Monday, November 29, 2010

What I'll miss...

I'm in between packing and getting last minute things to bring home, alfajores & mate mostly and I'm thinking about all of the things I'm going to miss about Buenos Aires, Argentina, and South America. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to be coming home, but after spending 5 months in another country, continent, and hemisphere I've learned a lot about myself, others, and the world...

  • I'm going to miss living in an apartment with four other people that I didn't previously know and who all have different views and opinions but I have now become good friends with and respect each one and their differences
  • I'm going to miss being responsible for washing dishes, cleaning up the apartment, getting toilet paper, and getting groceries
  • I'm going to miss walking or taking public transportation when I need to get somewhere 
  • I'm going to miss walking through Plaza de Mayo after taking the subte to get to class and seeing protesters and people selling everything from pan relleno con dulce de leche to peanuts to socks 
  • I'm going to miss traveling on the double decker buses for 20 hours to see some of the coolest, if not coolest, places I have ever seen
  • I'm going to miss going through the multicolored mountains of Salta
  • I'm going to miss the incredible waterfalls of Iguazu
  • I'm going to miss ziplining through the rainforest
  • I'm going to miss trying the wines of Maipu & Cuyo and going to the highest point of the Andes mountains in Mendoza
  • I'm going to miss the clear waters and high mountains of Bariloche
  • I'm going to miss visiting a friend in Chile and exploring Valparaiso and Viña del Mar
  • I'm going to miss drinking raspberry beer at Oktoberfest and camping in Villa General Belgrano
  • I'm going to miss Uruguay and golfkarting up the coast of Colonia
  • I'm going to miss biking to El Tigre and seeing something so different but only right up the coast of the river from BA
  • I'm going to miss the delicious fruit and avocados 
  • I'm going to miss the food: steak you can cut with a butter knife, parrilla libre, empanadas, milanesas, lomitos, ice cream, all of the sushi, Thai and Armenian restaurants in BA
  • I'm going to miss going to bars and boliches until 6 a.m. and then sleeping all day and doing it again the next night
  • I'm going to miss the porteños and their genuine interest in you and where you come from and what you're all about
  • I'm going to miss the hot weather
  • I'm going to miss running through the parks and gardens and smelling the roses 
  • I'm going to miss apartment dinners with the girls and previas in the apartment with friends
  • I'm going to miss the people I've met and the friends I've made
  • I'm going to miss my neighborhood, Palermo and it's great restaurants, boutiques, parks, and bars
  • I'm going to miss the Argentine peso, and not being able to divide every price I see by 4
  • I'm going to miss the reggaeton and dancing all night
  • I'm going to miss relaxing at the estancia and riding horses
  • I'm going to miss going to the ferias on the weekends and just hanging out listening to the concerts in the plazas
  • I'm going to miss riding the subte (wait) and seeing what people are selling to us or what musical talents they have for the riders
  • I'm going to miss cheering on the Boca Juniors at La Bombanera
  • I'm going to miss walking around the Recoleta Cemetery 
  • I'm going to miss walking down to La Boca and having a café on El Caminito
  • I'm going to miss the cobblestone streets of San Telmo
  • I'm going to miss the newness and docks of Puerto Madera
  • I'm going to miss UCA and the Bahia Bar...especially those ham and cheese sandwiches on a medialuna
  • I'm going to miss not having homework and having a different method and approach to learning
  • I'm going to miss sipping on mate and watching others and their friends drink their mate at school, in parks, on the streets. 
  • I'm going to miss the homeless guy who lives on the corner and is always dancing or doing something crazy in the street
  • I'm going to miss people asking me for directions on the street because they actually think I'm from here
  • I'm going to miss speaking Spanish and kissing people on the cheek when I first meet them
  • I'm going to miss city life and there never being a dull moment in BA

I'm going to miss so many more things, that I probably just haven't realized yet but I'll figure that out in the next couple weeks, I'm sure. I'm excited to go home, too. I've had an absolutely incredible five months and it's time to go back to my life in the States. So this is it, the end of my blog and the end of study abroad. Time for one more good-bye lunch with the chicas. Un besito grande para todos, chau chau <3>

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Is this really it?

Well, on a 70 degree morning, I'm sitting in my apartment with our "air conditioning" on, and by a.c. I mean it blows the air around in the room. Now, I'm not complaining because if anyone knows me just a little you know how much I love the warm weather. It has been in the 70s and 80s and even got up to 90 yesterday! Obviously the porteños are not happy with the stifling heat, but besides the fact that I don't have to sleep with covers on at night, I don't mind getting sun during the day and lounging around with an ice cold drink in my hand. So, it's been some time now since I've blogged and a lot has happened during the month of November! 

I was busy writing a paper for my arte class about 3 artists during the 20th century from Argentina, Lola Mora, Emilia Bertolé and Raquel Forner. I really enjoyed writing it because it was about women who have influenced Buenos Aires and I have seen some of their artwork and sculptures around the city. The most interesting part of all of this was having to go to the Bellas Artes Museo Library to find information on these women. UCA has a library, but most of their books don't have to do with argentine art...go figure! I wasn't allowed to take the books of the museum, but I sat in the small library and did some research. That weekend, the roommates and I went out to dinner on Friday to a place nearby called Trapiche. This parrilla was very family oriented and their were tons of locals in this large open room where they were serving beef and Italian food to happy families and kept the wine coming. The next day I got up early to meet downtown in Plaza San Martin for a bike tour along the coast of the Río de la Plata up to El Tigre. I met up with the tour guide, a porteño about my age, and 6 other tourists from all around the world ready for a 15 mile bike ride along the river! We first rode our bikes down to the Retiro train station and got on with our bikes to get outside of the city limits. Along the train ride, we passed through Recoleta, Palermo, Belgrano, and the President's house. A very large, white house on a hill with guards and walls around it. We got off the train at a small town, and continued biking through many other small towns along the river. We made various stops along the way. One stop was to catch a glimpse of Buenos Aires in the most panoramic view of the city I have seen. It is such a flat city and there is no large building that you can see a full view of it. The only real way to know how big the city actually is is to fly over it. Our next stop was a small ecological reserve along the river that had many birds and turtles in the grasses and swamps. It was nice to see that this is what the entire riverfront used to look like. Also, that they still preserved some of it and also have the huge ecological reserve in Puerto Madero along the Costanera Sur. 

Buenos Aires and the Río de la Plata

We kept on biking until we got to San Isidro, an adorable town along the river that has a large main plaza and a beautiful church on top of a hill. My friend, Leti lives in this town and I can see why she loves it so much! We stopped here for a while to have some mate but instead of with hot water we had it with ice water and orange juice. It was delicious and perfect for the hot day! After sharing the mate, we headed all the way to Tigre! We finally got to the destination town for many porteños on the summer weekends who want to escape the heat and have an asado or go boating with friends. Tigre belongs to the mainland but also is made up of islands that have no connection to the mainland other than by boats. These islands are inhabited by many people who have their homes built on stilts. The reason being that about two times a year, the way the winds change brings heavy flooding and the houses need to be rebuilt every year. So, benefits of living in Tigre is you get to be on the river, have your own island, and own a boat BUT you have to rebuild your house every year. After having a late lunch we got back on the train and took it all the way back to Retiro. It was such a great day and a really amazing way to see the coast! That night, my friends went to the 15 hour techno fest that started in England called Creamfields. Now, I'm not a huge techno fan by any means and although I have been able to go out later than when I first got to Argentina, 15 hours was too much even for me! Luckily, Perry felt the same way so she and I went down to San Telmo to go to Bar Seddon and then Brasserie Petanque. The bar was adorable, very quaint with old furniture and a candelabra that had the wax from candle's that had been burning for over a year. We then walked down the street to the French restaurant that my cousin Lauren and her husband Jim had raved about so much! Lauren has told me she dreams about this place and now I know why! The food was absolutely delicious. Perry and I split a bottle of wine, I had onion soup to start, then I got a pork dish while Perry had the duck and for a dessert we shared the cheese and fruit plate. It was all so delicious and we had such a great time at dinner! 

Tigre Boat Club

The following week was our last week of classes! I had to turn in my paper and my photo project and take a final exam. Wednesday, I decided it was a good idea to get a haircut. There are tons of salons near our apartment. Helen and I went in and she got a simple cut but because my hair is shorter and extremely thick, I was interested to see what she would do with it! I have never had anyone spend so much time cutting my hair, making sure every piece was perfect! Only costing 4o pesos (10 bucks) I was more than pleased with my new porteño style cut. However, on Thursday, to celebrate Perry and I decided to get pedicures down the street. Okay, when you see that your pedicure is going to be 30 pesos (8 bucks) you probably should turn right around and walk out. But hey, we just thought it was a great deal and went ahead with it anyway. The woman had her smock opened so that you could see basically everything down her shirt. Then she took my feet and used some electric tool to cut the cuticles, well unfortunately she cut my cuticle and it started bleeding. So what does she do? She puts nail polish removal on my cut so that makes it feel really great...NOT! She only put one coat of nail polish on one foot and no top coat on either. Let's just say, it wasn't relaxing but probably the most stressed out I've been since I've been in South America! Who knew? Luckily, later that night made up for it. Jen, Perry, and I went down to Las Cañitas, an area in Palermo where there are tons of bars and restaurants. We found one Mexican restaurant and we each had some margaritas before returning to the apartment. It was just nice to enjoy the weather, the drinks, and each other's company. Also, getting 3 drinks and spending less that 20 bucks is something I will miss considering I'll be 21 and hitting up some bars when I get home but probably spending close to 20 bucks for a drink. 

On Saturday, I went to a polo match with some of my friends from UCA. It was the beginning of the National tournament and there were two matches, one at 2 and one at 4. It was blazing hot but really interesting to see a sport that the Argentines love but I knew nothing about! For 30 pesos we got in and were given free bags, polo balls, and information about the sport. There were porteños dressed in sundresses and the men in polos and brightly colored pants...and NO I wasn't at Richmond's pig roast. People were sipping on champagne while you heard the galloping of horses and their riders playing this magnificent game. After the first match was over, all of the fans headed over to the larger stadium in the park and watched the second match. I wish I could say I was more of a polo expert now, but unfortunately, I didn't understand too much of the game but it was a great thing to see!

Chicas at the polo match!

Later that night, Steph and I took a nap then got ready to go out to dinner with some friends at a parrilla in Las Cañitas. We shared a grilled provolone, veggie parrilla, and bife de lomo with some friends. It was delicious! The grilled veggies were a neat change from the usual meat parrilla. After dinner, our friends came to our apartment where we hung out before heading out to Pachá. This was one of the first boliches to put Buenos Aires on the clubbing scene. It is right on the river and with the full moon and rooftop terrace/dance floor it was absolutely beautiful. Watching the moon reflect on the water and dancing with my friends, I just couldn't be happier spending the night that way in BA. 

The next day, Steph and I woke up and headed down to San Telmo to the fair. We picked up some gifts for family and friends (and maybe something for ourselves, too) and spent about 4 hours walking along the main calle, Defensa. Later that night, we met our friend Daniela at the movie theatre to see Harry Potter. It was great and I figure now is a good time to finish reading the last 3 books! The next day I slept in and worked on my last paper. It was about Argentina and Chile and urbanization in Buenos Aires and Santiago and how they differ based on the politics over the past two centuries. That night I went to a concert on avenida 9 de julio right in front of the obelisco. They had hundreds and hundreds of chairs set up right in the middle of the 16 lane street. The concert was a free ballet and they performed Carmina Burana and it was just so cool to see this huge city street blocked off for a ballet and how many people took time off their busy holiday, National Day of Sovereignty, to watch this show. After the show, our friend Dylan came over and we just hung out and played cards. It was a relaxing night. 

Ballet at the Obelisco

The following day, Helen, Steph, and I went to breakfast at a little French café in Palermo Hollywood called Oui Oui. I had a delicious tea, homemade granola, yogurt and fresh fruit. It was absolutely delicious and a great start to our day! We then went back to Plaza Italia to meet Dylan and the four of us bought bus tickets and headed to the Temaikén Zoo. The zoo is about an hour outside the city and supposed to be the best zoo in the area....and that's the truth! I've been to several zoos in my day and other than the San Diego zoo this is probably second best! There was a lots of space for the animals, it wasn't too crowded, there was a Tuesday discount, and the animals were really happy and playful! They had animals from Patagonia, bats, cheetahs, meerkats, zebras, and many other animals. However, my favorite was the tigers! There was a white one and two orange tigers and the three were playing in the water together! It was so cute, the white one was really playful and kept jumping around and going under the water. Another really cool part of the zoo was where the exotic birds were. You walked into these rooms where there were birds just freely flying around. I got up close and personal with a toucan and the parrots were going crazy! They would fly from one end of the room to another and get so close that we had to duck down! We headed back into the city after a full day at the zoo and got a good night sleep to get ready for our full day of cooking the next day to prepare for Thanksgiving in BA!

Tigers playing together at Temaikén Zoo

The next morning, Jen and Helen had come back from their long weekend trip in Chile. We all split up the groceries and we headed to the meat store, veggie store, grocery store, and I had to go look for aluminum disposable cooking dishes. Now, you think they would have these everywhere. Well, you'd be wrong. After searching at the Jumbo, the large Wal-mart style store and not finding any I finally went back to the store nearby where I bought my devils horns for my Halloween costume and they had them. Extremely random, but hey I picked up a bunch and went back to the apartment to make my pies (apple and pumpkin!) Our kitchen is on the smaller side so we prepped all the food Wednesday so we would just have to heat it up on Thursday. I made the crust for my pies by hand which was the first time. Let's just say I had to get inventive. After finding an easy recipe online I made the dough but then had to flatten it between wax paper and use a rolling pin. Well, with no wax paper or rolling pin I soon figured out I could use a large trash bag that I had cut up to put the dough between and then use a wine bottle for a rolling pin...perfect! After getting a little worried how they would turn out, the pies seemed to look alright! I quickly showered and got ready to head over to my friend Toby's apartment for a good-bye with friends. Being German, he made his favorite hot wine, spice drink known as Glühwein. It was really delicious but I just couldn't drink it considering it was 80 degrees out at night. I invited him to our apartment for Thanksgiving the next day and he was so excited considering it would be his first Thanksgiving! The next day, I woke up and went for a nice run through the gardens. Afterwards, I got back and took an ice cold shower. It was noon and the heat was already stifling. I set up the living room and rearranged the chairs and tables. Unfortunately, our dinner table isn't big enough for eight people so we had to serve buffet style. We had lots of champagne and wine and the food was absolutely delicious! We went around and everyone said what they were thankful for and it just was really great that even though I was away from my real family, my abroad family was there and we all agreed how thankful we were for one another and the time we had in Argentina. After we ate, we were all so stuffed that we just lounged around the apartment and hung out, laughing, listening to music, and drinking champagne and red wine. And guess what? The pies were a success! 

Thanksgiving- BA style!

The following day, we went to Toby's pool and relaxed in the sunshine and cooled down in the water. It was a relaxing afternoon before we went out to dinner to Sarkis, a Greek restaurant, in Palermo Viejo with Helen's parents. It was our last night with the five of us apartmentmates all together in BA. Dinner was absolutely delicious, from the falafel to the hummus to the kebabs. After dinner, the 5 of us went to Bar 6, a nearby bar and just reminisced about the semester and enjoyed interesting cocktails. 

Tonight is my last night out in Buenos Aires...crazy! Then my last few days are going to consist of packing, packing, and just enjoying Buenos Aires and my favorite places here one last time. Ah, I really can't believe that this is all coming to an end. My study abroad experience has been everything and more than I expected. I wouldn't change a thing and I have no regrets. I'll be on my way home in 4 days. Besos to you all and be seeing you soon!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Vida en BsAs




Casa Rosada after Nestor Kirchner's wake

So, it's now my final month here in Argentina. My original plan was to go back home December 11, but after my last trip to El Calafate fell through, it made sense for me to come back December 1 because no matter what nothing can change my 5 months here and the incredible experiences I've had and people I've met. The last Thursday of October was my final Spanish class at Expanish. For our last class we went to the famous Cafe Tortoni. This grandeur cafe has beautiful stained glass ceilings with a French style and was known to have intellectuals such as Jorge Luis Borges sit around and enjoy a coffee with friends. We enjoyed a tour through the different parlors and the tango cafe and then we said goodbye to our teacher and friend, Gabby. A couple days later was Halloween and let's just say it is not at all what it is like in the States. Helen and I went to the park that day and rented some rollerblades. Portenos love rollerblading so we figured we'd join! It was tons of fun after I got used to it again after so many years of not rollerblading. Okay, back to Halloween, so we all were thinking what we could be with the clothes that we already owned. We went to a small store that appeared out of nowhere in our house that sold party decorations, wigs, masks, and devil horns! Perfect! I had a red and black dress so I was set. I made pigs in a blanket (Halloweiners) and we made some 'spooky' punch and our friends came over before we headed out for the night. Somehow we all managed to have a red and black theme going, vampire, devil, ladybug...you get the idea. We first went to the club that UCA's international student program planned for us, but even though they said it starts at 11 they really meant 1. How could we have forgotten?! So a German, Argentine and some U.S. kid's danced it up all alone on the dance floor for a while. After getting bored of that we hopped in a cab and headed across town to another Halloween party. There were lots of Argentines dressed up. Translation? Guys dressed as girls with fake boobs and makeup included. It was an interesting night to say the least, making creepy guys appear even creepier! Now, the next day my roommate and I had signed up for a women's 5k run. However, being that it started at 8:30 a.m. we did not make it but still managed to get our tshirts (which are AWESOME) and a free smoothie at McDonald's! 

Being intellectual at Cafe Tortoni

The past weekend, Purdy came over from Santiago for a visit! But of course, nothing ever is easy here in South America because the smaller airport that is located within the city is closed for a month, so Purdy was flying in to the bigger international airport. She was supposed to come early Friday morning and I woke up so that I could go meet her at the airport. Well, I checked her flight before I went and guess what it says? Cancelado. Not what I wanted to see and I checked the rest of the flights and none were until later that day. I was sitting at my computer diligently checking my email to see if I got any news from her because our phones weren't going through to one another. Luckily, she had found a cafe in the airport with a computer because she was in Buenos Aires! Her flight wasn't canceled, but just pushed an hour ahead. She got a cab and I met her outside my apartment building. It was so great to see her once again but this time, in my city! My abroad package from my frisbee team arrived as she did so we had fun opening it and then we had the full day ahead of us to explore the city! I brought her to La Boca by bus, so she could see some of the city and see, what I believe to be, the most touristy part of the city. We enjoyed a coffee and then got dropped off in Plaza de Mayo so I could show her the main plaza of the city. Afterwards, we took the subte back to my apartment and then walked down to the rose gardens. The sun was shining beautifully and it seriously was just so peaceful to sit by the lake and smell the fragrance of flowers in the air with one of my best friends. 

Purdy and I in the rose gardens!

Later that night, we went to the grocery store and got the ingredients for tacos! We skyped with some friends in New Zealand and Ireland while we prepared the tacos for our roommates. We inhaled dinner and then got dressed and ready to go out that night! My other friends were away that weekend so it was just my roommates and us. We applied some of the fake tattoos that were included in my frisbee package and headed out to one club we were on a list for down further in Palermo. Unfortunately, we could not find the street or the club so ended up walking to Niceto, a place we had been wanting to go for a while. It was tons of fun and we stayed out so late just dancing and having fun! The next day we slept until about 2 and finally headed out with a mission: to shop. We went to Recoleta and walked around the cemetery. Afterwards, we walked through the entire fair and Purdy picked up some mate bowls and a leather belt for herself. I got some gifts, too which I figured I should start getting serious about...which I did! After walking around the fair and enjoying some fresh fruit and oranje juice from the vendors we headed down to Plaza de Mayo to catch the start of the Gay Pride Parade! All day they had performers, an artisan market and just people dressed up in crazy costumes in the plaza. We caught the beginning of the parade down Avenida de Mayo which was absolutely hysterical. There were people, and I say people because I wasn't sure if they were a guy or a girl dressed in over the top costumes and others not dressed at all. There were large trucks that had no sides and just music blaring, lights flashing, and people dancing on them as they paraded down the street. Even the communist party showed their support for the Argentine gays with a large banner. One thing I don't love, is that people had graffitied the word GAY all over the Plaza, but luckily by Monday, almost all of it was gone, per usual. That night, we went out to a Vietnamese restaurant, Green Bamboo. We sat on the floor at a low table and enjoyed the thai/vietnamese fusion food. It was one of my favorite restaurants I've been to in BA! 

The following day, we had our last excursion planned by Expanish. It was a day at an estancia about two hours outside the city. An estancia is a ranch where they show you what gaucho life is like and people can just enjoy a day in the country and outside the city. We arrived and they had wine and empanadas for us, not a bad way to start off the day! It was a hot and sunny day, but the wind was nice except for the fact that it blew up all the dirt and dust onto us. I thought I got tan until I showered and realized it was just the dirt...bummer. Purdy and I rode horses around the estancia and toured the "museum" a.k.a. the house decorated from around 1900. Lunch was at 1:30 and included a huge asado that they had been preparing all day. We had wine, beer, water, bread, chori, steak, ribs, chicken, and an apple turnover for dessert. After we stuffed ourselves with meat, they had a tango show and gaucho show on the stage. It was really neat to see the gaucho show because I hadn't yet but you hear so much in Argentina about the importance of the gaucho. My big question is, how do little Argentine boys get involved in the gaucho life? It is something they want to be when they grow up or is it something you are born into? The world may never know. After the show, we headed outside to watch the horse show. The four gauchos, who also cooked, served, and cleaned up the lunch were on their horses and they did some tricks for us. One gaucho would set up a small metal ring on a pin and the others would come galloping with something that looked like a pen and they would have to get the hoop on the pen. It was interesting to say the least. After a bus ride back which resulted in a nap, we got back to the apartment and showered the dust off of us. Then Purdy and I went a few blocks down to Plaza Serrano to shop and see the artisan fair set up there. For dinner that night, we had ice cream :)

Estancia Santa Susana 

Monday was our last day together and it was pouring rain. This day was devoted to shopping! We headed down Calle Malabia and into Palermo Viejo to go to my favorite store and then to the other great leather shoe and handbag stores so Purdy could get gifts for her family for Christmas! She was quite successful and as was I! She also got some nice shoes for herself and we had lunch at Bblue. My favorite sandwich and smoothie place in BA. It is a cute cafe that always has fresh ingredients and delicious food! After shopping 'til we dropped, we headed back to the apartment and had some mate! I finally had some myself and not just sip of friends. Of course now, I am obsessed. I plan on bringing some bags of it back and hopefully the airport security won't think it's weed...which it really looks like. I called Purdy a cab and said goodbye to her with the excitement that I'd see her in a month in the States! Unfortunately, her flight was delayed several hours and she didn't get back to Santiago until 4 a.m....but hey, that's South America for ya. This week has been lots of research for my two papers, finishing my photo project for a class, and taking a final and I found out I passed a class! Next week is my last week of classes! Besos to all :)

Here is the link to my photography project! We had to pick a theme and have about 30 photos and music to go with the theme. My theme is life's journey/travel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4PQ65yQcO4