when we came to Buenos Aires. And everyday, at least one thing turns into an experience we did not expect....

  For example, this occurrence happens very often while dining out. Many times food comes that I did not expect. Although it is getting easier to read menus, sometimes things come out and we think "what the hell?". For example, ensalada (salad) very rarely comes with lettuce (this took weeks of adjusting to). Caesar salad, however is one of the very few salads with lettuce...cant mess that up right? Wrong: Caesar salad is lettuce with mayo here. The other day I ordered chicken, I am almost positive it was tuna fish. We have all gone through this here. Every trip to a restaurant usually includes at least one unexpected outcome.

    Clubs however, are pretty standard. However, this Club 69 was out of this world, and beyond our wildest imaginations. Upon entering we were knighted by a King. We were surrounded by aliens, mermaids, minions, hes, shes and boths. My friend Olivia and I received champagne from men and were dancing with the stars of the show. As the night progressed, so did this free for all. Around 2, things really began to pick up. A rapper came out, the aliens multiplied, the show, well for lack of a better description, turned into a porno before our very eyes. I could not believe what I was seeing. My friend Olivia, decided she wanted to get on stage. I am still unsure as to what she thought she was going to contribute to the show. I am also scared to know, what would have happened had she sweet talked her way up there. Fast forward to the next morning when I realized my camera was gone out of my purse, and now I am scarred and without pictures of the night to share with you all to help aid the visual of this alien inhabited night club. I am also sadly, without a camera now.... serious bummer.

    Saturday, we ventured to the shores of Colonia, Uruguay. What a cool city. Again, MUCH colder than anticipated. The people of Buenos Aires keep telling us how this weather is very strange. It is much colder, rainier and cloudier than most Portenos (Buenos Airians) can ever remember. Yes, yes just my luck.

   Perhaps this week will provide more predictability, however I am learning to love the spontaneity of life here.

 

MENDOZA

I can finally cross off "Visiting the Andes Mountains" off my bucket list. I have wanted to go since that stupid 6th grade country project in Ms. Buckley's class. This weekend I went to Mendoza with my girl friends, Anneliese, Julie, Olivia, Lauren and Emma. We had an amazing time. A lot of laughs.

Needless to say, this princess learned very quickly that hostel living was not as cool as everyone made it out to be. Gross, gross, gross. But hey, it is all apart of the experience right? We all got a good laugh in about it. My friend Olivia found hairs in her bed, so we shared a bottom twin sized bunk. Meanwhile the lock on the door did not work. My dear friend Anneliese, who has a touch of OCD stayed up many hours worrying about people stumbling in. Needless to say, there were two ocassions my little 115 pound, 5'3 friend nearly attacked some lost drunk guys who waltzed in to our room.

We toured two "bodegas" or vineyards. Mendoza is famous for their Malbec, which is fabulous. We also toured a small olive farm where they make olive oil, and olive oil based cosmetic products. The next day we went on a high Andes tour. We did not anticipate exactly what was going to happen that day. Not only did we not anticipate how cold it would be in the city of Mendoza, we deffinantly did not foresee being stuck in a blizzard. The tour took us through the Andes, all the way to the Chilean border.  Aconagua is the tallest mountain in the Americas. We hiked to the base, which was pretty spectacular. It was a blizzard there, with a good 8 inches of snow on the ground. Luckily we stopped at the Incan ruins on the way. The locals were selling Alpaca sweaters. We layered them on. Our final day we spent walking around the city and taking in the warmth (we were still chilled from the day before). Emma's friends from her school in Buenos Aires are from New Zealand. We all decided to have a picnic lunch in a local plaza. Then we boarded the bus and spent the next 14 hours traveling across Argentina, back to Buenos Aires. School is starting to pick up. I handed in my first  paper in complete Spanish the other day. I am going to Colonia, Uruguay this weekend and I booked a trip to Buzios, Brazil for October.

Everything is going well. I cant believe it is almost September. Time is flying by. Ivette and I have been okay lately. She taught me a new word tonight, quilimbroso. It means pain in the ass. She was bubbly because I think my absence this weekend, allowed her to rekindle an old flame with her ex boyfriend. Her daughter, who lives in Costa Rica is coming next week. She speaks English, along with her 4 year old son. I am excited to meet them. That is all for now folks. Chau.

Soundtrack to Argentina...Some of our Faves....

This weekend was all about immersing myself in the Argentine Culture. 

The Argentina Fashion Week event I attended, was one of the coolest cultural things I have experienced yet. To witness pop culture unfold in front of us, as an outside was just facinating. The event took place in a venue similar to The Garden. There were vendors everywhere, and free stuff at every turn. Designers, camera crews, celebrities, promoters, models were bustling about. Of course, the only thing we recognized was the  O.P.I vendor, offering free manicures. Oh and the E! Network tent, however it was E! Argentina, so Guiliana and Ryan were not the hosts, much to our dismay. We of course, watched as the public gaped at the celebrities being interviewed. We had no idea who these people were. But it was impossible not to feel the excitement. The event cost us a whole 35 pesos....about 7 US dollars. Best 7 dollars I have spent since being here. 

My friend Olivia, has an amazing host sister who is 21. Her and her friends speak English, really well. She took us out the other night and we got to go to her favorite bar. A dive of a place, with cheap drinks, dark lights and American rock blasting from the speakers. A true local place. I absolutely loved it. It is facinating comparing cultures with 21 year old girls here, however we realized quickly a cross-culture dilemma facing girls, boys suck sometimes. Another really funny conversation that came up was shaving/ waxing. A girl named Sol touched my arm, and asked me if I shaved my arms. I told her I did not. She asked if I waxed my legs. I told her I shaved them. She shuddered at the thought. She told me, everyone here waxes everything. Olivia and I laughed and told her waxing everything in the United States....legs, arms, bikini, eyebrows, lip everything...could set you back quite a bit of $$. That is when she told us, she gets her body waxed for 40 PESOS! That is LESS than 10 U.S. DOLLARS. She asked "Why the fuck do they charge you so much in the United States, we dont want people to be hairy, so it is not expensive, does the United States want their people to be hairy?" it was a funny question and not one I had an answer to. It was just a really funny conversation, but on that note 2$ eyebrow wax, I am in.  

That is all for now. Chau. Besos. 

What a busy week it has been! I have completed my first week of classes. Still trying to tweak my schedule, but I believe I am taking: U.S. Latin American Relations (in english), Political and Social Change in Argentina (in english), Tango The Expression of Buenos Aires (in spanish), Spanish (obv in Spanish) and Cultures and Civilizations of Latin-Americans (in spanish). I have 3 classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 2 on Tuesday, Thursdays. No classes Fridays...always a plus.

I am in the midst of planning a trip to Mendoza, Argentina and Santiago, Chile for the weekend of the 16th. Mendoza is famous for their wine and vineyards and the beautiful surrounding Andes Mountains. Then I am going to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay the following weekend.... I cannot wait! 

The situation with my host mom is ...well there is never a dull moment. At first it was really cute, having someone who cared so much always looking out for me, not so much anymore. She NEVER leaves the apartment or leaves me alone for that matter, and every night at dinner she tells me how sad and lonely she is. That is the thing about Argentines, they LOVE to talk about their problems. They all have therapists. This is not an exaggeration, we were warned of this during our orientation. It is completely normal for people to talk to you about their therapists and problems, and they all try to access each other's problems. It is a cultural thing. 

These are things I will never understand about Argentines:

1. How they say people from the United States eat so poorly, when their main food groups are bread, salt, beef and mayo. They put mayo and salt on EVERYTHING. It is beyond me. The other night I walked by the kitchen before dinner and Ivette had made milonesa. Milonesa is like the main thing these people eat. Basically it is breaded chicken or beef. She made that and on the side were sliced tomatoes and a hard boiled egg. It looked great...I went to sit down....she had put mayo all over the top. I wanted to die. In that moment, I thought "what would Sydney do!?" and i decided she would scrape it off, even though we have been advised to eat everything. Argentines find it particularly rude if you dont eat food that is offered. But this, I could not do, so I wiped it off, and told Ivette she had to ask me before putting mayo on my food. When I asked her if I could have the extra hard boiled egg for breakfast (they dont eat breakfast here, let alone eggs) ...she proceeded to tell me how bad eggs are for you....while she is stuffing her face with breaded chicken slathered in mayo... Sweet. 

2. Why they get so offended when we refer to ourselves as American. By saying that, I did not say you weren't. You can be American too if you want, I could really care less how you identify yourself. Also, we are called The United States of America. It is just convenient to shorten it to American. You call urself Argentinian, that is the name of your country, not your continent. But you want me to call myself North American? Sorry, I stand my ground. I am an American. But hey, you can be too. 

3. Now I understand and accept, that maybe Americans live a really paced lifestyle. But for god sakes, why in the world is it so painful to get restaurant service, but the second you are paying they stand over your shoulder like a hawk and ask u every .5 seconds if you are ready. Like it took me 30 minutes to get you over here, give me a minute to count my money and tip you in peace. 

4. How a whole race of people can detest spicy food. It is the WEIRDEST thing. They ALL hate spicy food. You cant find hot sauce anywhere. They dont cook with it spice, they like shutter at the thought of spice. It is so weird. Like you would think it is a personal thing, not a cultural thing. But hey, I dont mind it. Big Jim might have a problem if he comes to visit. 

So in interesting news, the Subte (Argentine subway) workers have been on strike for over a week. Imagine if all of the T workers went on strike, and the T was out of use for a week. I cannot even imagine. It is so normal here, everyone strikes. 

Oh more interesting news, one of the girls in my group is from LA. Her dad is an actor on desperate housewives, and her step mom is Hana's mom on Pretty Little Liars. 

Welp that is all for now. Miss you all. Love you all.