I just got back this morning from a long weekend in Uruguay. Today is a national holiday--Día del Libertador José de San Martín (an anniversary of the death of San Martín), which means no classes for me and a perfect opportunity to travel. Just as an FYI (if I already wrote about this I apologize), San Martín was on of the leaders in the fight for independence of Argentina, Chile, and Peru. However, after he had a meeting with Simon Bolivar he stepped down and Bolivar went on to get most of the credit as liberator of Spanish South America.
Friday morning I left with Sarah, Alex, Sarah, and Annie and we took a ferry to Colonia, Uruguay. I was suprised by how nice the boat was--I guess I hadn't been picturing a car-carrying, almost cruiseship-resembling kind of boat. We slept most of the ride there, which was nice to get a little bit more sleep after an early morning start. Once we got to Colonia we got ourselfs oriented, taking a bus to the tourist office, exchanging some money, finding our hostel (El Espanol), etc. From there we went to find food and stumbled upon a great place for lunch called La Florida. A nice little couple had made a house into a restaurant, fille with artworks and antiques and a comfortable, homey feel. We had a delicious lunch (most notably the chocolate mohito cake for dessert) and Carlos and Ana, the owners/cooks, were fabulous. It was pretty confusing paying in Colonia (and throughout the weekend) since we had a mixture of dollars, Argentine pesos, and Uruguyan pesos, all with very different exchange rates.
After lunch we wandered around the historic area for a while. Colonia is an old colonial (hence the name) town--the oldest in Uruguay. The weather was pretty terrible (very cold, windy, and rainy), which made it a little harder to enjoy the picturesque views. We went back to the bus station to buy tickets to Montevideo in the morning (the only tickets we didn't buy ahead of time so we could decided how long we wanted to spend in Colonia once we got there). From there we just went to El Drugstore, the restuarante we had seen in a guidebook. It was filled with funky artwork and bold colors--a very fun atmosphere. We ended up spending most of the night there, listening to the live music and sharing drinks, dinners, and desserts. It was a very fun night.
Saturday morning we took the bus over to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Apparently it's supposed to be like the Buenos Aires of 20 years ago. I'm not sure if I see that or not. Sometimes I feel like what my mom says is true--"A city is a city." I suppose it was a lot less hectic, but, from our experiences at least, not as exciting. We wandered around some of the main streets of the city and most of the stores were closed even though it Saturday afternoon. It was just hard to find things to do sometimes since the museums and stores where pretty much closed, which I didn't understand. That night was a lot of fun at the hostel though. We stayed at Ciudad Vieja, which was filled with lots of young people. We met people from Holland, France, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Uruguay, Brasil, the US, and England. Another group of students from FLACSO was staying there, which was a fun coincidence. Stefan's group of friends was there as well (which I had known but didn't make the connection about until Saturday night when I first saw them). There was a dinner at the hostel, but we went out instead since they were having asado (barbeque) and we had two vegetarians in our group. When we came back the common room was filled with lots of happy, loud (wine-filled) people. There were lots of fun conversations throughout the night as well as music played (and at times sung to) on the guitar and mandolin. A lot of people ended up going out much later in the night, but I decided to sleep instead so that I could wake up for the city tour in the morning.
Sunday morning we took a bus tour of the city. Once again the weather was cold, windy, cloudy, and rainy. The tour was pretty interesting, though I zoned out for a bit since I was in the back, it was early in the morning, the mic stopped working half-way through the tour, and the entire tour was in Spanish. Once we got back from the tour we went to a "feria," which was pretty much a huge fleemarket. They had a little bit of everything there, including clothing, fruit, birds and other various animals, jewelry, tools, bike tires, and antiques. We went back and watched "Something's Gotta Give" at the hostel and chilled for a bit since we didn't have any plans and wanted to get out of the cold. Later we ventured out to the grocery store for a few things, a restaurant for coffee, and, after a quick stop back at the hostel, a restaurant for dinner. We found a little Italian place that was very tasty. I had homemade pasta stuffed with ricotta and salmon. After dinner we had a bit more time to relax in the hostel and then started our journey back to Buenos Aires. We had wanted to leave Monday afternoon but there weren't any tickets left, so we opted to travel overnight. We took the bus back to Colonia around 1:00am and then the ferry back to Buenos Aires around 4:30am. We got into BA about 7:30, though I didn't make it back to my appartment until 9 or so.
We got lucky and had great roommates in both hostels. In Colonia we met Helga from Trinidad. She's a freelance journalist that writes about vacationing, mostly with a focus on wine. She ended up coming to Montevideo as well and we met up again at the second hostel. In Montevideio we roomed with Tinka from Holland, who is doing an internship in Buenos Aires. We hung out with Tinka a lot and hopefully we'll get to see her in BA as well.
Overall it was a fun weekend and I'm glad we went. I might go back to Colonia when its warmer and go to a beach in Uruguay. I'm wasn't super impressed with Montevideo though. I definitely prefer Buenos Aires. This was my first trip though where a group of friends planned it ourselves just for the heck of it. It wasn't a family vacation or a trip through an organization or school. There were multiple times this weekend when one of us would just stop for a second and say, "Hey, did you know we're in Uruguay?"
Monday, August 20, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
So then we played Spanish pictionary in a bar....
When I made this blog, I didn’t think I’d be updating quite so frequently. There’s so much going on though that I can hardly remember everything I want to share.
Tuesday was my first day of classes (only at UCA, the Catholic University of Argentina). In the morning I went to an Argentine Literature class in the Latin American Studies Program (aka mostly foreign students). I showed up to the classroom on my schedule and found two guys from the program, but no one else. We waited for a while and then decided it was time to ask, which was also an adventure. Every time we tracked someone down, they sent us to someone else. Eventually we found out that we had the wrong room listed on our schedules and were able to go to our class, just 20 minutes late. I think I liked the class, but I’m deciding between that one and another one that will start next week.
After class I got my student ID and then ran around the city a bit. I had to go to FLACSO to find out which classes I can take at UBA, though it turned out I could have done it online. I got the classes I wanted though, so they’ll start on Monday. Then I went back to UCA to have lunch with Stefan (from the plane) before our class on Peronismo (aka politics started by/based on Juan Peron). I decided it wasn’t the class for me though, so I won’t be taking that one. Afterwards I went to a class about making documentaries, specifically documentaries in Buenos Aires. It seemed really, really interesting, but I don’t think I want to devote that much time to filming and editing this semester.
I tried to go get photocopies of a story I needed for my lit class, but didn’t have much success. They don’t have the same system here, where you can just buy all of your textbooks from the campus shop. In fact, there usually aren’t campuses at all (UCA is the closest to a “campus,” since all the buildings are next to each other as opposed to all around the city). Here, the bibliographies for the classes are usually excerpts from various books, either in the forms of photocopies (from libraries, original books, or places that just do photocopies of texts and notes) or in books which may or may not be in the many bookstores in the city. The professor had said that the story would be in the print lab/photocopy center in the building, but when I went (and after I figured out the system) it wasn’t there. I emailed the professor though and she sent me a link online. That’s a nice thing about UCA—small classes, a lot like Elon.
That night I went out and had one of the most fun nights yet. I met up with a few people at a restaurant and we just chilled, talked, and enjoyed ice cream and wine. Afterwards, we went to the bar (Jobs) where we had gone as a group to celebrate the end of orientation. It’s a big place, filled with picnic tables, pool tables, darts, and foosball. We noticed that the people at some of the tables were playing board games as well. Maybe this exists in the U.S. and I just don’t know about it, but board games in a bar was a very new concept for me. We ended up playing Pictionary in Spanish with two Argentines. It was so much fun. We played in teams and it was very amusing when the US kids would guess the words correctly instead of the Argentines. There were many times we had to switch the cards though because we just didn’t know the words or we would understand the drawing, but not know how to say it in Spanish.
Wednesday was not particularly exciting. I stayed around the house for most of the morning/afternoon to be with Joaquin as well as wait for the computer technician to come to make the wireless internet work. Turns out it the wireless router wasn’t working because the cable was plugged into the wrong spot. Go figure. At least it didn’t cost that much for him to come out and he was able to fix up Elvira’s computer as well. Afterwards I went to another class at UCA—Introduction to Sociology. Once again it was somewhat of a wild goose chase trying to find which classroom I was supposed to be in. It was my first class where I was the only exchange student as opposed to there only being a few, if any, Argentines. The other students were really nice. At first it was a bit awkward, but they all talked to me, asking where I was from, what I studied, if I liked it here, etc. The girl I sat next to helped me after class, showing me where to go to get the syllabus.
Thursday I had my Lit class again. Unlike the other classes, which tend to start 10-20 minutes late, this one started a minute or two early. I was not expecting that at all, but I walked in right as she was starting. The story we read was interesting, though I didn’t fully understand it until we talked about it in class. It was all a satire of the government when Rosas was dictator, but since I’m far from an expert on Argentine history I missed a lot of the connections. I was surprised by how much a lot of the other (foreign) students knew though. That afternoon I had lunch with Sarah and then Elvira took us shopping for boots. It seems as if everyone here wears either boots or Converse sneakers. We both bought a pair, though it took me a while since I’m incredibly indecisive. I went back to UCA for the Sociology class (it’s a Wed, Thurs class. Strange). Once again, I really enjoyed the people. I understood the first half of class really well, but the second half I was pretty lost. I may or may not keep this class, depending on how I like the UBA class Monday.
I like how close/affectionate people are in Argentina. During our break in class one of the students bought a snack and another bought a drink and then they all shared it with a big group of friends (I was very excited I was included). Also, a kiss on the cheek is the standard greeting and goodbye here. Even on the first day of class, some of the students (who I had never met before) kissed me hello along with their other classmates. It’s a very friendly feeling, though still a bit strange at times.
Thursday night I went out with some friends and ended up meeting and talking with some Argentines, which was exciting. I like having new friends within the program, but I really want to make friends outside of the program as well.
Today I successfully bought a book for my lit class and booked my ferry/bus to go to Uruguay next weekend. We have a 3-day-weekend so I’m going to go to Colonia and Montevideo with some friends. Tonight I think I’m going to go out salsa dancing, which I’m very exciting about. Apparently people don’t start showing up until 2 or 3 in the morning though, so I think I’ll nap between dinner and going out. We shall see how it goes.
Tuesday was my first day of classes (only at UCA, the Catholic University of Argentina). In the morning I went to an Argentine Literature class in the Latin American Studies Program (aka mostly foreign students). I showed up to the classroom on my schedule and found two guys from the program, but no one else. We waited for a while and then decided it was time to ask, which was also an adventure. Every time we tracked someone down, they sent us to someone else. Eventually we found out that we had the wrong room listed on our schedules and were able to go to our class, just 20 minutes late. I think I liked the class, but I’m deciding between that one and another one that will start next week.
After class I got my student ID and then ran around the city a bit. I had to go to FLACSO to find out which classes I can take at UBA, though it turned out I could have done it online. I got the classes I wanted though, so they’ll start on Monday. Then I went back to UCA to have lunch with Stefan (from the plane) before our class on Peronismo (aka politics started by/based on Juan Peron). I decided it wasn’t the class for me though, so I won’t be taking that one. Afterwards I went to a class about making documentaries, specifically documentaries in Buenos Aires. It seemed really, really interesting, but I don’t think I want to devote that much time to filming and editing this semester.
I tried to go get photocopies of a story I needed for my lit class, but didn’t have much success. They don’t have the same system here, where you can just buy all of your textbooks from the campus shop. In fact, there usually aren’t campuses at all (UCA is the closest to a “campus,” since all the buildings are next to each other as opposed to all around the city). Here, the bibliographies for the classes are usually excerpts from various books, either in the forms of photocopies (from libraries, original books, or places that just do photocopies of texts and notes) or in books which may or may not be in the many bookstores in the city. The professor had said that the story would be in the print lab/photocopy center in the building, but when I went (and after I figured out the system) it wasn’t there. I emailed the professor though and she sent me a link online. That’s a nice thing about UCA—small classes, a lot like Elon.
That night I went out and had one of the most fun nights yet. I met up with a few people at a restaurant and we just chilled, talked, and enjoyed ice cream and wine. Afterwards, we went to the bar (Jobs) where we had gone as a group to celebrate the end of orientation. It’s a big place, filled with picnic tables, pool tables, darts, and foosball. We noticed that the people at some of the tables were playing board games as well. Maybe this exists in the U.S. and I just don’t know about it, but board games in a bar was a very new concept for me. We ended up playing Pictionary in Spanish with two Argentines. It was so much fun. We played in teams and it was very amusing when the US kids would guess the words correctly instead of the Argentines. There were many times we had to switch the cards though because we just didn’t know the words or we would understand the drawing, but not know how to say it in Spanish.
Wednesday was not particularly exciting. I stayed around the house for most of the morning/afternoon to be with Joaquin as well as wait for the computer technician to come to make the wireless internet work. Turns out it the wireless router wasn’t working because the cable was plugged into the wrong spot. Go figure. At least it didn’t cost that much for him to come out and he was able to fix up Elvira’s computer as well. Afterwards I went to another class at UCA—Introduction to Sociology. Once again it was somewhat of a wild goose chase trying to find which classroom I was supposed to be in. It was my first class where I was the only exchange student as opposed to there only being a few, if any, Argentines. The other students were really nice. At first it was a bit awkward, but they all talked to me, asking where I was from, what I studied, if I liked it here, etc. The girl I sat next to helped me after class, showing me where to go to get the syllabus.
Thursday I had my Lit class again. Unlike the other classes, which tend to start 10-20 minutes late, this one started a minute or two early. I was not expecting that at all, but I walked in right as she was starting. The story we read was interesting, though I didn’t fully understand it until we talked about it in class. It was all a satire of the government when Rosas was dictator, but since I’m far from an expert on Argentine history I missed a lot of the connections. I was surprised by how much a lot of the other (foreign) students knew though. That afternoon I had lunch with Sarah and then Elvira took us shopping for boots. It seems as if everyone here wears either boots or Converse sneakers. We both bought a pair, though it took me a while since I’m incredibly indecisive. I went back to UCA for the Sociology class (it’s a Wed, Thurs class. Strange). Once again, I really enjoyed the people. I understood the first half of class really well, but the second half I was pretty lost. I may or may not keep this class, depending on how I like the UBA class Monday.
I like how close/affectionate people are in Argentina. During our break in class one of the students bought a snack and another bought a drink and then they all shared it with a big group of friends (I was very excited I was included). Also, a kiss on the cheek is the standard greeting and goodbye here. Even on the first day of class, some of the students (who I had never met before) kissed me hello along with their other classmates. It’s a very friendly feeling, though still a bit strange at times.
Thursday night I went out with some friends and ended up meeting and talking with some Argentines, which was exciting. I like having new friends within the program, but I really want to make friends outside of the program as well.
Today I successfully bought a book for my lit class and booked my ferry/bus to go to Uruguay next weekend. We have a 3-day-weekend so I’m going to go to Colonia and Montevideo with some friends. Tonight I think I’m going to go out salsa dancing, which I’m very exciting about. Apparently people don’t start showing up until 2 or 3 in the morning though, so I think I’ll nap between dinner and going out. We shall see how it goes.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Dress-up for big kids
Today was another adventure. This morning I went for the first step in the process of getting my visa (We came in on turist visas and are getting our student visas here. Apparently its easier that way). I bought some school supplies and stopped at the bakery by my house that always smells delicious. I went to FLACSO in attempts to finish registering for classes, but (to make an overly complicated story to) they weren´t ready, so I left and made copies of my passport and had a quick lunch with Sarah.
At 230, a few people met at my house and we went, accompanied by my host mom, to a leather/fur factory. Elvira knows the owner so we were able to take a tour and try things on. I had thought it would be normal leather jackets and whatnot, but we were all quite suprised. They had very equisite, elaborate jackets in all kinds of colors, made of all kinds of furs. Definitely not things you would wear everyday. We had fun trying them on though. My favorite was a huge blue coat with a large, furry blue collar that seemed to swallow me up. Eventually I´ll post a link for pictures. Overall it was fun and very interesting, though a bit disturbing if you thought about where it all came from.
Afterwards Sarah and Amanda came over (after a stop at the bakery)and hung out for a bit. After snacking for a while we decided we were still hungry, so we went to a Cuban-style restaurant I pass everyday on my way to the subte. We relaxed and enjoyed appetizers and drinks. Its been fun meeting new people.
Tomorrow I´ll go to my first classes. I´m going to go to 3, but probably only take 1 of them, if any. We shall see how it goes!
At 230, a few people met at my house and we went, accompanied by my host mom, to a leather/fur factory. Elvira knows the owner so we were able to take a tour and try things on. I had thought it would be normal leather jackets and whatnot, but we were all quite suprised. They had very equisite, elaborate jackets in all kinds of colors, made of all kinds of furs. Definitely not things you would wear everyday. We had fun trying them on though. My favorite was a huge blue coat with a large, furry blue collar that seemed to swallow me up. Eventually I´ll post a link for pictures. Overall it was fun and very interesting, though a bit disturbing if you thought about where it all came from.
Afterwards Sarah and Amanda came over (after a stop at the bakery)and hung out for a bit. After snacking for a while we decided we were still hungry, so we went to a Cuban-style restaurant I pass everyday on my way to the subte. We relaxed and enjoyed appetizers and drinks. Its been fun meeting new people.
Tomorrow I´ll go to my first classes. I´m going to go to 3, but probably only take 1 of them, if any. We shall see how it goes!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Weekend #2
I´m not really sure where to begin. It always seems like so much happens between updates.
So, lets see.... This past week was the last week of official orientation activities with FLACSO. To celebrate, Thursdsay night we (students, staff, etc.) all went out to Job´s Bar for pizza, drinks, pool, etc. On Wednesday or Thursday I came down with a cold, which slows me down a bit. I had tried my best to avoid getting sick, but seeing as most everyone in the program was/is sick, it seems its my turn.
Friday we had a test on the basic information of the program (which apparently wasn´t taken very seriously since lots of people will be retaking it...). Afterwards, I went to get pictures taken for my Visa and then out to lunch. Sarah came home with me to see if we could get the wireless internet to work on my computer, but alas, it still won´t. I think we´re going to call someone to come out to set it up because, once school starts, it will be much more convenient to be able to access the internet from my computer. After that we wandered around San Telmo in the rain for a bit, shopping until all the stores closed. I bought one shirt, but since its short-sleeved it doesn´t exactly help me with the cold. We went to a fabulous place for dinner called Desnivel, which is a local favorite. We each had salad (I don´t eat as many fruits and vegetables here as at home) and delicious steaks and shared wine and chocolate mousse.
Saturday I went shopping for a bit since there are a lot of end of winter sales right now. I didnt find anything I liked, but the girls I was with bought a few things. The style is very different here. The 80´s are in full swing here. Leg warmers are normal. Everyone wears either boots or converse sneakers, and if boots, then their pants are usually tucked into them. Mullets and rattails are not uncommon. Lots of stretchy material. In the stores you see all kinds of colors, but most people wear dark colors--lots of black, brown, grey, dark blue and green, etc.
Anyway, after shopping (my biggest purchase of the day was tissues. very exciting) I went home for a bit before heading out again. I went out to dinner with a few of the girls to another "local favorite" type restaurant and then went to see a play. Cata (my host mom´s daughter and Annie´s host) works on production at a theater, so we went to see "Las Criadas." They talked really fast and I had a bit of a headache, so I didn´t catch all the lines. I understood the general idea though. Its definitely a fun way to practice my listening skills. I´m hoping to go to the theater again.
Today I finally went around San Telmo with Elvira, my host mom. We had been planning on doing it for quite some time, but each day I had substantial free time it rained. We walked just a few blocks from where we live and saw all kinds of things. The Manzana de las Luces is the block where the first school and universities were. The Cabildo is the building where the fight for independence from Spain was planned. We also saw the Casa Rosada and the Plaza de Mayo, 3 churches (one where San Martín is buried--an Argentine hero who fought for independence though Simon Bolivar gets much more of the credit), and a few museums. Then we wandered along the street Defensa where all the artisans, artists, antiques, and musicians are. We went into the market too, which is much of the same, though covered. This would be a antique collector´s paradaise. It was pretty, but I´m not all too interested in antiques. I did buy a necklace though from one of the stands on the street. For lunch we stopped at a little Parilla (grill) and had choripans. Its a very typical food of Argentina, which is pretty much a sausage sandwhich. It was tasty though. We wandered for a bit more before returning home to get out of the cold for a bit. Today was a lot of fun. I was able to see a lot of interesting things and finally learn a bit more about the buildings I pass everday.
So, lets see.... This past week was the last week of official orientation activities with FLACSO. To celebrate, Thursdsay night we (students, staff, etc.) all went out to Job´s Bar for pizza, drinks, pool, etc. On Wednesday or Thursday I came down with a cold, which slows me down a bit. I had tried my best to avoid getting sick, but seeing as most everyone in the program was/is sick, it seems its my turn.
Friday we had a test on the basic information of the program (which apparently wasn´t taken very seriously since lots of people will be retaking it...). Afterwards, I went to get pictures taken for my Visa and then out to lunch. Sarah came home with me to see if we could get the wireless internet to work on my computer, but alas, it still won´t. I think we´re going to call someone to come out to set it up because, once school starts, it will be much more convenient to be able to access the internet from my computer. After that we wandered around San Telmo in the rain for a bit, shopping until all the stores closed. I bought one shirt, but since its short-sleeved it doesn´t exactly help me with the cold. We went to a fabulous place for dinner called Desnivel, which is a local favorite. We each had salad (I don´t eat as many fruits and vegetables here as at home) and delicious steaks and shared wine and chocolate mousse.
Saturday I went shopping for a bit since there are a lot of end of winter sales right now. I didnt find anything I liked, but the girls I was with bought a few things. The style is very different here. The 80´s are in full swing here. Leg warmers are normal. Everyone wears either boots or converse sneakers, and if boots, then their pants are usually tucked into them. Mullets and rattails are not uncommon. Lots of stretchy material. In the stores you see all kinds of colors, but most people wear dark colors--lots of black, brown, grey, dark blue and green, etc.
Anyway, after shopping (my biggest purchase of the day was tissues. very exciting) I went home for a bit before heading out again. I went out to dinner with a few of the girls to another "local favorite" type restaurant and then went to see a play. Cata (my host mom´s daughter and Annie´s host) works on production at a theater, so we went to see "Las Criadas." They talked really fast and I had a bit of a headache, so I didn´t catch all the lines. I understood the general idea though. Its definitely a fun way to practice my listening skills. I´m hoping to go to the theater again.
Today I finally went around San Telmo with Elvira, my host mom. We had been planning on doing it for quite some time, but each day I had substantial free time it rained. We walked just a few blocks from where we live and saw all kinds of things. The Manzana de las Luces is the block where the first school and universities were. The Cabildo is the building where the fight for independence from Spain was planned. We also saw the Casa Rosada and the Plaza de Mayo, 3 churches (one where San Martín is buried--an Argentine hero who fought for independence though Simon Bolivar gets much more of the credit), and a few museums. Then we wandered along the street Defensa where all the artisans, artists, antiques, and musicians are. We went into the market too, which is much of the same, though covered. This would be a antique collector´s paradaise. It was pretty, but I´m not all too interested in antiques. I did buy a necklace though from one of the stands on the street. For lunch we stopped at a little Parilla (grill) and had choripans. Its a very typical food of Argentina, which is pretty much a sausage sandwhich. It was tasty though. We wandered for a bit more before returning home to get out of the cold for a bit. Today was a lot of fun. I was able to see a lot of interesting things and finally learn a bit more about the buildings I pass everday.
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